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+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #69767 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69767)
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-The Project Gutenberg eBook of All About Miniature Plants and Gardens
-Indoors and Out, by Bernice Gaines Brilmayer
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
-most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
-of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
-will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
-using this eBook.
-
-Title: All About Miniature Plants and Gardens Indoors and Out
-
-Author: Bernice Gaines Brilmayer
-
-Illustrators: Fritz Schaefer
-              Kathleen Bourke
-
-Release Date: January 12, 2023 [eBook #69767]
-
-Language: English
-
-Produced by: Stephen Hutcheson, Karin Spence and the Online Distributed
-             Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
-
-*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALL ABOUT MINIATURE PLANTS
-AND GARDENS INDOORS AND OUT ***
-
-
-
-
-
-    _By the same author_:
-
-
-    ALL ABOUT BEGONIAS
-    ALL ABOUT VINES AND HANGING PLANTS
-
-
-
-
-                           BERNICE BRILMAYER
-
-                               ALL ABOUT
-                           MINIATURE PLANTS
-                              AND GARDENS
-                            INDOORS AND OUT
-
-                    _Sketches and Landscape Designs
-                          by Fritz Schaefer_
-
-                         _Additional Art Work
-                          by Kathleen Bourke_
-
-
-           DOUBLEDAY & COMPANY, INC., GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK
-                                 1963
-
-
-
-
-    _For my family, again and again.
-    The future is coming closer._
-
-
-    _Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 63-18225
-    Copyright © 1963 by Doubleday & Company, Inc.
-    All Rights Reserved
-    Printed in the United States of America
-    First Edition_
-
-
-
-
-                               CONTENTS
-
-
-                    AUTHOR’S NOTE                                  9
-
-                    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS                               13
-
-    _Chapter 1_     MINIATURE WINDOW GARDENS                      17
-
-    _Chapter 2_     MINIATURE GARDENS WITH ARTIFICIAL LIGHT       23
-
-    _Chapter 3_     MINIATURE GARDENS IN CONTAINERS               38
-
-    _Chapter 4_     MINIATURE GARDENS IN GLASS                    53
-
-    _Chapter 5_     MINIATURE GREENHOUSE GARDENS                  61
-
-    _Chapter 6_     MINIATURE HOUSE AND GREENHOUSE PLANTS         74
-
-    _Chapter 7_     MINIATURE ROSES, INDOORS AND OUT             137
-
-    _Chapter 8_     MINIATURE SINK GARDENS                       150
-
-    _Chapter 9_     MINIATURE PLANTS, BONSAI-STYLE               159
-
-    _Chapter 10_    MINIATURE GARDENS IN THE LANDSCAPE           177
-
-    _Chapter 11_    MINIATURE ROCK AND WALL GARDENS              183
-
-    _Chapter 12_    MINIATURE POOLS AND WATER PLANTS             199
-
-    _Chapter 13_    MINIATURE WOODLAND GARDENS AND PLANTS        211
-
-    _Chapter 14_    MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS                   226
-
-    _Chapter 15_    MINIATURE PERENNIALS AND ROCK PLANTS         251
-
-    _Chapter 16_    MINIATURE ANNUALS                            277
-
-    _Chapter 17_    MINIATURE GARDEN BULBS                       288
-
-                    EPILOGUE                                     299
-
-                    BIBLIOGRAPHY                                 300
-
-                    WHERE TO BUY MINIATURE PLANTS AND SUPPLIES   301
-
-                    INDEX                                        307
-
-
-
-
-                         List of Illustrations
-
-
-                                 COLOR
-                    _By the author except as noted_
-
-                                                       BETWEEN PAGES
-
-    Formal garden in a wash-boiler lid                         32–33
-
-    Tiny tropical garden with pool                             64–65
-
-    Achimenes, a beautiful gesneriad                           96–97
-
-    Twenty-three varieties of miniature and dwarf geraniums  128–129
-
-    Streptocarpus, Weismoor hybrid                           160–161
-
-    Rose and miniature rose                                  192–193
-
-    Garden in the landscape                                  224–225
-
-    Rock garden effectively composed                         256–257
-
-
-                            BLACK AND WHITE
-                    _By the author except as noted_
-
-    Miniature geraniums in uniform rows                           20
-
-    Mexican motif with cacti in window box                        21
-
-    Child’s cactus garden over radiator                           21
-
-    Small plants in a lighted bookcase                            25
-
-    An indoor “jungle garden”                                     26
-
-    Light-case planted with various small plants                  28
-
-    Light shelves with begonias                                   29
-
-    Kenilworth ivy in gnome strawberry jar                        40
-
-    Pawnbroker’s planter with ivy                                 41
-
-    Pruning a dish garden                                         43
-
-    Apple-tree root with pocket for plants                        45
-
-    Miniature plants in fish bowls                                54
-      (_Industrial Photographic Specialists_)
-
-    Converting a cider jug into a terrarium                    56–57
-
-    Commercially produced terrarium (_Russ Stone_)                65
-
-    Author’s succulent garden                                     68
-
-    Rampant greenhouse                                            69
-
-    Unusual propagation box                                       87
-
-    Sprouted stem cuttings of dwarf geraniums                     88
-
-    ‘Spaulding,’ bushy dwarf begonia                              98
-
-    Group of dwarf begonias                                       99
-
-    _Caladium humboldti_                                         108
-
-    Miniature climber, _Cissus striata_                          112
-
-    Ivy meagheri                                                 119
-
-    _Helxine soleiroli_                                          121
-
-    _Leuconeura massangeana_                                     123
-
-    _Oxalis hedysaroides rubra_ (_Merry Gardens_)                125
-
-    Three dwarf geraniums (_Merry Gardens_)                      127
-
-    Dwarf geranium, ‘Robin Hood’ (_Merry Gardens_)               127
-
-    Creeping _Pilea depressa_                                    130
-
-    Hardy _Saxifraga sarmentosa_                                 133
-
-    _Sinningia pusilla_, miniature of miniatures                 135
-
-    A miniature rose grows                                   146–147
-
-    Miniature garden of dwarf evergreens                         152
-
-    Rock garden in a wash-boiler lid                             157
-
-    Variety of bonsai trees                                      162
-
-    Bonsai in citrus                                             163
-
-    White poppies in a tiny garden                               178
-
-    Raised flower bed                                            186
-
-    Saxifraga seedlings                                          188
-
-    Trimmed lemon thyme and ivy                                  194
-
-    Constructing a no-cost pool                              204–205
-
-    Wild garden in New York City                                 213
-
-    Bloodroot                                                    214
-
-    Juniper with pansies                                         245
-
-    Planted cold frame                                           257
-
-    Author in her $00.00 greenhouse                              279
-
-
-                               DRAWINGS
-
-    Dream greenhouse (_Kathleen Bourke_)                          66
-
-    A fancy to build on (_Kathleen Bourke_)                       67
-
-    Foliage details of five popular miniature trees and shrubs
-      (_Fritz Schaefer_)                                         237
-
-    Construction diagram for low-cost greenhouse
-      (_Hal Gearhardt_)                                          280
-
-
-
-
-                             AUTHOR’S NOTE
-
-
-Naturally, the children’s welfare was the compelling reason for moving
-our family out of New York and into Connecticut. But we can’t deny that
-we also had visions of more expansive gardening. So we set out to find
-an old (meaning dilapidated--not antique), spacious, window-rich house
-with acres of neglected land where we could indulge our yen for flower
-borders with delphiniums by the dozens, sweeping green expanses of
-lawn, even obese bullfrogs on lily pads in a modest lake.
-
-These naïve notions were quickly canceled by the orbital prices of
-Connecticut real estate. In order to achieve our principal purpose,
-we had to make concessions to the second. The house we settled for is
-small; its windows are few and runty; and it has less than an acre
-of cultivatable land. It is one hundred feet at its widest, nearly
-six hundred feet long, and less than a hundred feet level in any
-one expanse. In other words, we got split-level land instead of a
-split-level house. But it is charming. Neighbors with great expanses of
-gardens and lawns actually envy us for our “natural setting.”
-
-Actually, my favorite landscape architect, who happens to be my
-husband, Bob, would be lost if given a perfectly flat piece of land of
-equal length and width. He would have no contours to follow and would
-probably go fishing. As it is, both of us have plenty of challenges and
-the fun of running up and down ridges in our plantings. The acreage is
-ample for two persons who have little more than so-called “spare” time.
-
-From this quick summation of facts, it is obvious why we gave up our
-grandiose ideas of immense perennial beds, a half-acre vegetable plot,
-naturalized bulbs by the thousands. Instead, we’ve learned how to tuck
-little gardens into odd corners; to compensate for limited space with
-intimate miniature perfection; to hunt for and find the small plants
-that are in sympathy and in scale with our small house and landscape.
-Cramped growing quarters indoors have even led us to collect miniature
-house plants. And when, some sweet day, we have our own personal
-greenhouse on the place, it’s bound to be in scale with the rest of it.
-
-Fortunately, we are by no means a minority. More small homes than
-large are being built today, and on more small lots. Gardeners
-are intensifying their demands for small plants of all sorts; and
-hybridists and suppliers are working nobly at filling the need. We
-now have four-inch ‘Wee Willie’ sweet William, tiny Twinkle Phlox,
-other dwarf annuals and perennials. Some nurseries are beginning to
-feature dwarf trees and shrubs. Florists and greenhouses are giving us
-minuscule house plants such as _Sinningia pusilla_ and orchids
-with one-inch flowers. The charm and intimacy of the miniature is
-replacing the magnificence (and oppressive maintenance) of the massive.
-
-There you have the beginning of this book and the reason why it
-contains many quite new projects. They would be illustrated as “before
-and after,” except that the “after” is yet to be written. Regardless of
-how long miniature gardening has been practiced, we feel the greatest
-developments are yet to come. Small houses and small plots of land
-force us to this conclusion.
-
-Admittedly many of our personal opinions are based on experience and
-observations in Northeastern gardens. However, whenever possible we
-have included reliable information for other climates. You will, of
-course, make your own interpretations and adaptations. This a reader
-must always do, no matter where an author lives and gardens. And there
-is always your county agent to consult or your local garden-supply
-florist with whom to discuss your particular situation. Always an added
-pleasure.
-
-
-                            PLANTS INCLUDED
-
-As the author, I have used two criteria for including or omitting
-plants at the time of writing. I am concerned with those that are
-readily available from florists, nurseries, and the suppliers listed in
-the Appendix; and those that in my opinion are suitable for miniature
-gardens.
-
-Except for the specific art of bonsai, I have not included plants that
-are unnaturally dwarfed by pruning or other means. I have omitted
-plants that look like miniatures when they are young, grow slowly, but
-eventually get out of miniature proportions if given time. I have not
-attempted to differentiate between miniatures and dwarfs, nor have
-I set up restrictive dimensions. Sizes vary with types of plants. A
-miniature orchid may be three inches high, a miniature shrub three feet
-or more.
-
-
-                              PLANT NAMES
-
-This book has been written by an amateur gardener for other amateurs;
-and I have made it as readable and enjoyable as I could. But in the
-interests of clarity and accuracy, Latin botanical names are used in
-preference to the vernacular. This is the only way to be sure plants
-are correctly identified. Popular names are confusing. Kenilworth ivy,
-grape ivy, and English ivy certainly sound as if they were related
-in some way; but when you use botanical names (_Cymbalaria muralis_,
-_Cissus striata_, and _Hedera helix_, you know they are not. By using
-the botanical names you are more likely to find the ivy you want in a
-reference book or catalogue.
-
-For most plants, _Hortus Second_ has been used as the authority
-for identification and spelling of names; but in the interests of
-readability, the double _ii_ ending has been reduced to a single _i_.
-For a number of plants that have become available since _Hortus_ was
-last revised (1941), I have referred to _Exotica II_, by A. B. Graf.
-
-Unless a plant name is complete (genus plus species--plus variety, if
-any), it is neither capitalized nor italicized. (The caladium is a
-favorite foliage plant.) Complete botanical names are italicized, but
-only the generic name has an initial capital letter, even when the
-specific name has been derived from the proper name of some person or
-place. (The diminutive _Caladium humboldti_ needs humidity.) When you
-see a plant name in italics, you will know that this is a recognized
-botanical species or one of its varieties, and not a man-made hybrid.
-
-The names of recognized hybrids, seedlings, and mutations of either or
-both are not italicized, but are capitalized and enclosed in single
-quotation marks (caladium ‘Little Rascal’). Common or popular names are
-set in regular type with initial capital letters only for proper nouns,
-when they appear in text. In separate listings each word is capitalized.
-
-
-                            BOTANICAL TERMS
-
-In order to make a gardening book completely accurate and
-understandable, it is almost mandatory to use some so-called
-“scientific” terms which should really be as much a part of a
-gardener’s vocabulary as “annual” or “evergreen.” The following words
-are used in their technical sense:
-
-_Genus_ (plural, _genera_)--A group of plants related to each other
-by botanical characteristics. The name of the genus is like a human
-family’s surname, Smith, but it is written first instead of last.
-_Oncidium_ is a genus of orchids.
-
-_Species_ (plural, _species_)--A plant that differs from others
-within a genus, usually occurring in a natural state and capable of
-reproducing itself in identical form. The name of a species is like a
-person’s first name, Alice, but is written last. _Oncidium pusillum_ is
-one of several species in a genus of orchids.
-
-_Hybrid_--Generally the result of fertilizing the flowers of one plant
-with the pollen of another; the resulting seedlings are hybrids.
-
-_Mutation_ or _sport_--A variation in any part of a plant that remains
-constant when that part is severed and propagated.
-
-The word _variety_, however--although it has a strict botanical
-application--has been used more loosely and may often be defined here
-simply as “variation.”
-
-
-
-
-                            ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
-
-
-I wonder if anyone ever wrote a book without being indebted to many
-persons for some sort of help or inspiration. Certainly, I couldn’t
-do it. Subtract the encouragement and time-consuming assistance of my
-family, friends, and horticultural acquaintances, and this would be
-less a book.
-
-I am deeply grateful to: Fritz Schaefer for landscape designs
-and drawings of rare delicacy, and for letting me benefit by his
-wide horticultural training and talents; to Kari Berggrav for her
-enthusiastic contributions to the manuscript and for all sorts of help
-with plants and photographs; to Mrs. John Lee and to F. H. Michaud
-of Alpenglow Gardens for their help and the use of their artistic
-photographs; to Adolph Adukas of the Julius Roehrs Company for his
-talented arrangements of dish gardens; to Kathleen Bourke for her
-fanciful drawings and to Elvin McDonald of McDonald and Bourke for
-his assistance and advice; to _Flower and Garden_ for allowing
-me to adapt material that had appeared in that magazine; to Mary
-Ellen Ross of Merry Gardens for her assistance and the photographs of
-miniature plants she allowed me to use; and to all the friends and
-tolerant gardeners who allowed me to put my camera tripod in the midst
-of their plants--Mr. and Mrs. H. Lincoln Foster, Mr. and Mrs. Alex
-O’Hare, Mr. and Mrs. Norman Cherry, and our neighbors, Mr. and Mrs.
-Henry Fuller. To Ernesta Ballard and Peggie Schulz, well-known garden
-writers, and Mrs. N. E. Dilliard of Tropical Gardens, my gratitude for
-your assistance. I thank my mother, Alice Gaines, and her keen eye for
-catching my witless errors.
-
-
-
-
-                               ALL ABOUT
-                     MINIATURE PLANTS AND GARDENS,
-                            INDOORS AND OUT
-
-
-
-
-                              _CHAPTER 1_
-
-                               MINIATURE
-                            WINDOW GARDENS
-
-
-In a living room so small that two dogs asleep before the fire must be
-roused to let you pass through, monstrous cut-leaf monstera would be
-out of place--literally and most certainly no asset. In our house, to
-be truthful, anything larger than a three-inch pot begins to get out of
-proportion. When we were buying the place, we called it “quaint” and
-“cozy.” But when we moved in our favorite house plants, it was just too
-crowded for words.
-
-This was the origin of our intense interest in miniature house plants.
-But limited space is by no means the only reason why these little
-fellows are such cheerful and desirable indoor decorators.
-
-First, of course, there’s the charm of the diminutive--the same lure
-that leads some people to collect figurines or doll’s furniture. But
-plants are alive and growing; you can pore over each leaf and flower as
-it matures to small-scale perfection.
-
-Because miniature plants occupy little space, you can grow more of
-them, and in greater variety. Three dwarf geraniums will bloom their
-heads off where a single large one might be crowded. Modern, narrow
-window sills are adequately spacious for a dozen or so two-inch pots
-of colorful cacti. One cattleya orchid can be replaced by several
-equally exotic, and much more personable, dwarf “botanical” orchids in
-delightful variety. Where full-sized narcissus and “daffy’s” that have
-been forced often seem to be just that, “forced,” miniatures fit in,
-add gaiety and color, along with naturalness.
-
-Most important, miniature plants and gardens are thoroughly in tune
-with today’s decorating trends. They’re in scale with small rooms and
-low ceilings, in harmony with the spirit of suburban homes, mobile
-enough to facilitate change and rearrangement, even functional because
-they’re more carefree. And they certainly go along as we leave last
-year’s stark, bare, uncluttered look behind and move toward the warmer,
-more personal décor that once more allows us to display snapshots of
-the children on the mantel.
-
-Miniature plants are often less costly than large specimens, and
-require less care. They grow slowly, require fertilizing and repotting
-less frequently, don’t outgrow bounds, and seldom need to be renewed or
-replaced.
-
-When I first started to collect miniature house plants, I had no idea
-how many were available, or in what delightful and wide varieties.
-There are miniatures in almost all of our best-known plant families,
-and there are some groups that have almost nothing but miniatures
-to offer. There are small-scale trailers, climbers, creepers; leaf
-rosettes or bushlets; tropical plants and mountain-dwellers; those
-with striking foliage, spectacular foliage, or both. Once you discover
-the wealth of Lilliputian plants you can grow in your home, I warn
-you, your will power had better be strong, else you never will stop
-following this fascinating hobby of raising the little fellows. It will
-run away with you before you know it.
-
-
-                            WINDOW GARDENS
-
-The window is the place most naturally suited for a living garden. It
-is nearest to the fresh out of doors and brings the plants closer to
-the environment where they are at home. By creating a transition, the
-plants in turn seem to bring the outdoors inside. A window is often,
-also, the only place where indoor plants can get the daylight and
-sunlight they need to keep in good condition.
-
-But a real window garden is not a motley assortment of plants in pots,
-haphazardly arranged (or not arranged at all) or lined up in precise,
-military rows. It is an artistic composition, a grouping of plants
-with some sound design in mind--an arrangement of plants and their
-containers for pretty and refreshing effect. The more natural the
-plants look, the less obvious or contrived the lines of the design, the
-more decorative the result. This principle is, of course, integral to
-all kinds of gardens, indoors and out; but it is particularly vital in
-a window where our eyes stray a dozen times a day.
-
-With miniature plants I find it easier to achieve good
-composition--much easier than with large ones. There are more elements
-with which to work; there is more opportunity to rearrange, a wider
-choice of colors, textures, and forms--the possibility of blending or
-playing them against each other. I recall a small window in an old
-country house, deeply recessed by the width of the thick stone wall.
-Three or four large or medium-sized plants might have stood on the
-two-foot-deep sill. But there were a dozen or so dwarfs and miniatures
-all blended and accented by two small baskets of miniature ivies. The
-display was so lovingly arranged and cared for, the effect was more of
-a garden than an obvious decoration.
-
-(In a rich selection such as this one, there is a natural danger of
-“too-muchness.” Don’t crowd these plants. Just the addition of one
-extra pot can spoil the effect of a perfect garden. Miniatures are not
-meant to be massed. When crammed close together they can look like a
-weedy, unmown lawn. Give each plant enough space to set off its modest
-charm, then you’ll find each one doubly charming in its space.)
-
-And so an assortment of small potted plants can be arranged as
-effectively in a window as perennials can be in a flower border. There
-should be a careful selection and placing of colors for both contrast
-and harmony; the interplay of foliage forms and textures; the blending
-of plants into one design with eye-catching accents where accent is
-needed. For a container, use a shallow galvanized metal tray made
-to fit the window sill and painted a matching white. It should hold
-about an inch of water with a layer of pebbles thick enough to keep
-the pots above the water. The evaporating moisture humidifies the air.
-Use miniature plants of several families but all needing approximately
-the same amount of light and sun. For color, there are the flowers of
-begonias and impatiens; for foliage contrast, peperomias; for accent,
-taller plants; with _Ficus pumila_ ascending the window frame and
-small-leaved creepers dangling over the edge to soften harsh lines and
-blend the garden into the room.
-
-There is equal charm in a collection of miniature plants of the same
-general type and of nearly the same size. Neat rows of cacti and other
-succulents in small pots look gay and colorful lined up on the sill and
-on glass shelves in the window above it--glass, of course, to permit
-all possible sun to reach the plants. Between the pots, at irregular
-intervals, set a collection of crystal wine glasses or figurines. Or
-line up impudent miniature geraniums as in the photograph. Here, the
-pleasure comes, not from the artistic composition, but rather in the
-uniformity of the rows of small-scale pots and plants.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Miniature geraniums arranged in uniform rows]
-
-For an indoor version of the outdoor window box, use a box made to
-fit on the sill, gaily painted and decorated in the Mexican spirit of
-the cacti growing in it. It should be deep enough (about four inches)
-for healthy root growth. The cacti are not potted, but planted in the
-sandy soil in the box. These indoor window boxes can be of all sizes
-and shapes--large enough to cover the sill of a big window plus the
-radiator under it; triangular, to fit in corner windows; suitable for
-the top of a child’s play table in a sunny bedroom or playroom.
-
-All of these gardens are planned for windows with full sun, or nearly
-so. With less sun the choice of plants changes. For example, miniature
-gesneriads (African violets, streptocarpus, episcias) might be combined
-with ferns and other foliage plants; a selection of the widely varying
-types of peperomias would be effective where sun is very scarce indeed.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Mexican motif with cacti in a homemade window box]
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Child’s cactus garden over a radiator--fine for a playroom]
-
-
-                           WINDOW GREENHOUSE
-
-Available light, or sunlight, is the first consideration in selecting
-plants for a window area, or in selecting the window for the plants
-you have or want. Light can be brighter (it even comes from overhead)
-inside a greenhouse that extends out from the window. You can buy these
-in all combinations of measurements, ready-made and assembled, or ready
-to be assembled. Or you can make them, or have them made, from the
-materials sold in most hardware stores for those who build their own
-screens and storm windows.
-
-The greenhouse fits flush to the outside of the window frame and is
-sealed with a calking-gun after it has been screwed firmly in place.
-It may rest on the outside of the sill, or be supported by metal or
-wooden brackets on the underside. The top lifts open for ventilation,
-and the opening is covered with a screen. Glass shelves permit light
-to penetrate fully. A tray at the bottom holds moist vermiculite to
-humidify the air.
-
-The window sash can be removed or not, as you wish. You can install an
-inexpensive, thermostat-controlled heater for extra warmth in winter.
-
-If the light is right, and if humidity can be kept high enough,
-an installation such as this can contain not only all sorts of
-window-garden plants, but also many of those recommended for the
-greenhouse in Chapter 6.
-
-A window greenhouse filled with growing, blooming plants is an
-attractive outdoor decoration on almost any house. Its effect indoors
-is always cheerful and refreshing. And it is especially suited for
-miniatures. Numerous small plants make a better decorative effect than
-a few large ones.
-
-(_For suitable plants, please refer to list at end of Chapter 6._)
-
-
-
-
-                              _CHAPTER 2_
-
-                           MINIATURE GARDENS
-                         WITH ARTIFICIAL LIGHT
-
-
-The three tiny rooms of the Greenwich Village apartment possess a
-total of two narrow, old-fashioned windows; yet in its darkest corners
-bloom some of the most gorgeous gesneriads I’ve ever seen. In similar
-fourth-floor quarters on New York’s dreary 41st Street, miniature
-orchids and other tropicals make a flamboyant jungle. In an attic in
-Levittown, a cellar in Bayside, a heated garage in Westchester, plants
-make it look like July in January, living their life cycles over and
-over again without ever seeing the sun. The life they must have for
-existence is supplied by electricity.
-
-Time was, when windows were the only place in the house where plants
-could be grown. But since government scientists first grew corn to
-maturity under artificial light at Beltsville, Maryland (back when I
-had more interest in boys and dating than in gardening), that picture
-has certainly changed. Now, all sorts of plants can flourish in the
-most unlikely places. Home decorators can use plants ornamentally
-wherever they look best, and create the conditions in which they grow
-best. The hobbyist who can’t afford a greenhouse can have a most
-satisfactory and inexpensive substitute in unused places in the house.
-And a greenhouse owner can double his growing space without adding
-another section of glass.
-
-Naturally enough, scientific research in this field has been aimed at
-helping florists, farmers, and others to whom plants are a business;
-but amateurs have benefited, too. The principle of photoperiodism--that
-some plants set buds and flower only when nights are long, some others
-only when nights are short--led to delaying the flowering of commercial
-chrysanthemums by interrupting the long night with a period of light.
-Amateurs have used the same principle to force tuberous begonias
-to flower in winter by lengthening the day with several hours of
-artificial light.
-
-The discovery and isolation of a light-sensitive enzyme, photochrome,
-has been applied to cyclic lighting--a less costly method of regulating
-flowering by flashing lights on and off at intervals. Probing the
-mysteries of photochrome has also given orchid fanciers a better
-understanding of their plants’ blooming habits and has even made it
-possible, with some species, to have flowers twice or three times a
-year, rather than just once.
-
-If I may be permitted a slight prejudice, it’s these amateur benefits
-that make me happiest. I love plants; and I think millions of other
-people do. From the windows of my commuting train I see New York
-tenement tenants wistfully watering morning glories that pathetically
-climb fire-escape trellises. More prosperous Manhattanites spend small
-fortunes on florists’ plants to bring the breath of green life into
-their sterile apartments; and their disappointment, if the plants die,
-is pitiable. Suburbanites have a yen to make a hobby of collecting
-plants. And now they can. I know, because I did.
-
-In our roomy, old-fashioned cellar in Bayside we had triple-decker
-shelves fitted with fluorescent lights where we grew everything from
-begonias (finally, a collection of more than 350 varieties) to annuals
-for the gardens out of doors. That was some years ago. The information
-about lighting was sparse, inconclusive, and often confusing. Our light
-intensity was inadequate, and there were other deficiencies which we
-would correct were we setting up that cellar greenhouse today. But our
-successes were fascinating, our failures a challenge. And the hours
-we spent working with those plants in the cellar often were our only
-moments of refreshment and relaxation.
-
-The hobbyist, with his dividends of fun, is not the only one who
-benefits from this new concept of light and plants. There is the home
-home-decorator, the woman of the house, who finds in plants the sort
-of ornament the entire family enjoys. She’d like the graceful lines of
-a vine tumbling down from the mantel, jewel-like flowering plants on
-the shelf of a corner cupboard, a garden of green atop the room divider
-between the living and dining areas. Frustratingly, she discovers that
-where the plants are most effective, too often they won’t grow and
-flourish. It is usually because there is insufficient light for their
-life processes. But now, she can set up a light on the mantel, install
-fluorescent tubes beneath cupboard shelves, or let ceiling lights flood
-the plants above the room dividers. Such lighting has a double effect,
-it enables the plants to flourish, and it gives a dramatic accent to
-the décor of the house.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Interesting combination of bookcase and lights for African
-   violets and begonias of several varieties]
-
-Artificial lighting is a help even for the casual grower--one who has
-only a few plants, whether by happenstance, for the fun of it, or
-simply because “a house is not a home” without a plant or two. Table,
-desk, and floor lamps can be used to supplement the natural light from
-windows. Too often windows are shielded by trees or the house next
-door, or perhaps it is winter and there isn’t enough light to keep most
-plants in a thriving condition. Just turning on a lamp so that the rays
-fall on a plant can lengthen the hours of light enough to bring out
-bloom that might otherwise be impossible.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Tropical plants with controlled light, heat, and moisture make a
-   “jungle garden”]
-
-Miniature plants and gardens are, of course, shining prospects for
-growth under artificial light. They take so little space, and since
-there is a limit to the height, width, and depth a single installation
-will illuminate, you can make the most use of it if you are growing the
-little fellows.
-
-Here’s how the “jungle garden” came to be our source of continual
-refreshment and pleasure. Our living and dining rooms, both rather
-small, are separated partially by deep shelves. The previous owners of
-the place, devout music-lovers, used the shelves for their hi-fi set
-and stacks of phonograph records. Our record player--pardon me, our
-stereophonic hi-fidelity music box--has its own cabinet, and that left
-a gap in the divider between the two rooms. We naturally thought of
-plants, particularly the tender tropical miniatures I collect. Since
-we still hope to do extensive remodeling, the garden was not built
-permanently into the shelves, but was constructed as a separate case.
-
-We are fortunate in having a generous friend who loves to work with
-fine wood, and can make cabinets with the precision of the real
-professional. The case he turned out is a beauty. It measures eighteen
-inches by twenty-four inches inside. The top rests on strong metal rods
-at the corners. Window glass slides horizontally in the grooves cut
-in the top and bottom, enabling us to open or close the case as need
-be. The inside of the top is painted white, thus reflecting the light
-from the lamps downward on the plants. We use both fluorescent and
-incandescent lights which are mounted on the underside of the top. The
-bottom of the cabinet is lined with the heaviest plastic we could find.
-
-At first the case was used as an indoor greenhouse for many potted
-plants that need protective warmth and humidity. Several inches of
-vermiculite in the plastic lining were kept moist constantly, with the
-sides being opened or closed for ventilation.
-
-Later, we filled the bottom with rich potting soil and put the plants’
-roots right in it--climbers, creepers, tiny bush-shapes and trees.
-This turned out to be more of a “jungle” than we expected. Some
-notably delicate residents seeded themselves and started families. A
-dainty cissus strung itself langorously from one end to the other. The
-creeping fig nearly strangled the frail, whiskery bertolonia. But the
-planting was a source of delightful surprises--a bud here, a flower
-there, increasing colonies of some delicacies we hadn’t been able to
-grow at all, before.
-
-Several years ago a bookcase which I set up in my office as a garden
-was the object of considerable attention--how much I never realized
-until I dismantled it and gave away the plants. Then, I was bombarded
-with questions--and even some complaints that I had taken away this
-spot of greenery. From the night watchman up to the president of the
-company, people missed those plants. Some even thought I must have been
-fired.
-
-There is a little house in Levittown, one which I always enjoyed
-visiting. The second floor has two finished rooms, one of which then
-was the office-den of the hard-working Elvin McDonald of _Flower and
-Garden_. (He has since moved to Kansas City.) His tiered plant table
-with fluorescent lights was there for a functional reason, but it had a
-decorative value as well. In other homes I’ve seen plants growing by
-hundreds under lights in unused bedrooms, single specimens displayed
-in shadow boxes with circular fluorescent tubes, decorative gardens
-thriving in all sorts of dark corners. With artificial lighting taking
-care of the space problem, just about anyone can grow plants.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   The author’s New York office light-case planted with gesneriads,
-   begonias, and other plants]
-
-However, before your enthusiasm flies too high, consider this sobering
-caution. Like anything else, artificial lighting works best only when
-it is properly planned and executed. Light must have the quality,
-intensity, and timing that plants need. Specific, accurate, up-to-date
-information is not always easy to find. Despite many fascinating
-discoveries and developments, this is still a relatively new
-horticultural principle, and there is still much more to be learned.
-Before he begins, the newcomer should locate the very latest and most
-reliable information; and the experienced grower should keep posted
-on the constantly changing rules. It has been my pleasant discovery
-that the big power-and-light companies, ever alert to develop new
-outlets for their product, are keenly aware of the possibilities
-of artificial-light plant propagation. Many of them are setting up
-departments to help horticulturalists. If you are puzzled, try your
-light company for information. It may take a few phone calls and
-letters, but eventually I know you will find some likeable chap wanting
-to help you.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Light shelves of medium height with begonias of many sizes and
-   varieties (note miniatures down front center)]
-
-Although it is not necessary to become a botanist, I feel it is urgent
-to have a clear conception of how plants grow, and particularly how
-they use light. While we can’t all be electrical engineers, it is also
-helpful to have some basic facts about electric lights and how they
-relate to plant growth. But if it were possible, I think I’d consider
-writing the facts I have with invisible ink. Who knows but what today’s
-list of rules will be obsolete, and outmoded by new discoveries, before
-this book can be published?
-
-
-_Botanical Principles_
-
-For normal growth and flowering, plants must have light of the proper
-sort, intensity, and duration. Thus the leaves can perform their
-function of making starch, then sugar--the mysterious process called
-photosynthesis. Besides normal growth, plants require an extra supply
-of sugar and starch for producing flowers. True, plants need light, but
-they also need dark to convert food into energy and growth. And this
-means complete dark. It has been shown that if light falls on so much
-as a single leaf, the entire plant continues to operate as if it were
-day.
-
-For normal growth and flowers, plants require a certain balance of the
-red and blue rays of the spectrum. In general terms, blue rays are
-especially effective in developing leaves, stems, and other vegetative
-growth, and often in greater proportions for seedlings as compared
-with mature plants. In general, the red rays keep plant growth sturdy,
-regulate the development of buds and flowers, affect the germination of
-seeds and the rooting of cuttings.
-
-For normal growth and flowers, different sorts of plants need light of
-different intensities--depending usually on available light in their
-natural habitat. Again in a general sense, light of more intensity is
-needed for flowering as contrasted with the needs for healthy foliage.
-But light intensity requirements vary with various types of plants.
-
-For normal growth, and flowers, some plants need dark periods of
-greater duration. This is the principle called photoperiodism. By
-now a good many plants have been classified as to this requirement,
-but there are many others whose needs are yet to be determined.
-Chrysanthemums, poinsettias, and Christmas cactus, for example, will
-set buds and flowers only when there are more hours of dark and
-fewer hours of light. These are called _long-night plants_.
-Tuberous begonias, and other summer-flowering types, come into flower
-when nights are of short duration, and are called _short-night
-plants_. Those plants that don’t seem to care one way or another
-are called _day-neutral_. For the sake of consistency you might
-even call them _night-neutral_. It is also thought that there
-is some relation between the duration of light and dark periods and
-temperature. Thus it can be seen how much research is yet to be done. A
-challenge of course, but that is what makes our scientists great.
-
-
-_Electrical Principles_
-
-Artificial light is not the same as daylight--it doesn’t have to be.
-It needs only to supply the right kind of light (blue and red rays)
-of suitable duration and intensity. Because it is constant, and
-consistent, the intensity (as measured in foot-candles) does not have
-to equal the brightness of a sunny day at high noon. Daylight waxes and
-wanes from dawn to dark every day, and may be very dim on cloudy and
-rainy days. Artificial light, coming from generators, is not dimmed by
-clouds or other external conditions. Duration is controlled by a light
-switch, or a time clock.
-
-Incandescent bulbs are an adequate source of red rays for plants, but
-give little blue. They get burning hot, are comparatively expensive,
-and actually are inefficient to operate. Incandescents are also a
-source of far-red rays that delay flowering on long-night plants
-and operate in reverse for short-night plants. According to U. S.
-Department of Agriculture scientists, incandescent light used as a
-supplement to fluorescent light “improves the growth habits of many
-kinds of plants, but is seemingly not required by others.”
-
-Until the introduction of the new Gro-Lux tubes in 1961, fluorescent
-lamps have given light with more blue than red, and in varying
-proportions according to the types of lamps. Fluorescent tubes do not
-get burning hot, and they are comparatively inexpensive to operate,
-and also efficient. In using the older types, those created especially
-for illumination, it is important to come as close as possible to the
-proper balance of the red and blue rays needed by plants. For some
-plants it has been sufficient to use only fluorescent tubes. For some
-of the other types many growers use 10 per cent of the wattage in
-incandescent bulbs.
-
-But the new Gro-Lux fluorescent tubes, developed by Sylvania Electric
-Products, Inc., are especially for plants and not for illumination.
-They give a lavender-looking light made up of red and blue rays which
-are carefully balanced to suit plant needs. Growers who have used them
-report a spectacular improvement in plant appearance, in plant health,
-in faster rooting of cuttings, and in increased flowering. If demand
-warrants it, no doubt other electrical manufacturers will introduce
-their own brands of fluorescent tubes for plants.
-
-Obviously, in growing plants under artificial light there are so many
-variable elements it is impossible--and extremely unwise--to set down
-hard-and-fast rules. The types of plants to be grown, whether the
-installation is primarily decorative or functional, and the possibility
-of continuing research outdating your work, all should be taken into
-consideration when any installation is set up and put into operation.
-
-
-                     CONSTRUCTION AND INSTALLATION
-
-Again, I must write in general terms. I have neither the knowledge
-nor the experience to explain the intricacies of wiring, ballasts,
-circuits, and the like. This technical information is available from
-your electrical supplier and from equipment manufacturers, and often is
-on the cartons in which the parts are packed. Our installation was so
-outrageously large we had to hunt up a friendly contractor for help. He
-was a sympathetic man who loved plants and was fascinated by the idea
-of growing them under lights. Also, he was a cautious person, mindful
-of the fact that our electrical system was about twenty-five years
-old. And that stamped it as being an antique (as your light-and-power
-men will tell you). Since our basement floor was likely to be damp at
-times, heavy waterproof cables with special plugs and outlets were
-used, and grounded to prevent shocks, etc. Be careful about your
-electrical system, especially if you are going to go into anything
-as elaborate as our first enthusiasms. Don’t build a firetrap for
-yourself. It’s hard on the plants, not to mention the old homestead.
-
-Whether your plants are to be grown in a garden, or in pots on benches,
-on shelves, or in a greenhouse-like case, the lineal proportions will
-be determined pretty much by the space that is available in your house,
-basement, greenhouse, or perhaps, as was in my case, your office. In
-small decorative planters twenty-five-watt fluorescent tubes (two feet
-long) are used most frequently. However, it is important to use enough
-of them, lined up closely to each other, to give a light of sufficient
-intensity. In fluorescent tubes the light is most intense in the
-middle and tapers off sharply at the ends. Since short tubes have more
-end--and less middle--they give off less light. The “shorties” are less
-efficient, as your plants will tell you.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Miniature roses, begonias, a birdbath, and ground cover made
-   this charming little formal garden.]
-
-The distance between the tubes and your plants also affects intensity.
-The closer they are, the stronger the light. If possible, hang your
-fixtures on chains so that they can be raised or lowered. Adjust them
-to accommodate the taller plants and then raise your “little fellers”
-on upended pots, bricks, or boards so they will not be cheated of their
-share of light. Please remember, the greater the distance between light
-and plant, the more tubes you will need. Distance determines the number
-of tubes!
-
-For greater intensity, and efficiency, forty-watt tubes (four feet
-long), or even larger, are usually recommended. If these are to be
-hung from the top of a case or cabinet, the simple strip fixtures are
-sufficient. If there is to be no “ceiling” directly above the lights,
-or if it is a decorative arrangement where glare might hurt the eyes
-of those who see it, use the industrial fixtures with shield-like
-reflectors. (In planning your light-garden, please don’t forget that
-the fixtures are a few inches longer than the actual tubes.)
-
-If the case which you may be planning can be enclosed, at least on
-three sides, it will be easier to maintain the needed humidity. If
-the enclosing sides are opaque, they--and the “ceiling” above the
-lights--should be treated so the light rays are bounced back and the
-plants receive the extra benefit. In our cabinets we usually applied
-several coats of flat white paint on the inner surfaces. But once,
-under the blandishments of the aluminum industry, I lined a cabinet
-with their foil. It was plain foil, not the crinkled sort, so I did my
-own crinkling. Then I smoothed it out and fastened it in place with a
-staple gun. Plain foil, like high-gloss white enamel, seems to reflect
-the light every place except where it should be, on the plants.
-
-In one of the installations we had at our place on Long Island I found
-it impossible to put in enough fluorescent tubes for the plants we
-wished to grow. Since they were day-neutral varieties, we made up for
-the lack of intensity by increasing the length of time the lights were
-used. Up to a point, increasing the light-hours will help to compensate
-for the lack of intensity--just to a point, however, and then the old
-law of diminishing returns takes over. Plants must not be under light
-so long that they fail to get their necessary periods of darkness. It
-is as essential as sleep is to a human being--perhaps more so.
-
-
-                               OPERATION
-
-In planning a light installation try to squeeze out a few extra dollars
-for an automatic timer. It will help to guarantee success for the
-operation. You’ll have a certain peace of mind if you tend to be
-absent-minded. No more will you fret through a P.T.A. meeting, a movie,
-or a concert wondering if you turned off the lights on your plants.
-The timer will have done it for you. If you happen to have an enclosed
-case--one tight enough to conserve the humidity--you can very easily
-go away on a short trip (a day or two at most) and feel confident your
-pets will not suffer. If you have postponed buying a timer--actually,
-they are not expensive--and have to leave your plants for a day or
-so, it is better to turn off the lights completely. They’ll suffer
-less than if the lights are going full blast. But for peace of mind,
-particularly that of the plants, we’ve always used automatic timers.
-At one time we had three of them. When I was ordering one from a
-mail-order company, my husband was buying me one as a birthday gift.
-And at the very same time the electrical contractor who redid out
-light system donated one in the interests of our begonias. We had them
-popping on and off at all hours of the day and night. We even hooked a
-percolator into one for the morning coffee.
-
-As I look back over our experiments of a few years ago, I find
-there are more plants which are day-neutral (night-neutral if you
-prefer) than plants which are short-night or long-night. For these
-day-neutrals, fourteen to sixteen hours of fluorescent light (of
-sufficient intensity) every day, all year round, will keep them happy
-and thriving. They won’t know the difference between winter and
-summer, spring and autumn, Florida or Long Island. That has been our
-experience, but now I find opinions vary on whether hours of light
-should be lengthened or shortened in spring and autumn for these
-seasonal changes. (There is still plenty of room for experimentation.
-For instance, the light requirements for many plants are still to be
-worked out--even for closely related plants within various types.)
-
-Some growers, those who specialize in plants for which they know the
-light requirements, turn on the lights at dawn and turn them off at
-nightfall. This is a year-around schedule. Others who have plants of
-assorted types, or of undetermined light requirements, maintain a
-constant fourteen-hour growing day. And they are often surprised by
-even second, or third, bursts of bloom. A nice surprise, if you ask me.
-
-
-                               INTENSITY
-
-Here again we find the needs of plants vary and fluorescent-light
-setups vary accordingly. If possible, measure the light in your growing
-area. The readings of a photographic light meter--the same instrument
-you employ in your photography--can be translated into foot-candles. Or
-you can get a meter that registers foot-candles. For advice, consult
-your camera dealer, or check with your local power-and-light company.
-Here in Redding we find the Connecticut Power and Light Company vitally
-interested in artificial-light plant propagation.
-
-Again “in general,” house plants that require “full sun” when grown
-in a window need 1200 to 1500 foot-candles of artificial light, and
-for fourteen hours a day. Foliage plants will get by with 500 to 600
-foot-candles. At about 1000 to 1200 foot-candles many plants, and I’m
-thinking of begonias and gesneriads in particular, will be robust and
-floriferous.
-
-Should you find it difficult to figure light intensity as suggested
-above, you might follow the formula worked out by an old friend on
-Long Island, Elaine Cherry (Mrs. Norman Cherry, the wife of one of
-our engineering friends). Her formula is easy to follow. “A single
-forty-watt tube will serve a space approximately four feet long by six
-inches wide.” Small plants that need intense light can be set up close
-to the tubes.
-
-Here is a tip--ever notice how your television picture is dim but
-brightens appreciably when you take a dust rag to the surface of the
-glass? The same is true of your light fixtures. Wipe them off now
-and then. Clean tubes give more light than dusty ones, and new tubes
-give more light than old ones. When a tube darkens at the ends, that
-means it has seen better days and should be replaced. According to
-Mrs. Cherry, it is a good policy to replace tubes after five thousand
-hours of service and not wait for the dwindling light to curtail the
-rays your plants need. While you are at it, it’s smart to insert new
-starters.
-
-
-                            TYPES OF TUBES
-
-Until the introduction of the Gro-Lux lamps, we had to choose types
-designed primarily for illumination. And there were as many choices
-and combinations as there were tube types. In a private and somewhat
-limited survey, I’ve found that when only one type of tube was used,
-cool white was to be preferred. In combinations of equal or two-to-one
-proportions, some growers use daylight and natural tubes; others prefer
-daylight and de-luxe warm white. And there are those who go for cool
-white and de-luxe warm white. Those who supplement their lights with
-10 per cent incandescent light seem to favor all daylight fluorescent
-tubes.
-
-The object of all these different combinations is to get the most
-favorable balance of red and blue rays. If you are a hobbyist who grows
-plants for the love of them, and not necessarily for their value in
-interior decoration, the new Gro-Lux tubes are less complex and less
-troublesome. You don’t have to be a light expert to get results and
-have fun with your light-garden.
-
-
-                            CARE OF PLANTS
-
-Temperature, humidity, soil, fertilizing, potting--almost without
-exception, plants growing under artificial light need the same care as
-window-garden plants. But since the light is an artificial substitute
-for natural sun and light, watch for signs that the plants are not
-entirely satisfied with it. When they stretch out, get long and lanky,
-or the foliage has a weak, wan color, set the plant up closer to the
-tubes, or over toward the center where the light is strongest. You
-might do well to make room by shifting some of the plants that have
-been in the center. Sometimes when a plant has too much light it will
-become stunted. Until a more exact rule book is written, you will have
-to use your own good common sense.
-
-Here is the big worry many growers have; the failure of their pets to
-flower. More often than not that means insufficient light, insufficient
-red light, or perhaps both.
-
-As of this date it is probably ten years since we first started toying
-with plants under artificial lights. I say “toying” because it was just
-that--purely for fun. We kept no records. When frost was in the air we
-dug up flowers and brought them indoors. My husband even brought in
-eleven goldfish which he feared would be glacéed in an outdoor pool. We
-put everything under lights with the fish in terrariums. Eventually he
-spent thirty dollars for a pool in an untidy corner of the living room.
-Thirty dollars, not counting the electric bill, I felt was a little
-expensive for a dollar’s worth of goldfish. I sold twenty dollars worth
-of photographs of that pool and then included one of them in my book
-_All About Vines and Hanging Plants_. Eventually he allowed me,
-very grudgingly, to place episcias around the pool. Mites moved in on
-them. He sprayed for the mites and killed all of the fish. He replaced
-the fish with eleven others. Thus the cycle continued.
-
-All the time we had those indoor plantings our neighbors kept asking us
-what plants were good for lights and what lights were good for plants.
-Frankly, we couldn’t answer. Ten years ago that book hadn’t been
-written.
-
-We tried just about everything less than five feet tall. We had
-wonderful results with African violets, begonias, orchids, and
-gesneriads. We even had a morning glory which singed itself on a steam
-pipe. All of them loved the kilowatts.
-
-(_In Chapter 6 I have indicated certain plants which are suitable for
-propagation under artificial lights._)
-
-
-
-
-                              _CHAPTER 3_
-
-                    MINIATURE GARDENS IN CONTAINERS
-
-
-       DECORATIVE CONTAINERS, DISH GARDENS, AND MODEL LANDSCAPES
-
-House plants are usually considered more or less lasting indoor
-decorations. But they can also be used the same as cut flowers for
-temporary and changeable displays, and then, like cut flowers, can be
-discarded when they begin to fade. They cost less and last much longer
-than bouquets, but because they’re temporary decorations, they cause
-less worry and require less care than the permanent inhabitants of
-window sills or artificially lighted gardens.
-
-That sounds rather heartless, I know. But it’s a defense I’ve built
-up--and a perfectly logical one--against the wails of those who take
-beautiful florists’ plants, place them on dark mantels, or in other
-thoroughly unsuitable growing areas, neglect them wholeheartedly, and
-then “can’t make them grow.” How many people do you know who buy lovely
-Christmas begonias, poinsettias, or cyclamen for the holidays and
-expect them to bloom the following season?
-
-Honestly, I can’t see any reason why plants must be immortal, why they
-can’t refresh and beautify the home as long as they remain healthy and
-attractive, and not one minute longer, and then be discarded. I do
-object to stringy, leafless stems of expiring philodendron, dried-up
-dish gardens, or any plant or combination of plants that has become
-undecorative because it is dying. Actually, some florists’ plants, such
-as greenhouse primulas and calceolarias, are annuals that come into
-full bloom only once, and having had their big moment are supposed to
-die peacefully afterward.
-
-Do I treat my plants in the house so very cruelly? Well, no ... not
-exactly. My budget includes no allotment for florists’ fripperies.
-I have a different system, and I have a constant supply of healthy
-plants to use for indoor decoration. My plants spend most of their
-lives in growing quarters where cultural conditions are good--in bright
-windows, in the window greenhouse, or on our small sun porch. They
-are brought in for a few days (never more than a week), then quickly
-returned to their more healthy, healthful homes. Having done their
-duty, they go back to grow and prosper. I do this with single potted
-plants, placed in attractive containers, with dish gardens, model
-landscapes, and combinations of plants. They are beautiful and charming
-as table centerpieces, mantel ornaments, displays for the coffee table,
-shadow box, or bookcase shelf.
-
-
-                   PLANT-AND-CONTAINER COMPOSITIONS
-
-In the past few years my preoccupation with miniature plants has led
-to some pleasurable rummaging and shopping for containers in which
-to place them to make compositions for a bedside or telephone table,
-for the narrow window sill above the kitchen sink, and for the small
-bric-a-brac shelf in the foyer.
-
-As any flower-arrangement artist knows, small-scale compositions are
-often more intricate and more difficult than full-scale affairs--every
-detail is subject to separate scrutiny. However, patience, good taste,
-and an artistic flair will unite a plant and a container with an
-affinity that looks casual, even accidental, but actually is cunningly
-contrived. Container and plant become one picture--neither outshining
-the other--the container setting off the plant, and not sacrificing its
-own importance.
-
-People who are intrigued with these miniature compositions usually
-collect containers in wide variety. Some of them are even made for
-the express purpose of holding plants--from wood, bronze, copper, all
-sorts of chinaware, glass, and ceramics. But the containers that give
-the most fun are those made for entirely different purposes. I’ve seen
-tiny bird cages, little woven baskets, glass lamp shades, odd-ball
-ash trays, punch cups, unusual tea or coffee cups, soup tureens, and
-even an ancient Buick hub cap which a little girl “borrowed” from her
-father’s collection of automobile antiquities. Some gourds are just the
-right size and shape, and with a nice wartiness, to lend enchantment
-for growing plants. Our cat keeps us well supplied with the tins in
-which his food is sold--spray them with paint and they are ideal for
-many plants. Some cocktail or champagne crystal looks precious with
-miniature vines drooping over the side.
-
-  [Illustration: Strawberry jar resembling gnome, planted with
-  Kenilworth ivy]
-
-Once for our P.T.A. fair I collected a dozen or so unmatched liquor
-glasses, put a half-inch of soil in the bottoms, and planted tiny
-_Sinningia pusilla_. They sold immediately, with people wanting
-more. A plant sale at such an affair is a rather convincing test of
-popularity, and whether you have created a good arrangement.
-
-Another favorite I have discovered for unusual containers is
-_Cymbalaria muralis_, the nostalgic Kenilworth ivy. I planted some
-in a small strawberry jar. Look at the jar from the right angle and it
-resembles a round-cheeked dwarf with a sparse green wig. I wish I could
-remember where I bought that jar--so many friends have wanted one. The
-“pawnbroker’s” planter cost five cents in a local junk shop. I also
-planted it with ivy.
-
-Inexpensive hanging containers and wall brackets for miniatures are
-available in a wide variety at five-and-dime stores. But hanging
-baskets are not so easy to handle, as they must be suspended from
-wire or screwed to the wall. I’ve seen a doll’s hat used delightfully,
-and also some nice little woven baskets. Or try anything of metal or
-ceramic if it has a lip to hold a wire or chain--or a two-handled
-consommé bowl; or a soup ladle with its handle fastened to the wall.
-You can easily punch holes in most plastic containers--and without
-cracking--by using a red-hot awl or old-fashioned ice pick.
-
-  [Illustration: Pawnbroker’s planter set with ivy]
-
-Occasionally I have seen props or accessories used in these miniature
-plant-and-container compositions that were successful, but only
-occasionally were they in perfect scale and harmony. More frequently,
-the silk, wood, or ceramic butterfly, bee, or bird is an unnatural and
-disturbing intrusion.
-
-Be careful when you water plants in decorative containers. If possible
-keep the plant in its original pot so it can be lifted from the
-container and taken to the sink, where excess water will drain away.
-Otherwise, hold off on your watering until you are positive the plant
-won’t wait any longer; then stop before the soil gets soggy and wet.
-Excess water, trapped by a container, can cause roots to rot, in fact
-will promote rot in most cases.
-
-Be daring, be creative, be artistic when planning container projects
-and arrangements. If a fat little fern looks right for a teacup, let
-the cup be squat and fat; or let it be fluted gracefully and flared
-up to the delicate frond-fans. If a miniature orchid looks like a gem
-without a case, set it on pebbles in a clear crystal bowl; or perhaps
-invert a dome-shaped watch glass over it. If a succulent makes you
-think of a tough little gnome, for goodness sake don’t plant it in one
-of those grotesqueries which is the hump of a camel’s back or a cavity
-along the spinal column of a ceramic cat. (Remember how ridiculous a
-Venus stomach clock looks.) Use a little imagination. Perhaps you have
-something at hand--a droll bucket, a miniature fishing creel, a butter
-tub. Interesting containers make interesting compositions if you use
-good taste and imagination. Try to achieve the quality and feeling that
-the plant and container were “made for each other.”
-
-
-                             DISH GARDENS
-
-A dish garden is the combination of a group of living plants and the
-container holding them. It should be designed and planted with artistry
-and originality, but without artificiality. Each dish garden should
-look distinctive--certainly without any resemblance to the ones which
-florists seem to make by formula. It should be neither crowded with
-too many plants, nor cluttered with accessories or small ornaments. It
-should be eye-catching but not brazen, harmonious but not dull, unusual
-in some manner and yet comfortably natural.
-
-Like cut-flower compositions, dish gardens are arranged so that plant
-and container together complete an artistic design. And like any
-artistic design, these gardens follow (or have a good reason for not
-following) certain basic principles:
-
-Plants and container blend into one pleasing picture.
-
-Elements of the design interlock, overlap, or otherwise hang together.
-
-The number of elements is limited by restraint and good taste.
-
-All parts of the design are in pleasing relative proportion.
-
-There is one focal point, or center of interest.
-
-  [Illustration: Pruning a dish garden to keep elements in size and
-  proportion]
-
-If the design has formal balance, the focal point is in the center,
-with elements of equal weight at the sides.
-
-For informal balance, the focal point is off-center, with heavier
-elements to balance it.
-
-A design becomes fluid, rhythmic, with the dynamic use of line, and
-with pleasing contrast of colors, textures, and structural forms.
-
-       *       *       *       *       *
-
-Of first importance, of course, is the container. It should be of
-proper size, shape, texture, color, and mood for the plants that
-will fill it. Rustic pottery is suitable for desert cacti and other
-succulents; glazed white, or lightly tinted, pottery for dainty
-flowering plants; copper, pewter, wooden bowls for an arrangement of
-heavy, masculine-looking foliage plants.
-
-Containers can be of any shape--round, square, rectangle, triangle,
-ellipse, irregular. If possible they should be at least three inches
-deep so there is space in which to pack the roots of your plants.
-And they should not make themselves conspicuous with bold ornament,
-texture, or color. Plain design and subdued colors bring out the beauty
-of the plants.
-
-Very few artificial accessories look well in a dish garden; but natural
-garden or landscape features such as interesting rocks or bits of old
-wood are often quite successful.
-
-Before you begin to plant a dish garden, set the plants (in their pots)
-in the container, and then shift them around until they begin to look
-right. This will give you a rough idea of how an arrangement will turn
-out. For formal balance, set the tallest or most striking plant in
-the center, with some low ones nestled around its base. For informal
-balance, set the accent plant in one corner of a rectangle and let a
-large expanse of unadorned sand, gravel, or ground cover spread out
-toward the diagonal corner.
-
-Turn a sharply curved leaf or branch so it falls against a straight
-up-and-down plant. Play rough foliage against smooth; feathery against
-solid; bright colors against dull; pattern against plain leaf. Try
-lifting out one plant to see if the effect is cleaner. To blend plants
-with the container, let a creeping or hanging plant fall down over the
-edges. These beforehand experiments will help you avoid having to shift
-plants later, during the actual planting.
-
-Although not strictly dish gardens, there are some attractive
-variations that can be composed without benefit of soil, or of a dish
-to hold it. In the pockets of a small piece of smooth, silky old
-root, or driftwood, tuck osmunda fiber (orchid-potting material) for
-the roots of epiphytic (air growing) plants--most are bromeliads.
-Terrestrial (soil growing) plants, such as the miniature begonia, are
-best in sphagnum moss. Or try tiny orchids; some will creep slowly
-over the surface of the wood. Fasten the plants firmly in place with
-inconspicuous fine florists’ wire. This will hold the plants until
-their roots penetrate the fiber and attach themselves to the soft wood.
-If you supply liquid fertilizer at regular intervals, the plants will
-grow normally. Water by dunking plants and log in a pan or the sink.
-Feed by adding soluble fertilizer to the water.
-
-Plants will often grow from cavities and crevices in rocks. If the
-rock is “limy,” stick to lime-tolerant plants. Tufa, if you can find
-it, is especially malleable for gardens like these. It is soft and
-porous, easily cut and shaped, and with ready-made cavities to hold
-roots and small amounts of soil or moss. It is perfectly acceptable to
-acid-loving plants.
-
-Conch shells, and another large shell of a similar type which we used
-to find on the beach--the sort kiddies hold to their ears when playing
-the game of “listening-to-the-sea”--offer interesting possibilities.
-Pack the cavity with moist sphagnum moss and plant with several
-smallish plants. Water with extreme care, and fertilize only slightly.
-Almost any moisture-compatible foliage plant that is available will
-live and grow this way for months.
-
-  [Illustration: Root from an apple tree, with a pocket for osmunda
-  and a bromeliad]
-
-
-                           MODEL LANDSCAPES
-
-Although these indoor gardens also follow the rules of good design,
-the result is a different effect. Montague Free once called them
-“an idealization in miniature of an outdoor scene.” They are not
-arranged to give an artistic impression, but to re-create some part
-of the out-of-doors on a small scale. Their charm lies in their
-diminutiveness, intricate detail and, often, in their whimsy.
-
-The elements are: container; tiny plants (for the purist, all must be
-living) to represent trees, shrubs, grass, and flowers; and props Or
-accessories such as miniature pools, fences, and other landscape or
-architectural features. I suppose rocks would be called accessories,
-too.
-
-Each garden should have a theme, and all elements should be in harmony
-with the theme and help to carry it out. For example, it’s difficult to
-combine buoyant hybrid pansies with shy wild flowers. A contemporary
-garden is best in a container with clean lines, but an old-fashioned
-garden is fine in a platter with high fluted edges. A desert scene
-calls for a container that’s bare and stark. A white plastic trellis
-doesn’t belong in a woodland scene. And please, no green bath towels
-for grass.
-
-Visualize your garden first--sketch the plan on paper. If you can draw
-it to scale, it will help in the selection of container, plants, and
-props. It is crucial that each element should be in proper proportion
-to all others. One element not in scale can ruin the entire effect.
-
-In some gardens a plant or small group of plants will be the object of
-interest; in others it may be a particularly charming and important
-feature such as a rustic bridge or a shrine. In gardens of moderate
-size or less, one feature is usually sufficient, and not more than two
-in larger ones. Select your main feature first, place it, and make sure
-all other elements are in scale. For example, a fence should not be
-more than one and a half inches high under a tree of six inches.
-
-The variety of plants, props, and containers from which you can select
-can be as wide as your enthusiasm and ingenuity want to make it. Here
-are a few suggestions.
-
-
-_Tree_
-
-Upright plant with a single stem-trunk, foliage at the top, usually
-taller than it is wide. If the tree is to be the object of interest,
-look for plants with character rather than symmetry--bent, twisted,
-gnarled trunk; interesting, lopsided shape; especially lacy foliage;
-tipsy tendency to lean. There are a number of useful house and
-greenhouse plants, and more to be found in the woods and fields. For
-deciduous trees, it is often permissible to use twiggy branches stuck
-in the soil. I find leafless pieces of mountain laurel very effective.
-
-
-_Shrubs_
-
-Upright plants of bushy habit and branching. You’ll find many suitable
-house plants and some in the wild.
-
-
-_Hedge_
-
-Tiny-leaved, bushy plants that can be set close together and clipped to
-shape. The tiniest boxwoods will also do if they are carefully thinned
-and each extra leaf is removed separately.
-
-
-_Flowering and Foliage Plants_
-
-Miniature house plants are best for these indoor gardens, although you
-can achieve temporary success with some annuals like alyssum.
-
-
-_Climbing and Trailing Plants_
-
-These are needed for training over walls, but even more necessary for
-planting at the container’s edge so they will fall over and softly
-blend the garden and the container.
-
-
-_Ground Cover_
-
-A cover for bare spots in the garden--get sheet moss from the woods. Or
-plant grass seed and keep it mowed with sharp scissors. Use your own
-ingenuity. You may very likely come up with something more appropriate.
-
-
-_Urns_
-
-Use thimbles, thumb-pots, miniature vases.
-
-
-_Pools_
-
-These can be built with Sakrete or plaster of Paris. Or sink a sardine
-can--painted blue-green--an ash tray, soap dish, or plastic cheese
-container.
-
-
-_Paths_
-
-A path should always be going somewhere, preferably to the point of
-interest. Make paths with sand, fine gravel, small pebbles, perlite.
-If your garden is a formal one, make cement sidewalks with Sakrete.
-(Please, we have no financial interest in Sakrete--don’t even know who
-makes it--but have always found it a most useful material around our
-gardens for patching, fixing, and repairing.)
-
-
-_Bridges, Fences, and Gates_
-
-Here is another chance for your personal ingenuity--and the more
-ingenuity you use the greater will be your pride when the job is done.
-Use matchsticks, toothpicks, balsa wood (it is available in hobby
-shops, but you can very likely snitch a few pieces from some model
-airplane the kiddies are making). In my office I get coffee from the
-corner drugstore, each container having a stirring stick. I save those
-sticks. It is wonderful what one can do with them--picket fences and
-the like. A little whittling is all that is necessary.
-
-
-_Rocks_
-
-Please, don’t use chunks of broken concrete. Hunt around for smooth,
-interesting specimens, eroded and rounded stones of the correct size.
-If you happen to come upon one with a lichen, you have a real prize.
-
-       *       *       *       *       *
-
-There are as many themes for these gardens in miniature as there
-are outdoor scenes--cultivated or natural--in the world. The only
-necessity is, once you have decided on a plan, stay with it. See that
-every plant and prop you use is in harmony. See that every plant has
-the same cultural requirements--especially if your garden is to be a
-lasting thing. Here are some general ideas:
-
-
-_Formal Garden_
-
-This is probably the easiest to execute, chiefly because it is based
-on perfectly mathematical balance. The plan is basically geometric--a
-rectangle with a birdbath in the exact center; walks straight and
-precise; pairs or quadruplets of plants that are identical in size
-and shape; hedges that are neatly trimmed. How about trying something
-different?--an Old World herb garden; perhaps a scene from Colonial
-Williamsburg; or something from the Elizabethan age.
-
-
-_Informal Garden_
-
-Re-create your own garden, or something you hope to have around your
-house and grounds. It will help you to visualize it in advance. Get a
-container the shape and proportions of your lot--do a planting with
-the lawn you want, build up patios and terraces. Build a model of your
-house and duplicate the plantings you want on a miniature scale. This
-sort of garden will give you a real thrill.
-
-
-_Old-fashioned Garden_
-
-I wonder if you ever had a wonderful grandfather and grandmother--I
-wonder if they had a trim house with a picket fence--white of course.
-If you did, how about trying to duplicate it. If you didn’t, do a
-little dreaming. Dream about what you would like to see--picket fence,
-billows of bloom from flower beds, climbing things on the walls and
-fences. Please, let yourself go and improvise à la dream. Next to
-your own home, I can think of nothing more satisfying than trying to
-duplicate an old-fashioned garden in the manner of that wonderful past
-generation. Use your imagination. You’ll be happy that you did.
-
-
-_Contemporary Garden_
-
-The central figure could be a miniature vase, to represent an urn, at
-the edge of a square or rectangular pool. Small boxes can be made like
-redwood planters. To be purely functional, use gravel or paving instead
-of grass. Plant sparsely and with an eye for modern design.
-
-
-_Oriental Garden_
-
-Here is a garden that can fool you with its simplicity. It calls for
-fewer plants, more minutely perfect props, figurines, stones, and moss.
-It may be built around a pool with a Japanese bridge. Outwardly, it
-looks so easy and simple, but it isn’t. Just get one feature out of
-proportion and you will be unhappy. Remember, the Oriental artist is
-a person of great perfection, one with thousands of years of artistry
-behind him. Before attempting an Oriental garden, better get some good
-photographs or drawings. It will help you achieve a good picture and
-you will have a lasting satisfaction. Good luck.
-
-
-_Tropical Garden_
-
-This one should be lush with tropical creepers and climbing tropical
-trees, as pictured in the color section of this book. The container is
-a bowl from an overhead light fixture--the sort that used to hang above
-the dining-room table. (It cost ten cents in a junk shop.) The back is
-a masonry wall, made of pebbles and Sakrete, as is the irregular pool.
-Paint your pool blue-green. Since your plants will very likely require
-acid soil, separate the construction material from the soil by strong
-plastic.
-
-
-_Desert Garden_
-
-Little but cacti and kindred succulents can grow here, and sparsely at
-that. _Sedum multiceps_, little Joshua tree, has a picturesque
-tree-like character. Use a suitable soil mixture completely covered
-with a layer of desert sand, or very fine gravel. Build a dune perhaps.
-Or make an oasis with a few palms around a pool--an irregularly
-shaped pool like one might see in a mirage. How about a few strands
-of grass--maybe not quite in tune with the setting but it might be
-considered as bamboo. A little faking is permissible.
-
-
-_Rock Garden_
-
-This usually calls for building up a rocky slope supported by hardware
-cloth in the rear and lined with moss to keep the soil from falling
-through. Follow good rock-gardening rules--rocks of the same kind but
-of varying shapes, with their layers, or strata, running horizontal. At
-the base of the slope you might contrive a small pool overflowing into
-a plastic-limed stream. Make a rustic gate and bridges with evergreen
-twigs wired and glued together.
-
-
-_Woodland Garden_
-
-Naturalistic arrangements of woodsy plants, rocks, moss, fallen logs.
-Seedling evergreens are fine. Artificial props are out.
-
-
-_Meadow Garden_
-
-A gate might open through a split-rail fence to a winding, foot-trodden
-path through a field of waving grass and flowers. At the back leafy
-trees line the edge of the imagined cow pasture.
-
-
-                           PLANTING AND CARE
-
-Most containers for dish gardens and model landscapes are watertight.
-That is wonderful for any furniture on which they might be placed,
-but not so good for the plants. There is that eternal danger
-of overwatering. Roots rot when they stand in mud or water. In
-tight-bottomed containers it is wise to start with a thick drainage
-layer--pieces of broken flower pots, pebbles, brick, coarse sand, or
-even small pieces of charcoal. That gives the excess water a place to
-go. Cover this bottom layer with burlap or moss to keep the soil from
-sifting down.
-
-The soil mixture should be suitable for the type of plant which is
-going to live in it--acid or alkaline, sandy or humus-rich--and should
-be moist--not muddy--at planting time. One at a time take your plants
-from their individual pots, set them in place, and make the soil firm
-enough to support them. Add dangling-edgers and ground cover last. Mist
-the finished garden with a fine spray of water, thus washing off any
-dirt and refreshing the foliage. Set the garden in a shaded, protected
-spot until the plants have recovered from transplanting shock.
-
-Watering these gardens can be tricky. The soil may feel dry on the
-surface and yet be boggy underneath. Find a small bare spot where you
-can insert the handle of a spoon or a fork. Dig down to the bottom to
-make sure that water is really needed. And water with the greatest
-of care--enough to moisten the soil, but not enough to leave water
-standing in the bottom. No puddles, please.
-
-Now supposing your hand has slipped--the hand holding the
-watering-pot--and you have overdone it. If the planting will allow,
-put the container on its side for a half-hour or so. But, please be
-careful--actually, I shudder to give you this piece of advice. I’m
-afraid you might find your creation out of its container and a muddy
-mess in the kitchen sink. All right, here is something else you can do;
-dig a hole in a bare spot--a small hole the size of a pencil and in the
-deepest part of your garden. Suck up the extra moisture with a pipette
-until the hole is dry. What, no pipette in your garden kit, then try a
-medicine dropper. No medicine dropper either--try a soda straw, but you
-had better be nimble or you will get a taste of dish garden. They don’t
-taste as good as they look.
-
-If your garden is only a temporary decoration, you have given it your
-all and that is all the care it needs. But I feel you are going to
-love it so much you’ll want to keep it growing as long as possible.
-That changes the rules considerably. Place it, not on the coffee table,
-but in a window where it will get the light and sun the plants need,
-and where the temperature and humidity are to their liking. (Specific
-recommendations and plant preferences will be given in Chapters 6 and
-16.) Hardy outdoor plants should be kept as cool as possible. You might
-set them in a cool room, or on an unheated porch, at night and bring
-them in only for the day. Fertilizing is usually not necessary, except
-when roots are severely crowded or you are trying to force a plant to
-bloom.
-
-Keep the garden immaculately clean and neat. Remove faded flowers and
-tired leaves. Trim those plants that have a tendency to grow too large
-or straggly. It might be smart to remove any that refuse to stay within
-proper size. Train your climbers and creepers as you want them to grow.
-Keep your pools filled with clean fresh water. Mist foliage daily to
-keep it fresh and dust-free.
-
-The dish gardens and model landscapes you plant this way are easy to
-care for, but those ones from a florist may present some problems. Now
-let’s be fair to florists--their gardens and landscapes are turned
-out on a commercial basis in order that they may make money. (Outside
-of a few fancy floral outfits, none of them gets rich, particularly
-when one considers the long hard hours they spend on the job.) In the
-interest of economy they often combine plants of complete cultural
-incompatibility--dry-growing succulents with moisture-loving aroids;
-African violets that need sun for flowering with ferns that scorch
-in it. Too often these dish gardens are crammed with too many plants
-for the amount of soil; and the roots have been bruised and broken
-in handling. The florist knows that two-thirds of the customers
-who buy his product are going to abuse it anyhow. So he takes a
-“what-the-dickens” attitude. Make it pretty for the moment, for
-tomorrow it is going to die anyhow. One more word in praise of my many
-florist friends--just let the man with the green paper, the ribbons,
-and the carnations sense that you love plants, understand them, and
-care for them, and he will go to bat for you. He will help you in
-every possible way. I’ve never known it to fail. Actually, they are a
-soft-hearted profession.
-
-All right, so you have a typical florist-shop dish garden. Uncle
-Charlie bought it for you as an anniversary present because it looked
-cute in the shop window, and he couldn’t think of anything else. For
-all he knows that green stuff is spinach. As soon as Uncle Charlie has
-gone home, start remodeling the garden. Check over the plants and
-remove any that don’t agree with the majority of the other plants on
-light, moisture, and soil consistency. Pot up the good ones that you
-want to keep and thin out the others. Remember, those plants are going
-to do a lot of growing and must not be crowded. Use your ingenuity and
-common sense. Dig in the soil with that silver-spoon handle and see how
-much moisture is needed. Set the garden where light and humidity are
-right for the plants. You will have made yourself a new garden. Care
-for it as though it were your original creation. And when your next
-anniversary comes around, and Uncle Charlie comes around with another
-present--most likely a Chinese silent-butler--he will look at the dish
-garden and praise you for having a green thumb.
-
-(_In the plant list in Chapter 6 you will find plants that are
-suitable for decorative containers, dish gardens, and model landscapes.
-In Chapter 16, which is devoted to miniature annuals, you will find
-additional possibilities._)
-
-
-
-
-                              _CHAPTER 4_
-
-                           MINIATURE GARDENS
-                               IN GLASS
-
-
-From a terraced garden in a huge brandy snifter, or perhaps in a fish
-bowl, to a single orchid under an upturned tumbler, there are many
-kinds of glassed-in gardens to be planted and enjoyed--terrariums
-if you like. This includes the old-fashioned partridgeberry bowl,
-bottle gardens, and today’s version of the classic Wardian case. In
-any glass container a terrarium is literally a miniature greenhouse
-in which the temperature and humidity can be controlled. Dish gardens
-and model landscapes can be a great pleasure, so these terrariums add
-the additional joy of permanence and variety. Most plantings will live
-and thrive for twice or thrice as long, and you can grow many delicate
-plants that wouldn’t last a day in the dry, drafty air outside.
-
-
-                              TERRARIUMS
-
-Most terrariums are small-scale replicas of woodland scenes with native
-plants, pools, streams, and rocky cliffs. These are charming and
-refreshing; and if there is good light, small outdoor plants will live
-through the winter into spring. But there are other possibilities--tiny
-tropical plants that love steamy warmth; miniature begonias,
-aroids, and marantas that are compatible under glass--in fact, that
-compatibility includes two-inch orchids and other dazzling epiphytes
-that need extra protection and humidity indoors.
-
-Depending on your plants, your container, and your whims or desires, a
-terrarium can be a Lilliputian reproduction of a landscape, an artistic
-composition, or perhaps merely a single perfect plant enhanced by a
-crystal setting. Since proportions and sizes are more strictly limited
-as compared with gardens which are minus glass walls, the selection of
-your container should come first.
-
-
-                              CONTAINERS
-
-Ready-made, practical, and not undecorative are the fish bowls and
-tanks of all sizes. The flat-sided and octagonal bowls are inexpensive,
-though not always of good glass. Very large, round bowls and brandy
-snifters of all sizes are slightly more costly, but of much better
-quality. Rectangular fish tanks are in good proportion for miniature
-landscapes, easy to plant, and roomy.
-
-Or perhaps you have an heirloom bell jar; a glass candy dish or bowl;
-an apothecary jar; a bottle laid on its side (rather tedious to plant.
-You have to reach through the neck of the bottle with long tweezers and
-iced-tea spoons, but a good job is very rewarding). You can still buy
-the traditional round, pear-shaped, and “Ming urn” covered jars for
-partridgeberries. If your container has no glass cover, cut one from
-window glass. Buff down the sharp edges. Terrarium glass is best clear,
-not tinted.
-
-  [Illustration: Inexpensive fish bowls planted with ferns and
-  other miniatures]
-
-In the do-it-yourself department you can make bell jars out of cider
-jugs with the burning-string procedure. Soak a piece of string with
-lighter fluid or gasoline, wrap it around the jug where you want it
-cut, light the string, and when the flames are gone, dunk the jug in
-cold water. The first few attempts may not work--I had three tries
-before I got a nice clean break. But for fifteen cents’ worth of cider
-jugs I got a nice container. If the edges come out rough and jagged,
-buff them with an emery cloth or a file. But, please be careful, don’t
-get splinters of glass in your fingers.
-
-For a miniature-garden-minded child, simply build up a container with
-window glass and a flat or box. Cut the sides and ends to match the
-dimensions of the flat or box; then bind the corners with adhesive
-or masking tape. Fold tape around the top edge and the cover. That
-will prevent cut fingers. We made one for our children. Just to add
-interest, we included a turtle and a salamander. They liked their new
-home so well they dug into the moist soil and hibernated all winter.
-These tailor-made terrariums can be constructed to fit whatever space
-is available--long and narrow for a window sill, short and squat for a
-table top.
-
-History’s largest and most elaborate terrarium probably was the Wardian
-case, invented (or discovered) over a hundred years ago. It is, of
-course, too monstrous for today’s interior décor. But the principle can
-be applied in designing an indoor greenhouse that is decorative and in
-good taste--something to fit near a bright window, or to be fitted with
-fluorescent light if it is to be in a dark corner. It is surprising how
-a little extra light will often make a deeply shaded spot habitable for
-plants. In these cases, of course, the plants usually remain in their
-individual pots. A tray with water and pebbles, or sand, humidifies the
-air.
-
-Today’s adaptation of the Wardian case can be of almost any size
-or shape. One company manufactures a glass-enclosed box about two
-feet wide, four feet long, and three feet deep, with detachable
-furniture legs. I have seen a large coffee table, designed to sit
-before a picture window no doubt, fitted with plate-glass sides and
-accommodating a dozen or so medium-sized plants. I’ve seen several
-homemade cases as decorative as culturally practical, and sadly I must
-admit, I have seen some that were neither. I seem to have said before,
-in plantings of this sort let your plants be the stars.
-
-  [Illustration: Converting a cider jug into a terrarium: a. Tie
-  string at desired level and soak with lighter fluid b. Light
-  string and immerse jar in cold water when extinguished]
-
-  [Illustration: c. Lift off top of jug]
-
-  [Illustration: d. Terrariums in use]
-
-
-                            AQUATIC GARDENS
-
-Any watertight, glass-sided container can also be used for a
-fascinating water garden with fish and plants and many types of
-colorful decorations. To me, the most pleasing are those re-creations
-of natural underwater scenes with coral reefs, rocks, and the fantastic
-aquatic plants sold at aquarium supply stores. Quite honestly I’m
-bothered by the suited underwater diver who brandishes a spear and
-spouts bubbles at intervals. I’m bothered by the obviously artificial
-remnants of a wrecked ship, or the opened treasure chest spilling out
-coins and jewels. It is artificial to the point of being phony.
-
-The planting and care of these underwater gardens has become an
-intricate science and art and requires knowledge of the delicate
-balance of plant and animal life, the proper supply of oxygen, and
-other technical matters beyond my ken. About all I know is, I love a
-beautifully executed aquatic garden. If you have a yen for one of these
-gardens, find an expert who knows his subject and ask his advice. If
-you can’t find an expert, there are many excellent books on the subject.
-
-
-                        PLANTS AND ACCESSORIES
-
-Rocks, twigs, bits of decaying wood, and other naturally indigenous
-materials are suitable for gardens in glass. Tufa rock is always good,
-whether the plants sink their roots into it or not. If you happen to
-live near an old ironworks, you’ll find fascinating pieces of slag in
-many sizes and colors.
-
-But many of the figurines offered for sale in stores--bridges, benches,
-and the like--are questionable, even doubtful, in a setting with native
-plants. If they are to fit at all, they must be artistic, believable,
-and in exquisite harmony with everything else in the woodland scene. If
-you want to try it, set them in place, look at them from all angles,
-and think it over carefully. Decide whether they “belong” or are
-merely cute. Cuteness is something that lasts for a moment--beauty is
-something that is forever.
-
-Just as with dish gardens, model landscapes, and other gardens where
-plants live and grow together, terrarium plants should be chosen first
-for their cultural compatibility. In fact, the principle is even more
-vital here because terrarium gardens are usually meant to be lasting.
-Think for a moment--you wouldn’t tuck a dry-growing peperomia in the
-soil beside a moisture-loving fern, or a cool-growing wild flower
-beside a tropical selaginella. They just aren’t meant to live with each
-other.
-
-Next, size up your plants as to height--larger and bolder plants for
-the background or for accent, creepers for blending. In between should
-come the many flowering and foliage plants that make your garden a
-thing of beauty.
-
-Many of these plants can be bought at florists’ shops or variety
-stores. Others are available by mail, including the wildlings. The
-woods are always a source, but conservationists urge all of us not to
-destroy plants carelessly or move them out of their native haunts to
-unfavorable locations.
-
-I find that the plants available from mail-order specialists are
-reasonably priced and are always good sturdy stock. More on this in
-Chapter 13.
-
-
-                           PLANTING AND CARE
-
-Whether your glassed-in garden is an artistic arrangement of plants or
-an actual garden, give your design a tryout by placing the plants on a
-temporary basis. Put them in place and appraise the arrangement. Don’t
-rush. You’ll save time by not having to do it over later.
-
-In the case of containers rounded on the bottom, line them with thin
-sheets of moss. Turn the green side out. Next add an adequate layer
-of pebbles or sand, for drainage. A sprinkling of broken charcoal is
-particularly desirable. The close humid air may cause soil to grow
-“sour” without it.
-
-Soil may be acid or not, heavy or light, sandy or humus-rich. It all
-depends on the type of plant to grow in it, and it will be moist when
-you use it. Please, make the soil deep enough to give the plants
-root-room. If you want to make it interesting, build it up gently into
-slopes or natural mounds. Flat land is dull, not nearly so interesting.
-
-As you put in the plants, add the stones, pebbles, paths, or
-pools--whatever you have in your design. May I warn you--don’t dirty
-the inside of the glass. Once dirty, it is almost impossible to clean
-up later. Plant sparsely. Remember, your plants are going to grow.
-The finishing touch will be the addition of “sod” or moss on the bare
-areas. Most of the suggestions for dish gardens and model landscapes in
-earlier chapters apply here. Finally, polish the glass and spray the
-plants with a fine mist to clean off any soil that may be on leaves and
-stems. Water very gently.
-
-According to tradition, partridgeberry bowls are arranged differently.
-The base of the bowl is lined with moss, and covered with drainage
-layers, charcoal, and then soil. Then the berried plants and any others
-to be combined with them are placed, one layer at a time, with their
-faces against the glass. Their roots are toward the center and covered
-with soil. Finish the top layer facing up; sprinkle any loose berries
-on top; mist the foliage gently; cover with glass, and deck out with a
-big bow of Christmas ribbon.
-
-For a few days after planting, set a terrarium where the light is
-not bright. After that, it needs light or sunlight according to the
-requirements of the plants. If they grow lank, limp, and leggy, they
-are usually stretching out for more light. Window-sill plants may
-lean toward the window--remedy: simply turn the terrarium around, and
-alternate it every few days so that both sides get an equal share of
-light.
-
-Temperature also depends on the plants. Hardy outdoor natives are best
-at 60 degrees or less, even if they are moved to a cool spot at night.
-Tropical plants, and many others, are happy at the usual living-room
-temperatures.
-
-Watering can be tricky, but not if you are careful and rational.
-Obviously, if the top of your container is covered tightly, not much
-moisture can escape. It will condense inside the glass and drop back
-into the garden. Water will be needed less frequently. But don’t be too
-happy about this. If there is excess moisture, if too much collects on
-the glass, if the soil is always soggy, mildew and root-rot may result.
-Lift off the top for a while and let the inside dry out a little. Keep
-the soil on the dry side if the cover fits too tightly.
-
-Here is another warning--soil should never become completely dry. (I
-am afraid I have you walking on a tightrope.) Again, take that handle
-of a spoon or fork and dig down through a bare spot so you can see how
-wet the soil is at the bottom. If water is needed, add it very gently.
-Remember, the small plants must not be deluged and dislodged; use
-just enough water to moisten the soil, not soak it. Sorry, but it is
-impossible to write down any definite schedule for watering. Frequency
-and quantity depend on the size of the terrarium and the size of the
-plants, on the outside temperature, and on other environmental factors.
-Even the weather and the season of the year are important. But, I’ll
-bet you need watering much less frequently than you think. You may feel
-you should fertilize the plants so they will grow more vigorously. Here
-is a word of warning on that score--few woodland plants appreciate
-chemical fertilizers (the powders you buy at the hardware store or
-in the horticultural supply shops). If you want to feed your plants,
-the best thing to use is a weak solution of manure water. I am always
-bundling up manure in gunny sacks, soaking it in a watering pot, and
-then using the water on my plants.
-
-Glass-covered terrariums usually keep themselves clean inside,
-because dust just can’t get into them. You may need to remove fading
-flowers and leaves. If you have any plants, particularly creepers,
-that threaten to take over and smother the others, get a sharp pair
-of embroidery or manicure scissors and begin pruning. Aliens such as
-earthworms and slugs are out. Put on your sharpest-pointed heels and
-step on them.
-
-
-
-
-                              _CHAPTER 5_
-
-                               MINIATURE
-                          GREENHOUSE GARDENS
-
-
-As far as I am concerned, the first part of this chapter is a dream.
-It is such a precious dream I shouldn’t even publish it until it comes
-true. I am afraid I must confess that parts of it have already been
-published in _Flower and Garden_. I was so carried away with the
-idea I rushed it into print, just so I could tell the world about a
-dream. It is a dream I hope you will dream with me. The magazine has
-given me permission to repeat the article I wrote for them.
-
-The whole thing started when I began to get bored with prissy rows
-of pots in my own greenhouse. It is a forty-by-twenty-foot house and
-really isn’t ours. (It belongs to a neighbor who used to use it for the
-chickens. The chickens didn’t like being dispossessed, but they adapted
-themselves to the horse barn, where they are much happier.) My dream
-picked up emphasis when I tried a few “potless gardens” with plant
-roots unconfined and running freely in the soil. I immediately saw how
-much happier the plants were and how much more naturally they throve. I
-am a working girl. I have but a few years to go on my retirement plan,
-and then I can retire. Hence, I dream about my own personal greenhouse.
-My dream greenhouse.
-
-I picture it as an extension of our recreation room so I can look out
-through the large window to the glassed-in garden a dozen times a day,
-every day of the year. There will be a convenient door for the many
-times I’ll be lured away from my typewriter. Any moment I wish, I can
-step into my garden to watch a bud unfold, tuck a wandering tendril
-back around a support, breathe in the fresh, moist fragrance only a
-greenhouse has.
-
-My garden will be tropical. I love it that way. You, my reader, may
-wish a desert planted with fabulous cacti, or perhaps a cooler garden
-for alpine and hardier plants. But I love the exotics; and I will plant
-each one where it will grow according to its natural whims. Please,
-no more neat rows of pots on benches. My creepers will be planted
-where they can clamber over the soil and an occasional rock or rotted
-log. Climbers will have some picturesque support on which to climb.
-Epiphytes will have trees to perch on; and the danglers, baskets to
-hang from.
-
-There will be variations of light, from full sun to patches of dappled
-or deep shade. If I can manage it, somehow I’d like to have variations
-in temperature in the different parts of my dream greenhouse. Some
-plants like the vigor of a cool corner; others revel in tropical
-warmth. Then there is the matter of moisture. For dry-growing plants
-there would be rock gardens and raised beds; for moisture-lovers there
-would be sunken, humus-rich bogs.
-
-But you can’t have a greenhouse, dream or otherwise, without having
-utilities, heating plant, water pipes, and potting places. Those I
-would conceal under the shade of flowering vines. I think I should
-allow myself the luxury of a stool--perhaps even a rocking chair--where
-I can sit down to pot or propagate my plants.
-
-Of course, there would be a pool in my greenhouse garden, with a water
-lily to flower in it. Around the edge would be arranged rocks to make
-a home for friendly frogs, salamanders, and turtles. I would teach
-them to be so friendly I could take them to safe quarters when I had
-to spray or fumigate. Restful ferns would frame that pool. A fountain
-would make the musical sound of splashing water. Perhaps the overflow
-would run into a tiny, winding stream. I’ll have to ask Fred, our
-plumber, about that.
-
-I don’t know much about birds, but I’d like to have a canary housed in
-a cage. He’d be there only when the vents were open. Otherwise he’d be
-free to fly. I might even have a parakeet for his company. I’d have
-a radio to play softly--only classical, gentle music. Nothing with
-brass--mostly violins and soft ones at that. No telephone--never. I’d
-have a bench for my guests--wrought iron very likely, since I think
-it would fit the décor, but the sort that is comfortable. Somehow,
-I’m going to have to figure out a way of labeling my plants so the
-labels will not show. Perhaps, we can do it electronically. As I have
-said, I would have a rocking chair, an old and battered one. And the
-grandchildren--this being a dream I can have grandchildren (our own
-youngsters are still young). There would be a curiosity corner for
-them where they could touch the mimosa and see it fold, watch a pitcher
-plant catch a fly, pick fluffy bolls of cotton, or dig a small peanut
-crop.
-
-My garden will be full of surprises. Any day of the year a visitor
-will find something new--a miniature orchid flowering on the branch of
-the bromeliad tree; iridescent _Selaginella uncinata_ stalking on
-stilt-roots under a dwarf banana; carved columns, old urns, pieces of
-ceramic art I expect to pick up in my travels. Here, perhaps an old
-tree trunk sunk naturally in the soil; there, a log half buried as it
-would be in the woods; and then some stepping stones, two or three at
-the most to entice guests to look down on a mound of oxalis in full
-flower; overhead, a moss-lined basket of flamboyant epiphyllum in
-spring.
-
-My planting, of course, will be carefully planned, but the plan will
-not be obvious. The shaggy fishtail palm, _Caryota urens_, would
-be placed in the perfect spot. The Mexican tree fern would look as
-if it had lived there always. The bromeliad tree would seem to have
-lived and died in my indoor jungle, and the plants rooted in its
-branches would look as if they had planted themselves, as they do in
-the tropics. Luscious-leaved philodendrons would climb and cover any
-obvious walls. Vines would be trained to soften sharp corners and
-provide some shade. In irregular beds I’d plant a natural arrangement
-of upright flowering and foliage plants--begonias, fuchsias, oleander,
-all kinds of aroids, a dwarf citrus or two. A walk might be edged with
-the tiny, delicious Corsican mint, _Mantha requieni_.
-
-In a warm, partly shaded area I’d go crazy with gesneriads--flaming
-episcias covering the ground, tube-flowered aeschynanthus spilling down
-from above, fiery-flowered columneas in all their glory. And yes, I’d
-have African violets--not in pots, but in baskets, in strawberry jars,
-or sunk in the soil.
-
-If (when?) I have my greenhouse, there are some plants I wouldn’t
-be without. Among vines--silver-leaved _Cissus striata_ with
-its swinging curtain of stringy aerial roots; _Clerodendrum
-thomosoniae_, its blue-green leaves smothered in red-hearted white
-flowers in spring; _Passiflora coccinea_, the red passion flower,
-for glamour. I’d hang baskets of the new soft-hued fuchsia hybrids, and
-my favorite floriferous begonia, ‘Shippy’s Garland.’
-
-For fragrance, I’d plant a jasmine, _Stephanotis floribunda_,
-and _Osmanthus fragrans_, the precious olive. For early spring
-refreshment, I’d force miniature and dwarf daffodils, bringing in
-pots of them from the cold frame and sinking them in the soil. I’d
-want the silky-soft foliage and royal-purple flowers of _Tibouchina
-semidecandra_, the glory bush; but I’d pinch and prune it, to
-keep it fairly low. I’d want a large basket floating airy fronds,
-one of the davallias, or rabbit’s-foot ferns, and a smaller basket
-for the variegated _Abutilon megapotamicum_, because I love its
-gold-splashed leaves strung neatly along wiry stems, and its dangling
-red-and-yellow lantern flowers.
-
-Just one more thing to complete my dream. Near the door of my
-dream-greenhouse garden, I’d have a special box for my guests, a box
-filled with small plants from which they could choose a parting gift.
-(I know if this greenhouse works out as I picture it, I shall have
-guests. I shall be happy to see them come, and a bit wistful when they
-leave. I will feel better if they take a small token of my gardening
-with them as they go.)
-
-Frankly, this idea of a dream greenhouse came upon me quite casually.
-Much as we love our home here in Redding, Connecticut, we discovered
-a place which we felt we would like even better--a manor sort of
-place with stables, pools, formal gardens, a very charming old house,
-and seemingly endless rock walls. My husband and I fell in love with
-it--he, I think, because of a quarter-mile of trout streams, I, because
-it had a most charming greenhouse, the one I have been dreaming about.
-At this writing the entire project is still very much in the future,
-but we have hopes.
-
-To be reluctantly honest, my greenhouse garden is not a brand-new
-idea. Mammoth conservatories are often planted as gardens, and so
-are the “plant rooms” now built into the more luxurious contemporary
-homes. Both are often show places, with plants brought in for display
-at the peak of their flowering beauty and, as they begin to fade,
-returned to spend the rest of the year in more utilitarian growing
-quarters. My garden would be a year-round project, the plants allowed
-to live through their natural cycles of active growth and rest without
-disturbance. We follow this procedure out of doors when we plant
-annuals over the spring-flowering bulbs; why not indoors, too?
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Tropical garden in early stages with room for creeping ground
-   cover and growing trees.]
-
-And, of course, there must be many hobby greenhouses already planted as
-gardens. I saw one near Boston, a fairly large one set into the side of
-a steep hill. It was a perfect piece of a desert, with the soil made
-suitably sandy and the curious cacti and other succulents growing as
-naturally as though they had never left home. Mrs. Ernesta Ballard has
-a small tropical greenhouse so realistically planted you feel as if
-you are in an exotic jungle the minute you step inside the door. But
-both of these places lack one important asset--room for the rocking
-chair and the radio with its soft music, things I hope I won’t have to
-be without.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   A miniature garden in a glass-covered terrarium]
-
-This complete greenhouse garden may not appeal to you, or it may not
-be practical or possible. In that case, I urge you to try a smaller
-naturalistic planting of some sort, if only to get that “garden
-feeling” and see how happy it makes your plants.
-
-As a substitute for that Boston desert garden, I filled a small section
-of one of our greenhouse benches with a suitable soil mixture and
-planted it with small cacti and other colorful succulents, with here
-and there an interesting rock or two. These plants never flowered so
-freely when confined in pots, never showed off to such advantage. But
-I made one big mistake. I failed to make allowance for the more lusty
-growth, and planted the garden much too thickly. In just a few months
-the garden looked not the least like a sparse and frugal desert, but
-more like a menagerie of scrambling, hoydenish pets.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-    Dream greenhouse, delightful and enchanting]
-
-Another garden that is not quite so wild and reckless is planted
-around a small pool under a greenhouse bench. The pool is actually a
-large plastic basin that must be emptied and cleaned with fastidious
-regularity. It would be better, of course, dug out and cement-lined,
-with a drainage pipe at the bottom. The plants are tropical, because
-they are in the warmth near the heating pipes; shade-loving, because
-a bench (even though it is slatted and admits some light) is above
-them. This is an excellent place for ferns, upright or climbing foliage
-plants, soft ground covers like selaginella. If I were to install
-fluorescent lights, I could add a number of flowering varieties.
-
-  [Illustration: A fancy to build on in the Oriental manner]
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   The author’s succulent garden]
-
-A soil-filled bench is the site of my husband’s pet project, a grove
-of miniature fruit trees. There always seem to be flowers or fruits on
-the small orange, lemon, kumquat, and pomegranate trees. But again,
-we erred. We did not realize how vigorously these trees would respond
-to having their roots free in soil. The dwarf banana and ever-bearing
-fig now threaten to exceed dwarf proportions at any moment, even to go
-through the roof.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Rampant greenhouse with citrus trees, banana tree, and birch
-   trunk covered with bromeliads]
-
-A naturalistic planting that occupies a minimum of bench space is a
-bromeliad tree fitted with a sturdy stand to hold it upright. (The
-stand we are using actually is a Christmas-tree stand.) For the tree
-itself, we selected the top of a birch tree which blew over in the
-woods behind our garage. The tropical green contrasts nicely with the
-white bark of the birch, otherwise our selection wasn’t too wise. Birch
-wood is soft and doesn’t last too long, hence we have been propping
-and wiring branches to keep them in place. Cracks, crotches, and
-pockets created for the purpose are packed with osmunda fiber tightly
-wrapped around the base of all kinds of brilliant bromeliads, some few
-orchids, a staghorn fern, and other epiphytic plants. The plants need
-not even be rooted if the osmunda is packed tightly around the base; if
-they’re wired in place so tightly that the spray from the hose can’t
-loosen them, they’ll soon be at home on the tree. Their roots will
-grow through the osmunda and they will attach themselves to the tree.
-Of course, the osmunda must be kept moist until the roots form. Once
-rooted they are fed by dusting the outside of the sphagnum with soluble
-fertilizer and watering it in. As a finishing touch, we threw strands
-of Spanish moss over the branches. The misty-gray moss thrives, and
-even flowers.
-
-As further proof that many plants prefer freedom to being confined
-in pots, try planting just one creeper--an episcia, for example--in
-the center of a spot filled with suitable soil. See how soon it will
-garland the top with lush foliage, how freely it flowers. Many plants
-recommended for hanging baskets are really creepers and are better off
-when treated this way.
-
-
-                           PLANTING AND CARE
-
-Large or small, a greenhouse garden, like any other, should be designed
-carefully and never planted until you have the plan firmly in mind.
-Each plant should be given room in relation to all the others, and
-not merely at planting time but with maturity time in mind. Allow
-plenty of space for spreaders to spread and creepers to creep; and
-make sure every climber has its support. And, of course, plants in
-close proximity should have compatible cultural preferences in soil,
-moisture, light, and the like.
-
-
-_Light and Sunlight_
-
-It shouldn’t be difficult, in a complete greenhouse garden, to arrange
-for areas of full sunlight, partial or dappled sun, and shade, and to
-do it in a natural manner. Tall plants will get the sun first and for
-the longest time; but you could also build a slope, a sand dune, or a
-rock garden that would face the sun and get the most of it. Partial-sun
-plants could be placed where they are only lightly shaded by other
-plants or, if necessary, by shadings on the sections of glass above
-them. Shade-loving plants can grow under small trees and bushes.
-
-Almost any greenhouse, in any area, should have shading applied to
-the glass in early summer. Several shading compounds are available, in
-white or green, and are mixed and applied with either a wide brush or
-a sprayer. These compounds are constituted so that they slowly weather
-away during the summer and leave the glass clear by autumn. But if you
-happen to have plants that need all of the winter sun possible, it is
-wise also to clean the glass.
-
-
-_Temperature_
-
-Greenhouses are generally classed as cool (40–60 degrees), moderate
-(50–70 degrees), or warm (60–80 degrees). This refers to the minimum
-night temperatures at which the thermostat is set to regulate the
-furnace or heater. In warm climates where an air-conditioner is used,
-it follows the same scale. Greenhouse plants are usually classified
-similarly. But if other cultural conditions are favorable, many plants
-will tolerate a much wider range.
-
-In order to grow the widest variety of plants, I set my greenhouse
-thermostat at 60 degrees in winter. This is a little warm for some
-cool-growing items such as geraniums, and causes outdoor garden plants
-(annuals, perennials, and vegetables started from seed) to grow
-slightly leggy and lank. But they recuperate in a hurry when they
-are moved outside. This temperature is slightly cool for subtropical
-plants; some gesneriads merely hold their own through the winter,
-neither growing nor flowering; some extremely tender begonias are
-forced into dormancy, from which they awaken in warm spring weather.
-
-
-_Humidity and Ventilation_
-
-With such a motley assortment of plants, I try to keep relative
-humidity at 75 per cent or higher. The minute the gauge dips below that
-mark, we wet down the walks and benches. Of course, this happens only
-on bright, sunny days. During dark, gloomy weather we water and mist as
-little as possible.
-
-Constant circulation of fresh air is extremely important all year long.
-Our doors and vents are wide open in summer. On quiet winter days
-we may open doors or vents just a crack for a short time. Automatic
-ventilation is a marvelous convenience in late winter and early spring
-when the sun suddenly seems to get very hot and threatens to scorch
-everything under the glass.
-
-
-_Soil_
-
-Whether a greenhouse garden is a small flat, part of a bench, or a
-large ground bed, soil should be prepared carefully to suit the kind
-of plant that will grow in it. You’ll find “recipes” of all kinds in
-any authoritative greenhouse garden book. Prepared soil mixtures should
-be at least a foot deep for beds in which you plan to grow plants of
-moderate size. For fruit trees and other larger plants, make it even
-deeper.
-
-
-_Fertilizing_
-
-The fertilizing schedule which works so well for my house plants,
-seems to do equally well for my greenhouse plants. I shall stay with
-it until I find something better. But it does seem possible that a
-large greenhouse garden, with large areas of carefully prepared and
-nutritious soil, would probably need feeding slightly less frequently
-than plants in pots. I shall have to try this, when my dream greenhouse
-comes true.
-
-
-_Watering_
-
-One of the “musts” in my dream greenhouse will be both hot and cold
-water, and a provision for mixing them as they flow into the hose.
-Thus, watering will be like a gentle summer rain. I’ll have an
-extra-fine nozzle to break the stream into a delicate mist. Warmed
-water in a fine spray surely should not injure tender foliage in
-any way. And think what fun it would be to water a garden this way,
-enjoying the slightly musty fragrance of a warm summer night when soil
-is moistened by rain--and all of this in January when the snow is piled
-deep in drifts and banks outside the house.
-
-
-_Grooming_
-
-These are the little everyday pleasures of gardening in a
-greenhouse--snipping back a wandering branch, chiding a creeper and
-pulling it back from crawling over a neighbor, picking off a faded
-flower, supporting a branch heavily laden with flowers or fruit. It
-is real fun, and makes the difference between an overgrown mass and a
-carefully tended garden in which each plant appears at its best and
-in harmony with the others. Cleanliness--the removal of all organic
-matter before it rots, the rinsing away of dust and dirt--is the best
-protective measure against infiltration of insects and disease.
-
-
-_Insects and Disease_
-
-When my retirement time comes, I may have to make a choice. Which do
-I want most--the convenience of fumigation with greenhouse “bombs,”
-or the presence of pet frogs, ladybugs, friendly insects, chameleons,
-and the like among my greenery? I am sure I will choose the latter,
-because I will have plenty of time to tend my greenhouse garden; and
-it’s not too much trouble to “spot spray” any plant that shows signs of
-problems. Anyway, it’s risky to use strong fumigants in a greenhouse
-that is attached to a dwelling, unless it is tightly closed in and
-has no cracks or fissures for leakage. And who could be sure of that.
-Anyhow, if I killed all the insects, what would the frogs find to eat.
-
-
-                        GREENHOUSE PROPAGATING
-
-Actually, I have two propagating cases in our large greenhouse. One is
-completely enclosed in plastic to keep the humid air even more humid.
-It has three or four inches of perlite on top of an electric coil to
-give it gentle bottom heat. The cuttings are inserted in rows so they
-are easier to manage and remove when their time comes. Here I root all
-cuttings from delicate plants and those with large leaves that need
-high humidity to keep from wilting and drying while roots are forming.
-My little plastic boxes of difficult seeds are also set there, where
-they will keep warm and protected.
-
-The second propagating box is wide open--merely an extra-large flat
-filled with sharp sand. Here I root the more rugged, or succulent,
-plants, such as cacti, geraniums, semperflorens begonias, and
-anything that may rot if kept too moist. Indeed, the sand may dry out
-occasionally, but they don’t seem to mind. Both cases are shaded by
-some old bamboo blinds.
-
-(_All of the window-garden plants listed in Chapter 6 do very well in
-greenhouses. See also the forced bulbs in Chapter 13._)
-
-
-
-
-                              _CHAPTER 6_
-
-                 MINIATURE HOUSE AND GREENHOUSE PLANTS
-
-
-My gardening friends certainly vary as to ability, inclination, talent,
-and aptitude. At one extreme there is Aunt Minnie, whose green thumb
-injects magic into every pot and for whom every plant grows to buxom,
-blooming perfection. At the other end of the scale there is the poor
-soul who tries so hard but can’t keep a plant alive no matter what she
-does. Why do some plant-lovers never fail, while others never seem to
-win? There are a number of reasons, including a difference in growing
-conditions, variations in the types of plants, and even the amount of
-practical experience or common sense Aunt Minnie is blessed with.
-
-The truth is that there is no single, incontrovertible secret to
-success, but rather a combination of many factors of equal, or nearly
-equal, importance. The best soil in the world won’t make plants flower
-unless temperature and sunlight are right. The frequency with which
-you water plants should be affected by indoor temperature, humidity,
-and pot size. And don’t think it is Aunt Minnie’s favorite brand of
-fertilizer alone that keep her plants in good health.
-
-In our house, and in countless others, it is not possible to make
-growing conditions as perfect as a plant might wish; but we try to come
-as close as we can, and find most plants are willing and able to make
-concessions. One more thing we do. We learn all about each plant’s
-natural home--desert, steamy jungle, Mexican mountainside--so we’ll
-know what combination of conditions it likes best.
-
-
-                  CARE OF HOUSE AND GREENHOUSE PLANTS
-
-
-_Light and Sunlight_
-
-Plants need daylight to make energy; they can’t grow without it, or its
-equivalent in artificial light. They need some sunlight to set buds,
-and can’t flower without it or a substitute. Intensity and duration of
-light should vary according to each plant’s preferences.
-
-No plant of ours is left to waste its life away on the fireplace
-mantel, where the light is too dim to read the printing on a book
-of matches. Granted, we might set it there for a day or so as a
-decoration, but we would return it to its bright window sill before it
-began to stretch out weakly in search of light. These are the signs
-of insufficient light--weak, lopsided growth; leaves that feel limp
-and look pale; new leaves, if any, growing progressively smaller and
-smaller; long leaf stems and long internodes.
-
-Our window greenhouse, which faces south, is reserved for flowering
-plants that need all the light and sun we can give them, particularly
-in winter. This is Connecticut, remember; the winter sun seldom
-gets very hot or stays bright very long. And there are days on end
-when the sun simply does not show its face. California’s “shade
-plants”--begonias and fuchsias, for example--require full sun during a
-Northern winter.
-
-For plants that are not quite so greedy for sunshine, we have the
-east-facing playroom picture window, which is lightly shaded by a
-high-branched deciduous tree in summer. For foliage plants, and a few
-others that will thrive on little or no sun, there are several other
-windows around the house where there is plentiful daylight, but the sun
-is seldom seen.
-
-Your situation may be entirely different--perhaps a glassed-in
-porch that’s brighter than our window sills ever will be; or a
-contemporary-style glassed-in entry that lets sun stream in all winter
-long. Keep in mind that various plants have varying needs for light and
-sunlight; and the only sun that benefits a plant is that which falls
-directly on it. A south window may actually be shady in summer, and
-this is truer the farther south you go.
-
-
-_Temperature_
-
-Some plants grow their healthiest when the thermometer reads 50 to 55
-degrees at night and 5 to 10 degrees higher during the day; some tender
-tropical _émigrés_ suffer a chill when the mercury dips under 60
-degrees at night. But the greatest number will tolerate a fairly wide
-range, and are quite content with whatever the house has to offer. This
-again assumes that other conditions, such as humidity, are kept up to
-the plants’ requirements.
-
-Temperature tolerances are directly affected by the humidity in the
-air. Many plants will accept a temperature that is higher than average
-if the air is moist. Some will accept a temperature that is below
-average if the air is not too moist. In air that’s too hot and dry,
-leaf edges will often turn brown and crisp; when it is too cool, a
-plant may stop growing temporarily; when it is both too cool and too
-moist, there may be danger of rot. Don’t trust the thermostat that
-governs your house heating system to tell you whether the temperature
-is right for a plant; measure it on the very spot where the plant is
-growing.
-
-
-_Humidity_
-
-This is often a more crucial factor than temperature, and one that
-is more troublesome to change. Relative humidity is a measure of the
-amount of moisture in the air as compared with the maximum amount of
-moisture the air can hold at a given temperature. It is expressed in
-percentage figures.
-
-Most plants find it difficult to breathe in dry air; they need some
-moisture around, on, and in their leaves. (People are better off when
-they have it, too.) Alone, or teamed up with unsuitable temperature,
-low humidity can cause leaves to wither, buds to drop before they open,
-and even an invasion of mites or some other pest.
-
-A humidity gauge is not nearly so familiar a household item as a
-thermometer, but it is equally useful, usually better looking, and not
-much more costly. And it can come up with some eye-opening information.
-The humidity gauge will tell you very quickly, for example, when an
-air-conditioning system is missing its recommended mark of 50 per cent
-relative humidity. It will stop you from overwatering in muggy weather.
-It will show you that humidity can be dangerously low in the window
-where your plants are growing, even though it is perfectly acceptable
-three feet away. (Perhaps there is a radiator beneath the window.)
-
-What you do to increase humidity depends on how low it is, and on what
-type of plant you are growing. At our house we have three systems
-for the humidity problem--the lazy, the halfway, and the necessary
-nuisance. The lazy way works fine for dry-air-type plants such as most
-cacti and other succulents. We simply grow them where the hot blasts
-from the radiator are strongest. They don’t wither, and when on sunny
-days we water them, we also mist them with a fine water spray. (For
-an easy misting device, we have an old Windex bottle with a spraying
-attachment in the cap. It does a fine job. Of course, there are other
-commercial products with built-in sprayers. Perhaps you have one in
-your kitchen.)
