204 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



June. 1919 



more slender and graceful. Makes a splendid specimen for hall or 

 porch adornment. 



The Rock Phoenix (Phoenix rupicola) is one of the most beautiful 

 and useful of the group. The flaccid leaflets, being bright green in 

 color, are decidedly decorative. On account of its gracefulness and 

 bushy habit, it is especially useful for pot culture in the home or 

 conservatory. 



Roebelin's Phoenix (P. Roebelinii), one of the later additions to 

 the group, is perhaps the most graceful of the genus, having long, 

 graceful, dark green leaves. It is much dwarfer than any of the 

 previously-mentioned species. As a house plant, it is without a 

 peer. 



Howea or Kentia. Named for Lord Howe's 

 Island where the two species' grow. These are 

 erect, spineless Palms, known to horticulture 

 as Kentias. 



Curly Palm (Howea, or Kentia, Belmoreana) is the most popular 

 Palm for house culture and can be readily distinguished from its 

 brothers by its gracefully arching leaves. 



Thatch-leaf Palm (Kentia ForsterianaJ is an extremely useful 

 plant, used in very large quantities by the florist trade. The 

 leaves are more erect than in the preceding species and it is also a 

 more rapid grower. This plant is very popular and is often seen 

 as large, made-up specimens usually three plants being placed in the 

 centre of a flower pot or tub. The two species of this genus con- 

 stitute by far the best-known Palms of the American trade. The 

 leaves of Kentia Forsteriana are used in large quantities by the 

 natives on Lord Howe's Island for thatching the roofs of their huts, 

 hence the name. 



Livistona. The genus Livistona was named 

 in honor of Patrick Murray, of Livistone, near 

 Edinburgh, Scotland. These Palms are partic- 

 ularly decorative as conservatory plants, the 

 commonest representative being the Chinese 

 Fan-Palm. 



Chinese Fan-Palm (Livistona chinensis) is known to the trade, 



improperly, as Latania borbonica. It has a stout trunk and many 

 broad fan-shaped leaves. It was formerly used very extensively as 

 a house plant, but of late years has been almost replaced by the 

 Howeas and species of Phoenix. Livistona chinensis requires a 

 large amount of space for its full development, and is therefore 

 better adapted for conservatories than for dwelling-house adornment. 

 Round leaf Fan-Palm (Livistona rotundifotia) is highly decorative 

 as a conservatory plant, and, during its infancy, is very desirable 

 for table decoration as well as for inside window boxes or Wardian 

 cases. 



Chrysalidocarpus is Greek for golden fruit 

 and gives the name to one of the commonest of 

 our house Palms usually known as Areca. 



Chrysalidocarpus lutescens is a spineless stoloniferous plant and 

 a general favorite for pot culture. It is a very bushy Palm, suckering 

 freely when quite young. Its golden stems and graceful, arched pin- 

 nate leaves make it desirable for home or conservatory decoration. 

 Its one great requirement is plenty of water. 



Cocos, is derived from the Portuguese word 

 coco, head; the end of the nut resembling a 

 monkey's head. This genus includes the cocoa- 

 nut tree and a few interesting and attractive 

 Palms used for conservatory decoration; also 

 a few species grown in Florida and Southern 

 California as avenue trees. 



Coco Palm (Cocos nucifera) produces the cocoanuts of commerce. 

 It is rarely used as a house or conservatory plant, but may be seen 

 in botanic gardens in the larger Palm houses. A variety known as 

 aurea is cultivated in England. It has orange-yellow sheaths, 

 petioles and midribs which make it decidedly attractive. 



Feathery Coco (Cocos plumosa) is a species widely used in South 

 Florida and California for street planting. When grown in from 

 5 to 12 inch pots or tubs it makes a desirable plant for the home or 

 conservatory. 



Weddell's Coco (Cocos Weddelliana) is of all the species cultivated 

 for ornament by far the most important. It is easy to grow and 



lends itself admirably as a centre piece for a fern dish, also if a num- 

 ber of the seedlings are placed together in a fern dish and the sur- 

 face of the soil furnished with Selaginella Kraussiana will make a 

 desirable and attractive centre piece for the dining table. When 

 the plants attain a height of from three to five feet they are very 

 beautiful and are desirable for home decoration; and when used as 

 conservatory plants they suggest grace and beauty. 



Chamaerops — name derived from Greek, 

 meaning dwarf bush. 



Low Bush-Palm (Chamaerops humilis) a low, fan-leaved Palm 

 and a favorite among Palm connoisseurs. It is extremely hardy and 

 is very attractive both as a plant for home, veranda or porch deco- 

 ration. On account of its dwarf, bushy nature, it is admirably 

 adapted as a specimen plant for the conservatory. Chamaerops 

 humilis is planted to some extent in the South for lawn decoration. 

 It is native to the Mediterranean basin. 



Rhapis is derived from rhaphis, a needle, 

 alluding to the acute awns of the corolla. These 

 dwarfish plants are of very distinct habit and 

 are found among the very few Palms producing 

 suckers at the base. They are very bushy and 

 decidedly "Japanesque" in appearance. 



Fan-shaped Needle Palm (Rhapis flabelliformis) is the species 

 most generally used for home adornment. It is particularly hardy 

 and will stand in position in the dwelling house when other plants 

 and many Palms would not thrive. As a veranda plant it is partic- 

 ularly useful and hardy, surviving when the temperature has been 

 recorded as low as 28° F. The plant is a native of China and Japan. 



