Manual of Gardening Part 54

The mignonette needs a cool soil, only moderately rich, shade part of the day, and careful attention to cutting the flower-stalks before the seeds are ripe. If a sowing be made in late April, followed by a second sowing in early July, the season may be extended until severe frosts.

There are few flowers that will prove as disappointing if the simple treatment it needs is omitted. Height, 1 to 2 feet.

It may be sown in pots late in summer and be had in the house in winter.

MOON-FLOWERS are species of the morning-glory family that open their flowers at night. A well-grown plant trained over a porch trellis, or allowed to grow at random over a low tree or shrub, is a striking object when in full flower at dusk or through a moonlit evening. In the Southern states (where it is much grown) the moon-flower is a perennial, but even when well protected does not survive the winters in the North.

Cuttings usually give best results in the Northern states, as the seasons are not long enough for seed plants to give good bloom.

Cuttings may be made before danger of frost and wintered in the house, or the plants may be grown from seed sown in January or February. Seeds should be scalded or filed just before sowing.

The true moon-flower is _Ipomoea Bona-Nox_ white-flowered; but there are other kinds that go under this name. This grows 20 to 30 feet where the seasons are long enough.

NARCISSUS (see _Bulbs_).--Daffodils, jonquils, and the poet's narcissus all belong to this group, and many of them are perfectly hardy. The polyanthus section, which includes the Paper-white narcissus and sacred lily or Chinese joss-flower, are not hardy except with unusually good protection, and are, therefore, most suitable for growing indoors.

It is common to allow the hardy sorts to take care of themselves when once planted. This they will do, but much more satisfactory results will be had by lifting and dividing the clumps every three or four years. A single bulb in a few years forms a large clump. In this condition the bulbs are not properly nourished, and consequently do not flower well.

Lifting is preferably done in August or September, when the foliage has died down and the bulbs are ripe.

The narcissi are well suited to partially shaded places, and will grow and please wherever good taste may place them. They should be freely used, as they are fragrant, bright of color, and easily managed--growing among shrubbery, trees, and in places where other flowers would refuse to grow. They should be planted in clumps or ma.s.ses, in September or October, setting the bulbs 5 to 8 inches apart, according to size, and 3 or 4 inches deep.

Several species and numberless varieties, both double and single, are grown. A few good types only can be mentioned (Fig. 260):--

_Daffodils, or Trumpet narcissus (Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus_ and derivatives).

_Single-flowered, Yellow._--Golden Spur, Trumpet Major, Van Sion.

_White._--Albicans.

_White and Yellow._--Empress, Horsefieldi.

_Double-flowering, Yellow._--Incomparable fl. pl., Van Sion.

_White._--Alba plena odorata.

_Poet's narcissus (N. poeticus_). Flowers white, with yellow cups edged crimson. Very fragrant.

_Jonquils (N. Jonquilla_). These have very fragrant yellow flowers, both double and single, and are old garden favorites.

_Polyanthus narcissus (N. Tazetta_). These include paper-white, Chinese sacred lily (var. _orientalis_), and others.

_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 gla.s.s 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 st.u.r.dy 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 b.u.t.tercup" 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 ma.s.s 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 jardiniere, 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, chamaerops, and phoenix. 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.

PANDa.n.u.s, or screw pine.--The screw pines are stiff-leaved saw-edged plants often grown in window-gardens and used for porch decoration.

The _Panda.n.u.s 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.

PANSY (Fig. 244) is without doubt the most popular hardy spring flower in cultivation. The strains of seed are many, each containing great possibilities.

The culture is simple and the results are sure. Seed sown in August or September, in boxes or a frame, will make plants large enough to reset in November (three or four inches apart) and bloom the following March; or they may be left until March in open seed-beds before setting out.

Also, if they are sown very thinly in the frames, they may remain undisturbed through the winter, blooming very early the following spring. The frames should be protected by mats, boards, or other covering through the severe cold, and as the sun gains strength, care should be taken to keep them from heaving by alternate thawing and freezing. Seed sown in boxes in January or February will make fine blooming plants by April, taking the place of those blooming earlier.

The pansy is generally mentioned with plants suitable for partial shade, but it also thrives in other localities, especially where the sun is not very hot nor the weather very dry. The requisites for satisfactory pansy culture are fertile, moist, cool soil, protection from the noonday sun, and attention to keeping plants from going to seed. As the ground becomes warm, a mulch of leafmold or other light material should be spread over the bed to retain moisture and exclude heat. Spring and fall give the best bloom. In hot summer weather the flowers become small.

PELARGONIUM.--To this genus belong the plants known as geraniums--the most satisfactory of house-plants, and extensively used as bedding plants. No plants will give better returns in leaf and flower; and these features, added to the ease of propagation, make them general favorites. The common geranium is one of the few plants that can be bloomed at any time of the year.

There are several main groups of pelargoniums, as the common "fish geraniums" (from the odor of the foliage), the "show" or Lady Was.h.i.+ngton pelargoniums, the ivy geraniums, the thin-leaved bedders (as Madame Salleroi), and the "rose" geraniums.

Cuttings of partially ripened wood of all pelargoniums root very easily, grow to blooming size in a short time, and, either planted out or grown in a pot, make fine decorations. The common or fish geraniums are much more satisfactory when not more than a year old. Take cuttings from the old plants at least once a year. In four or five months the young plants begin to bloom. Plants may be taken up from the garden and potted, but they rarely give as much satisfaction as young, vigorous subjects; new plants should be grown every year. Repot frequently until they are in 4-to 5-inch pots; then let them bloom.

The show pelargoniums have but one period of bloom, usually in April, but they make up in size and coloring. This section is more difficult to manage as house-plants than the common geranium, needing more direct light to keep it stocky, and being troubled by insects. Still, all the trouble taken to grow the plants will be well repaid by the handsome blossoms. Take cuttings in late spring, after flowering, and blooming plants may be had the following year. Good results are sometimes secured by keeping these plants two or three years. Cut back after each blooming season.

For house culture the geraniums need a fertile, fibrous loam, with the addition of a little sand; good drainage is also an essential.