78 



ladies' flower gardener. 



room containing them was fitted up much in the same way as an 

 ordinary library, with abundance of light shelves round the walls, 

 and a large table in the middle of the room, on which were placed 

 the pots containing the plants. At night, the room was lighted 

 up by an elegant glass lamp, and it was heated by one of those 

 ornamental stoves which are so common on the Continent. Alto- 

 gether, it had a very handsome appearance. 



The Chinese are very attentive to the house culture of many 

 of the orchideous epiphytse, and thereby greatly increase the 

 beauty and the fragrance of their apartments ; they have them 

 in ornamental vases and baskets, and even suspended in the air, 

 where they last for many years and flower beautifully. Some of 

 them continue in flower for many months, and diffuse the most 

 delightful fragrance during the night.* 



The reason why the succulent and epiphytous plants answer 

 so well for house culture is, that their winter is one of drought 

 and not of cold, and that the latter especially have little, and 

 some of them no mould at the roots in their natural situations. 

 But there has been hitherto a prejudice against, or at all events 

 an ignorance of, and want of attention to, the culture of succu- 

 lent plants in this country. This is unwise ; for many of them 

 are exceedingly beautiful, highly fragrant, and better adapted for 

 house culture than any plants whatever. They are singularly 

 curious and varied in their structures ; and, generally speaking, 

 they require less light, air, and moisture, than other plants. 



Next to them, in point of eligibility for house culture, may be 

 reckoned such plants as have coriaceous leaves, that is, have their 

 leaves firm, and with a smooth and compact epidermis, — such as 

 oranges, pittosporums, myrtles, and others of similar texture ; 

 these are found to have organs much better adapted to confined 



* Renanthera coccinea is one of the finest of these, and was first flowered 

 in this country by the author of this paper. 



