A little thoughtful care given to the holiday plants and they may be made permanent inhabitants of the window garden 



After Blooming — What? 



ANNA M. BURKE 



MAKING THE MOST OF THE HOLIDAY GIFT PLANTS.— HOW TO GET THE MOST VALUE OUT OF THEM 



THE joy of the Christmas season 

 takes on an added note if some one 

 has remembered us with a pot 

 bright with blossoms or gay with 

 crimson berries. Wars may wage across 

 seas, snows may whirl against our window, 

 but at least within doors there is peace and 

 warmth, and the cheer of "green things grow- 

 ing." 



But alas, it too often happens that the 



Elant which was cherished as a thing of 

 eauty at Christmas time finds itself, a month 

 or two afterward, consigned to the ash barrel 

 because its flowers or berries have faded; 

 whereas with a little care given at the right 

 time it might be made to bloom and give 

 pleasure for many years. 



Most of these plants have been grown 

 under ideal conditions, and the change from 

 the moist coolness of a greenhouse to our 

 overheated and underventilated living rooms 

 is very marked. Much can be done to 

 temper the shock of this change by keeping 

 the plants, for a part of the day at least, in a 

 room where the temperature does not go 

 much above sixty degrees, changing the 

 air in the room occasionally, and by 

 frequent spraying of the leaves keeping 

 them free from dust. 



The Poinsettia 



O ED is the dominant note 

 ■*■ *■ among Christmas flowers, and 

 no plant bears this color more 

 bravely than the Poinsettia — that 

 brilliant flower of Mexico, which 

 so obligingly unfolds its crimson 

 bracts in the dead of our Northern 

 winter. It is a most decorative plant, 

 whose beauty may be much enhanced 

 by placing it against a background of 

 delicate Ferns. Keep away from the 

 direct rays of the sun, and give frequent 

 sprayings to prevent the tiny red spider 

 from taking up his abode beneath the 

 leaves. When the bracts fade, set the 

 pot in a dry cellar, where it will require 

 no water or attention until spring. About 

 the middle of May, plant the roots out- 

 side in a sunny spot, or if no yard space 

 is available, leave the roots in the original 



pot and bring it into a sunny window and 

 water well. Tiny shoots will soon appear, 

 which should be broken off" when about two 

 inches long and potted in sand. When rooted, 

 four or five of the little plants may be set in 

 an 8-inch pan, filled with good garden soil 

 mixed with leaf mold and a little bone meal. 

 During the summer they may be kept out of 

 doors, or in a sunny window, as preferred, 

 keeping the pots well watered and giving 

 liquid fertilizer every two weeks. (A tea- 

 spoon of nitrate of soda dissolved in a quart 

 of lukewarm water makes a clean fertilizer, 

 or half a teaspoon of bone meal may be stirred 



Of all the Christmas plants the Poinsettia 

 most seasonable. It needs drying off before 

 is started in the spring 



158 



seems to be 

 new growth 



into the soil, where it will slowly dissolve and 

 feed the roots). If kept out of doors, the 

 Poinsettias should be brought in about the 

 first of September and kept in a warm, sunny 

 window until the brightly colored bracts ap- 

 pear. 



Ardisia 



T-IIGHLY prized for the profusion of its 

 bright crimson berries the Ardisia is one of 

 the most popular Christmas plants. Its leaves 

 are a dark, glossy green, and so beautiful that it 

 would be a desirable plant for its foliage alone. 

 The clusters of berries often last for two years, 

 if the plant is kept well watered, with fre- 

 quent sprayings. In the spring it should be 

 set in an east window, to induce new flowers. 

 When these appear, give liquid fertilizer once 

 a fortnight. During the summer it may be 

 kept in the living room, or in a corner of the 

 veranda sheltered from winds, bringing it 

 into the house before there is the 

 slightest danger of frost. 



Jerusalem Cherry 



ANOTHER popular fruit bearing 

 -^*- plant is the Jerusalem Cherry, 

 very symmetrical and so laden with 

 berries that it would be hard to find 

 a more attractive table or window 

 ornament. The "cherries" will last 

 for three months, but if a trace of 

 coal gas is present in the room the 

 green leaves will quickly drop off. 

 Frequent sprayings will help to 

 keep it in a healthy condition. 

 In the spring, the old plant may 

 be cut back and then plunged in 

 a partly shaded spot out of doors, 

 giving plenty of water during the 

 summer. Keep the tips pinched 

 back to make the plant bushy, 

 and turn the pot frequently to 

 avoid a one-sided growth. Before bringing 

 into the house a little bone meal should be 

 stirred into the soil. The Jerusalem Cherry 

 is easily grown from seed. Crush one or two 

 of the berries, separating the seeds from the 

 pulp, and sow in February in a box of fine 

 soil. Transplant into pots and treat during 

 the summer as in the case of the old plants. 



