1*6 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
March 5, 1904. 
Those who wish to make a bed in the pleasure grounds of 
something that will be conspicuous in autumn will find few' 
plants more worthy of aittemtiom than this fine Aconite. 
Lilium nepalense. 
The above Lily was, first introduced .to this country in 1855, 
but seems to have been lost on onei or two occasions since then 
until reintroduced. When the stem® only grow 11 ft. to 3 ft. 
in height they may only have one flower, but under suitable 
conditions the species will grow' to a height of 5 ft. and produce 
a raceme of flowers. Imported bulbs would seem to vary con¬ 
siderably in the colour of the flowers, some of them being 
chiefly white, except towards the basei on the outside., where 
they are stained with purple. Well-marked varieties, ho|W- 
etver, have a considerable amount of colour, a,si represented in 
our illustration showing two flowers. This colour, which lies 
chiefly around thei base of the open portion of the flow'd, is 
claret, very intense at the opening of the tube, and somewhat, 
broken into spots and lines where it passes into the whitish- 
yellow of the upper portion of the flower. When fully de¬ 
veloped, the six segments really roll back sharply sol as toi 
hide the, greater portion of the tube. This species belongs to 
the Eulirion (section, which mean® Lilium proper, and includes 
all those, having an elongated tube to the flower and narrow 
leaves. 
Plants for Room Decoration. 
Now is a, good time to increase the stock of plants for table 
and room decoration. Crotons are always most useful; where 
stove heat can be had they are easily grown and they stand a 
long time indoors without sustaining any harm, except when 
making growth in spring. Cold winds are then apt to injure 
the young leaves, and, in consequence, impair the beauty of 
the plants 1 . Crotons are easily increased by means' of cuttings 
taken off with a heel, inserted, singly in small pots in loam,, 
leaf-soil and peat, with a free use' of coarse silver sand, and 
plunged in bottom heat under a propagating frame or hand- 
light. Suitable plants can also be even more quickly obtained 
by ringing. When a, plant has been, ini use for some time the 
lower leaves generally fall off, or the plant becomes too large 
for the purpose required. Under 1 such circumstances, at about 
6 in. below the point of thei shoot, cut off the bark for about) 
\ in. in length ; make thei incision quite round the stem ; over 
the barked portion bind some moisisi which ha® previously had 
some, silver sand mixed with it, and tie some matting around 
it to .keep, it, firmly in its place. 
The plants thus operated upon may remain in the stove 
along with the others. Syringe them twoi or three times daily 
to keep the moss damp, when, roots will soon form and 'enter 
the moss. As; s-oon a,si they show themselves outside cut the 
shoots off the plant, place' them ini small pofsi without inter¬ 
fering with thei mossi, and if thei pots can be placed under a 
handlight in the same house or in a propagating case for a 
w r eek or so until they commence to root into the new soil so 
much the better. By this means larger plant® are procured 
and of better colour than can be had from cuttings,. For pot¬ 
ting afterwards the. soil should consist of two part®, fibrous 
loam, one part peat, crushed charcoal, with ai free admixture 
of coarse silver sand. Pot firmly, using pint® well drained! and 
not too large; under such! conditions the plants will make 
short stocky growth and colour well if placed near the glass. 
As to kinds, those which droop' are the best. The best 
drooping kindsi for table decoration or vases are Codiaeum 
angustifolium, Johannisi, maijestioum,, Countess, Prince of 
Wales, WairTenii, Weisnaanni, and Sw'itiziniannm. The best 
erect-growing arei Hawkeri, Monti 1 , Queen. Victoria,, Williams,i 
Disraeli, Veitchi, and Earl of Derby. 
Dracaena® are another class; of plants well adapted for house 
decoration, the rich colours of some kinds contrasting well 
with the various green shades of others. Both large and small¬ 
growing kinds are numerous. They are easily grown', requir¬ 
ing about the same treatment, a® Crotons, except that they need 
more shade in, summer. Good plant® of them can be quicklv 
■secured by ringing the tops of those which have lost their 
bottom leaves in the same way as the Crotons. In order to 
increase the stock cub thei stems, which have lost their leave? 
into lengths of about 2 im., lay them ini sandy soil in a seed- 
pan, cover them, over and place them in a gentle heat, when 
they will soon 'emit roots. At the bottom of each will be 
found stem-like pieces growing downwards; these, if taken 
off, potted and plunged in bottom heat, soon make nice little 
plant®. The best narrow-leaved kinds are gracilis, indivisa, 
conges,ta,, nigra, and Guilfoylei. The best larger sorts are 
terminalis, cooperi, australis, mooreana, goldieana, and Hen¬ 
derson i. 
Another plant useful for indoor decoration Is Acalyplia tri¬ 
color, either in a, small state or in the shape of bushes from 
1 ft,, to 2 ft. in height, obtained by frequently pinching the 
points off thei shoots, thus making a, good indoor plant. It is 
easily increased by means of cuttings inserted in the usual 
way and plunged in bottom, heat. Curculigo reeurvata is 
useful where hardiness is required. This plant can be grown 
for a, considerable time in small pot®. It, may be increased by 
division of the roots, and will succeed well under ordinary stove 
treatment. 
Pandanus Veitchi, when well grown, is generally much 
admired for its elegant silvery markings and graceful drooping 
habit. From the base of old plants offset® are freely pro¬ 
duced, and these, slipped off with a, heel, inserted in, small pots 
and placed in a, gentle bottom heat, soon make useful plants. 
The 'above are a, few of the many fine-foliaged plants that 
are adapted for decorative purposes 1 . J. W. J. 
Cleanliness. 
In some, cases a mighty heap of gardeners never think of 
cleanliness about, their glasshouses, and where houses have not 
been washed down from the previous year they should be done 
at‘once, as the seaison is advancing. All the woodwork and 
glass should have a, good scrubbing down, using plenty of soft 
soap and water, clearing away cobwebs, filth and such-like, and 
keeping the housesi with a, fine clean, pure air. Then, plants 
will thrive under this treatment. It, matters not the size, of the 
house,; big or little, overhaul the plants that, are rough-look¬ 
ing, thin out old wood, tiei in young and the like, and keep 
everything in its place, as it ought to be. Do not, have plants 
in a stove that should be in a cool house, and vice versa. Keep 
everything in it® proper place and order. Dot not leave off 
a. thing till tounorrow which you can do to-day. Do it and 
be done with it; and take everything in season as near as. 
possible. If it is time for potting this and potting that, get it 
done, and go about your work systematically, with some energy 
about, you. If a, hot,-bed has to be got in, get it done, and do 
it as quickly as you can and asi neatly as you can, and see that 
the plants, either Melons or Cucumbers, whichever you are 
going to put in, get fair treatment, before they are planted, as 
a check means failure. Always keep 1 up a, good temperature : 
never have one day the houses too hot, the, next day too cool. 
Always keep a good fire clear of dandeirs, so a,s to keep a, 
brisk heat up, and see that the fire or fires are put, on at a 
regular time, not one night at 8.30, the next, night 9 or 10 
o’clock, but, always, keep regular time. About 9 or 9.30 is a 
decent time for banking the fire® and having a look round to 
see everything is correct and the heat all right. This allows 
ample time for a hardworking' man to be in bed by ten o’clock 
to earn hi® rest for next, day’s toil. Cero. 
Fashions in Flowers. —The Gardenia, a favourite of our 
grandmothers’ day, is once again coming into favour, and the 
purple Violet and the delicate Orchid are also securing great' 
popularity. According to a well-known florist the Gardenia can 
only be worn, in one way—the flowers are made into a huge 
corsage bouquet, “the larger the better.’’ 
