The Garden Magazine 



Volume XVIII 



DECEMBER, 1913 



Number 5 



TO GET the maximum enjoyment from December you 

 must be an indoor gardener. Of course there are plenty 

 of days when odd jobs can be done outdoors, but to keep 

 up a real, live interest in growing things a greenhouse, 

 or a hotbed, or even a few pots and boxes in a sunny south window, 

 is decidedly essential. 



The special requirements of indoor plants — those to which you 

 must pay particular attention — have to do with moisture, temp- 

 erature, ventilation and light. 



Moisture. Because you cannot use a hose or watering pot as 

 freely indoors as in the garden, you must imitate natural conditions 

 as nearly as possible in other ways. Whenever you water, soak 

 the soil thoroughly. But do this only when it is clearly needed; in 

 other words, don't keep the soil wet by daily sprinkling but wait 

 till it tends toward dryness. Then water generously. 



Pots and tubs will need more water than benches or beds be- 

 cause of the additional surface they expose to the air. So, too, 

 plants in a dwelling will dry out much more quickly than those in 

 a greenhouse because of the much less humid atmosphere that sur- 

 rounds them. Both our house plants and our own health would 

 benefit if we would offset the drying effects of radiator heat by 

 keeping open dishes of water about the rooms. 



Temperature. Strictly speaking, temperature conditions in dwell- 

 ings are just the opposite of what plants require and which the 

 greenhouse attempts to supply. By day, when the sun is up and 

 the air relatively warm, we start up the furnace to keep the house 

 "comfortable." At night when, more than ever, the plants need 

 protection, we bank the hres and open the windows to "air out the 

 house." Don't forget, however, that we spend the night under 

 blankets, and that the palms, ferns, rubber plants, etc., will appre- 

 ciate either newspaper covers or a warm room to themselves. 



Ventilation. Fresh air is essential to plant growth, but taken in 

 the form of cold drafts it is deadly. Similarly, coal or illuminating 

 gas will soon destroy the thriftiest of specimens. Some, such as 

 the Jerusalem cherry, are so susceptible that a plant can be kept 

 as a safety valve or "gas detector," for it will shed its leaves at 

 the slightest whiff. Your duty, then, is to keep nearby windows 

 closed, to pull down the shades or move the plants from the win- 

 dows at night, and to keep the door to the cellar closed when feed- 

 ing coal to the furnace. 



Light. The average window rarely admits too much light for any 

 plant, but in the greenhouse brilliant sunlight often necessitates 

 shading, especially of seedlings, newly made cuttings, etc. 



Whenever the light comes entirely from one side, it will be neces- 

 sary to offset the effects of heliotropism and the tendency of the 

 plant to become one sided, by turning it around frequently. 



With this groundwork of general principles, on which to base the 

 detailed care required by various species and families, even the 

 novice should find the raising of house plants quite within his 

 abilities. 



Opportunities Indoors 



"\^7"HERE a temperature of 50 to 55 degrees is available, cauli- 



▼ » flower seed may be sown for later transplanting to a shelt- 

 ered coldframe. 



Amaryllis bulbs which have been resting will soon begin to show- 

 signs of blooming. When the flower spikes show, move the bulbs 

 to a warm, moist house and give the soil a surface dressing of 

 rich compost. Water carefully. 



These are the important fertilizing days for the early indoor 

 tomato crop. Pollinate the flowers every day or two. If the 

 weather is bright and dry, the pollen can be distributed by sharply 

 rapping each flower stem. But on cool, cloudy days use a watch 

 glass and a camel's hair brush and hand pollinate each blossom. 



Parsley and chives are among the easiest to grow and most 

 useful of winter green things. They will thrive in a box or basket 

 on a kitchen window sill. Where there is room for a flat or two 

 (or in a bench), sow a pinch of lettuce seed every ten days or so 

 for succession. 



This is the time to repot fuchsias. Knock them out carefully, 

 holding one hand across the top of the pot and tapping the edge 

 on a bench or table. Shake out all the loose, worn out soil and 

 replace with gcod compost. In nearly every case the same pot 

 should be used to prevent excessive top growth that follows a 

 suddenly increased root system. 



As the chrysanthemums cease blooming, cut them back to 

 within a few inches of the ground, and store these "stock plants" 

 in a pit, cool greenhouse, light cellar or better still a deep cold- 

 frame, where a light touch of frost will do no harm. 



Among the plants that bloomed in November and were put 

 away first, some should have by this time produced shoots that 

 can be taken off as cuttings. 



This is, by the way, but one type of cutting that can be made 

 during winter for the propagation of herbaceous perennials. 

 Veronica subsessilis, perennial phlox and similar species, of which 

 the tops die down each winter, can be dug from the garden in 

 late fall, stored away, and cuttings taken from time to time exact- 

 ly as in the case of the chrysanthemum. 



Of perennials such as lavender (Lavendula vera), sweet William 

 (Dianthus barbatus), Santolina incana, candytuft (Iberis semper- 

 ilorens, var. superba), etc., wood may be taken at almost any time 

 during the winter. During the worst weather keep plants from 

 which cuttings are desired covered with mats. 



If frozen, the cuttings should be drenched with water when first 

 brought in; they should then be trimmed and stood in water 

 for a couple of hours before planting. 



Until established, it is well to shade the beds by day, gradually 

 removing the covering earlier and putting it on later, until it can 

 be quite done away with. To avoid disturbing the cuttings by 

 watering, sprinkle right on the shades instead of removing them. 



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