AMONG THE FLOWERS WITH REXFORD 



35 



OUE EEADERS' PERPLEXITIES 



Wintering Roses and Chrysanthemums. 

 — "I have tea roses which I would like to 

 carry over winter. What shall I do with 

 them? Also, how can I keep chr3^santhe- 

 mum roots over Take up the roses and 

 pack them closely together in a box of 

 soil. Keep in a cool place. A cellar will 

 do, if not too warm and damp. When 

 your chrysanthemums are done blooming 

 cut off the old top. Set the pots away in 

 the cellar, and give them no attention dur- 

 ing winter. In March bring up the plants 

 and water them. Place in a light window. 

 In a short time they will send up sprouts. 

 These can be cut away from the old roots 

 when they have grown to a height of three 

 or four inches and potted. 



i. 



SNOWBALL 



Fuchsias. — "Plants in tin cans. They 

 drop leaves and buds, and look rusty. 

 What's the reason I think the cause of 

 trouble is that your plants are root-bound. 

 An ordinary salmon or corn can, such as 

 you say you use, is not large enough for 

 a fuchsia after it is three months old. 

 In order to grow good plants you must 

 give considerable root room. As soon as 

 tie roots become cramped the leaves drop. 



Plant for Name. — "Have a plant that 

 I can't find a name for. If moneywort 

 could stand upright and had a soft color- 

 ing it would look more like this plant than 

 anything else I can think of." Perhaps 

 your plant is Lysimachia punctata, a bushy 

 variety of moneywort. This produces 

 trusses of pale yello:v flowers similar to 

 those of moneywort, on stalks three feet 

 high. It remains a long time in bloom, 

 and is an excellent border plant. Possibly 

 your plant is stonecrop, or sedum, of the 

 crassulaceoe family. It would be impos- 

 sible to decide without seeing a specimen. 



Fuchsias from Cuttings. — "Can fuch- 

 sias be started from cuttings? If so, 

 when?" Yes. Start them at any time 

 when most convenient. The best method 

 for the amateur is what is called the saucer 

 plan. Fill a saucer or shallow plate with 

 clear sand. Insert the cutting, and pinch 

 the soil tightly about the base of it. Keep 

 moist and warm until roots form. As soon 

 as the plant begins to grow you may know 

 that it has made roots. Then put into 

 small pots of leaf mold and sand, and re- 

 pot to larger pots as soon* as the roots fill 

 the first one. 



Pelargoniums. — Allow these plants to 

 remain rather dry early in the fall. Then 

 repot, cutting away most of the top. As 

 soon as they begin to grow keep in a light, 

 cool window. Give no fertilizer during 

 winter, but as spring approaches apply 

 enough to produce a vigorous growth. 

 Keep the plants free from insects if you 

 want them to do well. Too much heat 

 brings on a weak growth which is unfavor- 

 able to blossoming. 



Trouble With Oleanders. — A correspon- 

 dent writes that her oleanders are attacked 

 by some kind of a worm that gnaws the 

 bark of the stalk and eats the leaves. I 

 would wash the entire plant with a strong 

 soapsuds, scouring the stalks well to make 

 sure of getting all the worms off. If this 

 is not effective, try fir-tree oil. 



