THE GARDENING WO^lu 
January 23, 1909. 
'he Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
/inter Flowers. 
Amateurs whose accommodation is limited 
lay utilise at this season of the year the 
•armest position in the greenhouse for has- 
:ning into bloom such favourite plants as 
piraeas, Azaleas, Deutzias, Dicentras, etc. 
f they are watered well and placed above 
ie hot-water pipes, they will come on quite 
ipidly, and as the blossoms develop will 
rove most useful for the decoration of both 
reenhouse and conservatory. Meanwhile 
ie various Bulbous plants, such as Tulips, 
lyacinths, Narcissi, etc., are making things 
ppear quite gay, and if a few of the double 
rench Ranunculi are now started in pots, 
aey will help to prolong the season of this 
vpe of plants till spring arrives, with all 
ts plethora of brilliant flowers. The Genis- 
as, too, will be opening their yellow showy 
ilossoms, and by introducing them a few 
t a time a succession may easily be kept up 
s long as the supply lasts. They will de- 
ive great benefit at this stage of their exist- 
nce if fed at intervals with a liquid solu- 
ion of some reliable fertiliser. 
,rtillery or Pistol Plant. 
These are the alternative names given to 
hat most interesting subject known to gar- 
leners and botanists as Pilea microphylla, 
iwing to the curious manner in which the 
jollen, when ripe, is discharged from the 
.nthers. Cuttings may be taken now if it is 
lesired to increase the stock, and will be 
bund to strike readily if a slight bottom 
leat is available. Plenty of sand added to 
be soil will encourage the formation of new 
•ootlets, and four or five cuttings may be in¬ 
erted round the side of quite a small pot. 
Then well struck, the young plants may be 
Raced singly into sixties, and later on into 
arger pots, as becomes necessary, an 3 dur- 
ng the summer they will be found very use¬ 
ful for quite a variety of purposes. 
’anicurn variegatum. 
This is another simple plant indispensable 
:o the amateur, and its delicately tinted and 
striped foliage may be observed in nearly 
jverv greenhouse or conservatory^ from which 
:he frost is excluded during the winter 
months. Like the above, it may be increased 
inv time now, and by precisely similar 
methods. The resulting plants may after¬ 
wards he used for filling hanging baskets if 
desired, or grown on in pots to stand along 
the edges of the stagings. 
Looking Over the Auriculas. 
Both stage and alpine sorts (and the better 
strains of the latter variety are well worthy 
of greenhouse culture) will now, if properly 
treated, be enjoying a period of rest on some 
top shelf or other position where they may 
receive the full benefit of daylight and air. 
They should be lifted down and looked over 
periodically, for the purpose of removing any 
decaying leaves, etc. Never mind should the 
plants become nearly bare, there is satisfac¬ 
tion in knowing that the flower-trusses for 
the next season’s blooming are in the process 
of formation, and little water is necessary, 
Jonly just sufficient to prevent the soil in the 
pots from becoming dust-dry, and even this 
should be given quite early in the day. 
Early Pot Roses. 
Those who favour Roses (and there are few 
glass-houses where some at least are not 
found) may now bring forward a few that 
are well-established in their pots, to produce 
a supply of' much-prized early flowers for 
cutting, our national emblem in its bud state 
being always in demand for buttonholes and 
other purposes, and more especially when 
out-door Roses are not in season. 
The Teas and Hybrid Teas are well suited 
for this purpose, and of course, as in garden 
culture, the more robust varieties will not 
need such close pruning as the weaker-grow¬ 
ing sorts. Give them a good watering be¬ 
fore introducing them to the greenhouse, and 
afterwards keep the roots just comfortably 
moist. It is a good plan to stand the pots 
on fibre or ashes, and a syringing once or 
twice daily will soften the wood and enable 
them, to break easily and strongly. Do not 
let the temperature fall below about 50 degs., 
and keep a sharp look-out for both insect 
pests and mildew. 
Beautiful Wind-Flowers. 
Fine, showy things are these Anemones, 
many of the varieties being well suited for 
pot culture, and yet how seldom do we see 
them used for this purpose. Even if potted 
now they will bloom nicely in the spring, 
coming into flower after the usual bulbous 
plants, such as Tulips, Hyacinths, etc., have 
ceased. 
They need no forcing ; indeed, they may, 
if preferred, be grown on in any frost-proof 
frame and brought into the greenhouse later 
on when throwing up their brilliant blossoms. 
Ordinary potting compost consisting of loam, 
leaf-mould and sand will suit them well, and 
about one-sixth part of well-rotted hot-bed 
manure or cow dung may be added with ad¬ 
vantage. 
Aloysia citriodoi*a. 
The old-fashioned sweet-scented Lemon 
Verbena is a prime favourite with us all. 