-
-To go “halfway,” you set up some simple humidifying device. The
-containers which you fill with water and hang behind the radiators are
-effective to some extent. But don’t forget to keep them filled. Pans
-of water on top of the radiator also help. A steam kettle, such as you
-use when the kiddies have a chest cold, can be used for a few hours.
-But remember, that steam is hot, so be careful not to get it too close
-to your plants. Just keep it in the general vicinity; please, not too
-close! Here is something else we often use--put some gravel, sand,
-perlite, or vermiculite in a plate or platter, pour in some water, and
-put your flower pot in it. The water will evaporate and moisten the
-air around your plant. If you have a number of plants, get a metal or
-plastic tray. If you have a decorative garden, you might want to have
-a tray made to order, to fit your space. Paint it a pleasing color.
-I have seen such trays decorated with decals, but personally, I’d
-rather rely on my plants for the necessary decoration. In having a tray
-made--we’ve had several made by our tinsmith--the larger the tray, the
-better.
-
-The “nuisance” system is usually necessary only for very delicate
-tropical plants that flourish in highly humid jungles and rain forests.
-They will need the platter, or tray of moist sand, plus some enclosure
-to hold in the moist air. For a single small plant, this can be an
-inverted bell jar, or a tent made from a polyethylene bag (the sort
-vegetables are often packed in) and propped over the jar and plant.
-A larger bag can be used to protect several plants. You can even use
-kitchen-type plastics such as Saran Wrap. A collection of tropicals
-almost calls for an indoor greenhouse, like the oldtime Wardian case.
-In our window greenhouse we can close the inside sash and, with the aid
-of pans of water, keep the humidity just about where we want it. On
-cold nights the electric-coil heater isn’t always adequate, so we open
-the sash to get the benefit of the heat of the room.
-
-The plants that need this extra humidification are definitely in the
-minority; most are content with simple measures, or none at all.
-
-
-_Soil_
-
-When I first became interested in a wide variety of indoor plants, I
-prepared soil mixtures with the care and precision I had used in making
-the formulas for our children. It involved trips to the woods for leaf
-mold, sifting and mixing ingredients, and sterilizing the ordinary soil
-which we used in order to kill the seeds that are found in almost all
-soils. In our Long Island home we had an extra stove in the basement
-which we used for canning and other secondary purposes. I’d fill the
-oven with old baking pans and other receptacles which contained my
-potting soil, and light the burner. Frankly, it “reeked” and the reek
-was all over the house. It was as though we were burning feathers in
-the fireplace. Now that I am less energetic, and somewhat wiser, I buy
-prepared soil.
-
-I find that for a reasonable number of plants the prepared soil is not
-costly and saves a lot of time and preparation. Of course, if you are
-a professional you may have your own ideas about soil, and your own
-formulas for a mixture. I’ll admit I do a little mixing on my own, but
-that is because I grow many different kinds of plants in pots, and each
-has individual preferences. Most cacti and succulents need something
-sandy that doesn’t hold moisture too long, as is natural in their
-desert homes. Tropical plants need a light, porous medium that is rich
-in moisture-holding humus, like decayed leaves on the jungle floor.
-Some plants get nourishment only from acid soil, some need alkaline
-soil, some like soil nearly neutral. I’ve found Michigan peat moss a
-good starting base regardless of requirements of individual plants.
-
-I like to dish it right out of the bag. When done, I always pull the
-plastic inner liner together to keep it moist. In extra dry weather
-I often wet a sponge and put it on top of the mixture. Potting is a
-pleasure, because Michigan peat feels so soft, silky, and clean. At
-repotting time I discover well-developed, healthy root systems.
-
-For plants that require better-than-average drainage--mostly
-succulents--I mix peat moss with builders’ sand. (Want to know
-where I got my last batch of builders’ sand?--from a contractor who
-was building a house down the road. He and his wife happen to be
-begonia lovers and he was charmed to know about my book _All About
-Begonias_.) The formula for the mixture is two-thirds soil and
-one-third sand. For even greater aeration, I may throw in a moderate
-ration of crushed charcoal.
-
-On the other hand, some of my plants insist that their soil always be
-moist. For them I add coarse vermiculite, perlite, or Pelonex, and
-in a similar ratio. These soil conditioners have the ability to hold
-moisture without making the soil muddy or soggy.
-
-There is another item on my potting-soil shelf--a jar of horticultural
-lime. This is for plants that dislike acidity. I either add it to the
-potting soil--a scant teaspoon per three-inch pot--or mix it with
-water, to be applied later. With or without these added ingredients, I
-feel that a good potting soil has sufficient nutrients for almost any
-plant for several months; so I seldom mix in fertilizer of any kind.
-
-
-_Potting_
-
-When and how to repot a plant should be the least of a gardener’s
-problems. Here is a case where hovering, pampering, and fussing
-usually does more harm than good. Plants are often better repotted
-_mañana_ than today.
-
-I know many of my plants have benefited from the fact that I have been
-too busy to repot them whenever the impulse came over me. I hate to
-think how many I have killed with kindness in my less active years.
-
-Remember my Aunt Minnie? She embarked on a big repotting spree every
-spring, but not very often in between. Some of her most handsome
-specimens have lived in coffee tins and large juice cans for years.
-Instinctively she knows when a plant should be repotted. Don’t ask me
-how she knows it. And when that time comes, she goes about it in a
-firm, no-nonsense manner, firmly but tenderly.
-
-There is one sure way to tell whether a plant needs a new pot. Turn
-the old pot upside down, tap the contents loose, and examine the soil
-ball. If it is completely covered with a network of roots, get busy
-with a larger pot. If not, don’t repot, just slip it back where it was
-before and give it a loving pat. If you happen to have a seedling you
-have great hopes of raising to a beautiful maturity, it will have to be
-repotted more often.
-
-The kind of pot is a matter of personal choice. Plastics are lighter
-in weight, easier to clean, and capable of keeping soil moist for a
-longer period of time. This makes them suitable for moisture-loving
-plants, or for gardeners who have a tendency to forget the watering
-pot. Clay pots are porous, and because they let air seep into plants,
-they dry out faster. This makes them best for dry-growing plants, and
-for overwaterers (like me).
-
-Actually, the size of the pot is more important than the type. It takes
-an expert to know how to water a plant when it is overpotted. You are
-not doing your plant a favor by housing it in a pot several sizes too
-large; in fact, you may even be signing its death certificate. As a
-rule, the new pot should be only one size larger than the previous
-one, thus leaving just enough room around the roots for some fresh
-soil. Pack the new soil firmly with your finger tips, a pencil, or a
-slim piece of wood. Be sure there are no empty air-pockets. Water it
-thoroughly and set it in a light, but not sunny, spot, for about a
-week. This will give it time to recover from any transplanting “shock.”
-
-This discussion about overpotting applies to plants in general, but it
-is even more important with miniatures. Smaller pots will keep them
-down to natural, miniature size.
-
-
-_Fertilizing_
-
-Many people who have fewer plants than I--and more time--tend to make
-a fetish of fertilizing. I am afraid my methods are haphazard, and not
-to be recommended. Anyway, I will tell you what I do. Follow it if you
-like, but quite possibly you may have a better method which you prefer.
-
-I keep two kinds of house-plant fertilizer on hand--a reliable brand
-of soluble commercial chemical plant food (it dissolves in water and
-has the note “trace elements added” on the label) and an organic
-food. This organic food is either manure water or fish emulsion. The
-fish emulsion comes bottled and is diluted with water. As an amusing
-sidelight, our tomcat goes slightly out of his mind when around a
-potted plant that has had fish emulsion for its dinner. The cat just
-can’t find the source of that aroma. Manure water, on the other hand,
-has no such fascination. It is easy to prepare. Simply wrap a portion
-of well-rotted manure in a section of cheesecloth or burlap, and steep
-it in the watering pot long enough to produce a “tea” fluid. Better do
-this out of doors, in the garage, or in the tool shed. It is usually
-“olfactorily offensive.”
-
-Once a month I make a solution of the chemical fertilizer, at half the
-strength recommended on the label of the package, and feed plants as I
-water them. Two weeks later, and once a week after that if they need
-it, I feed with the organic solution. This, I think, constitutes a
-“balanced diet” for most types of plants.
-
-Like overpotting, overfertilizing can lead to lost plants. It is my
-observation that an underfed plant usually doesn’t die quickly. It
-simply slows down until you have time to feed it. It is particularly
-important _not_ to fertilize plants that have been repotted
-recently, plants that are unhealthy or are plagued by insects or
-disease, plants that are resting right after flowering, plants that are
-dormant or semidormant, as some of them are at certain times of the
-year. _Do_ fertilize plants that are in active growth, setting
-buds, or in full bloom, plants that are aglow with good health, plants
-whose roots have filled, or nearly filled, their pots.
-
-
-_Watering_
-
-My children, who are learning to care for plants rather early, have
-been grounded in one fundamental fact--feel the soil in the pot to
-see if the plant needs water. If the soil is dry, fetch the watering
-pot (succulents can be an exception). I have been told my kiddies have
-had arguments at school about watering the plants which cluster on the
-sunny window sills. The usual procedure in our Redding school is to
-assign the care of the plants to a different child each day. He, or
-she, floods everything with water and then retires to his, or her, desk
-with the feeling of having done his, or her, good deed for the day.
-Plants, alas, are not like goldfish. They don’t care for swimming.
-
-This brings up a question I am frequently asked about house plants:
-“How often should they be watered?” Even an IBM calculator with a
-thousand cards feeding through its maw couldn’t come up with a better
-answer than this simple statement: “Water them when they need it.”
-
-At the risk of repeating myself, I will sum up my thoughts on this
-problem, and then go on to other subjects. Test the soil with your
-fingers, if it is dry, you can most likely water with impunity. If
-moist, more water is inviting root rot. When you water, make sure
-the entire soil ball is so saturated that excess water runs out the
-drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. Miniature plants are likely
-to require more frequent watering, because their pots are small and
-they are small. Frequency of watering: Here we get into an awful lot
-of tangibles, and some intangibles. There are such things to consider
-as the type of plant and its moisture needs, size of the plant and its
-pot, what sort of soil is in the pot, is the plant root-bound or not,
-is it in active growth or dormant, what is the weather like out of
-doors--is it warm or blustery, clear and sunny, dark and humid, or just
-another day. Remember, on hot dry days the moisture is going to slip
-away into the atmosphere. On cloudy days it will hang around longer;
-humidity will take care of that. If you feel your plant needs water and
-you are afraid of flooding it, you might try another device. Put some
-moist peat in a larger pot--or you can use vermiculite or perlite--and
-set the plant and its pot inside this larger pot.
-
-Right now you may be wondering about hanging baskets and those plants
-that are wrapped in osmunda and mounted on slabs of wood. Give them a
-good dunking in the kitchen sink but let the excess water drain off
-before you hang them again, out of deference to your carpeting and
-furniture. Actually, the plants don’t care whether they spot your
-furnishings or not.
-
-If all of this is confusing, may I sum it up in a phrase: “Just use
-your common sense” (horse sense may be a better term). I know I have
-written a few books about plants and gardening, and countless magazine
-articles, but here is a very candid confession. Until a very few years
-ago I knew practically nothing about the subject. What I know I learned
-by reading books and magazine articles, and “doing.” I know I killed
-a few plants out of ignorance, but I killed more with kindness. Every
-time a plant withered and died I felt badly. But I considered it a
-lesson in what to do, or not to do. I tried to find the cause for the
-demise. Today I have the satisfaction of having raised thousands of
-plants to beautiful bloomhood, and largely because of the sacrifice
-of some obscure begonia, or petunia, a few years back. I have been
-acclaimed as having a “green thumb.” Actually I do not have a green
-thumb. No one has. I thoroughly dislike the term. I dislike the
-implication that a person has a God-given quality which makes plants
-grow. Making plants grow and prosper is largely the mastering of a
-few rules, and the use of a lot of common sense. I’ll grant you, much
-of your common sense comes the “hard way.” But it is fun. I bow most
-respectfully to those plants which I killed with ignorance and kindness.
-
-
-_Grooming_
-
-This is the “beauty-parlor” treatment for your plants. Fading flowers
-and dying leaves are as unattractive on a plant as those unruly
-ringlets in a woman’s coiffure. In fact, they are even worse. They take
-strength from a plant and are unsanitary. Remove them as regularly as
-you can. You’ll be adding to the welfare of your plant. If the plant
-is of a type that needs to be pruned or pinched to keep it comely and
-compact, perform the operation before the branches get that gangly,
-middle-aged spread. Pinching out the new growing tips, either with
-sharp fingernails or sharper scissors, usually produces two new
-branches. If you pinch out the tips of these, you will most likely get
-four new branches and your plant will become pleasingly plump. The
-exception is the plant that blooms from the ends of new growth. Stop
-your pinching before the bud-setting season.
-
-Not many miniatures need staking to keep them upright. If stake you
-must, do it as inconspicuously as possible and tie the stems neatly in
-their natural growing manner. Train miniature creepers in the direction
-you want them to grow, and miniature climbers up their supports. Rinse
-foliage with a fine spray (use that discarded Windex bottle I described
-earlier) as often as you can to wash away dust and dirt. Please, may I
-throw in a plea right here--recently I saw a commercial product which
-some people use to make their plants more green. It is a spray for
-foliage. For the moment it makes plants look green with its sheen. But
-it also clogs the pores on the plant and its leaves. For the moment it
-is beautiful; for permanency it is harmful. Decide, do you want your
-plant to live for the moment only?
-
-
-_Insects and Disease_
-
-Not long ago, when visiting a friend, I was taken out to her sun room
-to see her plants. She was proud, but I was shocked. What I saw was the
-most amazingly bug-ridden collection of fuchsias and geraniums I have
-seen in many a moon, plus a few poor distorted other flowers which were
-trying to survive. My poor hostess, honestly, I think she had no idea
-of her problems and the future of her plants. In fact, they had little
-future. I thought over that problem for a spell, and then told her the
-facts of life. Fortunately, she was able to save much of her greenery.
-
-That poor gardener was on one end of the spectrum. On the other end
-are the overanxious ones who treat their plants with so many sprays
-and dusts that the leaves never get a chance to breathe pure air.
-Fortunately, in between there are the sane, sensible growers who are
-able to cope with the insects and diseases which beset house plants. As
-for myself, I have been at both extremes.
-
-I now find prevention is the best protection. That is an old saw, but
-the best one I know. I keep plants and pots clean, remove dead flowers
-and foliage before they decay, and use germ-free potting soil. People
-often give me plants. I accept them most politely, and gratefully;
-but I am cautious about mingling them with my other residents of the
-greenhouse and window garden. I keep them in a quarantine section for a
-few weeks. No use asking for trouble, and I trust my friends understand.
-
-For immediate and reliable treatment, I rely on an “all-purpose”
-house-plant spray or a dip. As long as I am careful to keep it up, I
-seem to have no great problems. When I get careless, as humans are wont
-to do, I regret it.
-
-It is very convenient to rely on the new aerosol bombs--those that
-are specifically marked for house plants, and not those for household
-insects. There are several reliable brands, each listing on the
-label what they are to be used for. If there happens to be an added
-fungicide, so much to the good. That will cover just about everything.
-
-A few words of caution about the use of aerosol bombs. Follow the
-instructions on the label to the letter. Hold the bomb at least
-eighteen inches away from your plant, maybe more. Some of those fluids
-come out of the can at a very low temperature and have the same effect
-as a blowtorch on foliage. Try to make sure the spray hits all parts of
-the plant. Remember, leaves also have an underside. Don’t let bugs use
-that underside as a hide-out.
-
-There was a word of caution on each aerosol container I have seen: “Do
-not throw into an open flame when empty.” My husband wondered what
-would happen if he did. He tossed an empty can into the trash burner
-and got behind a tree. The explosion sounded like a hand grenade left
-over from World War II and he had to get a new lid for the burner.
-Please take my word for it and don’t take that chance. Let him be crazy
-if he likes, but not you. I don’t like to lose readers so early in my
-book.
-
-I know I take precautions, but in spite of everything my plants become
-infected at times. When that happens it’s helpful if you can recognize
-the symptoms, diagnose the ailment, and apply the cure. With your
-interests in mind, I have put together a list of sorts which includes
-the most prevalent house-plant insects and diseases, the telltale signs
-of their arrival, and the insecticides and fungicides which will send
-them to their happier hunting grounds. If I have skipped anything, my
-apologies. If you are having special problems, phone your local county
-agricultural agent. He is a good man to know anyhow. But please, unless
-you have something that is out of hand, don’t bedevil the man. He is
-probably concerned with ticks on sheep, ringworm, hog cholera, breachy
-cows, grubworms, and forty people who want to know why their hollyhocks
-didn’t bloom.
-
-
-                       PROPAGATING HOUSE PLANTS
-
-It’s hard to tell which provides the warmest pleasure, to give a friend
-or visitor a rooted, potted cutting of some plant she has admired,
-or to come home with a gift cutting of a new plant you have admired
-and coveted. There is a thrill also in adding a new plant to your
-collection by growing seed from a seed house. And I always have another
-thrill when the church or the school asks me to contribute plants for
-the annual bazaars. Fortunately, I usually am able to anticipate these
-requests far enough in advance to have a supply ready and waiting.
-
-
-                          PESTS AND TREATMENT
-
-                        _Symptoms_                 _Treatment_
-
-    Aphids           Little louse-like        This is an easy one to
-    (Nasty plant     insects.                 get rid of, but likely
-    lice)            Green in color in        to return if you don’t
-                     our area.                watch out. Use a solution
-                     Clustered on new         of Black Leaf 40
-                     leaves, on flowers,      (nicotine sulfate) in a
-                     and around stems         combination spray with
-                                              lindane or pyrethrum and
-                                              malathion. Or you can use
-                                              any of them alone
-
-    Mealybugs        Little white dabs of     Dip an artist’s paint
-    (Don’t let them  cotton clinging to       brush or a cotton-wrapped
-    frighten you)    tender joints, stems,    toothpick in a solution
-                     and the underside of     of malathion. Remove the
-                     leaves                   pests one by one
-
-    Mites            Buds and new leaves      Dip plants in a solution
-                     are puckered and         of malathion, Kelthane,
-                     distorted. The           or Tedion according to
-                     underside of the         the directions on the
-                     leaves may show fine,    label
-                     white silky webs
-
-    Mildew           Silvery dust             Dust plants with sulfur,
-                     disfigures the           or spray with one of the
-                     leaves, most likely      new fungicides like
-                     in dark, muggy summer    captan, zineb, etc. Give
-                     weather                  plants more space and
-                                              increase air circulation
-
-    Scale            Hard brown, or green,    Dip plant in a solution
-                     scales irregularly on    of malathion. Repeat
-                     the underside of         according to directions
-                     leaves
-
-    Slugs            Slimy villains, like     Use special slug-bait
-                     shell-less snails,       containing metaldehyde
-                     which hide in soil or    according to package
-                     under pots by day and    directions
-                     come out to chew
-                     holes in leaves at
-                     night
-
-    Thrips           Brownish blotches        Dip or spray with
-                     under leaves.            malathion all-purpose
-                     Disfigured flowers       mixture containing
-                                              lindane, pyrethrum
-
-    White Fly        Minute flies swarm       Spray or dip in
-                     in the air about the     malathion, or an
-                     plant when disturbed     all-purpose mixture
-
-
-Since I fashioned my first crude propagating box--a square cake-tin
-with a rickety frame covered with kitchen plastic--I’ve always had
-some sort of similar device in operation. They have been of many sizes
-and shapes, and have included an aquarium vacated by the children’s
-goldfish, and a fruit crate from the grocery with cut-to-measure glass
-sides and top (I use masking tape to hold the corners). The one thing
-common to all of these boxes is the three-inch layer of some moist
-propagating medium, ready to receive seeds and cuttings.
-
-The latest and most attractive box I’ve used is the Gro-Master--a
-ready-made plug-in propagator with an electric coil in the bottom to
-provide gentle bottom heat. Several similar devices are also available.
-With something like this one can hardly miss germinating even the most
-difficult house-plant seeds, or rooting even the most delicate cuttings.
-
-The choice of a propagating medium is all yours. I’ve used vermiculite,
-perlite, and Pelonex with unqualified success. I tried sharp sand but
-discovered that it dried out too fast for anything but succulents. Peat
-alone, or mixed with sand, tends to pack and rots rather quickly. I
-tried a blend of equal parts of peat, vermiculite, and perlite. It held
-up rather well, but I seldom bother to mix it. Regardless of what you
-prefer to use, have the medium moist when you use it, and water just
-enough to keep it barely moist during the rooting process.
-
-Of course, with many types of plants, you can root “slips” in a glass
-of water on your kitchen window sill. But in any kind of propagating
-box, where the air is kept humid and the delicate plants are protected
-from drafts and drying-out, you have a better chance.
-
-
-_House Plants from Seed_
-
-African violets and other gesneriads, all types of begonias and
-geraniums, and many other indoor plants can be grown quite easily
-from seed. I like to plant each variety in its own small plastic
-refrigerator dish with a half-inch or so of soil (moist, sterilized
-soil that is) in the bottom of the dish. Sometimes I use plastic
-ice-cube trays. When planting powder-fine seeds, I usually add a thin
-layer of moist, finely-milled sphagnum moss and make it very smooth.
-Dust the tiny seeds over this surface, but don’t cover them with soil.
-Larger seeds should be covered with soil or more moss. Next, cover the
-container tightly and set it in a warm spot. That is when you will
-appreciate a propagating box. If the moss and soil begins to dry out,
-moisten it by gently running drops of water down the sides of the
-container. Please be gentle and tender. Tiny seeds and seedlings should
-not be disturbed.
-
-When the seedlings have developed one or two true leaves of fairly
-substantial size, pick them out very gently and transplant them to
-another “community” container, or to individual thumb pots. Keep them
-humid and protected until they are big enough to need transplanting
-again. After that, they should be nearly ready to become adjusted to
-grown-up growing conditions in a window, or some other indoor garden.
-
-One of the neatest tricks of the year is the Water ‘N’ Watch indoor
-garden developed and sold by Peggie Schulz, an attractive plastic
-planter complete with soil and planted with fourteen types of seeds.
-You simply follow her instructions, add water, and watch the seedlings
-germinate and grow. Gradually you remove the plastic dome when the
-plants are large enough. At transplanting time, remove the seedlings to
-separate pots, or leave a few to mature in the planter. This device is
-just about as work-free a method of growing house plants as there is.
-
-  [Illustration: Propagation box developed by Peggie Schulz, author
-  and garden columnist]
-
-  [Illustration: Sprouted stem cuttings of dwarf geraniums]
-
-
-_Stem Cuttings_
-
-This is the most familiar way to propagate house plants, and the
-method that works best for most kinds of plants. With the exception
-of miniature orchids, stem cuttings can be taken from any house plant
-mentioned in this book, and your chances for success are very good if
-you have a propagating box for them.
-
-Generally, stem cuttings are the ends cut from branches that are in
-healthy, active growth. Each should be more than a mere tip, and have
-at least two nodes, or “joints.” The large, bottom leaves are stripped
-off very gently and the cut end of the stem is inserted, to about half
-of its length, in the propagating medium. When you see evidences of new
-growth, or when roots have developed, dig under it with a spoon and
-remove it for potting. (Here is the test to determine if roots have
-developed: Pull on the cutting, very gently of course. If you feel
-resistance you know it has roots which are holding it down.) Pot your
-new plant very carefully in soil that is suitable for it; and please,
-don’t add fertilizer to this soil.
-
-For stem cuttings, and most other methods of propagation, there are now
-certain hormone rooting preparations. They speed up rooting, make it
-more certain, and help to develop larger and healthier root systems. Be
-sure you get the correct type for softwood cuttings, or indoor plants.
-In using these new hormones, follow the directions on the package
-carefully.
-
-
-_Leaf Cuttings_
-
-It is a well-known fact that African violets will reproduce themselves
-from a single leaf. However, it is not so well known that there are
-dozens of other plants that will do the same. For example, more than
-once I have taken a succulent leaf, laid it out flat on moist sand, and
-had it grow roots and a small new plant. Leaves of peperomias, and many
-other plants, can be cut, with or without a piece of stem, and will
-grow bushy new plantlets. Some kinds of begonias will send out roots
-from the end of the stem, or new plants from the point above where stem
-and leaf join.
-
-Except for some succulents, leaf cuttings are usually inserted with
-their stem ends in a moist propagating medium, with their leaves
-standing nearly upright above. (Again, you are safer if you have a
-propagating box, even though it be a crude one.) When they are well
-rooted and the new plants are of fair size, the cuttings are potted
-with the old leaves intact. The parent leaf is removed only when the
-new plant is strong enough to grow on its own. Of course, in the case
-of African violets, where more than one plant is produced at the end of
-the stem, the babies must be separated and each put into its own pot.
-
-
-_Root and Rhizome Cuttings_
-
-Sections of roots are sometimes cut to propagate house and greenhouse
-plants, but the practice is more common with hardy garden plants. But
-pieces of thickened, stemlike, or rootlike rhizomes can be taken from
-many types of indoor plants. Rhizomatous begonias, and rex begonias of
-rhizomatous habit, are familiar examples. Each piece of rhizome should
-have at least two, but preferably three, “eyes,” or scars from which
-leafstems have grown. The piece is placed half in and half out of the
-moist medium in the propagating box. Roots grow from the bottom down
-into the medium; stems and leaves shoot up from the eyes on top.
-
-
-_Layering_
-
-There are two general methods of layering, and in each case the plant
-is completely rooted before it is cut away from the parent. In “air
-layering” a thick stem, or cane, is slit, wrapped with moist sphagnum
-moss, and enclosed in plastic until roots are produced. This method is
-usually practiced on large, overgrown plants such as dieffenbachias,
-and truthfully is not necessary, or practical, for most miniatures.
-
-But ground layering is a safe and sure way to propagate almost any
-plant with lax stems, and is particularly useful on temperamental
-plants such as some miniature ivies, which are reluctant to strike
-roots on stem cuttings. It is very simple. Just pin down the stem, not
-too far from the growing tip, in the soil beside the mature plant. If
-you like, you can put it in a pot of its own and thus be one jump ahead
-by having the roots where you want them. I usually steal a hairpin out
-of my “bun,” but a section of wire bent into a _U_ will do. When
-the stem has rooted, cut it off on the side next to the parent plant.
-Unless it is already rooted in a pot, dig it out and plant it.
-
-
-_Division of Crowns and Roots_
-
-One African-violet plant may grow several crowns, or main stems
-complete with rosettes. Since single-crown plants usually are more
-shapely and bloom more abundantly, the extra crowns can be cut off and
-rooted like ordinary stem cuttings. This is one of the more popular
-methods of dividing an old plant and getting several new ones from it.
-
-Some plants will eventually make such dense, bushy growth that they not
-only look obese and unattractive, but are prey to all sorts of rot.
-Root division not only gives these plants a new lease on life, but also
-provides several new plants. Remove the overgrown plant from its pot,
-and very gently, try to split the matted roots and stems into separate
-sections. Do this with your fingers and not a metal instrument. If you
-work slowly and with care, several will most likely pull free. If you
-can’t do it with your fingers, you may have to resort to a clean sharp
-knife, in which case cut down past the stems and through the roots,
-making several separate sections. Discard any damaged leaves. Pot up
-the divisions, and keep them shaded and protected for a week or so
-until they recover from the shock.
-
-
-_Runners, Stolons, and Offsets_
-
-Many plants are continually propagating themselves by producing new
-plants in clusters around the old ones, sometimes at the ends of
-underground stolons or above-ground runners. _Saxifraga sarmentosa_ was
-named “Strawberry begonia” because it continually produces new plants
-on runners, strawberry-style. Episcias and chlorophytums are other
-examples.
-
-Any of these offsets make new plants easily. Pin them down in soil,
-give them time to root, and then cut them off and insert them in a
-propagating box. Next, you pot them. Sometimes you’ll find the roots
-have already formed and the new plant is ready for potting and you
-didn’t even suspect it.
-
-
-                      DESCRIPTION OF HOUSE PLANTS
-
-Some pages back I told you that the question asked of me most
-frequently is “How often should I water plants?” A close runner-up is
-the question, “Where can I get out-of-the-ordinary plants?” Believe
-it or not, that question is easier to answer. Local florists and
-greenhouse people often have plants tucked away--something exotic and
-special. Most of the people in the industry cherish these plants and
-are hesitant to part with them to run-of-the-mine customers. But if
-the person is a genuine plant-lover, a sale can usually be made, even
-though it is a reluctant sale. Just demonstrate that you are vitally
-interested and you will be surprised at what you can buy. Try it.
-
-I have a number of catalogues from mail-order suppliers in all parts of
-the country who carry unusual plants, and in a variety that increases
-year by year. Do you know where I came upon their names?--from small
-advertisements in horticultural magazines. Read those small ads. Often
-the advertiser is so small, and so specialized, that he can’t afford
-too much space. But he has the treasures you want.
-
-Mail-order plants are naturally young and small. Large plants are too
-difficult to pack and ship for any distance. Plants that are small
-usually cost less, and you have an extra dividend in the pleasure of
-seeing them grow to maturity. You would be amazed at the progress that
-has been made in packing and shipping in the past few years. Plants
-that I have ordered recently have come through the mails in from
-excellent to perfect condition--even plants from the Pacific Northwest.
-You simply unpack them--carefully, I’ll admit--water them if necessary,
-and keep them out of hot, bright sun and draft for a few days until
-they are acclimated to their new surroundings. Should any plant seem
-weak or mildly injured, pop it into the propagating box and usually
-it will be back on its feet again in a few days. If the damage is too
-serious, report it to the post office, the express company, or the
-shipper. I have yet to register one of these complaints.
-
-I have been general in the preceding pages of this chapter. Now I
-will be more specific and offer a list of plants and their growing
-requirements. All of the following plants can be grown in the
-greenhouse. But given proper light, humidity, and/or other special
-care, they can be grown in the house where you live--even the most
-delicate types. The information on culture is abbreviated, but
-consistent use of the same terms, I feel is justified. The following
-are used in the sections on care under each plant.
-
-
-_Full sun_
-
-The sun actually falls on the plant for most of the day.
-
-
-_Partial sun_
-
-The sun touches the plants for only a few hours in the early morning or
-late afternoon in summer, but for longer periods in winter (tropical
-areas excepted).
-
-
-_Little or no sun_
-
-Bright daylight is sufficient to keep some plants healthy.
-
-
-_Temperature_
-
-Any figures that are quoted are for daytime. Night temperatures can
-usually drop about five degrees. (Cool is 40 to 60 degrees; moderate,
-50 to 70 degrees; warm, 60 to 80 degrees.)
-
-
-_Humidity_
-
-This is noted if the plant needs more than average humidity (50 per
-cent).
-
-
-_Soil_
-
-The plant may prefer a potting mixture that is _humusy_,
-extra-rich in organic matter; _average_, like the potting soil I
-have described on other pages; _sandy_, with an extra ration of
-sand, or a similar substitute. Or it may be _epiphytic_ and grow
-in some suitable medium such as osmunda fiber or sphagnum moss.
-
-
-_Dry_
-
-Let the soil dry thoroughly before watering.
-
-
-_Moist_
-
-Water when the soil in the top of the pot feels dry to the touch.
-
-
-_Wet_
-
-Never allow the soil to dry out.
-
-       *       *       *       *       *
-
-Methods of propagation are also summarized and, if possible, listed
-in order of preference. The terms are the same as those used in the
-sections on propagating house and greenhouse plants.
-
-For most plants, there are short notations on special uses for which
-they are especially suited, i.e., growing under artificial lights, dish
-gardens, model landscapes, terrariums and other gardens under glass.
-Included also are some small tropical trees and shrubs for the small
-greenhouse. Among the precious miniatures described in Chapter 17,
-varieties suitable for forcing are so noted. Forcing procedures are
-also covered.
-
-
-=Abutilon hybridum savitzi= _Malvaceae_ Flowering Maple
-
-Delicate tropical shrubs with thin, soft, maple-shaped, dove-gray
-leaves lavishly splashed with creamy white, and sometimes white
-all over. (I’ve never seen it produce the typical dangling lantern
-flowers.) It grows slowly, keeps plump and bushy, and is content with a
-small pot for several years.
-
-CARE. Full sun, moderate temperature, and average soil kept constantly
-moist.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Artificial light, dish gardens, model landscapes,
-terrariums.
-
-
-=Achimenes= _Gesneriaceae_
-
-A large group of utterly charming plants related to, and grown like,
-African violets--except that their scaly rhizomes (like minuscule pine
-cones) are completely dormant in winter. Most have velvet-soft leaves
-and all produce an overwhelming display of tubular flowers flaring
-wide-open at the end. None grow to great size. A single rhizome would
-probably be happy in a two-inch pot; several are usually planted
-together for a bigger show. The following are among the smallest
-varieties, upright unless otherwise noted.
-
-   ‘Charm’--Luscious pink flowers, gold in the center.
-
-   _coccinea coccinea_--Trailer with notched, oval leaves and
-   plentiful flowers of deepest scarlet, half the size of a dime.
-
-   ‘François Cardinaux’--Flowers in two tones of blue.
-
-   ‘Little Beauty’--Similar to ‘Charm,’ but in another glowing
-   shade of pink.
-
-   ‘Masterpiece’--Flowers royal, reddish purple.
-
-   ‘Miniata’--Ruffled flowers in changeable violet tones.
-
-   ‘Misera’--Many small white flowers spotted with drops of wine,
-   yellow in the throat.
-
-   ‘Patens Major’--Orange throat blending into rich plum petals.
-
-   ‘Peach Blossom’--New dwarf with peach-pink flowers.
-
-   ‘Violacea Semi-Plena’--The only semidouble-flowering variety in
-   deep, glowing purple.
-
-CARE. Partial sun, warmth, humusy soil kept moist. In late
-winter, or early spring, pre-root the tiny rhizomes in a light, porous
-mixture such as vermiculite and peat, barely moist and over bottom
-heat, or in warmth (65 to 70 degrees). When new growth is about two
-inches high, pot in light soil enriched with leaf mold or some similiar
-organic material. Pinch out any growing tips or trailers once or twice
-to encourage branching. In early fall, after flowering has ended, let
-the pot and soil dry out gradually. Clean the rhizomes, and store them
-in a polyethylene bag filled with dry peat at a temperature of 50 to 60
-degrees. Check the little fellows occasionally. You may be amazed, but
-sometimes they’ll send out new sprouts in this dark, dry storage, and
-want to be rooted and begin growth again.
-
-PROPAGATION. Rhizomes will multiply spontaneously. Also use
-stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Artificial light.
-
-
-=Acorus gramineus variegatus= _Araceae_
-
-Neat, sweet little water-lover, like a miniature grass, with flat fans
-of slender, four-inch leaves striped lengthwise with sparkling white.
-It spreads eagerly.
-
-CARE. Partial sun, cool, average soil kept wet.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division of creeping roots.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Artificial light, dish gardens, terrariums.
-Pretty bog plant for the miniature garden pool.
-
-
-=Adiantum bellum= _Polypodiaceae_ Bermuda Maidenhair Fern
-
-Elfin version of the maidenhair fern with ruffly leaflets like
-upside-down wedges, the points attached to the dark, wiry six-inch
-stems. The foliage is surprisingly dense for such a delicate, airy
-effect.
-
-CARE. Little or no sun. Warmth, humidity, humusy soil (lime if
-acid), kept moist, and wet in winter. The plant seems to rest in summer.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Artificial light, terrariums.
-
-
-=Allophyton mexicanum= _Scrophulariaceae_ Mexican Foxglove
-
-Perky combination of oval, dark-green five-inch leaves beneath
-upstanding stems bearing several long-tubed, flaring half-inch flowers
-of pastel lavender blending into white, violet in the throat. Blooms in
-spurts throughout the year.
-
-CARE. Partial sun, moderate warmth, humidity, average soil kept moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Artificial light, dish gardens.
-
-
-=Alternanthera= _Amaranthaceae_ Joseph’s Coat
-
-Enthusiastically branching, bushy plants with leaves of many colors,
-and convolutions, like small, contorted coleus. They’re often kept
-dwarfed by regular shearing, so the white flowers seldom form.
-
-   _amoena_--Bushlet with crisp, oval leaves haphazardly
-   daubed with bright shades of red and orange. It seldom tops four
-   inches.
-
-   _bettzickiana_--Tongue-shaped leaves blotched with cream,
-   yellow, salmon, and red. This is the one that’s used for formal
-   carpet bedding. Its green-and-gold variety, aurea nana, makes a
-   round three-inch mound.
-
-   _versicolor_--A gnome with gnarled, wrinkled leaves. It is
-   basically green but brightened with shocking pink and white. It
-   can grow six inches high, but stays lower if pinched regularly.
-
-CARE. Full sun (for best color), warmth, average soil kept moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings, division of roots.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Artificial light, dish gardens, model landscapes,
-terrariums.
-
-
-=Anthurium scherzerianum= _Araceae_ Flamingo Flower
-
-This is a baby in a family predominantly of giants, but it won’t
-outgrow a three-inch pot for years. This exotic tropical plant has
-leaves like varnished green shields and flowers like a golden Jack
-preaching from a flamingo-pink pulpit.
-
-CARE. Little or no sun, warmth, humidity, humusy soil kept moist, or
-even wet.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division of suckers and seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Artificial lights.
-
-
-=Babiana stricta= _Iridaceae_
-
-Winter-flowering, South African bulb for forcing in the greenhouse.
-Grown outdoors only in frost-free climates. Clusters of red or lavender
-fuchsia-like eight-inch stems above fuzzy, slender leaves indented at
-the veins. A dwarf variety, ‘Blue Gem,’ has deep-blue blooms.
-
-CARE. Full sun, moderate warmth, average soil kept moist. Plant in fall
-for winter flowering.
-
-
-=Begonia= _Begoniaceae_
-
-There are enough miniatures in this big happy family of plants
-to make a sizable collection, and enough variations to keep the
-collector fascinated. Botanically, begonias are divided into three
-classes--fibrous-rooted, rhizomatous, and tuberous-rooted. Among
-the tuberous types, the best-known are the summer-flowering garden
-beauties--not available, as far as I know, in miniature. Each of the
-other classes contains miniatures that divide naturally into two
-general types of begonias with separate personalities, habits, and
-cultures. You could almost consider each type a completely distinctive
-group of plants, only technically related to the others.
-
-
-                        SEMPERFLORENS BEGONIAS
-
-Fondly known as “wax begonias,” and often called “America’s favorite
-house plant.” These are bustling, buxom, freely branching plants
-with watery stems and crisp, nearly round leaves gleaming with a
-high polish. They cover themselves with continual bursts of white,
-pink, or red flowers. The furiously flowering singles are the oldest,
-best-known, and toughest, often used for edging semishady garden beds.
-The semidoubles (crested or thimble type) have a raspberry-shaped
-center extending out from a circle of petals. The doubles (rosebud or
-camellia-flowered) are fluttery, full-petaled spheres. Foliage may be
-clean green, bronzy, or mahogany.
-
-   ‘Adeline’ (‘Improved Darling’)--Free-blooming soft, single pink;
-   green leaves.
-
-   ‘Andy’--Deeper, more luminous pink flowers; green leaves.
-
-   ‘Little Gem’--Double, rosy-pink flowers; very dark red leaves;
-   small, slow-growing.
-
-   ‘Pied Piper’--Baby pink, semidouble flowers, the crest sometimes
-   touched with gold; bronzy leaves.
-
-   ‘Snowdrop’--Smallest I’ve ever seen, has never topped three
-   inches for me, just grows bushier and bushier. Double white
-   flowers like minute snowballs; dark-red foliage.
-
-   _tausendschoen_ (‘Thousand Beauties’)--A group of
-   green-leaved, single-flowering dwarfs available in red, pink, or
-   white. Easily grown from seed.
-
-   ‘Winkie’--Fully double, old rose flowers; masses of dark leaves.
-
-CARE. Partial sun, moderate warmth, average soil kept on the dry side.
-
-PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings (best taken with a branch, so the plants
-will be self-branching), seeds (singles), division of root and crown.
-
-
-                 MISCELLANEOUS FIBROUS-ROOTED BEGONIAS
-
-Some miniatures are of the angel-wing, cane-stemmed type; some are from
-the hirsute, hairy-leaved group; some can’t be categorized.
-
-   _albo-picta_--Small angel wing with low, arched branches;
-   silver-spotted, sharp-pointed slender leaves; clusters of
-   off-white flowers.
-
-   _bartonea_ (‘Winter Jewel’)--This one’s a flirt, flaunting
-   its leaves and tiny pink-tinged flowers one wintry day,
-   collapsing completely the next. It can’t bear dry air or chills
-   but will grow up again cheerfully from the roots. The foliage is
-   finely scalloped on the edges, washed with russet in the center
-   and along the veins, and completely overlaid with silver sheen.
-
-   ‘Dainty Spray’--Impudent dwarf with little angel-wing leaves,
-   bouquets of face-powder-pink flowers dripping from the drooping
-   stems.
-
-   _dregei_--Maple-leaf begonia with sharply cut,
-   thumbnail-sized leaves bronzy with purple veins, white flowers.
-   This is a semituberous type, the main stem swelling to look like
-   a bulb above the soil at the base. Pinching regularly keeps it
-   fairly small. May be dormant in winter. The variety macbethi has
-   smaller leaves completely green, white flowers.
-
-   ‘Dwarf Houghtoni’--For me, this stays under six inches high
-   and covers itself with pointed leaves upholstered with sheer,
-   tawny-pink velvet. The clusters of large white flowers with pink
-   whiskers are almost too heavy for the branches to hold.
-
-   ‘Medora’--Miniature angel wing with two-inch, flat
-   silver-spotted leaves and white flowers. Also available as
-   ‘Green Medora,’ with plain green leaves and watermelon-pink
-   flowers.
-
-   _richardsiana_--Another semituberous maple-leaf type, the
-   leaves smallest of all and deeply cut almost into lace. Flowers
-   are faint pink.
-
-  [Illustration: Achimenes, one of the most beautiful gesneriads.]
-
-CARE. Partial sun, moderate warmth, average soil kept on the dry side.
-The semituberous types take more moisture during the active growing
-season.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (for some species), stem cuttings, division of root
-and crown.
-
-
-                         RHIZOMATOUS BEGONIAS
-
-Here’s where the hybridists are creating the most intriguing new
-varieties, because they have more miniature parent species to work
-with. The leaf and flower stems grow straight up or out from the
-rhizome, a swollen, scarred rootstock that creeps over the top of
-the soil, usually sending down roots as it goes. Sprays of trembling
-flowers stand well above the foliage in late winter or early spring.
-
-   _aridicaulis_--Mounds of tiny, sharp-pointed, lettuce-green
-   leaves seldom over three or four inches high. Small, white,
-   two-petaled flowers like fairy pocketbooks.
-
-   _boweri_--Better known as the “eyelash begonia” because of
-   the black stitching around the edge of the lettuce-green leaves,
-   marked with bristly black hairs. Flowers are small, baby-pink,
-   and plentiful. This is the seed parent of a whole group of
-   popular namesakes; star-leaved ‘Bow-Arriola,’ chocolate-stitched
-   ‘Bow Chance,’ dark-complexioned ‘Bow-Joe,’ bronzy ‘Bow-Nigra.’
-   All have the eyelash edging and pink flowers, and are happy
-   plants for the window garden or greenhouse.
-
-   _hydrocotylifolia_--“Miniature pond-lily begonia” for the
-   terrarium or shallow basket or pot. Shiny, penny-like leaves
-   overcast with bronze, dark along the veins; pink flowers on
-   six-inch stems.
-
-   ‘Maphil’ (‘Cleopatra’)--Most famous boweri offspring, more dwarf
-   than miniature, just right for small window gardens and baskets.
-   The starlike leaves are satiny, irregularly marked chocolate on
-   chartreuse; the flowers, rich pink.
-
-   _mazae_--Bronzy, half-dollar leaves with light veins that
-   meet at the stem end to make a white eye, wine-red beneath.
-   Pale-pink, red-spotted flowers.
-
-   _rotundifolia_--Very similar to hydrocotylifolia except for
-   the bronzy cast and dark veins. May be the smallest of all.
-
-   ‘Spaulding’--Extra-bushy dwarf with medium-green leaves shading
-   to dark green, edged with whiskers, and oxblood beneath. Showers
-   of pink flowers.
-
-   ‘Virbob’--Reddish star leaves with yellow-green leaves, bright
-   red beneath. Short stems hold the leaves close to the pot.
-
-   ‘Spaulding,’--an extra-bushy dwarf begonia]
-
-  [Illustration:]
-
-In the past few years, Mrs. H. E. Dillard of Tropical Paradise
-Greenhouse has introduced a number of delightful new dwarfs and
-miniatures. Among them:
-
-   ‘Baby Perfection’--Star leaves splotched mahogany on green.
-
-   ‘Black Falcon’--Darkest red-brown star leaves, silvery along the
-   veins, whiskery along the edge.
-
-   ‘Chantilly Lace’--One of my favorites, with cupped, chartreuse
-   leaves stitched with black around the edge.
-
-   ‘China Doll’--Pointed yellow-green leaves striped brown along
-   the veins.
-
-   ‘Kathy Diane’--Pointed oval leaves brown splotched with
-   chartreuse.
-
-   ‘Midget’--Nearly black star leaves silvery green along the veins.
-
-   ‘Oriental Music’--Dwarf with pebbly apple-green leaves.
-
-   ‘Persian Brocade’--Green star leaves intricately laced with
-   black along the edge.
-
-   ‘Raspberry Parfait’--Pointed, velvety, olive-green leaves
-   lighter along the veins; new leaves flushed with bright pink.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Group of dwarf begonias: _lower left_, ‘China Doll’;
-   _upper left_, ‘Silver Jewel’; _upper center_,
-   ‘Bow-Chance’; _upper right_, ‘Bow-Arriola’; _lower
-   right_, ‘Bow-Nigra’; _center_, ‘Chantilly Lace.’]
-
-CARE. Partial sun, moderate warmth, humusy soil kept moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Rhizome cuttings, leaf cuttings (slow), seeds (for some
-species).
-
-
-                        MINIATURE REX BEGONIAS
-
-These begonias are also rhizomatous, but the brilliant patterns of
-their leaves put them in a class by themselves. Few other foliage
-plants have such startling combinations of peacock colors.
-
-   ‘Baby Rainbow’--Crinkly, jewel-like leaves with bands of royal
-   purple, emerald green, silver, raspberry, amethyst. Grows and
-   shows off best in glass.
-
-   ‘Dew Drop’--Thin, ivy-shaped leaves completely overlaid with
-   shimmering, lavender-pink mother-of-pearl.
-
-   ‘It’--Branching, upright rex type with silver-splotched green
-   leaves, multitudes of large pink flowers. Likes some sunlight.
-
-   ‘Lorraine Closson,’ ‘Louise Closson,’ ‘Lucille Closson,’ ‘Lucy
-   Closson’--A group of aristocratic dwarfs with taffeta-textured
-   leaves in varying patterns of black, purple, red, pink, silvery
-   green.
-
-   ‘Pansy’--Small, pointed, deep-green leaves with sharp zone of
-   lighter metallic green.
-
-   ‘Peacock’--Jet-black and scarlet leaves on short stems. Stays
-   small if fed sparingly.
-
-   ‘Red Berry’--Sheer, shimmering satin leaves of unrelieved claret.
-
-CARE. Little or no sun, warmth, humidity, humusy soil kept moist. Many
-rex begonias may go partially or completely dormant in winter, dropping
-some or all of their leaves. Simply keep them warm, with the soil
-slightly dry, until signs of new growth appear.
-
-PROPAGATION. Rhizome cuttings, leaf cuttings. Seeds will produce an
-unpredictable mixture, seldom like the parent plant.
-
-
-=Bertolonia= _Melastomaceae_
-
-The slowly spreading stems look like fat little top-of-the-soil
-rhizomes; but the foliage is like nothing else on earth. Perfect
-pointed ovals seem fashioned of sheerest silk; the skeleton of veins
-is sunken and strikingly marked. Such daintiness, to be endowed with
-bristly whiskers! Wee flowers cluster at the top of short upright
-stems. None of the bertolonias are very large; these are the available
-miniatures.
-
-   _maculata_--Sheer leaves deep green shading to light,
-   pencilings of silver along the lengthwise veins, wine red
-   beneath.
-
-   _pubescens_--Many veins pucker the leaves like small-scale
-   seersucker. Colors are copper over green, plum purple down the
-   center.
-
-CARE. Partial sun, warmth, humidity, humusy soil kept moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings (in warmth), seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Artificial light, terrariums.
-
-
-=Boea hygroscopica= _Gesneriaceae_
-
-Six-inch tropical gesneriad with fresh green, quilted leaves and
-clusters of violet-like flowers campanula-blue, with yellow centers, on
-willow stems.
-
-CARE. Partial sun, moderate warmth, humidity, humusy soil kept
-moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division of crown, seeds.
-
-
-=Bouvardia longiflora humboldti= _Rubiaceae_
-
-Two-foot tropical shrub to perfume the dream greenhouse in fall and
-winter. The luxuriant, glossy, evergreen leaves are a fine foil for
-the celestial white flowers--trumpets with long, slim tubes flaring
-out into perfect four-pointed stars. Florists grow the larger-flowered
-variety, ‘Albatross,’ for cutting.
-
-CARE. Full sun, moderate warmth, humidity, humusy soil kept wet except
-when the plant is resting after bloom.
-
-PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings of new wood with heel (in warmth), root
-cuttings in early summer.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Greenhouse shrub.
-
-
-=Buxus microphylla japonica= _Buxaceae_ Box, Boxwood
-
-Slow-growing boxwood with small, prim, shiny green leaves filling out
-the plump shrub shape. It is hardy outdoors, but nice in pots and
-frequently found at plant counters in variety stores.
-
-CARE. Full sun, cool temperatures, average soil mixture kept moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings of half-ripe wood.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Artificial light, dish gardens, model landscapes,
-terrariums, indoor bonsai.
-
-
-                     CACTI AND SIMILAR SUCCULENTS
-
-Generally, I prefer to grow a spicy variety of plants. But I am
-certainly in sympathy with the hobbyists who find enough stimulation
-in this one group to keep them collecting for a lifetime. Such a weird
-assortment of shapes, from barrels to humping inchworms. Such unusual
-patterns and colors of either leaves or stems that have taken on the
-shapes and functions of leaves. And such flowers! Some like daisies or
-water lilies, in incredible neon-bright colors, sometimes three times
-the size of the plant.
-
-Among cacti and similar succulents are some of our smallest plants,
-plus plenty more that grow so slowly they’re miniature for many years.
-Here are selected samples, only a small portion of the number available
-from specialist-growers and other sources.
-
-CARE. Most succulents need full sun, moderate warmth, a sandy
-soil mixture (not pure sand) kept on the dry side. They need more water
-and warmth in summer, less in winter when they are resting. If soil is
-very acid, neutralize with lime.
-
-PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, division of root or crown,
-seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Dish gardens, model landscapes (with other dry-growing
-plants), a few for indoor bonsai.
-
-
-=Aeonium caespitosum spathulatum= _Crassulaceae_
-
-Clump-forming succulent with rosettes of leaves like the
-hen-and-chicks, silvery green sparsely spotted with darker green.
-
-
-=Agave victoriae-reginae= _Amaryllidaceae_
-
-Miniature “century plant” with a stiff rosette of thick, sharp-pointed
-dull-green leaves with white piping along the edge and streaked with
-white between. Mature size, six inches.
-
-
-=Aichryson (Aeonium) domesticum variegatum= _Crassulaceae_
-
-I’m not quite sure how high and wide this pretty succulent will grow
-if left to its own devices. Mine has stayed in a two-inch pot for more
-than a year, and filled itself out with thin, round green leaves edged
-with creamy white, blushing faint pink in warm sun. The leaves huddle
-in tight, overlapping rosettes all around the branching stems.
-
-
-=Aloe= _Liliaceae_
-
-Symmetrical clusters of thick, heavy, sharp-spiny leaves; fall and
-winter flowers held aloft like a torch. One of the smaller species is
-_A. brevifolia_, with leaf rosettes about three inches across.
-_A. variegata_ can eventually reach a foot high, but very slowly;
-and its white-marbled leaves are striking in the meantime.
-
-
-=Aptenia cordifolia (Mesembryanthemum cordifolium)= _Aizoaceae_
-
-Creeping, clustering succulent with thinnish, round-pointed, gray-green
-leaves in pairs along the stems; brilliant fuchsia-purple daisy-shaped
-flowers. The variety variegata is embellished with creamy-white leaf
-edgings.
-
-
-=Astrophytum= _Cactaceae_ Star Cactus
-
-Thick stem-bodies divided neatly into five sections but still attached
-together, growing very slowly to four inches across. Outlandishly
-large, flat, daisy flowers in summer. Try _A. myriostigma_, bishop’s
-cap, or _A. asterias_, sand dollar, both spineless; or silver-dotted
-_A. ornatum_, with swirling lines and tufts of curved spines.
-
-
-=Cephalocereus senilis= _Cactaceae_ Old Man Cactus
-
-A good bet for beginning collectors. This is a columnar cactus covered
-with a shaggy coat of snow-white hairs, growing up to forty feet high
-in the desert, but approaching that height at a snail’s pace indoors.
-Flowers are rosy-pink, about two inches across.
-
-
-=Chamaecereus silvestri= _Cactaceae_ Peanut Cactus
-
-Gay ground-hugger, sending out in all directions thick green two-inch
-joints with soft white spines, and keeping its miniature proportions
-except when it’s top-heavy with long-tubed orange-scarlet flowers.
-
-
-=Conophytum= _Aizoaceae_
-
-Very tiny succulents with clusters of plump bodies that are, actually,
-two leaves joined completely except at the tip. The plant barely
-reaches one inch high and is content in a three-inch pot for years.
-Ridiculously large and brilliant flowers pop out through small slits
-in early fall. Then the leaves look like little dumplings sitting
-under a daisy. Of the several species available from specialists,
-_C. ornianum_ is light green with darker freckles, lavender-rose
-flowers; _C. aureum_ has gold flowers.
-
-
-=Coryphantha vivipara= _Cactaceae_
-
-Symmetrical two-inch sphere covered with evenly spaced bumps, each
-like a miniature sun with white rays and a spine sticking up from the
-center. The fringed rosy or carmine flowers pop out on top, in June;
-bright-red berries appear in fall. Native to, and hardy in, Manitoba,
-down to Texas. In time it will form clustered mounds.
-
-
-=Crassula= _Crassulaceae_
-
-An oddly assorted group of succulents including many roguish miniatures
-of fascinating form. _C. cooperi_ has tufts of small, pointed
-leaves with black blotches, little clusters of pale-pink flowers. _C.
-lycopodioides_ mimics the club moss of the woodlands, with slim
-stems encircled with little needle-like leaves. ‘Morgan’s Pink’ is a
-variety of dense clusters of spear-shaped leaves, crinkled like gray
-seersucker, coral flowers. _C. schmidti_ makes a three-inch mat of
-pointed, pinkish leaves, with generous glowing pink flowers.
-
-
-=Echeveria= _Crassulaceae_
-
-Perfect rosettes of succulent leaves in many lustrous colors, some
-silk-velvety or contrastingly trimmed on the edge. Clusters of
-brilliant tubular flowers top short stems. The following grow low, with
-four-inch rosettes.
-
-   _derenbergi_--painted lady--Translucent green leaves with
-   silvery sheen, touched with red at the tip, yellow-orange
-   flowers.
-
-   _elegans_--Mexican snowball--Light blue-green leaves
-   frosted with white, pure white on the edge, coral-pink flowers.
-
-   _pulvinata_--chenille plant--Dusty-green leaves of sheer
-   velvet, trimmed with brick red on the edge, scarlet flowers.
-
-
-=Echinocereus melanocentrus= _Cactaceae_ Hedgehog Cactus
-
-Small, spiny globes with brilliant carmine flowers from the side of the
-ball. At its three-inch maturity, the flowers are still larger than the
-plant.
-
-
-=Echinopsis= _Cactaceae_ Easter Lily Cactus
-
-Small, round plants with thick ribs and formidable spines, the
-lily-like flowers usually opening in the evening. A popular species is
-_E. kermesiana_, with glowing red flowers. _E. grandiflora_
-is described as only two or three inches across, with five-inch
-rose-pink flowers.
-
-
-=Euphorbia= _Euphorbiaceae_
-
-Two small relatives of the poinsettia that show little family
-resemblance.
-
-   _caput-medusae_--Medusa’s head--Sneaky, snaky-looking plant
-   with tangles of twisted, gray-green branches, occasionally
-   tipped with small leaves.
-
-   _splendens bojeri_--dwarf crown of thorns--Compared to
-   the sprawly species that grows four feet tall or more, this
-   is really a midget. Mine has kept its six-inch bushy contours
-   for nearly two years. The upright grayish branches are fairly
-   well supplied with roundish, dark-green leaves; the scarlet
-   flower-like bracts are plentiful at intervals all summer and
-   fall.
-
-
-=Faucaria= _Aizoaceae_ Tiger Jaws
-
-Low, crowded succulents with thick, triangular leaves toothed with
-spiny hairs, unmistakably resembling an animal’s mouth. In late summer
-or early fall, golden daisy-like flowers pop up and make fun of the
-plant’s ferocious appearance.
-
-   _tigrina_--Silvery green leaves flecked with white,
-   two-inch yellow flowers.
-
-   _tuberculosa_--Darker green leaves with little white knobs.
-
-
-=Fenestraria= _Aizoaceae_ Baby Toes
-
-Clusters of cylindrical leaves, larger at the top, like little
-flat-tipped baseball bats. The nearly colorless tops feature tiny
-transparent “windows.”
-
-   _aurantiaca_--Three-inch orange daisy flowers more than
-   twice as wide as the clustered leaf-colony.
-
-   _rhopalophylla_--Leaves more blunt, smaller white flowers.
-
-
-=Gymnocalycium mihanovichi= _Cactaceae_ Chin Cactus
-
-Just one of many available miniature, globe-shaped cacti with spines
-on regular shelves, or “chins.” This one produces chartreuse flowers
-bigger than its body, starts to bloom while quite young.
-
-
-=Haworthia= _Liliaceae_
-
-Tight pinwheels of thick, pointed leaves intricately studded with
-varied patterns of pearly pinheads. The whitish flowers are not a main
-feature.
-
-   _fasciata_--Zebra-striped succulent often seen in dish
-   gardens.
-
-   _margaritifera_--Slightly larger, dark green with a more
-   scattered pattern of white dots.
-
-
-=Kalanchoe= _Crassulaceae_
-
-Among these congenial succulents are several that grow to considerable
-size in their native homes, but keep pleasantly small in pots or dish
-gardens. The leaves are fleshy, with indentations along the edge.
-Lantern-shaped flowers appear in winter.
-
-   _blossfeldiana_--Well-branched bush with overlapping, fresh
-   green leaves, flowering in winter when days are short and nights
-   are long. ‘Tom Thumb’ is a dwarf variety that smothers itself
-   with scarlet blooms for Christmas. Greenhouses grow it from
-   seeds sown in spring, and so can you.
-
-   _marmorata_--penwiper plant--Leaves fold in around the stem and
-   are spattered on both sides with purple blotches.
-
-   _pumila_--Leaves like a doll’s spoon, notched on the edge and
-   sugar-frosted; plum-colored pitcher flowers.
-
-   _tomentosa_--panda plant--Fat leaves covered with white felt,
-   distinctly marked with chocolate at the teeth on the edge.
-
-   (_Kitchingia_) _uniflora_--Miniature creeper or dangler for
-   small hanging baskets, with round green leaves marching up and
-   down the stem and rosy or red urn-flowers hanging from thin,
-   short threads.
-
-
-=Kleinia= _Compositae_
-
-Curious even among succulents, each of these oddly shaped or strangely
-decorated plants has a personality of its own and no need for
-daisy-like flower heads to make it interesting.
-
-   _pendula_--inchworm plant--Weird, round, leafless stems snake up
-   and down over the soil; flowers brilliant red.
-
-   _repens_--Low and somewhat trailing, with thick leaves like long
-   canoes, unbelievable blue.
-
-   _tomentosa_--Cylindrical cocoon-like leaves tapered to sharp
-   points and covered with pure-white down; gold or orange flowers.
-
-
-=Lobivia aurea= _Cactaceae_ Golden Easter Lily
-
-Squat, round, prickly cactus like a small echinopsis, except that this
-one opens its friendly water-lily flowers in the daytime. Dozens of
-different species and varieties are available.
-
-
-=Mammillaria= _Cactaceae_ Pincushion Cactus
-
-There are many mighty midgets in this group, and in fascinating
-variety. They’re mostly round, from squat to columnar, but all are
-primly neat. The spines may be soft or not, but are always arranged in
-a perfect pattern. The flowers are not overlarge, but are arranged in a
-crown and ripen into attractive, berry-like fruit.
-
-   _bocasana_--powder puff--Soft, white-woolly globes, only
-   one and a half inches across when mature; beige flowers.
-
-   _elongata_--golden lace--Small branching pillar, nicknamed
-   for its tatted pattern of bright-yellow spines.
-
-   _hahniana_--old lady--Fond name for a small, white-haired
-   cushion.
-
-
-=Notocactus= _Cactaceae_ Ball Cactus
-
-Plump balls with prettily colored spines and large, showy flowers in
-late spring.
-
-   _apricus_--sun cup--Golden-yellow flowers, Oxford-gray
-   spines.
-
-   _graessneri_--Butter-yellow spines and flowers.
-
-   _ottonis_--Indian head--Reddish spines.
-
-   _rutilans_--Rosy flowers.
-
-
-=Opuntia= _Cactaceae_
-
-This is a “crazy, mixed-up” group of cacti. They come in so many sizes,
-shapes, and forms that any generalized description is impossible. Many
-optunias are hardy even in Northern gardens.
-
-   _mamillata_--boxing gloves--Resembles a little tree whose
-   branches turn into cockscombs at the tip.
-
-   _microdasys_--bunny ears--Flat, long-oval pads with tiny
-   tufts of soft yellow hairs.
-
-
-=Parodia= _Cactaceae_
-
-Fat little balls covered with glistening spines and sending out
-unbelievably large flowers although the plant measures only an inch
-across the middle. Even in old age, they’re never larger than three
-inches.
-
-   _aureispina_--Tom Thumb cactus--Gold spines, orange flowers.
-
-   _mutabilis_--Shining yellow flowers.
-
-
-=Portulacaria afra variegata= _Portulacaceae_ Rainbow Bush
-
-After planting this little tree-like succulent in a dish garden when
-it was only three inches tall, and finding it less than half an inch
-taller nearly a year later, I was mildly amazed to learn that it is a
-version of the twelve-foot elephant bush, or purslane tree, of desert
-gardens. It’s difficult to imagine the fat red stems and fleshy,
-cream-splashed, red-rimmed leaves ever adorning a plant of such
-monstrous proportions.
-
-
-=Rebutia= _Cactaceae_ Crown Cactus
-
-Flat, fat balls with whiskery spines, spreading out into clusters. Each
-ball, when mature, is circled by large, wide-eyed flowers coming up
-from the base, often as large as the four-inch plant.
-
-   _minuscula_--Best-known species, with fiery red flowers.
-
-   _senilis_--Orange flowers with turned-back petals.
-
-   _violaciflora_--Rose-pink flowers.
-
-
-=Sedum= _Crassulaceae_
-
-Tender relations of the hardy garden sedums, not so numerous but
-equally varied.
-
-   _adolphi_--Rosettes of fat, yellow-green leaves, white
-   flowers.
-
-   _hintoni_--Oval, grassy-green leaves covered with prickly
-   white hairs, like clumps of tiny porcupine tails; white flowers.
-
-   _lineare_--Many branching, trailing stems covered thickly
-   with needle-shaped leaves. The variety variegatum is a gem, each
-   leaf more creamy-white than green.
-
-   _multiceps_--little Joshua tree--Unbelievable bonsai-like
-   plant with trunk, branches, and tufts of needly dark-green
-   leaves like the smallest conifer imaginable.
-
-   _pachyphyllum_--jelly beans--Fat, juicy, berry-like leaves
-   clustering close to the branching stems; yellow flowers in
-   spring.
-
-   _rubrotinctum_ (_guatemalense_)--Christmas
-   cheer--Thick layers of small, green, drumstick-shaped leaves
-   turning holiday red in full sun; yellow flowers.
-
-   _stahli_--coral beads, Boston beans--Faintly hairy, beady,
-   reddish leaves strung closely together on branching stems;
-   yellow flowers in summer and fall.
-
-
-=Titanopsis= _Aizoaceae_
-
-Stone-mimicking succulents with thickly clustered leaves lavishly
-spotted with white, wart-like tubercles, and short-lived daisy flowers
-in fall or winter.
-
-   _calcarea_--jewel plant--Lustrous gray-green leaves
-   sparkling with white spots, gleaming gold flowers. Leaf rosette
-   only two inches in any direction.
-
-   _schwantesi_--Even smaller cluster of blue-gray,
-   liver-spotted leaves, lemon-yellow flowers.
-
-
-=Trichodiadema densum= _Aizoaceae_ Desert Rose
-
-Picture a bunch of tiny, smooth green pickles, each tipped with a
-triple crown of ridiculously long, bristly, white hairs. Now, smother
-this leaf colony under two-inch red daisy flowers. A really outlandish
-plant!
-
-
-                              SUCCULENTS
-
-
-=Caladium= _Araceae_ Elephant Ears
-
-   _Bicolor Varieties_. Gorgeous arrow-leaved foliage plants
-   for small gardens in the South or sheltered areas where summer
-   temperatures are not likely to drop below 60 degrees for long.
-   The patterns, colors, and contours of the leaves get fancier
-   every year. Many are hybridized for larger and larger size, but
-   specialists also offer a good selection of dwarfs that will stay
-   under eight inches. Among them:
-
-  [Illustration: _Caladium humboldti_--one of the most
-  striking members of the family]
-
-   ‘Candidum, Jr.’--Bushy low version of the standard favorite with
-   green-netted, white leaves.
-
-   _humboldti_--A gemlike species for the connoisseur with
-   willowy stems topped by diminutive deep-green leaves splotched
-   with silvery transparent white between the center veins and the
-   edge. Needs more humidity than the bicolor hybrids.
-
-   ‘Little Rascal’--Leaf more lance-shaped, wine-red.
-
-   ‘Miss Marveen’--Pearly-white tinged and blotched with pink over
-   heavy drab green.
-
-   ‘Mrs. Arno Nehrling’--Bronzy-green, red veins.
-
-   ‘Pink Radiance’--Small and bushy, leaves centered and veined
-   with shades of pink, pink-flecked on the edge.
-
-   ‘Sea Gull’--White at the midvein and frosted all over.
-
-   ‘Twilight’--Glowing flame-pink leaf finely netted with green.
-
-CARE. Partial sun; if in a greenhouse shade against burn.
-Temperature: warm (75 degrees). Humid. Soil: rich, acid (azalea type).
-Keep moist. Fertilizer: feed liquid manure on alternate weeks.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, window boxes, specimens.
-
-
-=Calathea (Maranta)= _Marantaceae_
-
-There’s only one available true miniature in this group of richly
-colored and patterned tropical foliage plants, but many other species
-will stay small in a three-inch pot for years. The fact that they’re
-suitable for lush but restrained effects in far Southern gardens is my
-other excuse for including them.
-
-These plants are maranta-like, the leaf tufts with markings a peacock
-could crow about, silky-velvet or iridescent sheens that outshine the
-gowns at a coronation ball. They are reluctant to flower but nobody
-cares. The following is only a sampling of the available riches:
-
-   _argyraea_--Low and compact, the blotched green leaves
-   overlaid with silver and horizontally level.
-
-   _insignis_--Narrow, permanently waved leaves perfectly
-   patterned with chartreuse, wine red underneath.
-
-   _louisae_--Leaves perpendicular and perky, feather-marked
-   with yellow-green.
-
-   _micans_--Miniature with oval leaves about an inch long
-   (four inches in the tropics), lustrous deep green banded with
-   silver at the center, paler underneath.
-
-   _picturata vandenheckei_--Satiny dark green banded with
-   silver white in center. Wine red on the underside. A new form,
-   ‘Wendlinger,’ is even more startling. The centers are sterling
-   silver, edged with deep green.
-
-CARE. Provide warmth, humidity. Soil: loam, leaf mold, and sand. Feed
-heavily for best colors. Shade from direct sun.
-
-PROPAGATION. Divide crowns; tubers and spring cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Tropical gardens, pots, terrariums, dish gardens.
-
-
-=Callopsis volkensi= _Araceae_
-
-This is a perfectly proportioned miniature “calla lily” only four
-inches high, the white porcelain flowers centered with a gold,
-spear-like spadix, and substantial but small heart-shaped green leaves
-quaintly crinkled. It grows from an underground rhizome. It branches
-freely but compactly and is winter-blooming.
-
-CARE. Shade, humidity, humusy soil kept evenly moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Rhizomes.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, dish gardens.
-
-
-=Carex elegantissima (Morrowi variegata)= _Cyperaceae_
-
-Lady-like little grass with airy tufts of slimmest leaves, bright green
-with a white stripe along each edge.
-
-CARE. Loamy garden soil, filtered sun, wet. Intermediate temperature.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, dish gardens.
-
-
-=Carissa grandiflora nana compacta= _Apocynaceae_ Natal Plum
-
-When is a dwarf not really a dwarf? In the two years or more I’ve had
-this plant it has grown so slowly I have no idea what ultimate height
-it has in mind, or when it will reach it. It is still about six inches
-tall, with round, green, overlapping leaves with the shiniest glassy
-polish of any leaves I have ever seen. Off and on during the year
-it gives sensual delight with richly fragrant china-white flowers,
-none of which, so far, have been replaced by scarlet plums. This form
-is blessedly without spines, always refreshing, and particularly
-appropriate for Oriental planters and miniature indoor gardens.
-
-CARE. Almost any soil, warmth, light shade, moist, spray leaves.
-Resents repotting.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings, layers.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Bonsai, planters.
-
-
-=Ceropegia= _Asclepiadaceae_
-
-Among the few hanging or climbing vines of suitable size and form for
-truly miniature baskets, or supports--succulent and easy to grow to
-boot! Their effect is always dainty, never bold; thin wiry stems may
-grow long, but never the leaves; waxy tube-like flowers inspire close
-inspection, but are never showy. Here are four of the daintiest species:
-
-   _barkleyi_--umbrella flower--A climber with pointed
-   wing-shaped leaves feathered with a network of silver;
-   purple-veined greenish flowers like parasols.
-
-   _caffrorum_--Pairs of green heart-leaves march down the
-   threadlike stems; greenish flowers intricately marked with plum.
-
-   _debilis_--Green needle-like leaves penciled silver along
-   the center; green-and-purple flowers.
-
-   _woodi_--rosary vine, string of hearts, hearts
-   entangled--Matching pairs of thick silvery valentines every
-   inch or so along the dangling stem, identically traced with a
-   precisely patterned design. The little pink-lavender flowers are
-   shaped like pixie pipes or urns.
-
-CARE. Soil: loam, leaf mold, sandy and humusy. Intermediate
-temperature, filtered sun. Moist in summer, on the dry side in winter.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings in spring; tubers, seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Hanging baskets.
-
-
-=Chaenostoma fastigiatum= _Scrophulariaceae_ Little Stars
-
-Cheerful little tropical herb which keeps its compact contour by
-branching freely, and covers its stems with myriads of half-inch
-fragrant leaves. All year it twinkles with a sprinkling of starry white
-flowers, outdoes itself in the summer months.
-
-CARE. Loamy garden soil, bright light, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Edgings.
-
-
-=Chamaedorea elegans bella= _Palmaceae_
-
-Slow-growing dwarf palm tree, so slow it can be a granddaddy in a
-six-inch pot and takes eons to top two feet. The reedy green stems
-cluster in a rosette and curve gracefully at the ends. Leaves are thin,
-fresh green, airily divided.
-
-CARE. Warm, loamy garden soil, moist, shade.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. House plant, dish gardens.
-
-
-=Chamaeranthemum= _Acanthaceae_
-
-A choice, exclusive threesome of tender tropical creepers with small
-supine leaves embroidered with dainty patterns.
-
-   _gaudichaudi_--Forest-green, long oval leaves of sheer
-   velvet, silver feathers down the center and out along the veins.
-
-   _(Stenandrium) lindeni_--A bolder, golden feather marks the
-   larger, perhaps even sheerer, leaves.
-
-   _venosum_--Symmetrical, oval leaves more broad than
-   slender, dark powder-blue with thin leaves of silver on the
-   network of veins.
-
-CARE. Warm, humid, loamy garden soil, filtered sun, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, dish gardens.
-
-
-=Chlorophytum bicheti= _Liliaceae_
-
-Spidery little pot plant with tapering, grassy-looking leaves about six
-inches long, arching somewhat stiffly, with cream-white tidy stripes
-along the edge and sometimes down the middle. Always looks prim and
-precise.
-
-CARE. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy soil,
-filtered sun, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Indoor gardens, artificial light.
-
-
-=Cissus striata= _Vitaceae_ Miniature Grape Ivy
-
-This lacy little climber looks less like grape ivy, more like woodbine,
-but it certainly does look and act like a miniature. The reddish stems
-turn and twist at angles, trying to touch the tiny tendrils to a
-support they can curl around. The one-and-a-half-inch leaves are like
-five fat separate fingers delicately joined in the center, scalloped
-or toothed near the rounded tip, burnished green and lined with wine
-beneath.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   _Cissus striata_--a genuine miniature climber not unlike
-   woodbine]
-
-CARE. Intermediate temperature, humid, loamy garden soil,
-filtered sun, moisture in the pots.
-
-PROPAGATION. Roots and cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. House plant, miniature gardens, artificial
-light.
-
-
-=Citrus= _Rutaceae_
-
-These are true miniature citrus trees, varieties that are naturally
-dwarf, or grow so slowly they’ll flower and fruit in smallish pots
-indoors.
-
-   _aurantifolia_--lime--Spiny little tree with small leaves,
-   small tartly acid, thin-skinned, green fruit. The Persian lime
-   is a variety called “one of the most beautiful of all citrus
-   trees.”
-
-   _limonia ‘ponderosa’_--ponderosa lemon--Oblong, glassy,
-   evergreen leaves; stiff sharp spines; large waxy, fragrant
-   flowers; heavy (to two and a half pounds) pear-shaped (to five
-   inches long) lemons at intervals through the year, beginning
-   when the tree may not be much more than a foot tall. Supposedly,
-   one lemon “gives enough juice to make a pie.”
-
-   _mitis_--calamondin--Bushy little tree, not prickly, dense
-   with glassy green leaves; flowers fragrant, small and white. May
-   bear fruit all year but usually in winter it produces bright
-   oranges, about one and a half inches in diameter, thin-skinned
-   and somewhat flattened on the end. The lime-like flavor of the
-   juice is reportedly pleasant, but my tree looked so pretty I
-   didn’t pick the fruit. A calamondin can, and often will, fruit
-   in a two-and-a-half-inch pot--a mighty midget.
-
-   _nobilis deliciosa_--tangerine, mandarin orange--Small,
-   nearly thornless tree with willowy leaves; sweet fruit, with
-   loose skin that peels off like a kid glove and segments that
-   separate freely.
-
-   _taitensis_--otaheite orange--Neat little bush for pots,
-   with plenty of two-inch, wavy-edged leaves, few if any spines,
-   and fragrant pink-tinged flowers in January. By Christmas,
-   even if the tree is only eight inches high, the oranges are
-   ripe. They are the size of a plum, shaped like a lemon, tartly
-   flavored like a lime.
-
-CARE. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy soil, bright
-sun, keep on the dry side. For fruit, pollinate. Humidity, not too
-much fertilizer, not too much water. Sudden temperature changes causes
-leaves to drop.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, grafting, cuttings (for pot varieties).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Seedlings for miniature gardens and greenhouses.
-
-
-=Columnea microphylla= _Gesneriaceae_
-
-Velvety trailer, suitable for small hanging baskets, with soft little
-mouse-ear leaves. But wow! the fiery-red flowers never heard of the
-word _miniature_. Their long slender tubes stand straight up from
-the dangling stems, flare out to a wide mouth through which you can
-look to see the yellow throat inside.
-
-CARE. Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, stem and leaf cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Hanging baskets.
-
-
-=Cryptanthus= _Bromeliaceae_ Earth Stars
-
-Not many bromeliads can rightly be called miniatures, and grow either
-in air or in soil to boot. These are low flat rosettes of stiff painted
-leaves, often with prickles on the edge and always unusually colored.
-From the heart, wee white flowers peep out, usually in summer. Some
-suppliers offer a grab-bag selection of hybrids, “no two alike.” Or you
-can buy these smaller species if you wish.
-
-   _acaulis_--Thin gray fuzz over rather mottled green leaves.
-
-   _bahianus_--These leaves are slimmer, curving at the tip
-   and wavy on the edge, flushed or margined brick red, more
-   upright than flat.
-
-   _beuckeri_--Asymmetrical arrangement of ladle-like leaves
-   tapered to a sharp point, dark green marbled over light.
-
-   _bivittatus minor_ (_roseus pictus_)--Faintly banded
-   dark-green leaves completely flushed bronzy pink or salmon.
-
-   _bromelioides tricolor_--Slim, pointed leaves with bands of
-   rich cream and green, shaded cherry pink along the edge and in
-   the heart.
-
-   _lacerdae_--‘Silver Star’--Definitely star-shaped and
-   definitely silvery; the only green is in the two stripes down
-   each side of the center.
-
-CARE. Warm, humus, filtered sun, dry side, good drainage.
-
-PROPAGATION. Offsets or cuttings. Peel off one or two basal
-leaves from stem; pot and root for two to three weeks.
-
-SPECIAL USES. House plant.
-
-
-=Cryptbergia meadi= _Bromeliaceae_
-
-Everything said about the cryptanthus applies here. This is the result
-of crossing a billbergia with a cryptanthus. The leaves are slim
-spear-shaped and sharply pointed, upright in the center and arching out
-around the side. The basic green is rather drab. Made more appealing by
-a bronzy sheen and faint dark mottlings.
-
-
-=Cyanotis= _Commelinaceae_
-
-Succulent creeping or trailing cousins of the inch plants, with similar
-botanical characteristics, but each an individual in its own right:
-
-   _kewensis_--teddy-bear plant--Brown-woolly all over the
-   stem and the tiny pointed-ear leaves.
-
-   _somaliensis_--pussy ears--The fresh green leaves are bent
-   into boat shape, clasping tight to the stem and covered with
-   velvety white fuzz.
-
-   _veldhoutiana_ (_Tradescantia villosa_)
-   (_Tradescantia pexata_) (_Tradescantia sillamontana_),
-   and known in the trade as tradescantia ‘White Velvet’ and also
-   ‘White Gossamer’--This tiny plant, more trailing than creeping,
-   has lettuce-green leaves, and stems clothed in long silky
-   silvery-white hairs. It has so many names I fear it would be
-   lost to view if all of its labels were placed around it. I quote
-   all of them in order to avoid confusion and controversy. But
-   according to the Institute de Biologia in Mexico, the correct
-   name is _Tradescantia sillamontana_.
-
-CARE. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy soil,
-bright light, dry side.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Miniature tropical gardens, greenhouses.
-
-
-=Dionaea muscipula= _Droseraceae_ Venus Fly Trap
-
-Never let anyone tell you this little bug-eater will “trap flies on
-your window sill.” Don’t poke at it to see it close its trap. Avoid
-disturbing it; let it feed itself naturally. And now that the negatives
-are covered, do try this braggart elf (give it conditions in which
-it can grow), for the pleasure in its intricately devised mechanism,
-one of nature’s wonders. Basically, there’s a five-inch-wide rosette
-of wide flat stems, a two-part leaf at the end of each making a flat
-burnished bronze oval with a fringe of thick whiskers. When an insect
-steps onto this dance floor, the hinges in the center fold the two
-halves together fast, and that is the end of the bug. White flowers top
-the tallish stems in spring.
-
-CARE. Cool, humid, sun, soil rich in humus with sphagnum, wet.
-Dormant in February and March before flowering. Most vigorous growth in
-spring and summer.
-
-PROPAGATION. By roots or seeds. If seeds are used, start them
-under a bell jar.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums.
-
-
-=Dracaena godseffiana= _Liliaceae_
-
-Small tropical foliage shrub, slow-growing and bushy, with glassy,
-leathery leaves haphazardly splotched with white. The named variety
-‘Florida Beauty’ is even more dwarf, takes years to fit a four-inch
-pot, and boasts golden-yellow splotches.
-
-CARE. Warm, loamy garden soil, filtered sun (more light for color),
-moist to wet.
-
-PROPAGATION. Pieces of stem with several joints; tip cuttings; air
-layering.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Miniature gardens.
-
-
-=Drosera rotundifolia= _Droseraceae_ Sundew
-
-The whole plant can often hide under a half-dollar--the smallest of all
-the insect-eaters. Flat stems radiate out from a central crown, expand
-at the ends, become flat spoon-shaped blades covered with reddish hairs
-that are tipped with drops of glue. Any insect landing on the surface
-gets his feet stuck while longer hairs on the edge act like tentacles
-to entangle him even more. Spring flowers top stems that grow straight
-up in the center.
-
-CARE. Cool, humid, humusy soil made acid with peat moss if
-necessary, moist but not soggy, good drainage, room temperature is
-adequate with some direct sunlight but not enough to raise temperature
-in terrarium to a dangerous level. Transplanting or shipping may retard
-growth several weeks; don’t get soil on leaves. May go dormant after
-flowering. Do not try to grow in ordinary room without glass cover or
-a plastic bag. Small amount of plant food (such as Vigoro). Rain water
-preferred.
-
-PROPAGATION. As in _Dionaea muscipula_.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums.
-
-
-=Dyckia= _Bromeliaceae_
-
-Small, stiff fountains or sprays of spiny-edged leaves, spikes of
-orange or yellow flowers like a miniature version of the pineapple in
-various sizes and shapes. Some are not very dwarf. The dwarfs, to the
-best of my knowledge, are:
-
-   _altissima_--Light-green, tapering leaves armed with brown
-   spines and yellow flowers.
-
-   _fosteriana_--Dense circle of sugary gray leaves with
-   purplish sheen.
-
-   _rariflora_--Slim, sharp-pointed six-inch leaves with
-   minute silver scales, spines soft and black.
-
-CARE. Intermediate temperature, humusy soil, filtered sun, dry side.
-
-PROPAGATION. Easiest from offshoots when suckers are large
-enough to handle. Root in sphagnum peat. Seeds, germinate on tissue
-napkins in a shallow tray covered with glass. Keep in light at 65 to 70
-degrees.
-
-SPECIAL USES. House plant.
-
-
-=Episcia dianthiflora= _Gesneriaceae_
-
-Although none of the episcias grow very high, they do spread out to
-make wide, handsome pot or hanging-basket plants. This is the only
-species that can reasonably be called dwarf. Its leaves are the size
-and shape of my little fingernail, olive green and softly velvet,
-reddish along the center vein, first forming a tidy rosette. Soon the
-branches start stretching, rather stiff and woody for an episcia, with
-new leaf rosettes forming as the branches grow. The silky tube-flowers
-are pure white and fringed on the edges.
-
-CARE. Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds and cuttings.
-
-
-=Exacum affine= _Gentianaceae_
-
-This is a compact, free-flowering plant of the gentian family. The
-flowers are blue with golden stamens and very fragrant. A herbaceous
-biennial, it can be treated in a greenhouse as a perennial. It has
-bushy green leaves, ovate and tiny. A dark-lavender form is the variety
-atrocaeruleum.
-
-CARE. Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds. Can be planted any month, but a February planting
-will produce flowering plants for autumn and winter.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Window gardens and greenhouses.
-
-
-=Ficus= _Moraceae_ Creeping Fig
-
-Here are two delightful foliage creepers that keep their miniature
-proportions, although the large-leaved form of the first often covers
-large walls in the South.
-
-   _pumila minima_--Tiny valentine leaves patterned and
-   crinkled with a network of sunken veins, deep green and
-   refreshing.
-
-   _radicans variegata_--Much larger, slim pointed leaves
-   basically silvery green, but marked with creamy white, starting
-   at the edge and blending off irregularly. Like many variegated
-   plants, it’s not very vigorous and thus is suitable for
-   terrariums, where it will get the humidity it needs.
-
-CARE. Warm, needs fresh air, loamy soil, filtered sun, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division of the rooting stems.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, hanging baskets, outdoors in the
-South.
-
-
-=Fittonia verschaffelti= _Acanthaceae_ Nerve or Mosaic Plant
-
-Flat-creeping tropical plants with jewel-like foliage netted with veins
-of contrasting color. The oval or rounded paper-thin leaves may be
-large--up to two inches long--but the plants grow slowly and seldom
-exceed dwarf proportions, particularly if there are any slugs within
-miles. Fittonias are one of the critters’ favorite foods.
-
-You have a choice of three color schemes: The species is dark green
-with carmine veins; its variety argyroneura is emerald with silver; the
-variety pearcei, light green with pink.
-
-CARE. Warm, humid, loamy soil, filtered sun, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Foliage plants in greenhouses.
-
-
-=Fortunella= _Rutaceae_ Kumquat
-
-Smallest, and hardiest, of the evergreen citrus trees or shrubs, with
-typical glassy, leathery leaves and flowers at intervals during the
-year, sometimes coincidental with the thin-skinned fruit. The species
-vary in size, habit, and fruit, some taking a lifetime to reach ten
-feet. But before they achieve that altitude, they can long pass as
-dwarfs or miniatures. Who wants to wait a lifetime to watch a kumquat
-outgrow a three-inch pot?
-
-   _hindsi_--Small spiny tree with small (less than one inch)
-   pea-shaped fruit.
-
-   _japonica_--marumi kumquat--Small tree, well branched and
-   shapely, with perfectly round, somewhat sweet fruit nearly one
-   and a half inches in diameter.
-
-   _margarita_--nagami kumquat--Most frost-resistant and
-   dwarf. Nearly thornless, with sour-sweet, egg-shaped fruit.
-
-CARE. Intermediate temperature (any sudden changes in temperature
-may cause the leaves to drop), soil on the dry side (not too much
-fertilizer), bright sun, pollinate if you wish fruit, maintain humidity.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, grafting, cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Potted plants, seedlings for miniature gardens.
-
-
-=Fuchsia magellanica= _Onagraceae_
-
-This “hardy” fuchsia, when given a chance to develop, can hardly be
-called a miniature. It can cover a wall twenty feet high, I have been
-told. However, in a climate like that near Philadelphia, it is only
-“root-hardy” and even then has to have a protective winter mulch. In
-the spring it has to start new growth all over again. Then it assumes
-miniature proportions. I’ve seen it in a small hanging basket, the
-leaves less than one-third the size of the typical hybrid fuchsias, the
-stems thin and wiry, the red-and-purple flowers quite small. Even more
-like a miniature is the slower-growing variety variegata, with creamy
-blotches and streaks on the leaf edges. Then there is the slender, more
-airy and lax variety, gracilis, also available in variegated form.
-
-CARE. Cool, needs fresh air, loamy soil, shade, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings of soft green wood.
-
-SPECIAL USES. House plants, hanging baskets.
-
-
-=Hebe buxifola variegata= _Scrophulariaceae_
-
-This is a charming little plant I have grown in my greenhouse. Although
-it has some larger relatives, my specimens have been delightfully
-small. The leaves are about one-half inch long, waxy green with creamy
-white edges which overlap into a nice pattern. I love the small white
-flowers which appear frequently.
-
-CARE. Little sun, humusy soil, moderate warmth, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. House plants.
-
-
-=Hedera helix= _Araliaceas_ English Ivy
-
-As long as I’ve grown house plants I’ve always had ivies, sometimes
-only a few pots of my favorite varieties (when my growing space was
-limited) but more often a collection of a dozen or more. Once when
-preparing a magazine article, I had thirty-seven scrambling around the
-greenhouse! The foliage always is fresh green and glossy, delightful
-the year round; the climbing or trailing stems are graceful and willing
-to be trained in just about any pattern. In the tiny-leaved miniatures
-there is a particular fascination in the intricate formations of lobes
-and points, edges which are waved or crinkled, and the markings, which
-may be dainty, pert, or bold.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   (MEAGHERI GREEN FEATHER)
-
-   _Hedera helix meagheri_--a fine small specimen]
-
-These variations (actually mutations) of the ubiquitous evergreen
-ground or wall cover, are less hardy than the species from which they
-have sprung. Their outdoor use is best limited to moderate or mild
-climates--but never where it is hot and dry. Some slow creeping types
-like the variety conglomerata are delightful in not-too-hot rock
-gardens. Indoors, of course, you can have any or all of them, and you
-have many to choose from. Here is a representative selection to tempt
-you:
-
-   ‘Goldheart’--Deepest green leaves centered with a heart of gold.
-
-   ‘Itsy Bitsy’--Lacy leaves half the size of a fingernail.
-
-   ‘Ivalace’--Fresh green with a crocheted edge.
-
-   ‘Jubilee’--Gray-green spattered with white.
-
-   ‘Needlepoint’--So sharply cut there’s nearly no leaf at all.
-
-   ‘Shell’--Waved and crinkled on the veins.
-
-   ‘Tear Drop’--A baby’s tear at that.
-
-   ‘Telecurl’--Tight as a brand-new “permanent.”
-
-CARE. Cool, needs fresh air, loamy soil, shade or semishade, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings, layering, seed. (Seeds may take as long as two
-years to germinate.)
-
-SPECIAL USES. House plants, ground cover, rock gardens, miniature
-gardens.
-
-
-=Helxine soleiroli= _Urticaceae_ Baby’s Tears
-
-Millions of tiny, button-like leaves hug close to the thready stems of
-this wee creeper that covers soil, or a pot, in incredible haste. The
-growth twines and intertwines thickly as if it were weaving a fresh
-green carpet for a doll’s house.
-
-CARE. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, humidity,
-humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings of rooting stems.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Ground cover, rocks and walls. (Outdoors only in
-mild climates.)
-
-
-=Hoya bella= _Asclepiadaceae_ Wax Plant
-
-Definitely a dwarf, as wax plants grow, and not climbing, as most
-others are, little _H. bella_ has arching, rather than woody,
-stems with thick, heavy somber green leaves on either side and clusters
-of incredible flowers at the tips, porcelain-white, waxy, and fragrant,
-with a wheel-shaped purple “crown” in the center. Best in a basket
-because the flowers droop, and the view is prettiest from below.
-
-CARE. Warm, needs fresh air, loamy soil, bright light, dry side.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings in spring.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Good house plant.
-
-
-=Impatiens repens= _Balsaminaceae_
-
-This precious creeper bears so little superficial resemblance to the
-popular “patient Lucy” it’s hard to believe it’s a close kin. I loved
-it when I first saw it at the Montreal Botanical Gardens, and was
-delighted when it became available to us here. It is a creeper with red
-stems, plump button-shaped leaves, and yellow flowers.
-
-CARE. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, humusy soil, bright
-light, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Good house plant, miniature gardens.
-
-
-=Koellikeria erinoides= _Gesneriaceae_
-
-This one is a gem--clusters of pert green-velvet leaves with indented
-veins and sprinkled with silvery star dust; on short stems, tiny
-two-lipped bell flowers of creamy white and red, in summer.
-
-CARE. Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. House plant.
-
-
-=Lantana camara= _Verbenaceae_
-
-Here is a plant I have long enjoyed around the greenhouse. It is a
-small hairy shrub with angled branches and rough bristly leaves and is
-sometimes prickly.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   _Helxine soleiroli_, baby’s tears--a delightful little
-   crawler]
-
-Its blooming habits have always delighted me, and it is a prolific
-bloomer come summer. The verbena-like flowers open pink or yellow and
-later darken to red or orange. Often several different shades will be
-found on the same plant at the same time.
-
-CARE. Moderate greenhouse temperatures, or out of doors in the
-summer. Needs fresh air, loamy garden soil, bright light, and does best
-on the dry side.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings and seed.
-
-SPECIAL USES. House plant, pots, and containers.
-
-
-=Malpighia coccigera= _Malpighiaceae_ Miniature Holly
-
-Small glossy leaves sharply toothed like holly, and adorable as a
-foliage plant, but in addition provides the sweetest white-pink blooms
-which in its native West Indies produce red, edible fruit rich in
-vitamin C.
-
-CARE. Partial sun, warmth, humusy soil, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. House plant, indoor bonsai.
-
-
-=Manettia bicolor= _Rubiaceae_ Firecracker Vine
-
-Small, sharp-pointed leaves, tube-flowers only a half-inch long, fine
-thready twining stems--everything about this tropical vine is miniature
-except the height to which it will climb in the greenhouse, or outdoors
-in the South. Although its inclination is to climb, it is sold most
-often as a plant for hanging baskets. Perhaps the lack of a support
-helps keep it small. The leaves cluster thickly around the intertwining
-stems, making a massed background for the impertinent flowers, yellow
-at the tips, fire-engine red at the base.
-
-CARE. Cool greenhouse, needs fresh air, humid, loamy soil, filtered
-sun, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings over heat, of young growth. Seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Trellis and rafter vines for the greenhouse, hanging
-baskets.
-
-
-=Maranta= _Marantaceae_
-
-Exotic tropical foliage plants, laying their large oval leaves almost
-flat on the soil, only technically different from the calatheas, and
-sometimes offered under that name.
-
-   _(Calathea) bicolor_--Really should be “tricolor,” I think.
-   The silky, six-inch leaves are silvery in the center, feathering
-   out to points at intervals, and fading into a dark-green zone
-   which gives way to the basic blue-gray or gray-green that
-   extends to the edge.
-
-   _leuconeura kerchoveana_--rabbit tracks, prayer
-   plant--There’s a similar grayish feather in the center of the
-   leaf, a lighter silver green to the margin; but in between,
-   mahogany blotches where a “hippity-hopper” might have planted
-   his paws. The leaves fold up in prayer at night.
-
-   _leuconeura massangeana_--A picture is a more vivid
-   description than any word I can call on. The center is silver,
-   the thin curvy lines silvery pink. The basic color is mahogany
-   near the middle, blending into blue-green. The leaves are
-   tissue-thin with a silky sheen and lined with plum beneath.
-
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   _Leuconeura massangeana_--a most beautiful foliage plant
-   with a silver center and basic mahogany blending into blue-green]
-
-CARE. Warmth, minimum night temperature of 60 degrees; humid,
-and use mist spray; rich soil; use liquid manure (except in winter).
-Filtered sun (plant will scorch in too direct sunshine), moist. Partial
-rest in winter, dry out between waterings. Repot in spring, with the
-crown high in the center; use charcoal in pot.
-
-PROPAGATION. Divide crown.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Foliage plant, artificial light. This plant is prettiest
-when young. Markings may disappear in older plants.
-
-
-=Myrsine africana= _Myrsinaceae_ African Boxwood
-
-This is a shrubby, dark-green-leaved plant of the boxwood sort. It is
-small, neat, and trim and may be shaped into many patterns to resemble
-the true boxwood.
-
-CARE. Partial sun, moderate temperature, humusy soil, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Formal miniature gardens, dish gardens, indoor bonsai.
-
-
-=Myrtus communis= _Myrtaceae_ Greek Myrtle
-
-This is a fragrant close-leaved evergreen shrub native to the
-Mediterranean region but raised in most of Europe and this country as
-a potted plant. It grows out-of-doors in the South. Fragrant white
-flowers and purple-black berries. In size, Greek Myrtle ranges from
-dwarfs to ten and fifteen feet in height.
-
-   _communis microphylla_--dwarf myrtle--This compact form,
-   with brown twigs and needle-like dark-green leaves, is a
-   favorite for bridal bouquets, corsages, and decorations. It has
-   a lovely white flower of pleasing fragrance. This sentimental
-   association with the marriage ceremony makes it a favorite house
-   plant.
-
-CARE. Partial sun, cool to moderate temperatures, average soil, keep
-moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. House plant, indoor bonsai.
-
-
-=Oxalis= _Oxalidaceae_
-
-Although most of the familiar varieties with clover-type leaves and
-fine-petaled buttercup-like flowers stay within our allotted limits for
-height, they are not miniatures as far as spreading width is concerned.
-But here are two small indispensables for terrariums and dish gardens.
-
-   _hedysaroides rubra_--firefern--Correctly, a tropical
-   shrublet, but slow-growing and willing to be kept down by
-   pinching. The silky thin leaves are deep wine colored and shrink
-   from your touch. The little flowers, like golden twinkling
-   stars, are frequent and fairly plentiful.
-
-   _herrerae (henrei)_--Curious, densely branching succulent
-   for small hanging containers. The sturdy stems are gray-green
-   and swollen, tipped with three thick leaflets. Small yellow
-   flowers in clusters on long stems.
-
-   _martiana aureo-reticulata_--Shamrock leaves of emerald
-   green thickly traced with interlacing veins of gold, easy
-   flowers in loose clusters.
-
-CARE. Cool, loamy garden soil, needs fresh air, bright light, dry side.
-(_O. hedysariodes rubra_ requires more warmth and semishade.)
-
-PROPAGATION. Bulbs, division of roots, seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. House plants, hanging containers.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   _Oxalis hedysaroides rubra_]
-
-
-=Parochetus communis= _Leguminosae_ Shamrock Pea, Blue Oxalis
-
-It’s neither a shamrock nor an oxalis, although it has three-part
-leaves resembling both and is marked with a mahogany quarter-moon in
-the center. But, the blooms are pea-like, all right, with ocean blue
-blending into pink on the two side petals. It’s a tender tropical
-trailer never more than three inches tall with creeping stems rooting
-over the soil.
-
-CARE. Sun, intermediate temperature, average soil.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds in March and April. Division in March.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens in mild climate, baskets, miniature gardens,
-edging.
-
-
-=Pelargonium hortorum= _Geraniaceae_ Geranium
-
-How minute is a miniature? How small is a dwarf? Here is one case where
-I really don’t care. However you classify them, these small-scale
-geraniums are bewitching. And actually, their stature depends largely
-on how you grow them.
-
-Their leaves may be as small as your thumbnail, but they are shaped,
-edged, veined, zoned, and often variegated like their larger
-relatives. In most varieties the size of the flowers has been cut down
-proportionately, but sometimes a cluster is as large as the entire
-plant. With age the stems may become gnarled and twisted, almost
-bonsai-like.
-
-As a sort of yardstick, if you are very much concerned about height,
-miniatures are from two to three inches. Anything above that is a
-semidwarf, usually up to six or seven inches. There are many varieties
-within these limits, and by the time you read this there will most
-likely be dozens more. For the moment, here are some varieties you can
-start on your window sill; they will stay small and meanwhile bloom
-their heads off.
-
-   ‘Black Vesuvius’--Single, orange-scarlet.
-
-   ‘Dopey’--Large rose-red with white center. Free-blooming.
-   Semidwarf.
-
-   ‘Elf’--Dark leaves, zoned red and black, yellow on edge, single.
-
-   ‘Epsilon’--Large flowers light pink with dark-pink phlox eye,
-   semidwarf.
-
-   ‘Fairyland’--Dull-green leaves with cream on the edge, single,
-   touched with rose-red.
-
-   ‘Fairy Tales’--Flouncy white with lilac at the center.
-
-   ‘Fleurette’--Strong robust free-blooming dark salmon. Semidwarf.
-
-   ‘Goblin’--Outstanding blooms bright red. Free-blooming, dark
-   zoned.
-
-   ‘Imp’--Very miniature salmon-pink. Dark foliage.
-
-   ‘Kleiner Liebling’ (‘Little Darling’)--Variegated, single, pink.
-
-   ‘Minx’--Purple-crimson blend, pretty blackish ruffled leaves.
-
-   ‘Mischief’--Orange-red curled and twisted poinsettia-type petals.
-
-   ‘Perky’--Single, red with bright white center.
-
-   ‘Polaris’--Free-blooming white with pink edge. Single.
-
-   ‘Pride’--Very large full rounded salmon. Robust semidwarf.
-
-   ‘Prince Valiant’--Purple-crimson with orange flush. Semidwarf.
-
-   ‘Robin Hood’--Semidwarf, strong growing, dark red. Good for
-   outdoor planting. Double.
-
-   ‘Rosy Dawn’--A different shade of salmon-orange-red. Dark
-   foliage.
-
-   ‘Ruffles’--Semidouble, small, ruffled, light salmon. Very
-   miniature.
-
-   ‘Salmon Comet’--Somewhat shaggy, single, salmon.
-
-   ‘Saturn’--Bright scarlet, good bloomer, dark foliage.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Three dwarf geraniums: ‘Salmon Comet,’ ‘Pride,’ and ‘Pygmy’]
-
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Dwarf geranium, ‘Robin Hood’]
-
-   ‘Small Fortune’--Double, pure white, blushing pink in center.
-
-   ‘Sneezy’--Large bright scarlet with white center. Semidwarf.
-
-   ‘Snow-White’--A pure-white single that blooms and blooms.
-
-   ‘Sparkle’--Free-blooming bright rose-red. Semidwarf, dark
-   foliage.
-
-   ‘Sprite’--Small silvery-and-white leaves sometimes pink-tinged,
-   single, salmon.
-
-   ‘Tiny Tim’--Pink or red, tiny blooms. Miniature foliage.
-
-   ‘Twinkle’--Bright rose-pink, double. Dark foliage, semidwarf.
-
-   ‘Variegated Kleiner Liebling’--Small green-and-white leaves.
-   Small single pink blooms.
-
-CARE. Sun (in winter artificial light), fresh air (air-conditioning if
-possible), cool greenhouse or cool part of dwelling-house, garden soil
-(lime if soil is extra acid), on the dry side.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings, seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Excellent house plant, artificial-light gardens.
-
-
-=Pellaea rotundifolia= _Polypodiaceae_ Button Fern
-
-Take a piece of wiry brown yarn and string it with shiny, dark-green,
-leathery polka dots on either side and you’ll have a model of a frond
-of this tropical fern. The fuzzy stems arch gently but stay close to
-the soil as the small rhizomes slowly creep around. It’s all very
-un-fernlike but exceedingly sweet.
-
-CARE. Intermediate temperature, humid, loamy soil, shade, moist.
-
-
-=Pellionia= _Urticaceae_
-
-Two delicate tropical creepers with attractively colored and patterned
-leaves lined up and lying flat along the thickish stems. No one cares
-whether they produce their drab clusters of small greenish flowers or
-not.
-
-   _pulchra_--Precise oval leaves are dusty blue-gray,
-   with broad lines of black over the network of nerves, violet
-   underneath. Juicy stems look lavender-pink.
-
-   _repens (daveauana)_--Young leaves nearly egg-shaped,
-   metallic copper-green, nearly chartreuse on both sides of the
-   center nerve. Leaves of the mature plants become slimmer and
-   pointed on the end, with more green in the center zone and less
-   copper along the edge.
-
-CARE. Filtered sun, warm and humid, loamy soil, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings, division of rooted stems.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, artificial light, hanging baskets.
-
-
-=Peperomia= _Piperaceae_
-
-Since almost all of these succulents, with their “catkin-like” flower
-spikes, fit within our miniature measurements, I’ve enjoyed picking a
-few to serve as a sample of their modest but much varied appeal. I like
-them, and hope you will also.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Twenty-three varieties of _Pelargonium hortorum_, miniature
-   and dwarf: 1. Fleurette 2. Snow White 3. Dopey 4. Mischief 5.
-   Robin Hood 6. Minx 7. Epsilon 8. Prince Valiant 9. Polaris 10.
-   Saturn 11. Sparkle 12. Kleiner Liebling 13. Small Fortune 14.
-   Goblin 15. Variegated Kleiner Liebling 16. Fairy Tales 17. Rosy
-   Dawn 18. Pride 19. Sneezy 20. Twinkle 21. Ruffled 22. Imp 23.
-   Salmon Comet]
-
-  [Illustration]
-
-   ‘Astrid’--Layer upon layer of glossy green, pointed oval leaves
-   creased down the center by the main vein, making a dense,
-   symmetrical cone-shaped mound. In fact, there are so many tight
-   branches that the leaves can’t always find room to fill out to
-   full size. Then ‘Astrid’ turns into a version called ‘Pixie.’ To
-   reverse the cycle, root a single stem of ‘Pixie’ and see how it
-   returns to being ‘Astrid’ again.
-
-   ‘Caperata’ (‘Little Fantasy’)--One perfect little heart leaf,
-   its end pointing down, perched at the top of a sturdy stem. The
-   entire leaf is so deeply wrinkled and crinkled that the basic
-   Kelly-green looks almost black in the indentations, and silvery
-   on the edges. Its big brother, ‘Emerald Ripple,’ is half again
-   as large but otherwise identical.
-
-   ‘Mamorata’ (‘Silver Heart’)--These heart-leaves taper to a
-   sharper point and are rippled in a much more modest way. There
-   is so much silver on the surface they look plated.
-
-   _metallica_--Upright and branching with slim-oval leaves
-   pointed at both ends and colored chocolate with a coffee luster.
-   There is a wide green stripe straight down the middle.
-
-   _ornata_--Handsome and stately despite its small stature.
-   The cupped, pointed-oval leaves are somber green on top and
-   enlivened with lines of light green along the curved veins.
-   Underneath, the veins become raised ribs and are wine red.
-
-   _prostrata_--Personally, I have my suspicions about
-   this sprightly creeper. When it is young, discontented, or
-   ailing, its fat little button-leaves along the thready stems
-   are a plain light green. It looks so much like the species
-   rotundiflora (nummularifolia) that you can’t tell the two apart.
-   But when prostrata is happy and romping around in its favorite
-   environment, the leaves turn blue-green and wear an ornate
-   embroidery of silver over the veins. Botanically, I’m probably
-   wrong. See what happens when you grow it.
-
-   _rubella_--Rosettes of tiny oval moss-green leaves stand
-   out at intervals up and down the straight stems and all the
-   branches. The undersurface is gaudy red, and so are the stems.
-   Pinch often to keep it bushy.
-
-CARE. Warm, loamy garden soil, filtered sun, dry side. Water
-with care. Drainage to prevent rot.
-
-PROPAGATION. Leaf cuttings, stem cuttings, division of the
-plant or rooting stem (roots at joints), seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Excellent house plant, dish gardens.
-
-
-=Pilea= _Urticaceae_
-
-With one exception, this is a genus of creepers, crisp,
-fleshy--spreaders, and bushlets for dozens of decorative uses indoors
-(and outdoors in tropical climates). Their common characteristics
-are much-branched stems bearing a full measure of variously colored,
-patterned, and shaped foliage, and very greenish flowers in flat
-clusters at the branch tips.
-
-   _cadieri minima_--Dwarf form of the popular aluminium
-   plant, or watermelon pilea, eagerly branching into a plump
-   bush. The quilted deep-green leaves are splotched with
-   aluminium-silver. And the splotches are faintly reminiscent of
-   watermelon markings.
-
-   _depressa_--Crowded stems spill over the pot, bearing round
-   sea-green leaves neatly toothed on the edge. Stems root where
-   they touch the soil.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   _Pilea depressa_--a creeping, dish-garden favorite]
-
-   _involucrata_--panamiga--Fuzzy pointed oval leaves deeply
-   quilted by a tight network of veins, piled pair on pair along
-   branching stems. Foliage colors darkest green in shade, tinges
-   of bronze in bright light. Flowers pinkish, nestled close to the
-   last pair of leaves.
-
-   _microphylla (serpyllifolia)_--artillery plant--Tiny,
-   pointed fresh-green leaves on spreading, somewhat upright
-   branches. The male flowers explode their clouds of pollen when
-   dry.
-
-   _nummulariaefolia_--creeping Charlie--Stem-rooting creeper
-   with crinkled round, or broad heart-shaped, leaves, pale green
-   and fuzzy.
-
-   _pubescens_ (‘Silver Panamiga’)--Oval leaves overlaid with
-   silvery blue, grayish beneath, the veins indented sharply.