Dwarf Needle Palm (Rhapis humilis) is almost stemless. produc- 

 ing a few short reed-like stems and semi-circular leaves with many- 

 parted segments. It is more graceful in appearance than the spe- 

 cies flabelliformis, but it is not as hardy. For conservatory decor- 

 ation, especially for decorative effect in the Water-lily house, it is 

 one of the desirable subjects, as its light, graceful, airy foliage and 

 reed-like stems are particularly attractive when reflected in the 

 water. 



Buds on Apple Trees 

 Not Developed 

 Enough 



Reports continue to in- 

 dicate that fruit buds on 

 apple trees did not develop 



sufficiently last summer and fall, particularly in 

 southernOhio, as a resultof dry weather. To assist 

 in bringing the buds out, good fertilizer and careful 

 pruning are recommended by Frank Beach, exten- 

 sion horticulturist of the Ohio State University. 

 On most soils, especially on thin land, best results 

 are obtained from nitrate of soda, applied about 

 the time the buds are showing pink. For an old 

 bearing tree about 5 pounds is required but for 

 trees just coming into bearing 2 pounds is suffi- 

 cient. The nitrate makes the blooms more re- 

 sistant to frost, assists in holding the young 

 apples on the trees, and generally improves the 

 quality of the fruit. Later it encourages a bet- 

 ter development of fruit buds for the following 

 year. 



"Japanese Crones" 

 A "New" 

 Vegetable 



Was the name under 

 which the visitor to a 

 recent exhibition of the 

 Massachusetts Horticul- 

 tural Society saw an unusual vegetable. It is 

 the tuberous root of Stachys Sieboldii a rela- 

 tive of, but not much like, the well known 

 Wool-plant of old-time flower gardens. These 

 tubers are two to three inches long, ivory white, 

 crisp and delicious enough cooked as fritters, 

 or in various other ways. Though not exactly 

 new the plant is not very well known in spite 

 of a determined campaign of introduction some 

 few years ago. Easily grown in the open, 

 taking care of itself when once planted and 

 easily producing tubers in quantity — at least a 

 quart is the season's crop from one tuber — yet 

 the bother of keeping them over winter is more 

 than most people will give. The tubers must be 

 kept in damp sand at all times, as otherwise they 

 wilt and shrivel. Even as far north as New 



York or possibly Boston the roots survive the 

 winters outdoors. As an additional vegetable 

 in late summer, it has a place just for variety's 

 sake. The name of the vegetable as given above 

 is a mis-spelling of "crosnes," which was applied 

 to the tubers when they appeared in the markets 

 of Paris, France (Crosnos du Japon) because 

 they had been grown at a little spot of that 

 name — a place not far from Versailles. The 

 plant is native of China and was sent to France 

 in 1882 from Pekin by D. Brictschinerker. It 

 is also commonly known as Chorogi, chiogo, 

 Chinese Artichoke, Knotroot — so you can take 

 your choice, and for convenience's sake perhaps 

 the latest variant will pass muster. 



Lettuce Bolting 



To 



Seed 



It isn't only in the 

 home garden that celery 

 misbehaves itself by 

 bolting; the market 

 gardener faces this possibility with considerably 

 more alarm because it means so much more 

 to him. The point at issue, however, is that 

 bolting or running to seed is still something 

 of a mystery as to the exact cause. Of course, 

 the usual thing is the "blamed seed" but "Mar- 

 ketman" writing in a recent issue of the American 

 Florist contends that from his experiences and 

 observation this running away of the celery is 

 because of undue haste in starting the crop early. 

 "We produce our own celery seed each season 

 from select stock plants. To guard against any 

 chances, we do this under glass. Now in one 

 corner of a house, where this seed was produced, 

 some seed shelled out. In December, among our 

 lettuce there came thousands of celery seedlings. 

 We saved a few, and finally potted them into 

 three-inch pots. They made a fine growth, but 



before March first each 

 one had developed a seed 

 stem. The same seed that 

 produced these plants was 

 planted for the main crop 

 about March fifteenth 

 and not one went wrong." 



For the Northern states any start earlier than 



March first is risky, it is claimed. 



" Everlasting " A writer in the English 



Flowers for Garden with prudent 



Winter forethought reminds us 



that in the time of 

 plenty of blossoms between June and September 

 we are likely to forget the period of dearth 

 that follows and suggests consideration for the 

 Everlastings, many of which can be grown in a 

 garden and which in combination form attrac- 

 tive collections for filling vases in the winter. 

 Among the perennials are Gypsophila paniculata 

 in its double form; the Sea Lavenders (Statices) 

 especially latifolia and incana; Globe Thistles 

 (Echinops) ritro and ruthenicus; the Sea Hollies 

 which we all know assume such a beautiful metal- 

 lic bloom and sheen; the Teasels (Dipsacus) 

 especially laciniatus; the lantern-like winter 

 Cherries (Physalis Alkekengi, orange red, and 

 Francheti, brilliant red). (Often objected to in 

 well kept borders because of their root spreading 

 tendencies. — Ed.); the Cupidones (Catananche) 

 blue and white flowers; and lastly the Lavender, 

 which though not conspicuous, is worth while for 

 fragrance. Among the biennials there is the 

 silver podded Honesty which seems to harmonize 

 fittingly with quainter pieces of old time furni- 

 ture, "the love of people who own a fondness for 

 old time flowers." In the annuals, of course, we 

 find the Helichrysum which may be called the 

 typical Everlasting, Rhodanthe Manglesi and 

 numerous ornamental Grasses. "Much care is 

 needed in gathering blossoms intended to be 

 kept. . . The Golden rule to follow is to cut 

 just before they are at their best so as to avoid 

 risk of expanding and shedding." 



