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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  February  28,  1901. 
Palms  for  Room  Decoration. 
Palms  are  indispensable  for  room  decoration  ;  whether  they  are 
used  in  solitary  positions  or  rising  out  of  groups,  they  impart  attrac¬ 
tions  that  no  other  plants  can  do.  There  are  numbers  of  varieties 
from  which  a  suitable  selection  may  be  made  that  will  bear  the 
confinement  of  rooms  for  a  long  time  without  being  seriously  injured. 
It  is  necessary,  however,  to  keep  these  plants  free  from  dust,  water 
them  with  care,  and  remove  them  from  dark  to  light  positions 
frequently.  Some  judgment  is  needed  in  selecting  positions  for  the 
diflerent  kinds.  Those  of  a  hardy  nature  that  can  be  kept  in  a  cool 
house  should  be  assigned  to  draughty  corners.  Although  some  Palms 
bear  greenhouse  treatment  with  impunity  and  will  live  in  the  open  air 
during  the  summer  months,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  this 
treatment  does  not  improve  their  appearance  or  promote  their 
progress.  The  beginner  would  do  well  not  to  divide  those  selected 
for  this  purpose  into  two  sections  and  grow  some  in  a  warm  house 
and  the  others  in  a  cool  one.  The  cool  house  kinds  will  be  found  to 
increase  in  size  and  make  double  the  progress  if  grown  in  heat  until 
they  have  attained  a  size  sufficiently  large  for  the  purpose  for  which 
they  may  be  required.  They  may  then  occupy  a  position  during 
the  winter  months  where  the  night  temperature  is  never  allowed  to 
fall  below  45°. 
Chamserops  Fortunei  is  not  considered,  for  it  will  thrive  in  almost 
any  position,  and  will  in  some  localities  endure  the  severity  of  our 
winters  out  of  doors.  For  general  use,  however,  it  is  too  stiff  and 
heavy.  We  keep  an  average  night  temperature  of  55°  for  our  Palms 
during  the  winter  months,  both  lor  growing  and  restoring  those  that 
have  been  used  in  rooms.  The  summer  temperature  ranges  from  65° 
to  70°  at  night,  and  10°  or  35°  higher  from  sun  heat.  We  syringe 
freely  and  maintain  a  moist  temperature,  giving  air  daily  from  May  to 
October  to  maintain  a  sturdy  growth.  Plants  from  this  structure  are 
hardened  for  a®  few  days  before  they  are  taken  into  rooms.  If  the 
whole  are  needed  for  any  special  occasion  the  temperature  of  the  hou3e 
is  lowered  5°  at  night  and  more  air  is  given  during  the  day.  By  this 
treatment  we  find  little  or  no  haim  results  by  using  plants  for  a  night 
or  two.  Shade  is  necessary  in  growing  Palms,  and  a  high  dry 
temperature  must  be  avoided,  for  it  is  favourable  to  the  production  of 
thrips  and  the  rapid  increase  of  scale.  Soot  water  in  a  perfectly  clear 
state  is  invaluable  both  for  watering  and  syringing  over  the  foliage, 
as  it  imparts  to  the  foliage  a  dark  green,  healthy  appearance. 
Cocos  Weddeliana,  being  a  general  favourite,  is  given  the  first 
place.  It  will  not,  however,  bear  the  hardships  that  many  other 
varieties  will.  Fortunately  it  is  a  cheap  Palm,  and  can  be  grown 
quickly  into  a  suitable  size  for  table  and  other  forms  of  decora¬ 
tion.  It  will  be  found  to  do  better  in  a  temperature  of  60°  during 
the  winter,  and  should  be  potted  in  three  parts  peat  to  one  of  loam, 
with  a  liberal  quantity  of  saud.  It  is  a  fine  rooting  Pa’m,  and  will 
not  flourish  satisfactorily  if  the  soil  used  consists  mainly  of  loam, 
which  forms  the  staple  soil  for  all  other  kinds.  Even  for  Kentias  we 
have  discontinued  the  use  of  peat.  We  use  good  fibrous  loam  and 
coarse  sand,  with  charcoal  added  and  bonemeal.  Artificial  manures 
are  applied  about  three  or  four  times  a  year  to  those  that  have  filled 
their  pots  with  roots. 