-
-   _repens_--blackleaf panamiga--Prostrate and creeping, the
-   branches spreading and bearing nearly round, thin, bronzy leaves
-   lined with violet beneath. This one holds its beady flowers atop
-   tall stems.
-
-   _seripillacea_--Habit like a perfectly proportioned shrub
-   but in most miniature proportions. Small round leaves and
-   plentiful branches, light green and succulent. Flower clusters
-   held out from the foliage by stems.
-
-   ‘Silver Tree’--Copyrighted name for a species with brown-green
-   leaves marked with a broad silver zone on each side of the
-   center vein, corrugated by indented veins.
-
-CARE. Easy, warm, humid, loamy soil with humus, filtered sun, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings, use sharp sand, 65 degrees.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Dish gardens, terrariums.
-
-
-=Polyscias (Aralia) fruticosa= _Araliaceae_
-
-Tropical shrub or tree (eight feet or less) better known in Northern
-greenhouses for its intricately cut, lacy foliage, and growing so
-slowly it is nearly permanent (and unquestionably picturesque) in a
-planter or dish garden. The elegant horticultural variety ‘Elegans’ has
-leaves cut as fine as a feathery plume. I covet the newly named variety
-‘Parsley’ because it is ruffled, to boot, and because its habit is so
-restrained, and its form so compact and plump.
-
-CARE. Warm, needs fresh air, loamy soil, bright light, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings of firm wood, eye-cuttings (over bottom heat).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Dish gardens.
-
-
-=Polystichum tsus-simense= _Polypodiaceae_
-
-Definitely a dwarf fern, keeping its size moderate in a three-inch
-pot but not always a subject for terrariums unless they are a
-larger-than-usual size. It has a tidy habit, always looks clean
-and refreshing. The small fronds are substantial and taper to a
-needle-sharp point.
-
-CARE. No sun, cool, humid, loamy soil, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Divisions, buds, or offsets.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Hanging baskets. Terrariums.
-
-
-=Sansevieria= _Liliaceae_ Snake Plant
-
-Here we have some of the most fortuitous “sports” in the history of
-plants. The tall, stiff, ungainly but omnipresent snake plant has
-produced spontaneously mutant growth that turned into neat, low,
-bird’s-nest miniatures that are really most attractive. First came the
-variety named ‘Hahni,’ a flat spiral of broad leaves tapering to a
-sharp point, dull green marked crosswise with splashy bands of lighter
-green. Another sport, ‘Silver Hahni,’ abandoned most of the crossbands
-and plated its green with pewter. Even more striking is ‘Golden Hahni,’
-with lavish bands of creamy yellow running lengthwise of the leaf on
-either side of a center stripe of mottled green. And to top it all,
-these picturesque plants are just as easy to grow as the rugged species
-from which they sprang. Flowers, whitish or yellowish. Slow-growing.
-
-CARE. Filtered sun, warm, loamy soil, slightly moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division of clumps. Leaf cuttings (three-inch piece in
-sand, shade, and 65-degree temperature). Makes stolon-like buds that
-form the new plants.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Dish gardens. Good house plant.
-
-
-=Sarcococca ruscifolia= _Buxaceae_ Sweet Box
-
-Sweet box is a small, free-branching evergreen with attractive leathery
-leaves, broad at the stem but coming to a point. Has tiny fragrant
-white flowers.
-
-CARE. Intermediate temperature, fresh air, loamy soil, filtered sun,
-moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Dish gardens, indoor bonsai.
-
-
-=Saxifraga sarmentosa= _Saxifragaceae_ Strawberry Begonia or Geranium
-
-One of the few hardy perennials that will thrive indoors the year
-round. Round, hairy silver-veined leaves grow in a rosette from the
-crown, which also sends out slender red stems, strawberry style, with
-new little plants that root and grow wherever they touch soil. In late
-spring the fall stems are topped by cloudlike soft clusters of small
-white flowers. ‘Maroon Beauty’ is slightly darker, and larger.
-
-More miniature, and more tricky, is the variety tricolor, sometimes
-called ‘Magic Carpet,’ with smaller, basically gray-green leaves,
-red-rimmed and variegated with wide areas of creamy white, purple
-underneath. In cool air and sun, the cream is strongly tinted pink.
-
-CARE. Humid, cool, poor soil, dry.
-
-PROPAGATION. Runners.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Dish and sink gardens.
-
-
-=Schizocentron (Heeria, Heterocentron) elegans= _Melastomaceae_ Spanish
-Shawl
-
-Mexican creeping perennial with thickly branched stems rooting at the
-joints, making a plush carpet of tiny, teardrop leaves. In summer the
-one-inch open-faced, royal-purple flowers seem unbelievably large and
-rich. This one is very nice in a small hanging basket, but its natural
-inclination is to creep and it really goes to town when it can cover
-soil or some sort of porous support such as a moss totem pole. It
-should be spectacular covering a hanging ball filled with sphagnum
-moss.
-
-  [Illustration: _Saxifraga sarmentosa_--a hardy perennial
-  good for indoor miniature gardens]
-
-CARE. Intermediate temperature, humid, loamy soil with humus, filtered
-sun, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings, division of rooted stems.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Small baskets, miniature gardens, ground cover.
-
-
-=Selaginella= _Selaginellaceae_
-
-Soft, fluffy foliage plants in all shades of green, including metallic,
-and with all kinds of growth, low and creepy, upright, even climbing.
-They bear more resemblance to each other than they do to their cousins
-the ferns.
-
-   _emmeliana_--sweat plant--As the nickname hints, this ferny
-   plant languishes unless it is “perspiring” in high heat and
-   humidity. In fact, once the fine-lace fronds turn dry and brown,
-   they won’t be fresh and green again.
-
-   _kraussiana browni_--Scotch moss--Soft, symmetrical
-   cushions of bright-green leaves, slowly spreading into larger
-   mounds.
-
-   _kraussiana (denticulata)_--spreading club moss--Branching,
-   rooting, creeping stems thickly set with needlepoint leaves.
-
-   _lepidophylla_--resurrection plant--Antithesis of the sweat
-   plant. When the fan-shaped branches have dried out and curled
-   into a ball, immerse them in water and they will come back fresh
-   and green as ever.
-
-   _martensi_--Young branches stand upright, may drop or creep
-   with age. The variety variegata has eye-catching white splashes,
-   splotches, or tips and supports itself on stiff aerial roots
-   from stems to soil.
-
-   _plumosa_--Foamy creeper with short, branching stems
-   overlapped by foliage of fresh woodsy green.
-
-   _uncinata_--Foliage sparse but shimmering peacock-blue in
-   shade. The running, branching stems have a ludicrous way of
-   sending down stilt-like roots into the soil, so they seem to be
-   running above the soil, not in it.
-
-CARE. Fern culture; warm, humid, humus, shade, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings in pots (several pieces per pot), in spring. Put
-on top of medium and cover with glass at 70 degrees until roots form at
-joints. Spores, division of rooted stems.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, greenhouses, ground cover.
-
-
-=Serissa foetida (japonica)= _Rubiaceae_
-
-A boxwood-like plant with tiny white-margined leaves clustered on
-branchlets. White funnelform flowers to one-half inch long.
-
-CARE. Partial sun, average soil, moderately moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Artificial light, dish gardens, indoor bonsai.
-
-
-=Sinningia pusilla= _Gesneriaceae_
-
-If ever a plant was a miniature, this is it. The tuber is hardly
-as large as a grain of wheat. The soft round leaves, not even a
-quarter-inch across, make a flat rosette on the soil in a thimble,
-or any tiny pot. From the crown arise the thread-thin stems, to the
-great height of one inch. And from the tip of each stem stands a slim
-flaring, tube-like flower, pale orchid with violet veins and lemon in
-the throat. This plant is quite obviously close kin to the familiar
-gloxinia (_G. speciosa_ hybrids), but you almost need a magnifying
-glass to compare the characteristics.
-
-CARE. Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, slightly moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. As for the gesneriads (Gesneriaceae).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, miniature gardens.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Miniature of miniatures, delightful _Sinningia pusilla_]
-
-=Streptocarpus= _Gesneriaceae_
-
-When limited growing space frustrates the hobbyist who admires the
-great, glorious gloxinias (sinningias), here’s a selection of pleasing
-and precious substitutes. In general these plants are distinguished
-by the fact that the flower stems grow out from the base of the leaf
-where it joins its own stem (axil). The flowers are typical gesneriad
-trumpets, usually nodding; the leaves are mostly rather round and
-velvety. The following are fibrous-rooted:
-
-   _hybridus_--Botanical name for groups of hybrids called
-   “as complex as the garden geranium,” with quilted light-green
-   leaves and a wide selection of flower colors. One strain of
-   particularly attractive low plants, the German Weismoor hybrids,
-   has fringed and crested flowers up to four inches across, often
-   contrastingly veined or blotched.
-
-   _rexi_--Long-oval, velvety leaves lie very flat. Six-inch
-   stems hold two-inch funnel-flowers, pale orchid with purple
-   throat.
-
-   _saxorum_--Leafy-stemmed species, the stems branching
-   continually, making dense mounds of plump, one-inch oval leaves
-   curled under on the edge and covered with soft silk-velvet. The
-   lavender-flushed white flowers stand out at the end of wiry
-   three-inch stems.
-
-CARE. Cool, humid, loamy soil with humus, filtered sun.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (plant in early spring for flowers fall and winter),
-leaf cuttings, some offsets.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Artificial light.
-
-
-=Tillandsia= _Bromeliaceae_
-
-There are several entrancing dwarfs and miniatures among these
-tree-perching bromeliads with curved, leathery, often quill-tipped
-leaves. For two of the newly listed species (_T. argentea_ and
-_T. tricolepsis_) I can simply say that the leaf rosettes resemble
-airy, long-bristled cones; they have not yet flowered for me.
-
-   _circinnata_--The silvery leaves, broader at the base,
-   overlap and form an urn-shaped, tuber-like swelling. Tight, flat
-   spikes of glowing-orchid flowers in late winter.
-
-   _ionantha_--Three-inch tuft of pewter-gray leaves turn
-   fiery red at flowering time, January-February. The inflorescence
-   is an incredible paddle-shaped composition of fat, flat, tightly
-   overlapping bracts, and the plant sends out large violet flowers
-   day after day.
-
-   _stricta_--Shaggy “head” of very narrow, every-which-way
-   leaves silvered with finest gray fuzz; short-stemmed spikes with
-   shocking-pink bracts and blue-violet flowers.
-
-CARE. Warm, humid, orchid-growing medium, wire to board with orchid
-peat. Moist during spring and summer. Dry in dark winter months, when
-plant is semidormant.
-
-PROPAGATION. Offshoots.
-
-SPECIAL USES. “Log” gardens, tree slabs.
-
-
-=Tradescantia= _Commelinaceae_ Spiderwort, Inch Plant, Wandering Jew
-
-Most varieties of the inch plants that cheerfully romp all over indoor
-gardens are, of course, too rambunctious to be called miniature. But
-there are two species of much more modest proportions and habit.
-
-   _multiflora_--Unmistakably an inch plant, but with stems
-   more threadlike than succulent; small, slim (even quite thin)
-   leaves plain dark green, tinted purple beneath; and clusters of
-   tiny white winking flowers. The effect is, believe it or not,
-   delicate and “ferny.”
-
-   _navicularis_--China plant--Curious succulent creeper
-   with very thick stems threaded through widely spaced pairs of
-   clasping leaves folded tightly down the center; rose-purple
-   flowers.
-
-CARE. Easy culture, intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy
-soil, filtered sun, dry side.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings of growing shoots, seeds, division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Baskets.
-
-
-
-
-                              _CHAPTER 7_
-
-                           MINIATURE ROSES,
-                            INDOORS AND OUT
-
-
-Men, women, and children; gardeners, nongardeners, and the family
-cat--everyone is captivated by a four-inch rosebush with precise little
-leaves and thorns, studded with button-size buds and flowers, twinkling
-in its pot on the window sill. On her weekly visit the cleaning woman
-checks on its health and welfare. The baby-sitter has her boy friend
-come in to see it. The milkman wants to know where he can get one like
-it for his green-thumbed wife.
-
-But if I had a dime for every eager buyer who has found these midgets
-disappointingly difficult to grow indoors, I could start building
-my dream greenhouse tomorrow. There are simply too many floriferous
-pictures with thimbles to show how cute the flowers are, and too few
-responsible growers who give specific cultural directions with every
-sale.
-
-In the garden there’s no problem. These are by nature outdoor plants,
-mostly sturdier and more winter-hardy than the full-sized hybrid teas
-and floribundas. For some reason, they even seem to be less subject
-to the depredations of insects and disease. I can pick handfuls of
-Japanese beetles from the regulars in the rose garden, but few from the
-miniatures little more than a hundred feet away.
-
-I’m not implying that miniature roses are impossible indoors. One of
-the most perfect blooming bushlets I’ve ever seen came to our flower
-show from a sparsely windowed, steam-heated Brooklyn apartment. I
-simply want to spread the gospel that, to avoid risking disappointment,
-everybody should know what kind of cultural conditions they need.
-
-Potted miniature roses are positively precious in cool, sunny window
-gardens, with rows of matching pots on glass shelves up and down the
-window, or singles or small groups in mixed arrangements on the sill
-or in a window greenhouse. Although they are not the most adaptable
-subjects for growing under artificial light, I’ve known several people
-who have been successful, particularly when the plants were started
-under lights from seed.
-
-In a harmonious decorative container, a flowering miniature rose
-makes a small plant-and-container decoration to inspire the prettiest
-compliments. With suitable environment a tiny bush can be used as a
-center of interest in an indoor model landscape. A small greenhouse
-should hardly be without one of these brightly blooming babies.
-
-Miniature roses have many uses in sink or trough gardens, as single
-specimens, pairs or quadruplets in formal plantings, even hedgerows
-kept carefully trimmed. I don’t know whether anyone has ever tried them
-for miniature bonsai. This would be a process of dwarfing a dwarf;
-and my mental picture of the proper plant, artistically trained, is
-enchanting. I must try this, before long.
-
-Outdoors, miniature roses are delightful in all kinds of
-containers--tubs, strawberry jars, window boxes, and other planters.
-They’re often used as a low hedge to edge a path, driveway, or the beds
-of a formal rose garden, or around the base of a birdbath or sundial.
-In mixed flower borders they’re planted singly or in small groups
-toward the front. In rock gardens they keep most safely cool and moist
-when planted low, near the base of the garden; and they show off most
-effectively with something like a dwarf evergreen as background.
-
-Gardens featuring miniature roses are most often formal in
-design--round, square, rectangular, the beds divided with geometric
-precision by narrow strips of grass or gravel paths. A small, formal
-pool or piece of statuary may be the center of interest. In a sunken
-garden outlined with an eight-inch brick or stone wall, the planting
-pattern is particularly pleasing. In raised beds each individual
-shrublet can be enjoyed at eye level. In a single or double row at the
-base of a low retaining wall, the plants show off to advantage.
-
-Beds of miniature roses can be carefully arranged strips, or groups of
-separate colors, or mixtures. They can be edged with shrubs such as
-dwarf box, perennials such as dwarf lavender, dainty annuals such as
-lobelia or alyssum. In the center a tree or standard is often used as
-accent. Or a bed may be backed by a wall, fence, trellis, or arch on
-which miniature climbers are trained. If the soil is slanted slightly
-up, toward the center, it is easier to see the plump perfection of each
-little bush.
-
-Dwarf evergreens, particularly junipers, are popular backgrounds for
-miniature rose gardens. Upright types with symmetrical pyramid, column,
-or cone shapes are often used as accent--for example, a matching
-specimen of one of the dwarf varieties of _Juniperus communis_ in
-the exact center of each formal bed.
-
-Miniature or not, rose gardens are most often conceived in formal
-design. But to me, the cheerful dwarfs are more friendly when planted
-informally--popping up at the base of a tree stump or boulder, spotted
-here and there in the rock garden, a few at the top of a flight of
-small steps.
-
-
-                       TYPES OF MINIATURE ROSES
-
-The tight buds may be as big as the eraser on a pencil, or as tiny as a
-grain of unpolished rice, and the flowers may be single, semidouble, or
-double. The doubles may be formed like a hybrid tea or be full-petaled
-and fluffy, in clusters like a rambler rose. Some varieties stay very
-dwarf and bushy, from four to six inches tall; others are more robust,
-with larger flowers, and may grow to ten inches.
-
-Climbing miniature roses are usually sports of bush varieties, with
-supple canes four or five feet long that can be trained on low fences,
-walls, trellises, or arches. Otherwise, every part is in perfect
-miniature scale.
-
-All of these types are recognized by fanciers as authentic miniature
-roses because they grow on their own roots. And so is the rare tree
-or standard grown with a single trunk-like stem that is kept free of
-side growth, then pinched at the top to form a crown and symmetrical
-head. But standards that are budded or grafted onto the stems of other
-root stocks (which most of our American miniature tree roses are) are
-excluded by the experts, which is a matter of concern only to the
-serious collector.
-
-
-                       INDOOR PLANTING AND CARE
-
-Since miniature roses seldom spend the summer indoors, they are usually
-purchased in fall or winter from the local florist or greenhouse, or
-by mail from house-plant or miniature-rose specialists. Pot-grown
-plants are most likely to succeed indoors because their roots are not
-disturbed unduly. Except in Hawaii and Arizona, mail-order plants
-arrive with the soil ball complete about the roots, the stems cut back
-to about two inches. They start growth almost immediately, and flower
-within six to eight weeks.
-
-If you have miniature roses in the garden, you can root cuttings in
-early fall and force them into winter bloom indoors. Or you can dig the
-plants, pot them, and give them their necessary dormant rest before you
-bring them indoors for forcing. Sink the pots to the rim in soil, in
-the cold frame or in some spot protected from severe winter weather.
-When the temperature dips low, mulch with salt hay, straw, evergreen
-branches, or the like. In late December or January, after six weeks or
-more of dormancy, lift the pots and bring the plants indoors. Prune
-back the leafless stems and water sparingly until new leaf buds appear.
-
-After they have flowered indoors all winter and spring, I always
-plant my miniature roses out in the garden and let them resume their
-natural outdoor growth cycle. I may root cuttings, or I may bring
-others indoors the following fall; but I have never tried to force a
-plant a second time without letting it live at least one year in the
-garden first. I have heard that some growers (probably city dwellers
-or others who have no outdoor garden facilities) simply let the plants
-rest outside in summer--on a shaded ledge or in a window box with moist
-peat--prune them severely in fall, and grow them again. I haven’t heard
-how many years a plant will take this unnatural treatment or how much
-it suffers from missing its cool fall nap.
-
-
-_Soil_
-
-A fairly heavy potting soil packed quite firmly in the pot seems to
-help keep the plants small without sacrificing foliage or flower.
-One expert recommends a mixture of two parts garden soil, two parts
-humus, one part moderately coarse sand, with a light sprinkling of
-superphosphate or bone meal. When I use my ready-prepared potting soil,
-I always add sand, and sometimes some humusy soil dug from immediately
-under the leaf mold in the woods.
-
-
-_Potting_
-
-I’ve used both clay and plastic pots with equal success, always of
-the shape with the greatest depth, as miniature roses are naturally
-deep-rooted. Each pot has the usual layer of rocks or pebbles in the
-bottom for drainage. Small, newly purchased plants usually start off
-in three-inch pots, are shifted to four-inch pots before they become
-severely root-bound. Some larger varieties may take larger sizes.
-
-
-_Sun_
-
-This is one of the three important cultural requirements. Miniature
-roses must have sun if they are to bloom. A minimum of three hours is
-sometimes set, but I should think this amount would be applicable only
-to midsummer or to mild climates. In winter the plants need all the
-sunshine they can possibly get.
-
-
-_Temperature and Humidity_
-
-Second in importance is a cool 65 degrees or even much lower (maximum,
-70 degrees), and third is the humidity which keeps the plants at their
-best. Leaves curl and dry, buds and flowers drop when the air is hot
-and dry. Miniature roses should not be set anywhere near a heater or
-radiator of any kind. Unless the air in the growing area is really cool
-and moist, set the pots on moist gravel or make some other provision
-for increasing humidity, as outlined on pages 76–77. It even helps
-to cover the plants with a tent of plastic every night, and let them
-emerge only for the day.
-
-
-_Watering_
-
-Keep the soil always moist, never soggy and muddy, never dry and caked.
-As a humidifier and refresher, mist the foliage as often as you can.
-
-
-_Fertilizing_
-
-A balanced soluble house-plant fertilizer (never one with high nitrogen
-content) can be fed in half-strength solution every three weeks
-beginning about three weeks after a freshly potted plant begins active
-growth. Or you can use any special rose food according to directions
-and at half the strength recommended on the package. The idea is to
-encourage the plant to grow and flower, but not stuff it with so much
-nutrition that it gallops gaily up to nondwarf size with leaves only.
-
-
-_Pruning and Grooming_
-
-I seldom prune miniature roses indoors except to cut off cleanly
-any stems that may have been accidentally broken or that may grow
-unattractively long or misshapen. I do try to douse the plants in
-slightly sudsy water, to clean the foliage, every few weeks; and I pick
-off faded flowers promptly. Actually, instead of being in continual
-bloom, these plants usually flower for a few weeks and then take a
-short rest before they send up buds again.
-
-
-_Insects and Disease_
-
-Again, preventive spraying is all I’ve ever done. I use my handy
-house-plant aerosol bomb almost every week. If disaster should strike,
-I’d probably use the special rose spray or dust I use on the regular
-garden roses.
-
-
-                       OUTDOOR PLANTING AND CARE
-
-In all except mild or warmer climates, bare-root plants bought by mail
-from nurseries or garden-rose specialists should be planted in early
-spring, when vigorous root action and growth are beginning. Potted
-plants or any that come complete with a soil ball around the roots
-can be planted almost any time the garden soil is not frozen. But in
-sections where winters are severe, I think spring planting is always
-safest. In fact, in Connecticut I like to give new plants a longer
-growing season their first year by starting them a few weeks early, in
-pots, indoors or in the greenhouse.
-
-
-_Location_
-
-Plant miniature roses where they will get at least half a day of
-summer sun (a full day is best) but where it is possible to keep the
-soil suitably moist. Avoid low, muggy pockets where air does not
-circulate freely or where water can collect and make the soil muddy.
-Good drainage is vital. In cold areas, select a spot sheltered from icy
-winds by a wall or low shrubs.
-
-
-_Soil_
-
-To help keep them dwarf, miniature roses need a fairly heavy soil, but
-not, of course, too clay-like. Dig down at least ten inches, to prepare
-for the deep-growing roots, and improve the soil you remove with
-whatever is needed before you replace it around the plant. Clay-type
-soils will need the addition of sand, for drainage, and leaf mold needs
-rotted or dry cow manure or other humus to lighten the texture. Sandy
-soils need humus to help hold moisture. In even average fertile soil,
-miniatures appreciate an extra ration of humus at planting time.
-
-The ideal soil for miniature roses will pack firmly around the roots,
-yet won’t cake and crack in the sun. It drains perfectly, so excess
-water does not stand around the roots, particularly in winter. Yet
-it holds enough moisture so that the roots don’t dry out so fast you
-can’t keep up with the watering job. Soil should also test neutral
-or slightly acid (_p_H 6.0), never extremely acid. In acid-soil
-areas, apply a light sprinkling of horticultural lime each winter.
-
-
-_Planting_
-
-Plant miniature roses about a half-inch deeper than they were before,
-and far enough apart so that they will have room to spread as wide as
-they will be tall. Crowded plants have no individual beauty, but they
-are prime targets for mildew. If the weather turns sharply cold or dry
-and windy after planting, protect the plants by mounding up soil around
-the stems. Remove it gradually as spring days grow balmier.
-
-
-_Watering_
-
-Miniature roses suffer seriously from drought, and will drop their buds
-and flowers after only a few days of hot, dry weather. Keep the soil
-constantly moist, and spray or mist the foliage once or twice a day.
-A mulch of pebbles, a mixture of half soil and half peat (peat alone
-packs down too heavily), or something similarly porous, will help keep
-the soil cool and moist.
-
-
-_Fertilizing_
-
-Light feedings of organic fertilizers such as bone meal or cow manure
-once a year, in early summer, are usually recommended. Or supply small
-amounts of a balanced garden fertilizer, or special rose food, in late
-spring and again in early July. A weak solution of liquid manure is
-also good and can be fed about twice as often.
-
-
-_Pruning and Training_
-
-In early spring, when new growth is first beginning to show on bush
-types, shorten all stems severely. I usually cut mine back to a uniform
-four inches. And of course, cut out cleanly any dead or mutilated
-branches. Make every cut just above a new shoot or leaf bud. Otherwise,
-pruning is limited to keeping the bushes shapely, removing faded
-flowers, and occasionally thinning the growth of old plants to admit
-air to the center.
-
-Miniature climbers bloom on last year’s wood. They can be cut back to
-six inches when first planted, but are otherwise not pruned except to
-control ungainly canes or remove dead ones. Train the climbing canes
-into an attractive, open pattern as they grow, by tying them to the
-arch, fence, or other support they are to climb on.
-
-Miniature tree roses can be cut back to a small but symmetrical head in
-spring and all dead wood should be removed. To keep them shapely, prune
-as needed during the growing season.
-
-
-_Insects and Disease_
-
-I protect my miniature roses, as I do the others, with an all-purpose
-rose spray or dust applied first when leaves begin to unfold,
-and repeated every week or ten days until the plants go dormant.
-Occasionally, during a long spell of hot, humid weather, I see signs
-that mildew threatens. If the all-purpose spray contains a fungicide
-(which most of them do), I use it immediately. If not, I may resort to
-dusting sulfur (which does mar the beauty of the flowers) or whatever
-sterilant is on hand.
-
-
-_Winter Protection_
-
-What you do to protect miniature roses in winter, or whether you do
-anything at all, depends not only on your climate but also on the
-health of the plants. If they’ve been growing well, they’ll take lots
-of abuse; if they’re weak and ailing, their chances of survival are
-reduced.
-
-Sometimes, a flower pot inverted over the leafless stems is all
-that’s needed. Or you may mulch with salt hay or evergreen boughs.
-In Connecticut we mound up soil so it covers the first three or four
-inches of the stems, and remove it gradually in spring. It is most
-important to make sure that water does not stand around the roots in
-winter, next most important that alternate freezing and thawing don’t
-heave the roots out of the ground and break them.
-
-If they are likely to be whipped by wind or covered with ice, the canes
-of climbing varieties are removed from their support and laid flat on
-the ground, where they can be covered with either soil or mulch. Since
-tree roses are inclined to be touchy, we wrap ours in burlap, with an
-extra layer or two around the graft and crown.
-
-
-                      PROPAGATING MINIATURE ROSES
-
-I’ve grown many miniature roses from seed, and had a lot of fun doing
-it. They usually germinate in about three weeks (best temperature about
-60 degrees), quickly send out tiniest true rose leaves, and are ready
-for transplanting into small pots in another two or three weeks. I
-usually pinch the tip growth at least once, when the plant is about
-five inches tall. The flowers can appear within three months after
-sowing.
-
-Of course, seedling plants are not named varieties. Most of them, in
-fact, have small single flowers in pale shades of pink or white. Your
-chances of double, more brightly colored flowers increase if you can
-get seeds of a good strain.
-
-For new plants of named varieties, take cuttings in August or
-September--three-or four-inch pieces of healthy wood produced in the
-current season. If the stem can be pulled off gently with a sliver of
-the main stem still attached (a heel), rooting may be faster and is
-surer. Dipping the cut ends in hormone rooting powder is also helpful.
-
-Make the moist propagating material firm around the base of the
-cutting, and make sure the air is kept humid in the propagating box or
-plastic tent, or invert a glass jar over the cutting. New growth is the
-signal that roots have formed and the cutting is ready for potting.
-These plants, too, will grow more compact and bushy if the tips are
-pinched out when the stems are about five inches tall.
-
-
-                  NAMED VARIETIES OF MINIATURE ROSES
-
-Although new varieties of this popular plant are constantly being
-introduced, and most likely will have a wide appeal eventually, it
-may be some time before they appear in plant and seed catalogues. In
-compiling this modest list I have thought chiefly of what is available
-at the moment, miniature roses I have either grown, seen in friends’
-gardens, or admired vicariously on the printed pages of magazines,
-books, and booklets. If you are interested, I am sure these bushes are
-readily available. If I am old-hat and you feel avant-garde, there are
-many persons propagating new varieties. Talk to some of them, or try it
-yourself, a most gratifying hobby:
-
-   ‘Baby Bunting’--A delightful, small rose with red flowers of
-   a deep, startling shade. This variety is an inch or so taller
-   than some, but many of my friends think it ideal in that they
-   like to make miniature flower arrangements and appreciate
-   slightly longer stems. Among its other charms, the rose is most
-   delightfully fragrant.
-
-   ‘Baby Crimson’--I’ve never had this one grow taller than six
-   inches. Since I have maternal instinct for the wee ones, I love
-   it. Under the right conditions it will bear tiny crimson flowers
-   and exquisite buds up until frost time.
-
-   ‘Bo-Peep’--This one has a charm in its name, and is one of the
-   more popular miniature roses. It has double pink blooms, forms
-   a bush with a neat conformation, and is another favorite with
-   those who make miniature arrangements. You needn’t worry about
-   cutting its blooms. It is always growing more.
-
-   ‘Cinderella’--This one fits beautifully into the legend
-   about the girl with the glass slipper. It has dainty white
-   blooms touched with pink and is in the true tradition of rose
-   shapeliness. Seemingly, it loves to bloom.
-
-   ‘Granada’--In some listings I find the name spelled ‘Granata.’
-   Regardless of the spelling, I love the bushes I have grown, for
-   the lovely, semidouble, red flowers which the bush bears so
-   profusely. A tiny vase filled with them makes one wish to build
-   a doll house in which to display it.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Days in the life of a miniature rose:
-
-   a. Leafed out]
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   b. A growing bush]
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   c. First bud]
-
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   d. Full bloom]
-
-   ‘Little Princess’--So many of my small roses are either pink
-   or red, I always try to find white ones for contrast. This
-   is a variety I have often depended on. Sometimes the blooms
-   are alone, but then again they may be in clusters. A cluster,
-   snipped from the bush and wrapped in foil, looks very lovely
-   when pinned on a little girl’s pink dress as she leaves for a
-   party.
-
-   ‘Mon Petite’ (sometimes spelled ‘Mon Petit’)--This one is truly
-   petite, not once in a dozen times over five inches tall. But
-   those five inches never seem to stop flowering with cherry-red
-   blooms. And then, to make themselves even more fascinating, they
-   often have a delicate haze of purple.
-
-   ‘Patty Lou’ (patented)--This one is so delicate I imagine its
-   creator must have had some particularly sweet little girl in
-   mind when he named it. In bloom it is a pink bicolor, and it
-   always seems to be blooming. A truly lovely little rose.
-
-   ‘Perle d’Alcanada’ (sometimes spelled ‘Perle d’Alconada’)--May
-   I warn you, this is a real charmer. Being somewhat on the
-   stately side, it may grow to nine inches. It makes a neat and
-   most attractive bush and then comes forth with pink blooms that
-   slowly change to a white pearl-like effect.
-
-   ‘Pixie Gold’--This is another dainty one, a yellow miniature
-   with a lovely soft color to add to its beauty. It is really a
-   miniature, and would consider itself a giant if it topped five
-   inches. It has an attractive bush, but that is only part of it,
-   the blooms follow a perfect pattern from the time they are buds
-   until they are full-blown. It follows all rose traditions.
-
-   ‘Red Imp’--Many persons consider this beauty the most perfect
-   of all miniature roses. Certainly, with its deep-red blooms, it
-   is one of the best known. Such a feeling of affection must be
-   deserved. I think the first miniature I ever owned was a ‘Red
-   Imp.’ If for no other reason, that would make me love it.
-
-   ‘Rosa Oakington Ruby’--Some years back the English Royal
-   Horticultural Society thought so much of this rose they gave it
-   the Award of Merit, and well they might. The blooms are a rich
-   ruby-carmine, are double, and are around all summer. In planting
-   this variety, remember it tends to be an inch or so taller than
-   the wee ones.
-
-   ‘Rosata’--I love this one for its fragrant, pinkish flowers,
-   which also have a touch of salmon. The blooms are delightful
-   when made into corsages or miniature bouquets.
-
-   ‘Rouletti’--This is a great favorite in rock gardens, and in
-   edgings around beds of big roses. It is a true “shorty” and
-   seldom exceeds five inches in height. But the buds, rose-pink,
-   are so exquisite one wishes to put them into a setting for a
-   ring to be worn on the finger.
-
-   ‘Scarlet Gem’--This is what is known as a newcomer among
-   miniature roses. But it has so much charm, I know it will be
-   called an old favorite in the years to come. The flowers are
-   an orange-scarlet, and fairly cover a handsome bush of nice
-   conformation. Remember when setting it out in your garden, it
-   may grow an inch or so taller than some of the others.
-
-   ‘Sunbeam’--From the very name you may guess that this is a
-   yellow rose, literally, a beam from the sun. It is a cheerful
-   little dwarf, and has a tea-rose type of bloom. You’ll love it.
-
-   ‘Sweet Fairy’--This is something out of a book of fairy tales,
-   delicate and fanciful. It has pinkish blooms and a fragrance
-   that will charm you.
-
-   ‘Thumbelina’--Looking at this rose will bring back the memories
-   of that delightful story “Thumbelina” which we all loved as
-   children. As a rose, and not a story, it is semidouble and has
-   lovely red flowers that open from delicately pointed buds. It
-   flowers freely, and the blooms are most enchanting in small
-   vases.
-
-   ‘Wayside’s Garnet’--As I first bought this rose from the
-   catalogue of Wayside Gardens, I’ll let them describe it for
-   you: “... a neat, compact small plant with many perfect,
-   fully-double, garnet-red little flowers. It is a prolific
-   bloomer and a good grower ... much like Oakington Ruby, which is
-   one of its parents. It probably has the brightest, darkest and
-   deepest red to be found among miniature roses.”
-
-   ‘Yellow Miniature’--This is a charming little rose, yellow, with
-   a cheering tint. Many consider it to be the most attractive of
-   all yellow miniatures. I will not argue with them. I’ve always
-   been enchanted with it.
-
-
-
-
-                              _CHAPTER 8_
-
-                        MINIATURE SINK GARDENS
-
-
-Take the concept of dish gardens and model landscapes, but execute it
-with miniature garden plants. Take the outdoor plants of bonsai, but
-don’t dwarf them unduly or train them into unusual shapes. There you
-have the mixture that makes up these specialized miniature gardens,
-called “sink” or “trough” gardens for the old-fashioned stone sinks and
-horse troughs they were planted in when the fad first swept England,
-some thirty years ago.
-
-Now, the old sinks and troughs are practically nonexistent, and the
-name is anachronistic. But I have been totally unable to dream up
-anything better. “Sink garden” is a specific title for a composition
-of plants or a landscape scene in small scale, planted in a sturdy,
-sink-like container, grown outdoors and used in limited ways to
-decorate the garden and grounds. No other phrase seems to define it.
-
-My interest was originally aroused by the books of Anne Ashberry,
-England’s sink-garden specialist, and by the warm affection she has
-for her specialty. But it was not until I began to work with miniature
-plants in our Connecticut gardens--and to find out what a great variety
-is available--that I was inspired to plant a sink garden of my own.
-Originally, I was intrigued; soon, I was fascinated; now, I’m an
-addict. With the flimsiest excuse I’d have so many of them it would
-look as if our grounds had broken out with measles.
-
-These sink gardens are not for big, burly gardeners who like cabbage
-roses and gaudy shrubs. They’re for connoisseurs who appreciate the
-minuscule perfection of a tiny plant, more effectively displayed at eye
-level. They’re for those who grow alpines and other difficult plants
-and find them less finicky under these controlled conditions. They’re
-for gardeners who can’t, or don’t want to, squat in the hot sun for
-hours, weeding or transplanting; who want the pleasure of creating
-gardens, but take the accompanying chores in small doses. And sink
-gardens are for people, like me, who simply find irresistible charm in
-the miniature.
-
-If our grounds were spacious, I’d find a place where I could have a
-collection of sink gardens, set up on pedestals and arranged in neat
-rows, so I could move easily from one to the next with the watering
-can. But they’re probably much more ornamental and distinctive if used
-the way the few we have now are.
-
-Instead of a sundial at a break in the shrubbery border, we have a sink
-garden set on a two-foot column of mellowed brick. Two narrow gardens
-outline the corner of the small patio by the front entrance. A small
-sink garden enlivens a shelf beside the door to the lath house. There’s
-one at the end of an old stone bench.
-
-Or you can display one of these gardens against the wall at the end of
-a garden walk; as a centerpiece on the lawn or terrace; on top of a low
-wall or at the edge of a balcony; in place of an inanimate statue or
-urn. If possible, let the background be light and not bright-colored;
-neutral shades show off the plantings to best advantage.
-
-
-                              CONTAINERS
-
-Picturesque old sinks are obviously not available to us, and any horse
-troughs I’ve seen have been much too monstrous. Miss Ashberry casts her
-own containers of concrete (its porosity is excellent for plants), and
-we can do the same.
-
-Sometimes I think the sinks and troughs look a little heavy in
-relation to the plantings. Certainly they _are_ heavy, and
-almost impossible to move, when filled with soil. But I’ve found a
-goodly number of acceptable substitutes. First, of course, I shopped
-my favorite junk yard and found the round concrete planter and the
-wash-tub lid that served as containers for my first sink gardens. I
-also saw possibilities in a big old butter tub that could be cut down,
-and in a leaky birdbath.
-
-Some of today’s building tiles are perfectly beautiful and, if shallow
-enough, could be fitted with a metal or wooden bottom. They come in all
-sizes, shapes, and colors. Thick, old wood is another possibility. I’m
-thinking of some weathered planks we found at the seashore last summer;
-they’d make a handsome and sturdy container for a wind-blown, woodsy
-garden.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Miniature garden of dwarf evergreens, _Cyclamen neapolitanum_,
-   and tiny trumpet narcissi not yet blooming]
-
-In designing or selecting a container, you have few rules to go by. It
-should be strong and weather-resistant, of course, because it is to be
-placed outdoors. It must have drainage holes in the bottom, so fallen
-rain won’t stand in it. It should be deep enough (six to eight inches)
-to give small trees and plants root-room. And artistically, it should
-be in harmony and proportion with the garden to be planted in it, not
-as a feature in itself, but as a subordinate element in the picture.
-
-Unless a sink garden is to be placed on top of a wall or some other
-existing support, it will probably need a base to hold it two or three
-feet off the ground. This can be made of cement blocks, rustic brick,
-tile, or concrete, according to the design of the container itself.
-
-
-                        PLANTS FOR SINK GARDENS
-
-Unlike bonsai, these plants are not to _be_ dwarfed, they _are_ dwarf
-by nature. Miniature perennials, such as _Calceolaria biflora_, never
-top two inches, nor do some of the tiny narcissus species. Some trees
-have never been known to grow taller than six inches. And if you can’t
-find trees that are small at maturity, you can find many that grow so
-slowly they’ll stay in proper scale (even without pruning) for five
-years or more. There are miniature garden plants of all habits and
-shapes--stiffly erect, tufted, bush-like, sprawling, creeping, hanging,
-climbing--and even pinhead-size water plants for tiny pools.
-
-Actually, there are miniature plants in every horticultural
-category--annuals, biennials, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, trees, aquatic
-plants, and wildlings--and most of them are suitable for sink gardens.
-You have only to select those that are in scale and sympathy with your
-design, and that are culturally compatible, one with the other. You
-can grow many of them from seeds or cuttings. Miniature perennials
-are available in widest variety from growers of alpine and rockery
-plants. Trees and shrubs can be bought by mail from suppliers of small
-plants for bonsai work. Native and aquatic plants are plentiful from
-mail-order wild-flower houses.
-
-
-                              ACCESSORIES
-
-The worst thing you can do with one of these little outdoor gardens
-is to clutter it up with little artificial props such as benches,
-bridges, and old oaken buckets. At all costs, avoid the cute and the
-trite. Practice moderation and the utmost restraint.
-
-One prop--a hand-carved well-head, an alabaster birdbath, a
-lichen-covered rock--is usually plenty for any one garden. If it is
-handsome in its own right, the whole garden may be designed to set it
-off. If it’s a supporting element, play it down and let the plants
-stand out in the picture.
-
-The same is true of streams, pools, walks, walls, and other miniature
-landscape constructions. They’re pretty and they’re fun to make; but
-just one too many can spoil a garden.
-
-Naturally, any accessories and props to be used in a sink garden
-should be sturdy and weather-resistant. And as in any other miniature
-composition, proportion and scale are terribly important.
-
-
-                          THEMES AND DESIGNS
-
-Many of the principles and suggestions for dish gardens and model
-landscapes in Chapter 3 are equally applicable to sink gardens. The
-design needs, first, a basic idea or theme. Will the garden be formal,
-or informal and woodsy, or simply an artistic arrangement of living
-plants with or without a piece of tree stump or rock? Should it be
-built around an important accessory, or will one plant or a group of
-plants be the center of interest? Does the style of the container
-suggest the style of the garden to go in it?
-
-Since a sink garden is usually planned to have some permanency, it is
-particularly important to plan the design in every possible detail and,
-if at all possible, to put the plan on paper--and in proper scale. You
-can tell, before it’s too late, whether a tree will be too large, a
-fence too high or prominent, a grouping of plants too far off balance.
-
-When you plan the planting, keep proportion and perspective clearly in
-mind. If the design is to have formal balance, arrange pairs of trees,
-clipped hedges, straight walks, and other elements with geometric
-precision. If the effect is to be informal, make sure the center of
-interest is off-center, with a large airy area or low planting to
-balance it at the other side.
-
-In crowded plantings the beauty of the form of individual plants is
-lost. Be sure to space them so that they have room to grow without
-becoming entangled with their neighbors. To blend the garden with its
-container, plan to have a creeper or trailer dangling over the edge.
-
-Artistic plant compositions are arranged, like dish gardens, with
-outstanding accent plants, low growers often around the base, usually
-arranged naturally at the base of a rock or around a piece of log or
-stump. Colors and textures of flowers and foliage are contrasted and
-blended as they are in arrangements of cut flowers. Setting the plants
-in the empty container and rearranging them until the best effect is
-achieved may save shifting them about during planting.
-
-All kinds of landscape designs can be re-created, in miniature, in
-sink gardens. And the scenes can change naturally with the seasons
-of the year. One of my informal gardens has a basic arrangement of
-rocks, small evergreens, and ground cover. In spring, miniature
-narcissus species bloom; in summer, tiny annuals such as _Ionopsidium
-acaule_ and perennials such as _Erodium chamaedryoides roseum_;
-in fall, small cyclamen species.
-
-Woodsy wild gardens can also have basic, permanent plantings--seedling
-evergreens, moss, foliage plants such as small ferns, rattlesnake
-plantain, and pipsissewa--through which spring-blooming squirrel corn,
-hepatica, and spring beauty can push up their flowers.
-
-One of the most effective formal-garden designs makes good use of
-miniature roses as a flowering hedge in front of a high wall at the
-back, or as twin specimens on each side of an arch. Other formal
-gardens adapt the designs of the Victorian age, or the Colonial gardens
-of Williamsburg.
-
-Someday I want to try an Oriental garden featuring a bonsai-style dwarf
-tree and planted sparsely, in the Japanese manner, with tiniest shrubs
-and perennials and a ground cover of fine moss or sand, and perhaps a
-curved bridge over a still stream.
-
-With a suitable container you could do an outdoor desert garden. Many
-miniature desert plants are hardy or semihardy and would live through
-the winter with some protection. There are many other possible themes,
-and many types of plants and containers with which to carry them out.
-
-
-                           PLANTING AND CARE
-
-Unless you can control watering (which means keeping the garden out of
-the rain), make sure that the container has plenty of small holes in
-the bottom for drainage. And for extra insurance that drainage will
-be perfect, start out with a layer of pebbles or sand. A covering of
-burlap or sheet moss will keep soil from sifting down into it.
-
-Soil should be light and porous, capable of holding some moisture but
-not too much. The standard recipe of one-third garden loam, one-third
-humus, and one-third sharp sand is a good basic mixture to start with.
-Add extra sand if the plants are succulent-like, extra humus for
-woodsy plants, a sprinkling of lime for plants that dislike acid soil.
-A slow-acting organic fertilizer such as bone meal can be mixed in,
-but in very small amounts. Run the mixture through a coarse sieve, to
-remove stones and debris.
-
-As you place the plants, firm the soil gently around the roots. Don’t
-fill the container so full that the soil is level with the rim; leave
-an inch or so to hold water while it seeps down to the roots below.
-Place the ground-cover plants, and those to dangle over the edge, last.
-Some gardens are finished with a thin mulch of stone chips or sand,
-some with a carpet of moss.
-
-
-_Location_
-
-A sink garden planted in a real trough or sink is a mighty heavy thing,
-once it’s filled with soil and planted; and so may be many others. If
-you can place the empty container in its permanent spot and plant it
-there, you may save someone an aching back.
-
-These gardens are meant to grow out in the open air, but not where
-searing sun and hot dry winds can dry the soil too fast and burn the
-plants. If the plants are all of the type that need sunlight, give them
-only the dappled shade of a high-branched tree or the windbreak and
-slight noonday shade of a low wall. Woodland plants and others that
-like shade can be grown in more protected spots. Naturally, the two
-types are not combined successfully in the same garden.
-
-Don’t place sink gardens where they will receive the drip from eaves
-or an overhanging tree. Don’t set them tight up against a wall. Newly
-planted gardens need some special protection--a cheesecloth tent or
-newspaper on a temporary frame overhead--until plants are well settled
-in their new home.
-
-
-_Watering_
-
-A safe general rule is never to let the soil dry out all the way
-through, never to water so much that it is soggy and sour. For most
-plants, you can scratch into the soil surface with your fingers. If
-it feels moist, don’t water; if it feels dry, do. However, succulent
-plants should be grown drier, boggy plants more constantly moist.
-Frequency of watering depends upon type of plant, size and type of
-container, the soil, the weather--depends, in fact, upon how often each
-individual sink garden needs water.
-
-
-_Fertilizing_
-
-If a fertile soil mixture is used in the first place, and particularly
-if it is enriched with a slow-acting fertilizer such as bone meal, most
-gardens will not need extra feeding for many months after planting,
-often not for the first year. The point is to give the plants just
-enough food to keep them healthy, not enough to make them grow out of
-proportion to the garden.
-
-If you see signs of malnutrition--few, small leaves with poor color;
-failure to bud and flower; sickly, stunted growth--feed quickly but
-lightly. A weak solution of organic food such as fish emulsion or
-liquid manure is usually recommended. Established gardens can take this
-light feeding once in spring when active growth begins, and once or
-twice during the early summer, without outgrowing their bounds.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Rock garden set in an old wash-boiler lid]
-
-
-_Pruning and Grooming_
-
-Pick off all faded flowers promptly, so the plants will not exhaust
-themselves by setting seed. Remove any dried or fallen foliage so it
-will not rot and invite disease. Pinch the growing tips of plants that
-threaten to grow too tall and lanky. Shear hedge plants regularly and
-nip back creepers that spread out too far and strangle other plants.
-Refresh and renew any mulch or moss carpet as needed. In a garden so
-small, the least imperfection seems magnified.
-
-
-_Insects and Disease_
-
-Once a week, all summer long, my sink gardens get a quick treatment
-from an all-purpose aerosol bomb, used according to label directions.
-So far, with one exception (the mysterious plague of “inchworms” we had
-in the spring of 1961), this has kept insects and disease at a safe
-distance.
-
-
-_Winter Care_
-
-In mild or warm climates, sink gardens should not need any special
-protection in winter. But in Connecticut, the deep-freeze is so long
-and severe, I move my gardens to the cold frame. To make sure that
-the soil does not freeze and crack the container, I sometimes sink it
-to the rim in the soil. I’ve also packed salt hay tightly around them
-successfully. Or a garden could be wintered over on an unheated porch.
-
-But most of the hardy plants used in sink gardens should not spend the
-winter indoors or in a warm greenhouse. They must have a cool rest
-period for several months to complete their natural growth cycle.
-
-
-
-
-                              _CHAPTER 9_
-
-                           MINIATURE PLANTS,
-                             BONSAI-STYLE
-
-
-Only in the true Oriental bonsai do art and horticulture combine
-in such an extreme state of perfection--and in miniature to boot.
-Paintings may be as magnificent, but they’re inanimate. Ancient trees
-of the forest may have equal artistic virtue, but they’re not shaped
-by the hand of man. Living bonsai trees, sometimes centuries old,
-become masterpieces because, says Claude Chidamian, “they’re planted in
-philosophy, shaped by art, grown with love.”
-
-If that sounds as if I am awed by bonsai--I am. I would never have
-the talent and patience to prune and shape, trim and train, in minute
-detail year after year, so that every branch, twig, and tiny needle
-or leaf would be perfectly placed and proportioned. Even if I were
-an artist, I doubt that I could create the illusion of grandeur in
-minuscule scale. Nor would I ever dare assume the responsibility for
-caring for these priceless, age-old plants.
-
-But that doesn’t mean that bonsai is beyond me, or any other gardener
-who admires it. Without committing the sacrilege of inept imitation,
-we can have our own version of these miniature trees and make them
-artistic and satisfying in our own way.
-
-The original bonsai trees look old and weather-beaten because they
-_are_ old and weather-beaten. The Japanese adopted this art from
-the Chinese many centuries ago. Our trees in bonsai-style are not
-likely to have that venerable age, but they can have character. They
-can have the lines of trees that have held a precarious footing on the
-side of a rocky slope, have been bent by the wind or twisted by mighty
-storms.
-
-Because every part of it is in perfect proportion to every other part,
-a fine bonsai tree creates an illusion of tremendous size--as if you
-were looking through the wrong end of a telescope to a giant more than
-a hundred years old. Our dwarfed trees can be perfectly proportioned
-and create the same illusion. Although there is no substitute for true
-antiquity, our dwarfed trees can be artistic in their own way without
-pretending to be ancient.
-
-By making some concessions (without desecrating the art) we can take
-suitable trees and turn them into “Orientalized” garden ornaments, and
-do it in one year, not ten. If the pruning and training is done with
-care and artistry, the result will be a bonsai which is a distinguished
-ornament and particularly appropriate for contemporary architecture,
-and also for landscape architecture.
-
-I have seen a bonsai of Sargent’s juniper set beside a garden pool, its
-twisting branches swaying out and over the water, and reflected in it.
-Twin (but not identical) bonsai trees are startlingly effective; for
-example, one on each side at the top of a set of formal steps. Bonsai
-can be used as a center of interest on a patio or terrace to accent an
-entrance, on top of low walls, or against the wall at the end of a path.
-
-Last summer, in our wild garden, my husband dammed up a tiny stream at
-a point where it began to run down a short but rather steep and shaded
-slope. This created a small pool from which the water trickles over
-the dam and drops onto a series of rock ledges below. We planted the
-banks on both sides with ferns, wild ginger, bloodroot, trillium, and
-other wildlings. But something was needed at the top, some small tree
-or shrub that would integrate the dam into the picture and would be in
-harmony with the woodsy surroundings.
-
-We considered all the dwarf, shade-tolerant evergreens our local
-nurseries had to offer, but nothing seemed just right. We scoured our
-woods, but the only low-growing trees (which are mighty few in our
-area) were too straight and erect. The mountain laurels and other
-shrubs with interesting lines would eventually grow too large. So we
-decided to try what, for us, is an experiment.
-
-We found a white pine less than two feet tall with a suggestion of the
-irregular shape we had been looking for. We lifted it carefully, took
-it home, root-pruned it, and planted it in the best bonsai tradition,
-in a sturdy box just large enough to hold the roots but leaving a
-little room to spare around the edge. Then we took the tree to the top
-of the dam and planted it by sinking the box in the soil. After some
-weeks, when the pine showed no sign of ill effects from being moved,
-and was making new growth, we shaped and pruned it, and then wired
-it, bonsai-style, along the lines of the tree we had been hunting for.
-
-  [Illustration: Streptocarpus--this variety is the delightful
-  little Weismoor hybrid.]
-
-With sensible care and winter protection, pruning and root-pruning when
-it threatens to grow too large, and training in the way we think it
-should grow, the little pine will, we hope, mature into a gnarled gnome
-in proportion and harmony with its woodland setting. Of course, we plan
-to provide a new box at root-pruning time before the old one can rot
-and set the dwarfed roots free to roam the soil around it.
-
-
-                   INDOOR BONSAI, HARDY OR SEMIHARDY
-
-The real Japanese bonsai is an outdoor inhabitant, usually one of a
-collection that is brought indoors for display purposes and for only a
-few days at a time. But by using tender plants that want more warmth,
-growers are beginning to create bonsai that can be used decoratively
-indoors the year round. In a shadow box, on a coffee table or special
-stand, even as a table centerpiece they should always be alone and with
-no accessories to detract from their unique style.
-
-Last winter I thoroughly enjoyed starting a collection of indoor
-miniatures, frank copies of Japanese _name_ bonsai, and even
-the wee fingertip _shinto_ type. These are a special challenge
-because to preserve proper proportion, leaves and needles must be extra
-small, and pruning and training are particularly crucial. Water is
-applied with an eyedropper; fertilizer is administered in microscopic
-amounts. To provide protective humidity and warmth, and to help keep
-the small amount of soil in tiny containers from drying out, we rigged
-up plastic-covered quarters on a window sill, with a layer of moist
-vermiculite. Our tray was also improvised from a double layer of
-heavyweight aluminum foil. Now, all but the youngest, and the very
-smallest, miniatures are strong enough to grow on glass shelves outside
-the plastic tent.
-
-Indoor plants, bonsai-style, are more than just tender seedlings, or
-cuttings, kept small in small containers. They are patterned after
-true bonsai, with interesting character, artistic lines, and perfect
-proportion. The mechanics of pruning and training are very much the
-same. But because they are not hardy outdoor growers that resent the
-hot dry air of a house, and because they don’t need annual dormancy,
-they are fascinating indoor ornaments to be lived with and enjoyed the
-year round.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Different types of bonsai trees and containers]
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Bonsai in citrus]
-
-Once we became intrigued with the concept of “indoor bonsai” we found
-so many house and greenhouse plants with picturesque prospects that I
-fear we will never get to try them all. I have seedlings and cuttings
-of all sorts, even including those from a breakfast orange and a
-pomegranate out of the fruit bowl. And, of course, small plants sold by
-mail-order suppliers are just the right size to begin the process of
-dwarfing and shaping.
-
-(_In the list at the end of Chapter 6, plants suitable for indoor
-bonsai use are indicated._)
-
-
-               OUTDOOR PLANTS FOR DWARFING, BONSAI-STYLE
-
-With proper care, any woody plant--any tree, shrub, or vine with
-persisting trunk or stems--can be grown indefinitely in a pot. With
-some skill in pruning branches and roots, it can be permanently
-dwarfed. And with imagination and artistry, it can be trained to
-re-create in miniature one of the majestic pictures of nature. However,
-some plants are more amenable to rigorous dwarfing than others; some
-adapt more willingly to growing in containers; and some are by nature
-more suitable in habit and appearance.
-
-The easiest plants to dwarf are those that are naturally small, or slow
-growing, and those with small leaves or needles, flowers or fruit.
-Proportion is the most important factor. Every element--leaf, twig,
-branch, trunk, root, container--must be in harmony and balance with all
-others.
-
-It’s not impossible to use larger-leaved plants. It’s just a little
-more difficult. Long needles can be cut shorter, for example, but they
-must be kept the proper length. Large leaves can be thinned to relieve
-any feeling of heaviness, and each leaf can be used to represent a
-branch. With some types of deciduous trees--say, maples--the leaves
-that come out first in the spring can be pinched off. The leaves that
-come out to replace them will be smaller.
-
-Almost equally important is the “character” of a dwarfed plant--its
-irregular or fluid lines, illusion of age, unusual aspect of bark
-or twig that make it dramatic and vibrant. Any form of art can be
-dull if it has nothing except perfect proportion to offer. With good
-proportion, plus intriguing line and design, it becomes interesting.
-
-In the original bonsai the artist transplanted a tree he found growing
-in the wild and carefully conserved the misshapen lines made by
-buffeting weather, or he very carefully copied, or re-created, a tree
-he had seen holding a precarious footing high on a rocky ridge and
-perhaps dipping down into a windy gorge. These shapes and forms are now
-the basis for specific classes of bonsai which we can borrow or adapt.
-So the “character” of a plant may suggest that it be trained as if it
-were growing out at a right angle from a rocky slope with its roots
-covering a stone; as a grove, to weep or cascade; or as a gigantic,
-single-trunked forest monarch with pitted, weather-worn bark.
-
-Or perhaps, lightning might have split the trunk, leaving part of it
-jagged and dead. The two trunks may have become entangled with each
-other. Branches may have been blown in one direction so long that they
-bend that way permanently.
-
-
-_Types of Plants_
-
-Any woody plant whose parts are in proper proportion for dwarfing--and
-particularly, any that shows promise of interesting lines or
-“character”--is a good prospect for bonsai. The coniferous evergreens
-are most popular, because they hold their foliage all year, and because
-small-needled types are comparatively plentiful. Small-leaved deciduous
-trees can be at their most attractive best with spring’s budding new
-growth, summer’s airy foliage, fall’s brilliant color, or with the
-silhouette of a naked trunk in winter.
-
-With flowering trees and shrubs the choice of varieties narrows even
-more. Large flowers with brilliant color and overpowering fragrance
-may destroy balance and proportion, and detract from the beauty of
-the plant itself. More delicate plants are more likely to enhance the
-picture. For obvious reasons, plants that bear fruits and berries in
-the proper scale are the hardest to find, and culturally the most
-difficult.
-
-(_For plants that are suitable for outdoor bonsai, see list at the
-end of Chapter 14._)
-
-
-_Sources_
-
-Bonsai becomes a reality faster, of course, when you start with a
-fairly mature plant. The most fruitful source is the selection of
-three-year-old trees and shrubs at your local nursery. Those growing in
-gallon-sized cans, or other containers, naturally accept pruning and
-transplanting with the least setback. They should be healthy plants,
-not overgrown or neglected, that have been regularly root-pruned and
-transplanted through their infancy. It is perfectly safe to buy them
-pot-bound if that condition has not persisted for several seasons, with
-the outer roots all dead as a result.
-
-In selecting a specimen, first examine varieties that are by nature
-slow-growing and have leaves, or needles, in perfect scale. Be
-selective, pass up the symmetrical specimens that are best for ordinary
-landscaping purposes, and look for that one plant in a thousand, the
-one with interesting “character”--peculiarity of shape, irregular
-branches, low horizontal growth, stocky or twisted trunk. The most
-ideal plant has its largest branch near the base, and has no regular or
-opposite branches to be pruned away. Next to above-ground development
-in importance, is the below-ground root system. To be ideal, the root
-system should be a compact, shallow mass rather than one long taproot
-with a few offshoots. To make it even more ideal, the stoutest roots
-should be growing near the surface.
-
-Younger, smaller bonsai plants are readily available from mail-order
-suppliers who specialize in them. Here, make your selection according
-to variety, and then train your plants as you grow them. But beware
-of cheap “bargain offers.” I speak with this advice because of
-the experience of some of my friends. They were too intrigued by
-Sunday-newspaper ads. Buy only from reliable growers who have invested
-time and care in developing healthy plants and, better yet, have
-labeled them true to name. For those who are more interested in the
-finished work of art than in the growing and creating of it, some
-florists and nurseries advertise mature, or nearly mature, bonsai.
-Again may I say, “Beware.” The supplier’s reliability is even more
-important.
-
-Sometimes you can find precious bonsai-type shrubs or trees growing
-in the wild. Small seedlings of hemlock, ash, birch, maple, and some
-elms, if they are dug very carefully--and at just about any time of
-the year--can be used as miniature bonsai, or they can be planted in
-the garden for a few years until they are larger. Usually, the taproot
-has to be cut back rather severely to encourage the development of a
-spreading mass of smaller roots. Start your regular pruning as soon as
-the plant recovers from transplanting shock.
-
-The larger native plants should be taken when they are dormant, in late
-fall or the earliest spring. In searching, look for those that have
-been naturally dwarfed and misshapen by misfortune. In digging, make
-sure the soil is so moist that much of it will cling to the roots. Keep
-the roots moist and well covered against drying sun and winds until the
-transplant is safely in the soil again. For any such wildlings, take
-along enough of the surrounding soil to fill the container into which
-they are going. This will make them feel at home in their new place in
-the garden bed.
-
-Many growers now propagate their own bonsai plants; thus they can
-control shape, root-spread, line, and design from the very beginning.
-Almost all of the propagating methods outlined in Chapter 10 are
-useful here, some especially so. Cuttings of all kinds will produce
-stout-trunked plants much faster than seeds. Plants such as willow,
-holly, ginkgo, and ivy can be started from stems as thick as an
-inch or so in diameter. With cuttings you can have quantities of
-new plants from one parent, all with the same variegations or other
-characteristics.
-
-Either ground or air layering can give you plants that are larger than
-those obtained from cuttings. By selecting a certain branch you can be
-surer of getting the characteristics and shape you want. If your bonsai
-is to be well balanced, select a well-proportioned branch with close
-twiggy growth. By layering you can also correct an unattractive bonsai,
-growing a new one from a plant that has become too tall and gangly, or
-one that has badly formed roots.
-
-Grafting for bonsai plants is not widely practiced because too often
-it leaves a visible scar or some other sign of artificiality, and also
-because there is the danger of undesirable sprouts shooting up from the
-roots. Plants from a graft are generally weaker than cuttings or layers
-which have their own roots. If your plant happens to be a valuable
-one, you can often improve its shape by grafting on new branches where
-they will do the most good; or good branches can be grafted onto
-picturesque, gnarled roots. I have never made a serious effort to graft
-in such cases, but I have seen some good results from the work of other
-growers.
-
-Growing bonsai plants from seed requires infinite patience--as a
-warning, the process takes years. But seedlings, once you have them
-going, and with the healthiest of root systems, will live indefinitely.
-Seeds of bonsai-type plants are available from several growers. Should
-they need special preparation, such as nicking or stratifying, the seed
-packets should say so.
-
-When seedlings have several true leaves and are ready for
-transplanting, cut back the strong taproot (should there be one) by
-at least one-third. This will encourage root-branching. When potting
-seedlings, spread the side roots so they will develop evenly near the
-soil surface. Pruning and training can begin while the plants are
-still quite young. Plant the stem on a slant. Pinch new tip growth for
-development of side branches. Tie straight trunk stems to a bamboo
-cane, or perhaps just a sliver; or otherwise guide the young shrub, or
-tree, toward the lines you have in mind for its mature effect.
-
-
-                           BONSAI CONTAINERS
-
-In no other art form is it more obvious that a subordinate element
-such as a container can make or mar the perfection of a picture. For
-instance, with a painting the frame can have small faults without
-lessening the impression of a masterpiece. But bonsai is so stark that
-a slight imperfection can become a glaring error. So, although the
-container is merely a supporting feature, it becomes only a little less
-important than the center of interest, the plant. It must harmonize
-with the plant, reflect and supplement its beauty, and not detract from
-its leading role.
-
-Imported Japanese bonsai containers of the traditional type, now
-readily available, are usually shallow bowls or dishes of glazed (or
-unglazed) ceramic. They are never glazed on the inside and are usually
-sold in sets of three matched units of graduated size. Contemporary
-American artists and manufacturers are also turning out pans and trays
-made of dull metals, tile, and wood. The wood may be either of a
-natural finish or artistically weathered. For outdoor bonsai, wood must
-necessarily be treated for durability and weather resistance.
-
-For indoor plantings, containers can very often be improvised. I’ve
-used bronze ash trays, wooden salad bowls, shapely plastic dishes
-(shallow), and odds and ends of pottery--anything of the right motif
-in which it is possible to bore, drill, or chip drainage holes on
-the bottom. Many of our modern ceramics are in complete harmony with
-bonsai. But you must have those drainage holes, otherwise your watering
-problems are compounded.
-
-The ideal bonsai containers are seldom ornate; really they shouldn’t
-be. They should have the grace and elegance of “expensive simplicity,”
-which doesn’t mean they are expensive. They just look as though they
-were. Colors are subdued, not bright or showy. As a rule to follow,
-darker and somber shades are used for evergreens, lighter shades for
-flowering plants, the specific choice depending on the color of the
-bloom. In shape and form, bonsai containers are simple and graceful and
-are selected to set off the shape or lines of the plants. Erect trunks
-often take shallow, rectangular containers. Hanging or weeping lines
-call for round containers with more depth. Square or oval containers
-are used for extremely delicate, graceful subjects.
-
-Container size, of course, depends on the plants themselves. As
-a general rule, the smallest and most shallow container that is
-culturally practical, and in good proportion, is the best. In true
-bonsai containers, diameters range from two to twenty-five inches;
-depths, from one to ten inches. The accepted rule for good proportions
-allows the plant to occupy 80 per cent of the picture, the container
-20 per cent. Should you have very small plants the ratio is slightly
-changed--60 per cent for plant, 40 per cent for the container. However,
-these figures should not be considered as hard and fast, but as a guide
-when purchasing containers. Your eye may tell you what is better suited
-for your particular plant or shrub.
-
-
-                           PLANTING AND CARE
-
-Rather specific cultural practices have evolved for dwarfing hardy
-garden plants, trees, and shrubs, and growing them in small containers.
-Tender house and greenhouse plants, dwarfed and grown as indoor bonsai,
-are also potted, pruned, trained, and watered as outlined in this
-chapter. Otherwise, they are grown like the window-garden plants in
-Chapter 1.
-
-
-_Root-pruning_
-
-This is often the first thing you do for a plant that is to be grown
-bonsai-style. It is a procedure that is repeated regularly if your
-plant is to have a long life. Dwarf trees and shrubs are root-pruned so
-they will fit their small containers, or to make room for fresh soil
-when they are repotted, or to keep the root system in balance with the
-growth above soil that is being restricted. Pruning also keeps the
-roots compact, near the surface of the soil, and vigorously young.
-Removing old, woody roots encourages the growth of fine new ones.
-
-When seedlings, rooted cuttings, and small newly purchased or collected
-plants are made ready for their first bonsai containers, they are not
-immediately root-pruned in a severe sense. Any roots that are dead
-should be trimmed off and long taproots should be cut back at least
-one-third. Otherwise, it’s a matter of trimming off the root ball with
-as little disturbance as possible, just enough to fit the container.
-
-After they have been established, plants are root-pruned when they are
-repotted. When roots are crowded and completely cover the soil in a
-close mesh, it’s time to repot and root-prune. For some plants this may
-come once in a year, for others once in five years.
-
-Hold the base of the trunk in one hand--your left hand if you are a
-right-hander. Use a dull-pointed pencil (the Japanese use a chopstick)
-and loosen the soil around the outside. Pick away about one-third of it
-if the plant is established, somewhat more on younger plants. When you
-have finished, the soil ball should be, roughly speaking, one-fourth
-smaller than its container. Then, with sharp scissors, cut away all
-the loose root ends which you have removed from the soil. This is
-rather drastic surgery, although not like removing an arm and a leg
-of a gardener, because the plant or shrub has the happy faculty of
-growing new roots. However, it will need special care and protection
-until it is back on its feet again. Bonsai plants are root-pruned and
-returned to the same container year after year. None of this making
-each container one size larger each time the plant is moved into a new
-house. That’s for house plants per se.
-
-
-_Soil_
-
-Potting soil for dwarfed trees and shrubs is particularly important.
-There is so little of it in small containers. In general, it should
-provide good drainage and aeration while also holding a certain amount
-of moisture. On the specific side, soil contents and textures should
-vary to meet the individual plant’s needs.
-
-If your plant happens to have been dug locally, take along a supply of
-local soil. If you happen to have purloined the plant from a neighbor’s
-woods, purloin a little soil. It’s no more of a sin to have stolen a
-sheep than half a sheep. In our neighborhood it is a standing joke
-about how many plants, flat paving stones, etc., we swipe from each
-other. If you have been honest enough to have bought your plant from a
-nursery, ask their advice on the soil. If they are not smart, although
-most of them are, get the reference book down off the shelf and find
-out whether the plant craves a mixture that is sandy, rich in humus,
-acid or alkaline, fine or coarse. You have a baby on your hands. Treat
-it right and it will award you with adulthood in bonsai. Neglect it and
-it will curl up and die. Mix your soil as you would a baby’s formula.
-Remember, babies cry when the formula is faulty; plants can’t. They
-silently pass away.
-
-
-_Potting and Repotting_
-
-I am frequently asked how often an established tree or shrub should be
-repotted. It depends, first, on how fast it grows. A willow may need
-this attention twice a year, a conifer once in five years. A general
-rule is to repot flowering and fruiting plants about once a year,
-most deciduous varieties every other year, evergreens every three to
-five years. But don’t follow that schedule too literally. If a tree
-begins to wither or look weak, if its color turns sickly and it shows
-no sign of growth, if its roots are so packed they hump up the soil,
-root-pruning and repotting are often the “shot in the arm” that can
-save it.
-
-The most favorable repotting seasons vary with types of plants and the
-climate. Again, it’s a good idea to consult some authority or reference
-book. In general, and in most areas, it is safe to repot evergreens,
-deciduous foliage varieties, and summer-or fall-flowering types in
-early spring before new growth begins. As for spring-flowering plants,
-repot immediately after flowering; for fruiting types, in early autumn
-before cold weather sets in.
-
-As a side light, it is possible to use watertight containers minus
-drainage holes. That is rather desirable when a plant is to be
-displayed on finely finished furniture in the house. The container
-should be a shade larger than usual so that, in potting, a corner area
-or space along the side can be left empty and the soil sloped down
-toward it. If there is any standing water it will show up in this
-section. Just up-end the container and drain off the excess water.
-In the process make sure that the plant is not also drained off or
-disturbed. But that you will know from plain common sense.
-
-If a pot has drainage holes, I always make sure they are partially
-covered with crockery or aluminum window screen so the soil will not
-sift down and clog the holes. To insure even better drainage, I screen
-the first layer so that it is coarse and granular, put a little soil
-on top, and then set the plant in place. In oblong or oval containers,
-the trunk is usually one-third of the distance from the end and a
-little behind the center line. Of course, that depends on the shape of
-the containers. In round or square containers, the plant is usually
-centered.
-
-When planting, fill in the soil gradually. Use a pencil, or if you have
-the true Oriental feeling, a chopstick, to tuck the soil in tightly
-around the roots. Whatever you use, be sure to eliminate any pockets of
-air. Roots don’t like it. As to how tightly you pack it, that depends
-on the type of plant and the texture of the soil. If your soil is
-built up around the edges and sloped toward the center, you will have
-a depression that will hold water until it can seep down to the roots
-below. Unless you have some particular plan or design, finish off the
-surface with a ground cover of moss, or perhaps a layer of gravel. Moss
-is not only an added attraction but functions as a mulch and delays the
-evaporation of moisture from the soil underneath.
-
-After repotting, soak the soil thoroughly, and soak the container,
-which is probably dried out. Mist the foliage and remove any debris
-such as fallen leaves and petals. Then keep the plant sheltered for
-several weeks until it is re-established. Remember, it has had what a
-human being would regard as a major operation.
-
-Some of the most appealing bonsai plants are grown with their roots
-around a rock of interesting and harmonious size, shape, color, and
-texture. Soft, porous tufa is especially good for this purpose because
-you can cut and shape it easily. You can hollow out cavities and
-crevices, just the place for roots to grow. Any rock should have a
-stable base. Please don’t let it tip or wobble.
-
-For this sort of planting, select a healthy plant in vigorous growth
-with roots long enough to reach down the side of the stone. Prune
-away any roots that are too short or dead, and remove the soil from
-the others. Set the base of the trunk in place on top of the rock and
-arrange the roots so that the tips reach down and can be buried in the
-soil in the container. Both roots and plant may need to be anchored in
-place for a while; that is, until they can stand on their own.
-
-Such plants naturally need special watering and protection for the
-first few months, perhaps even for a year or so. You can help them
-along by rubbing soil into the roots after they are fastened in place,
-or covering them temporarily with a thin layer of moist moss. Should
-you do any repotting, be careful not to loosen the roots on the rock.
-
-Recently, in the home of one of my Redding neighbors, I saw a bonsai
-arrangement that pretty much follows what I have been describing above,
-except that it goes it one better. This gardener, in the search for
-the “right” rock, had walked miles along the stone fences that divide
-fields, woods, and properties in our area. Eventually she found a
-beautifully weathered specimen with a large pocket in the top. This
-she filled with a rich, moisture-holding soil mixture, encasing some
-of the roots of her bonsai in it. Then she set the rock in water in a
-shallow container to help keep it moist. Someday I am going to defy the
-snakes that are said to lurk in the cracks and crevices of our rock
-walls and see if I can’t find something to approximate what my neighbor
-discovered. I hope it will have a few lichens on it. That would be a
-crowning touch of age and antiquity.
-
-
-_Shaping and Pruning_
-
-These are the techniques, says one author, that “make bonsai culture
-an art.” That statement alone is sufficient reason to invalidate
-just about all of the specific rules. But there are others--the wide
-variations among plants and types of plants, plus the personal element,
-the variances in personal tastes and degrees of artistry.
-
-Instead of trying to cover bonsai pruning and wiring in complete detail
-(there are many excellent books on the subject), I’d rather speak from
-personal experience and set down the basic principles as I see them and
-have used them. By following these principles--not word for word, or
-too literally, but with your own creative ingenuity and imagination--I
-feel you can shape a true bonsai plant, or adaptations in the bonsai
-manner.
-
-First, let’s define the objective--a miniature tree or shrub with
-every part in perfect scale, the line and design of trunk and branches
-clearly outlined and not forced or distorted but naturally picturesque.
-If you start with a very small plant, a seedling, or a rooted cutting,
-the choice of shape and design is mostly up to you. But more mature
-plants almost always suggest their own form. A trunk may be slightly
-twisted, a branch slightly bent, the leaves or needles heavier in one
-area than another. You simply carry on the illusion in as natural a
-manner as possible.
-
-In pruning, the first step is to remove all weak or dead wood, and
-any unwanted branches that cross unattractively or perhaps go off in
-the wrong direction. Then, you decide whether more branches should be
-pruned away--to reveal the basic form of the tree in general or the
-trunk in particular; to lighten the over-all effect; to help create
-the desired symmetrical or asymmetrical shape. If the plant has been
-root-pruned, the top should be pruned proportionally. Top growth and
-roots should always be kept in balance. Growing tips are pinched or cut
-back to encourage the development of side shoots, or merely to keep the
-plant in dwarf proportions.
-
-From here on, pruning depends on the plant and the planned design.
-Slow-growing types may need trimming only once a year; others need
-constant attention. Any undesirable or excess growth is best removed
-while the plant is still young so the operation won’t leave an
-unsightly scar. Needles that are too long can be cut down to proper
-size from time to time. Leaves that are too large and heavy can be
-severely thinned. Because fruit that is too plentiful can weaken a
-dwarfed tree severely, some of it should be removed.
-
-At repotting time you may find a few roots immediately under the soil
-surface that have enlarged to such a good size they can be exposed
-above the soil. If possible, spread them out slightly so they form a
-swelling base for the trunk. This is fun, but takes a bit of doing.
-You don’t want to end up with something that resembles an unanchored
-telegraph pole with leaves at the top.
-
-Stems, branches, and trunks are trained by wiring them and then bending
-them along the lines you desire. Wiring is best done in the spring. New
-growth is just starting and the older woody parts are more supple and
-pliant. If the soil is left dry a few days before wiring, the wood will
-be even easier to work with. You can use ordinary galvanized wire. If
-you happen to have only copper wire, try annealing it. Hold it in a
-fire and then plunge it into cold water. The weight and strength of the
-wire will depend on the size of the trunk or branch with which you are
-working. Be careful not to get a wire that is so stiff you can’t bend
-it easily.
-
-As to the actual process, first fasten one end of the wire. Perhaps
-you wrap it around the trunk, or better still, stick it deeply into
-the soil. Next coil it rather loosely around the branch that is being
-trained and fasten it again at the end. Now, using both hands, bend
-the wired branch in the direction you want it to go. Be firm, but be
-gentle and cautious. Ease up if the branch shows signs of breaking or
-being injured. Don’t hurry the job. If necessary, only bend it a little
-the first time. Bend it a little more the next week, and the weeks
-after that. If you are tempted to rush, stop and think of the bonsai
-creations you have seen on display at flowers shows. Usually you will
-have seen a card that says the creation is fifty or more years old.
-Be especially careful with old hardened growth or plants with tender
-bark that is easily bruised or broken. Most important, once you start
-to bend a branch, don’t change your mind and try to bend it back the
-original way. It will almost surely die. Plan before you act.
-
-Depending on the type and age of the plant, wires may be left in place
-for six months, a year, or even more. However, watch carefully for
-signs that the plant is being choked or disfigured due to heavy growth.
-
-There are also some easy ways to train parts of plants without wiring
-them. Branches can be pulled down to a horizontal line by looping soft
-cord around them and hitching it to the container. They can be made
-to hang down, or weep, by hanging weights at the tips. If you want to
-straighten a trunk, tie it with something strong, like raffia, to a
-straight bamboo stake. To narrow a wide fork between two branches, pull
-them together with raffia. To widen a fork, prop it apart with a light
-wooden wedge.
-
-
-_Location_
-
-Whether you have a collection of bonsai growing on tables or benches,
-or perhaps just a few plants, in summer give them outdoor growing
-quarters where there is a free circulation of air. Full sunlight
-is good except during the hottest weeks or months. Be careful to
-protect them against hot, drying winds and burning sun, which they
-cannot stand. Being in small containers, excessive heat or dryness is
-dangerous. We had some old bamboo shades that once enclosed our porch
-which were good protection. We also had some lath screens which came
-in handy. Lacking either, hang up old sheets or sections of burlap. You
-can help by keeping it moist with the garden hose.
-
-
-_Watering_
-
-Many factors determine how often your plants should be watered--age,
-type, size, how recently they were repotted, size of root system, and
-the usual climatic conditions such as temperature and humidity. About
-the only concrete thing I can say is that your plants will resent
-neglect, and will show it. Newly potted plants should be kept moist
-constantly until they begin to make new growth or show other signs
-that they have recovered from pruning and transplanting. For plants
-that are established, the ideal is limited moisture in the soil. Don’t
-keep it so wet that rank growth is encouraged. And please beware of
-rot. That is one of the most evil of evils when you are too generous
-with the watering can. At the other extreme, the soil shouldn’t be so
-dry that the plant wilts beyond recovery. You, as a grower, will have
-to determine this for yourself. I do it by feeling the soil in the
-container. If it feels moist to the fingers, no water is needed. Let it
-feel dry and it probably needs a drink. When you do water, be thorough.
-Make sure the soil is so completely moistened that the excess water
-runs out the drainage hole in the bottom of the container.
-
-
-_Fertilizing_
-
-There is a definite, delicate balance between too much and too little
-fertilizer for a bonsai plant. Too much food and it grows too large and
-is loaded with large foliage, flowers, and fruit. If you feed it too
-sparingly, it will suffer from malnutrition. I most certainly wish I
-could give you an exact rule to use. I fear no one can. Requirements
-differ for different plants. All I can offer is a few basic principles.
-The rest is up to you.
-
-For the first few months after you have repotted a plant in fresh
-soil, withhold all fertilizer. Don’t fertilize a plant that is weak or
-sick or approaching dormancy, and don’t fertilize when the soil in the
-pot is dry. Be alert to fading leaf color, reluctant growth, and all
-similar signs that a plant is suffering for want of nutrients. These
-signs may be most apparent during the spring season of most active
-growth.
-
-Organic fertilizers such as bone meal, liquid manure, or fish emulsion
-are usually recommended, and should be used sparingly in weak
-solutions. The purpose of this feeding is to keep the plant healthy but
-still small, and not to encourage larger growth.
-
-
-_Insects and Disease_
-
-My bonsai plants are much too precious to take chances with any sort
-of infection or insect infestation. As a preventative, I use an
-all-purpose aerosol bomb regularly, according to directions on the
-label. Constantly I keep a sharp eye for any signs of trouble. Thank
-goodness, up to now I have had no serious threats, but should they
-come along, there is a remedy I have used on other plants. I would dip
-them, container and all, in an appropriate solution, thus making sure
-it would penetrate every crevice and cover every surface. For outdoor
-bonsai and the problems most likely to beset plants while in their
-summer quarters, I have elsewhere discussed insects and diseases of
-trees and shrubs. Those general principles also apply to bonsai.
-
-
-_Winter Care_
-
-In areas where freezing temperatures are the rule or, as here in
-Connecticut, where temperatures are much lower, dwarfed potted trees
-and shrubs should spend the winter where the soil in the small
-containers will not freeze. We have a tight cold frame where we plunge
-the pots into the soil, then cover everything with straw and salt hay.
-Those who happen to have an unheated porch, one that is glassed in, but
-where the temperature does not go below freezing, have a good winter
-quarters. But, be careful, don’t let the soil in the containers dry out
-completely. Keep a watchful eye.
-
-After that warning, may I offer another. Please don’t coddle plants by
-keeping them warm in the house or greenhouse. A cool period of complete
-rest is often very beneficial, or even a touch of frost.
-
-
-
-
-                             _CHAPTER 10_
-
-                           MINIATURE GARDENS
-                           IN THE LANDSCAPE
-
-
-A picturesque surprise on a gently sloping, sunny bank could be a
-wind-blown mugho pine beside an outcropping rock that’s lightly draped
-by a sprawling cotoneaster, with colorful sempervivums clustered at
-the base. Or in the light shade at the base of a clump of white-barked
-birches, there could be a group of dwarf rhododendrons displayed
-against dark, humus-rich soil or a pine-needle mulch. On a patio or
-terrace, it could be a contemporary grouping of low, fluffy juniper,
-perennial lavender, and water-polished rocks.
-
-These are miniature gardens--not complete landscaping plans for small
-properties, but appealing plantings that often pop up in unexpected
-places and bring beauty into otherwise unusable or undecorated areas.
-They’re gardens because, by definition, they are groups of plants
-that achieve an effect a single plant could not create alone. They’re
-miniature gardens because they occupy small space, and because most
-of their plants are of miniature proportions. Properly designed and
-executed, they’re equally effective in large grounds or small, with
-contemporary suburban homes, in informal settings, and even on estates
-with traditionally formal landscapes.
-
-There’s a special enchantment in these miniature gardens. The eye is
-attracted by their modesty and restraint, and by the utterly natural
-way they seem to suit the scene. Each plant is seen intimately, in
-close-up; its character is revealed in each small detail. And in these
-gardens the creator can express his individuality so easily; seldom
-does a design even resemble the one next door.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Miniature white poppies featured in a tiny garden beside an
-   outcropping of rock]
-
-Part of the appeal, of course, lies in the charm of miniature
-plants--tiny annuals and perennials, small or slow-growing evergreen
-and deciduous trees and shrubs, available in amazingly wide variety
-if you take the trouble to find them. There are also frequent
-opportunities to use inert objects with special effect. Small
-gardens can be designed as settings for works of art or products of
-the hand-craftsman--ceramic bowls and urns, authentic wrought-iron
-grilles, wood carvings, statuary, sundials, pools, even fountains
-and waterfalls. Or a garden may be designed with a background of
-well-placed rock, a tree stump, or a piece of driftwood. A bench, arch,
-gate, antique hitching post, or well-house may inspire a miniature
-planting. Inanimate ground covers such as gravel are often a definite
-part of the design.
-
-In some ways miniature gardens are easier to design than, for example,
-standard items such as flower beds and foundation plantings. It’s
-easier to achieve originality. Mistakes are usually small and easily
-corrected. On the other hand, really good design is more critical than
-in large plantings where space can swallow errors and provide lucky
-effects. In miniature, even a minor defect shows up immediately, and
-may be a major calamity.
-
-
-                      DESIGNING MINIATURE GARDENS
-
-The first and basic requisite is an idea the garden is to express,
-a theme for the picture it is to create. The objective may be to
-embellish some neglected nook, disguise an unattractive corner, feature
-an unusual plant or art object, soften the lines of a small pool and
-blend it with its surroundings. Once the goal is set, it is pursued
-without deviation. For example, a featured plant is kept dominant--not
-necessarily in size, but always in visual importance--and everything
-else is subordinate. A pool planting does not become so elaborate that
-the beauty of mirrored reflections or rippling water is lost.
-
-In both conception and execution the design for a miniature garden
-should be in harmony with its surroundings. Nearby buildings may call
-for certain harmonious lines and proportions. Land contours, and
-constructions such as walls and steps, may dictate size and shape. The
-architecture of a house and its landscape has a style that should not
-be violated.
-
-Our Connecticut landscape demands informal or naturalistic design in
-no uncertain terms. Straight lines and formal geometric shapes would
-be not only out of place, but practically impossible to achieve. The
-land’s slopes and rises call for beds with flowering curves. Points
-of interest such as massive lichen-trimmed boulders, gnarled old
-trees, or a winding stream are sublimely situated by nature’s unerring
-instinct for what looks right. We’ve merely cleaned them up and made
-the most of them.
-
-For not-too-modern houses built on regularly shaped, level lots, some
-sort of formal design is easier to achieve and much more suitable. In
-the traditional style, elements of equal size and weight balance each
-other. There is strict adherence to a predetermined pattern. Identical
-beds may make a formal dooryard garden, for example; matching groups of
-plants may ornament opposite sides of a gateway.
-
-For houses of contemporary architectural style there are gardens
-of contemporary design, often featuring paved areas and patterns
-with distinct angles and curves. Plantings are based on the tone,
-texture, and form of the plants themselves. The object of interest is
-off-center, balanced by a larger area of subdued importance.
-
-Miniature gardens should be not only in harmony with the style of the
-surroundings, but also in proper proportion. A birdbath with miniature
-roses planted underneath can look lost in the center of a spacious
-lawn, but could be in correct scale for a niche or arch in a brick wall.
-
-Simplicity is extremely important. The smaller the space, the faster
-it will take on a spotty, cluttered look when crammed with too many
-different plants. The smaller the space and the plants, the more
-care and thought should be given to combining various types, forms,
-textures, and colors for best effect.
-
-In addition to aesthetic principles, there are practical aspects to
-designing miniature gardens. Any site should be checked for cultural
-and environmental conditions that favor healthy plant growth. Is a wall
-so high it throws too much shade for sun-loving plants? Is an area too
-exposed in winter for questionably hardy plants? Is the spot so low
-that water collects and stands in the soil, making it suitable only for
-bog plants?
-
-Think of the work of maintenance, too. Use ground covers instead
-of lawn in areas so small you can’t move a mower around. Avoid
-fast-growing plants that need constant trimming and pruning. Don’t use
-plants that require a lot of protective spraying or dusting unless you
-have time to keep up with the job. A healthy dwarf barberry is more
-attractive than a neglected, sickly rose.
-
-
-                 MINIATURE BEDS, BORDERS, AND ISLANDS
-
-There are a number of ways to use small-scale versions of the
-familiar mixed-flower border. Annuals and perennials can be selected
-for continuity or succession of bloom, and arranged so that colors
-harmonize, textures contrast, and carefully placed taller spikes or
-spires provide accent and relieve monotony. In the background there may
-be dwarf evergreens or flowering shrubs, a low fence or wall, the side
-of a tool house or other small building.
-
-Use miniature flower borders to add interest to tiresome areas such as
-long, narrow strips between the house and boundary line of the lot, or
-along a service walk. Use them at the edge or in corners of small lawn
-areas--never scattered through it--or at the base of low foundation
-plantings. Use them as visual space dividers between driveway and front
-yard or entrance to the house.
-
-Miniature beds are also effective at one side of a breezeway, at the
-edge of a terrace or patio, or beside the back door. If they are raised
-slightly, perhaps the height of just one brick, the small plants are
-nearer to eye-level and their full beauty is more clearly revealed.
-I’ve also seen a tiny cutting garden, by the back fence, that was as
-colorful and pretty as any border.
-
-Whenever there are walks, there are spots for miniature beds--in the
-diamond-shaped points where two walks join; as little islands along the
-curves; in the angles where corners turn. Or use small formal beds for
-dooryard plantings.
-
-The intimate dooryard garden, by the way, is enjoying a revival.
-Instead of advice to keep flowering plants away from the front of the
-house, we’re encouraged to plant little gardens that can be seen from
-the picture window and also will make the house more attractive to
-passers-by. These don’t replace foundation plantings and front-yard
-landscaping, but supplement them in a small way. And the small gardens
-help relieve the monotonous sameness of many modern house fronts.
-
-All kinds of corners are obvious sites for ornamental treatment with
-tiny gardens--architectural corners between front entrance and house
-wall, between one wing of the house and another; the back corner of
-a lot where, perhaps, a small tree is a focal point or background or
-where, if you’re fortunate, a small stream winds its way across your
-property.
-
-On almost any grounds there are natural nooks that seem to be made for
-miniature gardens up and down the sides of informal steps, at the top
-or base of low walls, in a patch of soil at the foot of a high-branched
-tree.
-
-Landscape or architectural focal points can often be enhanced by little
-gardens--gates, bay windows, sundials, the mailbox, a birdbath, or a
-well. Little pocket-handkerchief gardens are built right into patios
-and terraces. Little creepers planted in crevices between paving stones
-make a miniature garden of their own.
-
-
-
-
-                             _CHAPTER 11_
-
-                          MINIATURE ROCK AND
-                             WALL GARDENS
-
-
-Anyone who can live and garden in a place like our part of Connecticut
-without going overboard for rocks and rock-loving plants has more
-self-control than I. My bewitchment began one Sunday afternoon when,
-the weekend’s weeding done, I strolled up toward the small wild-flower
-plantings in “the point.” Just beyond the garage, before the trees
-began to cut off the sun, I stopped to glare at an ugly, erupting mound
-of soil and stones that had frustrated our every attempt to make this
-area more attractive.
-
-I was pondering the monstrosity, when I noticed an intriguing detail. A
-partly submerged rock poking its head out of one side of the mound had
-the same color and patina as a snub-nosed piece sticking out the other
-side; and the lines of stratification were on the same slant. Could
-these be opposite ends of one continuous rock formation?
-
-Five wheelbarrow-loads of rocky debris later, we had uncovered a
-beautiful boulder, perfectly placed so that its lines led gracefully
-into twin trunks of a wind-blown birch. It was a boulder with ancient
-age and character, artistically chiseled by the elements. And it said
-“rock garden” as plainly as any landscape plan.
-
-This five-foot-long discovery may not be miniature; and the
-naturalistic kind of planting it inspired is neither practical nor
-suitable for many home grounds. But it was my introduction to rock
-plants, and to how effectively rocks and plants combine; and it led
-me to create and watch for rock gardens that _are_ miniature,
-practical, and suitable for all kinds of grounds. Sometimes I think
-these are the most enchanting little gardens of all.
-
-If they are to look like anything better than a pile of stones,
-miniature rock and wall gardens are not composed of miniature rocks.
-They simply contain fewer, perhaps somewhat smaller, rocks than average
-gardens; and they occupy far less space. These small plant-and-rock
-compositions brighten nooks and corners where other plantings would
-seem out of place.
-
-By their nature, most rockery plants are miniature in height, foliage,
-and flower. Alone or combined with miniature bulbs, the smaller
-perennials and annuals, and the tiniest shrubs and trees, they invite
-close-up enjoyment of their daintiness in these small plantings. Rocks
-and rock-loving plants have a perfectly natural way of blending and
-contrasting, each bringing out the best qualities in the other.
-
-Although they’re of different design and construction, rock gardens
-and dry walls are usually planted with the same or similar plants, and
-given similar care. Paths, pavements, and garden steps are close kin.
-But pools and water plants, even though they are often included in rock
-gardens, are a separate subject, and are covered in Chapter 12.
-
-
-                      ROCK-AND WALL-GARDEN DESIGN
-
-“Cemetery,” “penitentiary rock pile,” “collection of geological
-specimens”--these and other unflattering phrases have been used
-to describe what a rock garden should not be. This eliminates the
-artificial rock-studded circle in the center of a lawn, rocky slopes
-with nothing to back them up, isolated paths and steps that have
-nowhere to go, stone-stuffed piles of loam with no conceivable excuse
-for being where they are.
-
-What a rock garden should be, is an integral part of the landscape,
-completely at home and in harmony with its surroundings, and having a
-sound reason for its existence. Except for a few functional affairs
-such as walls that retain terraces and steps that climb banks, their
-purpose is mainly ornamental. Neither rocks nor plants are featured at
-the expense of the other. Both work together to create the picture--the
-plants to add brightness, vitality, and life; the rocks to help provide
-favorable growing conditions and a naturally suitable background for
-their display.
-
-Designs for these gardens can be, as for others in the landscape,
-formal or informal. The fixed geometry of walks, walls, and raised
-beds in formal pattern are seen less frequently. But this is a type of
-rock garden that might be placed advantageously in even the flattest,
-barest suburban lot where naturalistic plantings and rocks look out of
-place. If you long for a rock garden, try something like this in either
-classic or contemporary style.
-
-Informal rock gardens must, above all else, look convincingly natural,
-as if the glaciers might have placed them. This is equally important
-to a cluster of bulbs at the base of a single, half-sunken boulder;
-the arrangement of rocks and plants on a small slope; or the series of
-rocks that line a winding path. Builders of ambitious rock gardens are
-often advised to study the nearby countryside and use it as a guide.
-
-
-_Designs for Naturally Uneven, Rocky Land_
-
-This type of terrain makes a natural setting for rock and wall gardens
-of all sizes, shapes, and contours. Generally, the design is informal
-and naturalistic. I don’t know whether it’s really easier to work
-out such designs in miniature, or whether I merely think it’s easier
-because that’s the kind of land I have to work with. So far, we’ve
-never disagreed with Nature about the placement of a rock outcropping,
-for example. The few we’ve uncovered and cleaned up have almost told us
-what and how to plant.
-
-A small existing slope or bank is a perfect site for a composition of
-rocks and rockery plants, or, if you prefer, a retaining wall between
-the two levels with plants grouped at the bottom or top, or planted
-horizontally in the cracks. Or consider a series of ledges that create
-small, irregular terraces.
-
-A slope or grade may be the perfect place for informal stone steps,
-with, of course, a path leading up to them and away. Colonies of
-small plants look well on either side, with, perhaps, very miniature
-evergreens at both sides at the top. Cracks in the steps and a walk can
-be planted with small carpeters.
-
-If you possess a small stream, gulch, or ravine, by all means consider
-a little rock garden along either side. If you’re fond of a gnarled
-old stump, see what a few rocks and plants might do at its foot. Where
-your driveway curves, try a small rock garden. Before you fill in and
-flatten out a small depression, or level off a small knoll, find out
-how it would look as a small “island” rock garden.
-
-Corners like those formed by an old-fashioned “stoop” of a country
-cottage sometimes make effective frames for miniature rock gardens. But
-in general, informal designs usually fit best out in the grounds, away
-from angular architectural lines.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Raised flower bed copied from an old English garden]
-
-
-_Designs for Level, Rockless Grounds_
-
-Here there are fewer existing, desirable locations for rock and wall
-gardens. But for the sake of enjoying the dainty plants, and of marking
-your garden with originality, you may want to create a site. It is
-possible to dig out a “natural” depression or build up a slope, if it’s
-skillfully designed--and if you can get rocks that don’t look foreign
-and far away from home. Or dig down a foot or two to make a formal or
-semiformal sunken garden, the beds raised and held in place by a dry
-wall with crevices to plant in, and flagstone walks.
-
-Corners sometimes offer possibilities--a far corner, where there is a
-background of trees, fence, or wall; or a front corner where the lawn
-slopes slightly down to the sidewalk. Or there may be a place near the
-patio for a tiny pool in a rocky setting.
-
-A birdbath, sundial, or shrine that’s a focal point in a small garden
-can sometimes be embellished with a small rock garden at the base.
-So can the edge or corner of a raised patio. Terrace pavements with
-cushions of thyme rooted in the crevices are enriched with color,
-fragrance, and texture. The lines of stark steps are softened and the
-appearance mellowed by crowded clumps of fat sempervivums. Wherever
-you can find reason for a rock wall, or even a row of rocks laid
-horizontally and only a few inches high, you can plant it with rockery
-plants at top, bottom, or in between. In the artificial settings of
-many suburban lots, semiformal walls separating two levels of lawn
-or supporting the edge of the family living area are very suitable
-substitutes for rock gardens.
-
-
-                    MINIATURE ROCK AND WALL PLANTS
-
-One of the main virtues of rock and wall gardens is their
-individuality--they don’t look like other gardens, or even like each
-other. But commonplace plants such as bedding petunias can cancel
-this distinctiveness in a minute. If you use annuals at all, get less
-ordinary varieties and use them sparingly, for temporary color in a
-bare spot or over the dying foliage of spring-flowering bulbs.
-
-The plants that look best with rocks are those that grow naturally
-among them. Hundreds of rock-loving plants are available, and more
-hundreds of alpines from rugged mountain heights. Only the easier
-alpines are included here, the most adaptable to more luxuriant
-climates and soil, the least likely to pine for their rigorous,
-high-altitude homes. Tricky types from above the timber line are left
-to the dedicated collector.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Saxifraga seedlings--a natural rock-loving plant]
-
-Nurseries and catalogues of rock-garden specialists are so full of
-distinctive and delightful miniature plants that my first reaction
-was blissful delirium. And after I acquired as many enticing items as
-I could, my second thought was: These gems are too little known and
-grown. So I began to sort out some that might flourish in our small
-perennial borders. With favorable conditions of drainage and air
-circulation, a number of rockery plants have already made themselves at
-home in other, rockless gardens.
-
-Most miniature bulbs are effective in rock gardens, and some miniature
-perennials--not ubiquitous types, and not those that spread voraciously
-by runners. Miniature shrubs and trees are indispensable in rock
-gardens of all sizes--to give variety, contrast, and substance; to
-act as accents; to create boundaries or backgrounds. Use them with
-restraint. Place spreading, wind-swept types at the top, bushy shapes
-down lower, upright exclamation points at the very bottom. Make sure
-they are in scale with the rocks, the plants, and the garden as a whole.
-
-Select all kinds of rock and wall plants for their effectiveness of
-form, texture, and color in the complete design. And this repetition
-is important and unavoidable. Select varieties that naturally like, or
-will adapt to, the cultural conditions like sun and soil type you have
-or can provide.
-
-
-                        MINIATURE ROCK GARDENS
-
-For setting a few rocks into the side of a handkerchief-sized section
-of slope, or building many more into a garden in a good-sized corner,
-there are a few guiding principles that will help make sure you are
-happy with the result. Most important, have your design as complete
-as possible before you start to build. A sketch drawn to scale is
-a valuable visualizing aid. Then, make your construction solid and
-substantial, and favorable to plant growth and health.
-
-If you have a choice of exposure, face a sloping rock garden toward the
-north or northeast, so it will get enough summer sun but not so much
-that it dries and cooks. Shrubs and trees in the background should not
-create dense shade in the garden, nor drip moisture on the plants and
-steal nourishment from their roots. Drainage is extremely important
-in selecting a site. If the subsoil is packed and clay-like, you can
-either replace it, make it more porous, or select another spot.
-
-What kind of rocks to use and where to get them depends on the part
-of the country you live in. Anything that’s indigenous to an area
-is first choice, always. Limestone, sandstone, fieldstone, porous
-tufa--native rocks “belong” as no artificial or imported rock ever can.
-If your land is not blessed (or cursed) by plenty of rocks, you can
-sometimes collect them near rivers, mountains, or abandoned quarries,
-or where a new road is being blasted through. Whether you have them,
-collect them, or buy them, all the rocks in one garden (or on the same
-property) should be of the same general type. Varicolored geological
-specimens are seldom attractive.
-
-Consider each rock’s characteristic color, texture, size, and shape
-before you decide where to place it, or whether to place it at all.
-Even in the tiniest rock gardens, tiny rocks look ridiculously
-salt-and-peppery. Start with rocks of substantial size, in keeping with
-the size and contour of the garden; use smaller ones where they fill in
-effectively.
-
-Naturally worn and weathered rocks look more natural than freshly
-chiseled surfaces; irregular, angular forms are better than uniformity.
-Rocks with stratified layers suggest ledges and cliffs. Glacial
-boulders or “hardheads” are not good in formal patterns. Use them
-naturalistically, in varying sizes, arranging them with studied
-carelessness as if they’d been scattered haphazardly and then left.
-
-Avoid overcrowding with so many rocks that the plants are overshadowed
-by the debris. Place rocks as they might lie naturally, partly buried
-in the soil, the tops smoothed over by the elements, and so solid that
-they don’t wobble when you step on them.
-
-
-_Construction_
-
-Perfect drainage, so that water cannot stand around the roots and
-crowns, has been called “the most important need for all alpine
-plants.” The selected location (raised or sunken) and composition of
-subsoil and topsoil can either contribute to good drainage or deter
-it. In small gardens it’s not too formidable a job to install a system
-of drainage tiles, if necessary, or to add gravelly sand to subsoil to
-make it more porous. Easy insurance in any rock garden is to start with
-several inches of rather coarse gravel or rubble as a bottom drainage
-layer.
-
-Any topsoil that is removed during construction should be saved
-carefully. If you can pile it in the center of a tarpaulin or piece of
-strong burlap, it can’t be scattered and lost; and you can also mix it
-with any additives with pleasurable ease. Simply pile on the peat, leaf
-mold, sand, or other ingredients; then, holding opposite corners (you
-may need a helper to hold one corner of a large piece), pull it back
-over the soil pile and fold it over the other end. Repeat this, from
-opposite ends, until the materials are thoroughly mixed.
-
-The first rocks are usually set at the lowest part of the garden,
-partly sunk in soil or otherwise made extra-sturdy and secure. Build up
-from that point, arranging rocks with their broadest surfaces at the
-bottom, all lines of stratification horizontal or on the same slant.
-Each rock should slant slightly inward and downward, to catch moisture
-and encourage it to run into the soil in the garden.
-
-Provide plenty of soil for spreading roots, and a minimum depth of
-eighteen inches or more. Plants in shallow pockets may be stunted and
-will certainly dry out too fast during droughts. Whether or not you
-plant as you go depends partly on your agility. Don’t crush the first
-plants under your feet or knees as you set rocks and plants above them.
-It’s often faster and easier to spread out roots and make soil firm
-around them before the next rock is set in place.
-
-
-_Planting_
-
-Set plants as deep as they were planted before; no deeper (danger of
-crown rot) and not too shallow (they may dry out). Tuck them firmly in
-cool, moist, rock-shaded soil. Keep the soil constantly moist until
-firm new growth shows that the roots are established and growing.
-
-Rock-garden plants are seldom suitable for planting in neat rows or
-geometric patterns. Tiny, slow-growing types are arranged in groups of
-three or more; one or two spreaders per planting spot will do. Don’t
-crowd these plants. Give them room to develop and for air to circulate
-around them, and to display their charms at their best. Provide private
-quarters for the smallest gems, away from hearty growers that might
-overpower them. Keep color combinations and contrasting textures in
-mind. Set trailers where they can droop over stones. Place those that
-like moisture low in the garden; their roots keep cool in the shade of
-rocks.
-
-As a finishing touch, after the rock garden is built, planted, and
-thoroughly watered, cover all soil surfaces with a mulch of fine gravel
-or stone chips. Work it up to each crown, under prostrate stems.
-Aesthetically, this gives a neat, well-groomed look and ties plants,
-rocks, and setting into one coherent picture. Functionally, the chips
-absorb heat and keep soil cool and moist, lift small, low leaves out of
-mud and water, discourage slugs, protect crowns against rot, and firmly
-discourage the intrusion of weeds.
-
-
-                        MINIATURE WALL GARDENS
-
-Any small section of low wall--brick, cement, stone, or concrete--can
-be the background for a miniature garden. But it is in a dry wall,
-built of stones without cement, that many small rockery plants best
-display their jewel-like perfection. Planted horizontally, with their
-roots in pockets between the rocks, they make a vertical rock garden of
-glowing colors and fascinating foliage textures.
-
-For small, low walls, and those in somewhat formal settings,
-thin-layered rock such as slate or shale is usually preferred.
-Irregularly shaped fieldstone or other rocks of native origin are used
-in more natural, informal designs. Any lines of stratification are, of
-course, laid horizontal and parallel to each other. Another good rule
-to go by is: The smaller the wall, the smaller the rocks.
-
-
-_Construction_
-
-Low walls (two feet high or less) usually do not need a foundation
-layer sunk below the frost line. They can be started at, or just under,
-ground level. But they must be set solidly on a firm, wide base--two
-feet wide, for example, for a wall two and a half feet high. Set the
-largest stones and complete the lower layer first. Tilt each rock
-slightly backward and downward so soil won’t wash out of pockets, water
-will run back to plant roots, and the heaving pressure of frost won’t
-thrust the rocks out of place in winter. A guide line of string or wire
-moved up with each new layer will help you keep the construction level.
-
-The wall should slant slightly in toward the bank behind it, and
-usually grows more narrow as it goes up. Each layer is made absolutely
-solid before the next is applied. Set each stone so that it is
-completely steady, and rests on parts of two stones beneath it. This
-distributes weight evenly, avoids crushing plant roots, and prevents
-unattractive and impractical long, vertical cracks created when joints
-coincide. Use small, flattish rocks to fill chinks under large stones
-and make them steady.
-
-Behind the wall, as you build, firm in a goodly layer (one foot thick
-is usually recommended) of topsoil that has been enriched and aerated
-to promote drainage. Roots will reach back here for water and food. As
-you ram soil into pockets, make sure it reaches all the way back to
-this layer. Unless all the soil is made very firm, it may settle and
-the stones may slide out or into the bank.
-
-At the top you can leave some pockets for plants, or plant them just
-behind the wall. Cover cracks at the top with flat stones, so water
-won’t wash out soil.
-
-  [Illustration: A rock, a rose, and a miniature rose.]
-
-
-_Planting_
-
-If you can remember not to damage plants at the bottom as you’re
-working above them, set the plants in each layer as you build. It’s
-easier then to make sure the roots are firmly embedded well back into
-the soil. Plant sparsely; leave plenty of room for growth and
-spread, and plenty of uncovered wall surface to contribute pattern and
-texture to the picture. Space the plants at irregular intervals, never
-in straight lines either horizontal or vertical. Water thoroughly,
-making sure the layer of soil behind the wall is completely moist; and
-keep it moist at least throughout the first growing season.
-
-
-                           PATHS AND PAVING
-
-Many little rock plants will make soft cushions and carpets, with
-their roots in crevices between pieces of paving, and also in stone
-steps. They’re very low-growing and very hardy, and usually spring back
-resiliently when stepped on. It’s important that acid-loving varieties
-not be planted near cement, which sometimes neutralizes or alkalinizes
-the soil. And, of course, the situation should provide the amount of
-sunshine and moisture the plants need.
-
-The simplest kind of informal path or paving for an informal patio
-consists of flagstones or slates set in the ground, the top level flush
-with the surface of the soil. Plants are spaced irregularly in cracks
-between the stones. I’ve seen one path of old millstones laid this way,
-the plants rooted in the center hole.
-
-Bricks create a more formal pattern, either laid on a bed of sand
-or set into a foundation of concrete over gravel. The popular
-“crazy pavings” can be odd pieces of either brick or stone arranged
-in any conceivable pattern and laid in mortar. In any such solid
-constructions, planting pockets should be scooped out before the
-concrete sets hard; or a chunk of wood can be inserted to hold the
-space open.
-
-Give the carpeting plants as much good soil as you can, and keep them
-moist until they are growing well. Occasional trimming will stop them
-from growing straggly, and keep them neat, compact, and in a pretty
-pattern.
-
-
-                           PLANTING AND CARE
-
-Planting times vary according to climate and season of dormancy. In
-warm areas it’s almost always late fall. Where winters are rugged, it
-can be during brief semidormancy in early September, but it’s safest
-in early spring when severe frosts are no longer likely and favorable
-weather blesses plants at the height of their annual growing power.
