January, 1917 
39 
Mrs. Untermeyer then showed 
me her flowers for house and table 
decorations. There were pots of 
gloxinias of every hue; delphin¬ 
iums, dwarf roses, rare geraniums, 
lilies of all kinds, and especially 
lilies-of-the-valley, which seem to 
be Mrs. Untermeyer’s choice. Old- 
fashioned fuchsias, petunias, for¬ 
get-me-nots, verbenas, and bego¬ 
nias, struggled for space and 
spread in riotous profusion in all directions. 
But the most remarkable in this collection 
were the hanging baskets. Suspended from 
the ceiling on tiny wires were baskets of 
Episcia and Cissus discolor, ablaze with red 
and white cypress flowers. A number of 
young screw pines were grouped together 
in a corner, and over them grew a yellow 
jessamine whose perfumed blossoms re¬ 
minded me of the early spring days in Texas. 
The whole effect was indescribably pleasing. 
Whether you call them Pandaniis Sanderi or 
just plain screw pines, these handsome foliage 
plants arp desirable throughout the winter 
When we had looked our All at 
the flowers we turned to a land of 
fruits and melons. Cultivation has 
taught man that there is no limit 
or fixed boundary to his wonder¬ 
ful inventive powers. And we 
found ourselves facing walls cov¬ 
ered with living tapestried peach 
leaves, whose delicate grey vine¬ 
like twigs laden with rich fruit, 
grew in various shapes and globes. 
There were also espalier-trained plums, 
pears, apples and melons, hanging from the 
stems, which clung to the walls in various 
artistic forms. The oblique cordon repre¬ 
sented the method of training that the ma¬ 
jority received, but there were also many 
fanciful designs for the purpose of land¬ 
scape effect. A forced training does not 
injure the vitality; in fact, the protected 
position against the wall seems to add to 
the vigor and strength of the vine-tree. 
(Co)itiiiued on page 60) 
The leaves of Episcia are 
downy and of a rich, strong 
copper color 
The red Passion flower, 
seen at the left above the 
fern, hails from Mexico 
Tradescantia edges this 
exotic group, and Ixoras 
fill the foreground 
No greenhouse is complete ivith- 
out one of the magnificent Neph- 
rolepis feims in a hanging basket 
The name of plants suitable for 
hanging in the sunroom is legion. 
This type is Cissus discolor 
