FOR a long service and ease 

 of culture, there is, after 

 all, nothing much more 

 satisfactory than the old 

 favorite Oxalis where a flowering 

 basket plant is wanted. Here is 

 a suggestion — buy a dozen bulbs 

 of one of the large flowering varieties and 

 start them in humus or fibre in a hanging 

 basket, or bulb pan. They will not be in 

 bloom by Christmas, but will be nicely started and 

 during the early spring months will give a con- 

 tinuous supply of bloom. 



Particularly Christmasy in appearance, for a 

 non-flowering hanging basket plant, are the 

 "asparagus ferns" plumosus and Sprengerii. 

 Few plants are better for the house than these, 

 and they will remain in good condition through- 

 out the year and will continue to make quite a 

 growth for several years to come. 



How About Azaleas This Year? 



A ZALEAS, of course, have been one of the 

 -^*- standard plants for use as Christmas gifts 

 for many years. This year, however, owing to 

 the war, they will be few and far between. There 

 are still a few being imported, but, of course, the 

 number is limited. The biggest trouble with 

 Azaleas is that most people will not give them 

 water enough during the flowering period, nor 

 a cool enough temperature. The most satisfac- 

 tory plant to use in place of an Azalea is a large 

 sized Cyclamen just coming into bloom. The 

 Cyclamen is a cool-temperature plant, and, if 

 anything, better than the Azalea for the average 

 house conditions. And then there are the Prim- 

 roses, so well known that no description is neces- 

 sary. 



Palms and Ferns 



DALMS will be plentiful this season. But 

 *■ in buying, one should be careful to select 

 only those kinds capable of with- 

 standing ordinary house temper- 

 atures. The Kentias, Latania, 

 and Phoenix Roebelenii are, on 

 the whole, the most satisfac- 

 tory. The last being much 

 more decorative and graceful in 

 appearance than the others. Its 

 many good points make it, all 

 things considered, the best of 

 all Palms for the house. 



Ferns will be in good supply 

 this year, as they have been re- 

 placing many warmer tempera- 

 ture plants. But stick to the 

 safe kinds in making any pur- 

 chases for house use. The 

 Maidenhairs and other tender 

 varieties will not make satisfac- 

 tory Christmas gifts no matter 

 how charming they may look in 

 the florist's window. One of the 

 many types developed from the 

 older "Boston" fern will be the 

 most satisfactory for growing in 

 the living room. 



No selection of Christmas 

 plants will be quite complete 

 without some mention of Ficus 

 elastica — better known as the 

 Rubber plant. This has not the 

 quality of novelty, it is true. 

 But it has so many other good qualities, that it is 

 always a "safe bet." And one is not restricted 

 to the common variety, as the "fiddle leaved" 

 (Ficus pandurata), which is quite distinct from 

 the other in appearance, is now generally ob- 

 tainable. 



A XYBODY contemplating the use of plants 

 ■**■ for Christmas gifts, may rest assured that 

 they will be received as gladly as ever. Nor are 

 the prices for this class of plants as high as might 

 be expected az the result of the order allowing 

 greenhouses a limited amount of coal. With 



gJigfengikCHRIsTMAS^olIar 



* < %w/a c Dolhrs < W6rti 



Plants That Will Stand House Conditions 

 F. F. ROCKWELL 



some classes of plants, in fact, the result has been 

 just the opposite, because growers have sold to 

 dealers very liberally to avoid having too much to 

 carry through the winter. 



In selecting gift plants for the present time, 

 one should look for the things which are 



1. Hardy enough to stand house conditions 



2. Resistant to dust and dry atmosphere. 



3. Having a long season and preferably, 



remaining throughout the year or capa- 

 ble of flowering again next season. 



It is by no means impossible to select plants 

 that will fulfill these conditions. 



