THE GROWING OF THE ORNAMENTAL PLANTS
INSTRUCTIONS ON PARTICULAR KINDS - Continued
Primrose Peerless (N. biflorus).
Narcissi may be forced into flower through the winter, as described on
p. 345. A popular kind for winter bloom is the so-called Chinese sacred
lily. This grows in water without any soil whatever. Secure a bowl or
glass dish, about three times the size of the bulb; put some pretty
stones in the bottom; set in the bulb and build up around it with stones
so as to hold it stiff when the leaves have grown; tuck two or three
small pieces of charcoal among the stones to keep the water sweet, then
fill up the dish with water and add a little every few days, as it
evaporates. Set the dish in a warm, light place. In about six weeks the
fragrant, fine white flowers will fill the room with perfume. The
Paper-white, closely allied to this, is also forced, and is one of the
few good bulbs that may be bloomed before Christmas. The Van Sions,
single and double (a form of daffodil), are also much forced.
Oleander.--An old favorite shrub for the window-garden, and much
planted in the open far South.
While there are many named varieties of the oleander, but two are often
seen in general cultivation. These are the common red and white
varieties. Both these, as well as the named varieties, are of easy
management and well adapted to home culture, growing in pots or tubs for
several years without special care. Well-grown specimens are very
effective as porch or lawn plants, or may be used to good advantage in
mixed beds of tall-growing plants, plunging the pot or tub to the rim in
the soil. The plants should be cut back after flowering. They should be
rested in any out-of-the-way place through the winter. When brought out
in the spring, they should be given sun and air in order to make a
sturdy growth.
Propagation is effected by using well-ripened wood for cuttings, placed
in a close frame; or the slips may be rooted in a bottle or can of
water, care being taken to supply water as evaporation takes place.
After being rooted, they may be potted, using soil with a large
proportion of sand. Well-established plants may be repotted in good loam
and well-rotted manure. They should bloom the second year.
Oxalis.--A number of hardy species of oxalis are excellent plants
for rock-work and edging. The greenhouse species are very showy, growing
without extra care, and blooming freely through the late winter and
spring months and some of them make excellent window-gardening subjects.
The house species are mostly increased by bulbs, a few by division of
the root. O. violacea is, one of the commonest of house-plants. Give a
sunny window, for the flowers open only in sun or very bright light. The
bulbous (tuberous) kinds are treated much as recommended for Bulbs,
except that the bulbs must not freeze. The tubers are started in
August or September for winter bloom. It is best to use deep pots, or
the tubers will throw themselves out. The crown should be near the
surface. After flowering, the bulbs are dried off and kept until new
bloom is wanted.
The "Bermuda buttercup" is O. lutea and O. flava of gardens
(properly O. cernua); it is a Cape of Good Hope species. Its culture
is not peculiar.
Palms.--No more graceful plants for room decoration can be found
than well-grown specimens of some species of palms. Most florists' palms
are well adapted for this purpose when small, and as the growth is
usually very slow, a plant may be used for many years.
Palm plants thrive best in partial shade. One of the frequent causes of
failure in the culture of the palm is the overpotting and subsequent
overwatering. A palm should not be repotted until the mass of roots
fills the soil and preferably when it is active; then a pot only a size
larger should be used. Use ample drainage in the bottom to carry off
excess of water. Although the plants need a moist soil, water standing
at the roots proves injurious. Withhold free use of water when the
plants are partially dormant.
A soil composed of well-rotted sod, leafmold, and a little sand will
meet the requirements.
Under ordinary living-room conditions, palms are subject to much abuse.
Water is allowed to stand in the jardinière, the plant is kept in dark
corners and hallways, the air is dry, and scale is allowed to infest the
leaves. If the plant begins to fail, the housewife is likely to repot it
or to give it more water, both of which may be wrong. The addition of
bone-meal or other fertilizer may be better than repotting. Keep the
plant in good light (but not in direct sunlight) as much as possible.
Sponge the leaves to remove dust and scale, using soapsuds. When a new
leaf begins to appear, add bone-meal to make it grow vigorously.
Among the best palms for house culture are arecas, Cocos Weddelliana,
latania, kentia, howea, caryota, chamærops, and phœnix. Cycas may also
be regarded as a palm.
The date palm may be grown from seed of the common commercial date. Seed
of the other varieties may be purchased from leading seedsmen; but, as
the seed germinates only under favorable conditions, and the palm is a
very slow-growing plant while young, the best plan is to purchase the
plants from a dealer when wanted. When the plants become weak or
diseased, take them to a florist for treatment and recuperation, or
purchase new ones. Sometimes the florist places two or three small palms
in one pot, making a very satisfactory table piece for two or
three years.
It is well to set the palms out of doors in the summer, plunging the
pots nearly or quite to the rim. Turn or lift the pots occasionally so
that the roots will not strike through into the earth. Choose a
partially shaded place, where the hot sun will not strike them directly
and where the wind will not injure them.
Pandanus, or screw pine.--The screw pines are stiff-leaved
saw-edged plants often grown in window-gardens and used for porch
decoration.
The Pandanus utilis and P. Veitchii (the latter striped-leaved or
white-leaved) are exceedingly ornamental, and are well adapted to house
culture. The singular habit of growth, bright glossy leaves, and the
ability to withstand the dust and shade of a dwelling room, make them a
desirable addition to the house collection.
They are propagated by the offsets or young plants that grow around the
base of the trunk; or they may be increased by seed. If by the former
method, the offsets should be cut off and set in sand, at a temperature
of 65° or 70°. The cuttings root slowly and the plants for a time make
very slow growth. The general cultural treatment is that of palms. Give
abundance of water in summer.