-In temperate sections spring-flowering varieties can be planted from
-mid-August through October, others in spring.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Lemon thyme and ivy showing results of being trimmed and kept
-   neat
-
-   _Mr. and Mrs. Alex O’Hare_]
-
-Strong, healthy, pot-grown plants can be planted throughout the season
-in almost all areas. They transplant easily, with little disturbance
-and shock. In fact, whenever we acquire plants during the fall, we
-keep them in their pots or pot them up, and protect them in the cold
-frame during the winter. One of my favorite and most knowledgeable rock
-gardeners tells me that he always pots tender or difficult plants, and
-keeps them potted until their roots are fully developed, before he sets
-them out in the garden, no matter what the season.
-
-
-_Soil_
-
-Providing the proper soil is vitally important to rock-garden plants,
-and particularly to alpines. They’re naturally dwarfed by the rough
-conditions in their native mountain areas. But when they move down
-to our comparatively lush climates and longer growing seasons, they
-respond to a too-rich diet by growing too tall and rangy, with too few
-flowers, and they lose their charm. They do need some nourishment, of
-course. And they are extremely sensitive to soil textures and drainage
-conditions. Heavy, soggy soil causes them to rot quickly. Soil that
-lacks organic matter dries out too fast.
-
-Because of climatic and other variations, I hesitate to set down any
-“ideal soil mix” for these plants. Instead, I suggest a basic formula
-that can and should be varied according to the aridity or rainfall
-in your area, the size and location of your rock or wall garden, the
-composition of your garden soil, the availability of some ingredients,
-and the personal preferences of the plant varieties you want to grow.
-Here it is:
-
-Three parts fairly friable, fertile loam.
-
-Two parts humus--peat, leaf mold, compost--for lightness and fertility.
-
-Two parts stone chips or crushed rock--perhaps the most important
-ingredient, to keep soil open and cool.
-
-One part sharp builders’ sand, or the gravelly sand used in mixing
-concrete, to lighten heavy soil and promote drainage.
-
-If your garden loam is sandy or gravelly, of course, you would increase
-the proportion of humus. If it’s rich in organic matter, you would
-decrease the quantity of humus. Very sticky, heavy clay soils are best
-replaced.
-
-Rock and alpine plants are also particularly sensitive to the acidity
-or alkalinity of soil. This is measured by the _p_H scale, ranging
-from very acid _p_H 4.0, through 7.0 at neutral, to very alkaline
-9.0. Rock-garden specialists usually indicate the preferred _p_H
-for the plants they sell.
-
-By using a soil-test kit or, better still, sending a sample to your
-state agricultural service to be tested, you can easily find out
-whether the soil in your garden is acid or alkaline, and to what
-degree. Then, to make acid soil more alkaline for plants that need it,
-mix in small quantities of agricultural lime--the amount depends on
-the degree of acidity and on the plant itself. Don’t overdo it. Too
-much lime can do as much harm as good. Alkaline soils are not quite
-so readily converted to acid, but you can use oak-leaf compost (not
-completely rotted), acid peat, or pine “duff” (rotted pine needles). Or
-you can be satisfied with the tremendous number of rockery plants that
-really prefer alkaline soil. These preferences vary, not only between
-different plant families, but also between individual members of the
-same family.
-
-For our small gardens, I’ve found it not too tiresome to provide soils
-of several types. For specially precious plants, I often mix special,
-small batches of soil. Then I clean out the planting pocket, make sure
-that it is tightly closed in with rocks so water won’t wash this soil
-out or other soil in, and refill it with the preferred mixture.
-
-
-_Watering_
-
-Except during rare droughts in spring, when the plants are in active
-growth, we seldom have to water our rock and wall garden. Our summer
-rains are usually sufficient for their needs. But whenever or wherever
-there are long weeks of extreme heat and dry winds in summer, water may
-be needed. Use a fine spray gently, so that the small plants won’t be
-washed loose. And let the water soak in long enough so the entire area
-is moist in depth.
-
-
-_Fertilizing_
-
-Some rock plants can take and use fertilizer, in spring; but most
-alpines are better off without it. For them, we mix a little leaf mold
-with the gravel mulch when we renew it. For the more ordinary types, we
-provide a very light feeding of whatever balanced fertilizer we have on
-hand.
-
-
-_Grooming_
-
-In rock gardens (and particularly in very small rock gardens) even
-slight untidiness or imperfection shows up all too clearly. But I
-consider it a pleasure to weed and care for the little plants a few
-minutes every weekend. Faded flowers are snipped off. Weeds are removed
-with determination, but with gentle protection for any small, weak
-plants. Spreading shoots that grow long and out of line are cut off, or
-sometimes uprooted, and removed. Louise Beebe Wilder says it’s an art
-to keep a rock garden in balance, with the proper proportion of plants
-against stones. And she is an artist with hers.
-
-In spring, even before the last of the winter mulch is removed, we look
-for cracks in the soil and for plants that have been heaved out by
-frost, and press them firmly back into place so their roots can take
-hold again. We also fill any washed-out pockets with fresh soil mix,
-and top-dress any low areas. Any rotted leaves and stems and other
-debris are removed; and the entire garden gets a thin fresh layer of
-stone-chip mulch.
-
-In fall there’s the general cleanup operation--weeding, pressing in
-loose roots and packing them with soil, trimming back rambunctious
-growers, replenishing the mulch of stone chips if needed.
-
-
-_Winter Protection_
-
-If you can count on a continuous cover of snow over your rock garden
-all winter, there’s little you need to do for these hardy little
-plants. But we can’t; we have the danger of alternate freezing and
-thawing that can do so much damage. So we provide special protection.
-
-In winter, after the ground is frozen at least an inch deep, we cover
-the complete garden with salt-marsh hay. (Some types of Fiberglas,
-and wood excelsior from packing cases, are also suitable, reusable
-materials). This light, airy blanket keeps plants cold and dark, yet
-gives them air to breathe. If it threatens to blow away, we hold it in
-place with a few light evergreen branches.
-
-
-                    PROPAGATING ROCK-GARDEN PLANTS
-
-These are, of course, perennials and with slight variations can be
-propagated like other perennials. (See pages 255–59.)
-
-
-_Seeds_
-
-Some need a pre-germination cold and some don’t; some germinate best
-at cool temperatures, some at warm; some need light, others need dark.
-Check seed packet, catalogue, or reliable reference book for specific
-information for each type of seed.
-
-We start seeds of delicate varieties in the greenhouse, where we can
-hover over them, in late winter; others may be sown in the cold frame
-in March or April, so the plants will be as mature as possible before
-their first winter.
-
-
-_Stem Cuttings_
-
-For the smaller plants, these can be as short as three inches or less.
-Try to take snappy new growth, neither weak and watery nor hard and
-tough. Sharp sand is a suitable rooting medium for many types.
-
-
-
-
-                             _CHAPTER 12_
-
-                          MINIATURE POOLS AND
-                             WATER PLANTS
-
-
-If you can work out a way to use water in your landscape, by all means
-do. Whether it’s a dime-sized tub the birds dip into, or a full-scale
-formal pool in a tiled patio, any garden with water attracts immediate
-attention, gives quick pleasure, becomes an unquestionable center of
-interest. Actually, the excitement water adds to any landscape scene
-is the antithesis of its calm, cooling, serene effect. I don’t know of
-any other feature that, with a few plants and a minimum of care, makes
-a garden spot at once so dramatic, artistic, and restful. And if the
-water moves--ripples through a stream, drips over stones, falls from
-one level to another--soothing sound is added to the other assets.
-
-Natural brooks, streams, and pools usually require little designing
-beyond bringing out the best of their inherent beauty. But there’s also
-not a suburban lot for which some kind of artificial water garden can’t
-be designed, and few grounds that are not thereby enhanced. The only
-requisite is that the design be in harmony and scale with its setting;
-that it be conceived, located, and constructed with imagination and
-skill.
-
-The fact that pools are inevitably natural focal points makes their
-faults more obvious and more difficult to correct. The most you can do,
-once a pool is in the ground, is to soften or otherwise improve its
-outline with coping, rocks, or plants. If there’s too much cement, you
-can’t hide it with aquatic plants without covering, too, the desirable
-reflections on the water. If it’s too small, you can hardly make it
-larger. If the shape is uninteresting, you can’t change it very easily.
-If it’s in the wrong spot or faced the wrong way, you can’t move it.
-
-On the other hand, the charm of water itself is so strong that it
-is comparatively easy to create a design that looks just right,
-particularly if simplicity is the keynote in both pool and planting.
-Simple shapes are safer and more effective than intricate ones; few
-plants, well placed, are better than many; water spraying from a
-concealed pipe is often more desirable than a formal fountain or
-statuary.
-
-Depending on architecture and terrain, garden pools may be of formal
-design--a perfectly regular shape; semiformal--the shape balanced but
-not usually regular, often in severe contemporary style; or informal,
-completely asymmetrical, and integrated so naturally in the landscape
-the pool looks as if it has always been there. Each type of design
-can be executed in so many different ways that, even for tiny pools,
-there’s good reason to study photographs and articles in gardening and
-homemaking magazines. There’s also inspiration in the designs in books
-about water gardens, plus detailed information on various types of
-construction that I’ve had to omit. I’ve built miniature rock gardens
-but never a pool. Someone who fathoms the mysteries of water levels and
-understands the intricacies of cement work can give much more reliable
-advice than I.
-
-
-_Formal Design._
-
-Small square, rectangular, circular, or oval pools can be extremely
-effective in almost any kind of landscape except one so rocky and
-untamed as ours. They’re usually best in level ground, and most
-harmonious with borders and other plantings of fairly formal pattern.
-And, of course, they’re constructed of materials that give a formal
-effect, such as concrete, tile, or brick.
-
-A raised pool in the center of a small terrace, with a foot-high wall
-of tile or brick, can be scaled down from classic designs of other
-eras. A wide coping on the wall provides a place to set potted plants,
-or to seat yourself to feed the goldfish and dabble your fingers in the
-cool water.
-
-A quadrant-shaped pool in the corner where garden walls meet can be
-either raised or level with the ground. Its water might reflect the
-image of a saint in a shrine above it, or might catch the constant
-stream from a lovely fountain.
-
-At one end of a narrow garden a rectangular or oval pool becomes a
-striking focal point. A path may lead to a bench on a far side, between
-the pool and a background of shrubs.
-
-At the end of a garden path a fountain may spout from a mortared wall
-into a projecting pool set at convenient dipping height from the
-ground, for filling watering cans. The planting underneath can be
-permanent, or an arrangement of potted plants.
-
-And why not a tiny, formal pool in the center of a miniature rose
-garden? Or under a piece of traditional garden statuary? Or simply in
-the center of a garden path that splits to make room for it? If it’s
-of proper proportion, a formal pool can even be set in the center of a
-garden, sometimes even in the center of a small lawn area.
-
-
-_Semiformal Design_
-
-Here’s where the popular kidney-shaped pools are most useful.
-They’re neither formal nor informal, but especially attractive with
-contemporary architecture. Planting is usually sparse but dramatic,
-making extreme use of contrasting colors and textures, and of unusual
-lines. Construction materials are simple to keep them subordinate in
-interest to the over-all design.
-
-A refreshing sight outside a picture window is a small pool recessed
-in the patio floor. A recirculating pump sends up a spray of water
-from a pipe that ends just below the surface of the pool. These pumps
-make it possible for fish and plants to coexist with fountains because
-they reuse water in the pool. Fresh water from a spring, a stream, or
-the pipes that supply the house is too cold; and it may lack the small
-organisms on which fish feed.
-
-Pools of contemporary design can also be placed in a corner of the
-property, with a tasteful grouping of shrubbery behind; on the bottom
-level of a series of terraces; in a depressed spot in the lawn; in the
-curve of a path; or at one side of a breezeway. They can be illuminated
-dramatically with the new underwater lights available in many sizes and
-styles.
-
-
-_Informal, Naturalistic Design_
-
-These are either adaptations of existing streams or pools, or designs
-of uneven form deliberately created to look as if they had been
-there all the time. They’re best suited, of course, to naturalistic
-landscapes where slopes, rocks, and hidden springs give them a reason
-for existence. The water-holding basin may be of any material, as long
-as it is not noticeable. Any edgings, copings, or nearby trimmings
-should be just as natural as the pools.
-
-A rock garden on a slope is a perfect setting for a pool with rocks
-that jut out over the water and, if possible, a rock or two coming up
-through the water from below. Or two small pools, one above the other,
-can be joined by a miniature waterfall. If there’s no water supply on
-the spot, use a recirculating pump. But be careful that the waterfall
-doesn’t resemble man-made steps. It should be as craftily haphazard as
-if the elements had worn it into the rocks.
-
-A dripstone is another delightfully musical device--an overhanging rock
-from which water drips down onto the surface of the pool. The sound has
-more resonance when there is an empty chamber behind the dripping water.
-
-A meandering brook can be widened to make a pool. Or a completely
-artificial brook can be constructed of cement, like a pool, with
-drainage and overflow pipes and similar appurtenances. This isn’t
-easy to execute effectively, but it can be completely intriguing. It
-might be wise to try to re-create part of a real stream in the nearby
-countryside.
-
-One small boulder half-sunk in the ground can inspire an irregular,
-shallow pool that makes a natural birdbath. A miniature shrub may back
-up the boulder; rock-garden plants may grow at its base.
-
-Many nooks and corners in the naturalistic landscape spontaneously
-suggest the creation of a tiny pool, and become exciting little garden
-surprises. These can often be so simply made that there’s not even a
-drainage hole in the bottom. Scooping out the water, as needed, is no
-chore at all.
-
-
-                     CONSTRUCTING MINIATURE POOLS
-
-There are as many materials and methods for building pools as there
-are sizes and shapes. The depth depends on the requirements of the
-aquatic plants to be grown, and so does the location in sun or shade.
-Pygmy water lilies, for example, need all available sun, and at least
-ten inches of water--four inches for the container that holds soil and
-roots, eight inches above the crowns or growing points. Other miniature
-water plants are satisfied with much less.
-
-One vitally important construction detail is that the sides of even
-the smallest tub garden be perfectly level, parallel with the water
-surface. Otherwise, there will be an unattractive expanse of bare wall
-at one side--one of those awkward errors that quickly catches the eye
-and spoils the whole effect.
-
-Some pools are simply sunk flush with the surrounding lawn or other
-surface, without edging or coping of any kind. This can be messy and
-sometimes disastrous to plants when surface water collects and floods
-the pool during heavy rains. Extending the rim an inch or so above the
-surrounding area usually avoids this problem, but then the rim should
-be concealed with a coping of some sort--bricks and tiles in formal
-pools, well-arranged rocks, gravel, or flagstone paving in informal
-design.
-
-
-_Tubs and Other Containers_
-
-Attractive but relatively impermanent miniature pools can be improvised
-or specially planned with many kinds of containers--metal or wooden
-tubs made and sold for the purpose; half-barrels or half-kegs;
-discarded tanks, kettles, dishpans; even discarded sinks and laundry
-tubs. These last can be eyesores, we found out, if their ignominious
-origins are not kept carefully secret. Rubber-base paint is the only
-way we found to conceal the pristine white porcelain, and it was tricky
-to use so that it wouldn’t peel off. The rim at the top of the sink
-is an unpleasant giveaway that must be covered with something such as
-overhanging rocks. Finding a plug or stopper that fit the drainage hole
-wasn’t the least of our problems.
-
-For the welfare of both aquatic plants and wildlife such as fish and
-scavengers, some containers need special treatment before they can be
-used, and some should not be used at all. Wooden kegs and barrels that
-have held oily substances such as gasoline, roofing compound, and wood
-preservatives can’t be cleaned sufficiently to be safe. Copper poisons
-fish; so do paints with oil or lead bases. Steel, lead, iron, and other
-metals should be protected against rust and corrosion with sound coats
-of rubber-base paint.
-
-Containers freshly made of new wood (except white cedar) can be
-unhealthy for fish. Let them stand out in the weather for the winter,
-or season the wood by filling the container with water, slaking a chunk
-of lime in it for a few days, and rinsing well before using.
-
-
-_Prefabricated Pools_
-
-These are now available in metal or plastics of a sturdiness that
-varies with the cost, in a wide range of sizes and shapes. Many of
-them make lovely miniature pools which, because they’re small, are
-not necessarily calamities if they don’t last forever. Most have been
-designed after consultation with experts on fish and water lilies. And
-most are simply installed by digging a proper hole and setting them in
-place.
-
-  [Illustration]
-
-  [Illustration]
-
-
-_Permanent Pools_
-
-Permanency increases, of course, with sound construction. Concrete
-laid on a gravel or cinder base and strengthened with wire-mesh
-reinforcement is usually considered best. But the new concrete must
-be cured and the alkalinity of its lime neutralized before the pool can
-be safely used for plants or fish. Leaving the pool open to the weather
-for the winter will usually accomplish this purpose. Or the pool can
-be drained and refilled several times, then thoroughly cleansed with
-household vinegar, as in the “quick cure” recommended by G. L. Thomas,
-Jr., of Three Springs Fisheries.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Steps in constructing a no-cost pool out of materials on hand:
-
-    a. An old kitchen sink
-    b. Placing rocks that were a nuisance anyhow
-    c. Finished pool with goldfish, and an interested cat]
-
-Bricks, cement blocks, tile, puddled concrete--for each type of
-material there are detailed procedures to be found in readily available
-and up-to-date reference books. Prefabricated pools can be found in the
-catalogues of most water-lily specialists.
-
-
-                             CARE OF POOLS
-
-Miniature pools are easy to scrub in the spring and to keep clean
-through the summer season. Floating dead leaves or other organic debris
-that can give off poisonous gas are skimmed off with your hands.
-Discolored or dying leaves of lilies and other plants can be cut away
-cleanly. Plants can be thinned out by removing superfluous leaves or
-pulling out portions of weedy varieties. The pool is kept nearly filled
-with fresh water--but without adding so much at one time that the water
-is dangerously chilled.
-
-Permanganate of potash will control slimy, green algae. To one gallon
-of water add about two teaspoons of permanganate; let it stand until
-there is little residue at the bottom. For every gallon of water in the
-pool, add one teaspoon of this saturated solution whenever algae become
-unsightly. Don’t make the solution too strong. It might kill the fish.
-
-Insects such as the black aphids common on water lilies can be sprayed
-off with the garden hose to make a juicy meal for the fish. Spraying
-pool plants with insecticides or fungicides is dangerous unless you
-use a preparation made specifically for pools, and use it strictly
-according to package directions.
-
-In winter, most tubs and other containers should probably be lifted
-and stored indoors. I should think this would lengthen the useful life
-of small prefabricated pools, too. Small permanent pools should be
-drained, so ice will not form and crack the construction. This means
-that the pool must remain empty; either the drain must be kept open or
-a roof of canvas or boards should be fitted over the top.
-
-
-                          FISH AND SCAVENGERS
-
-Goldfish earn their upkeep--a pinch or two of food a week--by gobbling
-up mosquito larvae the minute they start wriggling. In pools where the
-mud at the bottom does not freeze, they’ll winter safely out of doors.
-
-Several kinds of snails, tadpoles, and other scavengers offered by
-specialists consume impurities in the water, including algae. Frogs are
-just for fun. They’ll often make themselves at home in a pool without
-any invitation. A grandpappy bullfrog lived in our tiny sinkpool all
-last summer, retreating to a dark cave between the rocks when the dogs
-came down for a drink.
-
-It seemed to me the epitome of modern efficiency when I first learned,
-as a city-dweller, that full-grown frogs could be bought by mail. That
-purchase made us the most popular family on the block. But we couldn’t
-offer them comfortable winter quarters in the city; and the last I
-saw of the frogs, in early fall, they were hopping down the gutter of
-Fortieth Avenue toward the sewer drain.
-
-
-                 MINIATURE AQUATIC AND POOLSIDE PLANTS
-
-Obviously, the location of a pool (in sun or shade, warm climate or
-cool), its size (some plants would smother a miniature pool in a few
-weeks), and its design should be considered in selecting plants to grow
-in or with it. In fact, very tiny pools carefully placed to catch an
-artistic reflection may be better without any plant embellishment.
-
-A frequent error is overplanting, with the water surface covered by
-a confusion of foliage and flowers, the perimeter a jungle. In small
-pools one pygmy lily is plenty; it needs clear, open water to set it
-off.
-
-For pools of all designs--formal, contemporary, informal--plants are
-seldom arranged in neat rows, groups that repeat themselves regularly,
-or matching masses in perfect symmetry. The closest to formal balance
-might be adding accent and height by placing the tallest plant in the
-center of a formal pool. More often, it’s effective in one corner or at
-one side.
-
-Few plants offer such striking variation in the forms available to
-create interesting patterns and dramatic contrast. There are flat,
-leathery leaf pads and slim, spiky swords; glorious china-like cup
-flowers and fluffy plumes; modest creepers and bold elephant leaves.
-Seldom does a flower-arrangement artist have such a wealth of exciting
-material with which to make her prize-winning compositions.
-
-
-_Miniature Water Lilies_
-
-Of the two general types of water lilies--tropical and hardy--the
-tropicals are least likely to be in scale with miniature pools. The
-leaves and flowers are larger, the leaves spreading out wider and the
-flowers standing out higher. The tropicals need lots of sun and warmth,
-can be shocked into dormancy if the water chills, and are usually
-treated like annuals and planted fresh, each summer. Some can be
-propagated from viviparous plantlets that grow on the leaves.
-
-Among hardy water lilies there is a selection of pygmies with four-inch
-leaves and two-inch flowers in many colors--white, yellow, pink, red,
-and bicolors, some with attractively marbled foliage. Given generous
-sunshine, warm quiet water, and good nourishment, they will flower from
-July to frost, and can be held over the winter either outdoors or in.
-
-In our area we set out hardy water lilies in late April or early May.
-If a late cold snap occurs when the plants arrive by mail, we keep them
-moist until it’s over. Since the roots are hardy only if they do not
-freeze, and since it’s difficult to keep small pools from freezing,
-each lily is planted in its own box, which is set on small stones or
-blocks so it is raised off the floor of the pool. Or plant in soil at
-the bottom of a tub-pool that will be taken up in fall. Lay the rhizome
-horizontal, with its growing tip out of the soil. Cover the surface
-with a web of clean sand, to keep the soil from muddying the water. If
-the plant is leafed out and the leaves don’t reach the surface of the
-pool, they’ll lengthen their stems in a few days.
-
-For best growth and flowering, a pygmy lily needs at least a third
-of a bushel of soil and about eight inches of water over its crown.
-Soil can be heavy and clay-like, or average garden loam. If possible,
-add one-fourth the quantity of well-rotted cow manure--no other kind.
-Experts recommend strongly against the use of other-than-cow manures,
-swamp muck, leaf mold, peat moss, sand, or lime.
-
-Lacking cow manure, you can get fertilizers prepared specially for
-water lilies, or you can use commercial garden fertilizers like those
-with 5-10-5 analysis. Supply nourishment at planting time, and once
-again a month or so later. Wrap balls of rotted cow manure, or handfuls
-of commercial fertilizer, in thin paper (a paper napkin will do) and
-thrust them down into the soil around the roots. Water lilies have
-voracious appetites, and even the pygmies eat heartily. On a starvation
-diet, they’ll stop growing and flowering.
-
-In winter, store the rhizomes in an unheated cellar or garage where
-they will keep cool but not freeze. Don’t let them dry out completely.
-Keep the soil in the container barely moist; or if the rhizome is not
-in soil, wrap it in burlap that can be kept moist.
-
-Hardy water lilies are propagated by planting divisions of the roots,
-with each section having at least one growing point.
-
-In the wide selection of available varieties, the following pygmies are
-suitable for most miniature pools.
-
-
-=Nymphaea= _Nymphaeaceae_ Pygmy Water Lily
-
-   _adorata minor_--Pint-sized variety of the native pond lily
-   with fragrant, dainty, white three-inch flowers in generous
-   profusion; leaves lined with red beneath. ‘Helen Fowler’ is a
-   fragrant pink-flowered variety.
-
-   _aurora_--An old hybrid, more dwarf than miniature, but
-   suitable for small pools. Changeable flowers open soft yellow,
-   darken to rusty orange in the second stage, then to deep red
-   in the third stage. The small leaves are mottled with wine-red
-   lines.
-
-   ‘Jo Ann Pring’--True pygmy with three-inch leaves, dusty-pink
-   flowers lighter in the center.
-
-   ‘Patricia’--One of the few small tropicals with crimson flowers,
-   brown-metal buds. Young plants are borne on the leaves.
-
-   _tetragona (pygmaea)_--Smallest of all, with long-lasting
-   two-inch white flowers with a fragrance like China tea,
-   four-inch soft green leaves. Easy to grow, even in shallow
-   water. The variety alba, or white pygmy, seems the same to me
-   as the variety helvola, an old hybrid usually listed as yellow
-   pygmy, and is even smaller than the species, with brown-blotched
-   leaves and glowing yellow, star-shaped flowers.
-
-   ‘Royal Purple’--A new red-purple, tropical lily.
-
-
-_Floating Plants_
-
-Another advantage of miniature pools is that any of the attractive
-surface plants that multiply too fast can be easily scooped out as
-often as you wish. And they are unusually attractive in forms, colors,
-and textures. Feeding from nutrients in solution in the water, they
-make shade for fish, and their dangling roots provide a safe place for
-fish to spawn. Simply drop the plants in the water and let them grow.
-Or, if you want them to raise a family, put some soil in a shallow spot
-where the roots can anchor. Most are annuals, to be bought each year.
-
-
-_Oxygenating Plants_
-
-These are aquatics that grow down in the water and help keep it
-sweet and clean. Bunches of some can be simply dropped in the pool.
-But all will grow better and save you the trouble of replacing them
-if their roots are in soil, in pots set on the pool floor. Although
-they’re mostly perennials, we prefer to start each season with a fresh
-supply. They’re available in variety at pet stores or by mail from
-lily specialists. Since they’re neither true miniature plants nor
-as decorative as they are functional, separate descriptions are not
-included here.
-
-
-_Other Aquatic Plants_
-
-With the water lilies and other aquatics, these are the only plants
-that can grow with their roots standing in water--some in deeper water
-than others. With few exceptions, this does not mean sour, stagnant
-water. Even in bogs there is some circulation. Adding chunks of
-charcoal that absorbs impurities will often help keep the water fresh
-and healthful.
-
-Some of these plants are hardy, some are not; some need their roots in
-soil; some can do without it; some are better growing in the water of
-the pool; some in the boggy soil beside it.
-
-Earlier in this chapter I said I had never built a pool. I meant that
-I had never done it personally and worried about water levels and
-the general engineering. But we have had several pools, little more
-than puddles, which my husband constructed. Small though they were,
-they gave us the chance to enjoy water lilies and bog plants. It was
-then that I began to realize the delights and magnitude of this sort
-of gardening. Someday I hope to have a pond of some size--a spot for
-lilies, frogs, and goldfish and all of those things G. L. Thomas, Jr.,
-writes about so charmingly in his book, _Garden Pools, Water-Lilies
-and Goldfish_. I also get great pleasure out of the catalogues
-several suppliers send out. They are most delightful reading. Read
-that book, and the catalogues, and I know you will be converted to
-water-gardening.
-
-
-
-
-                             _CHAPTER 13_
-
-                          MINIATURE WOODLAND
-                          GARDENS AND PLANTS
-
-
-For ten years we lived within the boundaries of New York City in a
-big, old house that occupied more than a third of the squared, bare
-eighty-by-hundred-foot lot. Now we have a smaller house, and the
-gardenable land is completely surrounded by woodlands where native
-plants grow as they please. In both places we’ve had small woodland
-gardens; and no matter how pleasurable our other plantings, we’ve loved
-these best.
-
-If your idea of a pretty garden centers around statuesque delphiniums,
-precise rows of roses, bold splashes of boisterous color, you may call
-insipid what we find enchanting. But if your senses respond to the
-fresh, sharp aroma of moist woods soil, the whispering of trees, the
-patterns of cool shadows, the shy delicacy of the spring beauty, or the
-gnome-like pomposity of a Jack-in-the-pulpit, be sure to have at least
-a tiny woodland garden, whether you have to create a spot for it or
-have it naturally. Once established, it gives more refreshment for less
-care than any other garden I know.
-
-
-                          NATURALISTIC DESIGN
-
-Here, of course, there is no place for classic or contemporary formal
-design. The single purpose is to create, or re-create, a small
-section of the woods with the shade, humus, and other environmental
-conditions woodsy plants can’t live without. The essence of the
-tiniest planting--even a colony of trillium at the foot of a spreading
-evergreen--is its naturalness. It doesn’t look planted, it belongs;
-it’s been there all the time. And it looks natural, of course, because
-it’s been planned that way.
-
-Planning a woodland garden for the informal landscape is simplified by
-the fact that you begin with what you have--a shaded spot (preferably
-shaded by trees that drop needles or leaves, to enrich the soils) where
-hot, dry summer winds can’t parch the plants. There may be a natural
-stream, rocks, a slope, a hollow; or a place to put a rustic bench,
-rotting log, small pool--a focal point harmonious with the naturalistic
-theme. Or the size, shape, or contour of the garden may make it the
-object of interest without additional accent.
-
-I know of one design that began with pruning a stunted sapling to
-reveal its bonsai-like lines, another that featured the trunk of a
-rheumatic, old, lightning-shattered evergreen. A soggy, low spot can
-be planted as a bog and backed up by rocks and shrubs. A brook can
-be coaxed to make space for a small, hummocky island. The narrow,
-meandering, stepping-stone path through the sharp point of our land
-invites you to take a walk in the woods.
-
-Originality has challenging freedom in creating a woodland garden
-for level, regularly shaped grounds. You may replace the ubiquitous
-pachysandra in the needle-carpeted shade of a tall pine tree with
-native plants. Or use one of those difficult areas such as the angle
-of a hedge, wall, foundation or shaded patio; an unused corner of the
-property; the space underneath an overhanging bay window.
-
-We used a useless area, about six feet wide and less than thirty feet
-long, between our city house and the property line, shaded not only
-by a few straggling pines but also by the house next door. There was
-a path, a pool, and a little bench. This was the last place I visited
-before I left for work in the morning, and the first when I came home
-at night. Somehow, the flower face of a bloodroot with a shawl of
-unrolling leaf around its shoulders had added piquancy in the city,
-where building banished the wild flowers a hundred years ago. The bloom
-of the first lady-slipper was a noteworthy triumph; the green of the
-ferns seemed specially fresh and mossy; the blue of the bottle gentians
-was almost unbelievable.
-
-
-                           CLEARING THE SITE
-
-Even when we planned that metropolitan oasis, there were a few
-existing features we carefully kept--a valiant, five-leaved woodbine
-to train over the rail fence that kept out the trampling feet of the
-neighborhood small fry; a scrubby shrub I never managed to identify,
-which had voluntarily masked an ugly cellar window; a few precious
-patches of moss.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   A wild garden in New York City]
-
-In Connecticut, of course, the area was almost completely overgrown,
-mostly by poison ivy. After that was cleared away, undesirable
-undergrowth was removed, leaving a rock here, a dogwood or azalea
-there. Baring the ground let us see more clearly what we had to work
-with.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   A wild flower grows in New York City: bloodroot]
-
-When the ground is cleared, the designer makes a final decision about
-permanent features such as steps, path, pool, bog, bench. You might
-make a mental note of the place where an old tree stump might be
-artfully installed, when you find one, or where a dead branch might
-fall and make a background for some small plants. Of course, these
-are all kept carefully in scale and harmony. A path should be narrow
-and not sharply defined, perhaps just a series of barely matched flat
-stones. Steps are not conspicuous, but made to look as natural as
-possible.
-
-
-                                 SOIL
-
-The next is the most laborious but most vitally important part of the
-procedure--supplying suitable soil. Woods plants grow naturally in soil
-so rich in humus that it will hold many times its weight in water.
-Season after season the trees drop leaves, needles, twigs, and branches
-that decay and maintain the high level of humus, which contains
-micro-organisms that help sustain the plants. In our area and in most
-other woodsy sections, forest soil is very acid. But the loam in a
-cleared area adjoining the forest may contain little or no humus, and
-may not be nearly acid enough for the native plants growing a hundred
-feet away.
-
-When a miniature woodland garden is planted in a wild, woodsy spot,
-the soil is probably suitable, and the trees will probably keep it
-that way. Then, you simply use plants that thrive naturally where the
-amount of available light, and the composition of the soil, are the
-same or similar. Otherwise, you need to prepare the soil thoroughly and
-deeply--a minimum of eight inches, and up to eighteen inches for small
-native shrubs.
-
-You’ll need incredible quantities of leaf mold, very old manure, or
-composted leaves and grass. Over humus-poor soil, spread a layer of
-at least six inches, and mix it in by digging the soil and turning it
-over several times. At the same time, remove matted roots, stones, and
-other unwanted obstructions to planting. For a very small garden, you
-may find it simpler to remove all the soil to a depth of twelve to
-eighteen inches, and replace it completely with humus and leaf mold
-brought in from the woods or purchased for the purpose. Leaf mold, by
-the way, is the layer of partially decayed leaves immediately under
-the top layer of whole leaves; humus, in the next layer down, is more
-completely decayed. Don’t buy humus from door-to-door salesmen offering
-“big bargains.” This is a racket the police and Better Business Bureau
-are trying to extinguish. Buy only from a nurseryman you can trust.
-
-While you’re conditioning soil, make sure there is good drainage. Only
-bog plants will grow with their roots in muck or standing water. You
-may need an initial layer of fine gravel or course sand. Raising the
-surface of the garden will also help.
-
-If you think that the importance of suitable humus-rich soil is either
-exaggerated or overrated, think also of this: With the type of light
-and humus (usually acid) in which they grow naturally, woodland plants
-will settle down contentedly in your garden and establish families and
-colonies that increase every year. If you don’t provide it, they’ll get
-homesick and pine away. Not only that, but once they’ve made themselves
-at home, they’ll require practically no care. They don’t want to be
-cultivated, fertilized, weeded, watered, mulched, or given special
-protection in winter, as long as there are trees that drop leaves. The
-most you might have to do will be making sure the leaves aren’t blown
-away, or, if there are no trees, lugging in leaves from somewhere else.
-
-
-                               PLANTING
-
-Although plants are chosen for any garden according to light, soil,
-moisture, and other cultural requirements, woodland plants permit less
-leeway than most others. This is a matter of ecology, defined as “the
-total impact of the environment and the plant’s accommodation to it.”
-Some delicate plants are, of course, less adaptable than other more
-rugged species. Check catalogues, reference books, and other sources to
-learn all you can about each plant before you plant it.
-
-A quick word about shade. There is full shade, or deep shade, created
-all year by evergreens, walls, or buildings. And there is woodland
-shade created only in summer by deciduous trees. The hill near our
-house where rattlesnake plantain, pipsissewa, and pink lady-slippers
-grow is dark and cool in summer, but bright in spring, fall, and winter
-when the trees are bare of leaves. This is an important distinction.
-
-In the interest of conservation--American wild flowers are threatened
-not only by bulldozers but also by thoughtless, criminally careless
-humans--private woodland gardens often become the home for plants dug
-from the wild. Last fall, one of my dearest friends methodically moved
-dozens of maidenhair ferns into a tiny bit of woods on her property
-to save them from extinction when their fronds were being picked in
-bunches to fill out bouquets. But this is conservation only when the
-plants are transplantable (a number of the most precious species are
-not) and are moved to quarters with growing conditions to their liking.
-Otherwise, they might as well die where they are.
-
-In digging woodland plants, always dig deep and take as much of the
-surrounding soil as possible, and disturb the roots as little as you
-can. Protect the transplants against drying sun and wind until they are
-set in their new homes. If you can dig them with the roots intact, you
-can take most plants at any time during the growing season. The safest
-times are immediately after flowering or during fall dormancy.
-
-Unless it is a matter of conservation, I never dig woodland plants.
-I buy them (they’re surprisingly inexpensive) from a local nursery
-or from several mail-order specialists. The nursery plants are
-pot-grown, and even fussy types transplant without loss. By mail they
-arrive bare-rooted--in early fall for all but the summer and fall
-varieties--but crisp and lively in their packing of moist sphagnum
-moss. Sometimes they even start to send out new roots and sprouts en
-route. If I can, I get mail-order plants into the ground before dusk on
-the day they arrive. Soil around transplants is kept moist and mulched
-with leaves until they take hold.
-
-Years ago some suppliers collected the plants they sold, and some
-sources of slow-spreading types were completely devastated. Today, I
-believe, specialists grow their stocks of woodland plants, either under
-glass or in woodsy nurseries. They’re doing more to preserve these
-native treasures than to annihilate them.
-
-The best of all sources is by propagation--seeds, cuttings, division
-of wild plants--because you’re not only increasing the population, but
-you’re also starting with plants that from babyhood are accustomed to
-your growing conditions and don’t have to make difficult adjustments.
-Even though it may be slow, this is the only method for a number of
-nontransplantable species.
-
-If the garden contains shrubs that will serve as background for small,
-shy woodland plants, that’s fine. If it doesn’t, you may want to plant
-some (these, too, are available by mail), because few native woods
-plants are spectacular enough to make a big display of their own. And
-because woods plants are modest, they’re best planted in colonies a
-half dozen or more of one species, not in mixed colors or varieties.
-Set the groups in the foreground, where they’re easy to see. Allow
-plenty of space between groups for natural increase without crowding.
-Arrange more striking, tall, spiky plants here and there to add the
-interest of accent, just as you would in a conventional flower bed.
-
-Care after planting includes the expected careful watering, and keeping
-the plants moist and shielded from heat and wind until they are growing
-on their own. For their first winter, you may want to supplement the
-natural mulch of leaves with salt hay or something similarly light and
-airy, held in place by chicken wire or branches. This mulch must be
-removed extra early for early-flowering species. By their second season
-the plants should be ready to be watered by rain, and fed and protected
-by trees, without your help. Don’t fiddle with them, pull off leaves or
-seed pods, or move them about unless you must.
-
-
-                      PROPAGATING WOODLAND PLANTS
-
-These are, of course, hardy perennials. Except for seeds, propagating
-methods are much the same as for cultivated types. It is important only
-that, if possible, you find out what is the most effective (often, the
-only) way each plant can be reproduced. If you can’t track down this
-information, try several ways at once. In general, those with masses of
-fibrous roots can be divided immediately after flowering. For upright
-and branching types, you can usually root stem cuttings in a frame or
-propagating box. If everything else fails, try layering. You can’t lose
-anything by it.
-
-Seeds are planted the minute they are ripe, in a cold frame--or in
-flats that can be set in the cold frame--in a finely sifted mixture of
-equal parts of loam, woods leaf mold, and coarse sand. For varieties
-adapted to extremely acid soil, use half as much coarse sand as
-Michigan peat, without soil. For added insurance, acidify the planting
-mix with leaf mold or peat, or neutralize it with lime, until the
-_p_H is somewhere near that of the soil the plant grows naturally
-in.
-
-Set the flats in shade and keep the soil moist, and leave the seeds
-to their own devices, summer and winter, until they germinate. Some
-species take two months, some take two years. After germination they
-are handled exactly like other perennial seedlings, except that the
-only safe fertilizer is very weak liquid manure at very infrequent
-intervals. Tender types should be grown in pots until they are fully
-mature, before they’re set out in the garden.
-
-
-                      PLANTS FOR WOODLAND GARDENS
-
-
-=Aquilegia canadensis= _Ranunculaceae_ Columbine
-
-Although the native Eastern columbine can grow two feet tall, it
-seems to stay closer to six inches in my woodland garden and on the
-banks that line our Pine Tree Road. The clover-like leaves, and
-characteristic columbine flowers with yellow sepals and knobbed red
-spurs, are scaled down proportionately.
-
-CARE. Poor, dry soil, acid (strong to neutral). Fertilizer promotes
-growth that is too rank. Full sun to three-quarter shade.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seed.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Woodland planting, bank planting.
-
-
-=Arisaema triphyllum= _Araceae_ Jack-in-the-Pulpit
-
-The pulpit stands eight inches tall or more, curving up and over the
-stiff preacher-like spadix in late spring. The divided leaves also
-exceed true miniature size. But prim Jack spreads himself slowly enough
-to allow him entry to all but the very tiniest woodland garden; and his
-comical dignity is not to be dispensed with.
-
-CARE. Humus-rich soil, moist. Shade or light shade.
-
-PROPAGATION. Tuberous roots.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Wild gardens.
-
-
-=Asarum= _Aristolochiaceae_ Wild Ginger
-
-In the Northern part of the country this is a deciduous plant, while
-in much of the South it retains its kidney-shaped leaves. Its purplish
-flowers are somewhat hidden under the foliage. There are three general
-types.
-
-   _canadense_--Eastern wild ginger.
-
-   _caudatum_--Western wild ginger.
-
-   _shuttleworthi_--Mottled wild ginger (native of Virginia
-   and South).
-
-CARE. Rich soil, moist. Shade or partial shade.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Wild gardens, ground cover.
-
-
-=Asplenium= _Polypodiaceae_ Spleenwort (Fern)
-
-Lilliputian, native evergreen fern with deeply cut fronds.
-
-   _platyneuron_--ebony sweetheart--Eight-inch feathery fronds
-   with brownish-purple stems in tidy circles. (Needs acid soil.)
-
-   _trichomanes_--maidenhair spleenwort--Thick, closely
-   clustered three-to five-inch fronds with crowds of little
-   one-inch leaflets on black ribs. Plant it sideways, its roots in
-   a rock crevice, with leaf mold and a touch of lime.
-
-CARE. Soil acid or neutral according to variety. Leaf mold. Shade.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, rock gardens, wild gardens.
-
-
-=Camptosorus rhizophyllus= _Polypodiaceae_ Walking Fern
-
-Small native evergreen fern, hardy from Canada to Georgia. Its name
-comes from the fact that the fronds are pointed on the ends and root on
-contact with the soil. It prefers to creep around limy rocks.
-
-CARE. Lime-bearing soil, shade, dry. Hardy.
-
-PROPAGATION. Root division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, rock gardens, wild gardens.
-
-
-=Claytonia virginica= _Portulacaceae_ Spring Beauty
-
-When the leaves of the forest trees are barely ready to break out in
-early spring, this lovely little plant is already in full bloom down on
-the ground. It makes colonies and even mats of precious white flowers
-which are tinged and streaked with pink and scarcely a half-inch
-across. But before the trees are in full leaf the spring beauty has
-gone back to sleep and disappeared, flowers, five-inch grass-like
-leaves, and all.
-
-CARE. Woodsy soil, moist, shady or semishady.
-
-PROPAGATION. Tubers.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, bog gardens, swamp planting.
-
-
-=Clintonia= _Liliaceae_
-
-Woodsy plants spreading out into colonies by underground rhizomes. The
-leaves are rather broad, and thin and glassy. The little lily-like
-flowers are held atop stems above. The berries that follow are blue,
-blue-black, or black.
-
-   _borealis_--broadlily--Nodding, greenish-yellow flowers on
-   seven-inch stems in May. Berries are blue, a half-inch long.
-
-   _umbellata_--Leaves lightly fuzzy; purple-spotted white
-   flowers in clusters; shiny black berries.
-
-   _uniflora_--Western native with one precious flower per
-   stem (one and a half inches across), berries bright blue.
-
-CARE. Rich, humusy, acid soil. Shade or partial shade. Moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division of roots in spring.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, bog planting.
-
-
-=Convallaria majalis= _Liliaceae_ Lily of the Valley
-
-This fragrant ground cover is a favorite for under trees and other
-shady spots. Perhaps it spreads too fast for very small gardens. The
-oval, lily-like leaves are lasting, but not evergreen. The dangling
-flowers, all on the same side of the stem, are like scalloped
-petticoats. Unless you need a ground cover, try one of the fancier and
-less robust varieties, such as rosea, with light-pink flowers that
-fade to near-white in the sun. Or try flore plens with double white
-hoop-skirts.
-
-CARE. Garden soil, shade, moist, hardy. Persists for years and doesn’t
-have to be touched. If you want to increase your planting, dig and thin
-every three years.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division of small bulbs.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Ground cover, forcing in February and March.
-
-
-=Coptis trifolia= _Ranunculaceae_ Goldthread
-
-This tiny bog plant, only four inches high, has three-way clover-like
-leaves and tiny white waxy flowers. It creeps and spreads by means of
-thready yellow roots.
-
-CARE. Humusy, peaty, sandy, and decidedly acid soil. Plant needs a
-cool, moist location and will not survive warmth and dryness.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Bog planting.
-
-
-=Cornus canadensis= _Cornaceae_ Bunchberry, Creeping Dogwood
-
-This is a real dogwood, but a very miniature one. The stems standing
-about six inches high are encircled by a whorl of rich green leaves.
-Above are the up-facing flowers (in May), like elves wearing white
-ruffs. The clusters of red berries are as gay as Christmas, in August.
-After taking a year or so to get settled, the plants spread out into
-colonies or clumps.
-
-CARE. Rich woods soil, highly acid, damp, but with drainage. Shade,
-cool location. Takes several years to get established. Needn’t be
-disturbed once settled. Can be transplanted if large chunks of sod are
-lifted with it.
-
-PROPAGATION. Separate clumps when dormant. Seeds from ripe berries will
-germinate the following spring.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Bog planting, ground cover.
-
-
-=Cryptogramma crispa= _Polypodiaceae_ Parsley Fern
-
-This is a small alpine fern with clusters of six-inch evergreen fronds
-so finely cut and frilled they could garnish a standing rib roast
-in place of parsley. Don’t overlook this one when next planning a
-terrarium.
-
-CARE. Peaty, dry soil. Hardy.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, terrariums.
-
-
-=Cypripedium= _Orchidaceae_ Lady-slipper, Moccasin Flower
-
-This is the fabulous earth-growing orchid that is native to many parts
-of the country, with culture varying accordingly. The broad, long
-fresh leaves fold around the stem at the base. The flowers have a lip
-inflated into a pouch and are in various colors.
-
-   _acaule_--Northeastern native with dusty-pink flowers.
-   Requires dry, sandy, woodsy, intensely acid soil, full shade.
-   Difficult to transplant unless taken with a large amount of
-   soil. Attempt it only after flowering, or in October. Don’t
-   cover crown more than a half-inch. No good method of propagation
-   is known.
-
-   _calceolus pubescens_--Fuzzy yellow lady-slipper from
-   moist, wooded hillsides of the North and mid-South. Not
-   difficult to transplant and easy to grow. Likes dappled shade
-   and slightly acid, humusy soil.
-
-   _candidum_--Small white flowers marked and veined with
-   brown and purple. From limy, marly bogs. Needs moisture and
-   shade.
-
-CARE. Soil, moisture, and shade as described above.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division when dormant.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock and wild gardens. Can force.
-
-
-=Dalibarda repens= _Rosaceae_ Dewdrop, False Violet
-
-Precious little creeper, pretending to be a violet, with two-inch
-heart-shaped leaves on long stems and five-petaled, half-inch white
-flowers in July. A native of the Northeastern section.
-
-CARE. A sheltered spot. Rich woodsy soil.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds and division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Woodland and rock gardens.
-
-
-=Epigaea repens= _Ericaceae_ Trailing Arbutus
-
-Flat evergreen creeper with overlapping hairy stems and bright-green
-oval leaves. In early spring it has white or pink phlox-like flowers,
-not very large but interestingly fragrant. Although it is usually
-cultivated in shady, protected spots, it can thrive in hot dry areas.
-
-CARE. Humusy and very acid soil, sandy, with leaf mold. Good drainage.
-Moist. Don’t dig wild plants which are difficult to transplant. Use
-pot-grown plants.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings. Seed if strictly fresh.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Wild gardens, rock planting.
-
-
-=Erythronium= _Liliaceae_ Adder’s-Tongue, Trout Lily, Dogtooth Violet
-
-A very large clan of bulbous wild flowers native to many parts of the
-country. All species have the marks of family resemblance--two leathery
-basal leaves, often beautifully marbled, and miniature lily flowers
-nodding from the tops of central stems in spring. Height, usually six
-inches.
-
-   _albidum_--Leaves may be matted or not. In the East flowers
-   are white, in April.
-
-   _americanum_--Best-known Yankee with marbled leaves and
-   bright-yellow flowers in April.
-
-   _californicum_--fawn lily--Mottled leaves, creamy or
-   pale-yellow flowers. (From California, of course.)
-
-   _dens-canis_--dogtooth violet--European emigrant with green
-   leaves splotched with brick red; flowers are rosy purple. Also
-   available in white and other colors.
-
-   _grandiflorum_--Giant of the family, plain leaves, golden
-   flowers in clusters. The variety parviflorum has the most midget
-   flowers. Western.
-
-   _hendersoni_--Mottled leaves, dark-centered purple flowers.
-   Western.
-
-   _revolutum_--Western with brown-blotched leaves,
-   purple-tinged white or lavender flowers. The variety johnsoni
-   has rosy-lilac flowers, white in the center.
-
-   _tuolumnense_--California with unmarked chartreuse leaves,
-   large deep-yellow flowers.
-
-CARE. Woodsy soil, not especially acid, with leaf mold. Drainage.
-Moist, never hot and dry. Winter mulch.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, offsets (from underground stolons).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, woodland gardens, forcing.
-
-
-=Goodyera pubescens= _Orchidaceae_ Rattlesnake Plantain
-
-This terrestrial herb is a close relative of the most glamorous of
-orchids and bears no resemblance to a reptile or the weed that is part
-of its common name. On the woodland floor you will come upon it as a
-flat cluster of durable, oval, deep-green leaves with gleaming-white
-veins that cross and recross in a delicate pattern. Perhaps you will
-find it in bloom with tiny whitish flowers on tall spikes.
-
-CARE. Woodsy acid soil, with humus. Slightly damp. Cool. Shade. North
-side of a glacial ridge is ideal.
-
-PROPAGATION. If possible, buy section of root from dealer who
-specializes in woodland plants and seeds. Pick sparingly in the woods,
-by breaking off section of rhizome with rootlets and plant. New plant
-will appear in about one month.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, woodland gardens.
-
-
-=Hepatica= _Ranunculaceae_ Liverleaf
-
-Six-inch evergreen plants that shed their old leathery leaves for new
-after the blue-lavender (or pinkish-white) flowers fade and fall in May.
-
-   _acutiloba_--Sharp-lobed hepatica, distinguished by the
-   points on the lobes of its leaves. (Needs alkaline soil.)
-
-   _americana (triloba)_--Round-leaved hepatica with dainty
-   flowers on stems upholstered with silky hairs. Leaves maroon in
-   winter
-
-CARE. Not too acid soil. Full shade. Drainage. Not difficult to
-transplant but needs time to get established. Plants in the woods best
-dug in the fall.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, division of roots.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Woodland gardens, colonies.
-
-
-=Houstonia= _Rubiaceae_ Bluets, Quaker Lady
-
-This is an enchanting wildling with grass-like leaves and flowers less
-than a half-inch across in the shape of four-pointed stars. It is a
-very profuse bloomer throughout the spring and early summer.
-
-   _caerulea_--Northeastern favorite with leaves in tufts
-   about an inch high. Flowers are blue or lilac, often fading to
-   white in the sun. Seeds itself willingly.
-
-   _purpurea_--Larger than miniature, and native from Maryland
-   to Georgia. It makes a soft evergreen foliage mat, and in July
-   has purple flowers, several per stem.
-
-   _serpyllifolia_--creeping bluets--The stems stretch out
-   to ten inches or more with little half-inch teardrop leaves.
-   Sky-blue flowers.
-
-CARE. Loamy, acid soil with peat. Moist. Part shade.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division. Some varieties are self-seeding.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock and woodland gardens.
-
-
-=Lemna minor= _Lemnaceae_ Duckweed
-
-This tiny one is often called the “smallest known flowering plant.”
-A floating plant that has quarter-inch leaves (actually the body or
-“thallus”), it has hair-like rootlets and flowers so small one needs a
-magnifying glass to see them. In the fall the plants sink to the bottom
-of the pond, to rise again in the spring.
-
-CARE. No attention is needed.
-
-PROPAGATION. None necessary. Increases naturally.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Dish-garden pools, rock-garden pools, fish food.
-
-
-=Lycopodium= _Lycopodiaceae_ Club Moss
-
-In prehistoric times this was a towering tree; now it is a moss-like
-poor relation of the ferns, bearing needle-like leaves and spores
-instead of flowers.
-
-   _clavatum_--running pine--Slowly but steadily the stems
-   creep over the woodland floor, sending up four-inch stems at
-   lax intervals, each with several spikes packed tightly with
-   needle-like leaves.
-
-   _complanatum_--ground cedar--The stems trail faster and
-   more sturdily, the erect branches dividing and spreading out to
-   a lacy green fan.
-
-   _lucidulum_--shining club moss--Trailing stems turn upright
-   at the tips and are covered completely with glassy, dark-green
-   “needles.”
-
-   _obscurum_--ground pine--Christmas trees in miniature about
-   six inches tall and popping up from stems that creep about
-   underground.
-
-CARE. Rich, woodsy soil, not especially acid. Shade, moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings. Division of roots at joints.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, ground cover.
-
-
-=Mitchella repens= _Rubiaceae_ Partridgeberry
-
-This native creeper bears the popular partridgeberries widely used to
-fill “Partridge Bowls” at Christmastime. It has glassy green leaves
-which are close to the ground with the berries beneath them. In the
-springtime it has fragrant, fuzzy white flowers. (Note to those who
-hunt the berries in the woods: pick from the tallest plants and do not
-tear up the roots.)
-
-CARE. Rich woodsy soil, not especially acid. Drainage. Shade. Cut back
-to encourage branching. Transplants easily.
-
-PROPAGATION. Divide rooting stems.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, terrariums, woodland gardens.
-
-
-=Mitella= _Saxifragaceae_ Bishop’s Cap
-
-For shady rock and wild gardens here is a saxifrage-like plant with
-mounds of heart-shaped leaves and spires of finely fringed flowers on
-tall stems.
-
-   _breweri_--Pacific Coast native with deep-green leaves and
-   whiskery yellow-green flowers (in May and June).
-
-   _caulescens_--Also from the Pacific Coast. More dainty, and
-   more difficult.
-
-   _diphylla_--East Coast native with eight-inch flower spikes
-   on taller stems. White flowers (in April and May).
-
-CARE. Rich woodsy soil. Drainage, shade.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock and wild gardens.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Garden in the landscape in the finest tradition--it features
-   _Azalea macrantha basaminæflora_, _Juniperus
-   radicans_, and Calluna County Wicklow. (_Atlantic Avenue
-   Nursery, Inc._)]
-
-
-=Podophyllum peltatum= _Berberidaceae_ May Apple
-
-The May apple, a native of much of the country, is actually too large
-for most small wild gardens, but find a place for it if possible. In
-spring it is fascinating to watch the stumpy stems push up through the
-ground and the foliage slowly unfold to wide flat leaves. Then come
-gold-centered white flowers and finally the “apple” in chartreuse and
-nearly two inches long. (It is edible only when fully ripe.)
-
-CARE. Rich woodsy soil. Shade, or partial shade.
-
-PROPAGATION. Root division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Wild-garden planting.
-
-       *       *       *       *       *
-
-_(Additional plant listings suitable for woodland gardens can be
-found in Chapter 15.)_
-
-
-
-
-                             _CHAPTER 14_
-
-                      MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS
-
-
-There’s a chamaecyparis that forms a fluffy, green two-inch ball
-by the time it’s seven years old; a cone-shaped Norway spruce that
-rarely grows more than twelve inches tall; a one-foot rhododendron
-with deep-crimson trumpet flowers; a nonfruiting viburnum that makes a
-two-foot globe tightly packed with ivy-like leaves. There are junipers
-that form plush carpets; ericaceous evergreens with neat mounds of
-twinkling flowers over shiny teardrop leaves; deciduous shrubs with
-golden blooms, seeds in silky pea pods, and green stems that look leafy
-the year round.
-
-That is just a tantalizing hint of the fantastic variety of little
-trees and shrubs, and how they can steal the show in the garden. We
-have three magnificent pines on Pine Tree Road (it may have been named
-for them) but our guests are more likely to comment about the starry
-cushions of _Leiophyllum buxifolium_ beside the front walk. We dug
-and lugged tons of rock to make beds for our favorite roses, but the
-small edging plants draw more attention. When the rock garden is a mass
-of flamboyant spring color, we’ll be asked the name of a heather that’s
-not even in flower, or the juniper (_Juniperus procumbens nana_)
-two inches high that spreads like velvet over a rock.
-
-There are miniatures among all types of trees and shrubs--deciduous
-and evergreen, broad-leaved and needle-leaved. Those described in this
-chapter are almost all three feet tall or less at maturity, or are so
-extremely slow-growing they seldom top that height in twenty years. In
-just a few cases, slightly taller varieties are included, which can be
-kept to three feet or less with a little pruning. Some low types are
-omitted because they spread too rambunctiously to be called miniatures
-or to be suitable for small gardens.
-
-These limitations automatically exclude the small, flowering trees and
-shrubs, and dwarf fruit trees, that are part of the over-all landscape
-plan for small grounds. They’re not really miniature garden items, but
-background features around which miniature gardens are planned.
-
-We’ve thought of a dozen different ways to use the really midget trees
-and shrubs, and I imagine there must be dozens more. We have a colony
-of tiny rhododendrons blooming at the base of a boulder, and another
-near an old stump at the edge of the woods. Several sprawly evergreens
-and some precious ericaceous gems adorn the rock garden and spots near
-the front terrace.
-
-There are plenty of miniature shrubs of varying heights, foliage,
-colors and textures, and flowering times to compose a small shrubbery
-border, with tiny bulbs to plant along the edge. Small trees and shrubs
-can be used as background for mixed borders of small annuals and
-perennials; evergreens can make a setting for miniature rose gardens.
-Almost any small pool, wall, raised bed, or set of steps provides a
-place to plant the right tree or shrub. And, of course, these are
-perfect plants for sink and trough gardens, bonsai work, or even for
-indoor forcing in the greenhouse.
-
-If you can’t find the varieties you want at your local nursery, you
-can order them by mail from reliable suppliers. Either way, plants
-that have been transplanted regularly by the grower develop a compact
-system of fibrous roots rather than a few long straggly tap-like roots,
-will take hold faster and transplant easier, will fit into your garden
-quicker. All that will make you a happier gardener.
-
-Don’t be surprised if miniature trees and shrubs cost more than the
-regular varieties of the same name. The little fellows take much longer
-to reach that size, and require more costly care. Many of them are
-difficult to propagate, some even have to be grown from seed.
-
-Your first thought in selecting a miniature tree or shrub, of course,
-is the decorative effect it is planned to achieve--whether it should
-be formally upright and symmetrical, or irregularly shaped and
-naturalistic; whether it is to act as an accent or specimen, or as a
-background or blender. Consider the texture of the foliage, the time
-and manner of flowering, whether the colors will fight with others in
-the garden. Plant deciduous types where they won’t be an eyesore in
-winter, or select one with an attractive winter habit and appearance.
-Make sure the plant and all its parts are in scale with the setting and
-with other plants.
-
-Once you decide that a variety will look right in your garden, make
-sure it will also grow right. A plant that needs full sun will not
-flower in a shady spot. Acid-loving plants will not flourish in
-alkaline soil. Those that like their roots kept cool and moist will
-wither where it is hot and dry. Watch for unfavorable factors such
-as high walls, drip from overhanging eaves, low, muggy spots where
-there is little circulation of fresh air. If the plant requires a lot
-of pruning, training, and spraying, make sure you have the time to
-take care of its well-being. A healthy, easy-to-care-for barberry is
-infinitely more ornamental than a glamorous shrub struggling to stay
-alive.
-
-
-                               HARDINESS
-
-The main factor that determines whether a plant will live through the
-winter in your garden (and it is a factor you can’t control) is minimum
-winter temperature. This is the basis for the newest (1960) Plant
-Hardiness Zone Map issued by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Other
-uncontrollable factors include: How long the low temperature will last;
-how early and suddenly a freak freeze occurs; whether or not winter
-provides a beneficial blanket of continuous snow; whether there are
-punishing gales with driving sleet and encrusting ice.
-
-But even in severe areas, or with plants of questionable hardiness,
-there are some ways we can increase the odds against winter-kill.
-Selection of suitable varieties, careful planting in favorable
-locations (never in low “pockets” where frost settles, or where
-water collects around roots under eaves or around walls), careful
-fertilizing, winter protection, prevention of attacks by insects and
-disease--all of the cultural principles that promote healthy, thriving
-growth, will help to increase winter hardiness. In other words, “The
-combined effects of all (climatic and cultural) factors determine the
-true plant adaptability.”
-
-Actually, true hardiness means more than mere winter survival. A tree
-or shrub is hardy when it can live through many years to maturity,
-and when it not only survives but develops normally and completes its
-annual growth cycle. For example, in some sections, very late or very
-early frosts will kill flower buds on some varieties. Trees and shrubs
-that require a period of winter dormancy are not hardy in Florida,
-where there is no protracted cold period. In arid areas where summers
-are extremely hot, dry, and windy, hardiness may depend on how much
-time you have to spare for special care.
-
-If you would avoid disappointment, especially with rather expensive
-miniature trees and shrubs, buy the strongest, healthiest plants of the
-varieties most suitable to your climate, and do all you can to satisfy
-each individual’s cultural needs. Thus, unfavorable weather has two
-strikes against it from the start.
-
-
-                           PLANTING AND CARE
-
-No matter how careful we are, fall planting is seldom successful for
-us in Connecticut. But in spring planting it seems as if we can’t
-miss. Once we were given a dozen ornamental shrubs--named varieties of
-virburnum, lilac, and two of the supposedly tricky caryopteris--whose
-bare roots had been out of the ground for several weeks. The
-caryopteris and one invincible lilac even flowered that year!
-
-In early spring, just before they awaken from dormancy (or a little
-later when new growth and buds are starting to show), woody plants
-have more vitality than at any other time of the year. Vigorous
-new roots grow faster. And the plants have a full growing season
-to get established before winter sets in. We start planting the
-minute the soil dries enough to be workable, sometimes as early as
-March. Of course, spring-flowering varieties are safest if they are
-container-grown or balled and burlapped.
-
-Early fall planting is fine for milder climates--from the time the
-season’s growth has matured on evergreens, or when deciduous varieties
-begin to drop their leaves, until the ground freezes. Except for
-container-grown plants, winter planting is usually recommended for the
-South, when the plants are as nearly dormant as possible.
-
-Bare-root plants (risky for evergreens) should be kept moist until they
-are put into the ground. Thoroughly soak the roots, and even the stems,
-in a bucket of water. The roots and soil of balled and burlapped plants
-should also be kept moist. Either way, protect the transplants against
-wind and sun until they’re set out.
-
-Dig a planting hole wide enough for the roots to spread out in without
-bending or crowding, with an extra six inches of loosened soil in the
-bottom for them to penetrate. This is the time to check on drainage,
-one of the most important factors in plant survival. Run some water in
-the hole--enough to fill it. If the water seeps away fairly fast, the
-drainage is probably good. If it remains for any length of time, you’d
-better dig much deeper and remove the subsoil. Fill in with sharp sand
-or fine gravel for about six inches.
-
-Enrich or condition the topsoil that you dug out, before you replace
-it around the roots. Set trees and shrubs at the same level they
-were growing in the nursery, never more than an inch or so deeper.
-The burlap around a soil ball doesn’t need to be loosened. It will
-rot away rather quickly. Fill in around the roots until the hole is
-three-fourths full; flood with water to settle soil in any air pockets;
-let it drain; and finish filling the hole until it is just level with
-the surface, but don’t mound it up. A raised ridge around the edge of
-the hole will form a saucer to hold water until it runs down to the
-roots. Water again, slowly and thoroughly, so that the soil in the hole
-and some of the surrounding area is thoroughly saturated.
-
-A newly planted tree or shrub is likely to wilt in sun or dry wind
-unless you provide some temporary shelter or shading. This is rather
-simple to do. An upturned basket over a small shrub, or a screen of
-light cheesecloth, or an old window curtain, or a piece of burlap
-suspended on stakes will suffice.
-
-
-_Soil_
-
-What you do to enrich or condition topsoil depends on the existing
-soil, and on each plant’s individual preferences. Add sharp sand to
-heavy, clay-like soil to improve the drainage. If you have extra-sandy
-soil, add moisture-holding peat or leaf mold. Almost any soil is
-improved by mixing in liberal amounts of organic matter such as leaf
-mold or well-rotted manure. We seldom add fertilizer for miniature
-trees and shrubs.
-
-If your soil is alkaline, and you are planting acid-loving varieties,
-use liberal quantities of well-rotted cow manure, acid peat, or
-woodsy soil from under pine, beech, or oak trees. To neutralize, or
-alkalinize, acid soil, use horticultural lime.
-
-
-_Watering and Mulching_
-
-Transplanted trees and shrubs should be watered with extra care during
-their first growing season. Soil should be kept moist constantly,
-but not muddy, to the full depth of the roots. Don’t rely on light
-rains that moisten only the surface. During hot, dry periods, spray
-the foliage with the garden hose as often as possible. A light, airy
-mulch--buckwheat hulls, crushed sugar cane, or something similar--will
-help keep the soil from drying out and keep it cooler, too.
-
-Established trees and shrubs are kept moist during the spring and
-summer growing seasons. But in August and September, when the year’s
-new growth is maturing and hardening for the winter, less watering is
-needed. Resume watering in October, and keep it up until the ground
-freezes. It is particularly vital that evergreens--both needle-leaved
-and broad-leaved--should never go into winter with dry soil about the
-roots.
-
-
-_Fertilizing_
-
-Feeding miniature plants too heavily sometimes can cause them to
-outgrow miniature size. Actually, they don’t need a rich diet. An
-annual top-dressing of well-rotted, or dried, cow manure, or a
-light sprinkling of balanced commercial fertilizer, in early spring
-is usually sufficient. Fertilizing in late summer or early fall
-dangerously promotes soft new growth that is susceptible to winter
-damage.
-
-
-_Pruning_
-
-Most miniature trees and shrubs are best when allowed to keep their
-natural habits and shapes, and pruned as little as possible. Of course,
-damaged or broken branches should be cut away at planting time, or at
-the end of the winter. Unwanted suckers, and any growth that is out of
-line, ungainly, or unattractive can be removed at any time. Any other
-pruning should be done in earliest spring before new leaves appear.
-There is one exception. Spring-flowering varieties that bloom on last
-year’s wood are pruned immediately after flowering. Fall pruning of any
-type can stimulate new growth that may winter-kill.
-
-Some evergreens, for example the mugho pine, are encouraged to branch
-and keep more compact by breaking off half of the partially matured
-“candles” at the ends of the branches. Evergreen or deciduous shrubs
-sometimes are grown in formal shapes and, like hedges, trimmed
-regularly in spring and summer.
-
-Some summer-and fall-flowering shrubs, referred to as “cut-back” or
-“die-back” types, are perfectly root-hardy although the tops are likely
-to be partly, or completely, killed by winter. But they make new growth
-each spring on which normal flowers and fruit are produced. Some of
-these may grow too tall and awkward when the branches are killed back
-only part way. To keep them small and shapely, cut all stems back to
-mere stubs in earliest spring.
-
-
-_Insects and Diseases_
-
-We’ve never had to hover over our garden constantly with duster and
-spray gun, and I hope we never will. It’s a dull, tiresome, unrewarding
-occupation--confusing and frustrating, too. There are so many different
-kinds of pests, with so many different habits, appetites, and life
-cycles, infesting so many different types of plants in so many
-different ways, that only an expert such as the county agricultural
-agent, or “plant-doctor” Cynthia Westcott, can keep them straight. And
-even Miss Westcott asks, “Is this spray necessary?”
-
-Don’t misunderstand. We do have pests and diseases on our garden
-plants; and we do fight them; and we’ve been known to mutter about the
-injustice of it all. But we try not to let them take all of the joy out
-of summer gardening.
-
-Two or three times during the growing season we fill the tank of the
-small pressure sprayer with a solution of “all-purpose” garden spray.
-Everything in the garden gets the treatment, including shrubs and trees
-we can reach without a tall ladder.
-
-We also wage annual war against a few familiar enemies as soon as they
-appear. In February we cut off twigs encircled by the brownish egg
-bands of tent caterpillars. When the nests appear in spring we wipe
-them out with rags or crumpled paper and spray the surrounding area
-with DDT. When cankerworms are all over the place (as they were in the
-spring of 1961), DDT protects the foliage of small plants, particularly
-our precious miniature trees and shrubs. We discovered we couldn’t
-possibly cope with the gigantic shade trees of the woods.
-
-We have very few Japanese beetles since we started grub-proofing all
-cultivated land. Any time after the ground thaws in spring, and through
-October, we spray or dust with chlordane. Five pounds of 5 per cent
-chlordane dust will treat a thousand square feet, can be bought for
-about two dollars, and can be applied in an hour with a good-sized
-duster. This treatment is effective for three years. The few beetles
-that start working over the roses in midsummer quickly succumb to DDT.
-
-The infrequent appearances of aphids are met with a dousing of nicotine
-sulfate solution, and the same treatment is used for some kinds of
-scale, although others require dormant oil spray. During one very hot
-summer, mites yellowed some of our evergreens. Aramite, used faithfully
-according to label directions, routed them. We do keep either sulfur
-or Karathane on hand to combat mildew on plants such as roses where it
-really matters. For any more complicated or unidentifiable problems, we
-rely on the advice of our friendly county agent and his staff.
-
-
-_Winter Protection_
-
-Newly transplanted or very young trees and shrubs--or any of
-questionable hardiness--need special protection against winter
-severities. Our favorite method for small specimens is to pack salt
-hay or leaves around them loosely and put an upturned basket on top.
-Somewhat taller shrubs may be encircled with evergreen branches, the
-ends being stuck in the ground and tied together over the tops. For
-groupings of shrubs, we put a burlap barrier on the windward side,
-especially for tender types, and sometimes make a tent of sorts.
-Evergreens planted where the late winter sun might burn them need shade
-of some sort--a lathed frame, snow fence, or the like.
-
-
-                PROPAGATING MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS
-
-This is one of my favorite addictions. I can’t resist planting any
-seeds that come my way, can’t bear to discard an evergreen or a broken
-branch of cotoneaster, can’t resist the impulse to root cuttings. As a
-result, our rather small nursery bed is closely populated with small,
-young shrubs and trees of all kinds. I doubt that we’ll ever find space
-to plant them once they’re grown; and I imagine I could be rather
-popular could I ever bring myself to give them away.
-
-Propagating trees and shrubs is predominantly a trial-and-error
-proposition because each variety has its own preferred method of
-reproducing itself. Some are difficult to raise from seeds, some won’t
-propagate any other way; some root readily from cuttings, some take
-three years; some are amenable to layering, others are not. For me this
-guesswork is a good thing. If _all_ my seeds and cuttings took
-root and grew into bushes and trees, there’d be no challenge, no fun,
-and no place to put them.
-
-We always keep a propagating box handy--a shallow box or flat with
-sides and top of glass or polyethylene. In summer it rests under a
-tree; in winter it may be on an unheated porch, in the cold frame, or
-in the greenhouse. The propagating medium may be Pelonex or perlite;
-a three-way mixture of peat, vermiculite, and perlite; half-and-half
-sterilized leaf mold and sharp sand (peat packs too hard for me); or
-clean sharp sand alone. The medium is kept constantly moist but not
-soggy and is never allowed to dry out. Cuttings are inserted in rows,
-and removed for potting as soon as the roots are an inch or so long.
-Sometimes seed is sown in part of the box, or we may rig up a second
-box when we have a goodly number to plant. The glass, or plastic, sides
-and top preserve moisture and keep the air humid.
-
-
-_Seeds_
-
-Most types of shrubs and trees are rather slow to grow to maturity
-from seed. And seeds of miniatures produce all-miniature seedlings
-only when the seed-bearing parents are natural species with natural
-miniature characteristics. Small varieties of larger species, “sports”
-or mutations, can’t always be counted on to produce small offspring.
-
-Seeds vary in the time they take to germinate (three weeks to three
-years, depending on the plant) and in germination requirements. Some
-need warmth, some cool temperatures, some darkness, some light. And
-some need a period of dormancy or “after-ripening” before they are
-planted. In a process of “stratification” seeds are stored in moist
-sand for several months, usually at about 40 degrees or slightly less.
-However, some types (cedar, mugho pine) need to be frozen; a few others
-are stratified in warmth. Some seeds that you buy have already been
-stratified. The package will tell you so.
-
-Fleshy seeds, such as chestnuts, are usually planted as soon as they
-ripen and fall. When seeds are covered with a fruity coat, like holly
-berries, for example, the berry should be soaked in water for a few
-days until the seeds can be squeezed free of the pulp. Hard-coated
-seeds need to be gently cracked, or nicked, to hasten germination,
-and can be sown outdoors in the fall to germinate the following
-spring, or even the spring after that. Most winged seeds of conifers
-need to be stratified (remove the wings) in moist sand all winter at
-35 to 40 degrees and are planted in the spring. Fine seeds, as for
-rhododendrons, can be harvested from the split pods in fall and stored
-cool and dry until spring.
-
-These are, of course, generalizations. When I am in doubt about how to
-handle seeds, and if my reference books don’t give me the information I
-need, I plant them several different ways. It is surprising how often
-they’ll germinate, regardless of method.
-
-There is, of course, one inviolable rule about planting seeds of any
-sort--the planting medium should never dry out from the moment of
-planting, through germination and up to transplanting time.
-
-
-_Softwood Cuttings_
-
-Take the ends of this year’s growth when it is half ripe, in summer, or
-longer sections that can be cut into pieces with at least two buds or
-“eyes.” Make the cut just a little below the node. Or on slow-rooting
-plants, pull off the cutting with a sliver of the main stem (a “heel”)
-attached to the rooting end. Remove the leaves at the base, and dip the
-cut end in one of the hormone rooting powders if you wish. Check the
-formula on the label to make sure you have the correct one for that
-type of cutting, and follow the directions precisely. Insert cuttings
-in rows in the propagating box and firm the medium around the stem ends.
-
-Almost all deciduous trees and shrubs can be propagated from summer
-softwood cuttings, and so can evergreens--both the needle-leaved and
-the broad-leaved varieties. Needle-leaved evergreens can also be
-produced from similar cuttings taken in late fall, but they seem to
-take longer to make roots. With mild bottom heat in the greenhouse,
-however, the process is fast enough so the cuttings are rooted before
-time to set them out in the nursery in the spring.
-
-
-_Hardwood Cuttings_
-
-When deciduous trees and shrubs have dropped their leaves, and this
-year’s growth has had additional ripening from a few sharp frosts, take
-cuttings of the ends of branches that seem fairly thick and sturdy.
-Cut off any immature tips, and trim the cuttings (of miniatures) to
-four to six inches long. Tie a dozen or so into a bundle with covered
-wire, or some similar tie that will neither rot nor injure the bark.
-Bury the bundles (some growers bury them standing, some in a horizontal
-position) so they are completely covered with soil in a cold frame,
-or use a box that can be kept where the temperature will be cold but
-not freezing. In spring, unbundle the cuttings and root them like any
-others in a propagating box, greenhouse, frame, or nursery bed.
-
-
-_Grafting_
-
-There are several different methods of attaching a stem or branch of
-one tree or shrub to the roots of another until the two parts grow
-together as one plant. So far, I’ve willingly left this field to the
-professionals, or to amateurs who are seriously interested and make a
-thorough study of it. I haven’t found the patience or free time for it.
-
-
-_Layering_
-
-Here is a foolproof method that guarantees a healthy new plant almost
-every time. Although some root faster than others, there’s hardly a
-tree or shrub with long or low-hanging branches that can’t be layered.
-Of course, the safety lies in the fact that the new plant is part of,
-and supported by, the parent plant until it is well rooted and strongly
-established.
-
-In spring, when the plant is growing vigorously, select a low-hanging
-branch that can be pulled down to the ground. At that spot nick the
-bark, or slit the branch, to encourage rooting. Pin it down with a
-forked twig, a hairpin, or a clothespin and cover the tip with a
-little soil. When roots have formed and the tip is growing lustily, cut
-the branch between the new plant and the parent, then pot or transplant
-as you wish.
-
-
-_Air Layering_
-
-Plants that do not have a low branch are air-layered by nicking a
-stem or branch three or four inches from the tip, covering the nick
-with a ball of moist sphagnum moss, and wrapping the ball tightly in
-polyethylene, which is tied tightly at both ends. Hormone rooting
-powder can be applied to the nick with a small brush if you wish. Make
-sure the moss doesn’t dry out. When you see several good-sized roots,
-cut the stem below the ball, remove the plastic, and transplant or pot
-as you wish. Rooting speed varies with different plants. Some take only
-six weeks; some, several years.
-
-Air layering can be done in spring, using ripened wood of last year’s
-growth, or in summer with new growth that is not yet woody and hard.
-
-
-                      MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS
-
-=Abelia= _Caprifoliaceae_
-
-Ornamental shrub, persistent or deciduous, often half evergreen,
-spreading. Leaves simple, opposite, nearly stalkless. Flowers white
-or pink tubular, persistent purplish sepals. Native of Asia Minor and
-Mexico.
-
-CARE. Semisun, or some protection. Well-drained soil with leaf mold.
-Amenable to pruning. Cool greenhouse. Hardy in zones 4 and 5.
-
-PROPAGATION. Greenwood cuttings in summer, ripe wood cuttings in
-autumn, layering in spring, rarely from seed.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Foundation planting, hedges, ground cover, slopes, and as
-specimens; use as an evergreen in mild climates.
-
-
-=Abeliophyllum distichum= _Oleaceae_ White Forsythia, Korean Abelia
-
-Deciduous ornamental shrub two to three inches high. White flowers in
-dense clusters in May and June or in February in mild climates. Leaves
-like the abelia, branches arching. Close relative to the forsythia;
-flowers smaller but more of them. Deep-purple flower buds form in the
-fall.
-
-CARE. Sun, drainage, moist soil, hardy in zones 4 and 5. Too severe
-winter weather may kill the buds for spring. Needs some cover.
-
-PROPAGATION. Same as for abelia.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Same as for abelia.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Foliage details of popular miniature trees and shrubs
-
-    _Chamaecyparis pisifera
-    filifera aurea_]
-
-  [Illustration: _Acer palmatum dissectum_]
-
-
-=Abies= _Pinaceae_ Fir
-
-Pyramidal evergreen trees with whorls and graceful branches. Cones are
-erect; leaves flat, narrow, whitish on the underside with two lines,
-and shiny green above. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish from
-spruce, picea. (Spruce sheds leaves when dry, and its cones hang.)
-Bark is smooth and thin when young, thick and furrowed when old. Dwarf
-varieties are _A. balsamea nana_, _A. grandis nana_, _A. procera
-(nobilis) glauca prostrata_, two feet high.
-
-CARE. Cool, humid. Hardy in the North.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings, grafting, seed.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Bonsai.
-
-
-=Andromeda= _Ericaceae_ Bog Rosemary
-
-Low, dwarf evergreen shrubs with narrow leaves, urn or bell-shaped
-pink flowers in May. Dwarf varieties are _A. glaucophylla_, less
-than a foot tall with leathery green leaves lightly frosted beneath,
-stems erect; and _A. polifolia_, a root-creeping species, the leaf
-margins often rolled.
-
-CARE. Cool, very acid soil, peaty, deep acid leaf mold. Prefers bog
-garden; if among rocks, prepare soil to conform to above. Sun or part
-shade. Very hardy.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, cuttings (mature wood under glass), layers,
-division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock and bog gardens.
-
-
-=Azalea (Rhododendron)= _Ericaceae_
-
-The azalea differs from the rhododendron only in technical points. The
-size varies from tree-like to almost prostrate. It flowers from April
-to June and is the most vivid of all shrubs. Colors pink, yellow,
-salmon, purple, white, red, and orchid. Some are fragrant.
-
-CARE. Acid soil, sun. Moist, unsuited for areas where there
-is less than twenty-five inches of rainfall per year. Water after
-flowering when plant is making new shoots. Reduce watering in summer.
-Prune to check irregular growth after blooming season. Remove old
-blooms. Fertilize after flowering. Dust soil with sulfur.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds; layering, in air and in the soil;
-cuttings. Balled and burlapped plants can be set out almost any time.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, foundation planting, bonsai.
-
-
-=Betula nana= _Betulaceae_ Birch
-
-Deciduous shrub, spreading and branching to two feet, leaves to
-one-half inch long. When young the leaves are sticky and fuzzy on the
-underside. A native of Alaska. Flowers, catkins.
-
-CARE. Moist sandy soil.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (stratify at once), layering, green-wood cuttings
-under glass.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, trough gardens.
-
-
-=Bruckenthalia spiculifolia= _Ericaceae_ Balkan Heath
-
-Evergreen, heath-like shrub ten inches high. Small pink bell flowers in
-summer. Gives the effect of billowy daintiness.
-
-CARE. Drainage and not soggy wet. Hardy, but mulch in zone 4 with salt
-hay in winter. Sun; soil gritty and acid.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds and cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock and trough gardens.
-
-
-=Buxus= _Buxaceae_ Box, Boxwood
-
-Evergreen shrub, very small with clusters of small flowers.
-Slow-growing; in fact, boxwood I set out two years ago seems hardly to
-have changed in size. But we await the possibilities with anticipation
-and patience. It is a versatile shrub.
-
-CARE. Little or no care seems necessary. It grows in just about any
-soil not sandy or rocky. It has shallow roots. We protect it in winter
-with a light mulch. Plant in spring or late summer; use little or no
-fertilizer. It accepts being pruned or sheared.
-
-PROPAGATION. Hardwood cuttings, suckers, division, layering.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Edging, foundation planting, bonsai, hedges, pots, and
-dish gardens.
-
-
-=Calluna vulgaris= _Ericaceae_ Heather, Ling
-
-Low evergreen shrub, clusters of pinkish bell flowers in August and
-September, leaves very small.
-
-CARE. Soil light, peaty, sandy, with acid leaf mold. Full sun best but
-light shade is acceptable. Drainage is necessary in winter but prevent
-dehydration by dry winds. Hardy.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings, layering, division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, foundation planting, edging, containers.
-
-
-=Caryopteris incana= _Verbenaceae_ Blue Spirea
-
-Deciduous shrub, gray-green toothed leaves. Shrub grows to two or three
-feet and forms a ball the same width; firmly packed with fuzzy, fringed
-flowers in late summer, of blue or purplish tints.
-
-CARE. Full sun, light soil, the sandier the better. Tolerates drought.
-Not entirely hardy and may be killed-back but will bloom anyhow. Prune
-severely in spring, making a more compact plant.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings of mature wood in August (root under glass),
-layering, seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Borders.
-
-
-=Cassiope lycopodioides= _Ericaceae_
-
-Low evergreen from two to three inches high and formed in a fat dome of
-the same width. Needle-like leaves are tiny and overlap like shingles.
-Has white bell flowers in spring.
-
-CARE. Moist and cool, part shade, soil peaty or sandy and acid. Suffers
-in long hot summers or drought. Native of Siberia and Alaska.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings from mature wood in August (root under glass),
-layering, seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock and trough gardens.
-
-
-=Chaenomeles (Cydonia)= _Rosaceae_ Japanese Quince, Flowering
-Quince
-
-Deciduous or semideciduous shrub with alternate toothed leaves of shiny
-green tone. Blooms in spring before leaves appear, in shades of white
-or pink. Later forms hard, quince-like fruit that is fragrant.
-
-CARE. Almost any soil, but if fertile more flowers; drainage;
-partial shade produces more flowers. Top-dress in spring with garden
-fertilizer. Can be pruned for hedges (not too much).
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (plant in spring and stratify), root cuttings,
-cuttings from ripe wood (root under glass), layering, grafting.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Foundation planting, specimens, hedges (do not prune as
-much as privet), bonsai.
-
-
-=Chamaecyparis (Retinospora)= _Cupressaceae_ False Cypress,
-White Cedar
-
-Actually this is an evergreen that grows to a hundred feet, but it
-also comes in a wide variety of two-foot dwarfs. Basically the tree is
-pyramidal and has leaves more like scales than needles. They are very
-dense and tight, on drooping branches. Some of the dwarf species are
-_C. obtusa coespitosa_ (tennis ball), _C. lawsoniana_, _C.
-compacta_, _C. compacta glauca_, _C. nana compressa_.
-
-CARE. Acid soil; needs moisture, due to shallow roots. Fertilize, prune
-some to keep shapely, root-prune for rock gardens.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds from the small cones.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Bonsai, rock gardens, specimens.
-
-
-=Chamaedaphne calyculata= _Ericaceae_ Leatherleaf
-
-Evergreen shrub that is a native bog dweller and therefore good for
-locations unsuitable for many plants. The evergreen two-inch leaves
-look rusty underneath and are dull brown in winter; branches are
-sparse. In spring it has dangling clusters of little white flowers.
-One-foot variety nana effective in moist part of rock gardens.
-
-CARE. Moist location, acid soil with peat.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, cuttings from ripe wood (rooted under
-glass), layering.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Bog gardens; dwarf variety for rock gardens.
-
-
-=Cotoneaster= _Rosaceae_
-
-This is a small shrub; some varieties are deciduous, some persistent.
-Has small pink or white flowers in the spring. In fall has bright-red
-berries. Deciduous leaves are colored before they drop.
-
-CARE. Sun, but will accept some shade. Cool and moist but never
-waterlogged. (Subject to red spider if hot and dry.) Use lime to
-produce a slightly alkaline soil; use loamy soil. Needs circulation of
-air and drainage. Prune only to remove dead wood or broken branches.
-Doesn’t transplant readily. Plant in permanent location.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, sown when ripe or stratified by layers in autumn;
-cuttings of young wood in late summer (root under glass).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Bonsai, rock walls, hedges, foundation planting.
-
-
-=Cryptomeria japonica= _Taxodiaceae_
-
-This is a Japanese evergreen tree that grows to towering heights but
-has several dwarf varieties: lobbi, pygmaea, and nana. It has shreddy
-red-brown bark and distinctive root formations above ground, making it
-very appealing for bonsai work. Blue-green leaves.
-
-  [Illustration: _Cotoneaster humifusa_ and _juniperus
-  sabina tamariscifolia_]
-
-  [Illustration: _Cotoneaster humifusa_ with flowers and berry]
-
-CARE. Protect during hot and dry summer, and from low temperatures. It
-is best in warmer climates. Enriched soil is not necessary but produces
-a more pleasing tree.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, cuttings, grafting. Seeds are stratified, and do
-not always come true. Cuttings are more satisfactory.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Bonsai.
-
-
-=Daboecia cantabrica= _Ericaceae_ Irish Bell Heather
-
-An evergreen shrub, upright and dwarf (ten to eighteen inches). The
-leaves are dark green but fuzzy white underneath. Purple, drooping-urn
-flowers, in clusters, last all summer.
-
-CARE. Soil gritty, sandy, and peaty. Protect in winter and be careful
-about drainage. Mulch with salt hay or evergreen leaves.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, cuttings from ripe wood under glass.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens.
-
-
-=Daphne= _Thymelaeaceae_
-
-Some of these little shrubs are evergreen, some are not. Some of them
-grow very low. All of the several varieties bloom in early spring,
-often on bare wood. Colors vary from white to pink. Most varieties are
-fragrant.
-
-CARE. Plant in a cool, moist location in light soil, drained and
-slightly sandy. Protect in winter with straw or salt hay.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds are sown at once or are stratified; softwood
-cuttings after flowering; layering; hardwood cuttings in fall.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Foundation planting, hedges, border planting, rock
-gardens, greenhouse forcing, ground cover, bonsai.
-
-
-=Deutzia= _Saxifragaceae_
-
-This is a heavy flowering shrub with a compact, plump shape. The
-flowers, resembling small hoop skirts or bells, cover the plant almost
-completely. Colors vary with varieties, white, pink, and pink with red
-touches.
-
-CARE. Will grow and flower in some shade. Accepts most any soil. Needs
-drainage. Most varieties are hardy.
-
-PROPAGATION. Both green-wood and hardwood cuttings, layers, seeds in
-spring.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Foundation planting, hedges, greenhouse forcing.
-
-
-=Euonymus= _Celastraceae_ Burning Bush
-
-Sizes can vary from dwarf shrubs to medium-size trees. Sometimes it is
-evergreen, but is more likely to be deciduous. Simple, opposite leaves;
-clusters of small flowers in spring. Has showy fruit which turns red in
-fall and opens to drop the seeds. Has brilliant red coloring in autumn.
-
-CARE. Grows in ordinary soil and does well in shade (bright sun makes
-for better colors in fall). Most varieties are hardy.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (sown in spring), layering, hardwood cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Bonsai, pots, dish gardens, rock gardens, hedges.
-
-
-=Fothergilla= _Hamamelidaceae_ Bottle Brush
-
-Native American shrub, deciduous with alternate coarse-toothed leaves,
-hazel-like in appearance and brilliant in fall colors. During the
-flowering season blooms of a lustrous white resemble shaggy dust mops.
-It is slow-growing and adapts itself to bonsai treatment.
-
-CARE. Seemingly, it requires little pampering. It likes moist
-situations. It is hardy and can be pruned to size and shape.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, layers (may take two years to root), and root
-cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Foundation planting, bonsai.
-
-  [Illustration: _Ilex crenata helleri_ ca. 20–25 year old
-  spec. with _Abies glauca conica_]
-
-
-=Ilex crenata helleri= _Aquifoliaceae_ Holly
-
-Holly may be a tree or a shrub and is sometimes an evergreen. The waxy
-green leaves are known to anyone who has ever seen a Christmas wreath.
-The red berries are almost as striking. Most varieties grow slowly.
-
-CARE. Most like rich well-drained spots. They need acid soil or the
-leaves turn yellow. They are hard to transplant and it should only be
-tried in the spring before growth starts. The deciduous varieties are
-easier to move, but are not so hardy. If you are buying a tree, get
-nursery stock that has been freshly dug. Mulch, but not near the trunks
-in winter because of mice. If you desire the red berries, spray with
-hormones. Prune yearly for shape, in winter.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (stratify, slow to germinate), cuttings of young
-ripe wood (root under glass).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Hedges, rock gardens, containers, foundation planting,
-bonsai.
-
-
-=Juniperus= _Cypressaceae_ Juniper
-
-Evergreen trees and shrubs with needles or scale leaves. Can be tall
-trees or prostrate shrubs that hug the ground. Foliage is a beautiful
-blue-green.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   A beautiful specimen of _Juniperus procumbens nana_ with
-   pansies in a corner planting]
-
-CARE. Moderately moist loamy soil. Some (_J. communis_) thrive in dry
-spots amid rocks. Most are hardy. Many varieties are exceptionally
-hardy and accept sun or shade, city dust, fumes, and smoke. All like
-drainage and wide spacing.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings, seeds, layering.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, foundation planting, containers, bonsai.
-
-
-=Picea abies= _Pinaceae_ Spruce
-
-Pyramidal, evergreen, coniferous trees native to the cooler parts of
-the country. They have four-sided leaves that fall easily, leaving
-cones that usually droop. Although many varieties are tall and
-majestic, there are some of the most shapely dwarfs in the family.
-They grow so slowly they are desirable for small landscapes. Among the
-dwarfs are: clanbrasiliana, gregoryana, maxwelli, nana, nidformis. The
-latter, with its dark-green needles and flat open top, is also known
-as the bird’s nest spruce. It is less expensive because it grows very
-easily from cuttings.
-
-CARE. Hardy, tolerates more wet than firs or pines, and is at home in
-most soils.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds and cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Foundation planting, hedges, bonsai.
-
-
-=Pinus= _Pinaceae_ Pine
-
-Among the many familiar pines of ornamental interest there are several
-dwarf forms for limited landscapes. All bear needle-leaves in typical
-bundles of two, three, or five according to type. Here are some
-possibilities: _P. cembra chlorocarpa_, _P. mugo (montana) mughus_, and
-a variety of the white pine, _P. strobus nana_.
-
-CARE. Light, dry, sandy soil. Plant where sheltered; for example, a
-northern slope. Dry summer winds and unseasonable, warm winter sun will
-turn the leaves brown. In transplanting trees, remember that the roots
-do not stand exposure to air. Take the biggest possible chunk of dirt
-with them. In buying, get stock that is balled in burlap.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds and grafting.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Bonsai, containers, rock gardens, foundation planting.
-
-
-=Rhododendron= _Ericaceae_
-
-Some of the most charming of our truly miniature shrubs, far too
-infrequently known and grown. Rhododendron species and hybrids may be
-under a foot tall at maturity and have leaves as small as a little
-fingernail. The only thing out of proportion is the size of their
-flowers. Here are some of them: cantabile, chryseum, cinnabarinum,
-cuneatum, didymum, fastigiatum, ferrugineum, flavidum (primulinum),
-glaucum (glaucophyllum), hypolepidotum, impeditum, kotschyi, radinum,
-riparium, russatum, williamsianum.
-
-CARE. Humus-rich soil, sandy and of open texture. Mulch for winter
-season and water before freezing weather. Withered leaves in the dead
-of winter mean lack of moisture as well as cold weather.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, softwood tip cuttings (in June).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Bonsai, rock gardens, edging, foundation planting.
-
-  [Illustration: in winter
-
-   _Rhododendron keiskei_
-
-    in spring]
-
-
-=Sciadopitys verticillata= _Taxodiaceae_ Umbrella Pine
-
-The five-inch needles of this slow-growing Japanese evergreen spread
-out from new tip growth like the ribs of a half-open umbrella, giving
-it an airy distinction. The tree, a squat pyramid, with short branches
-and a stubby main trunk, is ideal for bonsai cultivation.
-
-CARE. Grows well in most any soil but does better in one that
-has been enriched. As it is slow-growing, there is slight danger that
-it will outgrow its dwarf proportions. Transplant only when young and
-do not expose the roots. Protect from severe winter conditions.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Bonsai, rock gardens, specimens.
-
-
-=Spiraea= _Rosaceae_ Spirea
-
-This popular deciduous shrub varies as to size, with most varieties
-far out of the miniature classification. However, there are some short
-ones, with _S. bullata (crispifolia)_ an out-and-out midget of
-twelve to fifteen inches. It has rose-colored flowers in midsummer.
-_S. arguta (compacta)_ is slightly taller. In May it has garlands
-of fragrant white flowers. _S. bumalda_, with deep-pink flowers
-in early summer, grows to about two and a half feet. Most others are
-considerably taller.
-
-CARE. Almost any soil is acceptable providing it is not too heavy and
-has drainage. However, plenty of moisture is essential. Plenty of sun
-is necessary for good flowering. Pruning also promotes flowers, but do
-it after the blooms have fallen. Transplanting is easy, even with bare
-roots. Fertilize occasionally.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (ripe or stratified), cuttings of green or hard
-wood, layers.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Borders, rock gardens, hedges, foundations.
-
-
-=Taxus= _Taxaceae_ Yew
-
-This evergreen shrub is very valuable to those who garden in
-smaller-scale plots and grounds. There are a number of extremely low
-and slow-growing varieties available at most nurseries and in several
-different forms. All have the typical yew masses of glassy, evergreen
-needle-leaves and satiny red, berry-like fruit. All accept shearing,
-even need it to preserve their symmetry and small size. It is often
-difficult to differentiate between the many varieties when they are
-young, so be sure to check them when buying.
-
-   _baccata_--English yew--A tall tree but available in these
-   small forms: adpressa, a broad, dense bush with half-inch
-   needles in thick masses; repandens, a flattish, low, and
-   spreading form with drooping branches, two to four feet tall.
-
-   _canadensis_--American or Canadian yew--Three to four feet
-   tall and for planting in the shade. Suffers from unusually warm
-   winter sun. Its variety stricta is neat and upright and stays
-   under two feet in height. The green needles are yellow-tinged
-   when it is young.
-
-   _cuspidata_--Japanese yew--This variety is recommended for
-   Northeastern planting. The slow-growing variety densa is plump
-   and rounded and twice as wide as its four-foot mature height.
-   Another variety, nana (brevifolia), is considerably larger,
-   horizontal, and spreading in habit.
-
-   _cuspidata nana_--This species slightly different, has
-   a deeply fissured trunk with red berry fruit and very dark
-   evergreen leaves. It is highly regarded as a miniature and
-   excellent for bonsai work.
-
-   _stricta_ (_fastigata_, _hibernica_)--An upright
-   column that tops dwarf proportions sooner than most others.
-
-CARE. Slightly acid soil. Fertilize frequently in early spring and
-early summer. Good drainage. Don’t plant under rain gutters. Top-dress
-with old manure. Easily transplanted. Shear just before spring growth
-starts, to control size and shape. Winter sun may burn needles.
-Comparatively free of disease.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (stratified), cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Foundation planting, specimens, hedges, rock and wild
-gardens, tub planting, bonsai.
-
-
-=Teucrium chamaedrys= _Labiatae_ Germander
-
-This is an aromatic Old World shrublet that is adaptable to many uses
-in the garden, whether formal or informal. Most varieties are less than
-a foot in height. It flowers in late summer. Many gardeners raise it
-for its decorative value and snip off the blooms. It is hardier than
-boxwood and less costly.
-
-CARE. It grows in almost any soil but requires good drainage and full
-sun. Prune the top and sides twice a year for formal effect. Give
-winter protection with evergreen boughs.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (good but slow), division, cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Beds, edging, rock gardens, miniature hedges, foundations.
-
-
-=Thuja= _Pinaceae_ Arborvitae
-
-Certain species of the “tree of life” are majestic monsters. But there
-are a number of shrubby varieties of delicate value in small plantings.
-All have characteristic scale-like leaves arranged along fan-shaped
-branches, making fluffy sprays. But shapes vary from balls to pyramids.
-Foliage may be light, or blue-green, or even golden. Smaller forms are:
-
-   _occidentalis_--This species has two small varieties,
-   compacta (slow-growing, dense pyramid) and ellwangeriana (a low
-   round mound-shape).
-
-   _minima_--A very small and a slow-growing ball.
-
-   _pumila_--‘Little Gem’--Dense-leaved and globe-shaped.
-
-   _pygmaea_--A two-foot globe or ball.
-
-CARE. Cool, moist location. Rich soil and leaf mold. Either full sun or
-half shade. City soot harmful.
-
-PROPAGATION. Same as for conifers.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Foundation planting, rock gardens, tubs and other
-containers, specimens.
-
-
-=Tsuga canadensis= _Pinaceae_ Hemlock
-
-This graceful evergreen conifer has slender horizontal branches with
-small leaves and small cones. Not all nurseries have it in its few
-dwarf forms. Best known of these small varieties are the conical
-compacta, and the completely prostrate, creeping prostrata.
-
-CARE. Slightly acid soil, organic fertilizer, shade-tolerant, hardy
-(but protect from cold winds), can be pruned.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (stratified), cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Foundation planting, hedges, specimens, rock gardens,
-bonsai.
-
-
-=Viburnum= _Caprifoliaceae_ Snowball, European Cranberry Bush
-
-An ornamental shrub. Most varieties are deciduous, and are valued for
-their heavy flower clusters, fragrance, autumnal color, and attractive
-fruit. Sizes and colors of flowers vary.
-
-   _carlesi_--Korean snowball--Fragrant pink buds that open as
-   white flowers about the same time the foliage appears.
-
-   _davidi_--About three feet tall with handsome crinkled
-   leaves sharply creased at the veins. Small clusters of white
-   flowers in June; blue fruit in the fall.
-
-   _nanum_--A real dwarf popular for low hedges and rock
-   gardens. It is strictly ornamental, with no flowers or fruit.
-
-CARE. Any soil is acceptable. Moisture required. Hardy.
-
-PROPAGATION. Stratified seeds, cuttings (hardwood or green wood under
-glass), layers, grafting.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, hedges, specimens.
-
-
-
-
-                             _CHAPTER 15_
-
-                         MINIATURE PERENNIALS
-                            AND ROCK PLANTS
-
-
-Our odd piece of Connecticut countryside is shaped rather like the
-blade of a paring knife. We cleared the point to make a wild-flower
-garden. At the blunt end, on one side, a tree-lined bank dips down
-to the road. On the other, there is an old, low rock wall that’s not
-particularly beautiful, nor is it suitable for dry-wall planting. When
-we finally whipped the central lawn into shape, we realized that a
-flowering border would be nice against the wall--a low, narrow border
-with colorful bloom all summer long.
-
-To be in proportion and harmony with the setting, the border had to be
-completely in miniature--following accepted principles for selecting
-and arranging plants, but executed in small scale. Finding the proper
-plants has been a challenge; arranging them has been a trial-and-error
-proposition, because many varieties are entirely new to us. But last
-summer, the little border began to look the way we had visualized
-it--taller specimens in the background, ground-hugging cushions facing
-them down in front, small groups of straight spires for accent at
-strategic intervals. It will probably take another season or two to
-perfect the blending and contrast of flowers and foliage, and to get
-the most colorful and constant succession of bloom.
-
-This is not, of course, our first acquaintance with miniature
-perennials; and it couldn’t possibly be our last. They combine
-beautifully with small shrubs, show off to advantage in small rock
-gardens, add an artistic finishing touch to garden pools, birdbaths,
-and other ornaments. They’re at their very best in outdoor planters and
-raised beds on patios and terraces, and in ribbon edgings along walks
-and walls.
-
-Although they’re precious in flower, many varieties--candytuft,
-lavender, sempervivum, thyme, plumbago, to name a few--are equally
-decorative without bloom. This is a valued advantage when planting
-space is limited. Gardeners with limited time use perennials lavishly
-because, once established, they’re mostly permanent, and they require
-a minimum of care. Somehow, I sympathize with a writer who found more
-pleasure in spring’s tufts of fresh new growth than in the full bloom
-of summer. Nostalgically, one welcomes the return of an old friend;
-practically, one knows it will tend to its business of growing and
-flowering with very little personal attention.
-
-This leads us to the question, “How perennial _is_ a perennial?”
-and to the obvious answer, “It depends....” To begin with, it should
-live at least three years in your garden. After that, some varieties
-need to be lifted and divided into smaller plants with fresh new
-vigor; some may need to be replaced completely; some few may grow on
-indefinitely without renewal, or may replace themselves with seedlings
-that are often of doubtful value.
-
-In the language of the catalogues, a “hardy” perennial is one that
-can withstand fairly severe winter cold, and may not be hardy in
-Southern gardens where it is not frozen into dormancy. Most hardy
-perennials are “herbaceous”--the stems usually die back to the ground
-each winter; some few have stems that may or may not be somewhat woody
-and persistent. A “tender” perennial is likely to be killed by cold
-weather, and is grown as an annual in the North, if it is grown at all.
-
-The life cycle of a biennial extends over two years. It is grown from
-seed, may or may not need special protection to carry it over a cold
-winter, produces flowers and seeds the second year, then dies. Some
-biennials sow themselves with such faithfulness they’re regarded as
-perennial. The comparatively few biennials among flowering plants are
-grown much like perennials; miniature varieties are covered in this
-chapter.
-
-Originally, I was firmly resolved to admit as miniatures only those
-perennials that grow less than eight inches high. But I couldn’t resist
-stretching the limits an inch or so to allow for a ten-inch flower stem
-above a small, flat rosette of leaves; and I found that the height
-limitation allowed free entry to some rambunctious spreaders that could
-quickly ruin a miniature garden. So I finally settled on biennials
-and perennials that are miniature in general appearance and habit,
-without strict measurements, and with flowers and foliage in suitable
-proportion for miniature gardens.
-
-For the first year or so, locating some of the small perennials we
-wanted was rather like a treasure hunt; we never knew where we’d find
-a clue. Occasionally, we’d spy a prize on a visit to a local nursery.
-Frequently an advertisement or a tip from another gardener would give
-us the name of a promising mail-order supplier. Those who specialized
-in rock-garden plants proved to be particularly fruitful prospects.
-Often, we started our plants from seeds and discovered later that
-mature plants were available, had we known it. Now, we have quite a
-list of sources for miniature perennials which we happily share with
-you, beginning on page 259.
-
-In selecting suitable varieties, decorative effect is naturally the
-first consideration--size, habit, and blooming season; color and
-texture of flowers and foliage; how the plants fit into your design
-and planting plan. Equally important is hardiness; not only ability
-to survive a cold winter, but also adaptability to other climatic
-conditions. Some perennials simply will not grow where summers are
-hot and dry; others will live but can’t mature enough to flower where
-nights are cool or growing seasons are short.
-
-Like other types of plants, perennials should be selected according to
-their cultural needs, and should be planted only where they can get
-the amount of sunlight and moisture they need, and where the soil is
-suitable or can be made so. An acid-loving plant in neutral or alkaline
-soil is a poor, short-lived thing; a moisture-lover withers pitiably
-where it’s dry as a desert most of the time; a “hardy” perennial won’t
-be hardy unless its environment is to its liking.
-
-
-                           PLANTING AND CARE
-
-Unless it’s utterly impossible, we do all our planting in the spring,
-so there is plenty of time for plants to develop vigorous root systems
-before a mean Connecticut winter comes along. This is particularly
-important to shallow-rooted perennials, and to any that are planted in
-windy, exposed sites. But for us, it also includes spring-flowering
-varieties. In spring we’ve planted dormant roots with or without mere
-nubbins of new growth, and plants that were fully leaved out and
-bursting with buds, with very little loss. But fall planting has proved
-to be a gamble; and if we’re forced into it, we’re more likely to find
-room in the cold frame for the new arrivals until spring.
-
-Of course, this is not usually necessary in more temperate sections
-where plants set out in late summer and early fall have plenty of time
-to become acclimated before heavy frost. And it can be all wrong for
-Southern gardens, where planting during deepest dormancy is often
-recommended.
-
-Even if you’re planting only three little pinks in a nook the size
-of a lady’s handkerchief, soil should be dug deeply and be suitably
-conditioned or enriched, drainage should be made perfect, roots should
-be spread out carefully, and watering should be as thorough as if you
-were planting a priceless miniature tree or shrub. To prevent a serious
-setback from wilting, put up some sort of temporary protection against
-sun and wind--an encircling screen of leafy branches, even a tent of
-newspaper or old sheeting.
-
-
-_Soil_
-
-There are few soils that can’t be improved by the addition of organic
-matter such as leaf mold, manure, or compost; and few plants that won’t
-grow better for it. It helps hold moisture in sandy soil, improves
-texture and increases drainage in clay-like soil, enriches ordinary
-garden loam. Mix it thoroughly with the soil before you place the
-plants. Also before planting, add lime to acid soil for plants that
-need it, acid peat for acid-loving varieties if your soil is neutral
-or alkaline. Above all, don’t plant anything (except for a few bog
-inhabitants) where water stands in puddles. Poor drainage has killed
-more perennials than Old Man Winter himself.
-
-
-_Watering and Mulching_
-
-Most miniature perennials naturally have rather shallow root systems,
-so they suffer quickly from drought. Don’t let them dry out seriously
-(particularly after transplanting); water often and deeply enough
-that the soil below the roots is wet. Thorough watering in late fall,
-just before the ground freezes, often makes the difference between
-winter-survival and winter-kill.
-
-Mulching with any available, airy material--buckwheat hulls or crushed
-sugar cane, for example--will help keep soil moist and will also
-discourage germination of weed seeds, thereby saving you a bit of work.
-
-
-_Fertilizing_
-
-Most miniature plants don’t like or need a heavy diet. A light
-top-dressing of balanced fertilizer, in early spring, is usually enough
-to nourish them without forcing soft and straggly growth. Reluctant
-bloomers may need a small ration of superphosphate or a booster drink
-of liquid-manure “tea” as flowering time approaches.
-
-
-_Pruning and Grooming_
-
-To keep them compact and attractive, some varieties should have growing
-tips pinched out once or twice in spring and early summer; others may
-have a few long, straggly stems to be removed; some carpeting types
-should be sheared off after flowering. Always pick off faded flowers
-unless you have reason to want the seeds.
-
-In fall, when foliage is frostbitten, cut back the old stems and take
-them away, along with any fallen leaves or other debris, to be burned.
-Many diseases and insects winter over in decaying vegetable matter.
-
-
-_Insects and Disease_
-
-Our trusty duster or sprayer, filled with an all-purpose
-insecticide-fungicide formula, gives all our garden plants a preventive
-treatment several times a season. So far, this has been enough to keep
-problems and pests away. For some special infestations or epidemics, we
-keep a few specific remedies on hand--sulfur for powdery mildew, and
-Aramite for mites, for example.
