292 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



Red Dragon, chestnut-red ; La Frisure, rose ; Peter 

 the Great, yellow ; Fulgore, rosy-purjile ; Fulton, 

 bright yellow ; Oracle, dark rosy -purple. (For a 

 wider choice see under FlorioTs' Flowers.) 



Hardy and Half-Hardy Plants. — Amongst 

 many others which might be named as suitable for 

 growing in pots, in rooms, the following are some of 

 the best, since they are all evergreen. For the 

 benefit of those who may not be acquainted with 

 these plants, their height, colour of flowers, time 

 of flowering, and soil are given : — 



Acacia armcita, 3 ft., yellow ; May ; sand, loam, 

 and peat. 



Agapanthus umbellatus, 2 ft., blue ; July ; rich 

 loam, old manure and sand. 



Cassia corynibosa, 3 ft., yellow ; July ; loam and 

 sando 



Coronilla glauca, 2 ft., yellow ; July ; peat and 

 loam. 



Cystisus racemosus, 3 ft., yellow ; summer ; any 

 good soil. 



Myrtus communis, 4 ft , white ; July ; sandy loam 

 and peat. 



Nerium Oleander, 6 ft., pink ; summer ; any rich 

 light soil. 



Othonna crassifolia, 2 ft., yellow ; September ; rich 

 light soil. 



Solanum Capsicastrum, 1 ft., white ; scarlet berries 

 in winter ; rich soil. 



Plants for Hanging Baskets. — There is no 

 prettier finislj to a window, in which plants are grown, 

 than a well-furnished basket hanging from a hook 

 fixed on the top of the window-frame, or in the 

 ceiling just above it. Some people put several 

 plants into one basket, but we give the preference to 

 one well-grown plant. 



Fig. 19 represents a plant of Sedum Sieholdi, 

 which is an excellent basket-plant, always looking 

 neat and prim. The Ivy-leaved Pelargonium, 

 shown in Fig. 20, has a more irregular habit, and 

 on this account will by some be preferred ; some 

 good varieties of it can now be obtained, with double 

 as well as single flowers, crimson, lilac, pink, and 

 white. 



The following plants may also be used for hanging- 

 baskets : — Ivies, especially the small varieties, 

 Zinaria Cymbalaria (the Ivy-leaved Toad-flax), 

 Saxifraga sannentosa (sometimes called the Wander- 

 ing Jew), Campanula garganica, C. frag ills, C. Bar- 

 relieri, Isulepis gracilis, Sedum Anacampseros, S. 

 carnosum, Senecio mikanioidcs, TropceoUmi (Nastur- 

 tium), T. canariense, Lobelia insignis, Lysiviachia 

 Nummularia (Moneywort, or Creeping Jenny), and 

 many others. 



Herbs and Aromatic Plants. — ]Most of the 

 plants which are grown in rooms are selected for the 

 sake of the beauty of their flowers, some for the 

 fragrance of their flowers, and a smaller number for 

 the beauty of their foliage. We do not remember to 

 have ever met with a collection of plants which have 

 been cultivated for the pleasant perfume given ofl' 

 by their leaves ; and yet an interesting group might 

 be chosen for this pui-pose. The following would be 

 worth growing: — Common Lavender [Lavandula 

 Spica), Winter Lavender (Santolina Chamcecyparis- 

 sus), Rosemary [JRostnarinus officinalis) ,Bsisil [Ocitnum 

 Basilicmn), Sage {Salvia officinalis)^ Balm (3Ielissa) 

 officinalis), Spear Mint {Mentha viridis), Pepper Mint 

 {Mentha piperita), Common Thyme {Thymus vulgaris), 

 Lemon Thyme {Thymus citriodoncs),WooiT\i& {Aspe- 

 rula odorata), ^weet Marjoram {Origanum Marjoraua), 

 Lemon-scented Verbena {Aloysia citriodora). 



Under the head of Herbs we must not omit to 

 mention Parsley and Watercress, which can be 

 growTi in rooms, in saucers or shallow basins of 

 water. Mustard and Cress are often grown in plates, 

 on pieces of flannel kept well saturated with M-ater. 



There are certain plants which have blooms so 

 highly scented as to be very objectionable to some 

 people, and even to make them ill if obliged to 

 remain in the room with them. Amongst these 

 must be included Hyacinths, Polyanthus Narcissus, 

 Oleander, Mignonette, and some kinds of LiUes, 

 especially Lilium auratum. 



The foregoing are all sweet-scented, and so 

 strongly odoriferous that many people do not care for 

 much at a time of such perfumes. 



But there are plants whose blooms give out odours 

 that are quite disgusting, such as the Carrion Plants 

 {Stapelias), and some kinds of Arum {A. crinitum and 

 A. Bracunculus) . These smell like putrid meat, and 

 ought never to be grown in rooms, the beauty and 

 curiosity of their flowers notwithstanding. 



Cinerarias are not desirable for g•roT^'ing in a room, 

 inasmuch as they soon get infested with aphis. Heaths 

 also {Erica and Bpacris) seldom do weU for long, 

 and the same may be said of many plants from New 

 Holland ; all these seem to want purer air and more 

 light, and they show their dissatisfaction by shedding 

 their leaves. 



Effects of Gas on Plants. — It is usually 

 considered very undesirable to burn gas in rooms in 

 which plants are kept, and it is supposed that they 

 cannot live long under such conditions. This, 

 though partly true, is not wholly so. It is true of 

 some plants, but by no means of all. The facts of the 

 case are clearly explained by a writer (J.S.W.) in 

 The Garden newspaper, who says : " Many people, 

 both in town and country, keep plants in their rooms, 



