AMONG THE FLOWERS WITH REXFORD 



81 



OF GEISTEEAL FLORAL INTEREST 



A New Fern 



I RECENTLY made mention of a new 

 fern about to be sent out by an 

 Eastern florist, a sport of the pop- 

 ular Boston fern. At that time I had 

 not seen the plant. Now I have it 

 growing in my greenhouse, and I am 

 able to give an opinion of its merits 

 from personal observation. It is a radical 

 new departure from the old type of Boston 

 fern. The parent plant throws up a long 

 frond, having undivided leaflets, regular 

 in shape and size. In this sport the leaflets 

 are divided after the fashion of a frond. 

 In other words, the single leaflet of the old 

 variety is broken. up into a multitude of 

 small leaflets in such a manner that each 

 leaflet seems a miniature frond. The deli- 

 cate, graceful effect of a long frond bear- 

 ing smaller fronds along its entire length 

 can better be imagined than described. 

 The plant is wonderfully beautiful, and 

 must be seen to be properly appreciated. 

 It has a feathery appearance which in- 

 stantly attracts attention. Its habit of 

 growth is similar to that of its parent, but 

 in general appearance it is entirely dis- 

 tinct. It suggests the mossiness of our 

 moss roses by its finely divided pinnae. My 

 plant was sent me by Mr. L. H. Foster, of 

 Dorchester, Massachusetts, in whose green- 

 houses the sport originated. He writes me 

 that it has all the good qualities of the 

 Boston fern in addition to the merits for 

 which it is so conspicuous. Of course, I 

 am unable to say what it will do under 

 house culture, but if it behaves as well as 

 Mr. Foster says it will, it will certainly 

 become one of the most popular ferns for 

 general use. It is clearly one of the com- 

 ing plants, and if it takes kindly to house 

 culture it will be tlte coming fern. Every- 

 one who sees it will want it. It will be 

 known as the Anna Foster. 



The Hibiscus 



This plant is not grown as generally as 

 it ought to be. It deserves a place in all 



collections. Its immense flowers, of crim- 

 son, carmine, flesh-color, and soft rose, 

 are exceedingly showy. As a general thing 

 they are nearly as large as those of the hol- 

 lyhock, which they greatly resemble in 

 form. Some varieties are single, some 

 double. All are beautiful. The foliage 

 is rather small, and there is not a great 

 deal of it, but what there is is very attract- 

 ive, being of a rich, dark, shining green. 

 Complaints frequently come in that the 

 plant drops its buds badly. I believe it 

 does this because of insufficient drainage. 

 I have four varieties, and none of them 

 drop their buds. I provide the best of 

 drainage, give a soil of loam, leaf mold, 

 and sand, one-third each, and water regu- 

 larly, being governed always by the appear- 

 ance of the surface of the soil in the pot. 

 When it looks dry I apply water, giving 

 so much that some runs out at the bottom 

 of the pot. I shower frequently to keep 

 the red spider down. The plants are given 

 a sunny location. Sometimes they go into 

 the cellar to winter, but generally I dry 

 them off somewhat during late summer 

 and early fall, and start them into growth 

 in November for winter flowering. A fine 

 plant, in bloom it is strikingly beautiful. 

 As I grow them the}^ require less care than 

 an oleander, and are in every way more 

 satisfactory. When plants outgrow the 

 window they can be used in the garden, 

 and taken up in fall and placed in the 

 cellar, to be planted out the following 

 season. 



The Genista 



This is another of the good plants which 

 we see very little of in ordinary collections. 

 But the florists, who are quick to recognize 

 a good thing when they see it, make use of 

 it effectively and profitably in their Easter 

 sales. It grows well in a soil of loam. Let 

 it have good drainage and water freely, as 

 it has many fine roots which extract mois- 

 ture rapidly from the soiL Oive it a sunnj 

 window. Shower it all over two or three 