-
-
-_Winter Protection_
-
-In our area we never know whether winter will bless us with a constant
-covering of snow, or the ground will be bare and exposed to alternate
-freezing and thawing that “heaves” tender roots up out of their beds.
-After the ground is frozen two or three inches deep, we cover sleeping
-perennials with a light blanket of salt hay or, sometimes, evergreen
-boughs. Crowns that stay evergreen are surrounded by a collar of sharp
-sand. Questionably hardy varieties are lifted and moved to the cold
-frame.
-
-In spring, as the weather begins to warm up, we remove the protective
-mulch a bit at a time. There’s a fine line between taking it off
-prematurely, thus exposing new growth to a late freeze, and leaving it
-so long that the soil underneath gets soggy and the roots rot. But, rot
-can be fatal, and frozen tips of new growth are not, so we remove the
-winter covering as fast as we dare.
-
-
-                   PROPAGATING MINIATURE PERENNIALS
-
-One item in our Connecticut landscape that’s completely out of scale
-with its surroundings is the monstrous cold frame near the back
-boundary line. The cement-block wall goes down below the frost line,
-and up high enough to make room for winter storage of fairly good-sized
-plants. The discarded storm windows are hinged across the back and
-completely removable in summer, when they are replaced by light wooden
-frames of the same size with laths nailed a lath-width apart. The
-construction slants toward the south, to make the most of all winter
-sunshine; light shading is necessary in summer to protect tender
-seedlings and rooting cuttings.
-
-The cold frame serves dozens of purposes and has more than paid
-for itself with plants it has protected or produced. When we plant
-perennial seeds in the cold frame, we throw a piece of burlap across
-the top and keep it moist until they germinate. Tender seedlings spend
-their first winter within its walls, and so do newly rooted cuttings.
-Questionably hardy perennials or any that we acquire in fall are held
-over until spring. Every year, it seems as if we take more out of the
-cold frame than we put into it!
-
-Other, smaller, portable devices are equally useful for all kinds of
-summer propagating. Low square or rectangular wooden frames can be
-set over an area of prepared soil and the top covered with glass or
-polyethylene to keep the soil from drying out. An empty fruit crate
-from the grocer can be equipped with a glass or plastic top. A few
-cuttings can be rooted in soil in some shady spot with a clear glass
-jar inverted over them. There are many devices that keep soil moist
-and air humid while seeds germinate or cuttings root. How large or
-elaborate yours should be depends on how much propagating you want to
-do.
-
-
-_Seeds_
-
-Many hard-to-find miniature perennials can be easily grown from a
-twenty-cent packet of seed. You can also harvest seeds from your own
-plants; but only natural species will “come true.” Complicated hybrids
-will have unpredictable offspring, most of them not particularly
-desirable.
-
-We plant seeds of most biennials and perennials in June, when the soil
-is comfortably warm and the seedlings will have the whole summer to
-grow large and lusty. Some of our own seeds that ripen in midsummer are
-planted as soon as we can harvest them; those that mature later are
-usually stored on a cool shelf in the cellar in plastic boxes or little
-pill bottles that keep them dry.
-
-Soil for the seed bed is sifted to remove pebbles and debris, and mixed
-with equal quantities of sharp sand and peat or sieved leaf mold. To
-prevent “damp-off,” a fungus that chokes off stems at the soil line,
-soil should be sterilized if at all possible. Small quantities may be
-baked in the oven. Special easy-to-use fungicides are also available;
-follow label directions.
-
-  [Illustration:
-
-   Rocks, water, and planting--an effective combination of all the
-   elements of a rock garden. (_Mr. and Mrs. Norman Cherry_)]
-
-Most seeds are covered to the depth of their diameter; very fine seeds
-are merely firmed down into the soil. Seeds with hard coats may be
-gently nicked with a knife or soaked in water for a day or so. Some
-seeds, like primroses, need to be treated as if they had wintered
-outdoors before they will germinate. You can put them in moist sand
-in a small, tight container and alternate freezing in the ice
-compartment and thawing in the warmer part of the refrigerator for
-several days. Or you can plant these seeds in a small box or flat of
-their own and leave them outdoors, in a protected spot, where winter
-will supply its own natural conditions.
-
-  [Illustration: Cold frame planted and ready for top made from
-  discarded storm windows]
-
-Some seeds germinate faster in the dark, some with light; some like
-cooler temperatures than others; some come up in seven days, some
-take months or even a year. Seed packets usually supply pertinent
-information.
-
-Seeds will not germinate in dry soil, or if allowed to dry out even
-temporarily during the critical period. To avoid washing out fine
-seeds, water gently with a fine mist, or set the flat or other
-container in water up to the level of the soil inside. When the soil
-surface looks shiny and moist, remove the container and set it aside to
-drain.
-
-When the first “true” leaves are of fair size, transplant the seedlings
-to peat pots, or flats, or rows in a prepared bed or cold frame. Shade
-against sun and wind until they resume growth.
-
-
-_Stem Cuttings_
-
-Many perennials can be propagated easily and in quantity by rooting
-softwood cuttings like those of trees and shrubs. Tip cuttings three
-or four inches long are usually best, with all the flower buds and the
-lower leaves removed. Some types, such as dianthus and lavender, root
-faster and more surely if the cutting is taken with a heel.
-
-For spring-flowering varieties, take stem cuttings after flowering
-has finished and up until midsummer; for those that bloom later, take
-cuttings in May or June.
-
-
-_Division_
-
-This is a wonderful way not only to increase perennials, but also to
-keep them young and vigorous. How often you divide them depends on each
-plant’s individual performance. When growth is so thick it seems to be
-choking itself, when there’s little healthy new growth and a poor show
-of bloom, when a clump or crown becomes tough and hard in the center,
-it’s usually time to refresh the plant by division. Some plants need it
-almost every other year, some not for many years.
-
-How you divide a plant depends upon how it grows. If there is a central
-crown of leaves, it can be cut cleanly into two or three sections,
-each with its own share of roots. Or there may be new, young crowns
-clustered around its edge that can be pulled or cut off. If the plant
-simply has a crowded colony of stems and fibrous roots, you can often
-pull it apart gently into several pieces. Or if it’s the type that
-sends out rooting runners, you can sever these and replant them.
-Generally, the old, tired center of the plant is discarded.
-
-In cold climates, even spring-flowering perennials are most safely
-divided very early in the season, when new growth is beginning. Cool,
-moist spring weather favors rapid recovery from the operation, and
-there is plenty of time for the new plants to mature before fall.
-Summer-flowering and fall-flowering types are also divided in earliest
-spring. In humid climates the spring-bloomers can be divided in August
-or early September.
-
-
-_Layering_
-
-Almost any perennial with low or low-hanging branches can be propagated
-by pinning a stem to the soil, several inches from the growing tip.
-When new growth appears, cut off the rooted stem and transplant it.
-This propagating method may not produce great numbers of new plants at
-one time; but it is surely one of the easiest and least troublesome
-practices--and particularly safe because the new plant is supported by
-the parent until it is well rooted.
-
-I’ve been intrigued with one good gardener’s method of creating a low
-hedge from one plant of dwarf lavender. She layered one stem at each
-side of the original plant. When these two new plants were fairly
-mature (but not cut away from the old plant), she layered one stem
-of each. By repeating the process, and locating each new layer in a
-straight line with the last one, she can extend her hedge as far as she
-wishes and plant it as she goes, along any lines.
-
-
-                        ROCK GARDEN PERENNIALS
-
-=Achillea= _Compositae_ Yarrow, Hilfoil
-
-Resembling the field yarrow, but dainty, mottled, and tufted. The
-leaves, some finely cut and ferny, wear thick wool coats. The saucy
-flowers are in heads, some flat-topped and not unlike daisies.
-
-   _ageratifolia aizoon (Anthemis aizoon)_--Six-inch mat of
-   silver-haired, uncut leaves topped with bright white flowers in
-   May and June.
-
-   _clavennae_--Tufts of hoary, fine-cut leaves less than a
-   foot high, tight round white flower heads three-fourths of an
-   inch across in May and June.
-
-   _tomentosa_--Best-known little species, quickly makes a
-   thick mat of semi-evergreen gray-green leaves six inches tall.
-   It has sunny yellow flowers from June to midsummer. The variety
-   aurea has more golden flowers and blooms earlier; nana is a true
-   midget and makes a thick carpet studded with many white flowers.
-   Five-inch ‘Moonlight’ has flowers of sulfur yellow, and greener
-   foliage.
-
-   _umbellata_--Four-inch mounds of fuzzy, silvery, ferny
-   leaves. It has cream-white flowers in June and is evergreen in
-   temperate areas.
-
-CARE. Any soil, even sandy or poor. Dryish to moist. Sun or very light
-shade. Easy to grow.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division in spring or fall, seeds (flowers the second
-year).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock plantings, dry-wall planting, edging, ground cover,
-pavements.
-
-
-=Aethionema= _Cruciferae_ Stone-Cress, Persian Candytuft
-
-This is a heathery little shrub-like perennial with slim leaves and
-steely-blue needles, cheerful clusters of flowers at the stem tips in
-May and June. It is often compared to a minuscule daphne.
-
-   _armenum_--Neat tufts of short, sharp leaves and petite
-   pink flowers in June. It is never over four inches high.
-
-   _iberideum_--Low, crowded, and cushiony-minute with
-   gray-green leaves and large white flowers in short clusters.
-   This one is earlier than other varieties, blooming even in April
-   if the weather is favorable. (Needs gritty soil with some lime.)
-
-   _schistosum_--By comparison this one is a giant growing
-   to eight or ten inches, with two-inch leaves and fragrant pink
-   flowers.
-
-CARE. Soil light, sandy, well-drained, and gravelly; dry; sun. Hardy in
-southern New England. Give protection in severe winters.
-
-PROPAGATION. Cuttings in summer, division and seeds in spring.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, dry-wall planting, edging, borders.
-
-
-=Ajuga= _Labiatae_ Bugle
-
-This is a low, creeping or spreading perennial with pinwheels of rather
-coarse leaves and small blue flowers which come in May and June. It is
-of miniature height and should only be planted where you can control
-it, or want it to spread. Some of the better-known varieties are:
-
-   _genevensis_--Oval toothed leaves, light green. Flowers
-   deep blue.
-
-   _pyramidalis_--Less likely to spread and stays neat and
-   small. Flowers blue and slightly larger than those of other
-   varieties.
-
-   _reptans_--Also known as carpet bugle, it is nearly supine,
-   with stems that root as they creep. Flowers blue or purplish.
-   Variety alba has white flowers; variegata, foliage marked with
-   cream and pink. Rubra pink flowers.
-
-   ‘Silver Beauty’--Compact and ground-hugging. White markings on
-   leaves give a silvery appearance. Blue flowers.
-
-CARE. Ordinary soil, even poor; sun or part shade; dry. Plant in fall
-or spring six inches apart. Easy to grow.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds in spring, division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, dry-wall planting, ground cover, edging.
-
-
-=Alyssum= _Cruciferae_ Madwort
-
-Plushy, mat-forming, like a silver-gray rug with flecks of white or
-golden flowers in spring and summer. The grayish leaves are small, the
-flowers in thick clusters. Popular forms are:
-
-   _alpestre_ (_serpyllifolium_)--Three-inch gray carpet
-   with bright-yellow flowers through June.
-
-   _montanum_--Fragrant gold flowers in June; about eight
-   inches high.
-
-   _mulfenianum_--Smaller (four-inch) version with balls of
-   yellow flowers from May to June.
-
-   _saxatile_--basket of gold--Blooms in May; nine inches
-   high; spreads thickly. Variety compactum is more compact and
-   shorter; about eight inches. Variety citrinum has lemon-yellow
-   flowers.
-
-   _spinosum_--Dense growth, shrubby and spiny, about eight
-   inches high. White flowers sometimes tinged with pink, in June
-   and July.
-
-CARE. Any ordinary soil with drainage. Sunny, open location. Plant in
-spring or fall six to eight inches apart.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds in fall, division of roots in spring.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, borders, dry walls, pavements, edging,
-carpet for bulbs, ground cover.
-
-
-=Anemone= _Ranunculaceae_ Windflower
-
-One of the earliest to bloom in the spring, it has lacy leaves and
-colorful flowering saucers not made up of petals but of sepals (leaves
-that encircle the flowers at the base).
-
-   _apennina_--Tuberous species six or seven inches high
-   with deeply cut leaves; arrives in March with bright, sky-blue
-   flowers. Variety alba has white flowers; purpurea, rich
-   lavender-rose.
-
-   _blanda_--Resembles apennina but is slightly larger and has
-   darker flowers.
-
-   _nemorosa_--European wood anemone--Similiar to American
-   forms. Variety alleni has lavender flowers. Variety rosea, pink.
-
-   _palmata_--Six-inch dwarf with whorls of leathery leaves,
-   golden-white flowers in May or June. The flowers of the variety
-   albida are heavenly white with gold centers.
-
-   _pulsatilla_--pasque flower--A more robust alpine growing
-   to eight inches tall. Hardy even in Maine rock gardens. Flowers
-   are purple-blue bells that come early and last as long as the
-   weather is cool. Its finely cut leaves are softened with silky
-   hairs. Other varieties are alba, white; rubra, plum red; and
-   camla, silvery lilac surrounded by white.
-
-CARE. Rich sandy loam with leaf mold. Part shade for some varieties.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seed in late fall, root division in early spring.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Wild gardens, rock gardens, forcing, flower beds.
-
-
-=Antennaria= _Compositae_ Pussy-Toes
-
-This is a furry little creeper with flat, silvery, spoon-shaped leaves
-and bristly flowers sometimes dried as everlastings.
-
-   _dioica_--Fast-creeping carpet with pink-tipped flowers in
-   spring.
-
-   _microphylla (parvifolia)_--Western native, slower growing,
-   with white flowers.
-
-   _neodioica_--Eastern native that makes a low mat of
-   silver-hairy leaves and sends up pink-tipped white flowers in
-   early summer.
-
-CARE. Sandy, even poor, soil; full sun; dry. Cut off leaves after
-flowering to make neater plants.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds and division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock walls and pavement.
-
-
-=Aquilegia= _Ranunculaceae_ Columbine
-
-Hardy little perennials with two-or three-part leaves like clover but
-often cut or indented on the edge, and drooping or noddling flowers
-with flaring sepals and spurs of different sizes and shapes.
-
-   _akitensis_--Six-inch Japanese doll with stemless
-   blue-green leaves and large lavender-blue flowers with yellow at
-   the center. June flowers.
-
-   _discolor_--Alpine with glowing blue flowers, white inside
-   and frosty-green leaves. Five inches tall.
-
-   _flabellata nana-alba_--fan columbine--Three divided leaves
-   like blue-green fans, lustrous white flowers in May.
-
-   _jonesi_--Diminutive, two to three inches tall. Small
-   leaves in small mounds, flowers upturned and deep blue in June.
-
-   _saximontana_--Alpine with two-inch tufts of crisp leaves;
-   aquamarine flowers with yellowish sepals on four-inch stems in
-   April.
-
-CARE. Soil light and sandy, with leaf mold; drainage; shade or
-semishade. Hardy. Plant in fall.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds in the spring (flowers the following year), division
-in the spring.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock and wall planting, wild-flower gardens, beds.
-
-
-=Arabis= _Cruciferae_ Rock Cress
-
-Mat-forming perennials with blankets of hairy leaves under spreads
-of flowers rather like stocks or candytuft. They flower in spring or
-summer and are often fragrant.
-
-   _albida_--Unless the form is marked “compact” the species
-   may top ten inches. Leaves green and woolly, flowers white
-   (in April and May). Variety flora plena is about six inches
-   tall with double white flowers; rosea, orchid pink and single;
-   variegata, white-marked leaves. ‘Pink Charm’ is single with
-   bright-pink flowers.
-
-   _blepharophylla_--Clusters of deep-green leaves with
-   eyelashes on the edge; pink-purple flowers in April. Height,
-   four inches.
-
-   _procurrens_--Matting plant with creeping stolons, white
-   flowers in May. Dwarf variety, stari, spreads slowly and stays
-   under four inches.
-
-CARE. Medium, even poor, soil; warm and sandy. Not too moist. Sun or
-light shade. After flowering cut back straggly stems.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division (in spring or fall), seeds, cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, wall planting, ground cover, edging.
-
-
-=Aster alpinus= _Compositae_ Rock Aster
-
-Small leaves mat closely to make a mound four inches high. The flat
-lilac daisy-like flowers come in June and July on eight-inch stems. The
-variety superbus is slightly larger; albus has white flowers. ‘Goliath’
-is a variety with flowers ranging from yellow-centered lavender to
-near-purple. ‘Spring Charm’ is a midget with lavender-pinkish flowers.
-
-CARE. Any good soil, full sun.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds in the spring (flowers the next year).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, borders, edging.
-
-
-=Bellis= _Compositae_ Daisy
-
-Miniature daisies of cheerful charm, some varieties barely six inches
-tall.
-
-   _perennis_--English daisy--Nests of green leaves sprinkled
-   in spring and summer with flowers of white, rose, or red.
-   Several new strains are now being offered in singles, doubles
-   (some have quilted petals), and varied colors.
-
-   _rotundiafolia caerulescens_--alpine daisy--Soft-blue
-   flowers all summer long.
-
-CARE. Fertile soil; moist, but good drainage; sun or semisun. A cool
-summer produces larger flowers. Not suitable for hot climates.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (flowers following year), division in cool weather.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, edging, ground cover.
-
-
-=Campanula= _Campanulaceae_ Harebell, Bell Flower
-
-These are the beloved bell flowers which should be included in all
-gardens. Included on page 264 are varieties that are easy to get and
-grow.
-
-CARE. Light loamy soil, slightly on limy side; drainage. Sun, except
-dwarfs, which take light shade. Remove dead flowers. Shelter with
-evergreen boughs in severe winter.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division in early spring or fall, seeds (plant as soon as
-ripe), cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, walls, borders, edging, pots, and baskets.
-
-
-=Cerastium= _Caryophyllaceae_
-
-Perennial creepers and carpeters with slim silk-hairy leaves and
-showers of white flowers with an over-all effect of soft fuzzy wool.
-Maximum height six inches, but most plants less.
-
-   _alpinum lanatum_--Smallest downy leaves, white flowers in
-   clusters in June and July.
-
-   _bierbersteini_--Longer leaves, flowers one month earlier.
-
-   _tomentosum_--snow in summer--This, the most popular
-   species; quickly forms a large mat like a silver carpet under
-   starry white flowers in May and June. It is said it will grow in
-   pure sand.
-
-CARE. Ordinary soil, sun, dry. Easy to grow.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (plant in fall or spring), division, cuttings after
-flowering.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, edging, flower beds, ground cover.
-
-
-                  VARIETIES OF HAREBELL, BELL FLOWERS
-
-                           _Leaves_           _Flowers_           _Blooming
-                                                                   season_
- _carpatica_             mats 4″ tall       blue saucers         June to Oct.
- _carpatica alba_        mats 4″ tall       white                June to Oct.
- _carpatica_ ‘Wedgwood’  cushions           violet-blue cups     June to Oct.
- _carpatica_ ‘White
-     Wedgwood’           cushions           white                June to Oct.
- _carpatica turbinata_   low mass           large, flat, violet  June to Aug.
- _cochlearifolia_        shell-shaped mass  blue bells           May and June
- _cochlearifolia alba_   shell-shaped mass  white                May and June
- _cochlearifolia_
-     ‘Mironda’           shell-shaped mass  silver-blue          June to Aug.
- _collina_               fuzzy clumps       purple bells         June
- _elatines_              dense 3″ mass      stars, white center  June and July
- _elatines alba plena_                      double white ‘Star   for baskets
-                                              of Bethlehem’        and pots
- _garganica_             may be woolly      blue                 June and July
- _portenschlagiana       roundish, toothed
-     (muralis)_          crinkled tufts     violet bells         June and July
- _saxifraga_             broadened          upturned violet
-                                              bells              spring
-
-
-=Ceratostigma plumbaginoides= _Plumbaginaceae_ Leadwort
-
-Shrubby little perennial “bushes” about eight inches high and spreading
-into clumps twice as wide, with hairy-edged leaves which are green with
-bronze overtones. It turns to a brickish color in autumn. In August the
-plants cover themselves with blue phlox-like flowers and continue to
-bloom until heavy frost.
-
-CARE. Most any soil with drainage. Will grow in sand. Full sun best but
-semishade is acceptable. Don’t plant in moist location. In winter give
-protection.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds in the spring, division at time of new growth in
-spring, cuttings.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Borders, edging, rock gardens, ground cover.
-
-
-=Coreopsis auriculata nana= _Compositae_
-
-Neat little plant with tufts of divided, or lobed, leaves;
-golden-orange daisy-like flowers on three-to six-inch stems, from June
-through August.
-
-CARE. Light sandy soil. Shade in extremely hot climate. Cut faded
-flowers.
-
-PROPAGATION. Sow seeds in fall for flowering next year; division of
-clumps.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, edging.
-
-
-=Corydalis= _Fumariaceae_ Fumitory
-
-Ferny-leaved herbaceous perennials with spurred flowers like bleeding
-heart but more colorful and blooming in the spring. Some types are
-tuberous-rooted, or partly so, but are grown more like other perennials.
-
-   _cava (bulbosa)_--Tuberous type, about eight inches tall,
-   with gaudy clusters of purple flowers in April.
-
-   _cheilanthifolia_--Perennial with thickened roots, finely
-   dissected eight-inch leaves, sprays of yellow flowers from May
-   to frost. Requires shade from hot sun. Striking for its foliage
-   alone.
-
-   _halleri (densifolia)_--March bloomer, tuberous. Not many
-   leaves but plenty of clusters of rosy, or purple, flowers; six
-   to eight inches.
-
-   _lutea_--Eight-inch clump-makers with lacy blue-green
-   leaves. Yellow flowers appear in June and repeat later. Likes to
-   keep cool in the shade, or have its roots under a rock. Won’t
-   grow in extreme heat.
-
-   _nobilis_--Tuberous type, upright to eight inches, with
-   leaflets both wedge-shaped and deep-toothed. It may have as many
-   as twenty spurred white flowers per cluster, tipped with yellow
-   and spotted with purple.
-
-   _rupestris_--Ferny-leaved eight-inch perennial with
-   short-spurred yellow flowers. Nontuberous.
-
-CARE. Any garden soil with drainage. Partial or light shade, or sun.
-Plant tuberous types in fall.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division, seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Borders, rock gardens, wall plantings, edging.
-
-
-=Dianthus= _Caryophyllaceae_ Pink
-
-There are some very special treasures for every garden in this big
-family of spicy-scented plants with flowers that seem to have been
-fringed with pinking shears. There are impermanent perennials that
-flower the first year like annuals, biennials like sweet William that
-often self-sow, longer lived types that tuft or spread out to make
-low flowering mounds or mats, elusive alpines for the rock-garden
-connoisseur, pixies with tiny half-inch flowers, and great garden
-carnations. Every year new hybrids make the list longer.
-
-Make your selection, of course, according to size, scent, growing
-habits, and the color scheme of your little garden. For the miniature
-rock garden, the rose-colored species _D. alpinus_ stays under three
-inches; _D. neglectus_ combines pink and buff, and there are many more.
-The Allwoodi hybrid varieties are sturdy, lasting, and flower freely
-for most of the summer. The cheddar pinks (_D. casius_ varieties) are
-clumpy; the maiden pinks make mats; the cottage or grass pinks are
-tufted; sweet William (_D. barbatas_) is one of the clusterheads; the
-“annuals” (usually forms of _D. chinensis_) will flower early when seed
-is started indoors, repeat the performance if cut back after the first
-flowering, and may even live to bloom once more the second year.
-
-For the most miniature, look for these newcomers: double pink,
-three-inch ‘Pixie’; rose-red ‘Tiny Rubies’; four-inch ‘Wee Willie’
-(sweet William’s son), not reliably perennial but behaves beautifully
-as an annual; deep-red ‘Little Joe.’ One seed house offers a perennial
-‘Midget Double’ sweet William under four inches high and like a
-button-size carnation.
-
-CARE. Warm sandy soil, not too rich. Lime, dryish, drainage. Full sun,
-cool temperature. Cut off faded flowers.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division, layers, cuttings, seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Flower beds, rock gardens, edging.
-
-
-=Geranium= _Geraniaceae_ Cranesbill
-
-This is not the popular potted plant (pelargonium) or the wild geranium
-of the Eastern woods (_G. maculatum_). These are lacy-leaved perennials
-with a delicate look but a tough constitution. Here are some of the
-smallest available types, flowering mostly in the spring but often
-repeating in spurts throughout the summer.
-
-   _farreri_--A little three-inch doll from China, the
-   many-fingered leaves making a low nest under the astonishingly
-   large, black-anthered, blush-pink-on-white flowers.
-
-   _macrorrhizum_--The species is largish and makes a buxom
-   six-inch bush with light sprays of pink flowers. The foliage is
-   aromatic and turns beautifully bronzy in fall.
-
-   _pylzowianum_--Eager spreader, two to three inches high,
-   with finely divided leaves and rosy flowers in May and June.
-
-CARE. Gravelly soil with drainage, dryish. Sun or light shade. Mostly
-hardy.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds; root division in spring or fall.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Border and dry-wall planting.
-
-
-=Gypsophila= _Caryophyllaceae_ Baby’s Breath
-
-Here is something for every rock garden, the beginner’s or the
-connoisseur’s. Over a soft cushion of tiny leaves the foamy flowers are
-heart-tuggingly romantic and delicate. The plants are hardy, eagerly
-branching and spreading, and veiled in bloom for most of the summer.
-
-   _cerastioides_--Four-inch creeper with gray-velvet
-   mouse-ear leaves, sprays of white flowers with pink veins. Soil
-   should be alkaline, sandy or gritty, and perfectly drained.
-
-   _muralis_--An unusual “annual” about six inches high, with
-   narrow leaves and warm rosy flowers. Looks and grows best when
-   crowded.
-
-   _repens_--Midget trailer with slim, silvery blue-green
-   leaves and white or pinkish flowers only a few inches above
-   them. Available varieties include, white-flowering alba, compact
-   double pink bodgeri, and single rose-pink rosea.
-
-CARE. Not too rich soil, dryish, with drainage. Full sun or light
-shade. Usually hardy. Don’t thin too much.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (sow where you want the plant), division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, wall plantings, pavements, ground cover.
-
-
-=Iberis= _Cruciferae_ Perennial Candytuft
-
-Extremely decorative and useful evergreen with durable, fresh-looking
-foliage and clusters of sparkling white or pale-tinted flowers in
-spring. The plants spread, but not enough to be troublesome in small
-gardens.
-
-   _saxatalis_--Miniature even among miniatures, with two-inch
-   clumps of hairy-edged leaves and flat clusters of white flowers
-   in May. Needs gravelly, limy soil.
-
-   _sempervirens_--The better-known named varieties are
-   offspring of this stalwart, nearly shrub-like perennial
-   with blunt-tipped narrow leaves and flowers forming an
-   umbrella-shaped cluster on six-to eight-inch stems. One plant
-   can spread out to several feet across. Among the dwarfs are
-   ‘Autumn Snow,’ seven inches high and often blooming again in
-   September; ‘Little Gem,’ compact mounds four to six inches high;
-   ‘Purity,’ the purest of white; and ‘Snowflake,’ a little later
-   (June) and a little larger (eight inches).
-
-
-=Iris= _Iridaceae_
-
-Basically, iris are of two types--bulbous and rhizomatous--each with
-miniature species, varieties, and hybrids. Leaves may be broad and
-flat, or slim and grass-like. Stems may bear one or several flowers,
-the earliest in March and the latest in June. Natural colors include
-white, yellow, and all shades of lavender and purple; hybrids widen the
-range to many other tints.
-
-There are many miniature species, some with several varieties, and
-also hybrids, of their own. By far the largest group is the ‘Dwarf
-Bearded Iris,’ so classified by the American Iris Society according to
-the height of the flower stalk, and further divided into two series:
-miniature dwarfs (four to ten inches) and standard dwarfs, Lilliputs
-(ten to fifteen inches). These are rhizomatous, of course, like the
-tall bearded giants of the garden, and bloom midway between the earlier
-species and the big ones.
-
-       *       *       *       *       *
-
-   _bakeriana_--Bulbous, about six inches high, with round
-   leaves and early, fragrant, blue-purple flowers.
-
-   _cristata_--Crested iris with rhizomes and spreading by
-   stolons to make wide mats. About six inches high with one or
-   two white-crested, lilac, fragrant flowers in mid-May. There is
-   an all-white variety. It likes light shade or dappled shade and
-   cool moisture for its roots.
-
-   _flavissima_--Rhizomatous, spreading by stolons to make
-   open clumps under six inches high. It has narrow leaves and
-   several bearded, brown-marked yellow flowers per stem when it
-   blooms in April and May. It needs gritty or sandy soil, only
-   slightly acid.
-
-   _histroides_--Bulbous, about four inches high, with
-   pale-blue flowers which appear early before the leaves. Various
-   colors available.
-
-   _innominata_--Rhizomatous West Coast dwarf with long grassy
-   leaves and flowers varying between yellow and orange, and
-   between lavender and purple. Blooms in May and June. Takes light
-   shade and neutral, or even slightly acid, soil.
-
-   _orchioides_--Bulbous, with sword-shaped leaves to nine
-   inches long; has several purple-blotched yellow flowers per stem.
-
-   _reticulata_--Bulb covered with netted membrane. Reedy
-   stems about eight inches long disappearing in June. Crested
-   flowers on six-inch stems with a fragrance like fresh violets.
-   Gold-marked on deep purple. Blooms very early in March, even in
-   snow.
-
-   _tenuifolia_--Rhizomatous, about six inches high,
-   blue-purple flowers in June.
-
-   _vartani_--Bulbous, flowering in late winter in mild areas,
-   stemless slate-blue or violet flowers.
-
-   _voina_--Native rhizomatous species which spreads by
-   stolons; four to six inches tall. Has tufts of narrow leaves and
-   beardless flowers which are lilac, or velvet marked yellow, on
-   three-inch stems; blooms in May. Provide light shade and acid
-   soil.
-
-CARE. For bulbous type: sandy or gritty soil with humus; drainage; sun,
-except the hottest. For dwarf bearded type: loamy alkaline soil, and
-drainage. Moist. More sun for best flowering.
-
-PROPAGATION. Bulbous: divide bulbs in summer and replant in summer.
-Rhizomatous: divide in summer.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, forcing, flower beds.
-
-
-=Lavandula officinalis= _Labiate_ Lavender
-
-Here is one that deserves a place in every garden, and for many
-reasons: Its aromatic foliage and flowers, its nostalgic charm, and the
-pleasant sight of it against evergreen with its gray-felt leaves and
-dark-lavender flowers. It usually stops growing just under the height
-of one foot and can be clipped lower if you wish. The leaves are lacy,
-slim, and dainty, especially with their pure-white fur when young.
-
-Among the varieties available are the Munstead strain, dwarf, plump,
-and bearing pink flowers; ‘Hidcate Blue,’ very hardy; compacta
-(nana compacta), earlier flowering and only a few inches high; and
-atropurpurea, with dark purple flowers.
-
-CARE. Poor soil so plants will not grow too vigorously and winter-kill.
-Drainage, sun, winter protection. Dryish. Lime for maximum fragrance.
-Prune almost any time; mulch.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, division, cuttings in late fall or early spring on
-this year’s growth with heel of older wood.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Edging, rock gardens, ground cover.
-
-
-=Myosotis= _Boraginaceae_ Forget-Me-Not
-
-Sentiment, compelling as it is, is not the only reason for having this
-delightful little plant in one’s rock garden. Small though it is, it
-has its own quiet charm in its delicate foliage and transparent cloud
-of tiny blue flowers. The intensity of color of those blooms catches
-your eye and draws you to it. You look at it and understand the reason
-for its name. Here are a few members of the family:
-
-   _scorpioides (palustris)_--Light, low, and sprawling;
-   light-blue flowers touched with gold at the center during the
-   spring. (They last much longer if you have the dwarf variety
-   semperflorens.) The fact that these perennials are often
-   listed as “half-hardy annuals” indicates their need for winter
-   protection, but they will self-seed. (Water-lily specialists
-   offer an aquatic variety that grows in bogs.)
-
-   _sylvatica (alpestris)_--Self-sowing biennial (also offered
-   as an annual) that has blue flowers with touches of pink,
-   sometimes entirely pink. May flowers.
-
-CARE. Ordinary soil, cool, moist, part shade.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (flowers the second year), division of clumps in
-late summer.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, edge of pools.
-
-
-=Nepeta hederacea (glechoma)= _Labiatae_ Ground Ivy
-
-This is a ground cover, one that can get out of hand unless checked,
-but it has its uses in shady spots where other covers do not flourish.
-About the best-liked variety is variegata, which has round leaves
-neatly scalloped on the edge and embroidered with white. In the spring
-it has spires of blue flowers.
-
-CARE. Ordinary or sandy soil. Drainage, either sun or shade.
-Cut off faded flowers.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, division.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Ground cover, containers, baskets, house and
-greenhouse plantings, rock gardens.
-
-
-=Oenothera= _Onagraceae_ Evening Primrose, Sundrop
-
-The sundrops bloom by day; the evening primroses stay open at night
-and play host to the moths of the garden. There is a miniature of
-each type for the small garden. Each has the common characteristic of
-large yellow poppy-like flowers which are short-lived but are quickly
-replaced by others for most of the summer.
-
-   _missouriensis_--Evening primrose from the West, six inches
-   high. The leaves are long and oval, covered with ash-gray hairs.
-   The nocturnal flowers, poppy-like, can measure six inches across
-   and are yellow.
-
-   _perennis (pumila)_--sundrop--This is the daytime bloomer,
-   often with one-inch blooms on a plant only three inches tall.
-   The silk-hairy leaves make a lush-looking mound.
-
-CARE. Medium sandy soil, dry, with drainage (heavy dampness is fatal).
-Lime and manure. Sun. Remove seed pods to promote more flowers. Plant
-has long taproot which must not be broken when transplanting.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, division (in early fall or spring), cuttings (in
-late summer).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens and wall plantings.
-
-
-=Phlox= _Polemoniaceae_
-
-There are so many varieties of this furiously spring-flowering plant,
-and all with many admirers, that the trick is to find the ones which
-appeal to you personally. You will be guided by the colors you want and
-the amount of space available. Many of them, after the blooming season,
-make lush, plushy, green foliage mats.
-
-   _amoena (procumbens)_--Neat, not rampant, cushions of
-   two-inch oval leaves with flat clusters of fragrant pinkish, or
-   purplish, flowers on six-inch stems in May and June.
-
-   _bifida_--sand phlox--A native of the Midwest with low,
-   tufted, and slightly hairy foliage and starry blue flowers
-   (early, in April and May).
-
-   _divaricata (canadensis)_--wild sweet William--This slow
-   creeper is a little tall--about twelve inches--but may fit your
-   planting scheme. It has two-inch oval leaves and clusters of
-   lavender-blue flowers at daffodil time.
-
-   _douglasi_--alpine phlox--Three-inch Western native with
-   half-inch knife-like evergreen leaves and half-inch white or
-   pastel flowers (in June).
-
-   _rigida_--sandhill phlox--Western alpine, similar to
-   douglasi except for thinner, more sharply pointed leaves and
-   white flowers blending to blue and purple. The more acid the
-   soil, the deeper the colors.
-
-   _stolonifera_--creeping phlox--Partly or fully evergreen
-   creeper with four-inch stems, oval, hairy leaves, and full
-   clusters of light or dark lavender flowers in May and June.
-
-   _subulata_--ground moss, or mountain pink--In April and May
-   the six-inch mats of evergreen leaves are almost invisible under
-   the profuse cover of one-inch, fragrant flowers. They may be
-   purple, purplish-pink, or white, and some varieties are red or
-   blue.
-
-CARE. Fertile soil, acid or alkaline according to the variety. Moist.
-Most are hardy, again according to the variety.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (do not always come true), cuttings in July and
-August, division of roots.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, edging, ground cover.
-
-
-=Primula= _Primulaceae_ Primrose Official “Sections,” by
-common cultural requirements.
-
-   Auricula Section. _P. auricula_ and other European alpines and
-   their hybrids; usually evergreen; flower in early spring. Stony,
-   drained, rich loamy soil lightened by leaf mold and sand; will
-   stand more sun than most, but not hot midday sun; likes its
-   roots under stones; mulch with stone chips.
-
-   Candelabra Section from Asia. Flowers in tiers, one whorl above
-   another, open-faced; most tall with big leaves. Needs moist
-   soil, part shade. Flowers in late spring and early summer.
-   Disappear over winter.
-
-   Capitatae Section from the Himalayas. Biennial here, perennial
-   where snow covers all winter and on the West Coast. Flowers late
-   (July). Flat rosettes of delicately toothed leaves, twelve-inch
-   silver stems; flat silvery heads of slightly drooping flowers.
-   Disappears over winter.
-
-   Cortusoides Section from Asia. Woodsy-rich humusy soil.
-   Decorative leaves usually soft hairy. Flowers in spring.
-   Disappears over winter.
-
-   Denticulata Section. Small group from the Himalayas. Easy
-   perennial. Be careful about dampness in winter. Among the
-   earliest to flower in spring.
-
-   Farinosae Section. Huge group from many lands. Moisture,
-   drainage, part shade. Stand more sun if moist. Small bud,
-   usually white at surface, shows in winter.
-
-   Nivalis Section from Asia. Biennial here. Long narrow leaves.
-   Flowers in tiers closer than candelabra and more drooping.
-   Cool, rich, moist soil, part shade. Flowers in early spring;
-   disappears in winter.
-
-   Sikkimensis Section from Asia. Belled primulas, with hanging
-   heads of bell-shaped flowers. Biennial here; perennial in both
-   colder and warmer climates. Most tall with heads of fragrant
-   flowers held well above large toothed leaves. Flowers in late
-   spring; disappears in winter.
-
-   Vernales Section includes all the easiest-to-grow and best-known
-   primulas. Requires part shade, rich soil, moisture; should
-   never be completely dry. Evergreen. Includes: _P. vulgaris
-   (acaulis)_, single flower per stem; _P. polyantha_
-   with many varieties, and stalked umbrella of flowers above the
-   leaves; _P. juliae_ hybrids. Among _P. polyantha_
-   there are some dwarf hybrids (not miniature).
-
-CARE. Some shade for hottest part of the day. Woodsy soil rich in
-humus, neutral or slightly acid. Mulch with manure if possible, around
-and between plants; don’t cover crown. Keep moist. Provide winter
-protection of salt hay, evergreen boughs, or excelsior, which results
-in gradual thawing of the ground around the plants in spring, and also
-prevents premature blooming during unseasonably warm winter days.
-Fertilize in spring, and in summer for next year’s flowers. No nitrogen
-in summer fertilizer. Watch plants for signs of slugs and red spider.
-Divide when plants get too crowded, preferably after flowering. Hearty
-seeders.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds when ripe (others must be frozen first and thawed),
-division after flowering.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Carpet under shrubs and under early-flowering trees.
-Naturalize by streams and beside pools. Wall planting, rock gardens,
-borders, wild gardens.
-
-
-=Saxifraga= _Saxifragaceae_ Rockfoil
-
-There are so many species and hybrids of this popular plant it is
-difficult to know all of them. Generally, they are characterized by
-flattish clusters of leaves around the crown, and airy sprays of
-flowers on top of taller stems. But from this point the variations take
-many forms and sizes. The leaves may be the size of a nickel or five
-times that size; flowers may be minute, or large and open-faced; there
-may be creeping stems or runners, or not.
-
-For most gardeners it is not necessary to know how botanists classify
-these plants. If you plan to delve deeply into rock gardening there are
-a number of excellent books on rock plants, some of which are listed in
-the appendix.
-
-Following are a few of the better-known, and easier grown, saxifraga,
-including several that have a place in flower borders and other garden
-spots.
-
-   _aizoon_--Arctic native with rosettes of evergreen, stiff,
-   gray-blue leaves edged with a thin “crust” of limy deposit, and
-   purple-spotted white flowers on tall stems (in May or June).
-   There are a number of varieties, including yellow-flowering
-   lutea, pink rosea, and tiny baldensis with leaf clusters only a
-   quarter-inch across. (Drainage, moist, with northwest exposure.
-   Shade from noon sun; provide limy soil with leaf mold.
-
-   _cuscutaeformis_--Thick, hairy, roundish leaves tinged with
-   copper and marked with a network of white veins; spreads by
-   reddish runners that produce new plants at their tips.
-
-   _decipiens rosacea_--Mossy mats of finely cut leaves and
-   large cupped white flowers on six-inch stems (in May and June).
-   Drainage; gritty sandy soil with leaf mold and humus. Moist,
-   shade from sun. Also pink-and red-flowering varieties.
-
-   _sarmentosa_--strawberry begonia--Favorite pot and basket
-   plant, hardy in nearly every garden. Spreads by strawberry-like
-   runners with plantlets at the ends. Makes mats of round,
-   white-veined leaves and tall airy sprays of white or purplish
-   flowers in June. Requires shade, and moist acid soil.
-
-   _umbrosa_--London pride--Makes a carpet of three-inch-high
-   rosettes of leathery leaves; spires of pink flowers in early
-   summer. Needs moist, rich soil and shade or semishade. The
-   small-scale variety primuloides is daintier.
-
-   _virginiensis_--Slender, oval three-inch leaves in flat
-   clusters, green tinged, but bronze in the fall; small white
-   flowers on ten-inch stems in May. Native of our Northeast. Nice
-   in wild gardens.
-
-CARE. Soil varies with the species (lime for the encrusted ones, which
-also tolerate more sun). Semishade, moist, but perfect drainage. A hot
-dry climate is bad for the alpines. Mossy varieties need heavier shade,
-richer soil, and are best moist.
-
-PROPAGATION. Divisions of sets, cuttings, seeds (most varieties).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Baskets, pots, dry-wall planting, containers, borders.
-
-
-=Silene= _Caryophyllaceae_ Campion, Catchfly
-
-The perennials of this genus include some of our most colorful native
-plants (the flaming fire pink _S. virginica_, for example), all
-related to the garden pinks but each one having its own characteristics.
-
-   _acaulis_--cushion pink, moss campion--Dainty two-inch
-   mossy tufts of needle-like leaves slowly increasing to clumps
-   and having half-inch purple-red flowers all summer. (Provide
-   gritty, limed soil.)
-
-   _caroliniana (pennsylvanica)_--wild pink--Sticky-fuzzy
-   plant with slim four-inch evergreen leaves and pink flowers on
-   six-inch stems (April-June). Native to Northeastern woods. Good
-   in rocky spots. Has deep taproot so handle with care. Dig deep
-   when dormant.
-
-   _maritima_--Sea campion--Slim, gray-blue leaves on trailing
-   stems, making a mat four inches high with clusters of white
-   flowers in June.
-
-   _saxifraga_--Tufts of knife-shaped leaves under summer
-   flowers which are white inside, tinted green or red outside, on
-   six-inch stems.
-
-   _schafta_--moss campion--Spreading mounds of silky-hairy
-   leaves covered in August with rose or purple flowers on six-inch
-   stems.
-
-CARE. Good soil, gritty for some varieties with lime for some.
-Top-dress yearly with mixture of soil and cow manure. Drainage.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, division, cuttings (of young growth).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock planting, borders, walls, wild gardens.
-
-
-=Thymus= _Labiatae_ Thyme
-
-These are actually tiny shrubs with tangling, woody stems and masses
-of little leaves that are evergreen in all but the coldest and most
-exposed locations. Some creep flatly; some make three-inch mounds.
-You can choose from varying fragrances, leaf textures and colors, and
-colors of early summer flowers. In fact, there is a much wider variety
-available than most gardeners realize.
-
-   _herba-barona_--caraway thyme--Ground-hugging creeper
-   with fresh green caraway-scented leaves, and tight clusters
-   of rose-purple flowers. It does not seed and is propagated by
-   division of roots. Hardy.
-
-   _lanicaulis_--Four-inch carpet with half-inch leaves slim
-   as needles at the base and broadening higher on the short stems.
-   Stems feature a woolly coat of hairs as long as they are thick.
-   Tight clover-like flowers are rosy pink.
-
-   _nitidus_--French thyme--Six-to eight-inch shrub with
-   shiny, oval, gray-green leaves, and lavender flowers. Older
-   clumps resent being disturbed, so start young plants from
-   cuttings.
-
-   _serpyllum_--mother-of-thyme, creeping thyme--Perennially
-   popular stem-rooting creeper, less than four inches high with
-   half-inch oval green leaves and purple flowers loved by bees.
-   There are many varieties: white-flowered albus, silver-marked
-   argenteus, gold variegated aureus, larger, red-flowering
-   coccineus, bright-pink roseus, robust, romping, red-flowering
-   splendens. Almost in a class by themselves--and often
-   listed as separate species--are lanuguinosus, woolly thyme
-   (completely covered with silvery fuzz), and the variety vulgaris
-   (citriodorus), lemon thyme with citrus-scented leaves.
-
-   _vulgaris_--common thyme--Kitchen herb, spreads by
-   underground stems. The erect stalks are covered with fine white
-   hair and set with half-inch oval leaves; there are deep-lilac
-   flowers in May and June. It spreads so fast it has been accused
-   of being a weed.
-
-CARE. Ordinary soil, or rich and sandy loam (gritty for some plants).
-Drainage. Fairly sunny. Protect lightly where winters are severe.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division, layers in spring, cuttings in early summer,
-seeds (not all varieties have seed, and seeds do not always come true).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Pavements (plants not damaged), border planting, herb
-gardens, ground cover, edging, dry-wall planting, cover for bulbs.
-
-
-=Veronica= _Scrophulariaceae_ Speedwell
-
-Most of the smaller veronicas are matmakers; some are clumpy, and a few
-are even woody or shrub-like. Also there is a fairly wide variation in
-the foliage. But the flowers are always arranged in spires; a few are
-white, purple, or pinkish, but mainly there is a wide choice of true
-blues from baby blue to royal blue. Here are a few varieties:
-
-   _allioni_--Carpet of little leathery leaves, violet flowers
-   in July.
-
-   _armena_--Ferny, furry tufts of finely cut leaves on
-   trailing stems, five-inch spikes of vivid blue flowers (from May
-   to July). Provide drainage, filtered sun, or half shade.
-
-   _filiformis_--An idiosyncratic creeper that delights some
-   gardeners and drives others crazy. It has been described as
-   “pernicious” and a weed. Actually it’s rather pretty, with small
-   rounded leaves and galaxies of starry-blue flowers in late
-   spring. Grows in either sun or light shade.
-
-   _fruticans (saxatilis)_--Woody stems tightly clothed in
-   dark evergreen leaves making a shrubby plant under six inches.
-   In June and July sapphire flowers open their eyes with pinkish
-   lids.
-
-   _fruticulosa_--Shrubby and semi-evergreen, about four
-   inches high with half-inch leaves and pinkish-blue flowers in
-   June.
-
-   _gentianoides_--This species has clusters of gleaming
-   leaves close to the ground. And in June the flowers are very
-   large, a luscious Wedgwood blue. But there are alarming reports
-   that it has topped twenty inches in height. To play safe, try
-   the miniature version nana, which has the same characteristics
-   but is much less than half that high.
-
-   _repens_--This is a precious pet, a massy creeper with
-   tiny teardrop leaves. It sparkles in May or June with baby-blue
-   flowers. It is all of two inches tall at maturity.
-
-   _spicata nana_--The midget reproduction of the better-known
-   species, slowly swelling to low, leafy clumps and topped
-   with three-inch spikes of blue-purple flowers in July. A
-   white-flowering form has smaller leaves but taller flower stems.
-
-CARE. Any good soil. Moist but with drainage. Sun or light shade
-depending on the variety (see notations in plant descriptions). Cut
-back faded flowers. Trailers start best if plants were grown in pots.
-Divide occasionally.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds in spring, division in fall or spring, cuttings
-early in the summer.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, ground cover, dry-wall planting, pavements,
-steps, stepping stones.
-
-
-=Viola= _Violaceae_ Viola, Violet
-
-Thanks to the viola, gardens of all sorts are richer and more pleasant
-places in which to work, visit, or spend a pleasant afternoon. Here are
-some of the viola’s gifts to gardening:
-
-   _cornuta_--Tufted pansies.
-
-   _odorata_--sweet violets--Fragrant violets, once strictly a
-   specialty of florist shops but now widely grown in home gardens.
-
-   _rosina_--Pink flowers with intense fragrance.
-
-   _semperflorens_--Mats of fresh green leaves with purple
-   flowers that last much of the summer.
-
-   _tricolor_--Commonly known as Johnny-jump-up, an
-   all-summer-long bloomer with small purple and gold flowers.
-
-   _tricolor hortensis_--Pansies which grow in many colors and
-   color combinations.
-
-CARE. Rich garden soil, partial shade, moisture, light winter
-protection.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (sown in flats and exposed to freezing weather over
-winter for spring germination), division, layering of runners of those
-varieties that produce them.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Cut flowers, beds, edging, rock gardens.
-
-
-
-
-                             _CHAPTER 16_
-
-                           MINIATURE ANNUALS
-
-
-Even if every inch of our gardens were permanently planted, I’d
-probably still start some annuals every spring. In those depressing,
-letdown weeks of January after the holidays nothing brightens my life
-like leafing through the new seed catalogues. In the dark days of March
-when late-winter blusters snarl at spring and threaten to hold it off
-forever, my perky indoor seedlings tell me that it is just around a
-bend in the road. My traditional birthday treat, in early June, is a
-day all my own when I get my favorite flower beds ready for the summer.
-I absolutely refuse to fry an egg, wash a dish, or lift a dustcloth.
-Before dark on that wonderful day I see that every seedling is planted
-in moist warm soil.
-
-Actually, I can’t imagine our grounds being so completely planted
-that there isn’t a place for at least a few annuals--no bare spots in
-the perennial border, no shrub or tree around which to set flowering
-clumps, no window boxes or planters in need of decoration. And if ever
-there is a spring when I don’t ask my husband to spade up “just one
-more spot” for a few more annuals, I’ll eat my garden gloves finger by
-finger.
-
-Because they cost so little, and because they last only one season,
-you can plant annuals with careless abandon. You can experiment with
-bizarre color schemes. If they don’t work out, try something different
-next year. If you are saving a special spot for a special shrub or
-bush, and you feel it is too expensive for the moment, or you can’t
-find a specimen that is exactly what you want, let annuals fill in
-until you have that particular plant. If you are creating a new garden
-and are not quite sure of the design, test it with annuals before you
-make it permanent.
-
-As with the miniature perennials, the annuals included here have been
-selected not only because they are small, but also because they are
-in suitably modest scale for use in miniature gardens of many sorts.
-Descriptions of the varieties should be helpful in selecting the truly
-miniature annuals at local nurseries and garden centers. Seeds are
-available from various mail-order suppliers listed in the Appendix.
-
-Like all other garden plants, miniature annuals should be selected
-according to such cultural conditions as the amount of moisture and
-sunlight and the type of soil. If these requirements are not clearly
-stated on the seed packets or in the seed catalogue from which you
-ordered, check for details in a good reference book rather than risk
-disappointing failure.
-
-
-                       GROWING ANNUALS FROM SEED
-
-When and where you sow seeds of annuals depends on whether the
-particular varieties grow best in coolness or warmth, and how long the
-growing season has to be for maturity and flowering. This is the basis
-of catalogue listings that classify annuals as hardy, half-hardy, or
-tender. Hardy annuals germinate best when air and soil are cool and
-make their best growth before hot weather sets in. Seeds are sometimes
-sown out of doors in autumn to germinate in early spring, or they may
-be sown in the garden the moment the frost is out of the ground.
-
-Half-hardy seeds are planted outdoors where the plants are to grow,
-or you can give them a head start either indoors or in a hotbed or a
-cold frame. Plant about six weeks before the time to set them outdoors.
-Tender perennials grown in cold areas as annuals follow the same
-schedule.
-
-Seeds of tender annuals should not be planted outdoors until all danger
-of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up considerably. But many
-tender varieties, like petunias, are slow-growing and need plenty of
-time to reach flowering size. These should be started indoors no later
-than March.
-
-Unless you have a greenhouse or hotbed, it’s risky to start seeds
-too early indoors. Poor light and high temperatures will cause the
-seedlings to grow limp and leggy and often to topple over toward the
-source of the light. At transplanting time they may be so weak they
-will be slow getting established; thus, little time is saved after all.
-
-But you can save several weeks by starting seeds early in a sunny
-window (just not too early), and you can start them even earlier in
-a cool greenhouse, a hotbed, or a cold frame. When we lived on Long
-Island we rigged up a workable substitute outside a cellar window by
-using discarded storm windows. In fact, since it had a brick foundation
-that reached below the frost line and had a heating coil in the soil,
-we grew many cool greenhouse plants in it during the winter. The open
-cellar window provided enough heat for flats of annual seedlings we
-propagated in it in the spring. Once these seedlings were transplanted
-to the garden, we dismantled our temporary greenhouse, filled the
-spot with topsoil, and made a flower bed. I’ve seen several small
-greenhouses like the one we improvised on sale commercially, one, of
-metal and glass, selling for less than ten dollars.
-
-  [Illustration: Improvised greenhouse costing $00.00 which saved
-  author, shown in photograph, at least a hundred dollars per annum
-  in the cost of annuals]
-
-  [Illustration: Greenhouse construction diagram]
-
-Indoors or out, seeds germinate best in clean, sifted soil that is
-light and porous and drains perfectly. Add organic matter such as
-peat or humus to help hold moisture, and sand to aerate and insure
-drainage. If possible, sterilize the soil with heat or one of the
-special fungicides, to prevent “damp-off.” Plant seeds only to the
-depth of their diameter, and don’t cover dust-fine seeds at all.
-Keep the soil moist during the germination period and for some weeks
-afterward.
-
-For several years we’ve transplanted seedlings directly into peat pots
-as soon as they have their first few leaves. This is a tedious job, but
-how it saves backache and heartache later. Indoors you can transplant
-while seated comfortably at a table or bench, and while listening to
-soft music on the radio. When the seedlings have flourished in the peat
-pots and it is time to put them outdoors, there is much less time spent
-bent double on one’s knees. And since the roots aren’t disturbed, the
-plants seldom suffer from transplanting shock and seldom fail to thrive.
-
-Plants grown indoors should be hardened before they’re put out of doors
-for good. Every day expose them to fresh outdoor air for an increasing
-length of time, until they are accustomed to the cooler temperatures,
-particularly at night.
-
-
-                              SUMMER CARE
-
-Annuals take the same kind of care you give perennials, except
-that most of them require less of it. Few need, or even thrive in,
-especially fertile soil. Fertilize lightly, if at all. Many annuals get
-along with less moisture and mulching than perennials. And of course,
-none need be prepared for winter. During their one big season, simply
-pinch or prune those that grow straggly, and remove fading flowers
-before they set seeds. That usually prolongs the blooming season. After
-frost strikes, burn the dead tops, which helps control the spread of
-insects and disease.
-
-As you study miniatures you will realize how many of the old regular
-annuals of the garden, plants that usually top two or three feet,
-can also be had in five-to eight-inch sizes. You have but to look
-through your seed catalogues. The tiny ones are usually listed at the
-end of each category, though in the affections of miniature-lovers
-they should come first and take precedence over the “new giant-size,”
-“bigger-than-ever” varieties.
-
-In searching for miniatures I’ve culled through my large collection
-of catalogues from Burpee to Vaughn and have compiled a list of small
-annuals I have either grown, or expect to grow the coming season. Not
-all of them are compact versions of their larger relatives. Many by
-nature are on the diminutive side. So many of them are old friends,
-let’s call them by their first names--the ones by which they are listed
-in most seed booklets. The plants I have in mind are mostly eight
-inches in height or less, though some of the longer-stemmed charmers
-may slip in simply because they are too lovely to be left out. We’ll
-give colors for those who have color schemes in mind for their gardens.
-
-
-=Ageratum=
-
-This annual, a great garden favorite, is also known as the floss
-flower. In general it is a profuse bloomer that is fine for borders,
-edgings, rock gardens, small flower beds, and even as a house plant.
-It comes in several colors but usually in the same sizes, two to six
-inches.
-
-   ‘Blue Ball’--This name is especially descriptive. The plants
-   shape up as round as a ball and then cover themselves with
-   dark-blue flowers. Who can expect more of one so small?
-
-   ‘Blue Mink’--My friends who write seed catalogues, and so see
-   many beautiful plants, rave about this one as being true blue,
-   the real ageratum color. Its blooms, pretty as they are, grow
-   surprisingly large for a bush so small.
-
-   ‘Imperial White Dwarf’--For its contrast I love this one, a
-   pattern of white surrounded by the blues, pinks, and reds of
-   other annuals.
-
-   ‘Midget Blue’--This is my real pet, a really tiny one of uniform
-   shape, never over three inches tall and with the most delicate
-   blue ageratum flowers.
-
-
-=Alyssum (Sweet)=
-
-This is just about the nicest thing that can happen to your garden
-be it annual, miniature, or otherwise. Although some members of this
-family may reach twelve inches, most of them run from three to five
-inches.
-
-   ‘Carpet of Snow’--Much like ‘Royal Carpet’ for spreading, but
-   has white flowers instead of purple.
-
-   ‘Little Gem’--This one is about six inches tall, but atones for
-   its height by being a more profuse bloomer, with small white
-   flowers.
-
-   ‘Pink Heather’--The blooms open in a delicate pink and slowly
-   darken. It has vigor and scent, and seems to want to bloom
-   constantly.
-
-   ‘Rosie O’Day’--The pride and joy of the family, and the winner
-   of an award comparable to being chosen Miss America. The blooms
-   are a deep pink, even more so when the weather is a bit cool. It
-   is quick to bloom, easy to grow, and nicely fragrant.
-
-   ‘Royal Carpet’--This one is only about two inches high. With
-   its purple flowers it fills in vacant spots most beautifully. A
-   single plant may spread out ten inches.
-
-   ‘Violet King’--Somewhat shorter than ‘Violet Queen,’ but has a
-   deeper color and more compact shape.
-
-   ‘Violet Queen’--Averages about five inches, and is as its name
-   says a rich violet color. Delightfully scented, it is wonderful
-   for edging, borders, and flower beds.
-
-Alyssum has long been one of my garden favorites, whether for a ground
-cover, for rock gardens, as an edging for walks and beds, or just for
-its own sweet alyssum self.
-
-
-=Balsam=
-
-In my concept of miniature plants I had always thought of balsam as a
-towering giant of at least two feet or more. Then one night while going
-through seed catalogues I discovered an entire column listing ‘Tom
-Thumb Double Flowered Dwarf,’ ‘Tom Thumb Purple,’ ‘Tom Thumb Scarlet,’
-‘Tom Thumb Shell Pink,’ ‘Tom Thumb Pure White,’ ‘Tom Thumb Rose.’
-
-According to growing directions, Balsam likes a rich soil, well-drained
-but slightly moist, and full sun.
-
-
-=Coreopsis=
-
-It was love at first sight when I saw a clump of this delightful
-annual. I was even more delighted to learn that the plant can be grown
-as a miniature. In the smaller form the cute little fellows spread out
-into low mounds of six or eight inches and cover themselves with blooms
-that last all summer. As an edging, for rock gardens, and as a cover
-for otherwise bare spots, they are truly charming.
-
-   ‘Golden Ray’--Yellow with crimson touches.
-
-   ‘Petite Purple’--Rich purple covering the small mounds.
-
-   ‘Tiger Star’--Rich-crimson-striped and splashed with yellow.
-   Plants stay at about six to eight inches and become mounds of
-   color.
-
-
-=Cornflowers=
-
-Here is another of the taller plants which fortunately has some small
-relatives. There are:
-
-   ‘Jubilee Gem’--Has a vivid blue flower on a compact bush.
-
-   ‘Lilac Lady’--Purplish blooms on a neat bush.
-
-   ‘Little Snow Man’--Pure-white blooms.
-
-   ‘Rose Gem’--Red blooms, double.
-
-Most of these plants will stay under eight inches. They are ideal for
-rock gardens.
-
-
-=Marigolds=
-
-Marigolds are very well represented in the gallery of miniatures.
-Loving the large ones as I do, I love the tiny ones even more. In one
-of my favorite catalogues I find an entire group with “Petite” as a
-first name:
-
-   ‘Petite Gold’--About seven inches tall and golden yellow.
-
-   ‘Petite Harmony’--Mahogany in tone, with a gold crest.
-
-   ‘Petite Orange’--About the same size, only tending to be more
-   orange in color.
-
-   ‘Petite Yellow’--Another variation on the popular marigold
-   color. In another catalogue I find the small ones called
-   “Pygmies”; all of them are just a little short of nine inches in
-   height.
-
-   ‘Fireglow’--Mahogany-scarlet with gold centers.
-
-   ‘Helen Chapman’--Rich gold in color with flecks of red.
-
-   ‘Primrose Pygmy’--Primrose-yellow flowers with a red base.
-
-   ‘Yellow Pygmy’--Lemon-yellow pompon-type flowers.
-
-There are other miniature marigolds, from the double dwarf French part
-of the family, within my idea of how small a small one should be.
-
-   ‘Brownie Scout’--Golden little flowers with a base flecked with
-   red.
-
-   ‘Butterball’--Canary-yellow blooms and plenty of them until
-   frost time.
-
-   ‘Fireball’--A few inches taller than some varieties, but with
-   flame-like markings flashing up through the otherwise orange
-   petals.
-
-   ‘Gold Laced’--Basically mahogany in color but with each petal
-   edged in gold.
-
-   ‘Rusty Red’--The brightest of red, extra-large flowers for a
-   small plant.
-
-
-=Nasturtiums=
-
-I love this plant so much I hate to leave it out of my listing even
-though it might be a few inches taller than my other miniatures. I
-always am careful to plant it toward the rear of flower beds where it
-will not overpower the smaller plants. There are several dwarfs, but
-the one I know best is ‘Cherry Rose.’
-
-
-=Nemophila=
-
-This is a very beautiful little dwarf, each plant spreading out into
-a shapely clump, and covering itself with pretty cup-shaped blossoms.
-When sown in the spring it blooms all summer. When sown in the autumn
-it is an early spring-bloomer. It is at its best when used in a
-semishaded spot for a ground cover, for a border, or in a rock garden.
-Its more usual name is baby blue eyes.
-
-   ‘Insignis Blue’--The best-known variety; covers itself with
-   lovely, cup-shaped, sky-blue flowers with white centers.
-
-
-=Petunias=
-
-Petunias, being favorite annuals, belong in just about every garden,
-but it is difficult to find the small ones for the miniature garden.
-But they are available despite the fact that most hybridizers try to
-develop a larger and larger plant. Here is a list of smaller ones; few
-of them are taller than eight inches.
-
-   ‘Blue Star’--Velvety blue with a sharp white star.
-
-   ‘Bright Eyes’--Rosy-pink blooms with white throats.
-
-   ‘Heavenly Blue’--Light sky-blue, a heavenly color.
-
-   ‘Igloo’--Compact and pure white.
-
-   ‘Rosy Morn’--Brilliant rose with white throat.
-
-   ‘Salmon Gem’--Bright salmon color.
-
-   ‘Twinkles’--Brilliant rose-starred white.
-
-
-=Phlox=
-
-This is another garden favorite that may give you problems when you
-try to find seed for the small ones. Again, the tall varieties are
-being developed, but concessions have been made to those who like the
-diminutive. I find five varieties listed as the ‘New Dwarf Compact.’
-
-   ‘Cinnabar Red’--Scarlet vermilion.
-
-   ‘Fireball’--Rich fiery crimson scarlet.
-
-   ‘Isabellina’--Primrose yellow.
-
-   ‘Pink’--Bright chamois-pink.
-
-   ‘Snowball’--Flowers of purest white.
-
-Another source lists:
-
-   ‘Dwarf Globe’--A plump-shaped plant with flowers of various
-   colors.
-
-   _nana compacta_--Not six inches high and a constant bloomer
-   with large radiant flowers.
-
-   ‘Twinkle’--Various colors with fluted, fringed petals.
-
-
-=Portulaca=
-
-Seemingly this is an insignificant little plant, though I don’t know
-how one so charming could be classified as such. I had never raised it
-until the editor of one of my favorite magazines asked me to make some
-photographs of it. Of course, I had to grow it first. I planted a bed
-and waited for results. They were not long in coming. Plants barely out
-of the ground started blooming a few days later, and started spreading
-about the same time. The blooms, when single, were cup-shaped; the
-doubles looked like roses. The plants had a sunny exposure, a sandy
-soil, not much nutriment, and an inordinate attraction for our dogs
-(like catnip for cats). One day I took a photograph of my husband’s
-Labrador-retriever pup looking over a short picket fence at my
-portulaca. I promptly put in a higher fence, but the puppy grew
-faster than the fence. Eventually, I got my photographs, but it was a
-dog-gone struggle. If you do not have dogs, or if your dogs are not
-portulaca-minded, I offer you a listing of a few varieties.
-
-   ‘Alba’--Pure white.
-
-   ‘Aurea’--Lovely yellow.
-
-   ‘Coccinea’--Scarlet.
-
-   ‘Red Foundling’--A little larger than some of the others, but
-   semidouble, carmine-red, and most lovely.
-
-   ‘Rosea’--Rose.
-
-   ‘Salmon’--Salmon-colored and delightful.
-
-
-=Snapdragons=
-
-I didn’t think it possible that the lovely tall snapdragons, the ones
-that are waist high or taller, could be reduced to a mere six or eight
-inches. But it is possible. I offer two varieties in substantiation.
-
-   ‘Miniature Magic Carpet’--Four to six inches. Colors are mixed
-   and very dainty. As a carpet plant it is a creeper when given a
-   chance.
-
-   ‘Tom Thumb’--A plant that varies from six to eight inches tall,
-   very free-flowering, good for window boxes, rock gardens, porch
-   boxes, and flower pots for the window. Colors are in all of the
-   brilliant shades.
-
-
-=Sweet Peas=
-
-One seed company came right to the point when listing the small
-varieties of sweet peas, calling them ‘Little Sweethearts,’ which they
-are. Eight varieties were listed in one booklet.
-
-   ‘Boy Blue’--Clear mid-blue and delightful.
-
-   ‘Caprice’--Red-maroon.
-
-   ‘Coquette’--A rose-red variety.
-
-   ‘Heidi’--Another red bloomer.
-
-Those are varieties we have grown. Others which I hope to meet are
-‘Fantasy-Face,’ ‘Pollyanna,’ ‘Sinbad,’ and ‘Snow-White.’
-
-Another source lists ‘Cupid,’ ‘Little Sweetheart,’ and ‘Color Carpet.’
-These three are bushy, not viny, make six-inch mounds of small-scale
-pea-type leaves, are slightly fragrant, and are usually sold in
-mixtures of colors.
-
-
-=Verbena=
-
-Actually this is a perennial, but it is usually grown as an annual. It
-is rampant both as a bloomer and as a creeper. The flowers are tubular
-with flat heads and show up in many colors--pink, lavender, scarlet,
-white. Our sources list _Verbena bipinnatifida_, the most hardy;
-and _V. hortensis_, many colors with white eyes, and a low compact
-shape. Another, ‘Dwarf Compact’ is white.
-
-
-=Zinnias=
-
-In running down my alphabet of annuals, from alyssum to zinnias, I find
-it a bit difficult to fit the latter into what I consider the miniature
-category, eight inches or thereabout. But zinnias are so effective in
-a garden I’ll forgive them if they are a few inches above eight. I’ll
-plant them in the back rows of my beds and pinch out the tops if they
-get too rambunctious. In the Lilliput class, those delightful little
-plants which cover themselves with the pompon type of bloom, I offer
-the following list.
-
-   ‘Canary Yellow’--Clear yellow.
-
-   ‘Peach Blossom’--Soft light pink.
-
-   ‘Rose Gem’--Deep clear rose pink.
-
-   ‘Scarlet Gem’--Bright fiery scarlet.
-
-   ‘White Gem’--Pearl-like white.
-
-Sorry I can’t offer more varieties, but all growers seem to be devoted
-to growing giants in the zinnia class. I happen to love the little
-ones, those cute pompons that look so charming in the buttonhole of a
-man’s jacket.
-
-
-
-
-                             _CHAPTER 17_
-
-                        MINIATURE GARDEN BULBS
-
-
-Ring-around-a-rosying at the foot of a gray birch, twenty
-dazzling-white spring snowflakes nodding at the turn of a path, a
-company of bright-eyed kaufmanniana tulips; perching lightly in a
-rocky crevice, a flock of tiny canary daffodils that seem ready to
-wing away.... There’s something about the miniature bulbs that’s more
-fauna than flora, more fairy tale than real. Each one has its own elfin
-character and a happy-go-lucky way of stamping your garden “personally
-yours.”
-
-In the rock garden, at the edge of a border, with evergreen ground
-covers, clustered wherever there’s a stone or stump to back them up,
-used by the hundreds as drifts in the lawn, miniature bulbs more
-than anything else give you that spring feeling. Potted and forced
-into flower indoors, they’re winsome window-garden items, delicate
-decorations for coffee table or what-not, delightful dish-garden
-inhabitants. They’re indispensable for sink gardens, precious in the
-small greenhouse.
-
-Perhaps part of their charm lies in their unfamiliarity. So few are
-well known and widely grown. So many more are easy to find, easy to
-grow, and especially easy to pay for. And they’re such beguiling
-plants, I don’t see how any garden could be without them, miniature or
-not.
-
-All of the bulbs included here hold their flowers no more than six
-inches high. They’re not small versions of better-known, larger
-plants, but mostly completely different, with their own individual
-characteristics--and with bulbs, foliage, and flowers in miniature
-proportions. The word _bulb_ is used in its generalized sense, and
-includes true bulbs, corms, and tubers. To be botanically accurate,
-a few plants such as tuberous-rooted dahlias, rhizomatous iris, and
-bulbous erythroniums should also be included; but to be consistent in
-such matters as culture and decorative use, they’re grouped with plants
-that grow similarly, in the chapters on annuals, perennials, and wild
-flowers.
-
-Some of these miniature bulbs are available from nurseries and other
-local suppliers. But the majority, and particularly the most unusual,
-are offered by mail by bulb importers and specialist growers. Reading
-some of the catalogues is like taking a quick trip to exotic parts of
-the world. And for me, ordering no more than I can find time to plant
-and care for is a severe exercise in self-restraint. There are always
-a few more that would look well in some special spot, others that are
-intriguing simply because I’ve never grown or seen them.
-
-Most bulb catalogues give specific cultural recommendations that are
-helpful in selecting varieties that will adapt to your climate, and to
-the sun, soil, and moisture in the spot where you want to plant them.
-In general, bulbs are either hardy or not; they will survive a deep
-winter freeze, or they must be lifted and stored before the ground
-freezes at all. There are some natural borderline exceptions, like many
-fascinating varieties native to the West that are not so touchy about
-cold as they are about other climatic and cultural conditions.
-
-
-                   GROWING MINIATURE BULBS OUTDOORS
-
-Tender, summer-flowering bulbs are planted in late spring, when soil
-is warm and danger of severe frost has passed. Hardy bulbs are usually
-planted in late summer and early fall, when foilage has ripened and
-died back and the plants are in deepest dormancy. This includes
-fall-flowering types like the colchicums. The earlier bulbs can be
-planted, the stronger the root systems they can develop before winter,
-and the stronger their flowering during the first season.
-
-Make sure the selected site has perfect drainage. Bulbs rot quickly
-when water stands around their roots. Dig generously, to about eight
-inches deep; enrich the soil with organic matter such as leaf mold or
-compost; increase aeration and drainage in sticky, clay-like soils with
-sharp sand; add a light sprinkling of bone meal or superphosphate, if
-fertility is low. Since few bulbs like very acid soil, lime is a “must”
-except where the soil tests so extremely alkaline that the addition of
-organic matter does not make it acid.
-
-An average measure for depth of planting is twice the diameter of the
-bulb in cooler climates, an inch or so deeper in areas like southern
-Virginia to provide protection against summer heat. For quick effect,
-plant about a dozen bulbs in a group; six bulbs more widely spaced will
-usually increase and give the same effect in several years.
-
-
-_Watering_
-
-Most bulbs need moisture before, during, and after flowering, when
-foliage is green and growing or ripening. They’re better off on the dry
-side during dormancy. This is a perfect setup for most hardy types,
-because they need the least watering in summer, when droughts are most
-common. But it does increase the urgency for perfect drainage for some
-of the Western species that can’t bear moisture in winter.
-
-
-_Fertilizing_
-
-Except for an early-spring top-dressing of leaf-mold compost, we seldom
-feed our little bulbs. Occasionally, some healthy specimens may get
-a puny, undernourished look that calls for sprinkling bone meal or
-superphosphate over the soil and scratching it in. Or we may water with
-manure “tea” during or after flowering time.
-
-If soil is properly prepared at planting time, supplemental feeding
-should not be necessary for most types for several years. By that time
-some bulbs have multiplied so enthusiastically they should be lifted,
-separated, and reset in freshly mixed soil.
-
-
-_Problems and Pests_
-
-If you plant bulbs where they don’t stand in soggy mud or water, you’ll
-have little loss from rot. But if you’re in a suburban or rural area
-inhabited by cute chipmunks, squirrels, or mice, you won’t want to
-plant juicy morsels such as tulips, crocus, and eranthis just to feed
-the animals. I’ve never had the time or patience to plant bulbs in wire
-cages. Poison baits can be dangerous when you have children or pets. An
-effective safety measure is to put the bait inside a clean milk bottle
-and cover it with a heap of straw or leaves, with evergreen branches to
-hold the heap in place.
-
-
-_Winter Protection_
-
-Because the root systems may not be completely matured, newly planted
-bulbs should be mulched with a light, airy covering of something like
-salt hay during their first winter. After that, the necessity for
-protection varies with hardiness and with climate. Sometimes these
-mulches hold in more moisture than is good for bulbs. If alternate
-freezing and thawing should heave the shallow roots up through cracks
-in the soil, press them back gently but firmly and cover with soil
-again.
-
-
-                  PROPAGATING MINIATURE BULBS INDOORS
-
-Whether they’re to be exhibited in competition at a flower show,
-or displayed for close-up enjoyment in the living room, uniform
-perfection is the objective. First, then, buy the finest-quality bulbs
-available--the most plump, firm, healthy bulbs you can find. If the
-catalogue listing includes “recommended for forcing” or “specially
-treated for forcing,” so much the better.
-
-Time for potting, and length of time required for rooting, vary with
-the varieties. We’re usually potting up bulbs for forcing through most
-of October, occasionally into the first week of November. Our favorites
-are potted at two-week intervals, so we’ll have a continuous show of
-flowers in winter and early spring.
-
-We prefer clay pots because of their porosity, and shallow pots because
-most miniature bulbs are shallow-rooted. A generous layer of pebbles
-or broken crocks goes in the bottom of every pot. The potting soil is
-a house-plant mixture with a teaspoon of lime mixed in for a six-inch
-bulb pot. Bulbs are set so their tips are barely covered with soil;
-then pots are set in water up to the rims to make sure both soil and
-pots are thoroughly moist.
-
-Before they can be forced into flower, bulbs need time to grow sound
-root systems. They need to be stored cool, and in the dark so that
-premature top growth won’t be encouraged.
-
-Our potted bulbs are pre-rooted in the cold frame, the pots sunk in the
-soil, each pot covered by another pot turned upside down over it. Soil
-is added to cover the top pots; and after severe weather sets in, we
-top with at least six inches of salt hay.
-
-In lieu of a cold frame, a fairly deep trench, with a layer of pebbles
-or sand for drainage, can be used in the same way, with twice as much
-salt hay on top or even more. Some growers set the pots on shelves in
-cool, dark corners of the basement, but our cellars have always been
-much too warm. Soil should be kept moist, but not wet, during the
-rooting period.
-
-When the pot is completely filled with roots, and a few stick out the
-drainage hole in the bottom, the potted bulbs are moved to a cool,
-shady spot in the house or greenhouse for just a few days. Then they
-are brought into the sun for growth and flowering. For the best and
-most lasting flowers, try to provide temperatures between 55 and 60
-degrees by day, five degrees or more cooler by night.
-
-The window of an unheated bedroom or attic, or an enclosed porch, may
-be the only place where temperatures are low enough for healthiest
-growth. These are good places to grow the plants until they open their
-flowers, then they can be brought into warmer quarters for a flowering
-display.
-
-If you are trying to force bulbs into flower at some specific time, and
-if the buds aren’t swelling as fast as they should, warmer temperatures
-and a booster feeding of liquid manure should speed up the process.
-Cooler temperatures will help retard flowering.
-
-Keep the soil always moist before, during, and after flowering. When
-the leaves begin to yellow, gradually hold back on watering and keep
-it barely moist until time to set the bulbs out in the garden. Forcing
-bulbs two years in succession is not usually successful.
-
-
-                         MINIATURE BULB PLANTS
-
-=Chionodoxa= _Liliaceae_ Glory-of-the-Snow
-
-Early April flowers that disregard unfavorable weather. Leaves are
-narrow and grassy and disappear after the flowering period. Flowers are
-open-faced with short tubes.
-
-   _gigantea_--Largest flowers, pastel lavender-blue. Strong
-   stems that don’t fall over in bad weather.
-
-   _luciliae_--Five or more flowers per five-inch stem, bright
-   sky-blue with white centers. The variety alba is white; rosea,
-   pink.
-
-   _sardensis_--Like luciliae, but deeper blue without the
-   white eye.
-
-CARE. Gritty soil. Moisture. Mulch with manure in the fall. Light and
-sun. Hardy and easy to grow. Makes a ground carpet.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds (seeds itself except for some varieties which
-increase below ground), offshoots.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Ground cover, rock gardens, forcing.
-
-
-=Colchicum= _Liliaceae_ Autumn Crocus, Meadow Saffron
-
-Usually called crocus, this fall bloomer actually is a lily.
-
-   _autumnale_--Crocus-like flowers four inches across from
-   September to frost. Leaves two inches wide in spring. Usually
-   has purple flowers. There are several varieties: album, white;
-   roseum, pink and often double; ‘The Giant,’ large, late, lilac
-   and white (best-known variety).
-
-   _bornmuelleri_--Generally considered the finest species
-   with five-inch-wide flowers, rosy-lilac turning to purple and
-   the tube white.
-
-   _luteum_--Rare spring-flowering species, flowers yellow and
-   smaller, leaves slim and less conspicuous.
-
-   _speciosum_--Large leaves, and flowers with pink or white
-   throats. The white variety album is also large and is often
-   considered the most beautiful of hardy bulbous plants.
-
-CARE. Soil loamy, slightly acid. Sun or partial shade. Plant in
-colonies in August, two to three inches deep. Let leaves mature.
-
-PROPAGATION. Separate bulbs. Division of corms. Seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Borders, rock gardens, forcing.
-
-
-=Crocus= _Iridaceae_
-
-There are three general kinds of these grassy-leaved plants with
-flaring flowers of several colors. The large flowering “Dutch” hybrids
-flower in the spring; the usual spring-flowering varieties come earlier
-and last longer; other species flower in the fall.
-
-   _biflorous_--Spring. Bright-purple flowers with darker
-   stripes, yellowish throat.
-
-   _medius_--Fall. Bright-orchid flowers with very pale throat.
-
-   _sativus_--Fall. Pastel-lilac flowers accented with scarlet
-   stamens.
-
-   _seiberi_--Spring. Yellow-throated lavender flowers.
-
-   _speciosus_--Fall. Light blue with fiery orange stigmas.
-
-   _tomasinianus_--Spring. Palest pinkish-blue.
-
-   _versicolor_--Spring. Lilac with purple streaks, or, in the
-   variety picturatus, white with purple feathering.
-
-   _zonatus_--Fall. Rosy lavender with orange inside.
-
-CARE. Soil, sandy and drained. Not much fertilizer. Full sun. Hardy,
-but winter mulch is often helpful. Divide seldom and replant at once.
-Be on alert for rodents.
-
-PROPAGATION. Offsets, seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Forcing, rock gardens, colonization.
-
-
-=Cyclamen= _Primulaceae_
-
-These are the country cousins of the florist’s cyclamen but smaller
-in size. Their substantial, heart-shaped leaves are often beautifully
-marked in marbled patterns and are in a circle near the ground.
-Generally they are evergreen through the winter but drop before the
-flowers appear. Each blossom hangs from its own stem with turned-back
-tubes. Some varieties blossom in summer and fall, some (indoors or in
-suitable climates) flower In winter or very early spring. A number of
-varieties are available.
-
-   _atkinsi_--Crimson flowers in January, foliage marbled. The
-   variety album has white flowers; roseum is pink.
-
-   _cilicicum_--Purple-throated pale-pink flowers on five-inch
-   stems (in September), small marbled leaves.
-
-   _coum_--Blooms in February and March; choice of red, white,
-   or pink. Dark-green foliage.
-
-   _europaeum_--Fragrant red flowers in late summer. Leaves
-   marbled.
-
-   _libanoticum_--Large flowers with dainty pink blending into
-   white, in early spring. Foliage marbled.
-
-   _neapolitanum_--Exquisite silver-zoned leaves follow the
-   rosy-pink flowers that push their buds through the soil in
-   September. The variety album is white.
-
-   _repandum_--Red-purple flowers with wide-flaring petals, in
-   April.
-
-CARE. Humusy soil, with drainage. Must never dry out, but roots must
-never stand in water. Humidity in greenhouse. Outdoors, shade. Small
-amount of lime. Once established, small amounts of rotted manure.
-
-PROPAGATION. Seeds, and division (plant with top of tuber at surface;
-may be dormant first year after planting).
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock and woodland gardens, forcing.
-
-
-=Eranthis= _Ranunculaceae_ Winter Aconite
-
-Often during a mild January or February this little flower blooms with
-its butter-yellow cup on a stem only four inches above the ground. The
-finely-cut leaves form a collar below the blooms.
-
-   ‘Cuinia’--Slightly later and faintly fragrant.
-
-   _hyemalis_--Long-stemmed ferny leaves with clear yellow
-   flowers. The variety cilicica has deeper-colored flowers and
-   brownish leaves.
-
-   ‘Tubergeni’--A hybrid with larger golden flowers.
-
-CARE. Soil woodsy, not too acid. (Plant is dormant in summer.)
-
-PROPAGATION. Division of roots.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, pockets atop walls, forcing.
-
-
-=Galanthus nivalis= _Amaryllidaceae_ Snowdrop
-
-An early-flowering plant that often has blooms sticking up through
-March snow. The narrow leaves form a base for six-inch stems with
-fragrant white bell-shaped flowers.
-
-Several varieties are available: flore-pleno, double; maximus, larger
-and less frail-looking flowers; viride-apice, white petals tipped with
-green.
-
-CARE. Soil heavy, moist, and cool. Considerable shade, but only opens
-fully in the sun. Top-dress with manure in the fall. Hardy.
-
-PROPAGATION. In fall plant bulbs three to four inches deep, near
-deciduous trees or shrubs. Most effective in groups. Spreads by
-self-seeding.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Forcing, rock and wild gardens.
-
-
-=Gladiolus= _Iridaceae_
-
-In a small woodland garden only the miniature gladiolus is suitable;
-they are little fellows two and a half inches in height or less. A
-number of these small ones are available. Named varieties are:
-
-‘Glee,’ ‘Gnome,’ ‘Impresario,’ ‘Little Egypt,’ ‘Little Fawn,’ ‘Little
-Red Star,’ ‘Little Spice,’ ‘Periwinkle,’ ‘Pinkie Dots,’ ‘Pint Size,’
-‘Whirlybird,’ ‘Red Button,’ ‘Red Dot,’ ‘Red Tweedle,’ ‘Tom Thumb,’ ‘Wee
-Red.’ As a point of information, the term “small” applies to plants
-from two and a half to three and a half inches high.
-
-CARE. Good garden soil. If manure is to be used, it should be applied
-the year previous and worked into the soil; it should not come into
-contact with the corms. Drainage. Sun.
-
-PROPAGATION. Plant corms or bulbs.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, beds.
-
-
-=Hyacinthus= _Liliaceae_ Hyacinth
-
-The large formal hyacinths of the regular garden have a number of
-relatives that are small, delicate, and graceful, including two midget
-species:
-
-   _amethystinus_--Early-flowering Spanish species with
-   typically flat leaves and nodding blue bell flowers on spikes
-   seldom over five inches. There is also a white variety, albus.
-
-   _ciliatus (azureus)_--Slightly smaller with stiff
-   three-inch spikes, blue-green leaves often hairy on the edges,
-   and blue flowers. The variety albus is white.
-
-CARE. Rich fertile soil. Drainage. Mulch if no leaves fall on plants.
-Sun.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division, seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Forcing, rock gardens.
-
-
-=Leucojum= _Amaryllidaceae_ Snowflake
-
-The long leaves are about a half-inch wide and in a basal circle from
-which the stems stretch up to hold nodding bell flowers marked on the
-edge with bright-green dots.
-
-   _aestivum_--summer snowflake--Flowers in May. About nine
-   inches tall, it may be a little large for really small gardens.
-
-   _vernum_--spring snowflake--One fragrant bell flower to
-   each six-inch stem, in April.
-
-CARE. Soil rich and sandy, drainage, protect from hot sun.
-
-PROPAGATION. Detach bulblets after leaves wither. Self-seeds. Increases
-rather fast. Plant bulblets three to four inches deep.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens.
-
-
-=Muscari= _Liliaceae_ Grape Hyacinth
-
-These slim-leaved plants come in a wide variety with a selection of
-flowering times from early March through May and have clusters of
-flowers that look bright and grape-like or soft and plumy.
-
-   _armeniacum_--Violet-blue flowers on six-inch stems.
-   The variety cantab blooms in mid-spring, clear blue and
-   sweet-scented. ‘Early Giant’ is larger and earlier. True blue.
-
-   _botryoides album_--Heavenly white and fragrant. The most
-   compact and suitable for smaller gardens, or forcing.
-
-   _comosum monstrosum (plumosum)_--feather or tassel
-   hyacinth--Lavender feather dusters in late May.
-
-   _moschatum flavum_--Out-of-the-ordinary purple flowers
-   turning to yellowish in March and April. One of the smaller
-   species.
-
-   _pacemosum_--Fragrant, deep-blue flowers on eight-inch
-   stems.
-
-   _parodoxum_--Flowers of blue so dark they’re nearly black.
-
-   _tubergianum_--A newly introduced species, with the top
-   flowers turning lighter, and the lower ones darker. (Mid-April.)
-
-CARE. Soil deep, rich, and sandy. Drainage. Sun or light shade.
-
-PROPAGATION. Offsets, seeds.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Forcing, rock gardens.
-
-
-=Narcissus= _Amaryllidaceae_ Daffodil
-
-It is very unlikely that the average gardener realizes how many
-varieties in the narcissus world are under six inches in height
-at maturity. One catalogue lists over two hundred names of little
-varieties for little gardens. Obviously, only a few can be mentioned
-here.
-
-   _bulbocodium_--hoop-skirt daffodil--The “trumpet” is drawn
-   in a bit at the mouth, making it more like a balloon than a
-   trumpet. Six smallish petals twist and turn shyly behind. All
-   varieties are under six inches tall. Among the smallest are
-   three-inch, scented, white-flowering monophyllus (for forcing
-   only); obesus, with a fat yellow trumpet; tunifolium, smaller,
-   brighter, and later than the species; and scented vulgaris
-   nivalis, the smallest of all at two to three inches and very
-   early. The variety conspicuus is the easiest to grow and about
-   four inches tall.
-
-   _cyclamineus_--The nodding trumpets are long and slim, the
-   petals fold straight back around the stem, giving a feeling
-   of motion. The species is all yellow and about four inches
-   high. Among the smallest hybrids are ‘Milky-White,’ ‘Yindee,’
-   ‘Minicycla,’ deep yellow ‘Jetage,’ and ‘Flute.’
-
-   _jonquilla_--Like the familiar jonquils, these are usually
-   scented and have small, flattish cups with a neat ruff of flat
-   petals around the neck. The variety atlanticus is pure white and
-   four inches high; the variety juncifolius is three inches high
-   and has several scented yellow flowers per stem. ‘Peachblossom’
-   is similar and one inch taller.
-
-   _tazetta_--Similar to jonquils, but the cups are even
-   smaller and flatter. They are mostly early flowering and have
-   several blooms to a stem. The species is twelve inches tall, but
-   the variety lacticolor (canaliculatas) is only four inches, with
-   yellow cup and white petals that flare back. ‘Halenzy’ combines
-   pale yellow and white. ‘Shrew’ is the tiniest.
-
-   _triandrus_--angel’s tears--Several drooping flowers per
-   stem, the center cup-shaped, the petals turned back and twisted
-   rather like a tiny fuchsia flower. Among the varieties, albus is
-   all white, and three to four inches high; concolor is all gold;
-   ‘Frosty Morn’ is white; ‘Poppet’ has yellow petals and a white
-   cap.
-
-   _trumpet_--Miniature replicas of the familiar larger types,
-   the flaring trumpet standing out from a collar of six petals. In
-   some types the petals are flat, in others wavy or twisted. Among
-   these, asturiensis (minimus) is the smallest of all daffodils;
-   minar (nanus) is slightly larger, two to three inches tall; ‘Wee
-   Bee’ is lemon yellow and five inches tall. ‘Little Beauty’ has
-   two shades of yellow; ‘Sneezy’ is all yellow, and four inches
-   high.
-
-CARE. Average soil (acid or alkaline), not too heavy, not too light.
-Drainage. Fertilize little and use only bone meal. Mulch with stone
-chips to prevent flowers being spattered with mud during rain.
-
-PROPAGATION. Bulbs. Plant in August if possible. Plant in groups
-because of small size. Allow space for increase. Plant smallest bulbs
-one and a half inches deep; large bulbs, the depth of bulb itself.
-Don’t disturb unless crowded.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Forcing, rock gardens, containers.
-
-
-=Oxalis= _Oxalidaceae_
-
-Bulbous or tuberous shamrock-leaved perennials with five-petaled,
-buttercup-shaped flowers that close in the dark, most of them much
-hardier than realized and all suitable for indoor or greenhouse
-planting.
-
-   _adenophylla_--Blue-green leaflets, clusters of pink
-   flowers with deeper pink veins (May and June). Three inches
-   tall. Hardy.
-
-   _enneaphylla_--Tuberous-rooted perennial with gray-green
-   leaves and large white-purple veined flowers; two inches. Spring
-   bloomer.
-
-   _lasiandra_--More fragile species, bulbous with tight
-   clusters of deep-rose flowers. Dig and store in fall, or provide
-   protection. Sun.
-
-   _rubra (crassipes)_--Not bulbous but with thickened roots.
-   Pink flowers in clusters above the leaves.
-
-   _variabilis rubra_--Dense mats of fresh green leaves under
-   deep-pink flowers, some two inches across. Hardy as rubra.
-
-CARE. Average soil. Dig and store bulbs of some species.
-
-PROPAGATION. Division of roots, bulbs.
-
-SPECIAL USES. House plants, rock planting, containers.
-
-
-=Sternbergia lutea= _Amaryllidaceae_ Winter Daffodil
-
-Popularly called a daffodil and compared to a crocus, but these small
-amaryllids beat both of those plants for durability and distinction.
-They have up-facing butter-yellow flowers like squat, flaring, two-inch
-vases. They bloom in mid-September with the flowers lasting some weeks.
-The narrow leathery leaves often last through the winter but die back
-by spring. Fragrant.
-
-CARE. Heavy soil, barely acid. Dry, drainage. Sun.
-
-PROPAGATION. Bulbs.
-
-SPECIAL USES. Forcing, rock gardens.
-
-
-=Tulipa= _Liliaceae_ Tulip
-
-These are typical tulips with flowers that are up-facing bells or
-saucers, but are varied in shape, colors, and markings of the petals.
-They keep tightly closed after dark and on dark days but open wide in
-the sun. The foliage may be wide or grassy, clean green or mottled.
-Included here are only the smallest available species.
-
-   _batalini_--Twisted, narrow leaves and soft creamy-yellow
-   flowers (in April).
-
-   _biflora_--Only two or three slim, tapered leaves around a
-   four-inch flower stem bearing from one to three long, striped
-   buds which open to flat, white, star-shaped flowers with golden
-   centers. Often blooms in March. Variety turkestanica has wider
-   leaves and up to ten flowers per stem.
-
-   _dasystemon (tarda)_--Polished blue-green leaves fan out
-   flat under three-inch stems with bouquets (three to five) of
-   yellow-centered white flowers. Some have pointed petals striped
-   lengthwise with green on the outside. (Mid-April.)
-
-   _eichleri_--Typically broad leaves, stems six to eight
-   inches, fiery-red flowers with gold and blue-black centers and
-   gold stripes outside.
-
-   _kaufmanniana_--water-lily tulip--The leaves are very
-   broad, short, and sharply pointed; the stems are sturdy and five
-   inches long. The flowers are very large, creamy yellow marked
-   with carmine (in April). There are many named varieties with
-   flowers in shades and combinations of gold, scarlet, cream, and
-   even salmon pink.
-
-   _kolpakowskiana_--Long, blue-green leaves waved on the
-   edges, yellow flowers blotched with brick red on the outside (in
-   April).
-
-   _linifolia_--Narrow, wavy leaves and six-inch stems topped
-   with satiny scarlet flowers, marked with blue-black at the heart
-   (in April).
-
-   _patens (persica)_--Slim, arching leaves, stems with one to
-   three flowers, yellow, darker outside, fragrant (in May).
-
-   _puchella_--Early, even before the daffodils. Slim leaves.
-   Flowers an odd shade of lavender and tinged red. Slightly larger.
-
-   _stellata chrysantha_ (originally considered a species,
-   chrysantha)--Curved-down blue-green leaves, six-inch stems;
-   cherry-flushed yellow flowers opening to flat stars (in April).
-
-
-
-
-                               EPILOGUE
-
-
-There is a touch of sadness to any book that is published posthumously.
-It means that an author who has devoted years to acquiring a skill with
-words and their ways, one who has something to say, will write no more.
-
-This book, _All About Miniature Plants and Gardens, Indoors and
-Out_, is the work of Bernice Gaines Brilmayer. It was written in the
-last months of her life and was practically completed except for the
-mechanics of preparing it for publication. Although she didn’t realize
-the seriousness of her illness, she asked me to do the final work on
-the manuscript.
-
-Her dedication, “For my family, again and again. The future is coming
-closer,” is typical of the magnificent woman she was. She lived for
-the days when we would be free of the commercial world, when we could
-write, dream, plant, and write. It was to be for, and with, the family
-she loved so well. I’ve never heard the philosophy of her existence
-expressed so well as by an old fishing friend, Captain Bill Stiles of
-Stone Harbor, New Jersey. Captain Bill, of the _Skipper_, is not
-one who professes to write phrases and words, but he does know people.
-On the long ride out to the fishing grounds off the Jersey coast Bill
-used to observe her. When the anchor was down, Bill would give the
-order to “drop lines, Folks.” He noted that she was always the last to
-get her line in the water. Her family came first and she waited until
-they were set.
-
-If ever I do a biography of Bernice, the title will be “The Last to Get
-Her Line Down.”
-
-The family to which she dedicated her books, has a dedication to her:
-
-                      TO BERNICE--A GALLANT WOMAN
-                               1913–1962
-                           IN LOVING MEMORY
-                     THE FAMILY YOU LOVED SO MUCH
-
-    _Robert Brilmayer
-    Redding, Connecticut, 1963_
-
-
-
-
-                             BIBLIOGRAPHY
-
-
-   Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture,
-   PLANT HARDINESS ZONE MAP. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing
-   Office, 1960.
-
-   Ashberry, Anne, MINIATURE GARDENS. New York: Van Nostrand, 1952.
-
-   Ashberry, Anne, MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS. London: Nicholas
-   Kaye, Ltd., 1958.
-
-   Bailey, L. H., and Ethel Zoe, HORTUS SECOND. New York:
-   Macmillan, 1941.
-
-   Beale, James H., THE EVERGREENS. New York: Doubleday, 1960.
-
-   Brooklyn Botanic Garden, handbooks on many subjects--DWARF TREES
-   AND SHRUBS, DWARFED PLANTS, FLOWERING SHRUBS, PROPAGATION, ROCK
-   GARDENS, WHERE TO BUY TREES AND SHRUBS. New York: Brooklyn
-   Botanic Garden, various dates.
-
-   Chidamian, Claude, BONSAI, MINIATURE TREES. New York: Van
-   Nostrand, 1955.
-
-   Chidamian, Claude, CACTI AND OTHER SUCCULENTS. New York:
-   Doubleday, 1958.
-
-   Clark, William H., GARDENING THE SMALL PLACE. Boston: Little,
-   Brown, 1952.
-
-   Clarke, J. Harold, GETTING STARTED WITH RHODODENDRONS AND
-   AZALEAS. New York: Doubleday, 1960.
-
-   Cumming, Robert W., and Lee, Robert E., CONTEMPORARY PERENNIALS.
-   New York: Macmillan, 1960.
-
-   Foley, Daniel J., GROUND COVERS FOR EASIER GARDENING. New York:
-   Chilton & Co., 1961.
-
-   Free, Montague, PLANT PROPAGATION IN PICTURES. New York:
-   Doubleday, 1957.
-
-   Genders, Roy, GARDENING IN MINIATURE. London: Robert Hale, Ltd.,
-   1958.
-
-   Genders, Roy, MINIATURE ROSES. London: Blanford Press, 1960.
-
-   Graf, Alfred Byrd, EXOTICA II. Rutherford, N.J.: Julius Roehrs,
-   1960.
-
-   Gray, Alec, MINIATURE DAFFODILS. London: W. H. & L.
-   Collingridge, Ltd., 1955.
-
-   Ishimoto, Tatsuo, ART OF GROWING MINIATURE TREES, PLANTS AND
-   LANDSCAPES. New York: Crown Publishers, 1956.
-
-   Klaber, Doretta, ROCK GARDEN PLANTS. New York: Henry Holt, 1959.
-
-   Moore, Harold E. Jr., AFRICAN VIOLETS, GLOXINIAS AND THEIR
-   RELATIVES. New York: Macmillan, 1957.
-
-   Newsom, Samuel, DWARFED TREE MANUAL FOR WESTERNERS. Tokyo: Tokyo
-   News Service, Ltd., 1960.
-
-   Noble, Mary, and Merkel, J. L., PLANTS INDOORS. New York: Van
-   Nostrand, 1954.
-
-   Rickett, Harold William, BOTANY FOR GARDENERS. New York:
-   Macmillan, 1957.
-
-   Rockwell, F. F., and Grayson, Esther C., COMPLETE BOOK OF BULBS.
-   New York: Doubleday, 1953.
-
-   Taylor, Norman (ed.), ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GARDENING. Boston:
-   Houghton Mifflin, 1961 (Revised Edition).
-
-   Taylor, Norman, WILD FLOWER GARDENING. New York: Van Nostrand,
-   1955.
-
-   Thomas, G. L. Jr., GARDEN POOLS, WATER-LILIES AND GOLDFISH. New
-   York: Van Nostrand, 1958.
-
-   Van Melle, P. J., SHRUBS AND TREES FOR THE SMALL PLACE. New
-   York: Scribner’s, 1943.
-
-   Westcott, Cynthia, ARE YOU YOUR GARDEN’S WORST PEST? New York:
-   Doubleday, 1961.
-
-   Westcott, Cynthia, GARDENER’S BUG BOOK. New York: Doubleday,
-   1956.
-
-   Wilder, Louise Beebe, ADVENTURES IN MY GARDEN AND ROCK GARDEN.
-   New York: Doubleday, 1929.
-
-   Wilson, Helen Van Pelt, NEW PERENNIALS PREFERRED. New York: Van
-   Nostrand, 1962.
-
-   Wyman, Donald, SHRUBS AND VINES FOR AMERICAN GARDENS. New York:
-   Macmillan, 1958.
-
-   Wyman, Donald, TREES FOR AMERICAN GARDENS. New York: Macmillan,
-   1951.
-
-
-
-
-                        WHERE TO BUY MINIATURE
-                          PLANTS AND SUPPLIES
-
-
-Nothing is as frustrating to a gardener as to hear or read glowing
-descriptions of plants that appeal to him and then be unable
-to find them in catalogues or elsewhere. For the unusual and
-out-of-the-ordinary plants the answer is quite often a mail-order
-supplier. For some general types such as water lilies and woodland or
-rockery plants, the most fruitful source is the specialist, who quite
-naturally has the widest selection and the greatest knowledge of the
-plants he grows the most. We have increased our collection of miniature
-plants by mail order from many (but not all) of the following. While I
-have not bought from all of them, enough of my friends and colleagues
-have so that I am rather familiar with all. In writing for catalogues
-of any sort, remember they are expensive to produce and often you are
-asked to pay a nominal fee for them. I usually get so much information
-I am happy to pay a few cents. You can often save time and trouble by
-asking if there is such a fee.
-
-   ALBERTS & MERKEL BROS., INC., Box 537, Boynton Beach,
-   Fla.--Orchids and other tropical plants.
-
-   ALLGROVE, ARTHUR EAMES, North Wilmington, Mass.--Terrarium and
-   woodland plants and supplies.
-
-   ALPENGLOW GARDENS, 13328 Trans-Canada Highway, North Surrey,
-   New Westminster, B.C., Canada--Alpines, perennials, trees, and
-   shrubs.
-
-   AMERICAN PERENNIAL GARDENS, 6975 Dover St., Garden City,
-   Mich.--Perennials.
-
-   ARENIUS, ARTHUR, 123 Western Drive, Longmeadow 6, Springfield,
-   Mass.--Gladiolus.
-
-   ARMSTRONG NURSERIES, Ontario, Calif.--Roses, dwarf citrus.
-
-   ARNDT’S FLORAL GARDEN, Route 2, Box 336, Troutdale,
-   Ore.--African violets and other gesneriads.
-
-   BARNHAVEN, Box 218, Gresham, Ore.--Primulas.
-
-   BARRINGTON GREENHOUSES, 860 Clements Bridge Rd., Barrington,
-   N.J.--House and greenhouse plants.
-
-   BEAHM GARDENS, 2686 E. Paloma St. Pasadena 8,
-   Calif.--Epiphyllums and other succulents.
-
-   BEE, MRS. T. C., Route 3, Box 120, Newnan, Ga.--African violets
-   and other house plants.
-
-   BIT OF FLORIDA, INC., Box 3305, West Hollywood, Fla.--Dwarf
-   citrus.
-
-   BRECK’S OF BOSTON, 250 Breck Bldg., Boston 10, Mass.--Seeds,
-   bulbs, and supplies.
-
-   BRIMFIELD GARDENS NURSERY, 245 Brimfield Rd., Wethersfield,
-   Conn.--Trees and shrubs for garden, bonsai.
-
-   BRISTOL NURSERIES, Bristol, Conn.--Chrysanthemums.
-
-   BUELL’S, Eastford, Conn.--African violets and other gesneriads.
-
-   BURGESS SEED AND PLANT CO., Galesburg, Mich.--Seeds, bulbs,
-   perennials, trees, and shrubs.
-
-   BURNETT BROS., INC., 92 Chambers St., New York 7, N.Y.--Seeds,
-   bulbs, supplies.
-
-   BURPEE, W. ATLEE, CO., Philadelphia 32, Penna.--Seeds, bulbs,
-   supplies.
-
-   BURT’S, Federal Highway No. 1, North Jupiter, Fla.--House and
-   greenhouse plants.
-
-   CACTUS PETES, 5454 Valley Blvd., Los Angeles 32,
-   Calif.--Epiphyllums and other succulents.
-
-   CALIFORNIA NURSERY CO., Niles, Calif.--Trees and shrubs.
-
-   CAROLINA BIOLOGICAL SUPPLY CO., Elon College, N.C.--Woodland,
-   bog, and water plants.
-
-   CARROLL GARDENS, Westminster, Md.--Bulbs, perennials, trees, and
-   shrubs.
-
-   CHAMPLAIN VIEW GARDENS, Burlington, Vt.--Gladiolus.
-
-   CHAUTAUQUA FLOWERFIELD, Greenhurst, N.Y.--Bulbs, perennials.
-
-   CHERRY, NORMAN J., CO., Box 608, Merrick, Long Island,
-   N.Y.--Supplies for house and greenhouse.
-
-   COCHLAN, JAMES J., Box 331, Saddle River, N.J.--Bonsai plants
-   and containers.
-
-   CONARD-PYLE CO., West Grove, Penna.--Roses.
-
-   DAFFODIL MART, Nuttal Station, Gloucester, Va.--Narcissus.
-
-   DE JAGER, P., AND SONS, INC., 188 Ashbury St., South Hamilton,
-   Mass.--Bulbs.
-
-   DELKINS BULBS, 4205 Hunts Point Rd., Bellevue, Wash.--Bulbs.
-
-   DOLBOW, DOROTHY J., 149 W. Main St., Penns Grove, N.J.--Supplies
-   for house and greenhouse.
-
-   EASTERN NURSERIES, INC., Holliston, Mass.--Trees, shrubs,
-   alpines.
-
-   EDENWALD GARDENS, Vincennes, Ind.--Iris.
-
-   EL SEGUNDO GERANIUM GARDENS, Box 289, Gardena, Calif.--Geraniums.
-
-   EMERSON INDUSTRIES, INC., 132 Adams Ave., Hempstead,
-   N.Y.--Window greenhouses, etc.
-
-   EVANS, HERBERT O., Solon, Ohio--Gladiolus.
-
-   EVERGLADES ENTERPRISES, Box 48-811, Miami, Fla.--Tropical plants.
-
-   EVERGREEN HOUSE, Box 433, Los Altos, Calif.--Bonsai plants and
-   containers.
-
-   FANTASTIC GARDENS, 9550 S.W. 67th St., Miami, Fla.-- Bromeliads
-   and other tropical plants.
-
-   FENNELL ORCHID CO., 26715 S.W. 157th Ave., Homestead,
-   Fla.--Orchids.
-
-   FIELD, HENRY, SEED AND NURSERY CO., Shenandoah, Iowa--Seeds,
-   bulbs, perennials, aquatic plants, trees, shrubs, and house
-   plants.
-
-   FIORE, CHARLES, NURSERIES, INC., Prairie View, Ill.--Trees and
-   shrubs.
-
-   FRENCH, J. HOWARD, Baltimore Pike, Lima, Penna.--Seeds, bulbs,
-   supplies.
-
-   GARDENS OF THE BLUE RIDGE, Ashford, McDowell County,
-   N.C.--Native woodland, bog, and water plants, trees and shrubs.
-
-   GERRY’S GERANIUM GARDEN, 221 W. 223 St., Torrance,
-   Calif.--Geraniums.
-
-   GIBBS, WINSEL, SEED AND NURSERY CO., 1955 W. Florence Ave., Los
-   Angeles 47, Calif.--Tropical trees, shrubs, plants.
-
-   GIRARD NURSERIES, Geneva, Ohio--Trees and shrubs for garden,
-   bonsai.
-
-   GLEN SAINT MARY NURSERY, Glen Saint Mary, Fla.--Trees and shrubs.
-
-   GRAY, ALEC, Treswithian Daffodil Farm, Camborne, Cornwall,
-   England--Narcissus.
-
-   GREEN LEAF NURSERY, 2047 Middlefield Rd., Mountain View,
-   Calif.--House and greenhouse plants.
-
-   GRIFFING NURSERIES, Beaumont, Texas--Trees and shrubs.
-
-   HAGA, F. M., & SON, 5033 Doris St., Charlotte 5, N.C.--African
-   violets and other gesneriads.
-
-   HARRIS, JOSEPH, CO., INC., Rochester 11, N.Y.--Seeds, bulbs.
-
-   HARROLD’S, Box 29, Grants Pass, Ore.--House-plant and garden
-   seeds, plants, roses.
-
-   HAV’ALOOK GARDENS, 10045 Grand River, Fowlersville, Mich.--House
-   and greenhouse plants.
-
-   HOLLY HILL, Straight Path, Huntington, N.Y.--Holly, heath,
-   heather.
-
-   HOUDYSHEL, CECIL, 1412 Third St., LaVerne, Calif.--House and
-   greenhouse bulbs and plants.