Kentias  are  the  best  of  all  Palms  for  decoration  ;  there  are  no 
others  that  can  equal  them,  either  for  bearing  the  hardships  of  room 
decoration  or  for  their  graceful  appearance.  K.  Belmoreana  is  the 
most  handsome  of  these,  but  is  of  slower  growth  than  K.  Canter- 
buryana  and  K.  Fosteriana.  The  whole  of  the  Kentias,  however,  are 
well  worth  growing,  and  if  limited  to  one  class  of  these  plants 
we  should  certainly  grow  Kentias,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others. 
K.  sapida  is  the  hardiest  of  all.  Being  of  dwarf  slow  growth  it 
is  very  shapely,  and  suitable  in  a  small  state.  K.  Belmoreana 
is  also  perfect  in  shape  in  a  small  state,  while  K.  Fosteriana  is  rather 
too  thin. 
Phoenix  reclinata  and  P.  tenuis  are  useful  Palms  for  room 
decoration,  but  they  are  stiller  and  not  so  graceful  as  P.  rupicola. 
We  are  increasing  the  stock  of  this,  and  shall  gradually  exclude 
the  other  two.  This  ranks  next  for  gracefulness  and  beauty  to 
K.  Belmoreana.  During  the  past  two  years  we  have  had  frequently 
in  the  centre  of  a  room  a  large  plant  of  this  variety,  and  little  or  no 
harm  has  been  done  to  it.  It  is  wise,  however,  to  take  them  out 
occasionally  for  a  few  months  to  the  more  genial  conditions  of  the 
structure  in  which  Palms  are  grown. 
Geonoma  gracilis  is  abo  a  light  useful  Palm,  and  in  potting  and 
general  treatment,  in  a  young  state,  it  should  be  grown  with  Cocos 
Weddeliana.  In  a  young  state,  even  in  small  pots,  it  is  useful 
for  table  decoration.  Being  perfect  in  shape,  it  is  one  of  the  best 
Palms  that  can  be  grown  in  2  and  3-iDch  pots  where  plants  of  this 
size  are  appreciated  in  glasses  for  tfle  ornamentation  of  the  dinner 
table.  As  the  plant  advances  in  growth  it  still  retains  its  light 
graceful  appearance.  Although  it  does  not  bear  confinement  in  rooms 
long  without  injury  it  is  nevertheless  well  worth  growing  for  special 
occasions.  For  rising  above  groups  of  plants  at  the  base  of  mirrors, 
or  for  elevation  near  the  sides,  it  and  Cocos  Weddeliana  have  no 
equals. 
Seaforthia  elegans,  although  it  cannot  compete  in  beauty  with  the 
Kentias,  is  for  the  purpose  in  view  a  valuable  quick-growing  Palm, 
and  one  we  employ  largely  for  general  purposes  to  save  those  of  slower 
growth  and  greater  value.  Well-grown  plants  a  re  very  effective  in 
groups,  and  even  if  they  become  injured  they  are  much  more  quickly 
restored  than  Kentias.  This  is  unquestionably  a  useful  conservatory 
Palm,  and  in  this  structure  it  may  be  freely  employed  when  it  is  large 
enough  for  use  in  rooms.  It  will  also  grow  under  the  shade  of  Vines, 
and  will  bear  this  treatment  throughout  the  greater  portion  of  the 
year,  although  when  the  Vines  are  at  rest  it  is  advisable  to  remove  the 
Palms  where  the  temperature  will  not  fall  quite  so  low.  Seaforthias 
grow  quickly  in  heat,  and  those  starting  to  raise  a  stock  of  Palms 
would  do  well  to  employ  this  until  better  kinds  of  slower  growth  can 
be  developed. 