When resting, the old plants should be kept 
nearly dry, and, so long as the frost is kept 
from them, will take no harm. They may 
now be re-started—that is to say, after being 
cleaned up and thoroughly watered, they 
should be placed in a light and warm posi¬ 
tion in the greenhouse, whilst an occasional 
syringing will soon induce them to break, 
when they should be cut back, leaving very 
little, say’, about three buds, of last year’s 
growth on each shoot. This should be fol¬ 
lowed by a shift into smaller pots (the roots 
being trimmed at the same time to induce 
the formation of new fibrous rootlets), potting 
on later into pots of the same dimensions as 
the plants were taken from. Treated thus, 
they may be kept in good shape and condi¬ 
tion for several years. 
G. A. F. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Imported Dendrobiums. 
From the present time until quite late in 
the spring importations of Dendrobiums will 
be frequently arriving, these being generally 
distributed, " through the nurserymen and 
auction rooms, throughout the country. These 
plants are not popular just at the present 
time with many prominent Orchid enthusi¬ 
asts, and are thus procurable at a modest 
outlay, therefore amateurs who have the 
facilities of a stove or warm intermediate 
house should embrace the opportunities thus 
afforded to secure some of these most beauti¬ 
ful of our Eastern world Orchids, and which 
are, in fact, among the most beautiful and 
useful Orchids in cultivation. The de¬ 
ciduous section consists of such species as 
D. wardianum. D. nobile, D. Falconerii. 
D. devonianum, D Pierardii, D. crassincde 
and D. primulinum; the evergreen kinds, 
such as D. densiflorum, D. thvrsiflcrum and 
D. suavissimum. These are all suitable sub¬ 
jects for amateurs, and afford a good suc¬ 
cession of flowers during the spring months 
of the year. 
There are different opinions as to the best 
time to secure imported Dendrobiums, but 
personally I prefer- to have them as early in 
the year as possible, as our summers being 
usually of such short duration, it is advan¬ 
tageous to secure the full benefit of the sun’s 
powers, in order to get the most satisfactory 
conditions of growth! Therefore bv securing 
the plants early in the year they can be 
started into growth steadily, and every ad- 
47 
vantage is thus secured when the plants are 
in full growth during the hot summer 
months. 
Potting Imported Dendrobiums. 
With the exception of D. mobile and D. 
crassinode, practically all the above-men¬ 
tioned species of the deciduous section are 
pendulous in growth, and are thus best suited 
for cultivation in pots or shallow pans that 
may be suspended, so that their growth may 
be natural. As soon as the plants are se¬ 
cured they should be carefully gone through 
and cleaned, at the same time cutting away 
all dead pseudo-bulbs and decaying matter 
about them. The pans or pots having had 
the wire suspenders affixed, to them, they 
should be filled to about half their depth 
with drainage, the plant being placed in the 
Centre in such a position that the eyes in 
the leading growths are slightly above the 
rim of the pot. Then fill in with more creeks, 
finishing the surface about half an inch deep 
with the potting compost, consisting of about 
equal parts of fibrous peat and chopped 
sphagnum moss, or equal proportions of Os- 
munda fibre, Polypodium and chopped 
sphagnum, with sufficient sand intermixed to 
render the compost porous. These plants 
should be suspended in a rather dry atmo¬ 
sphere in a temperature of about 55 to 60 
degrees. No water should be given, but by 
gently spraying overhead on bright days 
growth will soon commence. As this ad¬ 
vances and new roots appear, more liberal 
treatment must be afforded and the tempera¬ 
ture of the house raised, as summer advances, 
to at least 10 degrees higher than above-men¬ 
tioned. 
The evergreen section of these plants is 
best grown in well-drained pots. Be very 
careful not to have too great a bulk of pot¬ 
ting compost about the plants, as there is 
nothing more detrimental to Dendrobiums. 
H. J. Chapman. 
- +++ - 
Lobelia Kathleen Mallard. 
A Letter to the Editor. 
Sir, — I have read with interest M. D.'s 
courteous and practical remarks concern¬ 
ing my letter on the Lobelia Kathleen 
Mallard. I fully appreciate what he says, 
and consider he is fully justified in the 
high opinion he has of it, but with all 
due respect for his experience, and with¬ 
out appearing consequential, may I not 
remind him that Sussex and Stirlingshire 
are two very different localities ? I know 
the South of England well, and many 
plants that do well there cannot be so suc¬ 
cessfully cultivated in the moist midlands 
of Scotland, and vice versa. 
Climate is, and will ever be, the domi¬ 
nant factor in gardening, and where ad¬ 
verse atmospheric conditions prevail we 
have to make what amends we can as re¬ 
gards soil and situation. In bedding out, 
however, colour and harmony are of more 
importance, unfortunately, than the 
plants themselves, therefore much as we 
mav admire Lobelia Kathleen Mallard, 
until it has proved that the ordinary cul¬ 
tural details of ordinary bedding plants 
are sufficient for its well-being. I for one 
shall not be tempted to plant it exten- 
sivelv. 
Carron. H. Arnold. 
Seed Potatos are all the better for be¬ 
ing exposed to the sun until they are of 
a dull green colour. They should then 
be stored in boxes or on a floor., and pro¬ 
tected from frost. • 