-
-   HOUSE OF PLANTS, 26 S. Hotchkiss St., Binghamton,
-   N.Y.--Gesneriads.
-
-   HOUSE PLANT CORNER, Box 810, Oxford, Md.--Supplies for house and
-   greenhouse.
-
-   ILGENFRITZ, MARGARET, Monroe, Mich.--Orchids.
-
-   INTER-STATE NURSERIES, Hamburg, Iowa--Seeds, bulbs, perennials,
-   trees, and shrubs.
-
-   JACK’S CACTUS GARDEN, 1707 W. Robindale St., West Covina,
-   Calif.--Cacti and other succulents.
-
-   JACKSON & PERKINS CO., Newark, N.Y.--Roses, perennials.
-
-   JOHNSON CACTUS GARDENS, Paramount, Calif.--Cacti and other
-   succulents.
-
-   JOYNER’S, 404 Fisher Drive, Ocala, Fla.--Caladiums.
-
-   KARTUZ, MICHAEL J., 92 Chestnut St., Wilmington, Mass.--House
-   and greenhouse plants.
-
-   KELSEY NURSERY SERVICE, Highlands, N.J.--Bulbs, trees and
-   shrubs, woodland plants.
-
-   LAGER AND HURRELL, INC., 427 Morris Ave., Summit, N.J.--Orchids.
-
-   LAKEMONT NURSERIES, 915 S. Lakemont Ave., Winter Park,
-   Fla.--House and greenhouse plants.
-
-   LAMB NURSERIES, 101 E. Sharp Ave., Spokane 2,
-   Wash.--Chrysanthemums.
-
-   LESLIE’S WILD FLOWER NURSERY, 30 Summer St., Methuen,
-   Mass.--Woodland plants.
-
-   LOGEE’S GREENHOUSE, 55 North Street, Danielson, Conn.--House and
-   greenhouse plants.
-
-   LOUNDBERRY GARDENS, Oakford, Ill.--Bulbs and woodland plants.
-
-   MANHATTAN GARDEN SUPPLY, 305 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan
-   Beach, Calif.--Geraniums.
-
-   MARX, WALTER, GARDENS, Boring, Ore.--Bulbs, perennials, roses.
-
-   MAYFAIR NURSERIES, RFD 2, Nichols, N.Y.--Alpines, trees, and
-   shrubs for gardens, bonsai.
-
-   MCCLEELAN, ROD, CO., 1450 El Camino Real, South San Francisco,
-   Calif.--Orchids, bonsai containers.
-
-   MERRY GARDENS, P. O. Box 595, Camden, Maine--Rare house plants,
-   geraniums, begonias, and a large selection of miniatures.
-
-   MILLER, HOLMES C., 280 W. Portola Ave., Los Altos,
-   Calif.--Geraniums.
-
-   OAKHURST GARDENS, Box 444, Arcadia, Calif.--House and greenhouse
-   plants.
-
-   OPPEN’S GREENHOUSE, 4330 Auburn Rd., Salem, Ore.--House and
-   greenhouse plants.
-
-   PARK, GEORGE W., SEED CO., Greenwood, S.C.--Seeds, bulbs,
-   supplies.
-
-   PEARCE SEED CO., Moorestown, N.J.--Seeds, bulbs, perennials,
-   plants.
-
-   PILLEY’S GARDENS, Box 757, Valley Center, Calif.--Iris.
-
-   PINE-CROFT NURSERIES, Exeter, N.H.--Perennials.
-
-   PLANTERS, THE, 385 Bleecker St., N.Y.C.--House and greenhouse
-   plants, bonsai.
-
-   PUTNEY NURSERY, Putney, Vt.--Chrysanthemums.
-
-   RARE PLANT CLUB, Route 1, Box 155, Mill Valley, Calif.--Bonsai
-   plants and containers.
-
-   ROEHRS, JULIUS, CO., Rutherford, N.J.--House and greenhouse
-   plants.
-
-   SCHERER, S., AND SONS, Northport, N.Y.--Aquatic plants and water
-   lilies.
-
-   SCHULZ, PEGGIE, 7714 N. Fairfield Rd., Minneapolis 12,
-   Minn.--House-plant seeds.
-
-   SHERWOOD NURSERY CO., Corbett, Ore.--Trees and shrubs for garden
-   and bonsai.
-
-   SKY-CLEFT GARDENS, Camp Street Ext., Barre, Vt.--Alpines,
-   perennials, woodland plants.
-
-   SLOCUM WATER GARDENS, Binghamton, N.Y.--Aquatic plants and water
-   lilies.
-
-   SPRING HILL NURSERIES, Tipp City, Ohio--Perennials, roses, trees.
-
-   STARK BROS., Louisiana, Mo.--Trees and shrubs.
-
-   STARKER, CARL, GARDENS, Jennings Lodge, Ore.--Alpines,
-   perennials, trees and shrubs, bonsai containers.
-
-   STEWART, FRED A., INC., 8606 E. Las Tunas Drive, San Gabriel,
-   Calif.--Orchids.
-
-   SUMMIT GARDENS, Box 567, Glenn Ellyn, Ill.--Gladiolus.
-
-   TERRACE VIEW GARDENS, Greencastle, Ind.--House and greenhouse
-   plants.
-
-   THOMPSON & MORGAN, LTD., Ipswich, England--Seeds.
-
-   THREE LAURELS, Madison County, Marshall, N.C.--Woodland plants;
-   trees and shrubs.
-
-   THREE SPRINGS FISHERIES, Lilypons, Md.--Water lilies and aquatic
-   plants of all sorts.
-
-   THURMAN’S GARDENS, Route 6, Spokane, Wash.--Alpines, perennials.
-
-   TINARI GARDENS AND GREENHOUSES, Bethayres, Penna.--African
-   violets.
-
-   TRICKER, WILLIAM, INC., 196 Allendale Ave., Saddle River,
-   N.J.--Water lilies and other aquatic plants.
-
-   TROPICAL PARADISE GREENHOUSE, 8825 W. 79th St., Overland Park,
-   Kan.--House and greenhouse plants.
-
-   UPPER BANK NURSERIES, Ridley Creek Rd., Media, Penna.--Trees and
-   shrubs.
-
-   VAN NESS WATER GARDENS, 2460 N. Euclid Ave., Upland,
-   Calif.--Water lilies and other aquatic plants.
-
-   VAUGHAN’S SEED CO., 24 Vesey St., New York 7, N.Y.--Seeds,
-   bulbs, perennials, trees, shrubs, aquatic plants.
-
-   VILLAGE HILL NURSERY, Williamsburg, Mass.--Geraniums, perennials.
-
-   WAKE ROBIN FARM, Route 1, Box 33, Home, Penna.--Woodland plants.
-
-   WARE, ROMAINE B., Canby, Ore.--Lilies and other bulbs.
-
-   WARREN’S NURSERY, 2200 Fifth St., Berkeley 10, Calif.--House and
-   greenhouse plants.
-
-   WAYSIDE GARDENS, Mentor, Ohio--Annuals, bulbs, trees, shrubs,
-   etc.
-
-   WESTON NURSERIES, INC., E. Main St., Hopkinton,
-   Mass.--Perennials, trees, and shrubs.
-
-   WHITE FLOWER FARM, Litchfield, Conn.--Bulbs, perennials, trees,
-   shrubs.
-
-   WILSON BROTHERS, Roachdale, Ind.--Geraniums.
-
-   WOOD, THOMAS M., Constantia, N.Y.--Woodland plants.
-
-   WOODLAND NURSERY, Hendricks Rd., RFD 1, Perkiomenville,
-   Penna.--Trees and shrubs.
-
-   WYANT, MELVIN E., Johnny Cake Ridge, Route 84, Mentor,
-   Ohio--Roses.
-
-   YOARS HOUSE PLANT NURSERY, Bunker Hill, Ind.--House and
-   greenhouse plants.
-
-
-
-
-INDEX
-
-
-    _Abelia_, 236
-
-    _Abeliophyllum distichum_ (White Forsythia, Korean Abelia), 236
-
-    _Abies_ (Fir), 238
-
-    _Abutilon hybridum savitzi_ (Flowering Maple), 93
-
-    _Abutilon megapotamicum_, 64
-
-    _Achillea_ (Yarrow, Hilfoil), 259
-
-    _Achimenes_, 93–94
-
-    _Acorus gramineus variegatus_, 94
-
-    Adder’s-Tongue, 222, 288–89
-
-    ‘Adeline’ (‘Improved Darling’), 96
-
-    _Adiantum bellum_ (Bermuda Maidenhair Fern), 94
-
-    _Aeonium caespitosum spathulatum_, 102
-
-    _Aeschynanthus_, 63
-
-    _Aethionema_ (Stone-Cress, Persian Candytuft), 260
-
-    African boxwood, 124
-
-    African violets (_See_: _Viola_)
-
-    _Agave victoriae-reginae_ (“century plant”), 102
-
-    _Ageratum_ (floss flower), 282
-
-    _Aichryson (Aeonium) domesticum variegatum_, 102
-
-    _Ajuga_ (Bugle), 260
-
-    ‘Alba,’ 285
-
-    ‘Albatross,’ 101
-
-    _All About Begonias_, 78
-
-    _All About Vines and Hanging Plants_, 36, 37
-
-    _Allophyton mexicanum_ (Mexican Foxglove), 94
-
-    _Aloe_, 102
-
-    Alpenglow Gardens, 13
-
-    Alpine daisy, 263
-
-    Alpine gardens, 187–98
-
-    Alpine phlox, 271
-
-    Alpine (rock) plants, 62, 150, 187–98, 273
-
-    _Alternanthera_ (Joseph’s Coat), 94–95
-
-    Aluminum plant (watermelon pilea), 130
-
-    Alyssum (Madwort), 47, 138, 260–61
-
-    Alyssum (Sweet), 282–83
-
-    American Iris Society, 268
-
-    American yew, 248
-
-    _Andromeda_ (Bog Rosemary), 238–39
-
-    ‘Andy,’ 96
-
-    _Anemone_ (Windflower), 261
-
-    Angel’s tears, 296–97
-
-    Annuals, 10, 38, 47, 138;
-      miniature, 277–87;
-      in rock and wall gardens, 187
-
-    _Antennaria_ (Pussy-Toes), 261
-
-    _Anthurium scherzerianum_ (Flamingo Flower), 95
-
-    Aphids, 232
-
-    _Aptenia cordifolia (Mesembryanthemum cordifolium)_, 102
-
-    _Aquilegia_ (Columbine), 262
-
-    _Arabis_ (Rock Cress), 262
-
-    Aramite, 232, 255
-
-    Arborvitae (_Thuja_), 249
-
-    _Arisaema triphyllum_ (Jack-in-the-pulpit), 211, 219
-
-    Arizona, 140
-
-    Aroids, 51, 53, 63
-
-    Artillery plant, 130
-
-    _Asarum_ (Wild Ginger), 160, 219
-
-    Ash, 166
-
-    Ashberry, Anne, 150
-
-    Asia, 271, 272
-
-    _Asplenium_ (Spleenwort), 219
-
-    _Aster alpinus_ (Rock Aster), 262
-
-    ‘Astrid,’ 129
-
-    _Astrophytum_ (Star Cactus), 102
-
-    ‘Aurea,’ 285
-
-    Autumn Crocus, 289, 292
-
-    ‘Autumn Snow,’ 267
-
-    Azalea (Rhododendron), 177, 213, 226–27, 234, 239
-
-
-    _Babiana stricta_, 95
-
-    Baby blue eyes, 284
-
-    ‘Baby Bunting,’ 145
-
-    ‘Baby Crimson,’ 145
-
-    ‘Baby Perfection,’ 98
-
-    ‘Baby Rainbow,’ 100
-
-    Baby Toes, 104
-
-    Baby’s Breath, 267
-
-    Baby’s Tears, 120–21
-
-    Ball Cactus, 106
-
-    Ballard, Ernesta, 13
-
-    _Balsam_, 283
-
-    Banana, dwarf, 63, 68
-
-    Barberry, 228;
-      dwarf, 180
-
-    Basket of gold, 261
-
-    Bayside, 23, 24
-
-    Beech, 230
-
-    _Begonia_: 19, 25, 28, 29, 37, 63, 95–101;
-      fibrous-rooted, 95, 96–97;
-      floriferous, 63;
-      grown in artificial light, 24, 35;
-      miniature (dwarf), 44, 53, 95–101;
-      Strawberry (_See_: _Saxifraga_);
-      tuberous, 24, 95
-      (_See also_ Rex begonias, Rhizomatous begonias, Semperflorens begonias)
-
-    Bell Flower, 263–64
-
-    Bellis (Daisy), 263
-
-    Bermuda Maidenhair Fern, 94
-
-    _Bertolonia_, 100
-
-    Better Business Bureau, 215
-
-    _Betula nana_ (Birch), 239
-
-    Billbergia, 114
-
-    Birch tree: 177, 183, 239;
-      as base for bromeliads, 69;
-      in bonsai, 166
-
-    Bird’s nest, 246
-
-    Bishop’s Cap, 224–25
-
-    ‘Black Falcon,’ 98
-
-    Blackleaf panamiga, 131
-
-    ‘Black Vesuvius,’ 126, 249
-
-    Bloodroot, 160, 212, 214
-
-    ‘Blue Ball,’ 282
-
-    ‘Blue Gem,’ 95
-
-    ‘Blue Mink,’ 282
-
-    Blue Oxalis, 125
-
-    ‘Blue Star,’ 285
-
-    Bluets, 223
-
-    _Boea hygroscopica_, 100
-
-    Bog Rosemary, 238–39
-
-    Bone meal (_See_ Superphosphate)
-
-    Bonsai: 159–76;
-      character of the plant in, 164–65;
-      in citrus, 163;
-      indoor, 161–63;
-      _name_, 161;
-      plants for use in, 101, 110, 122, 124, 132, 134, 150, 160, 166,
-        227, 238–49;
-      root-pruning in, 169–70;
-      roses in, 138;
-      _shinto_, 161
-
-    ‘Bo-Peep,’ 145
-
-    Boston (Massachusetts), 64, 65;
-      beans, 107
-
-    Bottle Brush, 243
-
-    _Bouvardia longiflora humboldti_, 101
-
-    ‘Bow-Arriola,’ 97, 99
-
-    ‘Bow Chance,’ 97, 99
-
-    ‘Bow-Joe,’ 97
-
-    ‘Bow-Nigra,’ 97, 99
-
-    Box (_See_ _Buxus_; _Buxus microphylla japonica_)
-
-    Boxing gloves, 106
-
-    Boxwood, African, 124 (_See also_: _Buxus_; _Buxus microphylla
-      japonica_)
-
-    ‘Boy Blue,’ 286
-
-    Bracts, 104, 136
-
-    ‘Bright Eyes,’ 285
-
-    Broadlily, 220
-
-    Bromeliad, 44, 45, 69–70, 114, 136;
-      tree, 63, 69–70
-
-    Brooklyn, 137
-
-    ‘Brownie Scout,’ 284
-
-    _Bruckenthalia spiculifolia_ (Balkan Heath), 239
-
-    Bugle, 260
-
-    Bulbs: 288–98;
-      fertilizing, 290, 292;
-      propagating miniature, indoors, 291–92;
-      South African, 95;
-      spring-flowering, 64;
-      winter-flowering, 95
-
-    Bunchberry, 221
-
-    Bunny ears, 106
-
-    Burning Bush, 243
-
-    Burpee, 281
-
-    ‘Butterball,’ 284
-
-    Button Fern, 128
-
-    _Buxus_ (Box, Boxwood), 46, 138, 239–40, 249
-
-    _Buxus microphylla japonica_, 101
-
-
-    Cactus: 49, 64–65, 78, 101–7;
-      Christmas, 30;
-      use in window gardens of, 19–21
-
-    _Caladium_ (Elephant Ears), 11, 107–9;
-      bicolor varieties of, 107
-
-    Calamondin, 113
-
-    _Calathea (Maranta)_, 109, 122
-
-    Calceolarias, 38
-
-    _Calceolaria biflora_, 153
-
-    _Callopsis volkensi_, 109
-
-    _Calluna vulgaris_ (Heather, Ling) 226, 240
-
-    _Campanula_ (Harebell, Bell Flower), 263–64
-
-    Campion, 273–74
-
-    _Camptosorus rhizophyllus_ (Walking Fern), 219
-
-    Canada, 219
-
-    Canadian yew, 248
-
-    ‘Canary Yellow,’ 287
-
-    ‘Candidum, Jr.,’ 107
-
-    Candytuft, 252, 267;
-      Persian, 260
-
-    Cankerworms (_See_ “Inchworms”)
-
-    ‘Caperata’ (‘Little Fantasy’), 129
-
-    ‘Caprice,’ 286
-
-    Caraway thyme, 274
-
-    _Carex elegantissima (Morrowi variegata)_, 110
-
-    _Carissa grandiflora nana compacta_ (Natal Plum), 110
-
-    Carnations, 266
-
-    Carpet bugle, 260
-
-    ‘Carpet of Snow,’ 282
-
-    Caryopteris, 229
-
-    _Caryopteris incana_ (Blue Spirea), 240
-
-    _Caryota urens_ (fishtail palm), 63
-
-    _Cassiope lycopodioides_, 240
-
-    Catchfly, 273–74
-
-    Cedar, 234;
-      White, 241
-
-    “Century plant,” miniature, 102
-
-    _Cephalocereus senilis_ (Old Man Cactus), 102
-
-    Ceramics, as plant containers, 39, 41
-
-    _Cerastium_, 263
-
-    _Ceratostigma plumbaginoides_ (Leadwort), 265
-
-    _Ceropegia_, 110
-
-    _Chaenomeles (Cydonia)_ (Japanese Quince, Flowering Quince), 240–41
-
-    _Chaenostoma fastigiatum_ (Little Stars), 111
-
-    _Chamaecereus silvestri_ (Peanut Cactus), 102
-
-    Chamaecyparis, 226
-
-    _Chamaecyparis (Retinospora)_ (False Cypress, White Cedar), 141
-
-    _Chamaedaphne calyculata_ (Leatherleaf), 241
-
-    _Chamaedorea elegans bella_, 111
-
-    _Chamaeranthemum_, 111
-
-    ‘Chantilly Lace,’ 98–99
-
-    Charcoal:
-      for house plants, 78;
-      use in terrariums of, 58–59
-
-    ‘Charm,’ 93
-
-    Cheddar pink, 266
-
-    Chenille plant, 103
-
-    ‘Cherry Rose,’ 284
-
-    Chidamian, Claude, 159
-
-    Chin Cactus, 104
-
-    ‘China Doll,’ 98–99
-
-    China plant, 136
-
-    _Chinodoxa_ (Glory-of-the-Snow), 292
-
-    Chipmunks, 290
-
-    Chlordane, 232
-
-    _Chlorophytum bicheti_, 111
-
-    Chlorophytums, 90
-
-    Chrismas cheer, 107
-
-    Chrysanthemums, 30;
-      commercial, and photoperiodism, 23
-
-    ‘Cinderella,’ 145
-
-    ‘Cinnabar Red,’ 285
-
-    _Cissus striata_ (Miniature Grape Ivy), 111
-
-    Citrus: 113;
-      dwarf, 63, 68;
-      evergreen, 117
-
-    _Claytonia virginica_ (Spring Beauty), 155, 211, 219–20
-
-    ‘Cleopatra,’ 97
-
-    _Clerodendrum thomosoniae_, 63
-
-    Climbers, 27, 47, 51, 70, 110;
-      miniature, 18, 49, 111–12, 138, 143
-
-    _Clintonia_, 220
-
-    Club moss, 224
-
-    ‘Coccinea,’ 285
-
-    _Colchicum_ (Autumn Crocus, Meadow Saffron), 289, 292
-
-    Coleus, 94
-
-    ‘Color Carpet,’ 286
-
-    Columbine, 262
-
-    _Columnea microphylla_, 113
-
-    Columneas, 63
-
-    Common thyme, 274
-
-    Conifers (_See_ Evergreens)
-
-    _Conophytum_, 103
-
-    Connecticut: 75, 142, 144, 150, 158, 176, 179, 183, 213, 251, 253, 255;
-      fall planting in, 229;
-      Redding, 64, 81, 172
-
-    Connecticut Power and Light Company, 35
-
-    Conservatories, planted as gardens, 64
-
-    Containers, gardens in, 38–52, 41, 49, 53–60
-
-    _Convallaria majalis_ (Lily of the Valley), 220
-
-    _Coptis trifolia_ (Goldthread), 220
-
-    ‘Coquette,’ 286
-
-    Coral beads, 107
-
-    _Coreopsis_, 283
-
-    _Coreopsis auriculata nana_, 265
-
-    Corms, 288;
-      and fertilizing, 295
-
-    _Cornflowers_, 283
-
-    _Cornus canadensis_ (Bunchberry, Creeping Dogwood), 221
-
-    _Corydalis_ (Fumitory), 265
-
-    _Coryphantha vivipara_, 103
-
-    _Cotoneaster_, 177, 233, 241
-
-    Cottage (grass) pink, 266
-
-    Cotton, 63
-
-    Cranesbill (_See_: _Geranium_)
-
-    _Crassula_, 103
-
-    Creepers: 105, 111, 120, 129, 132, 134, 136, 182, 221, 224, 271,
-        274–75, 286;
-      in greenhouse, 70;
-      in indoor garden, 19, 27, 49, 58, 60;
-      in sink garden, 154
-      (_See also_ Episcias; Ivy Vines)
-
-    Creeping bluets, 223
-
-    Creeping Charlie, 130
-
-    Creeping Dogwood, 221
-
-    Creeping fig, 27 (_See also_: _Ficus_)
-
-    Creeping phlox, 271
-
-    Creeping thyme, 274
-
-    _Crocus_, 290, 293
-
-    Crown: division of plant, 90;
-      of thorns, dwarf (_See_: _Euphorbia_);
-      Cactus (_See_: _Rebutia_)
-
-    _Cryptanthus_ (Earth Stars), 114
-
-    _Cryptbergia meadi_, 114
-
-    _Cryptogramma crispa_ (Parsley Fern), 221
-
-    _Cryptomeria japonica_, 241
-
-    ‘Cuinia,’ 294
-
-    ‘Cupid,’ 286
-
-    Cushion pink, 273
-
-    Cuttings: 31, 73, 86, 88–89, 140, 198;
-      in bonsai, 166;
-      effect of red rays of spectrum on, 30;
-      hardwood, 235, 243, 250;
-      leaf, 89;
-      in propagation of perennials, 258;
-      rhizome, 89, 208;
-      root, 89;
-      softwood, 88, 234–35, 243
-
-    _Cyanotis_, 114
-
-    _Cyclamen_, 38, 155, 293–94;
-      _neapolitanum_, 152, 294
-
-    _Cymbalaria muralis_ (Kenilworth Ivy), 11, 40–41
-
-    _Cypripedium_ (Lady-slipper, Moccasin Flower), 212, 216, 221
-
-
-    _Daboecia cantabrica_ (Irish Bell Heather), 242
-
-    Daffodils, Winter, 297–98 (_See also_: _Narcissus_)
-
-    Dahlias, 288
-
-    ‘Dainty Spray,’ 96
-
-    Daisy, 263
-
-    _Dalibarda repens_ (Dewdrop, False Violet), 221–22
-
-    “Damp-off,” 256
-
-    _Daphne_, 243, 260
-
-    Davallias (rabbit’s-foot ferns), 64
-
-    Day-neutral plants, 30, 34
-
-    Delphiniums, 211
-
-    Desert Rose (_See_: _Trichodiadema densum_)
-
-    ‘Dew Drop,’ 100
-
-    Dewdrop, 221–22
-
-    _Dianthus_ (Pink), 258, 266;
-      _barbatus_ (sweet William), 10, 266
-
-    Dieffenbachias, 89
-
-    _Dionaea muscipula_ (Venus Fly Trap), 115–16
-
-    Dish gardens: 38–39, 42–45;
-      commercial, 51–52;
-      plants for, 93–95, 101, 109–11, 124, 129–32, 134, 239–40, 243, 288;
-      use of accessories in, 44
-
-    Dogtooth Violet, 222, 288–89
-
-    Dogwood, 213;
-      Creeping (_See_: _Cornus canadensis_)
-
-    ‘Dopey,’ 126
-
-    Double pink, 266
-
-    _Dracaena godseffiana_, 115
-
-    _Drosera rotundifolia_ (Sundew), 115
-
-    Duckweed, 223
-
-    ‘Dwarf Bearded Iris,’ 268
-
-    ‘Dwarf Compact,’ 286
-
-    Dwarf crown of thorns, 104
-
-    ‘Dwarf Globe,’ 285
-
-    ‘Dwarf Houghtoni,’ 96
-
-    Dwarf myrtle, 124
-
-    _Dyckia_, 116
-
-
-    ‘Early Giant,’ 295
-
-    Earth Stars, 114
-
-    Earthworms, 60
-
-    Easter Lily Cactus, 104–5
-
-    Eastern wild ginger, 219
-
-    Ebony sweetheart, 219
-
-    _Echeveria_, 103
-
-    _Echinocereus melanocentrus_ (Hedgehog Cactus), 103
-
-    _Echinopsis_ (Easter Lily Cactus), 104–5
-
-    Electricity: as source of light for plants, 23–37;
-      use in greenhouse propagating of, 73, 86
-
-    Elephant bush, 106
-
-    Elephant Ears (_See_: _Caladium_)
-
-    ‘Elf,’ 126
-
-    Elms, for bonsai, 166
-
-    ‘Emerald Ripple,’ 129
-
-    England, 150
-
-    English daisy, 263
-
-    English Ivy, 11, 118–19
-
-    English Royal Horticultural Society, 148
-
-    English yew, 248
-
-    _Epigaea repens_ (Trailing Arbutus), 222
-
-    Epiphyllum, 63
-
-    Epiphytic plants, 44, 53, 62, 92;
-      on bromeliad tree, 70
-
-    _Episcia dianthiflora_, 116
-
-    Episcias, 20, 37, 63, 70, 90, 116
-
-    ‘Epsilon,’ 126
-
-    _Eranthis_ (Winter Aconite), 290, 294
-
-    _Erodium chamaedryoides roseum_, 155
-
-    _Erythronium_ (Adder’s-Tongue, Trout Lily, Dogtooth Violet), 222,
-        288–89
-
-    _Euonymous_ (Burning Bush), 243
-
-    _Euphorbia_, 104
-
-    Evening Primrose, 170
-
-    Evergreens:
-      coniferous, 165, 234, 246, 249;
-      ericaceous, 226;
-      as mulch, 140, 144, 197, 233, 242, 249, 255, 272, 288, 292;
-      in rock garden, 49, 239;
-      in sink gardens, 155;
-      watering of, 231
-
-    _Exacum affine_, 116
-
-    Exotica II, 11
-
-    Eyelash begonia, 97
-
-
-    ‘Fairyland,’ 126
-
-    ‘Fairy Tales,’ 126
-
-    False Cypress, 241
-
-    False Violet, 221–22
-
-    Fan Columbine, 262
-
-    ‘Fantasy-Face,’ 286
-
-    _Faucaria_ (Tiger Jaws), 104
-
-    Fawn lily, 222
-
-    Feather hyacinth, 296
-
-    _Fenestraria_ (Baby Toes), 104
-
-    Fern: 51, 54, 58, 66, 131, 133, 155, 212;
-      Button, 128;
-      maidenhair, 94, 216;
-      Mexican tree, 63;
-      rabbit’s-foot, 64;
-      staghorn, 70;
-      use in window gardens of, 20
-      (_See also_; _Asplenium_)
-
-    Fertilizing:
-      of greenhouse plants, 72;
-      of house plants, 79–80;
-      with liquid manure, 109, 123, 175, 218, 254, 290, 292;
-      of miniature gardens in containers, 51, 156, 175, 208;
-      with rose food, 141, 143;
-      trees and shrubs, 230
-
-    Fiberglas, as mulch, 197
-
-    _Ficus_ (Creeping Fig), 27, 117;
-      _pumila minima_, 19, 117
-
-    Fig:
-      creeping, 27;
-      dwarf ever-bearing, 68
-      (_See also_: _Ficus_)
-
-    ‘Fireball,’ 284–85
-
-    Firecracker Vine, 122
-
-    Firefern, 124–25
-
-    ‘Fireglow,’ 284
-
-    Fish emulsion, as fertilizer, 157, 175
-
-    Fishtail palm, 63
-
-    Fittonias, 117
-
-    _Fittonia verschaffelti_ (Nerve or Mosaic Plant), 117
-
-    Flamingo Flower, 95
-
-    ‘Fleurette,’ 126
-
-    Floribundas, 137
-
-    ‘Florida Beauty,’ 115
-
-    Floss flower, 282
-
-    _Flower and Garden_, 27, 61
-
-    Flowering Maple, 93
-
-    Flowering Quince, 240–41
-
-    ‘Flute,’ 296
-
-    Forget-Me-Not, 269
-
-    Formal gardens, 48, 64, 138–39, 180
-
-    _Fortunella_ (Kumquat), 117–18
-
-    _Fothergilla_ (Bottle Brush), 243
-
-    Foxglove, Mexican, 94
-
-    ‘Francois Cardinaux,’ 93
-
-    Free, Montague, 45
-
-    French thyme, 274
-
-    ‘Frosty Morn,’ 297
-
-    _Fuchsia magellanica_, 118
-
-    Fuchsias, 63, 118;
-      light requirement of, 75
-
-    Fumitory, 265
-
-    Fungicide, for roses, 143
-
-
-    _Galanthus nivalis_ (Snowdrop), 294
-
-    _Garden Pools, Water-Lilies and Goldfish_, 210
-
-    Gardens:
-      aquatic, 199, 207–10;
-      in the city, 213;
-      herb, 48;
-      Northeastern, 10;
-      Northern, 106;
-      Oriental, 48–49;
-      pests in, 83–85;
-      Southern, 109
-
-    Gentian, 116;
-      bottle, 212
-
-    Georgia, 219, 223
-
-    _Geranium_ (Cranesbill): 135, 266;
-      dwarf, 17, 87–88, 127;
-      miniature, 20;
-      temperature for greenhouse, 71
-      (_See also_: _Pelargonium hortorum_; _Saxifraga_)
-
-    German Weismoor, 135
-
-    Germander, 249
-
-    Gesneriads: 20, 28, 63, 71, 96–97, 100, 134–35;
-      and artificial light intensity, 35, 37;
-      in Greenwich Village apartment, 23;
-      grown from seed, 86
-
-    ‘The Giant,’ 292
-
-    Ginger, wild, 160, 219
-
-    Ginkgo, in bonsai, 166
-
-    Gladiolus, 294–95
-
-    Glass: gardens in, 53–60;
-      as plant containers, 39, 100
-
-    ‘Glee,’ 294
-
-    Glory bush (_Tibouchina semidecandra_), 64
-
-    Glory-of-the-Snow, 292
-
-    Gloxinia (Sinningia), 134–35
-
-    ‘Gnome,’ 294
-
-    ‘Goblin,’ 126
-
-    Golden Easter Lily, 105
-
-    ‘Golden Hahni,’ 132
-
-    Golden lace, 106
-
-    ‘Golden Ray,’ 283
-
-    Goldfish, 36–37, 205–6
-
-    ‘Goldheart,’ 119
-
-    ‘Gold Laced,’ 284
-
-    Goldthread, 220
-
-    ‘Goliath,’ 262
-
-    _Goodyera pubescens_ (Rattlesnake Plantain), 155, 216, 222–23
-
-    Graf, A. B., 11
-
-    ‘Granada,’ 145
-
-    ‘Granata,’ 145
-
-    Grape Hyacinth, 295–96
-
-    Grass, in dish gardens, 47
-
-    Greek myrtle, 124
-
-    Greenhouse: 61–73;
-      author’s, 279;
-      indoor, 27, 55;
-      low-cost, 279–80;
-      miniature, 53;
-      pests in, 83–85;
-      plants for, 136;
-      propagating, 73, 86–90;
-      rampant, 69;
-      soil mixture, 71–72;
-      window, 22, 138
-
-    ‘Green Medora,’ 97
-
-    Gro-Lux lamps, 31, 35–36
-
-    Gro-Master propagating box, 86
-
-    Ground cedar, 224
-
-    Ground Ivy, 270
-
-    Ground moss, 271
-
-    Ground pine, 224
-
-    _Gymnocalycium mihanovichi_ (Chin Cactus), 104
-
-    Gypsophila (Baby’s Breath), 267
-
-
-    ‘Hahni,’ 131
-
-    ‘Halenzy,’ 296
-
-    Harebell, 263–64
-
-    Hawaii, 140
-
-    _Haworthia_, 104–5
-
-    Hearts entangled, 110
-
-    Heather, 226, 240
-
-    ‘Heavenly Blue,’ 285
-
-    _Hebe buxifola variegata_, 118
-
-    _Hedera helix_ (English Ivy), 11, 118–19
-
-    Hedgehog Cactus, 103
-
-    Hedges, in dish gardens, 46
-
-    ‘Heidi,’ 286
-
-    ‘Helen Chapman,’ 284
-
-    ‘Helen Fowler,’ 209
-
-    _Helxine soleiroli_ (Baby’s Tears), 120–21
-
-    Hemlock, 166, 249
-
-    Henri, 124
-
-    _Hepatica_ (Liverleaf), 155, 223
-
-    ‘Hidcate Blue,’ 269
-
-    Hilfoil, 259
-
-    Himalayas, 271
-
-    Holly, 166, 244
-
-    Home decorating, and artificially lighted plants, 24–25
-
-    Hoop-skirt daffodil, 296
-
-    Hormone rooting preparations, 88–89, 234–36
-
-    _Hortus Second_, 11
-
-    House plants: 72, 74–136, 282;
-      collecting, 18;
-      culture of, described, 92–136;
-      humidity for, 76–77;
-      insects and disease and, 83–85;
-      propagating of, 84, 86–90;
-      repotting of, 79–80;
-      temperatures for, 75–76;
-      unusual, 91;
-      watering of, 80–82
-
-    _Houstonia_ (Bluets, Quaker Lady), 223
-
-    _Hoya bella_ (Wax Plant), 120
-
-    Humidity: gauge, 76;
-      for house plants, 76–77;
-      relative, 76
-
-    _Hyacinthus_, 295
-
-    Hybrids: 12;
-      fuchsia, 63;
-      man-made, 11;
-      Weismoor, 160–61
-
-
-    _Iberis_ (Perennial Candytuft), 252, 267
-
-    ‘Igloo,’ 285
-
-    _Ilex crenata helleri_ (Holly), 166, 244
-
-    ‘Imp,’ 126
-
-    Impatiens, 19
-
-    _Impatiens repens_, 120
-
-    ‘Imperial White Dwarf,’ 282
-
-    ‘Impresario,’ 294
-
-    Inchworm plant, 105
-
-    “Inchworms,” 158, 232
-
-    Indian head, 106
-
-    ‘Insignis Blue,’ 284
-
-    Institute de Biologia, 114
-
-    Internodes, long, 75
-
-    _Ionopsidium acaule_, 155
-
-    _Iris_: 267–68;
-      bulbous, 267;
-      rhizomatous, 267, 288–89
-
-    Irish Bell Heather, 242
-
-    ‘Isabellina,’ 285
-
-    ‘It,’ 100
-
-    ‘Itsy Bitsy,’ 119
-
-    ‘Ivalace,’ 119
-
-    Ivy: 41, 194;
-      in bonsai, 166;
-      English (_See_: _Hedera helix_);
-      grape, 11, 111;
-      Kenilworth (_See_: _cymbalaria muralis_);
-      poison, 213
-
-
-    Jack-in-the-pulpit, 211, 219
-
-    Japanese beetles, 137, 232
-
-    Japanese Quince, 240–41
-
-    Japanese yew, 248
-
-    Jasmine, 63 (_See also_: _Stephanotis floribunda_)
-
-    Jelly beans, 107
-
-    ‘Jetage,’ 296
-
-    Jewel plant, 107
-
-    ‘Jo Ann Pring,’ 209
-
-    Johnny-jump-up, 276
-
-    Joseph’s Coat, 94–95
-
-    Joshua tree, little, 49, 107
-
-    ‘Jubilee,’ 119
-
-    ‘Jubilee Gem,’ 283
-
-    Julius Roehrs Company, 13
-
-    Juniper, 139, 177, 226, 245;
-      Sargent’s, 160
-      (_See also_: _Juniperus_)
-
-    _Juniperus_: 244–45;
-      _communis_, 139, 245;
-      _procumbens nana_, 226, 245
-
-
-    Kalanchoe, 105
-
-    Karathane, 232
-
-    ‘Kathy Diane,’ 98
-
-    Kenilworth Ivy, 11, 40–41
-
-    ‘Kleiner Liebling’ (‘Little Darling’), 126
-
-    _Kleinia_, 105
-
-    _Koellikeria erinoides_, 120
-
-    Korean snowballs, 250
-
-    Kumquat, 117–18
-
-
-    Lady-slipper (_See_: _Cypripedium_)
-
-    Landscape, gardens in the, 177–82
-
-    _Lantana camara_, 120
-
-    Laurel, mountain, 160
-
-    _Lavandula officinalis (Lavender)_, 177, 252, 258, 269;
-      dwarf, 138, 259
-
-    Lavender (_See_: _Lavandula officinalis_)
-
-    Layering: 89–90, 166–67, 235–36, 259;
-      air, 89, 166–67, 236;
-      ground, 90, 166–67, 235–36, 259
-
-    Leadwort, 265
-
-    Leatherleaf, 241
-
-    _Leiophyllum buxifolium_, 226
-
-    _Lemna minor_ (Duckweed), 223
-
-    Lemon thyme, 274
-
-    _Leucojum_ (Snowflake), 295
-
-    _Leuconeura massageana_, 123
-
-    Levittown, 23, 27
-
-    Light bulbs:
-      distance from plants of, 32–33;
-      fluorescent, 27, 31, 55;
-      incandescent, 27, 31
-
-    Lilac, 229
-
-    ‘Lilac Lady,’ 283
-
-    Lilliputs, 268
-
-    Lily of the Valley, 220
-
-    Lime (citrus), 113
-
-    Lime: 156, 208, 260, 289;
-      horticultural, 78, 230;
-      and humusy soil, 94, 218, 254
-
-    Ling, 226, 240
-
-    ‘Little Beauty,’ 93, 297
-
-    ‘Little Darling,’ 126
-
-    ‘Little Egypt,’ 294
-
-    ‘Little Fantasy,’ 129
-
-    ‘Little Fawn,’ 294
-
-    ‘Little Gem,’ 96, 249, 267, 282
-
-    ‘Little Joe,’ 266
-
-    Little Joshua tree, 107
-
-    ‘Little Princess,’ 148
-
-    ‘Little Rascal,’ 108
-
-    ‘Little Red Star,’ 294
-
-    ‘Little Snow Man,’ 283
-
-    ‘Little Spice,’ 294
-
-    Little Stars, 111
-
-    ‘Little Sweethearts,’ 286
-
-    Liverleaf, 155, 223
-
-    Lobelia, 138
-
-    _Lobivia aurea_ (Golden Easter Lily), 105
-
-    London pride, 273
-
-    Long Island, 279
-
-    Long-night plants, 30–31
-
-    ‘Lorraine Closson,’ 100
-
-    ‘Louise Closson,’ 100
-
-    ‘Lucille Closson,’ 100
-
-    ‘Lucy Closson,’ 100
-
-    _Lycopodium_ (Club Moss), 224
-
-
-    Madwort (_See_: Alyssum)
-
-    ‘Magic Carpet,’ 132
-
-    Maidenhair spleenwort, 219
-
-    Maiden pink, 266
-
-    Maine, 261
-
-    _Malpighia coccigera_ (Miniature Holly), 122
-
-    _Mammillaria_ (Pincushion Cactus), 105
-
-    ‘Mamorata’ (‘Silver Heart’), 129
-
-    Mandarin orange, 113
-
-    _Manettia bicolor_ (Firecracker Vine), 122
-
-    Manitoba, 103
-
-    _Mantha requieni_, 63
-
-    ‘Maphil’ (‘Cleopatra’), 97
-
-    Maple:
-      in bonsai, 164, 166;
-      flowering, 93
-
-    _Maranta_, 53, 109, 122–23 (_See also_: _Calathea_)
-
-    Marigolds, 283–84
-
-    ‘Maroon Beauty,’ 132
-
-    Marumi kumquat, 117
-
-    Maryland, 223;
-      Beltsville, artificial light experiments, 23
-
-    ‘Masterpiece,’ 93
-
-    May Apple, 225
-
-    Meadow Saffron, 289, 292
-
-    ‘Medora,’ 97
-
-    Medusa’s head, 104
-
-    Merry Gardens, 13
-
-    _Mesembryanthemum cordifolium_, 102
-
-    Mexican Foxglove, 94
-
-    Mexican snowball, 103
-
-    Mexican tree fern, 63
-
-    Mexico, 114
-
-    Mice, 290
-
-    ‘Midget,’ 98
-
-    ‘Midget Blue,’ 282
-
-    ‘Midget Double,’ 266
-
-    Mildew, 142
-
-    ‘Milky-White,’ 296
-
-    Mimosa, 63
-
-    “Ming urn,” 54
-
-    ‘Miniata,’ 93
-
-    ‘Miniature Magic Carpet,’ 286
-
-    ‘Minicycla,’ 296
-
-    Mint, Corsican (_Mantha requieni_), 63
-
-    ‘Minx,’ 126
-
-    ‘Mischief,’ 126
-
-    ‘Misera,’ 93
-
-    ‘Miss Marveen,’ 108
-
-    _Mitchella repens_ (Partridgeberry), 53, 224
-
-    Mitella (Bishop’s Cap), 224–25
-
-    Mites, 37, 232
-
-    Moccasin Flower (_See_: _Cypripedium_)
-
-    ‘Mon Petit,’ 148
-
-    ‘Mon Petite,’ 148
-
-    Monstera, cut-leaf, 17
-
-    Montreal Botanical Gardens, 120
-
-    ‘Moonlight,’ 259
-
-    ‘Morgan’s Pink,’ 103
-
-    Morning glories, 24, 37
-
-    _Morrowi variegata_, 110
-
-    Mosaic Plant, 117
-
-    Moss: 86–87, 155–56, 171–72, 208, 213;
-      Club (_See_: _Lycopodium_);
-      Michigan peat, 78;
-      sheet, 155;
-      Spanish, 70;
-      use in terrariums of, 58–59
-      (_See also_ Sphagnum moss)
-
-    Moss campion, 273
-
-    Mother-of-thyme, 274
-
-    Mottled wild ginger, 219
-
-    Mountain laurel, 46
-
-    Mountain pink, 271
-
-    ‘Mrs. Arno Nehrling,’ 108
-
-    Mulching, 140, 144, 197, 233, 242, 249, 255, 272, 288, 293
-
-    Munstead lavendar, 269
-
-    _Muscari_ (Grape Hyacinth), 295–96
-
-    Mutations, 11–12, 234
-
-    _Myosotis_ (Forget-Me-Not), 269
-
-    _Myrsine africana_ (African Boxwood), 124
-
-    _Myrtus communis_ (Greek Myrtle), 124
-
-
-    Nagami kumquat, 118
-
-    _Narcissus_ (Daffodil): 17, 63, 288, 296–97;
-      fertilizing, 297;
-      miniature, 155;
-      trumpet, 152, 297
-
-    Nasturtiums, 284
-
-    Natal Plum, 110
-
-    ‘Needlepoint,’ 119
-
-    Nemophila (baby blue eyes), 284
-
-    _Nepeta hederacea (glechoma)_ (Ground Ivy), 270
-
-    Nerve Plant, 117
-
-    ‘New Dwarf Compact,’ 285
-
-    New England, 260
-
-    New York City, 211, 213
-
-    Nicotine sulfate, 232
-
-    Night-neutral plants, 30, 34
-
-    _Notocactus_ (Ball Cactus), 106
-
-    _Nymphaea_ (Pygmy Water Lily), 209
-
-
-    Oak, 230
-
-    _Oenothera_ (Evening Primrose, Sundrop), 270
-
-    Offsets, 135;
-      in propagating, 90
-
-    Old lady, 106
-
-    Old Man Cactus, 102
-
-    Oleander, 63
-
-    Olive, 63
-
-    _Oncidium pusillum_, 12
-
-    _Opuntia_, 106
-
-    Orchids: 10;
-      for bromeliad tree, 70;
-      cattleya, 17;
-      and electric lighting, 24, 37;
-      miniature (dwarf), 11, 17, 44, 53, 63;
-      in New York, 23;
-      potting material for (_See_ Osmunda fiber)
-
-    ‘Oriental Music,’ 98
-
-    _Osmanthus fragrans_, 63
-
-    Osmunda fiber, 44, 45, 70, 81, 92
-
-    Otaheite orange, 113
-
-    Overpotting, 79–80
-
-    _Oxalis_, 63, 124–25
-
-
-    Pachysandra, 212
-
-    Pacific Northwest, plants shipped from, 91
-
-    Painted lady, 103
-
-    Panda plant, 105
-
-    ‘Pansy,’ 100
-
-    Pansy, 245;
-      hybrid, 46
-
-    _Parochetus communis_ (Shamrock Pea, Blue Oxalis), 125
-
-    _Parodia_, 106
-
-    Partridgeberry, 53, 224
-
-    Parsley Fern, 221
-
-    Pasque flower, 261
-
-    _Passiflora coccinea_, 63
-
-    ‘Patens Major,’ 93
-
-    Patient Lucy, 120
-
-    ‘Patricia,’ 209
-
-    ‘Patty Lou,’ 148
-
-    ‘Peach Blossom,’ 93, 287
-
-    ‘Peachblossom,’ 296
-
-    ‘Peacock,’ 100
-
-    Peanut, 63
-
-    Peanut Cactus, 102
-
-    Peat: 86, 93, 140, 143, 196, 218, 230, 233, 254, 256, 258, 279, 281;
-      Michigan, 218;
-      moss, 115;
-      orchid, 136
-
-    _Pelargonium hortorum_ (Geranium), 126–28
-
-    _Pellaea rotundifolia_ (Button Fern), 128
-
-    _Pellionia_, 128
-
-    Pelonex, 78, 86, 233
-
-    Penwiper plant, 105
-
-    _Peperomia_, 19–20, 58, 89, 128–29
-
-    Perennials: 197, 209, 218;
-      dwarf, 10, 132–33, 138, 251–76, 286;
-      effectiveness in rock gardens of, 189
-
-    ‘Periwinkle,’ 294
-
-    ‘Perky,’ 126
-
-    ‘Perle d’Alcanada’ (‘Perle d’Alconada’), 148
-
-    Perlite, 47, 73, 77–78, 81;
-      in propagating, 86, 233
-
-    Permanganate of potash, 206
-
-    ‘Persian Brocade,’ 98
-
-    Persian Candytuft, 260
-
-    Pests and house plants, 85
-
-    ‘Petite Gold,’ 284
-
-    ‘Petite Harmony,’ 284
-
-    ‘Petite Orange,’ 284
-
-    ‘Petite Purple,’ 283
-
-    ‘Petite Yellow,’ 284
-
-    _Petunias_, 278, 284–85;
-      bedding, 187
-
-    Philadelphia, 118
-
-    Philodendron, 63
-
-    _Phlox_, 270–71, 285
-
-    Photochrome, 24
-
-    Photoperiodism, principle of, 23, 30
-
-    Photosynthesis, 30
-
-    _Picea abies_ (Spruce), 246
-
-    ‘Pied Piper,’ 96
-
-    _Pilea_, 129–31
-
-    Pincushion Cactus, 105
-
-    Pine: 212, 226, 230;
-      “duff,” 196;
-      mugho, 177, 231, 234
-
-    ‘Pink,’ 285
-
-    ‘Pink Charm,’ 262
-
-    ‘Pink Heather,’ 282
-
-    ‘Pinkie Dots,’ 294
-
-    ‘Pink Radiance,’ 108
-
-    ‘Pint Size,’ 294
-
-    _Pinus_ (Pine), 246 (_See also_ Pine)
-
-    Pipsissewa, 155, 216
-
-    Pitcher plant, 63
-
-    ‘Pixie,’ 129, 266
-
-    ‘Pixie Gold,’ 148
-
-    “Plant rooms,” in contemporary homes, 64
-
-    Plant sources, 58
-
-    Plumbago, 252
-
-    _Podophyllum peltatum_ (May Apple), 225
-
-    Poinsettias, 30, 104
-
-    Poison ivy, 213
-
-    ‘Polaris,’ 126
-
-    ‘Pollyanna,’ 286
-
-    _Polyscias (Aralia) fruticosa_, 131;
-      ‘Elegans,’ 131;
-      ‘Parsley,’ 131
-
-    _Polystichum tsus-simense_, 131
-
-    Pomegranate, tree, 68
-
-    Ponderosa lemon, 113
-
-    Pools, miniature: 66, 199–206, 223–24;
-      charcoal as purifier of, 210;
-      oxygenating plants for, 209
-
-    ‘Poppet,’ 297
-
-    Poppy, miniature, 178
-
-    _Portulaca_, 285–86
-
-    _Portulacaria afra variegata_ (Rainbow Bush), 106
-
-    Powder puff, 106
-
-    Prayer plant, 122
-
-    ‘Pride,’ 126–27
-
-    ‘Primrose Pygmy,’ 284
-
-    Primroses (_See_: _Primula_)
-
-    Primula (Primrose), 38, 256, 271–72
-
-    ‘Prince Valiant,’ 126
-
-    Propagating: 197–98, 233–36;
-      of cacti and succulents, 101;
-      greenhouse, 73, 197;
-      with the Gro-Master, 86;
-      of house plants, 84, 86–90, 92;
-      miniature roses, 144–45;
-      of woodland plants, 217–18
-
-    Pruning: 82, 231;
-      of dish gardens, 43;
-      miniature roses, 141, 143;
-      of sink gardens, 157–58
-
-    ‘Purity,’ 267
-
-    Pussy ears, 114
-
-    Pussy-Toes, 261
-
-    “Pygmies,” 284
-
-    ‘Pygmy,’ 127
-
-    Pygmy Water Lily, 209
-
-
-    Quaker Lady, 223
-
-
-    Rabbit tracks, 122
-
-    Rabbit’s-foot ferns, 64
-
-    Rainbow Bush, 106
-
-    ‘Raspberry Parfait,’ 99
-
-    Rattlesnake plantain (_See_: _Goodyera pubescens_)
-
-    _Rebutia_ (Crown Cactus), 106
-
-    ‘Red Berry,’ 100
-
-    ‘Red Button,’ 294
-
-    ‘Red Dot,’ 294
-
-    ‘Red Foundling,’ 286
-
-    ‘Red Imp,’ 148
-
-    ‘Red Tweedle,’ 294
-
-    Resurrection plant, 134
-
-    Rex begonias, 89;
-      miniature, 99–101
-
-    Rhizomatous begonias, 89, 95, 97–99
-
-    Rhizomes, 89, 97, 208
-
-    Rhododendron, 246 (_See also_ Azalea)
-
-    ‘Robin Hood,’ 126–27
-
-    Rock, as an accessory in gardens, 45, 47, 57, 66, 172, 177 (_See
-        also_ Rock gardens)
-
-    Rock Aster, 262
-
-    Rock cress, 262
-
-    Rock gardens: 183–98;
-      alpine and rock plants in, 187–98;
-      in containers, 49;
-      designs for, 184–87;
-      plants for, 119, 126, 187–91, 219–26, 239–50, 259–76, 282–83,
-          286, 288, 292–95, 297–98
-
-    Rockfoil (_See_: _Saxifraga_)
-
-    Roots: cuttings from, 89;
-      division of, 90;
-      as plant holders, 45;
-      rotting of, 42, 81
-
-    ‘Rosa Oakington Ruby,’ 148
-
-    Rosary vine, 110
-
-    ‘Rosata,’ 148
-
-    ‘Rosea,’ 286
-
-    Rose gardens, 138–39, 227
-
-    ‘Rose Gem,’ 283, 287
-
-    Roses: 137–49, 211, 226;
-      climbing, 139;
-      growing, under artificial light, 138;
-      rambler, 139;
-      in sink gardens, 138;
-      tea, 137, 139;
-      tree, 139, 143–44
-
-    ‘Rosie O’Day,’ 282
-
-    ‘Rosy Dawn,’ 126
-
-    ‘Rosy Morn,’ 285
-
-    ‘Rouletti,’ 148
-
-    ‘Royal Carpet,’ 282
-
-    ‘Royal Purple,’ 209
-
-    ‘Ruffles,’ 126
-
-    Runners, in self-propagating, 90
-
-    Running pine, 224
-
-    ‘Rusty Red,’ 284
-
-
-    Sakrete, 47, 49
-
-    ‘Salmon,’ 286
-
-    ‘Salmon Comet,’ 126–27
-
-    ‘Salmon Gem,’ 285
-
-    Sand:
-      builders’, 78, 195;
-      dollar, 102;
-      sharp, 86, 195, 198, 233, 255–56
-
-    Sandhill phlox, 271
-
-    Sand phlox, 270
-
-    _Sansevieria_ (Snake Plant), 131–32
-
-    _Sarcococca ruscifolia_ (Sweet Box), 132
-
-    ‘Saturn,’ 126
-
-    _Saxifraga_ (Rockfoil): 272–73;
-      _sarmentosa_ (Strawberry Begonia, Geranium), 90, 132–33, 273;
-      seedlings, 188
-
-    Scale, treating, 232
-
-    ‘Scarlet Gem,’ 148, 287
-
-    _Schizocentron (Heeria, Heterocentron) elegans_ (Spanish Shawl), 132
-
-    Schulz, Peggie, 13;
-      garden sold by, 87
-
-    _Sciadopitys verticillata_ (Umbrella Pine), 247
-
-    Scotch moss, 134
-
-    Sea campion, 274
-
-    ‘Sea Gull,’ 108
-
-    _Sedum_, 107
-
-    Seedlings:
-      blue rays of spectrum and, 30;
-      in bonsai, 167;
-      repotting of, 79, 281;
-      woodland, 218
-
-    Seeds: 84, 86;
-      and bonsai, 167;
-      effect of red rays of spectrum on, 30;
-      house plants from, 86–87;
-      woodland, 218
-
-    Selaginella, 58, 66
-
-    _Selaginella_, 133–34
-
-    Semperflorens (“wax”) begonias, 73, 95–96
-
-    Sempervivums, 177, 187, 252
-
-    _Serissa foetida (japonica)_, 134
-
-    Shading, artificial, 70–71, 73
-
-    Shamrock Pea, 125
-
-    Sheet moss, 47
-
-    ‘Shell,’ 119
-
-    Shining club moss, 224
-
-    ‘Shippy’s Garland,’ 63
-
-    Short-night plants, 30–31
-
-    ‘Shrew,’ 296
-
-    Shrubs: 101, 181, 212, 226–50;
-      in bonsai, 169, 173;
-      “cut-back,” 231;
-      “die-back,” 231;
-      tropical, 93
-
-    _Silene_ (Campion, Catchfly), 273–74
-
-    ‘Silver Beauty,’ 260
-
-    ‘Silver Hahni,’ 132
-
-    ‘Silver Heart,’ 129
-
-    ‘Silver Jewel,’ 99
-
-    ‘Silver Panamiga,’ 131
-
-    ‘Silver Star,’ 114
-
-    ‘Silver Tree,’ 131
-
-    ‘Sinbad,’ 286
-
-    Sink gardens, 138, 150–58, 288
-
-    Sinningia, 134–35
-
-    Sinningia pusilla, 10, 40, 134–35
-
-    “Slips” (_See_ Cuttings)
-
-    Slugs, 60, 117, 272
-
-    ‘Small Fortune,’ 128
-
-    Snake Plant, 131–32
-
-    Snapdragons, 286
-
-    ‘Sneezy,’ 128, 297
-
-    ‘Snowball,’ 285
-
-    Snowball, 226, 229, 249
-
-    ‘Snowdrop,’ 96
-
-    Snowdrop, 294
-
-    ‘Snowflake,’ 267
-
-    Snowflake, 295
-
-    Snow in summer, 263
-
-    ‘Snow-White,’ 128, 286
-
-    Soil: 60, 74, 230;
-      in greenhouses, 71–72, 92;
-      humusy, 92, 214–16;
-      mixture for miniature gardens, 50, 59, 77–79, 85–86, 92, 140,
-          142, 170;
-      prepared, 78;
-      “sour,” 59
-
-    South, winter planting in, 229
-
-    Spanish Shawl, 132
-
-    ‘Sparkle,’ 128
-
-    ‘Spaulding,’ 97–98
-
-    Speedwell, 275
-
-    Sphagnum moss, 44–45, 86, 89, 92, 115–16, 133, 217, 236
-
-    _Spiraea_ (Spirea), 247–48
-
-    Spleenwort, 219
-
-    Spring beauty (_See_: _Claytonia virginica_)
-
-    ‘Spring Charm,’ 262
-
-    Spring snowflake, 295
-
-    ‘Sprite,’ 128
-
-    Spruce, 226, 246
-
-    Squirrel corn, 155
-
-    Squirrels, 290
-
-    Star Cactus, 102
-
-    Starch, in plant growth, 30
-
-    _Stephanotis floribunda_, 63
-
-    _Sternbergia lutea_ (Winter Daffodil), 297–98
-
-    Stilt-roots, 63
-
-    Stolon, 90, 132, 222, 262, 268
-
-    Stone-Cress, 260
-
-    Strawberry Begonia (_See_: _Saxifraga_)
-
-    _Streptocarpus_, 135
-
-    Streptocarpus, 20
-
-    String of hearts, 110
-
-    Succulents: 49, 51, 64–65, 78, 81, 107–36;
-      containers for, 42–43;
-      garden of, 68;
-      propagating of, 73, 89
-
-    Suckers, 95, 116, 231, 240
-
-    Sugar, in plant growth, 30
-
-    Sulfur, 239, 255;
-      dusting, for roses, 143, 232
-
-    Summer snowflake, 295
-
-    ‘Sunbeam,’ 149
-
-    Sun cup, 106
-
-    Sundew, 115
-
-    Sundrop, 270
-
-    Superphosphate (bone meal), 140, 143, 156–57, 175, 254, 289–90
-
-    Sweat plant, 134
-
-    Sweet Box, 132
-
-    ‘Sweet Fairy,’ 149
-
-    Sweet Peas, 286
-
-    Sweet William (_See_: _Dianthus_)
-
-    Sylvania Electric Products, Inc., 31
-
-
-    Tangerine (Mandarin orange), 113
-
-    Tassel hyacinth, 296
-
-    Taxus (Yew), 248
-
-    ‘Tear Drop,’ 119
-
-    Teddy-bear plant, 114
-
-    ‘Telecurl,’ 119
-
-    Temperatures:
-      for house plants, 75–76, 92;
-      for miniature bulbs, 291–92;
-      of plants in terrariums, 59
-
-    Tennis ball, 241
-
-    Terrariums: 53–54, 65;
-      cider jug as, 54–57;
-      commercial, 65;
-      cultural compatability in, 58;
-      plants for, 93–95, 97, 100, 101, 109–11, 115–17, 124, 128, 131,
-          134, 219, 221, 223–24
-
-    _Teucrium chamaedrys_ (Germander), 249
-
-    Texas, 103
-
-    Thomas, G. L., Jr., 205, 210
-
-    ‘Thousand Beauties,’ 96
-
-    Three Springs Fisheries, 205
-
-    _Thuja_ (Arborvitae), 249
-
-    ‘Thumbelina,’ 149
-
-    Thyme, 187, 252;
-      lemon, 194, 274
-      (_See also_: _Thymus_)
-
-    _Thymus_ (Thyme), 187, 252, 274–75
-
-    _Tibouchina semidecandra_, 64
-
-    Tiger Jaws, 104
-
-    ‘Tiger Star,’ 283
-
-    Tillandsia, 136
-
-    ‘Tiny Rubies,’ 266
-
-    ‘Tiny Tim,’ 128
-
-    _Titanopsis_, 107
-
-    Tom Thumb Cactus, 106
-
-    ‘Tom Thumb’: 105, 286, 294;
-      ‘Double Flowered Dwarf,’ 283;
-      ‘Pure White,’ 283;
-      ‘Purple,’ 283;
-      ‘Rose,’ 283;
-      ‘Scarlet,’ 283;
-      ‘Shell Pink,’ 283
-
-    _Tradescantia_ (Spiderwort, Inch Plant, Wandering Jew), 114, 136
-
-    Trailing Arbutus, 222
-
-    Transplanting “shock,” 50, 80, 166, 175, 281
-
-    Trees: 226–50;
-      in bonsai, 164–76;
-      deciduous, 75, 165, 170, 216;
-      miniature fruit, 68–69, 227;
-      roots as plant holders, 45
-
-    _Trichodiadema densum_ (Desert Rose), 107
-
-    Trillium, 160, 211
-
-    Tropical gardens, 49, 62–65, 109, 115;
-      “jungle,” 26–27
-
-    Tropical Gardens, 13
-
-    Tropical Paradise Greenhouse, 98
-
-    Trough gardens (_See_ Sink gardens)
-
-    Trout Lily, 222, 288–89
-
-    _Tsuga canadensis_ (Hemlock), 166, 249
-
-    ‘Tubergeni,’ 294
-
-    Tubers, 288
-
-    Tufa rock, 171, 189;
-      as plant-holder, 44, 57
-
-    _Tulipa_ (Tulip), 288, 290, 298
-
-    ‘Twilight,’ 109
-
-    ‘Twinkle,’ 10, 128, 285
-
-
-    Umbrella flower, 110
-
-    Umbrella Pine, 247
-
-    U. S. Department of Agriculture, 31
-
-
-    ‘Variegated Kleiner Liebling,’ 128
-
-    Vaughn, 281
-
-    Venus Fly Trap, 115–16
-
-    Verbena, 122, 286
-
-    Vermiculite: 77, 78, 81, 93;
-      in indoor bonsai, 161;
-      in indoor greenhouse, 22, 27;
-      in propagating, 86, 233
-
-    _Veronica_ (Speedwell), 275
-
-    _Viburnum_ (Snowball, European Cranberry Bush), 226, 229, 249
-
-    Vigoro, 116
-
-    Vine, 63;
-      rosary, 110
-      (_See also_: _Cissus striata_; _Clerodendrum thomosoniae_;
-          _Passiflora coccinea_; _Manettia bicolor_)
-
-    _Viola_ (Viola, Violet): 276;
-      African, 20, 25, 51, 63, 90, 93
-
-    ‘Violacea Semi-Plena,’ 93
-
-    ‘Violet King,’ 283
-
-    ‘Violet Queen,’ 283
-
-    Violets (_See_: _Viola_)
-
-    ‘Virbob,’ 98
-
-    Virginia, 290
-
-
-    Walking Fern, 219
-
-    Wall gardens: 183–89, 191–98;
-      design of, 184–89;
-      planting and care of, 193–97
-
-    Wandering Jew (_See_: _Tradescantia_)
-
-    Wardian case, 53, 55, 77
-
-    Watering of plants: 80–82, 91, 101, 156, 230;
-      excess, 42, 50, 59–60, 80–81, 180;
-      importance of drainage in, 190, 229–30;
-      with manure water, 60, 80, 109, 123;
-      in propagating, 86;
-      in terrariums, 59–60
-
-    Water lilies, 205;
-      miniature, 202, 207–9
-
-    Watermelon pilea, 130
-
-    Water ‘N’ Watch garden, 87
-
-    Water plants, 207–10;
-      floating, 209
-
-    Wax Plant, 120
-
-    ‘Wayside’s Garnet,’ 149
-
-    ‘Wee Bee,’ 297
-
-    ‘Wee Red,’ 294
-
-    ‘Wee Willie’ (‘Sweet William’), 266
-
-    ‘Wendlinger,’ 109
-
-    Westchester, 23
-
-    Westcott, Cynthia, 232
-
-    Western wild ginger, 219
-
-    West Indies, 122
-
-    ‘Whirlybird,’ 294
-
-    White Cedar, 241
-
-    White Forsythia, 236
-
-    ‘White Gem,’ 287
-
-    ‘White Gossamer,’ 114
-
-    White pygmy, 209
-
-    ‘White Velvet,’ 114
-
-    Wilder, Louise Beebe, 197
-
-    Wild-flower, mail order houses, 153
-
-    Wild ginger, 160, 219
-
-    Wild pink, 273
-
-    Wild sweet William, 271
-
-    Williamsburg, 48, 155
-
-    Willow, 166
-
-    Windex bottle, for misting plants, 77, 82
-
-    Windflower, 261
-
-    Window boxes, 20;
-      plants for, 109, 286
-
-    Window gardens, 18–22, 97, 117
-
-    ‘Winkie,’ 96
-
-    Winter Aconite, 290, 294
-
-    ‘Winter Jewel,’ 96
-
-    Woodbine, 111–12, 212
-
-    Woodland gardens, 211–25
-
-    Woolly thyme, 274
-
-
-    Yarrow, 259
-
-    ‘Yellow Miniature,’ 149
-
-    Yellow pygmy, 209
-
-    Yew, 248
-
-    ‘Yindee,’ 296
-
-
-    Zinnias, 286–87
-
-
-Transcriber’s Notes:
-
-1. Obvious printers’, punctuation and spelling errors have been
-corrected silently.
-
-2. Some hyphenated and non-hyphenated versions of the same words have
-been retained as in the original.
-
-3. Italics are shown as _xxx_.
-
-4. Bold print is shown as =xxx=.
-
-
-
-
-
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-<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of All About Miniature Plants and Gardens Indoors and Out, by Bernice Gaines Brilmayer</p>
-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
-most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
-of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
-at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you
-are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the
-country where you are located before using this eBook.
-</div>
-
-<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: All About Miniature Plants and Gardens Indoors and Out</p>
-<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Bernice Gaines Brilmayer</p>
-<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrators: Fritz Schaefer</p>
-<p style='display:block; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em;'>Kathleen Bourke</p>
-<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: January 12, 2023 [eBook #69767]</p>
-<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p>
-  <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Stephen Hutcheson, Karin Spence and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net</p>
-<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALL ABOUT MINIATURE PLANTS AND GARDENS INDOORS AND OUT ***</div>
-
-<p><i>By the same author</i>:</p>
-
-
-<p>ALL ABOUT BEGONIAS</p>
-
-<p class="p-min">ALL ABOUT VINES AND HANGING PLANTS</p>
-
-
-<p class="p6 center">BERNICE BRILMAYER</p>
-
-<h1>ALL ABOUT<br />
-MINIATURE PLANTS<br />
-AND GARDENS<br />
-INDOORS AND OUT</h1>
-
-<p class="center p4"><i>Sketches and Landscape Designs<br />
-by Fritz Schaefer</i></p>
-
-<p class="center p4"><i>Additional Art Work<br />
-by Kathleen Bourke</i></p>
-
-
-<p class="center sm p6">DOUBLEDAY &amp; COMPANY, INC., GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK<br />
-1963</p>
-
-  <div class="poetry-container p6">
-   <div class="poetry">
-      <div class="stanza">
-        <div><i>For my family, again and again.</i></div>
-        <div><i>The future is coming closer.</i></div>
-      </div>
-    </div>
-  </div>
-
-<p class="xs narrow p6"><i>Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 63-18225</i></p>
-
-<p class="xs narrow"><i>Copyright © 1963 by Doubleday &amp; Company, Inc.</i></p>
-
-<p class="xs narrow"><i>All Rights Reserved</i></p>
-
-<p class="xs narrow"><i>Printed in the United States of America</i></p>
-
-<p class="xs narrow"><i>First Edition</i></p>
-
-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">[5]</span></p>
-
-<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
-</div>
-
-<table summary="contents" class="smaller">
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">AUTHOR’S NOTE</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_13">13</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 1</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE WINDOW GARDENS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_17">17</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 2</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE GARDENS WITH ARTIFICIAL LIGHT</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_23">23</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 3</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE GARDENS IN CONTAINERS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_38">38</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 4</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE GARDENS IN GLASS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_53">53</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 5</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE GREENHOUSE GARDENS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_61">61</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 6</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE HOUSE AND GREENHOUSE PLANTS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_74">74</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 7</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE ROSES, INDOORS AND OUT</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_137">137</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 8</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE SINK GARDENS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_150">150</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 9</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE PLANTS, BONSAI-STYLE</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_159">159</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 10</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE GARDENS IN THE LANDSCAPE</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_177">177</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 11</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE ROCK AND WALL GARDENS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_183">183</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 12</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE POOLS AND WATER PLANTS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_199">199</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 13</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE WOODLAND GARDENS AND PLANTS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_211">211</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 14</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_226">226</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 15</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE PERENNIALS AND ROCK PLANTS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_251">251</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 16</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE ANNUALS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_277">277</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"><i>Chapter 17</i></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE GARDEN BULBS</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_288">288</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">EPILOGUE</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_299">299</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">BIBLIOGRAPHY</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_300">300</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">WHERE TO BUY MINIATURE PLANTS AND SUPPLIES</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_301">301</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="chn"></td>
-    <td class="cht"><span class="allsmcap">INDEX</span></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_307">307</a></td>
-  </tr>
-</table>
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">[6]</span></p>
-
-<h2>List of Illustrations</h2>
-</div>
-
-<table summary="illos">
-  <tr>
-    <td class="header" colspan="2">COLOR<br />
-                <i>By the author except as noted</i></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <th></th>
-    <th class="pag">BETWEEN PAGES</th>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Formal garden in a wash-boiler lid</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p07">32–33</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Tiny tropical garden with pool</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p13">64–65</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Achimenes, a beautiful gesneriad</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p19">96–97</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Twenty-three varieties of miniature and dwarf geraniums</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p28">128–129</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Streptocarpus, Weismoor hybrid</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p36">160–161</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Rose and miniature rose</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p41">192–193</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Garden in the landscape</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p46">224–225</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Rock garden effectively composed</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p52">256–257</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="header" colspan="2">BLACK AND WHITE<br />
-<i>By the author except as noted</i></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Miniature geraniums in uniform rows</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p02">20</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Mexican motif with cacti in window box</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p02a">21</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Child’s cactus garden over radiator</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p02c">21</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Small plants in a lighted bookcase</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p04">25</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">An indoor “jungle garden”</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p05">26</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Light-case planted with various small plants</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p06">28</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Light shelves with begonias</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p06a">29</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Kenilworth ivy in gnome strawberry jar</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p08">40</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Pawnbroker’s planter with ivy</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p08a">41</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Pruning a dish garden</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p09">43</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Apple-tree root with pocket for plants</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p10">45</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Miniature plants in fish bowls<br />
-                    (<i>Industrial Photographic Specialists</i>)</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p11">54</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Converting a cider jug into a terrarium</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p12">56–57</a><span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[7]</span></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Commercially produced terrarium (<i>Russ Stone</i>)</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p13">65</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Author’s succulent garden</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p16">68</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Rampant greenhouse</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p16a">69</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Unusual propagation box</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p17">87</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Sprouted stem cuttings of dwarf geraniums</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p18">88</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">‘Spaulding,’ bushy dwarf begonia</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p20">98</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Group of dwarf begonias</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p20a">99</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>Caladium humboldti</i></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p21">108</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Miniature climber, <i>Cissus striata</i></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p22">112</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Ivy meagheri</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p23">119</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>Helxine soleiroli</i></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p24">121</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>Leuconeura massangeana</i></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p25">123</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>Oxalis hedysaroides rubra</i> (<i>Merry Gardens</i>)</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p26">125</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Three dwarf geraniums (<i>Merry Gardens</i>)</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p27">127</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Dwarf geranium, ‘Robin Hood’ (<i>Merry Gardens</i>)</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p27a">127</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Creeping <i>Pilea depressa</i></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p29">130</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Hardy <i>Saxifraga sarmentosa</i></td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p30">133</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>Sinningia pusilla</i>, miniature of miniatures</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p31">135</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">A miniature rose grows</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p32">146–147</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Miniature garden of dwarf evergreens</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p33">152</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Rock garden in a wash-boiler lid</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p34">157</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Variety of bonsai trees</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p37">162</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Bonsai in citrus</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p37a">163</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">White poppies in a tiny garden</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p38">178</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Raised flower bed</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p39">186</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Saxifraga seedlings</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p40">188</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Trimmed lemon thyme and ivy</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p42">194</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Constructing a no-cost pool</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p43">204–205</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Wild garden in New York City</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p44">213</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Bloodroot</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p45">214</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Juniper with pansies</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p50c">245</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Planted cold frame</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p53">257</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Author in her $00.00 greenhouse</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p54">279</a><span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[8]</span></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="header" colspan="2">DRAWINGS</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Dream greenhouse<br />
-                    (<i>Kathleen Bourke</i>)</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p15">66</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">A fancy to build on<br />
-                    (<i>Kathleen Bourke</i>)</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p15a">67</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Foliage details of five popular miniature trees and shrubs<br />
-                    (<i>Fritz Schaefer</i>)</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p47">237</a></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht">Construction diagram for low-cost greenhouse<br />
-                    (<i>Hal Gearhardt</i>)</td>
-    <td class="pag"><a href="#p55">280</a></td>
-  </tr>
-</table>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[9]</span></p>
-
-<h2>AUTHOR’S NOTE</h2></div>
-
-
-<p>Naturally, the children’s welfare was the compelling reason for moving
-our family out of New York and into Connecticut. But we can’t deny that
-we also had visions of more expansive gardening. So we set out to find
-an old (meaning dilapidated&mdash;not antique), spacious, window-rich house
-with acres of neglected land where we could indulge our yen for flower
-borders with delphiniums by the dozens, sweeping green expanses of
-lawn, even obese bullfrogs on lily pads in a modest lake.</p>
-
-<p>These naïve notions were quickly canceled by the orbital prices of
-Connecticut real estate. In order to achieve our principal purpose,
-we had to make concessions to the second. The house we settled for is
-small; its windows are few and runty; and it has less than an acre
-of cultivatable land. It is one hundred feet at its widest, nearly
-six hundred feet long, and less than a hundred feet level in any
-one expanse. In other words, we got split-level land instead of a
-split-level house. But it is charming. Neighbors with great expanses of
-gardens and lawns actually envy us for our “natural setting.”</p>
-
-<p>Actually, my favorite landscape architect, who happens to be my
-husband, Bob, would be lost if given a perfectly flat piece of land of
-equal length and width. He would have no contours to follow and would
-probably go fishing. As it is, both of us have plenty of challenges and
-the fun of running up and down ridges in our plantings. The acreage is
-ample for two persons who have little more than so-called “spare” time.</p>
-
-<p>From this quick summation of facts, it is obvious why we gave up our
-grandiose ideas of immense perennial beds, a half-acre vegetable plot,
-naturalized bulbs by the thousands. Instead, we’ve learned how to tuck
-little gardens into odd corners; to compensate for limited space with
-intimate miniature perfection; to hunt for and find the small plants
-that are in sympathy and in scale with our small house and landscape.
-Cramped growing quarters indoors have<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[10]</span> even led us to collect miniature
-house plants. And when, some sweet day, we have our own personal
-greenhouse on the place, it’s bound to be in scale with the rest of it.</p>
-
-<p>Fortunately, we are by no means a minority. More small homes than
-large are being built today, and on more small lots. Gardeners
-are intensifying their demands for small plants of all sorts; and
-hybridists and suppliers are working nobly at filling the need. We
-now have four-inch ‘Wee Willie’ sweet William, tiny Twinkle Phlox,
-other dwarf annuals and perennials. Some nurseries are beginning to
-feature dwarf trees and shrubs. Florists and greenhouses are giving us
-minuscule house plants such as <i>Sinningia pusilla</i> and orchids
-with one-inch flowers. The charm and intimacy of the miniature is
-replacing the magnificence (and oppressive maintenance) of the massive.</p>
-
-<p>There you have the beginning of this book and the reason why it
-contains many quite new projects. They would be illustrated as “before
-and after,” except that the “after” is yet to be written. Regardless of
-how long miniature gardening has been practiced, we feel the greatest
-developments are yet to come. Small houses and small plots of land
-force us to this conclusion.</p>
-
-<p>Admittedly many of our personal opinions are based on experience and
-observations in Northeastern gardens. However, whenever possible we
-have included reliable information for other climates. You will, of
-course, make your own interpretations and adaptations. This a reader
-must always do, no matter where an author lives and gardens. And there
-is always your county agent to consult or your local garden-supply
-florist with whom to discuss your particular situation. Always an added
-pleasure.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANTS INCLUDED</h3>
-
-<p>As the author, I have used two criteria for including or omitting
-plants at the time of writing. I am concerned with those that are
-readily available from florists, nurseries, and the suppliers listed in
-the Appendix; and those that in my opinion are suitable for miniature
-gardens.</p>
-
-<p>Except for the specific art of bonsai, I have not included plants that
-are unnaturally dwarfed by pruning or other means. I have omitted
-plants that look like miniatures when they are young, grow slowly, but
-eventually get out of miniature proportions if given time. I have not
-attempted to differentiate between miniatures and dwarfs,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[11]</span> nor have
-I set up restrictive dimensions. Sizes vary with types of plants. A
-miniature orchid may be three inches high, a miniature shrub three feet
-or more.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANT NAMES</h3>
-
-<p>This book has been written by an amateur gardener for other amateurs;
-and I have made it as readable and enjoyable as I could. But in the
-interests of clarity and accuracy, Latin botanical names are used in
-preference to the vernacular. This is the only way to be sure plants
-are correctly identified. Popular names are confusing. Kenilworth ivy,
-grape ivy, and English ivy certainly sound as if they were related in
-some way; but when you use botanical names (<i>Cymbalaria muralis</i>,
-<i>Cissus striata</i>, and <i>Hedera helix</i>, you know they are not.
-By using the botanical names you are more likely to find the ivy you
-want in a reference book or catalogue.</p>
-
-<p>For most plants, <i>Hortus Second</i> has been used as the authority
-for identification and spelling of names; but in the interests of
-readability, the double <i>ii</i> ending has been reduced to a single
-<i>i</i>. For a number of plants that have become available since
-<i>Hortus</i> was last revised (1941), I have referred to <i>Exotica
-II</i>, by A. B. Graf.</p>
-
-<p>Unless a plant name is complete (genus plus species&mdash;plus variety, if
-any), it is neither capitalized nor italicized. (The caladium is a
-favorite foliage plant.) Complete botanical names are italicized, but
-only the generic name has an initial capital letter, even when the
-specific name has been derived from the proper name of some person
-or place. (The diminutive <i>Caladium humboldti</i> needs humidity.)
-When you see a plant name in italics, you will know that this is
-a recognized botanical species or one of its varieties, and not a
-man-made hybrid.</p>
-
-<p>The names of recognized hybrids, seedlings, and mutations of either or
-both are not italicized, but are capitalized and enclosed in single
-quotation marks (caladium ‘Little Rascal’). Common or popular names are
-set in regular type with initial capital letters only for proper nouns,
-when they appear in text. In separate listings each word is capitalized.</p>
-
-
-<h3>BOTANICAL TERMS</h3>
-
-<p>In order to make a gardening book completely accurate and
-understandable, it is almost mandatory to use some so-called<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[12]</span>
-“scientific” terms which should really be as much a part of a
-gardener’s vocabulary as “annual” or “evergreen.” The following words
-are used in their technical sense:</p>
-
-<p><i>Genus</i> (plural, <i>genera</i>)&mdash;A group of plants related to each
-other by botanical characteristics. The name of the genus is like a
-human family’s surname, Smith, but it is written first instead of last.
-<i>Oncidium</i> is a genus of orchids.</p>
-
-<p><i>Species</i> (plural, <i>species</i>)&mdash;A plant that differs from
-others within a genus, usually occurring in a natural state and capable
-of reproducing itself in identical form. The name of a species is
-like a person’s first name, Alice, but is written last. <i>Oncidium
-pusillum</i> is one of several species in a genus of orchids.</p>
-
-<p><i>Hybrid</i>&mdash;Generally the result of fertilizing the flowers of one
-plant with the pollen of another; the resulting seedlings are hybrids.</p>
-
-<p><i>Mutation</i> or <i>sport</i>&mdash;A variation in any part of a plant
-that remains constant when that part is severed and propagated.</p>
-
-<p>The word <i>variety</i>, however&mdash;although it has a strict botanical
-application&mdash;has been used more loosely and may often be defined here
-simply as “variation.”</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[13]</span></p>
-
-
-<h2>ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</h2></div>
-
-
-<p>I wonder if anyone ever wrote a book without being indebted to many
-persons for some sort of help or inspiration. Certainly, I couldn’t
-do it. Subtract the encouragement and time-consuming assistance of my
-family, friends, and horticultural acquaintances, and this would be
-less a book.</p>
-
-<p>I am deeply grateful to: Fritz Schaefer for landscape designs
-and drawings of rare delicacy, and for letting me benefit by his
-wide horticultural training and talents; to Kari Berggrav for her
-enthusiastic contributions to the manuscript and for all sorts of help
-with plants and photographs; to Mrs. John Lee and to F. H. Michaud
-of Alpenglow Gardens for their help and the use of their artistic
-photographs; to Adolph Adukas of the Julius Roehrs Company for his
-talented arrangements of dish gardens; to Kathleen Bourke for her
-fanciful drawings and to Elvin McDonald of McDonald and Bourke for
-his assistance and advice; to <i>Flower and Garden</i> for allowing
-me to adapt material that had appeared in that magazine; to Mary
-Ellen Ross of Merry Gardens for her assistance and the photographs of
-miniature plants she allowed me to use; and to all the friends and
-tolerant gardeners who allowed me to put my camera tripod in the midst
-of their plants&mdash;Mr. and Mrs. H. Lincoln Foster, Mr. and Mrs. Alex
-O’Hare, Mr. and Mrs. Norman Cherry, and our neighbors, Mr. and Mrs.
-Henry Fuller. To Ernesta Ballard and Peggie Schulz, well-known garden
-writers, and Mrs. N. E. Dilliard of Tropical Gardens, my gratitude for
-your assistance. I thank my mother, Alice Gaines, and her keen eye for
-catching my witless errors.</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[15]</span></p>
-
-<p class="center lg">ALL ABOUT<br />
-MINIATURE PLANTS AND GARDENS,<br />
-INDOORS AND OUT</p></div>
-
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[17]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 1</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE WINDOW GARDENS</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>In a living room so small that two dogs asleep before the fire must be
-roused to let you pass through, monstrous cut-leaf monstera would be
-out of place&mdash;literally and most certainly no asset. In our house, to
-be truthful, anything larger than a three-inch pot begins to get out of
-proportion. When we were buying the place, we called it “quaint” and
-“cozy.” But when we moved in our favorite house plants, it was just too
-crowded for words.</p>
-
-<p>This was the origin of our intense interest in miniature house plants.
-But limited space is by no means the only reason why these little
-fellows are such cheerful and desirable indoor decorators.</p>
-
-<p>First, of course, there’s the charm of the diminutive&mdash;the same lure
-that leads some people to collect figurines or doll’s furniture. But
-plants are alive and growing; you can pore over each leaf and flower as
-it matures to small-scale perfection.</p>
-
-<p>Because miniature plants occupy little space, you can grow more of
-them, and in greater variety. Three dwarf geraniums will bloom their
-heads off where a single large one might be crowded. Modern, narrow
-window sills are adequately spacious for a dozen or so two-inch pots
-of colorful cacti. One cattleya orchid can be replaced by several
-equally exotic, and much more personable, dwarf “botanical” orchids in
-delightful variety. Where full-sized narcissus and “daffy’s” that have
-been forced often seem to be just that, “forced,” miniatures fit in,
-add gaiety and color, along with naturalness.</p>
-
-<p>Most important, miniature plants and gardens are thoroughly in tune
-with today’s decorating trends. They’re in scale with small rooms and
-low ceilings, in harmony with the spirit of suburban homes,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[18]</span> mobile
-enough to facilitate change and rearrangement, even functional because
-they’re more carefree. And they certainly go along as we leave last
-year’s stark, bare, uncluttered look behind and move toward the warmer,
-more personal décor that once more allows us to display snapshots of
-the children on the mantel.</p>
-
-<p>Miniature plants are often less costly than large specimens, and
-require less care. They grow slowly, require fertilizing and repotting
-less frequently, don’t outgrow bounds, and seldom need to be renewed or
-replaced.</p>
-
-<p>When I first started to collect miniature house plants, I had no idea
-how many were available, or in what delightful and wide varieties.
-There are miniatures in almost all of our best-known plant families,
-and there are some groups that have almost nothing but miniatures
-to offer. There are small-scale trailers, climbers, creepers; leaf
-rosettes or bushlets; tropical plants and mountain-dwellers; those
-with striking foliage, spectacular foliage, or both. Once you discover
-the wealth of Lilliputian plants you can grow in your home, I warn
-you, your will power had better be strong, else you never will stop
-following this fascinating hobby of raising the little fellows. It will
-run away with you before you know it.</p>
-
-
-<h3>WINDOW GARDENS</h3>
-
-<p>The window is the place most naturally suited for a living garden. It
-is nearest to the fresh out of doors and brings the plants closer to
-the environment where they are at home. By creating a transition, the
-plants in turn seem to bring the outdoors inside. A window is often,
-also, the only place where indoor plants can get the daylight and
-sunlight they need to keep in good condition.</p>
-
-<p>But a real window garden is not a motley assortment of plants in pots,
-haphazardly arranged (or not arranged at all) or lined up in precise,
-military rows. It is an artistic composition, a grouping of plants
-with some sound design in mind&mdash;an arrangement of plants and their
-containers for pretty and refreshing effect. The more natural the
-plants look, the less obvious or contrived the lines of the design, the
-more decorative the result. This principle is, of course, integral to
-all kinds of gardens, indoors and out; but it is particularly vital in
-a window where our eyes stray a dozen times a day.</p>
-
-<p>With miniature plants I find it easier to achieve good
-composition&mdash;much easier than with large ones. There are more elements
-with which to work; there is more opportunity to rearrange, a wider<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[19]</span>
-choice of colors, textures, and forms&mdash;the possibility of blending or
-playing them against each other. I recall a small window in an old
-country house, deeply recessed by the width of the thick stone wall.
-Three or four large or medium-sized plants might have stood on the
-two-foot-deep sill. But there were a dozen or so dwarfs and miniatures
-all blended and accented by two small baskets of miniature ivies. The
-display was so lovingly arranged and cared for, the effect was more of
-a garden than an obvious decoration.</p>
-
-<p>(In a rich selection such as this one, there is a natural danger of
-“too-muchness.” Don’t crowd these plants. Just the addition of one
-extra pot can spoil the effect of a perfect garden. Miniatures are not
-meant to be massed. When crammed close together they can look like a
-weedy, unmown lawn. Give each plant enough space to set off its modest
-charm, then you’ll find each one doubly charming in its space.)</p>
-
-<p>And so an assortment of small potted plants can be arranged as
-effectively in a window as perennials can be in a flower border. There
-should be a careful selection and placing of colors for both contrast
-and harmony; the interplay of foliage forms and textures; the blending
-of plants into one design with eye-catching accents where accent is
-needed. For a container, use a shallow galvanized metal tray made
-to fit the window sill and painted a matching white. It should hold
-about an inch of water with a layer of pebbles thick enough to keep
-the pots above the water. The evaporating moisture humidifies the air.
-Use miniature plants of several families but all needing approximately
-the same amount of light and sun. For color, there are the flowers of
-begonias and impatiens; for foliage contrast, peperomias; for accent,
-taller plants; with <i>Ficus pumila</i> ascending the window frame and
-small-leaved creepers dangling over the edge to soften harsh lines and
-blend the garden into the room.</p>
-
-<p>There is equal charm in a collection of miniature plants of the same
-general type and of nearly the same size. Neat rows of cacti and other
-succulents in small pots look gay and colorful lined up on the sill and
-on glass shelves in the window above it&mdash;glass, of course, to permit
-all possible sun to reach the plants. Between the pots, at irregular
-intervals, set a collection of crystal wine glasses or figurines. Or
-line up impudent miniature geraniums as in the photograph. Here, the
-pleasure comes, not from the artistic composition, but rather in the
-uniformity of the rows of small-scale pots and plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[20]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p02" style="max-width: 650px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p02.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Miniature geraniums arranged in uniform rows</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>For an indoor version of the outdoor window box, use a box made to
-fit on the sill, gaily painted and decorated in the Mexican spirit of
-the cacti growing in it. It should be deep enough (about four inches)
-for healthy root growth. The cacti are not potted, but planted in the
-sandy soil in the box. These indoor window boxes can be of all sizes
-and shapes&mdash;large enough to cover the sill of a big window plus the
-radiator under it; triangular, to fit in corner windows; suitable for
-the top of a child’s play table in a sunny bedroom or playroom.</p>
-
-<p>All of these gardens are planned for windows with full sun, or nearly
-so. With less sun the choice of plants changes. For example, miniature
-gesneriads (African violets, streptocarpus, episcias) might be combined
-with ferns and other foliage plants; a selection of the widely varying
-types of peperomias would be effective where sun is very scarce indeed.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[21]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p02a" style="max-width: 650px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p02a.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Mexican motif with cacti in a homemade window box</p>
-  </div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p02c" style="max-width: 650px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p02c.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Child’s cactus garden over a radiator&mdash;fine for a playroom</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[22]</span></p>
-
-
-<h3>WINDOW GREENHOUSE</h3>
-
-<p>Available light, or sunlight, is the first consideration in selecting
-plants for a window area, or in selecting the window for the plants
-you have or want. Light can be brighter (it even comes from overhead)
-inside a greenhouse that extends out from the window. You can buy these
-in all combinations of measurements, ready-made and assembled, or ready
-to be assembled. Or you can make them, or have them made, from the
-materials sold in most hardware stores for those who build their own
-screens and storm windows.</p>
-
-<p>The greenhouse fits flush to the outside of the window frame and is
-sealed with a calking-gun after it has been screwed firmly in place.
-It may rest on the outside of the sill, or be supported by metal or
-wooden brackets on the underside. The top lifts open for ventilation,
-and the opening is covered with a screen. Glass shelves permit light
-to penetrate fully. A tray at the bottom holds moist vermiculite to
-humidify the air.</p>
-
-<p>The window sash can be removed or not, as you wish. You can install an
-inexpensive, thermostat-controlled heater for extra warmth in winter.</p>
-
-<p>If the light is right, and if humidity can be kept high enough,
-an installation such as this can contain not only all sorts of
-window-garden plants, but also many of those recommended for the
-greenhouse in Chapter 6.</p>
-
-<p>A window greenhouse filled with growing, blooming plants is an
-attractive outdoor decoration on almost any house. Its effect indoors
-is always cheerful and refreshing. And it is especially suited for
-miniatures. Numerous small plants make a better decorative effect than
-a few large ones.</p>
-
-<p>(<i>For suitable plants, please refer to list at end of Chapter 6.</i>)</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[23]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 2</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE GARDENS
-WITH ARTIFICIAL LIGHT</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>The three tiny rooms of the Greenwich Village apartment possess a
-total of two narrow, old-fashioned windows; yet in its darkest corners
-bloom some of the most gorgeous gesneriads I’ve ever seen. In similar
-fourth-floor quarters on New York’s dreary 41st Street, miniature
-orchids and other tropicals make a flamboyant jungle. In an attic in
-Levittown, a cellar in Bayside, a heated garage in Westchester, plants
-make it look like July in January, living their life cycles over and
-over again without ever seeing the sun. The life they must have for
-existence is supplied by electricity.</p>
-
-<p>Time was, when windows were the only place in the house where plants
-could be grown. But since government scientists first grew corn to
-maturity under artificial light at Beltsville, Maryland (back when I
-had more interest in boys and dating than in gardening), that picture
-has certainly changed. Now, all sorts of plants can flourish in the
-most unlikely places. Home decorators can use plants ornamentally
-wherever they look best, and create the conditions in which they grow
-best. The hobbyist who can’t afford a greenhouse can have a most
-satisfactory and inexpensive substitute in unused places in the house.
-And a greenhouse owner can double his growing space without adding
-another section of glass.</p>
-
-<p>Naturally enough, scientific research in this field has been aimed at
-helping florists, farmers, and others to whom plants are a business;
-but amateurs have benefited, too. The principle of photoperiodism&mdash;that
-some plants set buds and flower only when nights are long, some others
-only when nights are short&mdash;led to delaying the flowering of commercial
-chrysanthemums by interrupting the long night with a period of light.
-Amateurs have used the same<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[24]</span> principle to force tuberous begonias
-to flower in winter by lengthening the day with several hours of
-artificial light.</p>
-
-<p>The discovery and isolation of a light-sensitive enzyme, photochrome,
-has been applied to cyclic lighting&mdash;a less costly method of regulating
-flowering by flashing lights on and off at intervals. Probing the
-mysteries of photochrome has also given orchid fanciers a better
-understanding of their plants’ blooming habits and has even made it
-possible, with some species, to have flowers twice or three times a
-year, rather than just once.</p>
-
-<p>If I may be permitted a slight prejudice, it’s these amateur benefits
-that make me happiest. I love plants; and I think millions of other
-people do. From the windows of my commuting train I see New York
-tenement tenants wistfully watering morning glories that pathetically
-climb fire-escape trellises. More prosperous Manhattanites spend small
-fortunes on florists’ plants to bring the breath of green life into
-their sterile apartments; and their disappointment, if the plants die,
-is pitiable. Suburbanites have a yen to make a hobby of collecting
-plants. And now they can. I know, because I did.</p>
-
-<p>In our roomy, old-fashioned cellar in Bayside we had triple-decker
-shelves fitted with fluorescent lights where we grew everything from
-begonias (finally, a collection of more than 350 varieties) to annuals
-for the gardens out of doors. That was some years ago. The information
-about lighting was sparse, inconclusive, and often confusing. Our light
-intensity was inadequate, and there were other deficiencies which we
-would correct were we setting up that cellar greenhouse today. But our
-successes were fascinating, our failures a challenge. And the hours
-we spent working with those plants in the cellar often were our only
-moments of refreshment and relaxation.</p>
-
-<p>The hobbyist, with his dividends of fun, is not the only one who
-benefits from this new concept of light and plants. There is the home
-home-decorator, the woman of the house, who finds in plants the sort
-of ornament the entire family enjoys. She’d like the graceful lines of
-a vine tumbling down from the mantel, jewel-like flowering plants on
-the shelf of a corner cupboard, a garden of green atop the room divider
-between the living and dining areas. Frustratingly, she discovers that
-where the plants are most effective, too often they won’t grow and
-flourish. It is usually because there is insufficient light for their
-life processes. But now, she can set up a light on the mantel, install
-fluorescent tubes beneath cupboard shelves, or let ceiling lights flood
-the plants above the room dividers. Such<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[25]</span> lighting has a double effect,
-it enables the plants to flourish, and it gives a dramatic accent to
-the décor of the house.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p04" style="max-width: 600px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p04.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Interesting combination of bookcase and lights for African
-violets and begonias of several varieties</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>Artificial lighting is a help even for the casual grower&mdash;one who has
-only a few plants, whether by happenstance, for the fun of it, or
-simply because “a house is not a home” without a plant or two. Table,
-desk, and floor lamps can be used to supplement the natural light from
-windows. Too often windows are shielded by trees or the house next
-door, or perhaps it is winter and there isn’t enough light to keep most
-plants in a thriving condition. Just turning on a lamp so that the rays
-fall on a plant can lengthen the hours of light enough to bring out
-bloom that might otherwise be impossible.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[26]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p05" style="max-width: 600px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p05.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Tropical plants with controlled light, heat, and moisture make a
-“jungle garden”</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>Miniature plants and gardens are, of course, shining prospects for
-growth under artificial light. They take so little space, and since
-there is a limit to the height, width, and depth a single installation
-will illuminate, you can make the most use of it if you are growing the
-little fellows.</p>
-
-<p>Here’s how the “jungle garden” came to be our source of continual
-refreshment and pleasure. Our living and dining rooms, both rather
-small, are separated partially by deep shelves. The previous owners of
-the place, devout music-lovers, used the shelves for their hi-fi set
-and stacks of phonograph records. Our record player&mdash;pardon me, our
-stereophonic hi-fidelity music box&mdash;has its own cabinet, and that left
-a gap in the divider between the two rooms.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[27]</span> We naturally thought of
-plants, particularly the tender tropical miniatures I collect. Since
-we still hope to do extensive remodeling, the garden was not built
-permanently into the shelves, but was constructed as a separate case.</p>
-
-<p>We are fortunate in having a generous friend who loves to work with
-fine wood, and can make cabinets with the precision of the real
-professional. The case he turned out is a beauty. It measures eighteen
-inches by twenty-four inches inside. The top rests on strong metal rods
-at the corners. Window glass slides horizontally in the grooves cut
-in the top and bottom, enabling us to open or close the case as need
-be. The inside of the top is painted white, thus reflecting the light
-from the lamps downward on the plants. We use both fluorescent and
-incandescent lights which are mounted on the underside of the top. The
-bottom of the cabinet is lined with the heaviest plastic we could find.</p>
-
-<p>At first the case was used as an indoor greenhouse for many potted
-plants that need protective warmth and humidity. Several inches of
-vermiculite in the plastic lining were kept moist constantly, with the
-sides being opened or closed for ventilation.</p>
-
-<p>Later, we filled the bottom with rich potting soil and put the plants’
-roots right in it&mdash;climbers, creepers, tiny bush-shapes and trees.
-This turned out to be more of a “jungle” than we expected. Some
-notably delicate residents seeded themselves and started families. A
-dainty cissus strung itself langorously from one end to the other. The
-creeping fig nearly strangled the frail, whiskery bertolonia. But the
-planting was a source of delightful surprises&mdash;a bud here, a flower
-there, increasing colonies of some delicacies we hadn’t been able to
-grow at all, before.</p>
-
-<p>Several years ago a bookcase which I set up in my office as a garden
-was the object of considerable attention&mdash;how much I never realized
-until I dismantled it and gave away the plants. Then, I was bombarded
-with questions&mdash;and even some complaints that I had taken away this
-spot of greenery. From the night watchman up to the president of the
-company, people missed those plants. Some even thought I must have been
-fired.</p>
-
-<p>There is a little house in Levittown, one which I always enjoyed
-visiting. The second floor has two finished rooms, one of which then
-was the office-den of the hard-working Elvin McDonald of <i>Flower and
-Garden</i>. (He has since moved to Kansas City.) His tiered plant table
-with fluorescent lights was there for a functional reason, but it had a
-decorative value as well. In other homes I’ve<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[28]</span> seen plants growing by
-hundreds under lights in unused bedrooms, single specimens displayed
-in shadow boxes with circular fluorescent tubes, decorative gardens
-thriving in all sorts of dark corners. With artificial lighting taking
-care of the space problem, just about anyone can grow plants.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p06" style="max-width: 570px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p06.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">The author’s New York office light-case planted with gesneriads,
-begonias, and other plants</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>However, before your enthusiasm flies too high, consider this sobering
-caution. Like anything else, artificial lighting works best only when
-it is properly planned and executed. Light must have the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[29]</span> quality,
-intensity, and timing that plants need. Specific, accurate, up-to-date
-information is not always easy to find. Despite many fascinating
-discoveries and developments, this is still a relatively new
-horticultural principle, and there is still much more to be learned.
-Before he begins, the newcomer should locate the very latest and most
-reliable information; and the experienced grower should keep posted
-on the constantly changing rules. It has been my pleasant discovery
-that the big power-and-light companies, ever alert to develop new
-outlets for their product, are keenly aware of the possibilities
-of artificial-light plant propagation. Many of them are setting up
-departments to help horticulturalists. If you are puzzled, try your
-light company for information. It may take a few phone calls and
-letters, but eventually I know you will find some likeable chap wanting
-to help you.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p06a" style="max-width: 600px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p06a.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Light shelves of medium height with begonias of many sizes and
-varieties (note miniatures down front center)</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[30]</span></p>
-
-<p>Although it is not necessary to become a botanist, I feel it is urgent
-to have a clear conception of how plants grow, and particularly how
-they use light. While we can’t all be electrical engineers, it is also
-helpful to have some basic facts about electric lights and how they
-relate to plant growth. But if it were possible, I think I’d consider
-writing the facts I have with invisible ink. Who knows but what today’s
-list of rules will be obsolete, and outmoded by new discoveries, before
-this book can be published?</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Botanical Principles</i></p>
-
-<p>For normal growth and flowering, plants must have light of the proper
-sort, intensity, and duration. Thus the leaves can perform their
-function of making starch, then sugar&mdash;the mysterious process called
-photosynthesis. Besides normal growth, plants require an extra supply
-of sugar and starch for producing flowers. True, plants need light, but
-they also need dark to convert food into energy and growth. And this
-means complete dark. It has been shown that if light falls on so much
-as a single leaf, the entire plant continues to operate as if it were
-day.</p>
-
-<p>For normal growth and flowers, plants require a certain balance of the
-red and blue rays of the spectrum. In general terms, blue rays are
-especially effective in developing leaves, stems, and other vegetative
-growth, and often in greater proportions for seedlings as compared
-with mature plants. In general, the red rays keep plant growth sturdy,
-regulate the development of buds and flowers, affect the germination of
-seeds and the rooting of cuttings.</p>
-
-<p>For normal growth and flowers, different sorts of plants need light of
-different intensities&mdash;depending usually on available light in their
-natural habitat. Again in a general sense, light of more intensity is
-needed for flowering as contrasted with the needs for healthy foliage.
-But light intensity requirements vary with various types of plants.</p>
-
-<p>For normal growth, and flowers, some plants need dark periods of
-greater duration. This is the principle called photoperiodism. By
-now a good many plants have been classified as to this requirement,
-but there are many others whose needs are yet to be determined.
-Chrysanthemums, poinsettias, and Christmas cactus, for example, will
-set buds and flowers only when there are more hours of dark and
-fewer hours of light. These are called <i>long-night plants</i>.
-Tuberous begonias, and other summer-flowering types, come into flower
-when nights are of short duration, and are called <i>short-night
-plants</i>. Those plants that don’t seem to care one way or another
-are called <i>day-neutral</i>. For the sake of consistency you might
-even call them <i>night-neutral</i>. It is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[31]</span> also thought that there
-is some relation between the duration of light and dark periods and
-temperature. Thus it can be seen how much research is yet to be done. A
-challenge of course, but that is what makes our scientists great.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Electrical Principles</i></p>
-
-<p>Artificial light is not the same as daylight&mdash;it doesn’t have to be.
-It needs only to supply the right kind of light (blue and red rays)
-of suitable duration and intensity. Because it is constant, and
-consistent, the intensity (as measured in foot-candles) does not have
-to equal the brightness of a sunny day at high noon. Daylight waxes and
-wanes from dawn to dark every day, and may be very dim on cloudy and
-rainy days. Artificial light, coming from generators, is not dimmed by
-clouds or other external conditions. Duration is controlled by a light
-switch, or a time clock.</p>
-
-<p>Incandescent bulbs are an adequate source of red rays for plants, but
-give little blue. They get burning hot, are comparatively expensive,
-and actually are inefficient to operate. Incandescents are also a
-source of far-red rays that delay flowering on long-night plants
-and operate in reverse for short-night plants. According to U. S.
-Department of Agriculture scientists, incandescent light used as a
-supplement to fluorescent light “improves the growth habits of many
-kinds of plants, but is seemingly not required by others.”</p>
-
-<p>Until the introduction of the new Gro-Lux tubes in 1961, fluorescent
-lamps have given light with more blue than red, and in varying
-proportions according to the types of lamps. Fluorescent tubes do not
-get burning hot, and they are comparatively inexpensive to operate,
-and also efficient. In using the older types, those created especially
-for illumination, it is important to come as close as possible to the
-proper balance of the red and blue rays needed by plants. For some
-plants it has been sufficient to use only fluorescent tubes. For some
-of the other types many growers use 10 per cent of the wattage in
-incandescent bulbs.</p>
-
-<p>But the new Gro-Lux fluorescent tubes, developed by Sylvania Electric
-Products, Inc., are especially for plants and not for illumination.
-They give a lavender-looking light made up of red and blue rays which
-are carefully balanced to suit plant needs. Growers who have used them
-report a spectacular improvement in plant appearance, in plant health,
-in faster rooting of cuttings, and in increased flowering. If demand
-warrants it, no doubt other electrical manufacturers will introduce
-their own brands of fluorescent tubes for plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[32]</span></p>
-
-<p>Obviously, in growing plants under artificial light there are so many
-variable elements it is impossible&mdash;and extremely unwise&mdash;to set down
-hard-and-fast rules. The types of plants to be grown, whether the
-installation is primarily decorative or functional, and the possibility
-of continuing research outdating your work, all should be taken into
-consideration when any installation is set up and put into operation.</p>
-
-
-<h3>CONSTRUCTION AND INSTALLATION</h3>
-
-<p>Again, I must write in general terms. I have neither the knowledge
-nor the experience to explain the intricacies of wiring, ballasts,
-circuits, and the like. This technical information is available from
-your electrical supplier and from equipment manufacturers, and often is
-on the cartons in which the parts are packed. Our installation was so
-outrageously large we had to hunt up a friendly contractor for help. He
-was a sympathetic man who loved plants and was fascinated by the idea
-of growing them under lights. Also, he was a cautious person, mindful
-of the fact that our electrical system was about twenty-five years
-old. And that stamped it as being an antique (as your light-and-power
-men will tell you). Since our basement floor was likely to be damp at
-times, heavy waterproof cables with special plugs and outlets were
-used, and grounded to prevent shocks, etc. Be careful about your
-electrical system, especially if you are going to go into anything
-as elaborate as our first enthusiasms. Don’t build a firetrap for
-yourself. It’s hard on the plants, not to mention the old homestead.</p>
-
-<p>Whether your plants are to be grown in a garden, or in pots on benches,
-on shelves, or in a greenhouse-like case, the lineal proportions will
-be determined pretty much by the space that is available in your house,
-basement, greenhouse, or perhaps, as was in my case, your office. In
-small decorative planters twenty-five-watt fluorescent tubes (two feet
-long) are used most frequently. However, it is important to use enough
-of them, lined up closely to each other, to give a light of sufficient
-intensity. In fluorescent tubes the light is most intense in the
-middle and tapers off sharply at the ends. Since short tubes have more
-end&mdash;and less middle&mdash;they give off less light. The “shorties” are less
-efficient, as your plants will tell you.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p07" style="max-width: 650px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p07.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Miniature roses, begonias, a birdbath, and ground cover made
-this charming little formal garden.</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>The distance between the tubes and your plants also affects intensity.
-The closer they are, the stronger the light. If possible, hang<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[33]</span> your
-fixtures on chains so that they can be raised or lowered. Adjust them
-to accommodate the taller plants and then raise your “little fellers”
-on upended pots, bricks, or boards so they will not be cheated of their
-share of light. Please remember, the greater the distance between light
-and plant, the more tubes you will need. Distance determines the number
-of tubes!</p>
-
-<p>For greater intensity, and efficiency, forty-watt tubes (four feet
-long), or even larger, are usually recommended. If these are to be
-hung from the top of a case or cabinet, the simple strip fixtures are
-sufficient. If there is to be no “ceiling” directly above the lights,
-or if it is a decorative arrangement where glare might hurt the eyes
-of those who see it, use the industrial fixtures with shield-like
-reflectors. (In planning your light-garden, please don’t forget that
-the fixtures are a few inches longer than the actual tubes.)</p>
-
-<p>If the case which you may be planning can be enclosed, at least on
-three sides, it will be easier to maintain the needed humidity. If
-the enclosing sides are opaque, they&mdash;and the “ceiling” above the
-lights&mdash;should be treated so the light rays are bounced back and the
-plants receive the extra benefit. In our cabinets we usually applied
-several coats of flat white paint on the inner surfaces. But once,
-under the blandishments of the aluminum industry, I lined a cabinet
-with their foil. It was plain foil, not the crinkled sort, so I did my
-own crinkling. Then I smoothed it out and fastened it in place with a
-staple gun. Plain foil, like high-gloss white enamel, seems to reflect
-the light every place except where it should be, on the plants.</p>
-
-<p>In one of the installations we had at our place on Long Island I found
-it impossible to put in enough fluorescent tubes for the plants we
-wished to grow. Since they were day-neutral varieties, we made up for
-the lack of intensity by increasing the length of time the lights were
-used. Up to a point, increasing the light-hours will help to compensate
-for the lack of intensity&mdash;just to a point, however, and then the old
-law of diminishing returns takes over. Plants must not be under light
-so long that they fail to get their necessary periods of darkness. It
-is as essential as sleep is to a human being&mdash;perhaps more so.</p>
-
-
-<h3>OPERATION</h3>
-
-<p>In planning a light installation try to squeeze out a few extra dollars
-for an automatic timer. It will help to guarantee success for the
-operation. You’ll have a certain peace of mind if you tend<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[34]</span> to be
-absent-minded. No more will you fret through a P.T.A. meeting, a movie,
-or a concert wondering if you turned off the lights on your plants.