Litania  borbonica  can  be  used  in  small  pots,  for  which  it  is 
suitable  when  grouped  with  other  plants.  If  these  are  grown  in  heat 
they  are  more  effective  than  if  grown  cool,  and  assume  a  low  flat 
appearance.  When  fully  developed  it  is  perhaps  the  most  unsuitable 
Palm  that  can  be  grown  for  decorative  purposes.  It  is  too  stiff  and 
flat,  and  is  difficult  to  arrange  tastefully  with  other  plants.  We  have 
only  found  it  serviceable  for  one  purpose  or  position,  and  that  is  when 
the  pot  can  be  wedged  into  a  corner  and  the  whole  of  the  plant 
exposed  to  the  front.  We  may  pass  Thrinax  elegans,  Chamaerops 
excelsa,  Corypha  australis,  and  others  of  this  style  of  growth  as  too 
formal  and  heavy  for  general  purposes.  A  few  plants  at  times  may  be 
found  useful  in  positions  where  it  would  not  be  unwise  to  use  those  of 
a  valuable  and  tender  nature.  Again,  the  plants  can  be  stored  in  any 
cool  house  when  they  are  not  wanted.  This  certainly  is  an  advantage, 
and  a  few  therefore  of  these  may  be  grown  for  supplementary  purposes. 
— Grower. 
- - - - • 
Lilium  Ijuniboldti. 
This  Lily,  when  seen  in  good  condition,  is  probably  one  of  the  most 
attractive  members  of  the  genus.  This  is  saying  a  good  deal,  perhaps, 
when  we  remember  that  such  a  remark  applies  to  a  family  of  bulbous- 
rooted  plants  full  to  overflowing  with  countless  gems  resplendent  in 
their  richness,  and  unparalleled  in  their  unique  beauty  and  great 
variety.  It  is  one  of  those  species  that  linger  long  in  one’s  memory 
when  once  a  giant  plant  has  been  seen  crowned  with  its  many  flowers 
so  telling  in  the  scenery  of  any  garden,  and  so  attractive  to  the 
on-looker;  and  how  we  all  long,  when  once  a  fine  plant  has  been 
seen,  to  do  something  similar,  or  even  surpass  it  if  such  be  our  good 
fortune. 
Under  cultivation  Lilium  Humboldti  is  not  difficult  to  manage  by 
any  means  when  once  it  becomes  established,  but  it  certainly  is  not  an 
easy  one  to  establish.  I  say  this  plainly,  and  I  should  like  to  impress 
the  faot  on  your  readers  for  this  reason.  Many  amateurs  in  plant 
culture  are  not  satisfied  unless  they  can  behold  some  outward  sign  of 
life — some  recompense  for  their  outlay.  A  natural  desire  surely,  but 
applied  to  Lilies  and  Lily  growing  must  be  soothed  over  with  a  little 
oil  of  patience.  A  bulb  of  the  Lily  under  notice,  planted  with  the  best 
care,  will  not  make  a  great  show  in  the  first  year,  and  perhaps  not  the 
seoond.  Then  it  is  uprooted  to  know  the  reason  why ;  hence  so  many 
failures  with  this  species.  From  time  to  time  I  have  planted  some 
grand  bulbs,  and  in  the  first  year  the  growths  have  hardly  ventured 
above  ground,  so  to  speak,  but  I  did  not  lift  them,  for  I  knew  the 
growth  would  improve  next  year.  Of  course,  like  others,  I  have  had 
my  season  of  fears  and  doubts,  long  since  lessened  by  continued 
experience,  and  my  advice  to  all  planting  this  Lily,  having  secured 
really  good  bulbs  at  the  start,  is  to  exercise  plenty  of  patience 
afterwards. 
In  all  cases  plant  dormant  bulbs,  or  such  that  are  well  established 
in  pots.  If  the  bulbs  are  imported  they  will  be  more  or  less  shrivelled, 
and  after  shaking  away  sawdust  or  similar  matter  from  between  the 
scales  close  the  latter  carefully  to  the  bulb,  and  press  some  sand  round 
about  them  to  keep  them  in  position.  Contact  with  the  moist  soil  will 
soon  remedy  this,  but  where  much  shrivelled  it  will  be  as  well  to  place 
the  bulbs  in  moist  sand  for  twenty-four  hours  before  planting  them 
finally.  The  soil  best  suited  for  this  Lily  is  one  of  peat,  leaf  soil,  rough 
fibrous  loam,  and  some  charcoal,  the  three  first  in  equal  parts,  and 
a  peck  of  the  latter  to  a  barrowful  of  the  mixture.  Sharp  silver  sand 
