The Joys of a “Cool Greenhouse ’—By Parker T. Barnes $% 
DHE TREASURES THAT 
ONLY 40° TO 50°—A PRACTICAL SCHEME FOR PEOPLE WHO 
F YOU want a winter garden at the 
least expense, grow the plants men- 
tioned below. Most of them will bloom in 
the dreary month of March, but the azaleas 
and some others may be had in time for 
Christmas, if started early. All of them 
may be started or purchased now, or in late 
The cineraria has some of the richest blues, reds 
and purples in the great family of composites 
summer. I believe they are the best for 
beginners, and the plants that are best for 
beginners are generally the ones that the 
old-timers come back to after expensive tests 
of novelties. They are the showy, long- 
lasting, easily grown coolhouse plants, that 
you will grow year after year with increasing 
satisfaction. 
The showiest greenhouse shrubs are the 
Indian azaleas, not so highly colored, but their ever- 
green foliage makes a better background 
MAY BE HAD IN 
azaleas. Both the Ghent and mollis azaleas 
bloom before the leavesexpand. The mollis 
has flowers two anda half inches across, which 
are yellow, orange or pink, while the Ghent 
has flowers in all shades, from white to red 
and lilac. The Indian azalea is an ever- 
green, with small, shiny, dark green leaves. 
The flowers are either single or double, and 
vary from white to deep red, but lack the fire- 
like gorgeousness of the mollis varieties. 
It is cheaper and better for the amateur to 
buy these plants from the dealers, who im- 
port them from Holland, in the fall, than to 
attempt to propagate them by cuttings or 
grafting. 
When you receive these plants which have 
just been imported, they are without pots, 
but have compact, hard balls of peaty soil 
around the roots. If the balls are dry, soak 
them in water until thoroughly wet; then put 
them into the smallest pots you can. Use a 
fine soil, made of fibrous loam, peat and sand. 
Pot firmly, and water. These can be stored 
in a cool, light airy place with a temperature 
of 35° or 40°, such as a deep coldframe. 
Look out for mildew. 
The Ghent and mollis azaleas can be had 
in bloom in about six weeks from the time 
they are brought into heat. Some of the 
Indian azaleas, particularly Deutsche Perle, 
a double white, and Verveeneana, a double 
pink, edged with white and more or less 
blotched with red, are hard to keep from 
flowering, particularly if you do not want 
them until late in the season, unless kept very 
cool. 
After flowering, pick off the dead flowers, 
and water freely, in order that they may 
make a good growth. If any shoots are 
growing faster than the others, pinch them 
back, to form a symmetrical plant. As soon 
as all danger of frost is past in the spring, 
plunge the plants in the open ground and 
syringe daily, to keep down the thrips. 
GERANIUMS THE EASIEST OF ALL 
So common that we seldom give its trans- 
cendant merits a second thought, yet the 
easiest plant to grow in the house, is the 
ordinary geranium. It wants a rich soil; 
but the secret of success with it is not to over 
water—on the other hand, never allow it to 
become dry. To usea gardener’s expression, 
keep it on the ‘‘dry side.” A very pretty way 
of handling geraniums is as standards. For 
Christmas decoration the standards covered 
with large trusses of flowers are beautiful. 
It takes about two years to grow a good 
standard two or two and a half feet high. 
THE PELARGONIUM OR SHOW GERANIUM 
A close relative of the common or zonal 
geranium, is the pelargonium (Pelargo- 
nium domesticum) of which the ‘‘ Martha 
Washington geranium” is the most familiar 
example. This does not have as many 
flowers in a truss as the geranium, but they 
23 
A GREENHOUSE WHOSE TEMPERATURE IS 
ARE NOT COAL BARONS 
are larger and much handsomer. The 
flowers usually have a white ground, and 
are variously marked or blotched with red 
or purple. 
These plants are flowered in May and 
June. As soon as the plants have done 
flowering remove the old flower stalks and 
Calceolarias. Somewhat like lady’s slippers, yellow, 
red, brown, and spotted 
set the plants outside in the full sun. Here 
let them ripen their wood, and gradually 
withhold water, giving the plants a good rest. 
In September prune them into shape, cutting 
back as one may fancy but removing all soft 
and weak shoots. Then shake the old soil 
from among the roots, and repot them in a 
Pelargoniums require a little more care than ordinary 
geraniums, but they are far showier 