-The timer will have done it for you. If you happen to have an enclosed
-case&mdash;one tight enough to conserve the humidity&mdash;you can very easily
-go away on a short trip (a day or two at most) and feel confident your
-pets will not suffer. If you have postponed buying a timer&mdash;actually,
-they are not expensive&mdash;and have to leave your plants for a day or
-so, it is better to turn off the lights completely. They’ll suffer
-less than if the lights are going full blast. But for peace of mind,
-particularly that of the plants, we’ve always used automatic timers.
-At one time we had three of them. When I was ordering one from a
-mail-order company, my husband was buying me one as a birthday gift.
-And at the very same time the electrical contractor who redid out
-light system donated one in the interests of our begonias. We had them
-popping on and off at all hours of the day and night. We even hooked a
-percolator into one for the morning coffee.</p>
-
-<p>As I look back over our experiments of a few years ago, I find
-there are more plants which are day-neutral (night-neutral if you
-prefer) than plants which are short-night or long-night. For these
-day-neutrals, fourteen to sixteen hours of fluorescent light (of
-sufficient intensity) every day, all year round, will keep them happy
-and thriving. They won’t know the difference between winter and
-summer, spring and autumn, Florida or Long Island. That has been our
-experience, but now I find opinions vary on whether hours of light
-should be lengthened or shortened in spring and autumn for these
-seasonal changes. (There is still plenty of room for experimentation.
-For instance, the light requirements for many plants are still to be
-worked out&mdash;even for closely related plants within various types.)</p>
-
-<p>Some growers, those who specialize in plants for which they know the
-light requirements, turn on the lights at dawn and turn them off at
-nightfall. This is a year-around schedule. Others who have plants of
-assorted types, or of undetermined light requirements, maintain a
-constant fourteen-hour growing day. And they are often surprised by
-even second, or third, bursts of bloom. A nice surprise, if you ask me.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[35]</span></p>
-
-
-<h3>INTENSITY</h3>
-
-<p>Here again we find the needs of plants vary and fluorescent-light
-setups vary accordingly. If possible, measure the light in your growing
-area. The readings of a photographic light meter&mdash;the same instrument
-you employ in your photography&mdash;can be translated into foot-candles. Or
-you can get a meter that registers foot-candles. For advice, consult
-your camera dealer, or check with your local power-and-light company.
-Here in Redding we find the Connecticut Power and Light Company vitally
-interested in artificial-light plant propagation.</p>
-
-<p>Again “in general,” house plants that require “full sun” when grown
-in a window need 1200 to 1500 foot-candles of artificial light, and
-for fourteen hours a day. Foliage plants will get by with 500 to 600
-foot-candles. At about 1000 to 1200 foot-candles many plants, and I’m
-thinking of begonias and gesneriads in particular, will be robust and
-floriferous.</p>
-
-<p>Should you find it difficult to figure light intensity as suggested
-above, you might follow the formula worked out by an old friend on
-Long Island, Elaine Cherry (Mrs. Norman Cherry, the wife of one of
-our engineering friends). Her formula is easy to follow. “A single
-forty-watt tube will serve a space approximately four feet long by six
-inches wide.” Small plants that need intense light can be set up close
-to the tubes.</p>
-
-<p>Here is a tip&mdash;ever notice how your television picture is dim but
-brightens appreciably when you take a dust rag to the surface of the
-glass? The same is true of your light fixtures. Wipe them off now
-and then. Clean tubes give more light than dusty ones, and new tubes
-give more light than old ones. When a tube darkens at the ends, that
-means it has seen better days and should be replaced. According to
-Mrs. Cherry, it is a good policy to replace tubes after five thousand
-hours of service and not wait for the dwindling light to curtail the
-rays your plants need. While you are at it, it’s smart to insert new
-starters.</p>
-
-
-<h3>TYPES OF TUBES</h3>
-
-<p>Until the introduction of the Gro-Lux lamps, we had to choose types
-designed primarily for illumination. And there were as many choices
-and combinations as there were tube types. In a private<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[36]</span> and somewhat
-limited survey, I’ve found that when only one type of tube was used,
-cool white was to be preferred. In combinations of equal or two-to-one
-proportions, some growers use daylight and natural tubes; others prefer
-daylight and de-luxe warm white. And there are those who go for cool
-white and de-luxe warm white. Those who supplement their lights with
-10 per cent incandescent light seem to favor all daylight fluorescent
-tubes.</p>
-
-<p>The object of all these different combinations is to get the most
-favorable balance of red and blue rays. If you are a hobbyist who grows
-plants for the love of them, and not necessarily for their value in
-interior decoration, the new Gro-Lux tubes are less complex and less
-troublesome. You don’t have to be a light expert to get results and
-have fun with your light-garden.</p>
-
-
-<h3>CARE OF PLANTS</h3>
-
-<p>Temperature, humidity, soil, fertilizing, potting&mdash;almost without
-exception, plants growing under artificial light need the same care as
-window-garden plants. But since the light is an artificial substitute
-for natural sun and light, watch for signs that the plants are not
-entirely satisfied with it. When they stretch out, get long and lanky,
-or the foliage has a weak, wan color, set the plant up closer to the
-tubes, or over toward the center where the light is strongest. You
-might do well to make room by shifting some of the plants that have
-been in the center. Sometimes when a plant has too much light it will
-become stunted. Until a more exact rule book is written, you will have
-to use your own good common sense.</p>
-
-<p>Here is the big worry many growers have; the failure of their pets to
-flower. More often than not that means insufficient light, insufficient
-red light, or perhaps both.</p>
-
-<p>As of this date it is probably ten years since we first started toying
-with plants under artificial lights. I say “toying” because it was just
-that&mdash;purely for fun. We kept no records. When frost was in the air we
-dug up flowers and brought them indoors. My husband even brought in
-eleven goldfish which he feared would be glacéed in an outdoor pool. We
-put everything under lights with the fish in terrariums. Eventually he
-spent thirty dollars for a pool in an untidy corner of the living room.
-Thirty dollars, not counting the electric bill, I felt was a little
-expensive for a dollar’s worth of goldfish. I sold twenty dollars worth
-of photographs of that pool and then included one of them in my book
-<i>All About Vines and Hanging<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[37]</span> Plants</i>. Eventually he allowed me,
-very grudgingly, to place episcias around the pool. Mites moved in on
-them. He sprayed for the mites and killed all of the fish. He replaced
-the fish with eleven others. Thus the cycle continued.</p>
-
-<p>All the time we had those indoor plantings our neighbors kept asking us
-what plants were good for lights and what lights were good for plants.
-Frankly, we couldn’t answer. Ten years ago that book hadn’t been
-written.</p>
-
-<p>We tried just about everything less than five feet tall. We had
-wonderful results with African violets, begonias, orchids, and
-gesneriads. We even had a morning glory which singed itself on a steam
-pipe. All of them loved the kilowatts.</p>
-
-<p>(<i>In Chapter 6 I have indicated certain plants which are suitable for
-propagation under artificial lights.</i>)</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[38]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 3</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE GARDENS IN CONTAINERS</span></h2></div>
-
-
-<h3>DECORATIVE CONTAINERS, DISH GARDENS, AND MODEL LANDSCAPES</h3>
-
-<p>House plants are usually considered more or less lasting indoor
-decorations. But they can also be used the same as cut flowers for
-temporary and changeable displays, and then, like cut flowers, can be
-discarded when they begin to fade. They cost less and last much longer
-than bouquets, but because they’re temporary decorations, they cause
-less worry and require less care than the permanent inhabitants of
-window sills or artificially lighted gardens.</p>
-
-<p>That sounds rather heartless, I know. But it’s a defense I’ve built
-up&mdash;and a perfectly logical one&mdash;against the wails of those who take
-beautiful florists’ plants, place them on dark mantels, or in other
-thoroughly unsuitable growing areas, neglect them wholeheartedly, and
-then “can’t make them grow.” How many people do you know who buy lovely
-Christmas begonias, poinsettias, or cyclamen for the holidays and
-expect them to bloom the following season?</p>
-
-<p>Honestly, I can’t see any reason why plants must be immortal, why they
-can’t refresh and beautify the home as long as they remain healthy and
-attractive, and not one minute longer, and then be discarded. I do
-object to stringy, leafless stems of expiring philodendron, dried-up
-dish gardens, or any plant or combination of plants that has become
-undecorative because it is dying. Actually, some florists’ plants, such
-as greenhouse primulas and calceolarias, are annuals that come into
-full bloom only once, and having had their big moment are supposed to
-die peacefully afterward.</p>
-
-<p>Do I treat my plants in the house so very cruelly? Well, no ... not
-exactly. My budget includes no allotment for florists’ fripperies.
-I have a different system, and I have a constant supply of healthy<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[39]</span>
-plants to use for indoor decoration. My plants spend most of their
-lives in growing quarters where cultural conditions are good&mdash;in bright
-windows, in the window greenhouse, or on our small sun porch. They
-are brought in for a few days (never more than a week), then quickly
-returned to their more healthy, healthful homes. Having done their
-duty, they go back to grow and prosper. I do this with single potted
-plants, placed in attractive containers, with dish gardens, model
-landscapes, and combinations of plants. They are beautiful and charming
-as table centerpieces, mantel ornaments, displays for the coffee table,
-shadow box, or bookcase shelf.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANT-AND-CONTAINER COMPOSITIONS</h3>
-
-<p>In the past few years my preoccupation with miniature plants has led
-to some pleasurable rummaging and shopping for containers in which
-to place them to make compositions for a bedside or telephone table,
-for the narrow window sill above the kitchen sink, and for the small
-bric-a-brac shelf in the foyer.</p>
-
-<p>As any flower-arrangement artist knows, small-scale compositions are
-often more intricate and more difficult than full-scale affairs&mdash;every
-detail is subject to separate scrutiny. However, patience, good taste,
-and an artistic flair will unite a plant and a container with an
-affinity that looks casual, even accidental, but actually is cunningly
-contrived. Container and plant become one picture&mdash;neither outshining
-the other&mdash;the container setting off the plant, and not sacrificing its
-own importance.</p>
-
-<p>People who are intrigued with these miniature compositions usually
-collect containers in wide variety. Some of them are even made for
-the express purpose of holding plants&mdash;from wood, bronze, copper, all
-sorts of chinaware, glass, and ceramics. But the containers that give
-the most fun are those made for entirely different purposes. I’ve seen
-tiny bird cages, little woven baskets, glass lamp shades, odd-ball
-ash trays, punch cups, unusual tea or coffee cups, soup tureens, and
-even an ancient Buick hub cap which a little girl “borrowed” from her
-father’s collection of automobile antiquities. Some gourds are just the
-right size and shape, and with a nice wartiness, to lend enchantment
-for growing plants. Our cat keeps us well supplied with the tins in
-which his food is sold&mdash;spray them with paint and they are ideal for
-many plants. Some cocktail or champagne crystal looks precious with
-miniature vines drooping over the side.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[40]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p08" style="max-width: 600px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p08.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Strawberry jar resembling gnome, planted with Kenilworth ivy</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>Once for our P.T.A. fair I collected a dozen or so unmatched liquor
-glasses, put a half-inch of soil in the bottoms, and planted tiny
-<i>Sinningia pusilla</i>. They sold immediately, with people wanting
-more. A plant sale at such an affair is a rather convincing test of
-popularity, and whether you have created a good arrangement.</p>
-
-<p>Another favorite I have discovered for unusual containers is
-<i>Cymbalaria muralis</i>, the nostalgic Kenilworth ivy. I planted some
-in a small strawberry jar. Look at the jar from the right angle and it
-resembles a round-cheeked dwarf with a sparse green wig. I wish I could
-remember where I bought that jar&mdash;so many friends have wanted one. The
-“pawnbroker’s” planter cost five cents in a local junk shop. I also
-planted it with ivy.</p>
-
-<p>Inexpensive hanging containers and wall brackets for miniatures are
-available in a wide variety at five-and-dime stores. But hanging
-baskets are not so easy to handle, as they must be suspended from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[41]</span>
-wire or screwed to the wall. I’ve seen a doll’s hat used delightfully,
-and also some nice little woven baskets. Or try anything of metal or
-ceramic if it has a lip to hold a wire or chain&mdash;or a two-handled
-consommé bowl; or a soup ladle with its handle fastened to the wall.
-You can easily punch holes in most plastic containers&mdash;and without
-cracking&mdash;by using a red-hot awl or old-fashioned ice pick.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p08a" style="max-width: 600px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p08a.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Pawnbroker’s planter set with ivy</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>Occasionally I have seen props or accessories used in these miniature
-plant-and-container compositions that were successful, but only
-occasionally were they in perfect scale and harmony. More frequently,
-the silk, wood, or ceramic butterfly, bee, or bird is an unnatural and
-disturbing intrusion.</p>
-
-<p>Be careful when you water plants in decorative containers. If possible
-keep the plant in its original pot so it can be lifted from the
-container and taken to the sink, where excess water will drain away.
-Otherwise, hold off on your watering until you are positive<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[42]</span> the plant
-won’t wait any longer; then stop before the soil gets soggy and wet.
-Excess water, trapped by a container, can cause roots to rot, in fact
-will promote rot in most cases.</p>
-
-<p>Be daring, be creative, be artistic when planning container projects
-and arrangements. If a fat little fern looks right for a teacup, let
-the cup be squat and fat; or let it be fluted gracefully and flared
-up to the delicate frond-fans. If a miniature orchid looks like a gem
-without a case, set it on pebbles in a clear crystal bowl; or perhaps
-invert a dome-shaped watch glass over it. If a succulent makes you
-think of a tough little gnome, for goodness sake don’t plant it in one
-of those grotesqueries which is the hump of a camel’s back or a cavity
-along the spinal column of a ceramic cat. (Remember how ridiculous a
-Venus stomach clock looks.) Use a little imagination. Perhaps you have
-something at hand&mdash;a droll bucket, a miniature fishing creel, a butter
-tub. Interesting containers make interesting compositions if you use
-good taste and imagination. Try to achieve the quality and feeling that
-the plant and container were “made for each other.”</p>
-
-
-<h3>DISH GARDENS</h3>
-
-<p>A dish garden is the combination of a group of living plants and the
-container holding them. It should be designed and planted with artistry
-and originality, but without artificiality. Each dish garden should
-look distinctive&mdash;certainly without any resemblance to the ones which
-florists seem to make by formula. It should be neither crowded with
-too many plants, nor cluttered with accessories or small ornaments. It
-should be eye-catching but not brazen, harmonious but not dull, unusual
-in some manner and yet comfortably natural.</p>
-
-<p>Like cut-flower compositions, dish gardens are arranged so that plant
-and container together complete an artistic design. And like any
-artistic design, these gardens follow (or have a good reason for not
-following) certain basic principles:</p>
-
-<p>Plants and container blend into one pleasing picture.</p>
-
-<p>Elements of the design interlock, overlap, or otherwise hang together.</p>
-
-<p>The number of elements is limited by restraint and good taste.</p>
-
-<p>All parts of the design are in pleasing relative proportion.</p>
-
-<p>There is one focal point, or center of interest.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[43]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p09" style="max-width: 600px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p09.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Pruning a dish garden to keep elements in size and
-proportion</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>If the design has formal balance, the focal point is in the center,
-with elements of equal weight at the sides.</p>
-
-<p>For informal balance, the focal point is off-center, with heavier
-elements to balance it.</p>
-
-<p>A design becomes fluid, rhythmic, with the dynamic use of line, and
-with pleasing contrast of colors, textures, and structural forms.</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p>Of first importance, of course, is the container. It should be of
-proper size, shape, texture, color, and mood for the plants that
-will fill it. Rustic pottery is suitable for desert cacti and other
-succulents; glazed white, or lightly tinted, pottery for dainty
-flowering plants; copper, pewter, wooden bowls for an arrangement of
-heavy, masculine-looking foliage plants.</p>
-
-<p>Containers can be of any shape&mdash;round, square, rectangle, triangle,
-ellipse, irregular. If possible they should be at least three inches
-deep so there is space in which to pack the roots of your<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[44]</span> plants.
-And they should not make themselves conspicuous with bold ornament,
-texture, or color. Plain design and subdued colors bring out the beauty
-of the plants.</p>
-
-<p>Very few artificial accessories look well in a dish garden; but natural
-garden or landscape features such as interesting rocks or bits of old
-wood are often quite successful.</p>
-
-<p>Before you begin to plant a dish garden, set the plants (in their pots)
-in the container, and then shift them around until they begin to look
-right. This will give you a rough idea of how an arrangement will turn
-out. For formal balance, set the tallest or most striking plant in
-the center, with some low ones nestled around its base. For informal
-balance, set the accent plant in one corner of a rectangle and let a
-large expanse of unadorned sand, gravel, or ground cover spread out
-toward the diagonal corner.</p>
-
-<p>Turn a sharply curved leaf or branch so it falls against a straight
-up-and-down plant. Play rough foliage against smooth; feathery against
-solid; bright colors against dull; pattern against plain leaf. Try
-lifting out one plant to see if the effect is cleaner. To blend plants
-with the container, let a creeping or hanging plant fall down over the
-edges. These beforehand experiments will help you avoid having to shift
-plants later, during the actual planting.</p>
-
-<p>Although not strictly dish gardens, there are some attractive
-variations that can be composed without benefit of soil, or of a dish
-to hold it. In the pockets of a small piece of smooth, silky old
-root, or driftwood, tuck osmunda fiber (orchid-potting material) for
-the roots of epiphytic (air growing) plants&mdash;most are bromeliads.
-Terrestrial (soil growing) plants, such as the miniature begonia, are
-best in sphagnum moss. Or try tiny orchids; some will creep slowly
-over the surface of the wood. Fasten the plants firmly in place with
-inconspicuous fine florists’ wire. This will hold the plants until
-their roots penetrate the fiber and attach themselves to the soft wood.
-If you supply liquid fertilizer at regular intervals, the plants will
-grow normally. Water by dunking plants and log in a pan or the sink.
-Feed by adding soluble fertilizer to the water.</p>
-
-<p>Plants will often grow from cavities and crevices in rocks. If the
-rock is “limy,” stick to lime-tolerant plants. Tufa, if you can find
-it, is especially malleable for gardens like these. It is soft and
-porous, easily cut and shaped, and with ready-made cavities to hold
-roots and small amounts of soil or moss. It is perfectly acceptable to
-acid-loving plants.</p>
-
-<p>Conch shells, and another large shell of a similar type which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[45]</span> we used
-to find on the beach&mdash;the sort kiddies hold to their ears when playing
-the game of “listening-to-the-sea”&mdash;offer interesting possibilities.
-Pack the cavity with moist sphagnum moss and plant with several
-smallish plants. Water with extreme care, and fertilize only slightly.
-Almost any moisture-compatible foliage plant that is available will
-live and grow this way for months.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p10" style="max-width: 600px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p10.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Root from an apple tree, with a pocket for osmunda and a
-bromeliad</p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<h3>MODEL LANDSCAPES</h3>
-
-<p>Although these indoor gardens also follow the rules of good design,
-the result is a different effect. Montague Free once called them
-“an idealization in miniature of an outdoor scene.” They are not
-arranged to give an artistic impression, but to re-create some part
-of the out-of-doors on a small scale. Their charm lies in their
-diminutiveness, intricate detail and, often, in their whimsy.</p>
-
-<p>The elements are: container; tiny plants (for the purist, all must be
-living) to represent trees, shrubs, grass, and flowers; and props Or
-accessories such as miniature pools, fences, and other landscape or
-architectural features. I suppose rocks would be called accessories,
-too.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[46]</span></p>
-
-<p>Each garden should have a theme, and all elements should be in harmony
-with the theme and help to carry it out. For example, it’s difficult to
-combine buoyant hybrid pansies with shy wild flowers. A contemporary
-garden is best in a container with clean lines, but an old-fashioned
-garden is fine in a platter with high fluted edges. A desert scene
-calls for a container that’s bare and stark. A white plastic trellis
-doesn’t belong in a woodland scene. And please, no green bath towels
-for grass.</p>
-
-<p>Visualize your garden first&mdash;sketch the plan on paper. If you can draw
-it to scale, it will help in the selection of container, plants, and
-props. It is crucial that each element should be in proper proportion
-to all others. One element not in scale can ruin the entire effect.</p>
-
-<p>In some gardens a plant or small group of plants will be the object of
-interest; in others it may be a particularly charming and important
-feature such as a rustic bridge or a shrine. In gardens of moderate
-size or less, one feature is usually sufficient, and not more than two
-in larger ones. Select your main feature first, place it, and make sure
-all other elements are in scale. For example, a fence should not be
-more than one and a half inches high under a tree of six inches.</p>
-
-<p>The variety of plants, props, and containers from which you can select
-can be as wide as your enthusiasm and ingenuity want to make it. Here
-are a few suggestions.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head1"><i>Tree</i></p>
-
-<p>Upright plant with a single stem-trunk, foliage at the top, usually
-taller than it is wide. If the tree is to be the object of interest,
-look for plants with character rather than symmetry&mdash;bent, twisted,
-gnarled trunk; interesting, lopsided shape; especially lacy foliage;
-tipsy tendency to lean. There are a number of useful house and
-greenhouse plants, and more to be found in the woods and fields. For
-deciduous trees, it is often permissible to use twiggy branches stuck
-in the soil. I find leafless pieces of mountain laurel very effective.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Shrubs</i></p>
-
-<p>Upright plants of bushy habit and branching. You’ll find many suitable
-house plants and some in the wild.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Hedge</i></p>
-
-<p>Tiny-leaved, bushy plants that can be set close together and clipped to
-shape. The tiniest boxwoods will also do if they are carefully thinned
-and each extra leaf is removed separately.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[47]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Flowering and Foliage Plants</i></p>
-
-<p>Miniature house plants are best for these indoor gardens, although you
-can achieve temporary success with some annuals like alyssum.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Climbing and Trailing Plants</i></p>
-
-<p>These are needed for training over walls, but even more necessary for
-planting at the container’s edge so they will fall over and softly
-blend the garden and the container.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Ground Cover</i></p>
-
-<p>A cover for bare spots in the garden&mdash;get sheet moss from the woods. Or
-plant grass seed and keep it mowed with sharp scissors. Use your own
-ingenuity. You may very likely come up with something more appropriate.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Urns</i></p>
-
-<p>Use thimbles, thumb-pots, miniature vases.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Pools</i></p>
-
-<p>These can be built with Sakrete or plaster of Paris. Or sink a sardine
-can&mdash;painted blue-green&mdash;an ash tray, soap dish, or plastic cheese
-container.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Paths</i></p>
-
-<p>A path should always be going somewhere, preferably to the point of
-interest. Make paths with sand, fine gravel, small pebbles, perlite.
-If your garden is a formal one, make cement sidewalks with Sakrete.
-(Please, we have no financial interest in Sakrete&mdash;don’t even know who
-makes it&mdash;but have always found it a most useful material around our
-gardens for patching, fixing, and repairing.)</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Bridges, Fences, and Gates</i></p>
-
-<p>Here is another chance for your personal ingenuity&mdash;and the more
-ingenuity you use the greater will be your pride when the job is done.
-Use matchsticks, toothpicks, balsa wood (it is available in hobby
-shops, but you can very likely snitch a few pieces from some model
-airplane the kiddies are making). In my office I get coffee from the
-corner drugstore, each container having a stirring stick. I save those
-sticks. It is wonderful what one can do with them&mdash;picket fences and
-the like. A little whittling is all that is necessary.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Rocks</i></p>
-
-<p>Please, don’t use chunks of broken concrete. Hunt around for smooth,
-interesting specimens, eroded and rounded stones of the correct size.
-If you happen to come upon one with a lichen, you have a real prize.</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p>There are as many themes for these gardens in miniature as there
-are outdoor scenes&mdash;cultivated or natural&mdash;in the world. The only<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[48]</span>
-necessity is, once you have decided on a plan, stay with it. See that
-every plant and prop you use is in harmony. See that every plant has
-the same cultural requirements&mdash;especially if your garden is to be a
-lasting thing. Here are some general ideas:</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Formal Garden</i></p>
-
-<p>This is probably the easiest to execute, chiefly because it is based
-on perfectly mathematical balance. The plan is basically geometric&mdash;a
-rectangle with a birdbath in the exact center; walks straight and
-precise; pairs or quadruplets of plants that are identical in size
-and shape; hedges that are neatly trimmed. How about trying something
-different?&mdash;an Old World herb garden; perhaps a scene from Colonial
-Williamsburg; or something from the Elizabethan age.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Informal Garden</i></p>
-
-<p>Re-create your own garden, or something you hope to have around your
-house and grounds. It will help you to visualize it in advance. Get a
-container the shape and proportions of your lot&mdash;do a planting with
-the lawn you want, build up patios and terraces. Build a model of your
-house and duplicate the plantings you want on a miniature scale. This
-sort of garden will give you a real thrill.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Old-fashioned Garden</i></p>
-
-<p>I wonder if you ever had a wonderful grandfather and grandmother&mdash;I
-wonder if they had a trim house with a picket fence&mdash;white of course.
-If you did, how about trying to duplicate it. If you didn’t, do a
-little dreaming. Dream about what you would like to see&mdash;picket fence,
-billows of bloom from flower beds, climbing things on the walls and
-fences. Please, let yourself go and improvise à la dream. Next to
-your own home, I can think of nothing more satisfying than trying to
-duplicate an old-fashioned garden in the manner of that wonderful past
-generation. Use your imagination. You’ll be happy that you did.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Contemporary Garden</i></p>
-
-<p>The central figure could be a miniature vase, to represent an urn, at
-the edge of a square or rectangular pool. Small boxes can be made like
-redwood planters. To be purely functional, use gravel or paving instead
-of grass. Plant sparsely and with an eye for modern design.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Oriental Garden</i></p>
-
-<p>Here is a garden that can fool you with its simplicity. It calls for
-fewer plants, more minutely perfect props, figurines, stones, and moss.
-It may be built around a pool with a Japanese bridge. Outwardly, it
-looks so easy and simple, but it isn’t. Just get one feature out of
-proportion and you will be unhappy.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[49]</span> Remember, the Oriental artist is
-a person of great perfection, one with thousands of years of artistry
-behind him. Before attempting an Oriental garden, better get some good
-photographs or drawings. It will help you achieve a good picture and
-you will have a lasting satisfaction. Good luck.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Tropical Garden</i></p>
-
-<p>This one should be lush with tropical creepers and climbing tropical
-trees, as pictured in the color section of this book. The container is
-a bowl from an overhead light fixture&mdash;the sort that used to hang above
-the dining-room table. (It cost ten cents in a junk shop.) The back is
-a masonry wall, made of pebbles and Sakrete, as is the irregular pool.
-Paint your pool blue-green. Since your plants will very likely require
-acid soil, separate the construction material from the soil by strong
-plastic.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Desert Garden</i></p>
-
-<p>Little but cacti and kindred succulents can grow here, and sparsely at
-that. <i>Sedum multiceps</i>, little Joshua tree, has a picturesque
-tree-like character. Use a suitable soil mixture completely covered
-with a layer of desert sand, or very fine gravel. Build a dune perhaps.
-Or make an oasis with a few palms around a pool&mdash;an irregularly
-shaped pool like one might see in a mirage. How about a few strands
-of grass&mdash;maybe not quite in tune with the setting but it might be
-considered as bamboo. A little faking is permissible.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Rock Garden</i></p>
-
-<p>This usually calls for building up a rocky slope supported by hardware
-cloth in the rear and lined with moss to keep the soil from falling
-through. Follow good rock-gardening rules&mdash;rocks of the same kind but
-of varying shapes, with their layers, or strata, running horizontal. At
-the base of the slope you might contrive a small pool overflowing into
-a plastic-limed stream. Make a rustic gate and bridges with evergreen
-twigs wired and glued together.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Woodland Garden</i></p>
-
-<p>Naturalistic arrangements of woodsy plants, rocks, moss, fallen logs.
-Seedling evergreens are fine. Artificial props are out.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Meadow Garden</i></p>
-
-<p>A gate might open through a split-rail fence to a winding, foot-trodden
-path through a field of waving grass and flowers. At the back leafy
-trees line the edge of the imagined cow pasture.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[50]</span></p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANTING AND CARE</h3>
-
-<p>Most containers for dish gardens and model landscapes are watertight.
-That is wonderful for any furniture on which they might be placed,
-but not so good for the plants. There is that eternal danger
-of overwatering. Roots rot when they stand in mud or water. In
-tight-bottomed containers it is wise to start with a thick drainage
-layer&mdash;pieces of broken flower pots, pebbles, brick, coarse sand, or
-even small pieces of charcoal. That gives the excess water a place to
-go. Cover this bottom layer with burlap or moss to keep the soil from
-sifting down.</p>
-
-<p>The soil mixture should be suitable for the type of plant which is
-going to live in it&mdash;acid or alkaline, sandy or humus-rich&mdash;and should
-be moist&mdash;not muddy&mdash;at planting time. One at a time take your plants
-from their individual pots, set them in place, and make the soil firm
-enough to support them. Add dangling-edgers and ground cover last. Mist
-the finished garden with a fine spray of water, thus washing off any
-dirt and refreshing the foliage. Set the garden in a shaded, protected
-spot until the plants have recovered from transplanting shock.</p>
-
-<p>Watering these gardens can be tricky. The soil may feel dry on the
-surface and yet be boggy underneath. Find a small bare spot where you
-can insert the handle of a spoon or a fork. Dig down to the bottom to
-make sure that water is really needed. And water with the greatest
-of care&mdash;enough to moisten the soil, but not enough to leave water
-standing in the bottom. No puddles, please.</p>
-
-<p>Now supposing your hand has slipped&mdash;the hand holding the
-watering-pot&mdash;and you have overdone it. If the planting will allow,
-put the container on its side for a half-hour or so. But, please be
-careful&mdash;actually, I shudder to give you this piece of advice. I’m
-afraid you might find your creation out of its container and a muddy
-mess in the kitchen sink. All right, here is something else you can do;
-dig a hole in a bare spot&mdash;a small hole the size of a pencil and in the
-deepest part of your garden. Suck up the extra moisture with a pipette
-until the hole is dry. What, no pipette in your garden kit, then try a
-medicine dropper. No medicine dropper either&mdash;try a soda straw, but you
-had better be nimble or you will get a taste of dish garden. They don’t
-taste as good as they look.</p>
-
-<p>If your garden is only a temporary decoration, you have given it your
-all and that is all the care it needs. But I feel you are going to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[51]</span>
-love it so much you’ll want to keep it growing as long as possible.
-That changes the rules considerably. Place it, not on the coffee table,
-but in a window where it will get the light and sun the plants need,
-and where the temperature and humidity are to their liking. (Specific
-recommendations and plant preferences will be given in Chapters 6 and
-16.) Hardy outdoor plants should be kept as cool as possible. You might
-set them in a cool room, or on an unheated porch, at night and bring
-them in only for the day. Fertilizing is usually not necessary, except
-when roots are severely crowded or you are trying to force a plant to
-bloom.</p>
-
-<p>Keep the garden immaculately clean and neat. Remove faded flowers and
-tired leaves. Trim those plants that have a tendency to grow too large
-or straggly. It might be smart to remove any that refuse to stay within
-proper size. Train your climbers and creepers as you want them to grow.
-Keep your pools filled with clean fresh water. Mist foliage daily to
-keep it fresh and dust-free.</p>
-
-<p>The dish gardens and model landscapes you plant this way are easy to
-care for, but those ones from a florist may present some problems. Now
-let’s be fair to florists&mdash;their gardens and landscapes are turned
-out on a commercial basis in order that they may make money. (Outside
-of a few fancy floral outfits, none of them gets rich, particularly
-when one considers the long hard hours they spend on the job.) In the
-interest of economy they often combine plants of complete cultural
-incompatibility&mdash;dry-growing succulents with moisture-loving aroids;
-African violets that need sun for flowering with ferns that scorch
-in it. Too often these dish gardens are crammed with too many plants
-for the amount of soil; and the roots have been bruised and broken
-in handling. The florist knows that two-thirds of the customers
-who buy his product are going to abuse it anyhow. So he takes a
-“what-the-dickens” attitude. Make it pretty for the moment, for
-tomorrow it is going to die anyhow. One more word in praise of my many
-florist friends&mdash;just let the man with the green paper, the ribbons,
-and the carnations sense that you love plants, understand them, and
-care for them, and he will go to bat for you. He will help you in
-every possible way. I’ve never known it to fail. Actually, they are a
-soft-hearted profession.</p>
-
-<p>All right, so you have a typical florist-shop dish garden. Uncle
-Charlie bought it for you as an anniversary present because it looked
-cute in the shop window, and he couldn’t think of anything else. For
-all he knows that green stuff is spinach. As soon as Uncle Charlie has
-gone home, start remodeling the garden. Check<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[52]</span> over the plants and
-remove any that don’t agree with the majority of the other plants on
-light, moisture, and soil consistency. Pot up the good ones that you
-want to keep and thin out the others. Remember, those plants are going
-to do a lot of growing and must not be crowded. Use your ingenuity and
-common sense. Dig in the soil with that silver-spoon handle and see how
-much moisture is needed. Set the garden where light and humidity are
-right for the plants. You will have made yourself a new garden. Care
-for it as though it were your original creation. And when your next
-anniversary comes around, and Uncle Charlie comes around with another
-present&mdash;most likely a Chinese silent-butler&mdash;he will look at the dish
-garden and praise you for having a green thumb.</p>
-
-<p>(<i>In the plant list in Chapter 6 you will find plants that are
-suitable for decorative containers, dish gardens, and model landscapes.
-In Chapter 16, which is devoted to miniature annuals, you will find
-additional possibilities.</i>)</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[53]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 4</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE GARDENS IN GLASS</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>From a terraced garden in a huge brandy snifter, or perhaps in a fish
-bowl, to a single orchid under an upturned tumbler, there are many
-kinds of glassed-in gardens to be planted and enjoyed&mdash;terrariums
-if you like. This includes the old-fashioned partridgeberry bowl,
-bottle gardens, and today’s version of the classic Wardian case. In
-any glass container a terrarium is literally a miniature greenhouse
-in which the temperature and humidity can be controlled. Dish gardens
-and model landscapes can be a great pleasure, so these terrariums add
-the additional joy of permanence and variety. Most plantings will live
-and thrive for twice or thrice as long, and you can grow many delicate
-plants that wouldn’t last a day in the dry, drafty air outside.</p>
-
-
-<h3>TERRARIUMS</h3>
-
-<p>Most terrariums are small-scale replicas of woodland scenes with native
-plants, pools, streams, and rocky cliffs. These are charming and
-refreshing; and if there is good light, small outdoor plants will live
-through the winter into spring. But there are other possibilities&mdash;tiny
-tropical plants that love steamy warmth; miniature begonias,
-aroids, and marantas that are compatible under glass&mdash;in fact, that
-compatibility includes two-inch orchids and other dazzling epiphytes
-that need extra protection and humidity indoors.</p>
-
-<p>Depending on your plants, your container, and your whims or desires, a
-terrarium can be a Lilliputian reproduction of a landscape, an artistic
-composition, or perhaps merely a single perfect plant enhanced by a
-crystal setting. Since proportions and sizes<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[54]</span> are more strictly limited
-as compared with gardens which are minus glass walls, the selection of
-your container should come first.</p>
-
-
-<h3>CONTAINERS</h3>
-
-<p>Ready-made, practical, and not undecorative are the fish bowls and
-tanks of all sizes. The flat-sided and octagonal bowls are inexpensive,
-though not always of good glass. Very large, round bowls and brandy
-snifters of all sizes are slightly more costly, but of much better
-quality. Rectangular fish tanks are in good proportion for miniature
-landscapes, easy to plant, and roomy.</p>
-
-<p>Or perhaps you have an heirloom bell jar; a glass candy dish or bowl;
-an apothecary jar; a bottle laid on its side (rather tedious to plant.
-You have to reach through the neck of the bottle with long tweezers and
-iced-tea spoons, but a good job is very rewarding). You can still buy
-the traditional round, pear-shaped, and “Ming urn” covered jars for
-partridgeberries. If your container has no glass cover, cut one from
-window glass. Buff down the sharp edges. Terrarium glass is best clear,
-not tinted.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p11" style="max-width: 600px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p11.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Inexpensive fish bowls planted with ferns and other
-miniatures</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>In the do-it-yourself department you can make bell jars out of cider<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[55]</span>
-jugs with the burning-string procedure. Soak a piece of string with
-lighter fluid or gasoline, wrap it around the jug where you want it
-cut, light the string, and when the flames are gone, dunk the jug in
-cold water. The first few attempts may not work&mdash;I had three tries
-before I got a nice clean break. But for fifteen cents’ worth of cider
-jugs I got a nice container. If the edges come out rough and jagged,
-buff them with an emery cloth or a file. But, please be careful, don’t
-get splinters of glass in your fingers.</p>
-
-<p>For a miniature-garden-minded child, simply build up a container with
-window glass and a flat or box. Cut the sides and ends to match the
-dimensions of the flat or box; then bind the corners with adhesive
-or masking tape. Fold tape around the top edge and the cover. That
-will prevent cut fingers. We made one for our children. Just to add
-interest, we included a turtle and a salamander. They liked their new
-home so well they dug into the moist soil and hibernated all winter.
-These tailor-made terrariums can be constructed to fit whatever space
-is available&mdash;long and narrow for a window sill, short and squat for a
-table top.</p>
-
-<p>History’s largest and most elaborate terrarium probably was the Wardian
-case, invented (or discovered) over a hundred years ago. It is, of
-course, too monstrous for today’s interior décor. But the principle can
-be applied in designing an indoor greenhouse that is decorative and in
-good taste&mdash;something to fit near a bright window, or to be fitted with
-fluorescent light if it is to be in a dark corner. It is surprising how
-a little extra light will often make a deeply shaded spot habitable for
-plants. In these cases, of course, the plants usually remain in their
-individual pots. A tray with water and pebbles, or sand, humidifies the
-air.</p>
-
-<p>Today’s adaptation of the Wardian case can be of almost any size
-or shape. One company manufactures a glass-enclosed box about two
-feet wide, four feet long, and three feet deep, with detachable
-furniture legs. I have seen a large coffee table, designed to sit
-before a picture window no doubt, fitted with plate-glass sides and
-accommodating a dozen or so medium-sized plants. I’ve seen several
-homemade cases as decorative as culturally practical, and sadly I must
-admit, I have seen some that were neither. I seem to have said before,
-in plantings of this sort let your plants be the stars.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[56]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p12" style="max-width: 500px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p12.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-  </div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p12a" style="max-width: 500px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p12a.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Converting a cider jug into a terrarium: a. Tie string
-at desired level and soak with lighter fluid b. Light string and
-immerse jar in cold water when extinguished</p>
-  </div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p12e" style="max-width: 500px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p12e.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">c. Lift off top of jug</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[57]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p12f" style="max-width: 650px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p12f.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">d. Terrariums in use</p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<h3>AQUATIC GARDENS</h3>
-
-<p>Any watertight, glass-sided container can also be used for a
-fascinating water garden with fish and plants and many types of
-colorful decorations. To me, the most pleasing are those re-creations
-of natural underwater scenes with coral reefs, rocks, and the fantastic
-aquatic plants sold at aquarium supply stores. Quite honestly I’m
-bothered by the suited underwater diver who brandishes a spear and
-spouts bubbles at intervals. I’m bothered by the obviously artificial
-remnants of a wrecked ship, or the opened treasure chest spilling out
-coins and jewels. It is artificial to the point of being phony.</p>
-
-<p>The planting and care of these underwater gardens has become an
-intricate science and art and requires knowledge of the delicate
-balance of plant and animal life, the proper supply of oxygen, and
-other technical matters beyond my ken. About all I know is, I love a
-beautifully executed aquatic garden. If you have a yen for one of these
-gardens, find an expert who knows his subject and ask his advice. If
-you can’t find an expert, there are many excellent books on the subject.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANTS AND ACCESSORIES</h3>
-
-<p>Rocks, twigs, bits of decaying wood, and other naturally indigenous
-materials are suitable for gardens in glass. Tufa rock is always good,
-whether the plants sink their roots into it or not. If<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[58]</span> you happen to
-live near an old ironworks, you’ll find fascinating pieces of slag in
-many sizes and colors.</p>
-
-<p>But many of the figurines offered for sale in stores&mdash;bridges, benches,
-and the like&mdash;are questionable, even doubtful, in a setting with native
-plants. If they are to fit at all, they must be artistic, believable,
-and in exquisite harmony with everything else in the woodland scene. If
-you want to try it, set them in place, look at them from all angles,
-and think it over carefully. Decide whether they “belong” or are
-merely cute. Cuteness is something that lasts for a moment&mdash;beauty is
-something that is forever.</p>
-
-<p>Just as with dish gardens, model landscapes, and other gardens where
-plants live and grow together, terrarium plants should be chosen first
-for their cultural compatibility. In fact, the principle is even more
-vital here because terrarium gardens are usually meant to be lasting.
-Think for a moment&mdash;you wouldn’t tuck a dry-growing peperomia in the
-soil beside a moisture-loving fern, or a cool-growing wild flower
-beside a tropical selaginella. They just aren’t meant to live with each
-other.</p>
-
-<p>Next, size up your plants as to height&mdash;larger and bolder plants for
-the background or for accent, creepers for blending. In between should
-come the many flowering and foliage plants that make your garden a
-thing of beauty.</p>
-
-<p>Many of these plants can be bought at florists’ shops or variety
-stores. Others are available by mail, including the wildlings. The
-woods are always a source, but conservationists urge all of us not to
-destroy plants carelessly or move them out of their native haunts to
-unfavorable locations.</p>
-
-<p>I find that the plants available from mail-order specialists are
-reasonably priced and are always good sturdy stock. More on this in
-Chapter 13.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANTING AND CARE</h3>
-
-<p>Whether your glassed-in garden is an artistic arrangement of plants or
-an actual garden, give your design a tryout by placing the plants on a
-temporary basis. Put them in place and appraise the arrangement. Don’t
-rush. You’ll save time by not having to do it over later.</p>
-
-<p>In the case of containers rounded on the bottom, line them with thin
-sheets of moss. Turn the green side out. Next add an adequate layer
-of pebbles or sand, for drainage. A sprinkling of broken charcoal<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[59]</span> is
-particularly desirable. The close humid air may cause soil to grow
-“sour” without it.</p>
-
-<p>Soil may be acid or not, heavy or light, sandy or humus-rich. It all
-depends on the type of plant to grow in it, and it will be moist when
-you use it. Please, make the soil deep enough to give the plants
-root-room. If you want to make it interesting, build it up gently into
-slopes or natural mounds. Flat land is dull, not nearly so interesting.</p>
-
-<p>As you put in the plants, add the stones, pebbles, paths, or
-pools&mdash;whatever you have in your design. May I warn you&mdash;don’t dirty
-the inside of the glass. Once dirty, it is almost impossible to clean
-up later. Plant sparsely. Remember, your plants are going to grow.
-The finishing touch will be the addition of “sod” or moss on the bare
-areas. Most of the suggestions for dish gardens and model landscapes in
-earlier chapters apply here. Finally, polish the glass and spray the
-plants with a fine mist to clean off any soil that may be on leaves and
-stems. Water very gently.</p>
-
-<p>According to tradition, partridgeberry bowls are arranged differently.
-The base of the bowl is lined with moss, and covered with drainage
-layers, charcoal, and then soil. Then the berried plants and any others
-to be combined with them are placed, one layer at a time, with their
-faces against the glass. Their roots are toward the center and covered
-with soil. Finish the top layer facing up; sprinkle any loose berries
-on top; mist the foliage gently; cover with glass, and deck out with a
-big bow of Christmas ribbon.</p>
-
-<p>For a few days after planting, set a terrarium where the light is
-not bright. After that, it needs light or sunlight according to the
-requirements of the plants. If they grow lank, limp, and leggy, they
-are usually stretching out for more light. Window-sill plants may
-lean toward the window&mdash;remedy: simply turn the terrarium around, and
-alternate it every few days so that both sides get an equal share of
-light.</p>
-
-<p>Temperature also depends on the plants. Hardy outdoor natives are best
-at 60 degrees or less, even if they are moved to a cool spot at night.
-Tropical plants, and many others, are happy at the usual living-room
-temperatures.</p>
-
-<p>Watering can be tricky, but not if you are careful and rational.
-Obviously, if the top of your container is covered tightly, not much
-moisture can escape. It will condense inside the glass and drop back
-into the garden. Water will be needed less frequently. But don’t be too
-happy about this. If there is excess moisture, if too<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[60]</span> much collects on
-the glass, if the soil is always soggy, mildew and root-rot may result.
-Lift off the top for a while and let the inside dry out a little. Keep
-the soil on the dry side if the cover fits too tightly.</p>
-
-<p>Here is another warning&mdash;soil should never become completely dry. (I
-am afraid I have you walking on a tightrope.) Again, take that handle
-of a spoon or fork and dig down through a bare spot so you can see how
-wet the soil is at the bottom. If water is needed, add it very gently.
-Remember, the small plants must not be deluged and dislodged; use
-just enough water to moisten the soil, not soak it. Sorry, but it is
-impossible to write down any definite schedule for watering. Frequency
-and quantity depend on the size of the terrarium and the size of the
-plants, on the outside temperature, and on other environmental factors.
-Even the weather and the season of the year are important. But, I’ll
-bet you need watering much less frequently than you think. You may feel
-you should fertilize the plants so they will grow more vigorously. Here
-is a word of warning on that score&mdash;few woodland plants appreciate
-chemical fertilizers (the powders you buy at the hardware store or
-in the horticultural supply shops). If you want to feed your plants,
-the best thing to use is a weak solution of manure water. I am always
-bundling up manure in gunny sacks, soaking it in a watering pot, and
-then using the water on my plants.</p>
-
-<p>Glass-covered terrariums usually keep themselves clean inside,
-because dust just can’t get into them. You may need to remove fading
-flowers and leaves. If you have any plants, particularly creepers,
-that threaten to take over and smother the others, get a sharp pair
-of embroidery or manicure scissors and begin pruning. Aliens such as
-earthworms and slugs are out. Put on your sharpest-pointed heels and
-step on them.</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[61]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 5</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE GREENHOUSE GARDENS</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>As far as I am concerned, the first part of this chapter is a dream.
-It is such a precious dream I shouldn’t even publish it until it comes
-true. I am afraid I must confess that parts of it have already been
-published in <i>Flower and Garden</i>. I was so carried away with the
-idea I rushed it into print, just so I could tell the world about a
-dream. It is a dream I hope you will dream with me. The magazine has
-given me permission to repeat the article I wrote for them.</p>
-
-<p>The whole thing started when I began to get bored with prissy rows
-of pots in my own greenhouse. It is a forty-by-twenty-foot house and
-really isn’t ours. (It belongs to a neighbor who used to use it for the
-chickens. The chickens didn’t like being dispossessed, but they adapted
-themselves to the horse barn, where they are much happier.) My dream
-picked up emphasis when I tried a few “potless gardens” with plant
-roots unconfined and running freely in the soil. I immediately saw how
-much happier the plants were and how much more naturally they throve. I
-am a working girl. I have but a few years to go on my retirement plan,
-and then I can retire. Hence, I dream about my own personal greenhouse.
-My dream greenhouse.</p>
-
-<p>I picture it as an extension of our recreation room so I can look out
-through the large window to the glassed-in garden a dozen times a day,
-every day of the year. There will be a convenient door for the many
-times I’ll be lured away from my typewriter. Any moment I wish, I can
-step into my garden to watch a bud unfold, tuck a wandering tendril
-back around a support, breathe in the fresh, moist fragrance only a
-greenhouse has.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[62]</span></p>
-
-<p>My garden will be tropical. I love it that way. You, my reader, may
-wish a desert planted with fabulous cacti, or perhaps a cooler garden
-for alpine and hardier plants. But I love the exotics; and I will plant
-each one where it will grow according to its natural whims. Please,
-no more neat rows of pots on benches. My creepers will be planted
-where they can clamber over the soil and an occasional rock or rotted
-log. Climbers will have some picturesque support on which to climb.
-Epiphytes will have trees to perch on; and the danglers, baskets to
-hang from.</p>
-
-<p>There will be variations of light, from full sun to patches of dappled
-or deep shade. If I can manage it, somehow I’d like to have variations
-in temperature in the different parts of my dream greenhouse. Some
-plants like the vigor of a cool corner; others revel in tropical
-warmth. Then there is the matter of moisture. For dry-growing plants
-there would be rock gardens and raised beds; for moisture-lovers there
-would be sunken, humus-rich bogs.</p>
-
-<p>But you can’t have a greenhouse, dream or otherwise, without having
-utilities, heating plant, water pipes, and potting places. Those I
-would conceal under the shade of flowering vines. I think I should
-allow myself the luxury of a stool&mdash;perhaps even a rocking chair&mdash;where
-I can sit down to pot or propagate my plants.</p>
-
-<p>Of course, there would be a pool in my greenhouse garden, with a water
-lily to flower in it. Around the edge would be arranged rocks to make
-a home for friendly frogs, salamanders, and turtles. I would teach
-them to be so friendly I could take them to safe quarters when I had
-to spray or fumigate. Restful ferns would frame that pool. A fountain
-would make the musical sound of splashing water. Perhaps the overflow
-would run into a tiny, winding stream. I’ll have to ask Fred, our
-plumber, about that.</p>
-
-<p>I don’t know much about birds, but I’d like to have a canary housed in
-a cage. He’d be there only when the vents were open. Otherwise he’d be
-free to fly. I might even have a parakeet for his company. I’d have
-a radio to play softly&mdash;only classical, gentle music. Nothing with
-brass&mdash;mostly violins and soft ones at that. No telephone&mdash;never. I’d
-have a bench for my guests&mdash;wrought iron very likely, since I think
-it would fit the décor, but the sort that is comfortable. Somehow,
-I’m going to have to figure out a way of labeling my plants so the
-labels will not show. Perhaps, we can do it electronically. As I have
-said, I would have a rocking chair, an old and battered one. And the
-grandchildren&mdash;this being a dream I can have grandchildren (our own
-youngsters are still<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[63]</span> young). There would be a curiosity corner for
-them where they could touch the mimosa and see it fold, watch a pitcher
-plant catch a fly, pick fluffy bolls of cotton, or dig a small peanut
-crop.</p>
-
-<p>My garden will be full of surprises. Any day of the year a visitor
-will find something new&mdash;a miniature orchid flowering on the branch of
-the bromeliad tree; iridescent <i>Selaginella uncinata</i> stalking on
-stilt-roots under a dwarf banana; carved columns, old urns, pieces of
-ceramic art I expect to pick up in my travels. Here, perhaps an old
-tree trunk sunk naturally in the soil; there, a log half buried as it
-would be in the woods; and then some stepping stones, two or three at
-the most to entice guests to look down on a mound of oxalis in full
-flower; overhead, a moss-lined basket of flamboyant epiphyllum in
-spring.</p>
-
-<p>My planting, of course, will be carefully planned, but the plan will
-not be obvious. The shaggy fishtail palm, <i>Caryota urens</i>, would
-be placed in the perfect spot. The Mexican tree fern would look as
-if it had lived there always. The bromeliad tree would seem to have
-lived and died in my indoor jungle, and the plants rooted in its
-branches would look as if they had planted themselves, as they do in
-the tropics. Luscious-leaved philodendrons would climb and cover any
-obvious walls. Vines would be trained to soften sharp corners and
-provide some shade. In irregular beds I’d plant a natural arrangement
-of upright flowering and foliage plants&mdash;begonias, fuchsias, oleander,
-all kinds of aroids, a dwarf citrus or two. A walk might be edged with
-the tiny, delicious Corsican mint, <i>Mantha requieni</i>.</p>
-
-<p>In a warm, partly shaded area I’d go crazy with gesneriads&mdash;flaming
-episcias covering the ground, tube-flowered aeschynanthus spilling down
-from above, fiery-flowered columneas in all their glory. And yes, I’d
-have African violets&mdash;not in pots, but in baskets, in strawberry jars,
-or sunk in the soil.</p>
-
-<p>If (when?) I have my greenhouse, there are some plants I wouldn’t
-be without. Among vines&mdash;silver-leaved <i>Cissus striata</i> with
-its swinging curtain of stringy aerial roots; <i>Clerodendrum
-thomosoniae</i>, its blue-green leaves smothered in red-hearted white
-flowers in spring; <i>Passiflora coccinea</i>, the red passion flower,
-for glamour. I’d hang baskets of the new soft-hued fuchsia hybrids, and
-my favorite floriferous begonia, ‘Shippy’s Garland.’</p>
-
-<p>For fragrance, I’d plant a jasmine, <i>Stephanotis floribunda</i>,
-and <i>Osmanthus fragrans</i>, the precious olive. For early spring
-refreshment, I’d force miniature and dwarf daffodils, bringing in
-pots of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[64]</span> them from the cold frame and sinking them in the soil. I’d
-want the silky-soft foliage and royal-purple flowers of <i>Tibouchina
-semidecandra</i>, the glory bush; but I’d pinch and prune it, to
-keep it fairly low. I’d want a large basket floating airy fronds,
-one of the davallias, or rabbit’s-foot ferns, and a smaller basket
-for the variegated <i>Abutilon megapotamicum</i>, because I love its
-gold-splashed leaves strung neatly along wiry stems, and its dangling
-red-and-yellow lantern flowers.</p>
-
-<p>Just one more thing to complete my dream. Near the door of my
-dream-greenhouse garden, I’d have a special box for my guests, a box
-filled with small plants from which they could choose a parting gift.
-(I know if this greenhouse works out as I picture it, I shall have
-guests. I shall be happy to see them come, and a bit wistful when they
-leave. I will feel better if they take a small token of my gardening
-with them as they go.)</p>
-
-<p>Frankly, this idea of a dream greenhouse came upon me quite casually.
-Much as we love our home here in Redding, Connecticut, we discovered
-a place which we felt we would like even better&mdash;a manor sort of
-place with stables, pools, formal gardens, a very charming old house,
-and seemingly endless rock walls. My husband and I fell in love with
-it&mdash;he, I think, because of a quarter-mile of trout streams, I, because
-it had a most charming greenhouse, the one I have been dreaming about.
-At this writing the entire project is still very much in the future,
-but we have hopes.</p>
-
-<p>To be reluctantly honest, my greenhouse garden is not a brand-new
-idea. Mammoth conservatories are often planted as gardens, and so
-are the “plant rooms” now built into the more luxurious contemporary
-homes. Both are often show places, with plants brought in for display
-at the peak of their flowering beauty and, as they begin to fade,
-returned to spend the rest of the year in more utilitarian growing
-quarters. My garden would be a year-round project, the plants allowed
-to live through their natural cycles of active growth and rest without
-disturbance. We follow this procedure out of doors when we plant
-annuals over the spring-flowering bulbs; why not indoors, too?</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p13" style="max-width: 600px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p13.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Tropical garden in early stages with room for creeping ground
-cover and growing trees.</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>And, of course, there must be many hobby greenhouses already planted as
-gardens. I saw one near Boston, a fairly large one set into the side of
-a steep hill. It was a perfect piece of a desert, with the soil made
-suitably sandy and the curious cacti and other succulents growing as
-naturally as though they had never left home. Mrs. Ernesta Ballard has
-a small tropical greenhouse so realistically<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[65]</span> planted you feel as if
-you are in an exotic jungle the minute you step inside the door. But
-both of these places lack one important asset&mdash;room for the rocking
-chair and the radio with its soft music, things I hope I won’t have to
-be without.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p14" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p14.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">A miniature garden in a glass-covered terrarium</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>This complete greenhouse garden may not appeal to you, or it may not
-be practical or possible. In that case, I urge you to try a smaller
-naturalistic planting of some sort, if only to get that “garden
-feeling” and see how happy it makes your plants.</p>
-
-<p>As a substitute for that Boston desert garden, I filled a small section
-of one of our greenhouse benches with a suitable soil mixture and
-planted it with small cacti and other colorful succulents, with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[66]</span> here
-and there an interesting rock or two. These plants never flowered so
-freely when confined in pots, never showed off to such advantage. But
-I made one big mistake. I failed to make allowance for the more lusty
-growth, and planted the garden much too thickly. In just a few months
-the garden looked not the least like a sparse and frugal desert, but
-more like a menagerie of scrambling, hoydenish pets.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p15" style="max-width: 650px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p15.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Dream greenhouse, delightful and enchanting</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>Another garden that is not quite so wild and reckless is planted
-around a small pool under a greenhouse bench. The pool is actually a
-large plastic basin that must be emptied and cleaned with fastidious
-regularity. It would be better, of course, dug out and cement-lined,
-with a drainage pipe at the bottom. The plants are tropical, because
-they are in the warmth near the heating pipes; shade-loving, because
-a bench (even though it is slatted and admits some light) is above
-them. This is an excellent place for ferns, upright or climbing foliage
-plants, soft ground covers like selaginella. If I were to install
-fluorescent lights, I could add a number of flowering varieties.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[67]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p15a" style="max-width: 240px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p15a.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">A fancy to build on in the Oriental manner</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[68]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p16" style="max-width: 514px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p16.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">The author’s succulent garden</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>A soil-filled bench is the site of my husband’s pet project, a grove
-of miniature fruit trees. There always seem to be flowers or fruits on
-the small orange, lemon, kumquat, and pomegranate trees. But again,
-we erred. We did not realize how vigorously these trees would respond
-to having their roots free in soil. The dwarf banana and ever-bearing
-fig now threaten to exceed dwarf proportions at any moment, even to go
-through the roof.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[69]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p16a" style="max-width: 545px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p16a.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Rampant greenhouse with citrus trees, banana tree, and birch
-trunk covered with bromeliads</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>A naturalistic planting that occupies a minimum of bench space is a
-bromeliad tree fitted with a sturdy stand to hold it upright. (The
-stand we are using actually is a Christmas-tree stand.) For the tree
-itself, we selected the top of a birch tree which blew over in the
-woods behind our garage. The tropical green contrasts nicely with the
-white bark of the birch, otherwise our selection wasn’t too wise. Birch
-wood is soft and doesn’t last too long, hence we have been<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[70]</span> propping
-and wiring branches to keep them in place. Cracks, crotches, and
-pockets created for the purpose are packed with osmunda fiber tightly
-wrapped around the base of all kinds of brilliant bromeliads, some few
-orchids, a staghorn fern, and other epiphytic plants. The plants need
-not even be rooted if the osmunda is packed tightly around the base; if
-they’re wired in place so tightly that the spray from the hose can’t
-loosen them, they’ll soon be at home on the tree. Their roots will
-grow through the osmunda and they will attach themselves to the tree.
-Of course, the osmunda must be kept moist until the roots form. Once
-rooted they are fed by dusting the outside of the sphagnum with soluble
-fertilizer and watering it in. As a finishing touch, we threw strands
-of Spanish moss over the branches. The misty-gray moss thrives, and
-even flowers.</p>
-
-<p>As further proof that many plants prefer freedom to being confined
-in pots, try planting just one creeper&mdash;an episcia, for example&mdash;in
-the center of a spot filled with suitable soil. See how soon it will
-garland the top with lush foliage, how freely it flowers. Many plants
-recommended for hanging baskets are really creepers and are better off
-when treated this way.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANTING AND CARE</h3>
-
-<p>Large or small, a greenhouse garden, like any other, should be designed
-carefully and never planted until you have the plan firmly in mind.
-Each plant should be given room in relation to all the others, and
-not merely at planting time but with maturity time in mind. Allow
-plenty of space for spreaders to spread and creepers to creep; and
-make sure every climber has its support. And, of course, plants in
-close proximity should have compatible cultural preferences in soil,
-moisture, light, and the like.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head1"><i>Light and Sunlight</i></p>
-
-<p>It shouldn’t be difficult, in a complete greenhouse garden, to arrange
-for areas of full sunlight, partial or dappled sun, and shade, and to
-do it in a natural manner. Tall plants will get the sun first and for
-the longest time; but you could also build a slope, a sand dune, or a
-rock garden that would face the sun and get the most of it. Partial-sun
-plants could be placed where they are only lightly shaded by other
-plants or, if necessary, by shadings on the sections of glass above
-them. Shade-loving plants can grow under small trees and bushes.</p>
-
-<p>Almost any greenhouse, in any area, should have shading applied<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[71]</span> to
-the glass in early summer. Several shading compounds are available, in
-white or green, and are mixed and applied with either a wide brush or
-a sprayer. These compounds are constituted so that they slowly weather
-away during the summer and leave the glass clear by autumn. But if you
-happen to have plants that need all of the winter sun possible, it is
-wise also to clean the glass.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Temperature</i></p>
-
-<p>Greenhouses are generally classed as cool (40–60 degrees), moderate
-(50–70 degrees), or warm (60–80 degrees). This refers to the minimum
-night temperatures at which the thermostat is set to regulate the
-furnace or heater. In warm climates where an air-conditioner is used,
-it follows the same scale. Greenhouse plants are usually classified
-similarly. But if other cultural conditions are favorable, many plants
-will tolerate a much wider range.</p>
-
-<p>In order to grow the widest variety of plants, I set my greenhouse
-thermostat at 60 degrees in winter. This is a little warm for some
-cool-growing items such as geraniums, and causes outdoor garden plants
-(annuals, perennials, and vegetables started from seed) to grow
-slightly leggy and lank. But they recuperate in a hurry when they
-are moved outside. This temperature is slightly cool for subtropical
-plants; some gesneriads merely hold their own through the winter,
-neither growing nor flowering; some extremely tender begonias are
-forced into dormancy, from which they awaken in warm spring weather.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Humidity and Ventilation</i></p>
-
-<p>With such a motley assortment of plants, I try to keep relative
-humidity at 75 per cent or higher. The minute the gauge dips below that
-mark, we wet down the walks and benches. Of course, this happens only
-on bright, sunny days. During dark, gloomy weather we water and mist as
-little as possible.</p>
-
-<p>Constant circulation of fresh air is extremely important all year long.
-Our doors and vents are wide open in summer. On quiet winter days
-we may open doors or vents just a crack for a short time. Automatic
-ventilation is a marvelous convenience in late winter and early spring
-when the sun suddenly seems to get very hot and threatens to scorch
-everything under the glass.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Soil</i></p>
-
-<p>Whether a greenhouse garden is a small flat, part of a bench, or a
-large ground bed, soil should be prepared carefully to suit the kind
-of plant that will grow in it. You’ll find “recipes” of all kinds in
-any authoritative greenhouse garden book. Prepared soil mixtures should
-be at least a foot deep for beds in which you plan to grow<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[72]</span> plants of
-moderate size. For fruit trees and other larger plants, make it even
-deeper.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Fertilizing</i></p>
-
-<p>The fertilizing schedule which works so well for my house plants,
-seems to do equally well for my greenhouse plants. I shall stay with
-it until I find something better. But it does seem possible that a
-large greenhouse garden, with large areas of carefully prepared and
-nutritious soil, would probably need feeding slightly less frequently
-than plants in pots. I shall have to try this, when my dream greenhouse
-comes true.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Watering</i></p>
-
-<p>One of the “musts” in my dream greenhouse will be both hot and cold
-water, and a provision for mixing them as they flow into the hose.
-Thus, watering will be like a gentle summer rain. I’ll have an
-extra-fine nozzle to break the stream into a delicate mist. Warmed
-water in a fine spray surely should not injure tender foliage in
-any way. And think what fun it would be to water a garden this way,
-enjoying the slightly musty fragrance of a warm summer night when soil
-is moistened by rain&mdash;and all of this in January when the snow is piled
-deep in drifts and banks outside the house.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Grooming</i></p>
-
-<p>These are the little everyday pleasures of gardening in a
-greenhouse&mdash;snipping back a wandering branch, chiding a creeper and
-pulling it back from crawling over a neighbor, picking off a faded
-flower, supporting a branch heavily laden with flowers or fruit. It
-is real fun, and makes the difference between an overgrown mass and a
-carefully tended garden in which each plant appears at its best and
-in harmony with the others. Cleanliness&mdash;the removal of all organic
-matter before it rots, the rinsing away of dust and dirt&mdash;is the best
-protective measure against infiltration of insects and disease.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Insects and Disease</i></p>
-
-<p>When my retirement time comes, I may have to make a choice. Which do
-I want most&mdash;the convenience of fumigation with greenhouse “bombs,”
-or the presence of pet frogs, ladybugs, friendly insects, chameleons,
-and the like among my greenery? I am sure I will choose the latter,
-because I will have plenty of time to tend my greenhouse garden; and
-it’s not too much trouble to “spot spray” any plant that shows signs of
-problems. Anyway, it’s risky to use strong fumigants in a greenhouse
-that is attached to a dwelling, unless it is tightly closed in and
-has no cracks or fissures for leakage. And who could be sure of that.
-Anyhow, if I killed all the insects, what would the frogs find to eat.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[73]</span></p>
-
-
-<h3>GREENHOUSE PROPAGATING</h3>
-
-<p>Actually, I have two propagating cases in our large greenhouse. One is
-completely enclosed in plastic to keep the humid air even more humid.
-It has three or four inches of perlite on top of an electric coil to
-give it gentle bottom heat. The cuttings are inserted in rows so they
-are easier to manage and remove when their time comes. Here I root all
-cuttings from delicate plants and those with large leaves that need
-high humidity to keep from wilting and drying while roots are forming.
-My little plastic boxes of difficult seeds are also set there, where
-they will keep warm and protected.</p>
-
-<p>The second propagating box is wide open&mdash;merely an extra-large flat
-filled with sharp sand. Here I root the more rugged, or succulent,
-plants, such as cacti, geraniums, semperflorens begonias, and
-anything that may rot if kept too moist. Indeed, the sand may dry out
-occasionally, but they don’t seem to mind. Both cases are shaded by
-some old bamboo blinds.</p>
-
-<p>(<i>All of the window-garden plants listed in Chapter 6 do very well in
-greenhouses. See also the forced bulbs in Chapter 13.</i>)</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[74]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 6</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE HOUSE AND GREENHOUSE PLANTS</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>My gardening friends certainly vary as to ability, inclination, talent,
-and aptitude. At one extreme there is Aunt Minnie, whose green thumb
-injects magic into every pot and for whom every plant grows to buxom,
-blooming perfection. At the other end of the scale there is the poor
-soul who tries so hard but can’t keep a plant alive no matter what she
-does. Why do some plant-lovers never fail, while others never seem to
-win? There are a number of reasons, including a difference in growing
-conditions, variations in the types of plants, and even the amount of
-practical experience or common sense Aunt Minnie is blessed with.</p>
-
-<p>The truth is that there is no single, incontrovertible secret to
-success, but rather a combination of many factors of equal, or nearly
-equal, importance. The best soil in the world won’t make plants flower
-unless temperature and sunlight are right. The frequency with which
-you water plants should be affected by indoor temperature, humidity,
-and pot size. And don’t think it is Aunt Minnie’s favorite brand of
-fertilizer alone that keep her plants in good health.</p>
-
-<p>In our house, and in countless others, it is not possible to make
-growing conditions as perfect as a plant might wish; but we try to come
-as close as we can, and find most plants are willing and able to make
-concessions. One more thing we do. We learn all about each plant’s
-natural home&mdash;desert, steamy jungle, Mexican mountainside&mdash;so we’ll
-know what combination of conditions it likes best.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[75]</span></p>
-
-
-<h3>CARE OF HOUSE AND GREENHOUSE PLANTS</h3>
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Light and Sunlight</i></p>
-
-<p>Plants need daylight to make energy; they can’t grow without it, or its
-equivalent in artificial light. They need some sunlight to set buds,
-and can’t flower without it or a substitute. Intensity and duration of
-light should vary according to each plant’s preferences.</p>
-
-<p>No plant of ours is left to waste its life away on the fireplace
-mantel, where the light is too dim to read the printing on a book
-of matches. Granted, we might set it there for a day or so as a
-decoration, but we would return it to its bright window sill before it
-began to stretch out weakly in search of light. These are the signs
-of insufficient light&mdash;weak, lopsided growth; leaves that feel limp
-and look pale; new leaves, if any, growing progressively smaller and
-smaller; long leaf stems and long internodes.</p>
-
-<p>Our window greenhouse, which faces south, is reserved for flowering
-plants that need all the light and sun we can give them, particularly
-in winter. This is Connecticut, remember; the winter sun seldom
-gets very hot or stays bright very long. And there are days on end
-when the sun simply does not show its face. California’s “shade
-plants”&mdash;begonias and fuchsias, for example&mdash;require full sun during a
-Northern winter.</p>
-
-<p>For plants that are not quite so greedy for sunshine, we have the
-east-facing playroom picture window, which is lightly shaded by a
-high-branched deciduous tree in summer. For foliage plants, and a few
-others that will thrive on little or no sun, there are several other
-windows around the house where there is plentiful daylight, but the sun
-is seldom seen.</p>
-
-<p>Your situation may be entirely different&mdash;perhaps a glassed-in
-porch that’s brighter than our window sills ever will be; or a
-contemporary-style glassed-in entry that lets sun stream in all winter
-long. Keep in mind that various plants have varying needs for light and
-sunlight; and the only sun that benefits a plant is that which falls
-directly on it. A south window may actually be shady in summer, and
-this is truer the farther south you go.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Temperature</i></p>
-
-<p>Some plants grow their healthiest when the thermometer reads 50 to 55
-degrees at night and 5 to 10 degrees higher during the day; some tender
-tropical <i>émigrés</i> suffer a chill when the mercury dips under 60
-degrees at night. But the greatest number<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[76]</span> will tolerate a fairly wide
-range, and are quite content with whatever the house has to offer. This
-again assumes that other conditions, such as humidity, are kept up to
-the plants’ requirements.</p>
-
-<p>Temperature tolerances are directly affected by the humidity in the
-air. Many plants will accept a temperature that is higher than average
-if the air is moist. Some will accept a temperature that is below
-average if the air is not too moist. In air that’s too hot and dry,
-leaf edges will often turn brown and crisp; when it is too cool, a
-plant may stop growing temporarily; when it is both too cool and too
-moist, there may be danger of rot. Don’t trust the thermostat that
-governs your house heating system to tell you whether the temperature
-is right for a plant; measure it on the very spot where the plant is
-growing.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Humidity</i></p>
-
-<p>This is often a more crucial factor than temperature, and one that
-is more troublesome to change. Relative humidity is a measure of the
-amount of moisture in the air as compared with the maximum amount of
-moisture the air can hold at a given temperature. It is expressed in
-percentage figures.</p>
-
-<p>Most plants find it difficult to breathe in dry air; they need some
-moisture around, on, and in their leaves. (People are better off when
-they have it, too.) Alone, or teamed up with unsuitable temperature,
-low humidity can cause leaves to wither, buds to drop before they open,
-and even an invasion of mites or some other pest.</p>
-
-<p>A humidity gauge is not nearly so familiar a household item as a
-thermometer, but it is equally useful, usually better looking, and not
-much more costly. And it can come up with some eye-opening information.
-The humidity gauge will tell you very quickly, for example, when an
-air-conditioning system is missing its recommended mark of 50 per cent
-relative humidity. It will stop you from overwatering in muggy weather.
-It will show you that humidity can be dangerously low in the window
-where your plants are growing, even though it is perfectly acceptable
-three feet away. (Perhaps there is a radiator beneath the window.)</p>
-
-<p>What you do to increase humidity depends on how low it is, and on what
-type of plant you are growing. At our house we have three systems
-for the humidity problem&mdash;the lazy, the halfway, and the necessary
-nuisance. The lazy way works fine for dry-air-type plants such as most
-cacti and other succulents. We simply grow them where the hot blasts
-from the radiator are strongest. They don’t wither, and when on sunny
-days we water them, we also mist them with a fine water spray. (For
-an easy misting device, we have<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[77]</span> an old Windex bottle with a spraying
-attachment in the cap. It does a fine job. Of course, there are other
-commercial products with built-in sprayers. Perhaps you have one in
-your kitchen.)</p>
-
-<p>To go “halfway,” you set up some simple humidifying device. The
-containers which you fill with water and hang behind the radiators are
-effective to some extent. But don’t forget to keep them filled. Pans
-of water on top of the radiator also help. A steam kettle, such as you
-use when the kiddies have a chest cold, can be used for a few hours.
-But remember, that steam is hot, so be careful not to get it too close
-to your plants. Just keep it in the general vicinity; please, not too
-close! Here is something else we often use&mdash;put some gravel, sand,
-perlite, or vermiculite in a plate or platter, pour in some water, and
-put your flower pot in it. The water will evaporate and moisten the
-air around your plant. If you have a number of plants, get a metal or
-plastic tray. If you have a decorative garden, you might want to have
-a tray made to order, to fit your space. Paint it a pleasing color.
-I have seen such trays decorated with decals, but personally, I’d
-rather rely on my plants for the necessary decoration. In having a tray
-made&mdash;we’ve had several made by our tinsmith&mdash;the larger the tray, the
-better.</p>
-
-<p>The “nuisance” system is usually necessary only for very delicate
-tropical plants that flourish in highly humid jungles and rain forests.
-They will need the platter, or tray of moist sand, plus some enclosure
-to hold in the moist air. For a single small plant, this can be an
-inverted bell jar, or a tent made from a polyethylene bag (the sort
-vegetables are often packed in) and propped over the jar and plant.
-A larger bag can be used to protect several plants. You can even use
-kitchen-type plastics such as Saran Wrap. A collection of tropicals
-almost calls for an indoor greenhouse, like the oldtime Wardian case.
-In our window greenhouse we can close the inside sash and, with the aid
-of pans of water, keep the humidity just about where we want it. On
-cold nights the electric-coil heater isn’t always adequate, so we open
-the sash to get the benefit of the heat of the room.</p>
-
-<p>The plants that need this extra humidification are definitely in the
-minority; most are content with simple measures, or none at all.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Soil</i></p>
-
-<p>When I first became interested in a wide variety of indoor plants, I
-prepared soil mixtures with the care and precision I had used in making
-the formulas for our children. It involved trips to the woods for leaf
-mold, sifting and mixing ingredients, and sterilizing the ordinary soil
-which we used in order to kill the seeds that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[78]</span> are found in almost all
-soils. In our Long Island home we had an extra stove in the basement
-which we used for canning and other secondary purposes. I’d fill the
-oven with old baking pans and other receptacles which contained my
-potting soil, and light the burner. Frankly, it “reeked” and the reek
-was all over the house. It was as though we were burning feathers in
-the fireplace. Now that I am less energetic, and somewhat wiser, I buy
-prepared soil.</p>
-
-<p>I find that for a reasonable number of plants the prepared soil is not
-costly and saves a lot of time and preparation. Of course, if you are
-a professional you may have your own ideas about soil, and your own
-formulas for a mixture. I’ll admit I do a little mixing on my own, but
-that is because I grow many different kinds of plants in pots, and each
-has individual preferences. Most cacti and succulents need something
-sandy that doesn’t hold moisture too long, as is natural in their
-desert homes. Tropical plants need a light, porous medium that is rich
-in moisture-holding humus, like decayed leaves on the jungle floor.
-Some plants get nourishment only from acid soil, some need alkaline
-soil, some like soil nearly neutral. I’ve found Michigan peat moss a
-good starting base regardless of requirements of individual plants.</p>
-
-<p>I like to dish it right out of the bag. When done, I always pull the
-plastic inner liner together to keep it moist. In extra dry weather
-I often wet a sponge and put it on top of the mixture. Potting is a
-pleasure, because Michigan peat feels so soft, silky, and clean. At
-repotting time I discover well-developed, healthy root systems.</p>
-
-<p>For plants that require better-than-average drainage&mdash;mostly
-succulents&mdash;I mix peat moss with builders’ sand. (Want to know
-where I got my last batch of builders’ sand?&mdash;from a contractor who
-was building a house down the road. He and his wife happen to be
-begonia lovers and he was charmed to know about my book <i>All About
-Begonias</i>.) The formula for the mixture is two-thirds soil and
-one-third sand. For even greater aeration, I may throw in a moderate
-ration of crushed charcoal.</p>
-
-<p>On the other hand, some of my plants insist that their soil always be
-moist. For them I add coarse vermiculite, perlite, or Pelonex, and
-in a similar ratio. These soil conditioners have the ability to hold
-moisture without making the soil muddy or soggy.</p>
-
-<p>There is another item on my potting-soil shelf&mdash;a jar of horticultural
-lime. This is for plants that dislike acidity. I either add it to the
-potting soil&mdash;a scant teaspoon per three-inch pot&mdash;or mix it with
-water, to be applied later. With or without these added ingredients,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[79]</span> I
-feel that a good potting soil has sufficient nutrients for almost any
-plant for several months; so I seldom mix in fertilizer of any kind.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Potting</i></p>
-
-<p>When and how to repot a plant should be the least of a gardener’s
-problems. Here is a case where hovering, pampering, and fussing
-usually does more harm than good. Plants are often better repotted
-<i>mañana</i> than today.</p>
-
-<p>I know many of my plants have benefited from the fact that I have been
-too busy to repot them whenever the impulse came over me. I hate to
-think how many I have killed with kindness in my less active years.</p>
-
-<p>Remember my Aunt Minnie? She embarked on a big repotting spree every
-spring, but not very often in between. Some of her most handsome
-specimens have lived in coffee tins and large juice cans for years.
-Instinctively she knows when a plant should be repotted. Don’t ask me
-how she knows it. And when that time comes, she goes about it in a
-firm, no-nonsense manner, firmly but tenderly.</p>
-
-<p>There is one sure way to tell whether a plant needs a new pot. Turn
-the old pot upside down, tap the contents loose, and examine the soil
-ball. If it is completely covered with a network of roots, get busy
-with a larger pot. If not, don’t repot, just slip it back where it was
-before and give it a loving pat. If you happen to have a seedling you
-have great hopes of raising to a beautiful maturity, it will have to be
-repotted more often.</p>
-
-<p>The kind of pot is a matter of personal choice. Plastics are lighter
-in weight, easier to clean, and capable of keeping soil moist for a
-longer period of time. This makes them suitable for moisture-loving
-plants, or for gardeners who have a tendency to forget the watering
-pot. Clay pots are porous, and because they let air seep into plants,
-they dry out faster. This makes them best for dry-growing plants, and
-for overwaterers (like me).</p>
-
-<p>Actually, the size of the pot is more important than the type. It takes
-an expert to know how to water a plant when it is overpotted. You are
-not doing your plant a favor by housing it in a pot several sizes too
-large; in fact, you may even be signing its death certificate. As a
-rule, the new pot should be only one size larger than the previous
-one, thus leaving just enough room around the roots for some fresh
-soil. Pack the new soil firmly with your finger tips, a pencil, or a
-slim piece of wood. Be sure there are no empty air-pockets. Water it
-thoroughly and set it in a light, but not sunny,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[80]</span> spot, for about a
-week. This will give it time to recover from any transplanting “shock.”</p>
-
-<p>This discussion about overpotting applies to plants in general, but it
-is even more important with miniatures. Smaller pots will keep them
-down to natural, miniature size.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Fertilizing</i></p>
-
-<p>Many people who have fewer plants than I&mdash;and more time&mdash;tend to make
-a fetish of fertilizing. I am afraid my methods are haphazard, and not
-to be recommended. Anyway, I will tell you what I do. Follow it if you
-like, but quite possibly you may have a better method which you prefer.</p>
-
-<p>I keep two kinds of house-plant fertilizer on hand&mdash;a reliable brand
-of soluble commercial chemical plant food (it dissolves in water and
-has the note “trace elements added” on the label) and an organic
-food. This organic food is either manure water or fish emulsion. The
-fish emulsion comes bottled and is diluted with water. As an amusing
-sidelight, our tomcat goes slightly out of his mind when around a
-potted plant that has had fish emulsion for its dinner. The cat just
-can’t find the source of that aroma. Manure water, on the other hand,
-has no such fascination. It is easy to prepare. Simply wrap a portion
-of well-rotted manure in a section of cheesecloth or burlap, and steep
-it in the watering pot long enough to produce a “tea” fluid. Better do
-this out of doors, in the garage, or in the tool shed. It is usually
-“olfactorily offensive.”</p>
-
-<p>Once a month I make a solution of the chemical fertilizer, at half the
-strength recommended on the label of the package, and feed plants as I
-water them. Two weeks later, and once a week after that if they need
-it, I feed with the organic solution. This, I think, constitutes a
-“balanced diet” for most types of plants.</p>
-
-<p>Like overpotting, overfertilizing can lead to lost plants. It is my
-observation that an underfed plant usually doesn’t die quickly. It
-simply slows down until you have time to feed it. It is particularly
-important <i>not</i> to fertilize plants that have been repotted
-recently, plants that are unhealthy or are plagued by insects or
-disease, plants that are resting right after flowering, plants that are
-dormant or semidormant, as some of them are at certain times of the
-year. <i>Do</i> fertilize plants that are in active growth, setting
-buds, or in full bloom, plants that are aglow with good health, plants
-whose roots have filled, or nearly filled, their pots.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Watering</i></p>
-
-<p>My children, who are learning to care for plants rather early, have
-been grounded in one fundamental fact&mdash;feel the soil<span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[81]</span> in the pot to
-see if the plant needs water. If the soil is dry, fetch the watering
-pot (succulents can be an exception). I have been told my kiddies have
-had arguments at school about watering the plants which cluster on the
-sunny window sills. The usual procedure in our Redding school is to
-assign the care of the plants to a different child each day. He, or
-she, floods everything with water and then retires to his, or her, desk
-with the feeling of having done his, or her, good deed for the day.
-Plants, alas, are not like goldfish. They don’t care for swimming.</p>
-
-<p>This brings up a question I am frequently asked about house plants:
-“How often should they be watered?” Even an IBM calculator with a
-thousand cards feeding through its maw couldn’t come up with a better
-answer than this simple statement: “Water them when they need it.”</p>
-
-<p>At the risk of repeating myself, I will sum up my thoughts on this
-problem, and then go on to other subjects. Test the soil with your
-fingers, if it is dry, you can most likely water with impunity. If
-moist, more water is inviting root rot. When you water, make sure
-the entire soil ball is so saturated that excess water runs out the
-drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. Miniature plants are likely
-to require more frequent watering, because their pots are small and
-they are small. Frequency of watering: Here we get into an awful lot
-of tangibles, and some intangibles. There are such things to consider
-as the type of plant and its moisture needs, size of the plant and its
-pot, what sort of soil is in the pot, is the plant root-bound or not,
-is it in active growth or dormant, what is the weather like out of
-doors&mdash;is it warm or blustery, clear and sunny, dark and humid, or just
-another day. Remember, on hot dry days the moisture is going to slip
-away into the atmosphere. On cloudy days it will hang around longer;
-humidity will take care of that. If you feel your plant needs water and
-you are afraid of flooding it, you might try another device. Put some
-moist peat in a larger pot&mdash;or you can use vermiculite or perlite&mdash;and
-set the plant and its pot inside this larger pot.</p>
-
-<p>Right now you may be wondering about hanging baskets and those plants
-that are wrapped in osmunda and mounted on slabs of wood. Give them a
-good dunking in the kitchen sink but let the excess water drain off
-before you hang them again, out of deference to your carpeting and
-furniture. Actually, the plants don’t care whether they spot your
-furnishings or not.</p>
-
-<p>If all of this is confusing, may I sum it up in a phrase: “Just use<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[82]</span>
-your common sense” (horse sense may be a better term). I know I have
-written a few books about plants and gardening, and countless magazine
-articles, but here is a very candid confession. Until a very few years
-ago I knew practically nothing about the subject. What I know I learned
-by reading books and magazine articles, and “doing.” I know I killed
-a few plants out of ignorance, but I killed more with kindness. Every
-time a plant withered and died I felt badly. But I considered it a
-lesson in what to do, or not to do. I tried to find the cause for the
-demise. Today I have the satisfaction of having raised thousands of
-plants to beautiful bloomhood, and largely because of the sacrifice
-of some obscure begonia, or petunia, a few years back. I have been
-acclaimed as having a “green thumb.” Actually I do not have a green
-thumb. No one has. I thoroughly dislike the term. I dislike the
-implication that a person has a God-given quality which makes plants
-grow. Making plants grow and prosper is largely the mastering of a
-few rules, and the use of a lot of common sense. I’ll grant you, much
-of your common sense comes the “hard way.” But it is fun. I bow most
-respectfully to those plants which I killed with ignorance and kindness.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Grooming</i></p>
-
-<p>This is the “beauty-parlor” treatment for your plants. Fading flowers
-and dying leaves are as unattractive on a plant as those unruly
-ringlets in a woman’s coiffure. In fact, they are even worse. They take
-strength from a plant and are unsanitary. Remove them as regularly as
-you can. You’ll be adding to the welfare of your plant. If the plant
-is of a type that needs to be pruned or pinched to keep it comely and
-compact, perform the operation before the branches get that gangly,
-middle-aged spread. Pinching out the new growing tips, either with
-sharp fingernails or sharper scissors, usually produces two new
-branches. If you pinch out the tips of these, you will most likely get
-four new branches and your plant will become pleasingly plump. The
-exception is the plant that blooms from the ends of new growth. Stop
-your pinching before the bud-setting season.</p>
-
-<p>Not many miniatures need staking to keep them upright. If stake you
-must, do it as inconspicuously as possible and tie the stems neatly in
-their natural growing manner. Train miniature creepers in the direction
-you want them to grow, and miniature climbers up their supports. Rinse
-foliage with a fine spray (use that discarded Windex bottle I described
-earlier) as often as you can to wash away dust and dirt. Please, may I
-throw in a plea right here&mdash;recently I saw a commercial product which
-some people use to make their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[83]</span> plants more green. It is a spray for
-foliage. For the moment it makes plants look green with its sheen. But
-it also clogs the pores on the plant and its leaves. For the moment it
-is beautiful; for permanency it is harmful. Decide, do you want your
-plant to live for the moment only?</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Insects and Disease</i></p>
-
-<p>Not long ago, when visiting a friend, I was taken out to her sun room
-to see her plants. She was proud, but I was shocked. What I saw was the
-most amazingly bug-ridden collection of fuchsias and geraniums I have
-seen in many a moon, plus a few poor distorted other flowers which were
-trying to survive. My poor hostess, honestly, I think she had no idea
-of her problems and the future of her plants. In fact, they had little
-future. I thought over that problem for a spell, and then told her the
-facts of life. Fortunately, she was able to save much of her greenery.</p>
-
-<p>That poor gardener was on one end of the spectrum. On the other end
-are the overanxious ones who treat their plants with so many sprays
-and dusts that the leaves never get a chance to breathe pure air.
-Fortunately, in between there are the sane, sensible growers who are
-able to cope with the insects and diseases which beset house plants. As
-for myself, I have been at both extremes.</p>
-
-<p>I now find prevention is the best protection. That is an old saw, but
-the best one I know. I keep plants and pots clean, remove dead flowers
-and foliage before they decay, and use germ-free potting soil. People
-often give me plants. I accept them most politely, and gratefully;
-but I am cautious about mingling them with my other residents of the
-greenhouse and window garden. I keep them in a quarantine section for a
-few weeks. No use asking for trouble, and I trust my friends understand.</p>
-
-<p>For immediate and reliable treatment, I rely on an “all-purpose”
-house-plant spray or a dip. As long as I am careful to keep it up, I
-seem to have no great problems. When I get careless, as humans are wont
-to do, I regret it.</p>
-
-<p>It is very convenient to rely on the new aerosol bombs&mdash;those that
-are specifically marked for house plants, and not those for household
-insects. There are several reliable brands, each listing on the
-label what they are to be used for. If there happens to be an added
-fungicide, so much to the good. That will cover just about everything.</p>
-
-<p>A few words of caution about the use of aerosol bombs. Follow the
-instructions on the label to the letter. Hold the bomb at least
-eighteen inches away from your plant, maybe more. Some of those<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[84]</span> fluids
-come out of the can at a very low temperature and have the same effect
-as a blowtorch on foliage. Try to make sure the spray hits all parts of
-the plant. Remember, leaves also have an underside. Don’t let bugs use
-that underside as a hide-out.</p>
-
-<p>There was a word of caution on each aerosol container I have seen: “Do
-not throw into an open flame when empty.” My husband wondered what
-would happen if he did. He tossed an empty can into the trash burner
-and got behind a tree. The explosion sounded like a hand grenade left
-over from World War II and he had to get a new lid for the burner.
-Please take my word for it and don’t take that chance. Let him be crazy
-if he likes, but not you. I don’t like to lose readers so early in my
-book.</p>
-
-<p>I know I take precautions, but in spite of everything my plants become
-infected at times. When that happens it’s helpful if you can recognize
-the symptoms, diagnose the ailment, and apply the cure. With your
-interests in mind, I have put together a list of sorts which includes
-the most prevalent house-plant insects and diseases, the telltale signs
-of their arrival, and the insecticides and fungicides which will send
-them to their happier hunting grounds. If I have skipped anything, my
-apologies. If you are having special problems, phone your local county
-agricultural agent. He is a good man to know anyhow. But please, unless
-you have something that is out of hand, don’t bedevil the man. He is
-probably concerned with ticks on sheep, ringworm, hog cholera, breachy
-cows, grubworms, and forty people who want to know why their hollyhocks
-didn’t bloom.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PROPAGATING HOUSE PLANTS</h3>
-
-<p>It’s hard to tell which provides the warmest pleasure, to give a friend
-or visitor a rooted, potted cutting of some plant she has admired,
-or to come home with a gift cutting of a new plant you have admired
-and coveted. There is a thrill also in adding a new plant to your
-collection by growing seed from a seed house. And I always have another
-thrill when the church or the school asks me to contribute plants for
-the annual bazaars. Fortunately, I usually am able to anticipate these
-requests far enough in advance to have a supply ready and waiting.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[85]</span></p>
-
-
-<h3>PESTS AND TREATMENT</h3>
-
-<table summary="pests" class="smaller" style="max-width: 40em">
-  <tr>
-    <td class="ctr"></td>
-    <td class="ctr"><i>Symptoms</i></td>
-    <td class="ctr"><i>Treatment</i></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht1">Aphids (Nasty plant lice)</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Little louse-like insects. Green in color in
-                    our area. Clustered on new leaves, on flowers,
-                    and around stems</td>
-    <td class="cht1">This is an easy one to get rid of, but likely
-                    to return if you don’t watch out. Use a solution
-                    of Black Leaf 40 (nicotine sulfate) in a
-                    combination spray with lindane or pyrethrum and
-                    malathion. Or you can use any of them alone</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht1">Mealybugs (Don’t let them frighten you)</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Little white dabs of cotton clinging to
-                     tender joints, stems, and the underside of
-                     leaves</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Dip an artist’s paint brush or a cotton-wrapped
-                     toothpick in a solution of malathion. Remove the
-                     pests one by one</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht1">Mites</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Buds and new leaves are puckered and
-                     distorted. The underside of the
-                     leaves may show fine, white silky webs</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Dip plants in a solution of malathion, Kelthane,
-                     or Tedion according to the directions on the
-                     label</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht1">Mildew</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Silvery dust disfigures the leaves, most likely
-                     in dark, muggy summer weather</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Dust plants with sulfur, or spray with one of the
-                     new fungicides like captan, zineb, etc. Give
-                     plants more space and increase air circulation</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht1">Scale</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Hard brown, or green, scales irregularly on
-                     the underside of leaves</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Dip plant in a solution of malathion. Repeat
-                     according to directions</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht1">Slugs</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Slimy villains, like shell-less snails,
-                     which hide in soil or under pots by day and
-                     come out to chew holes in leaves at night</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Use special slug-bait containing metaldehyde
-                     according to package directions</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht1">Thrips</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Brownish blotches under leaves.
-                     Disfigured flowers</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Dip or spray with malathion all-purpose
-                     mixture containing lindane, pyrethrum</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht1">White Fly</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Minute flies swarm in the air about the
-                     plant when disturbed</td>
-    <td class="cht1">Spray or dip in malathion, or an
-                     all-purpose mixture</td>
-  </tr>
-
-</table>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[86]</span></p>
-
-<p>Since I fashioned my first crude propagating box&mdash;a square cake-tin
-with a rickety frame covered with kitchen plastic&mdash;I’ve always had
-some sort of similar device in operation. They have been of many sizes
-and shapes, and have included an aquarium vacated by the children’s
-goldfish, and a fruit crate from the grocery with cut-to-measure glass
-sides and top (I use masking tape to hold the corners). The one thing
-common to all of these boxes is the three-inch layer of some moist
-propagating medium, ready to receive seeds and cuttings.</p>
-
-<p>The latest and most attractive box I’ve used is the Gro-Master&mdash;a
-ready-made plug-in propagator with an electric coil in the bottom to
-provide gentle bottom heat. Several similar devices are also available.
-With something like this one can hardly miss germinating even the most
-difficult house-plant seeds, or rooting even the most delicate cuttings.</p>
-
-<p>The choice of a propagating medium is all yours. I’ve used vermiculite,
-perlite, and Pelonex with unqualified success. I tried sharp sand but
-discovered that it dried out too fast for anything but succulents. Peat
-alone, or mixed with sand, tends to pack and rots rather quickly. I
-tried a blend of equal parts of peat, vermiculite, and perlite. It held
-up rather well, but I seldom bother to mix it. Regardless of what you
-prefer to use, have the medium moist when you use it, and water just
-enough to keep it barely moist during the rooting process.</p>
-
-<p>Of course, with many types of plants, you can root “slips” in a glass
-of water on your kitchen window sill. But in any kind of propagating
-box, where the air is kept humid and the delicate plants are protected
-from drafts and drying-out, you have a better chance.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>House Plants from Seed</i></p>
-
-<p>African violets and other gesneriads, all types of begonias and
-geraniums, and many other indoor plants can be grown quite easily
-from seed. I like to plant each variety in its own small plastic
-refrigerator dish with a half-inch or so of soil (moist, sterilized
-soil that is) in the bottom of the dish. Sometimes I use plastic
-ice-cube trays. When planting powder-fine seeds, I usually add a thin
-layer of moist, finely-milled sphagnum moss and make it very smooth.
-Dust the tiny seeds over this surface, but don’t cover them with soil.
-Larger seeds should be covered with soil or more moss. Next, cover the
-container tightly and set it in a warm spot. That is when you will
-appreciate a propagating box. If<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[87]</span> the moss and soil begins to dry out,
-moisten it by gently running drops of water down the sides of the
-container. Please be gentle and tender. Tiny seeds and seedlings should
-not be disturbed.</p>
-
-<p>When the seedlings have developed one or two true leaves of fairly
-substantial size, pick them out very gently and transplant them to
-another “community” container, or to individual thumb pots. Keep them
-humid and protected until they are big enough to need transplanting
-again. After that, they should be nearly ready to become adjusted to
-grown-up growing conditions in a window, or some other indoor garden.</p>
-
-<p>One of the neatest tricks of the year is the Water ‘N’ Watch indoor
-garden developed and sold by Peggie Schulz, an attractive plastic
-planter complete with soil and planted with fourteen types of seeds.
-You simply follow her instructions, add water, and watch the seedlings
-germinate and grow. Gradually you remove the plastic dome when the
-plants are large enough. At transplanting time, remove the seedlings to
-separate pots, or leave a few to mature in the planter. This device is
-just about as work-free a method of growing house plants as there is.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p17" style="max-width: 600px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p17.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Propagation box developed by Peggie Schulz, author and
-garden columnist</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[88]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p18" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p18.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Sprouted stem cuttings of dwarf geraniums</p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Stem Cuttings</i></p>
-
-<p>This is the most familiar way to propagate house plants, and the
-method that works best for most kinds of plants. With the exception
-of miniature orchids, stem cuttings can be taken from any house plant
-mentioned in this book, and your chances for success are very good if
-you have a propagating box for them.</p>
-
-<p>Generally, stem cuttings are the ends cut from branches that are in
-healthy, active growth. Each should be more than a mere tip, and have
-at least two nodes, or “joints.” The large, bottom leaves are stripped
-off very gently and the cut end of the stem is inserted, to about half
-of its length, in the propagating medium. When you see evidences of new
-growth, or when roots have developed, dig under it with a spoon and
-remove it for potting. (Here is the test to determine if roots have
-developed: Pull on the cutting, very gently of course. If you feel
-resistance you know it has roots which are holding it down.) Pot your
-new plant very carefully in soil that is suitable for it; and please,
-don’t add fertilizer to this soil.</p>
-
-<p>For stem cuttings, and most other methods of propagation, there are now
-certain hormone rooting preparations. They speed up rooting, make it
-more certain, and help to develop larger and healthier root systems. Be
-sure you get the correct type for softwood cuttings,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[89]</span> or indoor plants.
-In using these new hormones, follow the directions on the package
-carefully.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Leaf Cuttings</i></p>
-
-<p>It is a well-known fact that African violets will reproduce themselves
-from a single leaf. However, it is not so well known that there are
-dozens of other plants that will do the same. For example, more than
-once I have taken a succulent leaf, laid it out flat on moist sand, and
-had it grow roots and a small new plant. Leaves of peperomias, and many
-other plants, can be cut, with or without a piece of stem, and will
-grow bushy new plantlets. Some kinds of begonias will send out roots
-from the end of the stem, or new plants from the point above where stem
-and leaf join.</p>
-
-<p>Except for some succulents, leaf cuttings are usually inserted with
-their stem ends in a moist propagating medium, with their leaves
-standing nearly upright above. (Again, you are safer if you have a
-propagating box, even though it be a crude one.) When they are well
-rooted and the new plants are of fair size, the cuttings are potted
-with the old leaves intact. The parent leaf is removed only when the
-new plant is strong enough to grow on its own. Of course, in the case
-of African violets, where more than one plant is produced at the end of
-the stem, the babies must be separated and each put into its own pot.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Root and Rhizome Cuttings</i></p>
-
-<p>Sections of roots are sometimes cut to propagate house and greenhouse
-plants, but the practice is more common with hardy garden plants. But
-pieces of thickened, stemlike, or rootlike rhizomes can be taken from
-many types of indoor plants. Rhizomatous begonias, and rex begonias of
-rhizomatous habit, are familiar examples. Each piece of rhizome should
-have at least two, but preferably three, “eyes,” or scars from which
-leafstems have grown. The piece is placed half in and half out of the
-moist medium in the propagating box. Roots grow from the bottom down
-into the medium; stems and leaves shoot up from the eyes on top.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Layering</i></p>
-
-<p>There are two general methods of layering, and in each case the plant
-is completely rooted before it is cut away from the parent. In “air
-layering” a thick stem, or cane, is slit, wrapped with moist sphagnum
-moss, and enclosed in plastic until roots are produced. This method is
-usually practiced on large, overgrown plants such as dieffenbachias,
-and truthfully is not necessary, or practical, for most miniatures.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[90]</span></p>
-
-<p>But ground layering is a safe and sure way to propagate almost any
-plant with lax stems, and is particularly useful on temperamental
-plants such as some miniature ivies, which are reluctant to strike
-roots on stem cuttings. It is very simple. Just pin down the stem, not
-too far from the growing tip, in the soil beside the mature plant. If
-you like, you can put it in a pot of its own and thus be one jump ahead
-by having the roots where you want them. I usually steal a hairpin out
-of my “bun,” but a section of wire bent into a <i>U</i> will do. When
-the stem has rooted, cut it off on the side next to the parent plant.
-Unless it is already rooted in a pot, dig it out and plant it.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Division of Crowns and Roots</i></p>
-
-<p>One African-violet plant may grow several crowns, or main stems
-complete with rosettes. Since single-crown plants usually are more
-shapely and bloom more abundantly, the extra crowns can be cut off and
-rooted like ordinary stem cuttings. This is one of the more popular
-methods of dividing an old plant and getting several new ones from it.</p>
-
-<p>Some plants will eventually make such dense, bushy growth that they not
-only look obese and unattractive, but are prey to all sorts of rot.
-Root division not only gives these plants a new lease on life, but also
-provides several new plants. Remove the overgrown plant from its pot,
-and very gently, try to split the matted roots and stems into separate
-sections. Do this with your fingers and not a metal instrument. If you
-work slowly and with care, several will most likely pull free. If you
-can’t do it with your fingers, you may have to resort to a clean sharp
-knife, in which case cut down past the stems and through the roots,
-making several separate sections. Discard any damaged leaves. Pot up
-the divisions, and keep them shaded and protected for a week or so
-until they recover from the shock.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Runners, Stolons, and Offsets</i></p>
-
-<p>Many plants are continually propagating themselves by producing
-new plants in clusters around the old ones, sometimes at the ends
-of underground stolons or above-ground runners. <i>Saxifraga
-sarmentosa</i> was named “Strawberry begonia” because it continually
-produces new plants on runners, strawberry-style. Episcias and
-chlorophytums are other examples.</p>
-
-<p>Any of these offsets make new plants easily. Pin them down in soil,
-give them time to root, and then cut them off and insert them in a
-propagating box. Next, you pot them. Sometimes you’ll find the roots
-have already formed and the new plant is ready for potting and you
-didn’t even suspect it.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[91]</span></p>
-
-
-<h3>DESCRIPTION OF HOUSE PLANTS</h3>
-
-<p>Some pages back I told you that the question asked of me most
-frequently is “How often should I water plants?” A close runner-up is
-the question, “Where can I get out-of-the-ordinary plants?” Believe
-it or not, that question is easier to answer. Local florists and
-greenhouse people often have plants tucked away&mdash;something exotic and
-special. Most of the people in the industry cherish these plants and
-are hesitant to part with them to run-of-the-mine customers. But if
-the person is a genuine plant-lover, a sale can usually be made, even
-though it is a reluctant sale. Just demonstrate that you are vitally
-interested and you will be surprised at what you can buy. Try it.</p>
-
-<p>I have a number of catalogues from mail-order suppliers in all parts of
-the country who carry unusual plants, and in a variety that increases
-year by year. Do you know where I came upon their names?&mdash;from small
-advertisements in horticultural magazines. Read those small ads. Often
-the advertiser is so small, and so specialized, that he can’t afford
-too much space. But he has the treasures you want.</p>
-
-<p>Mail-order plants are naturally young and small. Large plants are too
-difficult to pack and ship for any distance. Plants that are small
-usually cost less, and you have an extra dividend in the pleasure of
-seeing them grow to maturity. You would be amazed at the progress that
-has been made in packing and shipping in the past few years. Plants
-that I have ordered recently have come through the mails in from
-excellent to perfect condition&mdash;even plants from the Pacific Northwest.
-You simply unpack them&mdash;carefully, I’ll admit&mdash;water them if necessary,
-and keep them out of hot, bright sun and draft for a few days until
-they are acclimated to their new surroundings. Should any plant seem
-weak or mildly injured, pop it into the propagating box and usually
-it will be back on its feet again in a few days. If the damage is too
-serious, report it to the post office, the express company, or the
-shipper. I have yet to register one of these complaints.</p>
-
-<p>I have been general in the preceding pages of this chapter. Now I
-will be more specific and offer a list of plants and their growing
-requirements. All of the following plants can be grown in the
-greenhouse. But given proper light, humidity, and/or other special
-care, they can be grown in the house where you live&mdash;even the most<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[92]</span>
-delicate types. The information on culture is abbreviated, but
-consistent use of the same terms, I feel is justified. The following
-are used in the sections on care under each plant.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Full sun</i></p>
-
-<p>The sun actually falls on the plant for most of the day.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Partial sun</i></p>
-
-<p>The sun touches the plants for only a few hours in the early morning or
-late afternoon in summer, but for longer periods in winter (tropical
-areas excepted).</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Little or no sun</i></p>
-
-<p>Bright daylight is sufficient to keep some plants healthy.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Temperature</i></p>
-
-<p>Any figures that are quoted are for daytime. Night temperatures can
-usually drop about five degrees. (Cool is 40 to 60 degrees; moderate,
-50 to 70 degrees; warm, 60 to 80 degrees.)</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Humidity</i></p>
-
-<p>This is noted if the plant needs more than average humidity (50 per
-cent).</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Soil</i></p>
-
-<p>The plant may prefer a potting mixture that is <i>humusy</i>,
-extra-rich in organic matter; <i>average</i>, like the potting soil I
-have described on other pages; <i>sandy</i>, with an extra ration of
-sand, or a similar substitute. Or it may be <i>epiphytic</i> and grow
-in some suitable medium such as osmunda fiber or sphagnum moss.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Dry</i></p>
-
-<p>Let the soil dry thoroughly before watering.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Moist</i></p>
-
-<p>Water when the soil in the top of the pot feels dry to the touch.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Wet</i></p>
-
-<p>Never allow the soil to dry out.</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p>Methods of propagation are also summarized and, if possible, listed
-in order of preference. The terms are the same as those used in the
-sections on propagating house and greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p>For most plants, there are short notations on special uses for which
-they are especially suited, i.e., growing under artificial lights, dish
-gardens, model landscapes, terrariums and other gardens under glass.
-Included also are some small tropical trees and shrubs for the small
-greenhouse. Among the precious miniatures described in Chapter 17,
-varieties suitable for forcing are so noted. Forcing procedures are
-also covered.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[93]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Abutilon hybridum savitzi</b> <i>Malvaceae</i> Flowering Maple</p>
-
-<p>Delicate tropical shrubs with thin, soft, maple-shaped, dove-gray
-leaves lavishly splashed with creamy white, and sometimes white
-all over. (I’ve never seen it produce the typical dangling lantern
-flowers.) It grows slowly, keeps plump and bushy, and is content with a
-small pot for several years.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Full sun, moderate temperature, and average soil kept
-constantly moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Artificial light, dish gardens, model
-landscapes, terrariums.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Achimenes</b> <i>Gesneriaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>A large group of utterly charming plants related to, and grown like,
-African violets&mdash;except that their scaly rhizomes (like minuscule pine
-cones) are completely dormant in winter. Most have velvet-soft leaves
-and all produce an overwhelming display of tubular flowers flaring
-wide-open at the end. None grow to great size. A single rhizome would
-probably be happy in a two-inch pot; several are usually planted
-together for a bigger show. The following are among the smallest
-varieties, upright unless otherwise noted.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p>‘Charm’&mdash;Luscious pink flowers, gold in the center.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>coccinea coccinea</i>&mdash;Trailer with notched, oval leaves and
-plentiful flowers of deepest scarlet, half the size of a dime.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘François Cardinaux’&mdash;Flowers in two tones of blue.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Little Beauty’&mdash;Similar to ‘Charm,’ but in another glowing
-shade of pink.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Masterpiece’&mdash;Flowers royal, reddish purple.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Miniata’&mdash;Ruffled flowers in changeable violet tones.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Misera’&mdash;Many small white flowers spotted with drops of wine,
-yellow in the throat.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Patens Major’&mdash;Orange throat blending into rich plum petals.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Peach Blossom’&mdash;New dwarf with peach-pink flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Violacea Semi-Plena’&mdash;The only semidouble-flowering variety in
-deep, glowing purple.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Partial sun, warmth, humusy soil kept moist. In late
-winter, or early spring, pre-root the tiny rhizomes in a light, porous
-mixture such as vermiculite and peat, barely moist and over bottom
-heat, or in warmth (65 to 70 degrees). When new growth is about two
-inches high, pot in light soil enriched with leaf mold or some similiar
-organic material. Pinch out any growing tips or trailers once or twice
-to encourage branching. In early fall, after flowering has ended, let
-the pot and soil dry out gradually. Clean the rhizomes, and store them
-in a polyethylene bag filled with dry peat at a temperature of 50 to 60
-degrees. Check the little fellows occasionally.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[94]</span> You may be amazed, but
-sometimes they’ll send out new sprouts in this dark, dry storage, and
-want to be rooted and begin growth again.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Rhizomes will multiply spontaneously. Also use
-stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Artificial light.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Acorus gramineus variegatus</b> <i>Araceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Neat, sweet little water-lover, like a miniature grass, with flat fans
-of slender, four-inch leaves striped lengthwise with sparkling white.
