May 14, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
585 
PHILODENDRON ANDREANUM. 
The subject of our illustration is the most ornamental 
and valuable species of Philodendron for decorative 
purposes ever introduced to this country. It was 
discovered in New Granada by M. Andre, of Paris, 
and introduced recently by Messrs. J. Yeitch & Sons, 
Chelsea. Owing to its enormous lance-shaped leaves, 
with a cordate base, being suspended or deflected from 
the apex of the petiole in a similar manner to that of 
Anthurium Warocqueanum and A. Yeitchii, it forms 
a suitable companion for those noble Aroids, and will, 
of course, succeed under the same treatment, although 
the habit will be 
slightly different, 
as the stem of the 
Philodendron 
elongates, bearing 
the great shield¬ 
like leaves altern¬ 
ately. Some idea 
of the imposing 
appearance pro¬ 
duced by the 
foliage may be 
conceived from 
the statement 
that individual 
leaves obtain a 
length of 4 ft. or 
5 ft. under good 
treatment ; the 
mature leaves are 
of a rich velvety 
green enlivened 
with a white mid¬ 
rib and the prin¬ 
cipal nerves. As 
in various other 
fine-leaved Aroids, 
however, the 
young leaves pre¬ 
sent more vivid 
and striking 
colours, being in 
this case of a 
lively scarlet suf¬ 
fused with brown, 
becoming, when 
older, of a bronzy 
red colour, and 
finally as above 
described. 
The plant was 
awarded a First 
Class Certificate 
at the Royal 
Horticultural So¬ 
ciety’s show at 
Liverpool last 
year, and a Certi¬ 
ficate of Merit by 
the Royal Botanic 
Society, Regent’s 
Park. In both 
these cases it was 
exhibited under 
the name of Phi¬ 
lodendron gran- 
didens. 
The great sheaths 
surrounding the 
young leaves and 
the numerous fleshy roots given off from the nodes of 
this plant are very conspicuous, and suggest a humid 
atmosphere, at least, when making its young growth. 
-- 
WE ARE THREE—GARDENERS ! 
We have a natural antipathy to the Jubilee invasion, 
therefore refrain from employing the familiar adjective 
“ Jubilee ” to qualify our modest pursuits, although in 
our perambulations we anticipate running across a 
Jubilee gardener with a Jubilee horticultural implement, 
planting a Jubilee bed of some description, ere the 
season is over. Three scheming, contriving “ponikers” 
is perhaps a better designation of our prowess—a lady 
and two gentlemen. Of course the first-named is 
“boss of the shanty,” and armed with a pair of shears 
or a trowel (but more often the knitting needles), the 
workmanlike appearance presented is quite formidable. 
Roses receive tender attention from this quarter, our 
Auriculas and Pansies being ugly by the side of a 
Marechal Niel or a Devoniensis ; not that I wish to 
depreciate our head - gardener’s knowledge of Rose 
culture, for it is that of no novice—rather contrariwise, 
for her instructions as to the modus operandi are very 
acceptable. I must add that the pet Persian “ pussy,” 
clothes line, pegs and props are very unnecessary 
adjuncts to gardening operations, and are strongly con¬ 
demned ; but we “ can’t do without ’em,” so we must 
Philodendron Andreanoi. 
put up with the pegs falling through the glass, ‘ 1 Dick ” 
the Persian’s many battles among the Pinks and Cloves, 
with props skewing up the paths, and put it all down 
as a necessity ; and, as necessity is the mother of in¬ 
vention, we arrange our garden and its contents so as 
to facilitate matters relative to cats’ concerts and water 
parties. I am bold enough to add that my father and 
self (forming the trio) know a little of plants and their 
cultivation, he having been connected with Flora’s 
domains in the “hop country ” for some twenty years, 
and I must have caught the initiative. 
The main object of my notes is to show what can be 
done with very little expense and trouble. Although 
having a limited space allotted for operations, a mere 
apology for a garden, yet we manage to have a bit of 
bloom indoors and out all the year round. Com¬ 
mencing with the small fore-court in front, on one side of 
the window against the wall of the house is Clematis 
Jackmanni ; on the other, Virginian Creeper and a 
Vine, parted from the adjacent house by some Persian 
Lilac, and a row of Sweet Peas just now above the 
ground. Against the wall under the window, Chry¬ 
santhemums, and the border planted principally with 
shrubs ; they always look nice and green, and the 
light-fingered fraternity are not enraptured with them, 
the whole bordered with flint stones and the old 
fashioned London Pride. Later on we may put in a 
scarlet Pelargonium here and there, to lighten up 
the rather sombre 
effect. The win¬ 
dow boxes (two 
upstairs and one 
down) are now- 
gay with Tulips, 
Narcissus, and 
Wallflowers (Cro¬ 
cuses have done), 
the colour and 
odour from the 
“Walls” being 
very pleasing. 
The baker says, 
“How nice the 
W allflowers 
smell!” the cat’s- 
meat man, “They 
smell a treat,” 
and we hear 
passers-by com¬ 
menting on their 
gratifying appear¬ 
ance. Inside the 
parlour window 
(a bow) Hya¬ 
cinths, Tulips, 
Narcissus, Cine¬ 
raria, Spirsea, and 
Cytissus, while a 
couple of Dielytra 
spectabilis, with 
their graceful pink 
bell-shaped 
flowers and light 
green foliage, sur¬ 
mount the group, 
which seen from 
the outside foot¬ 
path, with the 
boxes furnished 
as before men¬ 
tioned, has a very 
harmonious effect. 
Dielytra is our 
great favourite, it 
is a host in itself. 
It is certainly a 
very pretty thing 
in all its sim¬ 
plicity. 
Worst of all, 
our small conser¬ 
vatory is only 
adapted to hardy 
Fern-growing, as 
Sol’s rays do not 
penetrate its pre¬ 
cincts until late in 
the afternoon. 
This is a great drawback to our getting things to blossom, 
so we devote it mostly to Ferns. We have many speci¬ 
mens under the staging, in pots and baskets ; in fact, 
my father believes in Fern-growing in baskets. We 
had the majority of our bulbs in baskets, likewise our 
Harrison’s Musk and Mimulus. Not many weeks ago, 
one of your contributors wrote in The Gardening 
World on the subject of plants adapted to be grown in 
baskets, and promising to give a further list. I am 
anxiously awaiting it, as it gains our concurrence from 
experience. The Ferns branch out and droop around 
in natural loveliness, and the blossoms of the Musk and 
Mimulus hang down diffusing a delightful perfume. 
We manufacture the baskets ourselves, and gather the 
turves wherewith to fill up the interstices to prevent 
the soil running out, so it is not a very costly method. 