In addition to selecting the right kind of a 

 plant, attention should also be given to the in- 

 dividual specimen. Many people make the mis- 

 take of judging by size alone. A young plant, 

 in active thrifty growth, recently potted up — but 

 having been potted up long enough to have be- 

 come thoroughly established — will give very much 

 more satisfaction than a large, old plant which, 

 though still in good condition, may have ceased 

 active growth. What are known as "made up" 

 plants — that is several small plants in one pot, 

 to give the appearance of a very, large thrifty 

 plant — are usually not as satisfactory as single 

 plants. If the plant wanted is a flowering kind, 

 take care to get a specimen which is just begin- 

 ning to come into bloom. It will not only carry 

 better and arrive in much more perfect condi- 



personal taste. To take the ques- 

 tion of hardiness first, if one 

 wants something to withstand 

 the most adverse conditions, 

 something which almost literally 

 "can't be killed," under ordi- 

 nary treatment, nothing is bet- 

 ter than the old, but not universally 

 known, Aspidistra. While not as pic- 

 turesquely graceful as some of the Palms, 



If you would have plants in your home, give them a little thoughtful care. Direct sunshine, fresh pure 

 air, and ventilation really are essential. Of course some plants are sturdier than others 



tion, but the plant itself will withstand the shock 

 of being moved about and being set in place in a 

 new environment better if it has not yet come into 

 full bloom. 



Room for Personal Preferences 



WHAT are the plants that best comply with 

 the requirements? A few have already been 

 suggested; but they by no means exhaust the list. 

 Indeed there are several plants which comply more 

 or less with the conditions; but which will be the 

 best to select in any particular case, will, of 

 course, depend both upon circumstances and 



142 



nevertheless its long, smooth leaves springing 

 from the soil, and attaining a length of two 

 feet or so, give it a somewhat tropical appear- 

 ance, and a very decorative effect. 



While the green Aspidistra is the one most 

 popularly known, the form with variegated 

 leaves, is a little brighter in appearance. In 

 addition to its other good qualities, the Aspi- 

 distra increases very readily by simply dividing 

 the old roots and re-potting or re-planting. 



A Christmas Tree for All the Year Around 



/"\NE of the most beautiful of all the Christmas 

 ^-^ plants and general house plants, the Nor- 

 folk Pine (Araucaria), will be hard to get this 

 year — but, for that reason, especially prized. 

 In taking care of this plant, most people make 

 the mistake, because it is offered at the holiday 

 season with a lot of tender, hot-house plants, of 

 assuming that it requires a very high tempera- 

 ture. Quite the contrary is true, a cool, even 

 temperature being what is needed, with very 

 little water during the winter months when 

 growth is nearly dormant. 



Cherries for Christmas Morning! 



HpHERE is one old favorite that has been out 

 -*■ of favor in some quarters lately, because it 

 was considered too plebeian, and that is the good 

 old Jerusalem Cherry — which, in fact, is not a 

 cherry but a scarlet fruited Solanum or Pepper. 

 A well grown plant, with its 

 bright, glossy green foliage, 

 loaded with its small, scarlet 

 fruits is about as appropriate 

 for a decorative plant for Christ- 

 mas as anything that could 

 well be imagined. And, it will 

 retain its attractiveness, not for 

 a few days only, but for many 

 weeks. A moderate tempera- 

 ture, and only enough water to 

 keep the ground moist during 

 the winter months, and a prun- 

 ing back into shape in the spring 

 when the plant can be set but of 

 doors, and plunged into the soil, 

 will put it into fine condition 

 for a grand show next season. 



Red Berries Around the Year 



¥F YOU want the cheery com- 

 * bination of bright red berries 

 and clean, green foliage, another 

 excellent plant is Ardisia cren- 

 ulata, which has no fitting pop- 

 ular name. And, as the bril- 

 liantly colored berries remain on 

 the plant for a long time, in 

 fact until the succeeding crop 

 has developed, it is always 

 highly decorative. While the 

 Ardisia is not quite as tough 

 and will not withstand the dry heat and dust 

 so well as the other plants mentioned, under 

 ordinarily good care it will be wholly satisfac- 

 tory. 



The Best Plants for Hanging Baskets 



TN MANY situations, a hanging basket is 

 * more desirable than a regular potted plant. 

 This year the Lorraine Begonia will not be 

 much in evidence. But Gloire de Chatelaine, 

 Glory of Cincinnati, Christmas Red, Prima 

 Donna, and Mrs. J. A. Peterson are all excellent 

 house varieties. 



