January, 1912 
Evergreens 
AMERICAN VHOMES: “AND GARDENS 
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The Heath is an indoor Evergreen that requires careful attention, but it is also one of the most attractive of all the houseplants for cool temperatures 
for Indoors 
By Gardner Teall 
Photographs by Nathan R. Graves, Charles Jones, and others 
sq)| HILE nearly all of the plants in the window- 
‘| garden retain their foliage, in effect, the year 
round, a certain number of them actually do, 
and this class of Evergreen house-plants de- 
serves consideration by itself, as indoor 
Evergreens are not so widely known as they 
should be, nor are they as often found among house-plants 
as they deserve to be. Aside from their place near flowering 
window-plants, indoor Evergreens lend themselves to table 
decoration, and being especially suitable plants for hall and 
stairway, are most useful in arranging 
decorative effects when the house is 
being made ready for some festal oc- 
casion. The most interesting Ever- 
greens of the indoor class are, perhaps, 
the Araucarias, the most easily obtain- 
able species being Araucaria excelsa, 
better known by its common name, the 
Norfolk Island Pine. This distinc- 
tive plant is, in reality, a little tree of 
coniferous habits, quite as lovely, 
though not so unusual and curious, as 
some of the dwarf Japanese trees that 
have become more or less the fashion. 
Its branches radiate like the spokes of 
a wheel from the central stem, and its 
rich, spiny foliage is a dark yellow- 
green. It is the most symmetrical of 
the indoor Evergreens. 
The dAraucaria robusta is a more 
sturdy species and it is more compact 
than the first named, while the Arau- 
caria glauca is a handsome blue-green 
leaved variety of the same species. 
The indoor gardener may be interested 
to know that the cousin to these Ever- 
greens (the large form of the Araucaria, known to botan- 
ists as A. imbricata) is said to be the only tree which the 
monkey is unable to climb. Small specimens of the Norfolk 
Island Pine, and of other species of the Araucarias, are 
comparatively inexpensive, and may be had from almost 
any reliable nurseryman. A well-started specimen will re- 
quire but ordinary care, as this Evergreen grows freely under 
The Norfolk Island Pine is the most popular of 
all the easily-grown indoor Evergreens 
almost any conditions, where light, water and a little heat 
can be given it. The Araucarias must be watered sparingly, 
and care must be taken not to transfer them too rapidly to 
larger pots, as they do not like frequent disturbing. These 
Evergreens should be repotted only when one feels sure they 
require more room than they have already been given. 
English Ivy is an Evergreen of the broad-leaved variety, 
and although it has long been one of the most popular plants 
in the window-garden, it may not have been classed among 
Evergreens by those who have not familiarized themselves 
with plant divisions. The botanical 
name of the English Ivy is Hedera 
helix, which it is well to know, in order 
that its variety, Hedera helix Canar- 
iensis, commonly known as Irish Ivy, 
may not be chosen by mistake in place 
of it. This latter Ivy has much larger 
leaves, but it is not nearly so attractive 
for indoor growing, unless one is in- 
different to the pattern effect and merely 
seeks abundance of foliage, as often 
is the case. The English Ivy will stand 
a goodly amount of watering and 
must always be generously potted. As 
for its potting soil, any good house- 
plant soil will do that has a mixture of 
sand in its composition. 
The Camellia’s beautiful, dark, 
shining leaves are remarkably persist- 
ent, and this should receive more con- 
sideration as a house-plant possibility 
than has yet been given it. The re- 
markable beauty of its flowers is, of 
course, known to everyone, as it is a 
favorite flower with poets and novel- 
ists. Camellias may be had from 
nurserymen in both single and double varieties, in white, 
pink, and red, the d/ba plena (white), Lady Hume (pink), 
and the Hovey (red) being good varieties to select. Keep 
the potting soil for Camellias just moist, as over-watering 
will cause their buds to drop before flowering. Camellias 
should be repotted every two years in a mixture of equal 
parts of peat, sand, fibrous loam, and leaf-mold. 
