Unusual Plants for Indoor Culture -By Luke J. Doogue, c 1 



Massa- 

 husetts 



WHEN plants are grown indoors the 

 many cases of failure and discour- 

 agement are due principally to an unwise 

 choice of a plant and to its condition when 

 brought indoors. For instance, if a palm 

 is brought into the house just after it has 

 been potted the chances are that it will be 

 a long time before it starts to grow, or even 

 to recover from the shock of potting. A 

 palm should be almost pot-bound before 

 it may be expected to grow in the dwelling 

 house. Pot-bound means that the pot is 

 absolutely crowded with roots, when nine 

 out of ten persons would hasten to put the 

 plant into a larger pot in order to save it. 

 If the plant was to be kept in a green- 



Asparagus plutnosus and Sprengeri. with Pan- 

 danus Veitchii in the centre. To get a thick growth 

 of the asparagus cut it back frequently 



house, repotting would then be the proper 

 course but as the plant is to be kept in the 

 dwelling, repotting would then spell failure, 

 for a pot-bound plant in the house, with its 

 abundance of strong roots, when properly 

 watered, can flourish under unfavorable 

 conditions for a long period. 



The only thing to be avoided in caring 

 for plants in this condition is allowing them 

 to stand in water that has collected from 

 frequent waterings. Empty the receptacle 

 in which the plant stands every time you 

 water it. Stagnant water means quick 

 death to any plant and particularly to a 

 pot-bound one. I have palms that have 

 not been repotted for years and they are 

 still growing. Once in a while I scrape off 

 a little of the old loam from the top of the 

 ball and put in new, and when spring comes 

 I use a little plant fertilizer — I have no 

 preference as to any particular kind. 



TABLE DECORATION 



It is almost impossible to have a centre 

 piece of tender ferns look like anything 

 except a few sickly green stalks for any 

 length of time. Instead of ferns, one of the 

 best things for this purpose is the golden 



euonymous. This may seem to some 

 rather impractical but I have had on my 

 table for some time just such a centrepiece 

 and I know it is practical. I use very 

 small plants. If you happen to have 

 an old plant it will furnish hundreds of 

 cuttings which will root quickly in sand 

 in a shallow box. Put the little plants, 

 when rooted, into a small fiat pan to be 

 placed inside the jardiniere. If the plants 

 grow too tall just pinch them back. 



During the winter months give the plants 

 a daily sunning. Asparagus pliimosus is 

 frequently used for table decoration. After 

 it is brought into the house it is apt to show 

 signs of dying, and before it has had a 

 chance to recover one is likely to empty the 

 dish. If this plant is used, give it time to 

 demonstrate what it can do. Don't throw 

 it out even after it has shown signs of appar- 

 ently dying,but just cut it back and put it 

 in the sun. When it has once established its 

 root system it will grow, and grow well. Use 

 the scissors on it when it has grown too high, 

 thereby forcing new growth. Such a plant 

 will last for seasons, and its delicate foliage 

 — like lace-like fern fronds is always 

 welcome. 



Another very decorative plant is Gre- 

 vellia robusta. The small plants are the 

 most decorative as the very large ones have 

 the bad habit of growing leggy. The 

 decorative foliage is cut into slender rib- 

 bons as it were and a very attractive 

 dressing can be made by putting six or 

 eight small plants into a large pot, placing 

 them so that the effect will be globular. 



A jardiniere filled with these plants is very 

 ornamental. Grow this plant yourself 

 from seed; just sow the seeds in a shallow 

 box and when the plants are large enough, 

 pot them. A large plant for a centrepiece 

 and small ones around it to cover the place 

 where the branches have fallen makes a 

 strikingly handsome decoration. This 

 plant also makes an excellent combination 

 with euonymus. The grevellia will thrive 

 in a house where most plants would die 

 and with care and a sunny window it makes 

 a most desirable and unusual house plant. 



House plants, when really pot bound and plunged 

 out of doors in the spring, are apt to send out their 

 roots like this 



2G 



Euonymus cuttings root very quickly. It is best 

 to pot small plants: they quickly take hold of the 

 soil and are easily handled 



The screw pines (of which the variegated 

 Pandanus Veitchii is the most attractive) 

 are excellent for the house, but be careful 

 about watering. If you give them any 

 too much, they will die. The pandanus 

 plant wants just enough moisture to keep 

 if from going dust dry and never should 

 water be allowed to stand in the receptacle 

 that holds the plant. I have one of these 

 plants that has not been repotted for years. 

 I have it in the centre of a large pot with 

 asparagus about it. In the summer I cut 

 back the asparagus and plunge the plant 

 out of doors and it is always ready for the 

 house in the fall. 



Of the true ferns, only a few really will 

 do well in the house. The small plants of 

 Lomaria gibba are decorative until the 

 spores show on the leaves, after which they 

 loose much of their beauty. However they 

 are unusual and are to be recommended. 



Of the palms Kentia Forstcriana and 

 Balmoreana are the best. You will have 

 no trouble in keeping these growing if you 

 water judiciously. Keep them in as small 

 a pot as long as possible. If you feel that 

 you must repot don't dig out the roots but 