-It spreads eagerly.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Partial sun, cool, average soil kept wet.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division of creeping roots.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Artificial light, dish gardens, terrariums.
-Pretty bog plant for the miniature garden pool.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Adiantum bellum</b> <i>Polypodiaceae</i> Bermuda Maidenhair Fern</p>
-
-<p>Elfin version of the maidenhair fern with ruffly leaflets like
-upside-down wedges, the points attached to the dark, wiry six-inch
-stems. The foliage is surprisingly dense for such a delicate, airy
-effect.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Little or no sun. Warmth, humidity, humusy soil (lime if
-acid), kept moist, and wet in winter. The plant seems to rest in summer.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Artificial light, terrariums.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Allophyton mexicanum</b> <i>Scrophulariaceae</i> Mexican Foxglove</p>
-
-<p>Perky combination of oval, dark-green five-inch leaves beneath
-upstanding stems bearing several long-tubed, flaring half-inch flowers
-of pastel lavender blending into white, violet in the throat. Blooms in
-spurts throughout the year.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Partial sun, moderate warmth, humidity, average soil
-kept moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Artificial light, dish gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Alternanthera</b> <i>Amaranthaceae</i> Joseph’s Coat</p>
-
-<p>Enthusiastically branching, bushy plants with leaves of many colors,
-and convolutions, like small, contorted coleus. They’re often kept
-dwarfed by regular shearing, so the white flowers seldom form.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>amoena</i>&mdash;Bushlet with crisp, oval leaves haphazardly
-daubed with bright shades of red and orange. It seldom tops four
-inches.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>bettzickiana</i>&mdash;Tongue-shaped leaves blotched with cream,
-yellow, salmon, and red. This is the one that’s used for formal
-carpet bedding. Its green-and-gold variety, aurea nana, makes a
-round three-inch mound.</p>
-
-<p class="p-head"><span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[95]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>versicolor</i>&mdash;A gnome with gnarled, wrinkled leaves. It is
-basically green but brightened with shocking pink and white. It
-can grow six inches high, but stays lower if pinched regularly.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Full sun (for best color), warmth, average soil kept
-moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Stem cuttings, division of roots.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Artificial light, dish gardens, model
-landscapes, terrariums.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Anthurium scherzerianum</b> <i>Araceae</i> Flamingo Flower</p>
-
-<p>This is a baby in a family predominantly of giants, but it won’t
-outgrow a three-inch pot for years. This exotic tropical plant has
-leaves like varnished green shields and flowers like a golden Jack
-preaching from a flamingo-pink pulpit.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Little or no sun, warmth, humidity, humusy soil kept
-moist, or even wet.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division of suckers and seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Artificial lights.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Babiana stricta</b> <i>Iridaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Winter-flowering, South African bulb for forcing in the greenhouse.
-Grown outdoors only in frost-free climates. Clusters of red or lavender
-fuchsia-like eight-inch stems above fuzzy, slender leaves indented at
-the veins. A dwarf variety, ‘Blue Gem,’ has deep-blue blooms.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Full sun, moderate warmth, average soil kept moist.
-Plant in fall for winter flowering.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Begonia</b> <i>Begoniaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>There are enough miniatures in this big happy family of plants
-to make a sizable collection, and enough variations to keep the
-collector fascinated. Botanically, begonias are divided into three
-classes&mdash;fibrous-rooted, rhizomatous, and tuberous-rooted. Among
-the tuberous types, the best-known are the summer-flowering garden
-beauties&mdash;not available, as far as I know, in miniature. Each of the
-other classes contains miniatures that divide naturally into two
-general types of begonias with separate personalities, habits, and
-cultures. You could almost consider each type a completely distinctive
-group of plants, only technically related to the others.</p>
-
-
-<h3>SEMPERFLORENS BEGONIAS</h3>
-
-<p>Fondly known as “wax begonias,” and often called “America’s favorite
-house plant.” These are bustling, buxom, freely branching plants
-with watery stems and crisp, nearly round leaves gleaming with a
-high polish. They cover themselves with continual bursts of white,
-pink, or red flowers. The furiously flowering singles are the oldest,
-best-known, and toughest,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[96]</span> often used for edging semishady garden beds.
-The semidoubles (crested or thimble type) have a raspberry-shaped
-center extending out from a circle of petals. The doubles (rosebud or
-camellia-flowered) are fluttery, full-petaled spheres. Foliage may be
-clean green, bronzy, or mahogany.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Adeline’ (‘Improved Darling’)&mdash;Free-blooming soft, single pink;
-green leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Andy’&mdash;Deeper, more luminous pink flowers; green leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Little Gem’&mdash;Double, rosy-pink flowers; very dark red leaves;
-small, slow-growing.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Pied Piper’&mdash;Baby pink, semidouble flowers, the crest sometimes
-touched with gold; bronzy leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Snowdrop’&mdash;Smallest I’ve ever seen, has never topped three
-inches for me, just grows bushier and bushier. Double white
-flowers like minute snowballs; dark-red foliage.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tausendschoen</i> (‘Thousand Beauties’)&mdash;A group of
-green-leaved, single-flowering dwarfs available in red, pink, or
-white. Easily grown from seed.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Winkie’&mdash;Fully double, old rose flowers; masses of dark leaves.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Partial sun, moderate warmth, average soil kept on the
-dry side.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Stem cuttings (best taken with a branch, so the
-plants will be self-branching), seeds (singles), division of root and
-crown.</p>
-
-
-<h3>MISCELLANEOUS FIBROUS-ROOTED BEGONIAS</h3>
-
-<p>Some miniatures are of the angel-wing, cane-stemmed type; some are from
-the hirsute, hairy-leaved group; some can’t be categorized.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>albo-picta</i>&mdash;Small angel wing with low, arched branches;
-silver-spotted, sharp-pointed slender leaves; clusters of
-off-white flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>bartonea</i> (‘Winter Jewel’)&mdash;This one’s a flirt, flaunting
-its leaves and tiny pink-tinged flowers one wintry day,
-collapsing completely the next. It can’t bear dry air or chills
-but will grow up again cheerfully from the roots. The foliage is
-finely scalloped on the edges, washed with russet in the center
-and along the veins, and completely overlaid with silver sheen.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Dainty Spray’&mdash;Impudent dwarf with little angel-wing leaves,
-bouquets of face-powder-pink flowers dripping from the drooping
-stems.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>dregei</i>&mdash;Maple-leaf begonia with sharply cut,
-thumbnail-sized leaves bronzy with purple veins, white flowers.
-This is a semituberous type, the main stem swelling to look like
-a bulb above the soil at the base. Pinching regularly keeps it
-fairly small. May be dormant in winter. The variety macbethi has
-smaller leaves completely green, white flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Dwarf Houghtoni’&mdash;For me, this stays under six inches high
-and covers itself with pointed leaves upholstered with sheer,
-tawny-pink velvet. The clusters of large white flowers with pink
-whiskers are almost too heavy for the branches to hold.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[97]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Medora’&mdash;Miniature angel wing with two-inch, flat
-silver-spotted leaves and white flowers. Also available as
-‘Green Medora,’ with plain green leaves and watermelon-pink
-flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>richardsiana</i>&mdash;Another semituberous maple-leaf type, the
-leaves smallest of all and deeply cut almost into lace. Flowers
-are faint pink.</p>
-</div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p19" style="max-width: 600px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p19.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Achimenes, one of the most beautiful gesneriads.</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Partial sun, moderate warmth, average soil kept on the
-dry side. The semituberous types take more moisture during the active
-growing season.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (for some species), stem cuttings, division
-of root and crown.</p>
-
-
-<h3>RHIZOMATOUS BEGONIAS</h3>
-
-<p>Here’s where the hybridists are creating the most intriguing new
-varieties, because they have more miniature parent species to work
-with. The leaf and flower stems grow straight up or out from the
-rhizome, a swollen, scarred rootstock that creeps over the top of
-the soil, usually sending down roots as it goes. Sprays of trembling
-flowers stand well above the foliage in late winter or early spring.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>aridicaulis</i>&mdash;Mounds of tiny, sharp-pointed, lettuce-green
-leaves seldom over three or four inches high. Small, white,
-two-petaled flowers like fairy pocketbooks.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>boweri</i>&mdash;Better known as the “eyelash begonia” because of
-the black stitching around the edge of the lettuce-green leaves,
-marked with bristly black hairs. Flowers are small, baby-pink,
-and plentiful. This is the seed parent of a whole group of
-popular namesakes; star-leaved ‘Bow-Arriola,’ chocolate-stitched
-‘Bow Chance,’ dark-complexioned ‘Bow-Joe,’ bronzy ‘Bow-Nigra.’
-All have the eyelash edging and pink flowers, and are happy
-plants for the window garden or greenhouse.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>hydrocotylifolia</i>&mdash;“Miniature pond-lily begonia” for the
-terrarium or shallow basket or pot. Shiny, penny-like leaves
-overcast with bronze, dark along the veins; pink flowers on
-six-inch stems.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Maphil’ (‘Cleopatra’)&mdash;Most famous boweri offspring, more dwarf
-than miniature, just right for small window gardens and baskets.
-The starlike leaves are satiny, irregularly marked chocolate on
-chartreuse; the flowers, rich pink.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>mazae</i>&mdash;Bronzy, half-dollar leaves with light veins that
-meet at the stem end to make a white eye, wine-red beneath.
-Pale-pink, red-spotted flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>rotundifolia</i>&mdash;Very similar to hydrocotylifolia except for
-the bronzy cast and dark veins. May be the smallest of all.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Spaulding’&mdash;Extra-bushy dwarf with medium-green leaves shading
-to dark green, edged with whiskers, and oxblood beneath. Showers
-of pink flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Virbob’&mdash;Reddish star leaves with yellow-green leaves, bright
-red beneath. Short stems hold the leaves close to the pot.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[98]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p20" style="max-width: 432px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p20.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">‘Spaulding,’ an extra-bushy dwarf begonia</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>In the past few years, Mrs. H. E. Dillard of Tropical Paradise
-Greenhouse has introduced a number of delightful new dwarfs and
-miniatures. Among them:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Baby Perfection’&mdash;Star leaves splotched mahogany on green.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Black Falcon’&mdash;Darkest red-brown star leaves, silvery along the
-veins, whiskery along the edge.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Chantilly Lace’&mdash;One of my favorites, with cupped, chartreuse
-leaves stitched with black around the edge.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘China Doll’&mdash;Pointed yellow-green leaves striped brown along
-the veins.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Kathy Diane’&mdash;Pointed oval leaves brown splotched with
-chartreuse.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Midget’&mdash;Nearly black star leaves silvery green along the veins.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Oriental Music’&mdash;Dwarf with pebbly apple-green leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Persian Brocade’&mdash;Green star leaves intricately laced with
-black along the edge.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Raspberry Parfait’&mdash;Pointed, velvety, olive-green leaves
-lighter along the veins; new leaves flushed with bright pink.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[99]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Partial sun, moderate warmth, humusy soil kept moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Rhizome cuttings, leaf cuttings (slow), seeds
-(for some species).</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p20a" style="max-width: 500px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p20a.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Group of dwarf begonias: <i>lower left</i>, ‘China Doll’;
-<i>upper left</i>, ‘Silver Jewel’; <i>upper center</i>,
-‘Bow-Chance’; <i>upper right</i>, ‘Bow-Arriola’; <i>lower
-right</i>, ‘Bow-Nigra’; <i>center</i>, ‘Chantilly Lace.’</p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<h3>MINIATURE REX BEGONIAS</h3>
-
-<p>These begonias are also rhizomatous, but the brilliant patterns of
-their leaves put them in a class by themselves. Few other foliage
-plants have such startling combinations of peacock colors.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[100]</span></p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Baby Rainbow’&mdash;Crinkly, jewel-like leaves with bands of royal
-purple, emerald green, silver, raspberry, amethyst. Grows and
-shows off best in glass.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Dew Drop’&mdash;Thin, ivy-shaped leaves completely overlaid with
-shimmering, lavender-pink mother-of-pearl.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘It’&mdash;Branching, upright rex type with silver-splotched green
-leaves, multitudes of large pink flowers. Likes some sunlight.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Lorraine Closson,’ ‘Louise Closson,’ ‘Lucille Closson,’ ‘Lucy
-Closson’&mdash;A group of aristocratic dwarfs with taffeta-textured
-leaves in varying patterns of black, purple, red, pink, silvery
-green.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Pansy’&mdash;Small, pointed, deep-green leaves with sharp zone of
-lighter metallic green.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Peacock’&mdash;Jet-black and scarlet leaves on short stems. Stays
-small if fed sparingly.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Red Berry’&mdash;Sheer, shimmering satin leaves of unrelieved claret.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Little or no sun, warmth, humidity, humusy soil kept
-moist. Many rex begonias may go partially or completely dormant in
-winter, dropping some or all of their leaves. Simply keep them warm,
-with the soil slightly dry, until signs of new growth appear.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Rhizome cuttings, leaf cuttings. Seeds will
-produce an unpredictable mixture, seldom like the parent plant.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Bertolonia</b> <i>Melastomaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>The slowly spreading stems look like fat little top-of-the-soil
-rhizomes; but the foliage is like nothing else on earth. Perfect
-pointed ovals seem fashioned of sheerest silk; the skeleton of veins
-is sunken and strikingly marked. Such daintiness, to be endowed with
-bristly whiskers! Wee flowers cluster at the top of short upright
-stems. None of the bertolonias are very large; these are the available
-miniatures.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>maculata</i>&mdash;Sheer leaves deep green shading to light,
-pencilings of silver along the lengthwise veins, wine red
-beneath.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pubescens</i>&mdash;Many veins pucker the leaves like small-scale
-seersucker. Colors are copper over green, plum purple down the
-center.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Partial sun, warmth, humidity, humusy soil kept moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Stem cuttings (in warmth), seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Artificial light, terrariums.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Boea hygroscopica</b> <i>Gesneriaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Six-inch tropical gesneriad with fresh green, quilted leaves and
-clusters of violet-like flowers campanula-blue, with yellow centers, on
-willow stems.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Partial sun, moderate warmth, humidity, humusy soil kept
-moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division of crown, seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[101]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Bouvardia longiflora humboldti</b> <i>Rubiaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Two-foot tropical shrub to perfume the dream greenhouse in fall and
-winter. The luxuriant, glossy, evergreen leaves are a fine foil for
-the celestial white flowers&mdash;trumpets with long, slim tubes flaring
-out into perfect four-pointed stars. Florists grow the larger-flowered
-variety, ‘Albatross,’ for cutting.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Full sun, moderate warmth, humidity, humusy soil kept
-wet except when the plant is resting after bloom.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Stem cuttings of new wood with heel (in warmth),
-root cuttings in early summer.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Greenhouse shrub.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Buxus microphylla japonica</b> <i>Buxaceae</i> Box, Boxwood</p>
-
-<p>Slow-growing boxwood with small, prim, shiny green leaves filling out
-the plump shrub shape. It is hardy outdoors, but nice in pots and
-frequently found at plant counters in variety stores.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Full sun, cool temperatures, average soil mixture kept
-moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Stem cuttings of half-ripe wood.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Artificial light, dish gardens, model
-landscapes, terrariums, indoor bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<h3>CACTI AND SIMILAR SUCCULENTS</h3>
-
-<p>Generally, I prefer to grow a spicy variety of plants. But I am
-certainly in sympathy with the hobbyists who find enough stimulation
-in this one group to keep them collecting for a lifetime. Such a weird
-assortment of shapes, from barrels to humping inchworms. Such unusual
-patterns and colors of either leaves or stems that have taken on the
-shapes and functions of leaves. And such flowers! Some like daisies or
-water lilies, in incredible neon-bright colors, sometimes three times
-the size of the plant.</p>
-
-<p>Among cacti and similar succulents are some of our smallest plants,
-plus plenty more that grow so slowly they’re miniature for many years.
-Here are selected samples, only a small portion of the number available
-from specialist-growers and other sources.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Most succulents need full sun, moderate warmth, a sandy
-soil mixture (not pure sand) kept on the dry side. They need more water
-and warmth in summer, less in winter when they are resting. If soil is
-very acid, neutralize with lime.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, division of root or
-crown, seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Dish gardens, model landscapes (with other
-dry-growing plants), a few for indoor bonsai.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[102]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Aeonium caespitosum spathulatum</b> <i>Crassulaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Clump-forming succulent with rosettes of leaves like the
-hen-and-chicks, silvery green sparsely spotted with darker green.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Agave victoriae-reginae</b> <i>Amaryllidaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Miniature “century plant” with a stiff rosette of thick, sharp-pointed
-dull-green leaves with white piping along the edge and streaked with
-white between. Mature size, six inches.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Aichryson (Aeonium) domesticum variegatum</b> <i>Crassulaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>I’m not quite sure how high and wide this pretty succulent will grow
-if left to its own devices. Mine has stayed in a two-inch pot for more
-than a year, and filled itself out with thin, round green leaves edged
-with creamy white, blushing faint pink in warm sun. The leaves huddle
-in tight, overlapping rosettes all around the branching stems.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Aloe</b> <i>Liliaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Symmetrical clusters of thick, heavy, sharp-spiny leaves; fall and
-winter flowers held aloft like a torch. One of the smaller species is
-<i>A. brevifolia</i>, with leaf rosettes about three inches across.
-<i>A. variegata</i> can eventually reach a foot high, but very slowly;
-and its white-marbled leaves are striking in the meantime.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Aptenia cordifolia (Mesembryanthemum cordifolium)</b>
-<i>Aizoaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Creeping, clustering succulent with thinnish, round-pointed, gray-green
-leaves in pairs along the stems; brilliant fuchsia-purple daisy-shaped
-flowers. The variety variegata is embellished with creamy-white leaf
-edgings.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Astrophytum</b> <i>Cactaceae</i> Star Cactus</p>
-
-<p>Thick stem-bodies divided neatly into five sections but still attached
-together, growing very slowly to four inches across. Outlandishly
-large, flat, daisy flowers in summer. Try <i>A. myriostigma</i>,
-bishop’s cap, or <i>A. asterias</i>, sand dollar, both spineless; or
-silver-dotted <i>A. ornatum</i>, with swirling lines and tufts of
-curved spines.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cephalocereus senilis</b> <i>Cactaceae</i> Old Man Cactus</p>
-
-<p>A good bet for beginning collectors. This is a columnar cactus covered
-with a shaggy coat of snow-white hairs, growing up to forty feet high
-in the desert, but approaching that height at a snail’s pace indoors.
-Flowers are rosy-pink, about two inches across.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Chamaecereus silvestri</b> <i>Cactaceae</i> Peanut Cactus</p>
-
-<p>Gay ground-hugger, sending out in all directions thick green two-inch<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[103]</span>
-joints with soft white spines, and keeping its miniature proportions
-except when it’s top-heavy with long-tubed orange-scarlet flowers.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Conophytum</b> <i>Aizoaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Very tiny succulents with clusters of plump bodies that are, actually,
-two leaves joined completely except at the tip. The plant barely
-reaches one inch high and is content in a three-inch pot for years.
-Ridiculously large and brilliant flowers pop out through small slits
-in early fall. Then the leaves look like little dumplings sitting
-under a daisy. Of the several species available from specialists,
-<i>C. ornianum</i> is light green with darker freckles, lavender-rose
-flowers; <i>C. aureum</i> has gold flowers.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Coryphantha vivipara</b> <i>Cactaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Symmetrical two-inch sphere covered with evenly spaced bumps, each
-like a miniature sun with white rays and a spine sticking up from the
-center. The fringed rosy or carmine flowers pop out on top, in June;
-bright-red berries appear in fall. Native to, and hardy in, Manitoba,
-down to Texas. In time it will form clustered mounds.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Crassula</b> <i>Crassulaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>An oddly assorted group of succulents including many roguish miniatures
-of fascinating form. <i>C. cooperi</i> has tufts of small, pointed
-leaves with black blotches, little clusters of pale-pink flowers. <i>C.
-lycopodioides</i> mimics the club moss of the woodlands, with slim
-stems encircled with little needle-like leaves. ‘Morgan’s Pink’ is a
-variety of dense clusters of spear-shaped leaves, crinkled like gray
-seersucker, coral flowers. <i>C. schmidti</i> makes a three-inch mat of
-pointed, pinkish leaves, with generous glowing pink flowers.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Echeveria</b> <i>Crassulaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Perfect rosettes of succulent leaves in many lustrous colors, some
-silk-velvety or contrastingly trimmed on the edge. Clusters of
-brilliant tubular flowers top short stems. The following grow low, with
-four-inch rosettes.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>derenbergi</i>&mdash;painted lady&mdash;Translucent green leaves with
-silvery sheen, touched with red at the tip, yellow-orange
-flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>elegans</i>&mdash;Mexican snowball&mdash;Light blue-green leaves
-frosted with white, pure white on the edge, coral-pink flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pulvinata</i>&mdash;chenille plant&mdash;Dusty-green leaves of sheer
-velvet, trimmed with brick red on the edge, scarlet flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Echinocereus melanocentrus</b> <i>Cactaceae</i> Hedgehog Cactus</p>
-
-<p>Small, spiny globes with brilliant carmine flowers from the side of the
-ball. At its three-inch maturity, the flowers are still larger than the
-plant.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[104]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Echinopsis</b> <i>Cactaceae</i> Easter Lily Cactus</p>
-
-<p>Small, round plants with thick ribs and formidable spines, the
-lily-like flowers usually opening in the evening. A popular species is
-<i>E. kermesiana</i>, with glowing red flowers. <i>E. grandiflora</i>
-is described as only two or three inches across, with five-inch
-rose-pink flowers.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Euphorbia</b> <i>Euphorbiaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Two small relatives of the poinsettia that show little family
-resemblance.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>caput-medusae</i>&mdash;Medusa’s head&mdash;Sneaky, snaky-looking plant
-with tangles of twisted, gray-green branches, occasionally
-tipped with small leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>splendens bojeri</i>&mdash;dwarf crown of thorns&mdash;Compared to
-the sprawly species that grows four feet tall or more, this
-is really a midget. Mine has kept its six-inch bushy contours
-for nearly two years. The upright grayish branches are fairly
-well supplied with roundish, dark-green leaves; the scarlet
-flower-like bracts are plentiful at intervals all summer and
-fall.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Faucaria</b> <i>Aizoaceae</i> Tiger Jaws</p>
-
-<p>Low, crowded succulents with thick, triangular leaves toothed with
-spiny hairs, unmistakably resembling an animal’s mouth. In late summer
-or early fall, golden daisy-like flowers pop up and make fun of the
-plant’s ferocious appearance.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tigrina</i>&mdash;Silvery green leaves flecked with white,
-two-inch yellow flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tuberculosa</i>&mdash;Darker green leaves with little white knobs.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Fenestraria</b> <i>Aizoaceae</i> Baby Toes</p>
-
-<p>Clusters of cylindrical leaves, larger at the top, like little
-flat-tipped baseball bats. The nearly colorless tops feature tiny
-transparent “windows.”</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>aurantiaca</i>&mdash;Three-inch orange daisy flowers more than
-twice as wide as the clustered leaf-colony.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>rhopalophylla</i>&mdash;Leaves more blunt, smaller white flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Gymnocalycium mihanovichi</b> <i>Cactaceae</i> Chin Cactus</p>
-
-<p>Just one of many available miniature, globe-shaped cacti with spines
-on regular shelves, or “chins.” This one produces chartreuse flowers
-bigger than its body, starts to bloom while quite young.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Haworthia</b> <i>Liliaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Tight pinwheels of thick, pointed leaves intricately studded with
-varied patterns of pearly pinheads. The whitish flowers are not a main
-feature.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>fasciata</i>&mdash;Zebra-striped succulent often seen in dish
-gardens.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[105]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>margaritifera</i>&mdash;Slightly larger, dark green with a more
-scattered pattern of white dots.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Kalanchoe</b> <i>Crassulaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Among these congenial succulents are several that grow to considerable
-size in their native homes, but keep pleasantly small in pots or dish
-gardens. The leaves are fleshy, with indentations along the edge.
-Lantern-shaped flowers appear in winter.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>blossfeldiana</i>&mdash;Well-branched bush with overlapping, fresh
-green leaves, flowering in winter when days are short and nights
-are long. ‘Tom Thumb’ is a dwarf variety that smothers itself
-with scarlet blooms for Christmas. Greenhouses grow it from
-seeds sown in spring, and so can you.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>marmorata</i>&mdash;penwiper plant&mdash;Leaves fold in around the stem
-and are spattered on both sides with purple blotches.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pumila</i>&mdash;Leaves like a doll’s spoon, notched on the edge
-and sugar-frosted; plum-colored pitcher flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tomentosa</i>&mdash;panda plant&mdash;Fat leaves covered with white
-felt, distinctly marked with chocolate at the teeth on the edge.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">(<i>Kitchingia</i>) <i>uniflora</i>&mdash;Miniature creeper or
-dangler for small hanging baskets, with round green leaves
-marching up and down the stem and rosy or red urn-flowers
-hanging from thin, short threads.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Kleinia</b> <i>Compositae</i></p>
-
-<p>Curious even among succulents, each of these oddly shaped or strangely
-decorated plants has a personality of its own and no need for
-daisy-like flower heads to make it interesting.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pendula</i>&mdash;inchworm plant&mdash;Weird, round, leafless stems
-snake up and down over the soil; flowers brilliant red.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>repens</i>&mdash;Low and somewhat trailing, with thick leaves like
-long canoes, unbelievable blue.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tomentosa</i>&mdash;Cylindrical cocoon-like leaves tapered to
-sharp points and covered with pure-white down; gold or orange
-flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Lobivia aurea</b> <i>Cactaceae</i> Golden Easter Lily</p>
-
-<p>Squat, round, prickly cactus like a small echinopsis, except that this
-one opens its friendly water-lily flowers in the daytime. Dozens of
-different species and varieties are available.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Mammillaria</b> <i>Cactaceae</i> Pincushion Cactus</p>
-
-<p>There are many mighty midgets in this group, and in fascinating
-variety. They’re mostly round, from squat to columnar, but all are
-primly neat. The spines may be soft or not, but are always arranged in
-a perfect pattern. The flowers are not overlarge, but are arranged in a
-crown and ripen into attractive, berry-like fruit.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[106]</span></p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>bocasana</i>&mdash;powder puff&mdash;Soft, white-woolly globes, only
-one and a half inches across when mature; beige flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>elongata</i>&mdash;golden lace&mdash;Small branching pillar, nicknamed
-for its tatted pattern of bright-yellow spines.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>hahniana</i>&mdash;old lady&mdash;Fond name for a small, white-haired
-cushion.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Notocactus</b> <i>Cactaceae</i> Ball Cactus</p>
-
-<p>Plump balls with prettily colored spines and large, showy flowers in
-late spring.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>apricus</i>&mdash;sun cup&mdash;Golden-yellow flowers, Oxford-gray
-spines.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>graessneri</i>&mdash;Butter-yellow spines and flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>ottonis</i>&mdash;Indian head&mdash;Reddish spines.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>rutilans</i>&mdash;Rosy flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Opuntia</b> <i>Cactaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>This is a “crazy, mixed-up” group of cacti. They come in so many sizes,
-shapes, and forms that any generalized description is impossible. Many
-optunias are hardy even in Northern gardens.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>mamillata</i>&mdash;boxing gloves&mdash;Resembles a little tree whose
-branches turn into cockscombs at the tip.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>microdasys</i>&mdash;bunny ears&mdash;Flat, long-oval pads with tiny
-tufts of soft yellow hairs.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Parodia</b> <i>Cactaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Fat little balls covered with glistening spines and sending out
-unbelievably large flowers although the plant measures only an inch
-across the middle. Even in old age, they’re never larger than three
-inches.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>aureispina</i>&mdash;Tom Thumb cactus&mdash;Gold spines, orange flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>mutabilis</i>&mdash;Shining yellow flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Portulacaria afra variegata</b> <i>Portulacaceae</i> Rainbow Bush</p>
-
-<p>After planting this little tree-like succulent in a dish garden when
-it was only three inches tall, and finding it less than half an inch
-taller nearly a year later, I was mildly amazed to learn that it is a
-version of the twelve-foot elephant bush, or purslane tree, of desert
-gardens. It’s difficult to imagine the fat red stems and fleshy,
-cream-splashed, red-rimmed leaves ever adorning a plant of such
-monstrous proportions.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Rebutia</b> <i>Cactaceae</i> Crown Cactus</p>
-
-<p>Flat, fat balls with whiskery spines, spreading out into clusters. Each
-ball, when mature, is circled by large, wide-eyed flowers coming up
-from the base, often as large as the four-inch plant.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>minuscula</i>&mdash;Best-known species, with fiery red flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>senilis</i>&mdash;Orange flowers with turned-back petals.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>violaciflora</i>&mdash;Rose-pink flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[107]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Sedum</b> <i>Crassulaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Tender relations of the hardy garden sedums, not so numerous but
-equally varied.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>adolphi</i>&mdash;Rosettes of fat, yellow-green leaves, white
-flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>hintoni</i>&mdash;Oval, grassy-green leaves covered with prickly
-white hairs, like clumps of tiny porcupine tails; white flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>lineare</i>&mdash;Many branching, trailing stems covered thickly
-with needle-shaped leaves. The variety variegatum is a gem, each
-leaf more creamy-white than green.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>multiceps</i>&mdash;little Joshua tree&mdash;Unbelievable bonsai-like
-plant with trunk, branches, and tufts of needly dark-green
-leaves like the smallest conifer imaginable.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pachyphyllum</i>&mdash;jelly beans&mdash;Fat, juicy, berry-like leaves
-clustering close to the branching stems; yellow flowers in
-spring.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>rubrotinctum</i> (<i>guatemalense</i>)&mdash;Christmas
-cheer&mdash;Thick layers of small, green, drumstick-shaped leaves
-turning holiday red in full sun; yellow flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>stahli</i>&mdash;coral beads, Boston beans&mdash;Faintly hairy, beady,
-reddish leaves strung closely together on branching stems;
-yellow flowers in summer and fall.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Titanopsis</b> <i>Aizoaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Stone-mimicking succulents with thickly clustered leaves lavishly
-spotted with white, wart-like tubercles, and short-lived daisy flowers
-in fall or winter.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>calcarea</i>&mdash;jewel plant&mdash;Lustrous gray-green leaves
-sparkling with white spots, gleaming gold flowers. Leaf rosette
-only two inches in any direction.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>schwantesi</i>&mdash;Even smaller cluster of blue-gray,
-liver-spotted leaves, lemon-yellow flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Trichodiadema densum</b> <i>Aizoaceae</i> Desert Rose</p>
-
-<p>Picture a bunch of tiny, smooth green pickles, each tipped with a
-triple crown of ridiculously long, bristly, white hairs. Now, smother
-this leaf colony under two-inch red daisy flowers. A really outlandish
-plant!</p>
-
-
-<h3>SUCCULENTS</h3>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Caladium</b> <i>Araceae</i> Elephant Ears</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>Bicolor Varieties</i>. Gorgeous arrow-leaved foliage plants
-for small gardens in the South or sheltered areas where summer
-temperatures are not likely to drop below 60 degrees for long.
-The patterns, colors, and contours of the leaves get fancier
-every year. Many are hybridized for larger and larger size, but
-specialists also offer a good selection of dwarfs that will stay
-under eight inches. Among them:</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[108]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p21" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p21.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Caladium humboldti</i>&mdash;one of the most striking
-members of the family</p>
-  </div>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Candidum, Jr.’&mdash;Bushy low version of the standard favorite with
-green-netted, white leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>humboldti</i>&mdash;A gemlike species for the connoisseur with
-willowy stems topped by diminutive deep-green leaves splotched
-with silvery transparent white between the center veins and the
-edge. Needs more humidity than the bicolor hybrids.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Little Rascal’&mdash;Leaf more lance-shaped, wine-red.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Miss Marveen’&mdash;Pearly-white tinged and blotched with pink over
-heavy drab green.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Mrs. Arno Nehrling’&mdash;Bronzy-green, red veins.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Pink Radiance’&mdash;Small and bushy, leaves centered and veined
-with shades of pink, pink-flecked on the edge.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Sea Gull’&mdash;White at the midvein and frosted all over.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[109]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Twilight’&mdash;Glowing flame-pink leaf finely netted with green.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Partial sun; if in a greenhouse shade against burn.
-Temperature: warm (75 degrees). Humid. Soil: rich, acid (azalea type).
-Keep moist. Fertilizer: feed liquid manure on alternate weeks.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums, window boxes, specimens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Calathea (Maranta)</b> <i>Marantaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>There’s only one available true miniature in this group of richly
-colored and patterned tropical foliage plants, but many other species
-will stay small in a three-inch pot for years. The fact that they’re
-suitable for lush but restrained effects in far Southern gardens is my
-other excuse for including them.</p>
-
-<p>These plants are maranta-like, the leaf tufts with markings a peacock
-could crow about, silky-velvet or iridescent sheens that outshine the
-gowns at a coronation ball. They are reluctant to flower but nobody
-cares. The following is only a sampling of the available riches:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>argyraea</i>&mdash;Low and compact, the blotched green leaves
-overlaid with silver and horizontally level.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>insignis</i>&mdash;Narrow, permanently waved leaves perfectly
-patterned with chartreuse, wine red underneath.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>louisae</i>&mdash;Leaves perpendicular and perky, feather-marked
-with yellow-green.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>micans</i>&mdash;Miniature with oval leaves about an inch long
-(four inches in the tropics), lustrous deep green banded with
-silver at the center, paler underneath.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>picturata vandenheckei</i>&mdash;Satiny dark green banded with
-silver white in center. Wine red on the underside. A new form,
-‘Wendlinger,’ is even more startling. The centers are sterling
-silver, edged with deep green.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Provide warmth, humidity. Soil: loam, leaf mold, and
-sand. Feed heavily for best colors. Shade from direct sun.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Divide crowns; tubers and spring cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Tropical gardens, pots, terrariums, dish gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Callopsis volkensi</b> <i>Araceae</i></p>
-
-<p>This is a perfectly proportioned miniature “calla lily” only four
-inches high, the white porcelain flowers centered with a gold,
-spear-like spadix, and substantial but small heart-shaped green leaves
-quaintly crinkled. It grows from an underground rhizome. It branches
-freely but compactly and is winter-blooming.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Shade, humidity, humusy soil kept evenly moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Rhizomes.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums, dish gardens.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[110]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Carex elegantissima (Morrowi variegata)</b> <i>Cyperaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Lady-like little grass with airy tufts of slimmest leaves, bright green
-with a white stripe along each edge.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Loamy garden soil, filtered sun, wet. Intermediate
-temperature.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums, dish gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Carissa grandiflora nana compacta</b> <i>Apocynaceae</i> Natal Plum</p>
-
-<p>When is a dwarf not really a dwarf? In the two years or more I’ve had
-this plant it has grown so slowly I have no idea what ultimate height
-it has in mind, or when it will reach it. It is still about six inches
-tall, with round, green, overlapping leaves with the shiniest glassy
-polish of any leaves I have ever seen. Off and on during the year
-it gives sensual delight with richly fragrant china-white flowers,
-none of which, so far, have been replaced by scarlet plums. This form
-is blessedly without spines, always refreshing, and particularly
-appropriate for Oriental planters and miniature indoor gardens.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Almost any soil, warmth, light shade, moist, spray
-leaves. Resents repotting.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings, layers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Bonsai, planters.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Ceropegia</b> <i>Asclepiadaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Among the few hanging or climbing vines of suitable size and form for
-truly miniature baskets, or supports&mdash;succulent and easy to grow to
-boot! Their effect is always dainty, never bold; thin wiry stems may
-grow long, but never the leaves; waxy tube-like flowers inspire close
-inspection, but are never showy. Here are four of the daintiest species:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>barkleyi</i>&mdash;umbrella flower&mdash;A climber with pointed
-wing-shaped leaves feathered with a network of silver;
-purple-veined greenish flowers like parasols.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>caffrorum</i>&mdash;Pairs of green heart-leaves march down the
-threadlike stems; greenish flowers intricately marked with plum.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>debilis</i>&mdash;Green needle-like leaves penciled silver along
-the center; green-and-purple flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>woodi</i>&mdash;rosary vine, string of hearts, hearts
-entangled&mdash;Matching pairs of thick silvery valentines every
-inch or so along the dangling stem, identically traced with a
-precisely patterned design. The little pink-lavender flowers are
-shaped like pixie pipes or urns.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil: loam, leaf mold, sandy and humusy. Intermediate
-temperature, filtered sun. Moist in summer, on the dry side in winter.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings in spring; tubers, seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Hanging baskets.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[111]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Chaenostoma fastigiatum</b> <i>Scrophulariaceae</i> Little Stars</p>
-
-<p>Cheerful little tropical herb which keeps its compact contour by
-branching freely, and covers its stems with myriads of half-inch
-fragrant leaves. All year it twinkles with a sprinkling of starry white
-flowers, outdoes itself in the summer months.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Loamy garden soil, bright light, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Edgings.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Chamaedorea elegans bella</b> <i>Palmaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Slow-growing dwarf palm tree, so slow it can be a granddaddy in a
-six-inch pot and takes eons to top two feet. The reedy green stems
-cluster in a rosette and curve gracefully at the ends. Leaves are thin,
-fresh green, airily divided.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, loamy garden soil, moist, shade.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> House plant, dish gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Chamaeranthemum</b> <i>Acanthaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>A choice, exclusive threesome of tender tropical creepers with small
-supine leaves embroidered with dainty patterns.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>gaudichaudi</i>&mdash;Forest-green, long oval leaves of sheer
-velvet, silver feathers down the center and out along the veins.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>(Stenandrium) lindeni</i>&mdash;A bolder, golden feather marks the
-larger, perhaps even sheerer, leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>venosum</i>&mdash;Symmetrical, oval leaves more broad than
-slender, dark powder-blue with thin leaves of silver on the
-network of veins.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, humid, loamy garden soil, filtered sun, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums, dish gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Chlorophytum bicheti</b> <i>Liliaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Spidery little pot plant with tapering, grassy-looking leaves about six
-inches long, arching somewhat stiffly, with cream-white tidy stripes
-along the edge and sometimes down the middle. Always looks prim and
-precise.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy soil,
-filtered sun, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Indoor gardens, artificial light.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cissus striata</b> <i>Vitaceae</i> Miniature Grape Ivy</p>
-
-<p>This lacy little climber looks less like grape ivy, more like woodbine,
-but it certainly does look and act like a miniature. The reddish stems
-turn and twist at angles, trying to touch the tiny tendrils to a
-support<span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">[112]</span> they can curl around. The one-and-a-half-inch leaves are like
-five fat separate fingers delicately joined in the center, scalloped
-or toothed near the rounded tip, burnished green and lined with wine
-beneath.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p22" style="max-width: 502px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p22.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Cissus striata</i>&mdash;a genuine miniature climber not unlike
-woodbine</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Intermediate temperature, humid, loamy garden soil,
-filtered sun, moisture in the pots.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Roots and cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> House plant, miniature gardens, artificial
-light.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[113]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Citrus</b> <i>Rutaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>These are true miniature citrus trees, varieties that are naturally
-dwarf, or grow so slowly they’ll flower and fruit in smallish pots
-indoors.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>aurantifolia</i>&mdash;lime&mdash;Spiny little tree with small leaves,
-small tartly acid, thin-skinned, green fruit. The Persian lime
-is a variety called “one of the most beautiful of all citrus
-trees.”</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>limonia ‘ponderosa’</i>&mdash;ponderosa lemon&mdash;Oblong, glassy,
-evergreen leaves; stiff sharp spines; large waxy, fragrant
-flowers; heavy (to two and a half pounds) pear-shaped (to five
-inches long) lemons at intervals through the year, beginning
-when the tree may not be much more than a foot tall. Supposedly,
-one lemon “gives enough juice to make a pie.”</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>mitis</i>&mdash;calamondin&mdash;Bushy little tree, not prickly, dense
-with glassy green leaves; flowers fragrant, small and white. May
-bear fruit all year but usually in winter it produces bright
-oranges, about one and a half inches in diameter, thin-skinned
-and somewhat flattened on the end. The lime-like flavor of the
-juice is reportedly pleasant, but my tree looked so pretty I
-didn’t pick the fruit. A calamondin can, and often will, fruit
-in a two-and-a-half-inch pot&mdash;a mighty midget.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>nobilis deliciosa</i>&mdash;tangerine, mandarin orange&mdash;Small,
-nearly thornless tree with willowy leaves; sweet fruit, with
-loose skin that peels off like a kid glove and segments that
-separate freely.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>taitensis</i>&mdash;otaheite orange&mdash;Neat little bush for pots,
-with plenty of two-inch, wavy-edged leaves, few if any spines,
-and fragrant pink-tinged flowers in January. By Christmas,
-even if the tree is only eight inches high, the oranges are
-ripe. They are the size of a plum, shaped like a lemon, tartly
-flavored like a lime.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy soil,
-bright sun, keep on the dry side. For fruit, pollinate. Humidity, not
-too much fertilizer, not too much water. Sudden temperature changes
-causes leaves to drop.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, grafting, cuttings (for pot varieties).</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Seedlings for miniature gardens and greenhouses.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Columnea microphylla</b> <i>Gesneriaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Velvety trailer, suitable for small hanging baskets, with soft little
-mouse-ear leaves. But wow! the fiery-red flowers never heard of the
-word <i>miniature</i>. Their long slender tubes stand straight up from
-the dangling stems, flare out to a wide mouth through which you can
-look to see the yellow throat inside.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, stem and leaf cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Hanging baskets.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[114]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cryptanthus</b> <i>Bromeliaceae</i> Earth Stars</p>
-
-<p>Not many bromeliads can rightly be called miniatures, and grow either
-in air or in soil to boot. These are low flat rosettes of stiff painted
-leaves, often with prickles on the edge and always unusually colored.
-From the heart, wee white flowers peep out, usually in summer. Some
-suppliers offer a grab-bag selection of hybrids, “no two alike.” Or you
-can buy these smaller species if you wish.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>acaulis</i>&mdash;Thin gray fuzz over rather mottled green leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>bahianus</i>&mdash;These leaves are slimmer, curving at the tip
-and wavy on the edge, flushed or margined brick red, more
-upright than flat.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>beuckeri</i>&mdash;Asymmetrical arrangement of ladle-like leaves
-tapered to a sharp point, dark green marbled over light.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>bivittatus minor</i> (<i>roseus pictus</i>)&mdash;Faintly banded
-dark-green leaves completely flushed bronzy pink or salmon.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>bromelioides tricolor</i>&mdash;Slim, pointed leaves with bands of
-rich cream and green, shaded cherry pink along the edge and in
-the heart.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>lacerdae</i>&mdash;‘Silver Star’&mdash;Definitely star-shaped and
-definitely silvery; the only green is in the two stripes down
-each side of the center.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, humus, filtered sun, dry side, good drainage.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Offsets or cuttings. Peel off one or two basal
-leaves from stem; pot and root for two to three weeks.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> House plant.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cryptbergia meadi</b> <i>Bromeliaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Everything said about the cryptanthus applies here. This is the result
-of crossing a billbergia with a cryptanthus. The leaves are slim
-spear-shaped and sharply pointed, upright in the center and arching out
-around the side. The basic green is rather drab. Made more appealing by
-a bronzy sheen and faint dark mottlings.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cyanotis</b> <i>Commelinaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Succulent creeping or trailing cousins of the inch plants, with similar
-botanical characteristics, but each an individual in its own right:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>kewensis</i>&mdash;teddy-bear plant&mdash;Brown-woolly all over the
-stem and the tiny pointed-ear leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>somaliensis</i>&mdash;pussy ears&mdash;The fresh green leaves are bent
-into boat shape, clasping tight to the stem and covered with
-velvety white fuzz.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>veldhoutiana</i> (<i>Tradescantia villosa</i>)
-(<i>Tradescantia pexata</i>) (<i>Tradescantia sillamontana</i>),
-and known in the trade as tradescantia ‘White Velvet’ and also
-‘White Gossamer’&mdash;This tiny plant, more trailing than creeping,
-has lettuce-green leaves, and stems clothed in long silky
-silvery-white hairs. It has so many names I fear it would be
-lost to view if all of its labels were placed around it. I quote
-all of them in order to avoid confusion and controversy. But
-according to the Institute de Biologia in Mexico, the correct
-name is <i>Tradescantia sillamontana</i>.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[115]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy soil,
-bright light, dry side.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Miniature tropical gardens, greenhouses.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Dionaea muscipula</b> <i>Droseraceae</i> Venus Fly Trap</p>
-
-<p>Never let anyone tell you this little bug-eater will “trap flies on
-your window sill.” Don’t poke at it to see it close its trap. Avoid
-disturbing it; let it feed itself naturally. And now that the negatives
-are covered, do try this braggart elf (give it conditions in which
-it can grow), for the pleasure in its intricately devised mechanism,
-one of nature’s wonders. Basically, there’s a five-inch-wide rosette
-of wide flat stems, a two-part leaf at the end of each making a flat
-burnished bronze oval with a fringe of thick whiskers. When an insect
-steps onto this dance floor, the hinges in the center fold the two
-halves together fast, and that is the end of the bug. White flowers top
-the tallish stems in spring.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Cool, humid, sun, soil rich in humus with sphagnum, wet.
-Dormant in February and March before flowering. Most vigorous growth in
-spring and summer.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> By roots or seeds. If seeds are used, start them
-under a bell jar.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Dracaena godseffiana</b> <i>Liliaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Small tropical foliage shrub, slow-growing and bushy, with glassy,
-leathery leaves haphazardly splotched with white. The named variety
-‘Florida Beauty’ is even more dwarf, takes years to fit a four-inch
-pot, and boasts golden-yellow splotches.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, loamy garden soil, filtered sun (more light for
-color), moist to wet.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Pieces of stem with several joints; tip cuttings;
-air layering.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Miniature gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Drosera rotundifolia</b> <i>Droseraceae</i> Sundew</p>
-
-<p>The whole plant can often hide under a half-dollar&mdash;the smallest of all
-the insect-eaters. Flat stems radiate out from a central crown, expand
-at the ends, become flat spoon-shaped blades covered with reddish hairs
-that are tipped with drops of glue. Any insect landing on the surface
-gets his feet stuck while longer hairs on the edge act like tentacles
-to entangle him even more. Spring flowers top stems that grow straight
-up in the center.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Cool, humid, humusy soil made acid with peat moss if
-necessary, moist but not soggy, good drainage, room temperature is
-adequate with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[116]</span> some direct sunlight but not enough to raise temperature
-in terrarium to a dangerous level. Transplanting or shipping may retard
-growth several weeks; don’t get soil on leaves. May go dormant after
-flowering. Do not try to grow in ordinary room without glass cover or
-a plastic bag. Small amount of plant food (such as Vigoro). Rain water
-preferred.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> As in <i>Dionaea muscipula</i>.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Dyckia</b> <i>Bromeliaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Small, stiff fountains or sprays of spiny-edged leaves, spikes of
-orange or yellow flowers like a miniature version of the pineapple in
-various sizes and shapes. Some are not very dwarf. The dwarfs, to the
-best of my knowledge, are:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>altissima</i>&mdash;Light-green, tapering leaves armed with brown
-spines and yellow flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>fosteriana</i>&mdash;Dense circle of sugary gray leaves with
-purplish sheen.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>rariflora</i>&mdash;Slim, sharp-pointed six-inch leaves with
-minute silver scales, spines soft and black.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Intermediate temperature, humusy soil, filtered sun, dry
-side.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Easiest from offshoots when suckers are large
-enough to handle. Root in sphagnum peat. Seeds, germinate on tissue
-napkins in a shallow tray covered with glass. Keep in light at 65 to 70
-degrees.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> House plant.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Episcia dianthiflora</b> <i>Gesneriaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Although none of the episcias grow very high, they do spread out to
-make wide, handsome pot or hanging-basket plants. This is the only
-species that can reasonably be called dwarf. Its leaves are the size
-and shape of my little fingernail, olive green and softly velvet,
-reddish along the center vein, first forming a tidy rosette. Soon the
-branches start stretching, rather stiff and woody for an episcia, with
-new leaf rosettes forming as the branches grow. The silky tube-flowers
-are pure white and fringed on the edges.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds and cuttings.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Exacum affine</b> <i>Gentianaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>This is a compact, free-flowering plant of the gentian family. The
-flowers are blue with golden stamens and very fragrant. A herbaceous
-biennial, it can be treated in a greenhouse as a perennial. It has
-bushy green leaves, ovate and tiny. A dark-lavender form is the variety
-atrocaeruleum.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[117]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds. Can be planted any month, but a February
-planting will produce flowering plants for autumn and winter.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Window gardens and greenhouses.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Ficus</b> <i>Moraceae</i> Creeping Fig</p>
-
-<p>Here are two delightful foliage creepers that keep their miniature
-proportions, although the large-leaved form of the first often covers
-large walls in the South.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pumila minima</i>&mdash;Tiny valentine leaves patterned and
-crinkled with a network of sunken veins, deep green and
-refreshing.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>radicans variegata</i>&mdash;Much larger, slim pointed leaves
-basically silvery green, but marked with creamy white, starting
-at the edge and blending off irregularly. Like many variegated
-plants, it’s not very vigorous and thus is suitable for
-terrariums, where it will get the humidity it needs.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, needs fresh air, loamy soil, filtered sun, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division of the rooting stems.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums, hanging baskets, outdoors in the
-South.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Fittonia verschaffelti</b> <i>Acanthaceae</i> Nerve or Mosaic Plant</p>
-
-<p>Flat-creeping tropical plants with jewel-like foliage netted with veins
-of contrasting color. The oval or rounded paper-thin leaves may be
-large&mdash;up to two inches long&mdash;but the plants grow slowly and seldom
-exceed dwarf proportions, particularly if there are any slugs within
-miles. Fittonias are one of the critters’ favorite foods.</p>
-
-<p>You have a choice of three color schemes: The species is dark green
-with carmine veins; its variety argyroneura is emerald with silver; the
-variety pearcei, light green with pink.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, humid, loamy soil, filtered sun, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Stem cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Foliage plants in greenhouses.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Fortunella</b> <i>Rutaceae</i> Kumquat</p>
-
-<p>Smallest, and hardiest, of the evergreen citrus trees or shrubs, with
-typical glassy, leathery leaves and flowers at intervals during the
-year, sometimes coincidental with the thin-skinned fruit. The species
-vary in size, habit, and fruit, some taking a lifetime to reach ten
-feet. But before they achieve that altitude, they can long pass as
-dwarfs or miniatures. Who wants to wait a lifetime to watch a kumquat
-outgrow a three-inch pot?</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>hindsi</i>&mdash;Small spiny tree with small (less than one inch)
-pea-shaped fruit.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>japonica</i>&mdash;marumi kumquat&mdash;Small tree, well branched and
-shapely, with perfectly round, somewhat sweet fruit nearly one
-and a half inches in diameter.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[118]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>margarita</i>&mdash;nagami kumquat&mdash;Most frost-resistant and
-dwarf. Nearly thornless, with sour-sweet, egg-shaped fruit.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Intermediate temperature (any sudden changes in
-temperature may cause the leaves to drop), soil on the dry side (not
-too much fertilizer), bright sun, pollinate if you wish fruit, maintain
-humidity.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, grafting, cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Potted plants, seedlings for miniature gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Fuchsia magellanica</b> <i>Onagraceae</i></p>
-
-<p>This “hardy” fuchsia, when given a chance to develop, can hardly be
-called a miniature. It can cover a wall twenty feet high, I have been
-told. However, in a climate like that near Philadelphia, it is only
-“root-hardy” and even then has to have a protective winter mulch. In
-the spring it has to start new growth all over again. Then it assumes
-miniature proportions. I’ve seen it in a small hanging basket, the
-leaves less than one-third the size of the typical hybrid fuchsias, the
-stems thin and wiry, the red-and-purple flowers quite small. Even more
-like a miniature is the slower-growing variety variegata, with creamy
-blotches and streaks on the leaf edges. Then there is the slender, more
-airy and lax variety, gracilis, also available in variegated form.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Cool, needs fresh air, loamy soil, shade, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings of soft green wood.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> House plants, hanging baskets.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Hebe buxifola variegata</b> <i>Scrophulariaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>This is a charming little plant I have grown in my greenhouse. Although
-it has some larger relatives, my specimens have been delightfully
-small. The leaves are about one-half inch long, waxy green with creamy
-white edges which overlap into a nice pattern. I love the small white
-flowers which appear frequently.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Little sun, humusy soil, moderate warmth, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Stem cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> House plants.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Hedera helix</b> <i>Araliaceas</i> English Ivy</p>
-
-<p>As long as I’ve grown house plants I’ve always had ivies, sometimes
-only a few pots of my favorite varieties (when my growing space was
-limited) but more often a collection of a dozen or more. Once when
-preparing a magazine article, I had thirty-seven scrambling around the
-greenhouse! The foliage always is fresh green and glossy, delightful
-the year round; the climbing or trailing stems are graceful and willing
-to be trained in just about any pattern. In the tiny-leaved miniatures
-there is a particular fascination in the intricate formations of lobes
-and points, edges which are waved or crinkled, and the markings, which
-may be dainty, pert, or bold.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[119]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p23" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p23.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">(MEAGHERI GREEN FEATHER)</p>
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Hedera helix meagheri</i>&mdash;a fine small specimen</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>These variations (actually mutations) of the ubiquitous evergreen
-ground or wall cover, are less hardy than the species from which they
-have sprung. Their outdoor use is best limited to moderate or mild
-climates&mdash;but never where it is hot and dry. Some slow creeping types
-like the variety conglomerata are delightful in not-too-hot rock
-gardens. Indoors, of course, you can have any or all of them, and you
-have many to choose from. Here is a representative selection to tempt
-you:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Goldheart’&mdash;Deepest green leaves centered with a heart of gold.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Itsy Bitsy’&mdash;Lacy leaves half the size of a fingernail.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Ivalace’&mdash;Fresh green with a crocheted edge.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Jubilee’&mdash;Gray-green spattered with white.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Needlepoint’&mdash;So sharply cut there’s nearly no leaf at all.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Shell’&mdash;Waved and crinkled on the veins.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Tear Drop’&mdash;A baby’s tear at that.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Telecurl’&mdash;Tight as a brand-new “permanent.”</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Cool, needs fresh air, loamy soil, shade or semishade,
-moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings, layering, seed. (Seeds may take as long
-as two years to germinate.)</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> House plants, ground cover, rock gardens,
-miniature gardens.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[120]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Helxine soleiroli</b> <i>Urticaceae</i> Baby’s Tears</p>
-
-<p>Millions of tiny, button-like leaves hug close to the thready stems of
-this wee creeper that covers soil, or a pot, in incredible haste. The
-growth twines and intertwines thickly as if it were weaving a fresh
-green carpet for a doll’s house.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, humidity,
-humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings of rooting stems.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Ground cover, rocks and walls. (Outdoors only in
-mild climates.)</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Hoya bella</b> <i>Asclepiadaceae</i> Wax Plant</p>
-
-<p>Definitely a dwarf, as wax plants grow, and not climbing, as most
-others are, little <i>H. bella</i> has arching, rather than woody,
-stems with thick, heavy somber green leaves on either side and clusters
-of incredible flowers at the tips, porcelain-white, waxy, and fragrant,
-with a wheel-shaped purple “crown” in the center. Best in a basket
-because the flowers droop, and the view is prettiest from below.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, needs fresh air, loamy soil, bright light, dry
-side.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings in spring.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Good house plant.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Impatiens repens</b> <i>Balsaminaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>This precious creeper bears so little superficial resemblance to the
-popular “patient Lucy” it’s hard to believe it’s a close kin. I loved
-it when I first saw it at the Montreal Botanical Gardens, and was
-delighted when it became available to us here. It is a creeper with red
-stems, plump button-shaped leaves, and yellow flowers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, humusy soil,
-bright light, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Good house plant, miniature gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Koellikeria erinoides</b> <i>Gesneriaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>This one is a gem&mdash;clusters of pert green-velvet leaves with indented
-veins and sprinkled with silvery star dust; on short stems, tiny
-two-lipped bell flowers of creamy white and red, in summer.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> House plant.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Lantana camara</b> <i>Verbenaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Here is a plant I have long enjoyed around the greenhouse. It is a
-small hairy shrub with angled branches and rough bristly leaves and is
-sometimes prickly.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">[121]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p24" style="max-width: 415px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p24.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Helxine soleiroli</i>, baby’s tears&mdash;a delightful little
-crawler</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">[122]</span></p>
-
-<p>Its blooming habits have always delighted me, and it is a prolific
-bloomer come summer. The verbena-like flowers open pink or yellow and
-later darken to red or orange. Often several different shades will be
-found on the same plant at the same time.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Moderate greenhouse temperatures, or out of doors in the
-summer. Needs fresh air, loamy garden soil, bright light, and does best
-on the dry side.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings and seed.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> House plant, pots, and containers.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Malpighia coccigera</b> <i>Malpighiaceae</i> Miniature Holly</p>
-
-<p>Small glossy leaves sharply toothed like holly, and adorable as a
-foliage plant, but in addition provides the sweetest white-pink blooms
-which in its native West Indies produce red, edible fruit rich in
-vitamin C.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Partial sun, warmth, humusy soil, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Stem cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> House plant, indoor bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Manettia bicolor</b> <i>Rubiaceae</i> Firecracker Vine</p>
-
-<p>Small, sharp-pointed leaves, tube-flowers only a half-inch long, fine
-thready twining stems&mdash;everything about this tropical vine is miniature
-except the height to which it will climb in the greenhouse, or outdoors
-in the South. Although its inclination is to climb, it is sold most
-often as a plant for hanging baskets. Perhaps the lack of a support
-helps keep it small. The leaves cluster thickly around the intertwining
-stems, making a massed background for the impertinent flowers, yellow
-at the tips, fire-engine red at the base.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Cool greenhouse, needs fresh air, humid, loamy soil,
-filtered sun, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings over heat, of young growth. Seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Trellis and rafter vines for the greenhouse,
-hanging baskets.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Maranta</b> <i>Marantaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Exotic tropical foliage plants, laying their large oval leaves almost
-flat on the soil, only technically different from the calatheas, and
-sometimes offered under that name.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>(Calathea) bicolor</i>&mdash;Really should be “tricolor,” I think.
-The silky, six-inch leaves are silvery in the center, feathering
-out to points at intervals, and fading into a dark-green zone
-which gives way to the basic blue-gray or gray-green that
-extends to the edge.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>leuconeura kerchoveana</i>&mdash;rabbit tracks, prayer
-plant&mdash;There’s a similar grayish feather in the center of the
-leaf, a lighter silver green to the margin; but in between,
-mahogany blotches where a “hippity-hopper” might have planted
-his paws. The leaves fold up in prayer at night.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">[123]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>leuconeura massangeana</i>&mdash;A picture is a more vivid
-description than any word I can call on. The center is silver,
-the thin curvy lines silvery pink. The basic color is mahogany
-near the middle, blending into blue-green. The leaves are
-tissue-thin with a silky sheen and lined with plum beneath.</p>
-</div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p25" style="max-width: 413px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p25.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Leuconeura massangeana</i>&mdash;a most beautiful foliage plant
-with a silver center and basic mahogany blending into blue-green</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warmth, minimum night temperature of 60 degrees; humid,
-and use mist spray; rich soil; use liquid manure (except in winter).
-Filtered sun (plant will scorch in too direct sunshine), moist. Partial
-rest in winter, dry out between waterings. Repot in spring, with the
-crown high in the center; use charcoal in pot.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Divide crown.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Foliage plant, artificial light. This plant is
-prettiest when young. Markings may disappear in older plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">[124]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Myrsine africana</b> <i>Myrsinaceae</i> African Boxwood</p>
-
-<p>This is a shrubby, dark-green-leaved plant of the boxwood sort. It is
-small, neat, and trim and may be shaped into many patterns to resemble
-the true boxwood.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Partial sun, moderate temperature, humusy soil, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Stem cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Formal miniature gardens, dish gardens, indoor
-bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Myrtus communis</b> <i>Myrtaceae</i> Greek Myrtle</p>
-
-<p>This is a fragrant close-leaved evergreen shrub native to the
-Mediterranean region but raised in most of Europe and this country as
-a potted plant. It grows out-of-doors in the South. Fragrant white
-flowers and purple-black berries. In size, Greek Myrtle ranges from
-dwarfs to ten and fifteen feet in height.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>communis microphylla</i>&mdash;dwarf myrtle&mdash;This compact form,
-with brown twigs and needle-like dark-green leaves, is a
-favorite for bridal bouquets, corsages, and decorations. It has
-a lovely white flower of pleasing fragrance. This sentimental
-association with the marriage ceremony makes it a favorite house
-plant.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Partial sun, cool to moderate temperatures, average
-soil, keep moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Stem cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> House plant, indoor bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Oxalis</b> <i>Oxalidaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Although most of the familiar varieties with clover-type leaves and
-fine-petaled buttercup-like flowers stay within our allotted limits for
-height, they are not miniatures as far as spreading width is concerned.
-But here are two small indispensables for terrariums and dish gardens.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>hedysaroides rubra</i>&mdash;firefern&mdash;Correctly, a tropical
-shrublet, but slow-growing and willing to be kept down by
-pinching. The silky thin leaves are deep wine colored and shrink
-from your touch. The little flowers, like golden twinkling
-stars, are frequent and fairly plentiful.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>herrerae (henrei)</i>&mdash;Curious, densely branching succulent
-for small hanging containers. The sturdy stems are gray-green
-and swollen, tipped with three thick leaflets. Small yellow
-flowers in clusters on long stems.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>martiana aureo-reticulata</i>&mdash;Shamrock leaves of emerald
-green thickly traced with interlacing veins of gold, easy
-flowers in loose clusters.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Cool, loamy garden soil, needs fresh air, bright light,
-dry side. (<i>O. hedysariodes rubra</i> requires more warmth and
-semishade.)</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Bulbs, division of roots, seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> House plants, hanging containers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">[125]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p26" style="max-width: 392px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p26.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Oxalis hedysaroides rubra</i></p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Parochetus communis</b> <i>Leguminosae</i> Shamrock Pea, Blue
-Oxalis</p>
-
-<p>It’s neither a shamrock nor an oxalis, although it has
-three-part leaves resembling both and is marked with a mahogany
-quarter-moon in the center. But, the blooms are pea-like, all
-right, with ocean blue blending into pink on the two side
-petals. It’s a tender tropical trailer never more than three
-inches tall with creeping stems rooting over the soil.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">[126]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Sun, intermediate temperature, average soil.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds in March and April. Division in
-March.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens in mild climate, baskets,
-miniature gardens, edging.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Pelargonium hortorum</b> <i>Geraniaceae</i> Geranium</p>
-
-<p>How minute is a miniature? How small is a dwarf? Here is one
-case where I really don’t care. However you classify them,
-these small-scale geraniums are bewitching. And actually, their
-stature depends largely on how you grow them.</p>
-
-<p>Their leaves may be as small as your thumbnail, but they are
-shaped, edged, veined, zoned, and often variegated like their
-larger relatives. In most varieties the size of the flowers has
-been cut down proportionately, but sometimes a cluster is as
-large as the entire plant. With age the stems may become gnarled
-and twisted, almost bonsai-like.</p>
-
-<p>As a sort of yardstick, if you are very much concerned about
-height, miniatures are from two to three inches. Anything above
-that is a semidwarf, usually up to six or seven inches. There
-are many varieties within these limits, and by the time you read
-this there will most likely be dozens more. For the moment, here
-are some varieties you can start on your window sill; they will
-stay small and meanwhile bloom their heads off.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Black Vesuvius’&mdash;Single, orange-scarlet.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Dopey’&mdash;Large rose-red with white center. Free-blooming.
-Semidwarf.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Elf’&mdash;Dark leaves, zoned red and black, yellow on edge, single.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Epsilon’&mdash;Large flowers light pink with dark-pink phlox eye,
-semidwarf.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Fairyland’&mdash;Dull-green leaves with cream on the edge, single,
-touched with rose-red.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Fairy Tales’&mdash;Flouncy white with lilac at the center.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Fleurette’&mdash;Strong robust free-blooming dark salmon. Semidwarf.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Goblin’&mdash;Outstanding blooms bright red. Free-blooming, dark
-zoned.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Imp’&mdash;Very miniature salmon-pink. Dark foliage.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Kleiner Liebling’ (‘Little Darling’)&mdash;Variegated, single, pink.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Minx’&mdash;Purple-crimson blend, pretty blackish ruffled leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Mischief’&mdash;Orange-red curled and twisted poinsettia-type petals.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Perky’&mdash;Single, red with bright white center.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Polaris’&mdash;Free-blooming white with pink edge. Single.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Pride’&mdash;Very large full rounded salmon. Robust semidwarf.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Prince Valiant’&mdash;Purple-crimson with orange flush. Semidwarf.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Robin Hood’&mdash;Semidwarf, strong growing, dark red. Good for
-outdoor planting. Double.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Rosy Dawn’&mdash;A different shade of salmon-orange-red. Dark
-foliage.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Ruffles’&mdash;Semidouble, small, ruffled, light salmon. Very
-miniature.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Salmon Comet’&mdash;Somewhat shaggy, single, salmon.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Saturn’&mdash;Bright scarlet, good bloomer, dark foliage.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">[127]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p27" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p27.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Three dwarf geraniums: ‘Salmon Comet,’ ‘Pride,’ and ‘Pygmy’</p>
-  </div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p27a" style="max-width: 500px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p27a.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Dwarf geranium, ‘Robin Hood’</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">[128]</span></p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Small Fortune’&mdash;Double, pure white, blushing pink in center.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Sneezy’&mdash;Large bright scarlet with white center. Semidwarf.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Snow-White’&mdash;A pure-white single that blooms and blooms.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Sparkle’&mdash;Free-blooming bright rose-red. Semidwarf, dark
-foliage.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Sprite’&mdash;Small silvery-and-white leaves sometimes pink-tinged,
-single, salmon.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Tiny Tim’&mdash;Pink or red, tiny blooms. Miniature foliage.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Twinkle’&mdash;Bright rose-pink, double. Dark foliage, semidwarf.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Variegated Kleiner Liebling’&mdash;Small green-and-white leaves.
-Small single pink blooms.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Sun (in winter artificial light), fresh air
-(air-conditioning if possible), cool greenhouse or cool part of
-dwelling-house, garden soil (lime if soil is extra acid), on the dry
-side.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings, seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Excellent house plant, artificial-light gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Pellaea rotundifolia</b> <i>Polypodiaceae</i> Button Fern</p>
-
-<p>Take a piece of wiry brown yarn and string it with shiny, dark-green,
-leathery polka dots on either side and you’ll have a model of a frond
-of this tropical fern. The fuzzy stems arch gently but stay close to
-the soil as the small rhizomes slowly creep around. It’s all very
-un-fernlike but exceedingly sweet.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Intermediate temperature, humid, loamy soil, shade,
-moist.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Pellionia</b> <i>Urticaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Two delicate tropical creepers with attractively colored and patterned
-leaves lined up and lying flat along the thickish stems. No one cares
-whether they produce their drab clusters of small greenish flowers or
-not.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pulchra</i>&mdash;Precise oval leaves are dusty blue-gray,
-with broad lines of black over the network of nerves, violet
-underneath. Juicy stems look lavender-pink.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>repens (daveauana)</i>&mdash;Young leaves nearly egg-shaped,
-metallic copper-green, nearly chartreuse on both sides of the
-center nerve. Leaves of the mature plants become slimmer and
-pointed on the end, with more green in the center zone and less
-copper along the edge.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Filtered sun, warm and humid, loamy soil, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings, division of rooted stems.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums, artificial light, hanging baskets.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p28" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p28.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Twenty-three varieties of <i>Pelargonium hortorum</i>, miniature
-and dwarf: 1. Fleurette 2. Snow White 3. Dopey 4. Mischief 5.
-Robin Hood 6. Minx 7. Epsilon 8. Prince Valiant 9. Polaris 10.
-Saturn 11. Sparkle 12. Kleiner Liebling 13. Small Fortune 14.
-Goblin 15. Variegated Kleiner Liebling 16. Fairy Tales 17. Rosy
-Dawn 18. Pride 19. Sneezy 20. Twinkle 21. Ruffled 22. Imp 23.
-Salmon Comet</p>
-  </div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p28a" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p0"
-    src="images/p28a.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"></p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Peperomia</b> <i>Piperaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Since almost all of these succulents, with their “catkin-like” flower
-spikes, fit within our miniature measurements, I’ve enjoyed picking a
-few to serve as a sample of their modest but much varied appeal. I like
-them, and hope you will also.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">[129]</span></p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Astrid’&mdash;Layer upon layer of glossy green, pointed oval leaves
-creased down the center by the main vein, making a dense,
-symmetrical cone-shaped mound. In fact, there are so many tight
-branches that the leaves can’t always find room to fill out to
-full size. Then ‘Astrid’ turns into a version called ‘Pixie.’ To
-reverse the cycle, root a single stem of ‘Pixie’ and see how it
-returns to being ‘Astrid’ again.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Caperata’ (‘Little Fantasy’)&mdash;One perfect little heart leaf,
-its end pointing down, perched at the top of a sturdy stem. The
-entire leaf is so deeply wrinkled and crinkled that the basic
-Kelly-green looks almost black in the indentations, and silvery
-on the edges. Its big brother, ‘Emerald Ripple,’ is half again
-as large but otherwise identical.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Mamorata’ (‘Silver Heart’)&mdash;These heart-leaves taper to a
-sharper point and are rippled in a much more modest way. There
-is so much silver on the surface they look plated.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>metallica</i>&mdash;Upright and branching with slim-oval leaves
-pointed at both ends and colored chocolate with a coffee luster.
-There is a wide green stripe straight down the middle.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>ornata</i>&mdash;Handsome and stately despite its small stature.
-The cupped, pointed-oval leaves are somber green on top and
-enlivened with lines of light green along the curved veins.
-Underneath, the veins become raised ribs and are wine red.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>prostrata</i>&mdash;Personally, I have my suspicions about
-this sprightly creeper. When it is young, discontented, or
-ailing, its fat little button-leaves along the thready stems
-are a plain light green. It looks so much like the species
-rotundiflora (nummularifolia) that you can’t tell the two apart.
-But when prostrata is happy and romping around in its favorite
-environment, the leaves turn blue-green and wear an ornate
-embroidery of silver over the veins. Botanically, I’m probably
-wrong. See what happens when you grow it.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>rubella</i>&mdash;Rosettes of tiny oval moss-green leaves stand
-out at intervals up and down the straight stems and all the
-branches. The undersurface is gaudy red, and so are the stems.
-Pinch often to keep it bushy.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, loamy garden soil, filtered sun, dry side. Water
-with care. Drainage to prevent rot.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Leaf cuttings, stem cuttings, division of the
-plant or rooting stem (roots at joints), seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Excellent house plant, dish gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Pilea</b> <i>Urticaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>With one exception, this is a genus of creepers, crisp,
-fleshy&mdash;spreaders, and bushlets for dozens of decorative uses indoors
-(and outdoors in tropical climates). Their common characteristics
-are much-branched stems bearing a full measure of variously colored,
-patterned, and shaped foliage, and very greenish flowers in flat
-clusters at the branch tips.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">[130]</span></p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>cadieri minima</i>&mdash;Dwarf form of the popular aluminium
-plant, or watermelon pilea, eagerly branching into a plump
-bush. The quilted deep-green leaves are splotched with
-aluminium-silver. And the splotches are faintly reminiscent of
-watermelon markings.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>depressa</i>&mdash;Crowded stems spill over the pot, bearing round
-sea-green leaves neatly toothed on the edge. Stems root where
-they touch the soil.</p>
-</div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p29" style="max-width: 500px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p29.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Pilea depressa</i>&mdash;a creeping, dish-garden favorite</p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>involucrata</i>&mdash;panamiga&mdash;Fuzzy pointed oval leaves deeply
-quilted by a tight network of veins, piled pair on pair along
-branching stems. Foliage colors darkest green in shade, tinges
-of bronze in bright light. Flowers pinkish, nestled close to the
-last pair of leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>microphylla (serpyllifolia)</i>&mdash;artillery plant&mdash;Tiny,
-pointed fresh-green leaves on spreading, somewhat upright
-branches. The male flowers explode their clouds of pollen when
-dry.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>nummulariaefolia</i>&mdash;creeping Charlie&mdash;Stem-rooting creeper
-with crinkled round, or broad heart-shaped, leaves, pale green
-and fuzzy.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">[131]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pubescens</i> (‘Silver Panamiga’)&mdash;Oval leaves overlaid with
-silvery blue, grayish beneath, the veins indented sharply.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>repens</i>&mdash;blackleaf panamiga&mdash;Prostrate and creeping, the
-branches spreading and bearing nearly round, thin, bronzy leaves
-lined with violet beneath. This one holds its beady flowers atop
-tall stems.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>seripillacea</i>&mdash;Habit like a perfectly proportioned shrub
-but in most miniature proportions. Small round leaves and
-plentiful branches, light green and succulent. Flower clusters
-held out from the foliage by stems.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Silver Tree’&mdash;Copyrighted name for a species with brown-green
-leaves marked with a broad silver zone on each side of the
-center vein, corrugated by indented veins.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Easy, warm, humid, loamy soil with humus, filtered sun,
-moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings, use sharp sand, 65 degrees.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Dish gardens, terrariums.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Polyscias (Aralia) fruticosa</b> <i>Araliaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Tropical shrub or tree (eight feet or less) better known in Northern
-greenhouses for its intricately cut, lacy foliage, and growing so
-slowly it is nearly permanent (and unquestionably picturesque) in a
-planter or dish garden. The elegant horticultural variety ‘Elegans’ has
-leaves cut as fine as a feathery plume. I covet the newly named variety
-‘Parsley’ because it is ruffled, to boot, and because its habit is so
-restrained, and its form so compact and plump.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, needs fresh air, loamy soil, bright light, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings of firm wood, eye-cuttings (over bottom
-heat).</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Dish gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Polystichum tsus-simense</b> <i>Polypodiaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Definitely a dwarf fern, keeping its size moderate in a three-inch
-pot but not always a subject for terrariums unless they are a
-larger-than-usual size. It has a tidy habit, always looks clean
-and refreshing. The small fronds are substantial and taper to a
-needle-sharp point.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> No sun, cool, humid, loamy soil, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Divisions, buds, or offsets.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Hanging baskets. Terrariums.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Sansevieria</b> <i>Liliaceae</i> Snake Plant</p>
-
-<p>Here we have some of the most fortuitous “sports” in the history of
-plants. The tall, stiff, ungainly but omnipresent snake plant has
-produced spontaneously mutant growth that turned into neat, low,
-bird’s-nest miniatures that are really most attractive. First came the
-variety named ‘Hahni,’ a flat spiral of broad leaves tapering to a
-sharp point, dull green marked crosswise with splashy bands of lighter
-green. Another<span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">[132]</span> sport, ‘Silver Hahni,’ abandoned most of the crossbands
-and plated its green with pewter. Even more striking is ‘Golden Hahni,’
-with lavish bands of creamy yellow running lengthwise of the leaf on
-either side of a center stripe of mottled green. And to top it all,
-these picturesque plants are just as easy to grow as the rugged species
-from which they sprang. Flowers, whitish or yellowish. Slow-growing.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Filtered sun, warm, loamy soil, slightly moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division of clumps. Leaf cuttings (three-inch
-piece in sand, shade, and 65-degree temperature). Makes stolon-like
-buds that form the new plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Dish gardens. Good house plant.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Sarcococca ruscifolia</b> <i>Buxaceae</i> Sweet Box</p>
-
-<p>Sweet box is a small, free-branching evergreen with attractive leathery
-leaves, broad at the stem but coming to a point. Has tiny fragrant
-white flowers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Intermediate temperature, fresh air, loamy soil,
-filtered sun, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Dish gardens, indoor bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Saxifraga sarmentosa</b> <i>Saxifragaceae</i> Strawberry Begonia or
-Geranium</p>
-
-<p>One of the few hardy perennials that will thrive indoors the year
-round. Round, hairy silver-veined leaves grow in a rosette from the
-crown, which also sends out slender red stems, strawberry style, with
-new little plants that root and grow wherever they touch soil. In late
-spring the fall stems are topped by cloudlike soft clusters of small
-white flowers. ‘Maroon Beauty’ is slightly darker, and larger.</p>
-
-<p>More miniature, and more tricky, is the variety tricolor, sometimes
-called ‘Magic Carpet,’ with smaller, basically gray-green leaves,
-red-rimmed and variegated with wide areas of creamy white, purple
-underneath. In cool air and sun, the cream is strongly tinted pink.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Humid, cool, poor soil, dry.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Runners.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Dish and sink gardens.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p30" style="max-width: 500px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p30.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Saxifraga sarmentosa</i>&mdash;a hardy perennial good for
-indoor miniature gardens</p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Schizocentron (Heeria, Heterocentron) elegans</b>
-<i>Melastomaceae</i> Spanish Shawl</p>
-
-<p>Mexican creeping perennial with thickly branched stems rooting at the
-joints, making a plush carpet of tiny, teardrop leaves. In summer the
-one-inch open-faced, royal-purple flowers seem unbelievably large and
-rich. This one is very nice in a small hanging basket, but its natural
-inclination is to creep and it really goes to town when it can cover
-soil or some sort of porous support such as a moss totem pole. It
-should<span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">[133]</span> be spectacular covering a hanging ball filled with sphagnum
-moss.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Intermediate temperature, humid, loamy soil with humus,
-filtered sun, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings, division of rooted stems.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Small baskets, miniature gardens, ground cover.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Selaginella</b> <i>Selaginellaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Soft, fluffy foliage plants in all shades of green, including metallic,
-and with all kinds of growth, low and creepy, upright, even climbing.
-They bear more resemblance to each other than they do to their cousins
-the ferns.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">[134]</span></p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>emmeliana</i>&mdash;sweat plant&mdash;As the nickname hints, this ferny
-plant languishes unless it is “perspiring” in high heat and
-humidity. In fact, once the fine-lace fronds turn dry and brown,
-they won’t be fresh and green again.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>kraussiana browni</i>&mdash;Scotch moss&mdash;Soft, symmetrical
-cushions of bright-green leaves, slowly spreading into larger
-mounds.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>kraussiana (denticulata)</i>&mdash;spreading club moss&mdash;Branching,
-rooting, creeping stems thickly set with needlepoint leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>lepidophylla</i>&mdash;resurrection plant&mdash;Antithesis of the sweat
-plant. When the fan-shaped branches have dried out and curled
-into a ball, immerse them in water and they will come back fresh
-and green as ever.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>martensi</i>&mdash;Young branches stand upright, may drop or creep
-with age. The variety variegata has eye-catching white splashes,
-splotches, or tips and supports itself on stiff aerial roots
-from stems to soil.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>plumosa</i>&mdash;Foamy creeper with short, branching stems
-overlapped by foliage of fresh woodsy green.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>uncinata</i>&mdash;Foliage sparse but shimmering peacock-blue in
-shade. The running, branching stems have a ludicrous way of
-sending down stilt-like roots into the soil, so they seem to be
-running above the soil, not in it.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Fern culture; warm, humid, humus, shade, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings in pots (several pieces per pot), in
-spring. Put on top of medium and cover with glass at 70 degrees until
-roots form at joints. Spores, division of rooted stems.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums, greenhouses, ground cover.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Serissa foetida (japonica)</b> <i>Rubiaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>A boxwood-like plant with tiny white-margined leaves clustered on
-branchlets. White funnelform flowers to one-half inch long.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Partial sun, average soil, moderately moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Artificial light, dish gardens, indoor bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Sinningia pusilla</b> <i>Gesneriaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>If ever a plant was a miniature, this is it. The tuber is hardly
-as large as a grain of wheat. The soft round leaves, not even a
-quarter-inch across, make a flat rosette on the soil in a thimble,
-or any tiny pot. From the crown arise the thread-thin stems, to the
-great height of one inch. And from the tip of each stem stands a slim
-flaring, tube-like flower, pale orchid with violet veins and lemon in
-the throat. This plant is quite obviously close kin to the familiar
-gloxinia (<i>G. speciosa</i> hybrids), but you almost need a magnifying
-glass to compare the characteristics.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, slightly moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> As for the gesneriads (Gesneriaceae).</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums, miniature gardens.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">[135]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p31" style="max-width: 500px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p31.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Miniature of miniatures, delightful <i>Sinningia pusilla</i></p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Streptocarpus</b> <i>Gesneriaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>When limited growing space frustrates the hobbyist who admires the
-great, glorious gloxinias (sinningias), here’s a selection of pleasing
-and precious substitutes. In general these plants are distinguished
-by the fact that the flower stems grow out from the base of the leaf
-where it joins its own stem (axil). The flowers are typical gesneriad
-trumpets, usually nodding; the leaves are mostly rather round and
-velvety. The following are fibrous-rooted:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>hybridus</i>&mdash;Botanical name for groups of hybrids called
-“as complex as the garden geranium,” with quilted light-green
-leaves and a wide selection of flower colors. One strain of
-particularly attractive low plants, the German Weismoor hybrids,
-has fringed and crested flowers up to four inches across, often
-contrastingly veined or blotched.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>rexi</i>&mdash;Long-oval, velvety leaves lie very flat. Six-inch
-stems hold two-inch funnel-flowers, pale orchid with purple
-throat.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>saxorum</i>&mdash;Leafy-stemmed species, the stems branching
-continually, making dense mounds of plump, one-inch oval leaves
-curled under on the edge and covered with soft silk-velvet. The
-lavender-flushed white flowers stand out at the end of wiry
-three-inch stems.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Cool, humid, loamy soil with humus, filtered sun.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (plant in early spring for flowers fall and
-winter), leaf cuttings, some offsets.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Artificial light.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">[136]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Tillandsia</b> <i>Bromeliaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>There are several entrancing dwarfs and miniatures among these
-tree-perching bromeliads with curved, leathery, often quill-tipped
-leaves. For two of the newly listed species (<i>T. argentea</i> and
-<i>T. tricolepsis</i>) I can simply say that the leaf rosettes resemble
-airy, long-bristled cones; they have not yet flowered for me.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>circinnata</i>&mdash;The silvery leaves, broader at the base,
-overlap and form an urn-shaped, tuber-like swelling. Tight, flat
-spikes of glowing-orchid flowers in late winter.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>ionantha</i>&mdash;Three-inch tuft of pewter-gray leaves turn
-fiery red at flowering time, January-February. The inflorescence
-is an incredible paddle-shaped composition of fat, flat, tightly
-overlapping bracts, and the plant sends out large violet flowers
-day after day.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>stricta</i>&mdash;Shaggy “head” of very narrow, every-which-way
-leaves silvered with finest gray fuzz; short-stemmed spikes with
-shocking-pink bracts and blue-violet flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm, humid, orchid-growing medium, wire to board with
-orchid peat. Moist during spring and summer. Dry in dark winter months,
-when plant is semidormant.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Offshoots.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> “Log” gardens, tree slabs.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Tradescantia</b> <i>Commelinaceae</i> Spiderwort, Inch Plant,
-Wandering Jew</p>
-
-<p>Most varieties of the inch plants that cheerfully romp all over indoor
-gardens are, of course, too rambunctious to be called miniature. But
-there are two species of much more modest proportions and habit.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>multiflora</i>&mdash;Unmistakably an inch plant, but with stems
-more threadlike than succulent; small, slim (even quite thin)
-leaves plain dark green, tinted purple beneath; and clusters of
-tiny white winking flowers. The effect is, believe it or not,
-delicate and “ferny.”</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>navicularis</i>&mdash;China plant&mdash;Curious succulent creeper
-with very thick stems threaded through widely spaced pairs of
-clasping leaves folded tightly down the center; rose-purple
-flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Easy culture, intermediate temperature, needs fresh air,
-loamy soil, filtered sun, dry side.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings of growing shoots, seeds, division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Baskets.</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">[137]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 7</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE ROSES, INDOORS AND OUT</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>Men, women, and children; gardeners, nongardeners, and the family
-cat&mdash;everyone is captivated by a four-inch rosebush with precise little
-leaves and thorns, studded with button-size buds and flowers, twinkling
-in its pot on the window sill. On her weekly visit the cleaning woman
-checks on its health and welfare. The baby-sitter has her boy friend
-come in to see it. The milkman wants to know where he can get one like
-it for his green-thumbed wife.</p>
-
-<p>But if I had a dime for every eager buyer who has found these midgets
-disappointingly difficult to grow indoors, I could start building
-my dream greenhouse tomorrow. There are simply too many floriferous
-pictures with thimbles to show how cute the flowers are, and too few
-responsible growers who give specific cultural directions with every
-sale.</p>
-
-<p>In the garden there’s no problem. These are by nature outdoor plants,
-mostly sturdier and more winter-hardy than the full-sized hybrid teas
-and floribundas. For some reason, they even seem to be less subject
-to the depredations of insects and disease. I can pick handfuls of
-Japanese beetles from the regulars in the rose garden, but few from the
-miniatures little more than a hundred feet away.</p>
-
-<p>I’m not implying that miniature roses are impossible indoors. One of
-the most perfect blooming bushlets I’ve ever seen came to our flower
-show from a sparsely windowed, steam-heated Brooklyn apartment. I
-simply want to spread the gospel that, to avoid risking disappointment,
-everybody should know what kind of cultural conditions they need.</p>
-
-<p>Potted miniature roses are positively precious in cool, sunny window
-gardens, with rows of matching pots on glass shelves up and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">[138]</span> down the
-window, or singles or small groups in mixed arrangements on the sill
-or in a window greenhouse. Although they are not the most adaptable
-subjects for growing under artificial light, I’ve known several people
-who have been successful, particularly when the plants were started
-under lights from seed.</p>
-
-<p>In a harmonious decorative container, a flowering miniature rose
-makes a small plant-and-container decoration to inspire the prettiest
-compliments. With suitable environment a tiny bush can be used as a
-center of interest in an indoor model landscape. A small greenhouse
-should hardly be without one of these brightly blooming babies.</p>
-
-<p>Miniature roses have many uses in sink or trough gardens, as single
-specimens, pairs or quadruplets in formal plantings, even hedgerows
-kept carefully trimmed. I don’t know whether anyone has ever tried them
-for miniature bonsai. This would be a process of dwarfing a dwarf;
-and my mental picture of the proper plant, artistically trained, is
-enchanting. I must try this, before long.</p>
-
-<p>Outdoors, miniature roses are delightful in all kinds of
-containers&mdash;tubs, strawberry jars, window boxes, and other planters.
-They’re often used as a low hedge to edge a path, driveway, or the beds
-of a formal rose garden, or around the base of a birdbath or sundial.
-In mixed flower borders they’re planted singly or in small groups
-toward the front. In rock gardens they keep most safely cool and moist
-when planted low, near the base of the garden; and they show off most
-effectively with something like a dwarf evergreen as background.</p>
-
-<p>Gardens featuring miniature roses are most often formal in
-design&mdash;round, square, rectangular, the beds divided with geometric
-precision by narrow strips of grass or gravel paths. A small, formal
-pool or piece of statuary may be the center of interest. In a sunken
-garden outlined with an eight-inch brick or stone wall, the planting
-pattern is particularly pleasing. In raised beds each individual
-shrublet can be enjoyed at eye level. In a single or double row at the
-base of a low retaining wall, the plants show off to advantage.</p>
-
-<p>Beds of miniature roses can be carefully arranged strips, or groups of
-separate colors, or mixtures. They can be edged with shrubs such as
-dwarf box, perennials such as dwarf lavender, dainty annuals such as
-lobelia or alyssum. In the center a tree or standard is often used as
-accent. Or a bed may be backed by a wall, fence, trellis, or arch on
-which miniature climbers are trained. If the soil is slanted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">[139]</span> slightly
-up, toward the center, it is easier to see the plump perfection of each
-little bush.</p>
-
-<p>Dwarf evergreens, particularly junipers, are popular backgrounds for
-miniature rose gardens. Upright types with symmetrical pyramid, column,
-or cone shapes are often used as accent&mdash;for example, a matching
-specimen of one of the dwarf varieties of <i>Juniperus communis</i> in
-the exact center of each formal bed.</p>
-
-<p>Miniature or not, rose gardens are most often conceived in formal
-design. But to me, the cheerful dwarfs are more friendly when planted
-informally&mdash;popping up at the base of a tree stump or boulder, spotted
-here and there in the rock garden, a few at the top of a flight of
-small steps.</p>
-
-
-<h3>TYPES OF MINIATURE ROSES</h3>
-
-<p>The tight buds may be as big as the eraser on a pencil, or as tiny as a
-grain of unpolished rice, and the flowers may be single, semidouble, or
-double. The doubles may be formed like a hybrid tea or be full-petaled
-and fluffy, in clusters like a rambler rose. Some varieties stay very
-dwarf and bushy, from four to six inches tall; others are more robust,
-with larger flowers, and may grow to ten inches.</p>
-
-<p>Climbing miniature roses are usually sports of bush varieties, with
-supple canes four or five feet long that can be trained on low fences,
-walls, trellises, or arches. Otherwise, every part is in perfect
-miniature scale.</p>
-
-<p>All of these types are recognized by fanciers as authentic miniature
-roses because they grow on their own roots. And so is the rare tree
-or standard grown with a single trunk-like stem that is kept free of
-side growth, then pinched at the top to form a crown and symmetrical
-head. But standards that are budded or grafted onto the stems of other
-root stocks (which most of our American miniature tree roses are) are
-excluded by the experts, which is a matter of concern only to the
-serious collector.</p>
-
-
-<h3>INDOOR PLANTING AND CARE</h3>
-
-<p>Since miniature roses seldom spend the summer indoors, they are usually
-purchased in fall or winter from the local florist or greenhouse, or
-by mail from house-plant or miniature-rose specialists.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">[140]</span> Pot-grown
-plants are most likely to succeed indoors because their roots are not
-disturbed unduly. Except in Hawaii and Arizona, mail-order plants
-arrive with the soil ball complete about the roots, the stems cut back
-to about two inches. They start growth almost immediately, and flower
-within six to eight weeks.</p>
-
-<p>If you have miniature roses in the garden, you can root cuttings in
-early fall and force them into winter bloom indoors. Or you can dig the
-plants, pot them, and give them their necessary dormant rest before you
-bring them indoors for forcing. Sink the pots to the rim in soil, in
-the cold frame or in some spot protected from severe winter weather.
-When the temperature dips low, mulch with salt hay, straw, evergreen
-branches, or the like. In late December or January, after six weeks or
-more of dormancy, lift the pots and bring the plants indoors. Prune
-back the leafless stems and water sparingly until new leaf buds appear.</p>
-
-<p>After they have flowered indoors all winter and spring, I always
-plant my miniature roses out in the garden and let them resume their
-natural outdoor growth cycle. I may root cuttings, or I may bring
-others indoors the following fall; but I have never tried to force a
-plant a second time without letting it live at least one year in the
-garden first. I have heard that some growers (probably city dwellers
-or others who have no outdoor garden facilities) simply let the plants
-rest outside in summer&mdash;on a shaded ledge or in a window box with moist
-peat&mdash;prune them severely in fall, and grow them again. I haven’t heard
-how many years a plant will take this unnatural treatment or how much
-it suffers from missing its cool fall nap.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Soil</i></p>
-
-<p>A fairly heavy potting soil packed quite firmly in the pot seems to
-help keep the plants small without sacrificing foliage or flower.
-One expert recommends a mixture of two parts garden soil, two parts
-humus, one part moderately coarse sand, with a light sprinkling of
-superphosphate or bone meal. When I use my ready-prepared potting soil,
-I always add sand, and sometimes some humusy soil dug from immediately
-under the leaf mold in the woods.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Potting</i></p>
-
-<p>I’ve used both clay and plastic pots with equal success, always of
-the shape with the greatest depth, as miniature roses are naturally
-deep-rooted. Each pot has the usual layer of rocks or pebbles in the
-bottom for drainage. Small, newly purchased plants usually start off
-in three-inch pots, are shifted to four-inch pots before<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">[141]</span> they become
-severely root-bound. Some larger varieties may take larger sizes.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Sun</i></p>
-
-<p>This is one of the three important cultural requirements. Miniature
-roses must have sun if they are to bloom. A minimum of three hours is
-sometimes set, but I should think this amount would be applicable only
-to midsummer or to mild climates. In winter the plants need all the
-sunshine they can possibly get.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Temperature and Humidity</i></p>
-
-<p>Second in importance is a cool 65 degrees or even much lower (maximum,
-70 degrees), and third is the humidity which keeps the plants at their
-best. Leaves curl and dry, buds and flowers drop when the air is hot
-and dry. Miniature roses should not be set anywhere near a heater or
-radiator of any kind. Unless the air in the growing area is really cool
-and moist, set the pots on moist gravel or make some other provision
-for increasing humidity, as outlined on pages 76–77. It even helps
-to cover the plants with a tent of plastic every night, and let them
-emerge only for the day.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Watering</i></p>
-
-<p>Keep the soil always moist, never soggy and muddy, never dry and caked.
-As a humidifier and refresher, mist the foliage as often as you can.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Fertilizing</i></p>
-
-<p>A balanced soluble house-plant fertilizer (never one with high nitrogen
-content) can be fed in half-strength solution every three weeks
-beginning about three weeks after a freshly potted plant begins active
-growth. Or you can use any special rose food according to directions
-and at half the strength recommended on the package. The idea is to
-encourage the plant to grow and flower, but not stuff it with so much
-nutrition that it gallops gaily up to nondwarf size with leaves only.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Pruning and Grooming</i></p>
-
-<p>I seldom prune miniature roses indoors except to cut off cleanly
-any stems that may have been accidentally broken or that may grow
-unattractively long or misshapen. I do try to douse the plants in
-slightly sudsy water, to clean the foliage, every few weeks; and I pick
-off faded flowers promptly. Actually, instead of being in continual
-bloom, these plants usually flower for a few weeks and then take a
-short rest before they send up buds again.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Insects and Disease</i></p>
-
-<p>Again, preventive spraying is all I’ve ever done. I use my handy
-house-plant aerosol bomb almost every week.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">[142]</span> If disaster should strike,
-I’d probably use the special rose spray or dust I use on the regular
-garden roses.</p>
-
-
-<h3>OUTDOOR PLANTING AND CARE</h3>
-
-<p>In all except mild or warmer climates, bare-root plants bought by mail
-from nurseries or garden-rose specialists should be planted in early
-spring, when vigorous root action and growth are beginning. Potted
-plants or any that come complete with a soil ball around the roots
-can be planted almost any time the garden soil is not frozen. But in
-sections where winters are severe, I think spring planting is always
-safest. In fact, in Connecticut I like to give new plants a longer
-growing season their first year by starting them a few weeks early, in
-pots, indoors or in the greenhouse.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Location</i></p>
-
-<p>Plant miniature roses where they will get at least half a day of
-summer sun (a full day is best) but where it is possible to keep the
-soil suitably moist. Avoid low, muggy pockets where air does not
-circulate freely or where water can collect and make the soil muddy.
-Good drainage is vital. In cold areas, select a spot sheltered from icy
-winds by a wall or low shrubs.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Soil</i></p>
-
-<p>To help keep them dwarf, miniature roses need a fairly heavy soil, but
-not, of course, too clay-like. Dig down at least ten inches, to prepare
-for the deep-growing roots, and improve the soil you remove with
-whatever is needed before you replace it around the plant. Clay-type
-soils will need the addition of sand, for drainage, and leaf mold needs
-rotted or dry cow manure or other humus to lighten the texture. Sandy
-soils need humus to help hold moisture. In even average fertile soil,
-miniatures appreciate an extra ration of humus at planting time.</p>
-
-<p>The ideal soil for miniature roses will pack firmly around the roots,
-yet won’t cake and crack in the sun. It drains perfectly, so excess
-water does not stand around the roots, particularly in winter. Yet
-it holds enough moisture so that the roots don’t dry out so fast you
-can’t keep up with the watering job. Soil should also test neutral
-or slightly acid (<i>p</i>H 6.0), never extremely acid. In acid-soil
-areas, apply a light sprinkling of horticultural lime each winter.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Planting</i></p>
-
-<p>Plant miniature roses about a half-inch deeper than they were before,
-and far enough apart so that they will have room to spread as wide as
-they will be tall. Crowded plants have no individual beauty, but they
-are prime targets for mildew. If the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">[143]</span> weather turns sharply cold or dry
-and windy after planting, protect the plants by mounding up soil around
-the stems. Remove it gradually as spring days grow balmier.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Watering</i></p>
-
-<p>Miniature roses suffer seriously from drought, and will drop their buds
-and flowers after only a few days of hot, dry weather. Keep the soil
-constantly moist, and spray or mist the foliage once or twice a day.
-A mulch of pebbles, a mixture of half soil and half peat (peat alone
-packs down too heavily), or something similarly porous, will help keep
-the soil cool and moist.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Fertilizing</i></p>
-
-<p>Light feedings of organic fertilizers such as bone meal or cow manure
-once a year, in early summer, are usually recommended. Or supply small
-amounts of a balanced garden fertilizer, or special rose food, in late
-spring and again in early July. A weak solution of liquid manure is
-also good and can be fed about twice as often.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Pruning and Training</i></p>
-
-<p>In early spring, when new growth is first beginning to show on bush
-types, shorten all stems severely. I usually cut mine back to a uniform
-four inches. And of course, cut out cleanly any dead or mutilated
-branches. Make every cut just above a new shoot or leaf bud. Otherwise,
-pruning is limited to keeping the bushes shapely, removing faded
-flowers, and occasionally thinning the growth of old plants to admit
-air to the center.</p>
-
-<p>Miniature climbers bloom on last year’s wood. They can be cut back to
-six inches when first planted, but are otherwise not pruned except to
-control ungainly canes or remove dead ones. Train the climbing canes
-into an attractive, open pattern as they grow, by tying them to the
-arch, fence, or other support they are to climb on.</p>
-
-<p>Miniature tree roses can be cut back to a small but symmetrical head in
-spring and all dead wood should be removed. To keep them shapely, prune
-as needed during the growing season.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Insects and Disease</i></p>
-
-<p>I protect my miniature roses, as I do the others, with an all-purpose
-rose spray or dust applied first when leaves begin to unfold,
-and repeated every week or ten days until the plants go dormant.
-Occasionally, during a long spell of hot, humid weather, I see signs
-that mildew threatens. If the all-purpose spray contains a fungicide
-(which most of them do), I use it immediately. If not, I may resort to
-dusting sulfur (which does mar the beauty of the flowers) or whatever
-sterilant is on hand.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">[144]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Winter Protection</i></p>
-
-<p>What you do to protect miniature roses in winter, or whether you do
-anything at all, depends not only on your climate but also on the
-health of the plants. If they’ve been growing well, they’ll take lots
-of abuse; if they’re weak and ailing, their chances of survival are
-reduced.</p>
-
-<p>Sometimes, a flower pot inverted over the leafless stems is all
-that’s needed. Or you may mulch with salt hay or evergreen boughs.
-In Connecticut we mound up soil so it covers the first three or four
-inches of the stems, and remove it gradually in spring. It is most
-important to make sure that water does not stand around the roots in
-winter, next most important that alternate freezing and thawing don’t
-heave the roots out of the ground and break them.</p>
-
-<p>If they are likely to be whipped by wind or covered with ice, the canes
-of climbing varieties are removed from their support and laid flat on
-the ground, where they can be covered with either soil or mulch. Since
-tree roses are inclined to be touchy, we wrap ours in burlap, with an
-extra layer or two around the graft and crown.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PROPAGATING MINIATURE ROSES</h3>
-
-<p>I’ve grown many miniature roses from seed, and had a lot of fun doing
-it. They usually germinate in about three weeks (best temperature about
-60 degrees), quickly send out tiniest true rose leaves, and are ready
-for transplanting into small pots in another two or three weeks. I
-usually pinch the tip growth at least once, when the plant is about
-five inches tall. The flowers can appear within three months after
-sowing.</p>
-
-<p>Of course, seedling plants are not named varieties. Most of them, in
-fact, have small single flowers in pale shades of pink or white. Your
-chances of double, more brightly colored flowers increase if you can
-get seeds of a good strain.</p>
-
-<p>For new plants of named varieties, take cuttings in August or
-September&mdash;three-or four-inch pieces of healthy wood produced in the
-current season. If the stem can be pulled off gently with a sliver of
-the main stem still attached (a heel), rooting may be faster and is
-surer. Dipping the cut ends in hormone rooting powder is also helpful.</p>
-
-<p>Make the moist propagating material firm around the base of the
-cutting, and make sure the air is kept humid in the propagating box or
-plastic tent, or invert a glass jar over the cutting. New growth is the
-signal that roots have formed and the cutting is ready for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">[145]</span> potting.
-These plants, too, will grow more compact and bushy if the tips are
-pinched out when the stems are about five inches tall.</p>
-
-
-<h3>NAMED VARIETIES OF MINIATURE ROSES</h3>
-
-<p>Although new varieties of this popular plant are constantly being
-introduced, and most likely will have a wide appeal eventually, it
-may be some time before they appear in plant and seed catalogues. In
-compiling this modest list I have thought chiefly of what is available
-at the moment, miniature roses I have either grown, seen in friends’
-gardens, or admired vicariously on the printed pages of magazines,
-books, and booklets. If you are interested, I am sure these bushes are
-readily available. If I am old-hat and you feel avant-garde, there are
-many persons propagating new varieties. Talk to some of them, or try it
-yourself, a most gratifying hobby:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Baby Bunting’&mdash;A delightful, small rose with red flowers of
-a deep, startling shade. This variety is an inch or so taller than
-some, but many of my friends think it ideal in that they like to make
-miniature flower arrangements and appreciate slightly longer stems.
-Among its other charms, the rose is most delightfully fragrant.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Baby Crimson’&mdash;I’ve never had this one grow taller than six
-inches. Since I have maternal instinct for the wee ones, I love
-it. Under the right conditions it will bear tiny crimson flowers
-and exquisite buds up until frost time.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Bo-Peep’&mdash;This one has a charm in its name, and is one of the
-more popular miniature roses. It has double pink blooms, forms
-a bush with a neat conformation, and is another favorite with
-those who make miniature arrangements. You needn’t worry about
-cutting its blooms. It is always growing more.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Cinderella’&mdash;This one fits beautifully into the legend
-about the girl with the glass slipper. It has dainty white
-blooms touched with pink and is in the true tradition of rose
-shapeliness. Seemingly, it loves to bloom.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Granada’&mdash;In some listings I find the name spelled ‘Granata.’
-Regardless of the spelling, I love the bushes I have grown, for
-the lovely, semidouble, red flowers which the bush bears so
-profusely. A tiny vase filled with them makes one wish to build
-a doll house in which to display it.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">[146]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p32" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p32.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Days in the life of a miniature rose:</p>
-     <p class="p0 center sm">a. Leafed out</p>
-  </div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p32a" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p32a.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">b. A growing bush</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">[147]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p32c" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p32c.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">c. First bud</p>
-  </div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p32d" style="max-width: 408px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p32d.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">d. Full bloom</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">[148]</span></p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Little Princess’&mdash;So many of my small roses are either pink
-or red, I always try to find white ones for contrast. This
-is a variety I have often depended on. Sometimes the blooms
-are alone, but then again they may be in clusters. A cluster,
-snipped from the bush and wrapped in foil, looks very lovely
-when pinned on a little girl’s pink dress as she leaves for a
-party.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Mon Petite’ (sometimes spelled ‘Mon Petit’)&mdash;This one is truly
-petite, not once in a dozen times over five inches tall. But
-those five inches never seem to stop flowering with cherry-red
-blooms. And then, to make themselves even more fascinating, they
-often have a delicate haze of purple.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Patty Lou’ (patented)&mdash;This one is so delicate I imagine its
-creator must have had some particularly sweet little girl in
-mind when he named it. In bloom it is a pink bicolor, and it
-always seems to be blooming. A truly lovely little rose.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Perle d’Alcanada’ (sometimes spelled ‘Perle d’Alconada’)&mdash;May
-I warn you, this is a real charmer. Being somewhat on the
-stately side, it may grow to nine inches. It makes a neat and
-most attractive bush and then comes forth with pink blooms that
-slowly change to a white pearl-like effect.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Pixie Gold’&mdash;This is another dainty one, a yellow miniature
-with a lovely soft color to add to its beauty. It is really a
-miniature, and would consider itself a giant if it topped five
-inches. It has an attractive bush, but that is only part of it,
-the blooms follow a perfect pattern from the time they are buds
-until they are full-blown. It follows all rose traditions.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Red Imp’&mdash;Many persons consider this beauty the most perfect
-of all miniature roses. Certainly, with its deep-red blooms, it
-is one of the best known. Such a feeling of affection must be
-deserved. I think the first miniature I ever owned was a ‘Red
-Imp.’ If for no other reason, that would make me love it.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Rosa Oakington Ruby’&mdash;Some years back the English Royal
-Horticultural Society thought so much of this rose they gave it
-the Award of Merit, and well they might. The blooms are a rich
-ruby-carmine, are double, and are around all summer. In planting
-this variety, remember it tends to be an inch or so taller than
-the wee ones.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Rosata’&mdash;I love this one for its fragrant, pinkish flowers,
-which also have a touch of salmon. The blooms are delightful
-when made into corsages or miniature bouquets.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Rouletti’&mdash;This is a great favorite in rock gardens, and in
-edgings around beds of big roses. It is a true “shorty” and
-seldom exceeds five inches in height. But the buds, rose-pink,
-are so exquisite one wishes to put them into a setting for a
-ring to be worn on the finger.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Scarlet Gem’&mdash;This is what is known as a newcomer among
-miniature roses. But it has so much charm, I know it will be
-called an old favorite<span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">[149]</span> in the years to come. The flowers are
-an orange-scarlet, and fairly cover a handsome bush of nice
-conformation. Remember when setting it out in your garden, it
-may grow an inch or so taller than some of the others.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Sunbeam’&mdash;From the very name you may guess that this is a
-yellow rose, literally, a beam from the sun. It is a cheerful
-little dwarf, and has a tea-rose type of bloom. You’ll love it.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Sweet Fairy’&mdash;This is something out of a book of fairy tales,
-delicate and fanciful. It has pinkish blooms and a fragrance
-that will charm you.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Thumbelina’&mdash;Looking at this rose will bring back the memories
-of that delightful story “Thumbelina” which we all loved as
-children. As a rose, and not a story, it is semidouble and has
-lovely red flowers that open from delicately pointed buds. It
-flowers freely, and the blooms are most enchanting in small
-vases.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Wayside’s Garnet’&mdash;As I first bought this rose from the
-catalogue of Wayside Gardens, I’ll let them describe it for
-you: “... a neat, compact small plant with many perfect,
-fully-double, garnet-red little flowers. It is a prolific
-bloomer and a good grower ... much like Oakington Ruby, which is
-one of its parents. It probably has the brightest, darkest and
-deepest red to be found among miniature roses.”</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Yellow Miniature’&mdash;This is a charming little rose, yellow, with
-a cheering tint. Many consider it to be the most attractive of
-all yellow miniatures. I will not argue with them. I’ve always
-been enchanted with it.</p>
-</div>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">[150]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 8</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE SINK GARDENS</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>Take the concept of dish gardens and model landscapes, but execute it
-with miniature garden plants. Take the outdoor plants of bonsai, but
-don’t dwarf them unduly or train them into unusual shapes. There you
-have the mixture that makes up these specialized miniature gardens,
-called “sink” or “trough” gardens for the old-fashioned stone sinks and
-horse troughs they were planted in when the fad first swept England,
-some thirty years ago.</p>
-
-<p>Now, the old sinks and troughs are practically nonexistent, and the
-name is anachronistic. But I have been totally unable to dream up
-anything better. “Sink garden” is a specific title for a composition
-of plants or a landscape scene in small scale, planted in a sturdy,
-sink-like container, grown outdoors and used in limited ways to
-decorate the garden and grounds. No other phrase seems to define it.</p>
-
-<p>My interest was originally aroused by the books of Anne Ashberry,
-England’s sink-garden specialist, and by the warm affection she has
-for her specialty. But it was not until I began to work with miniature
-plants in our Connecticut gardens&mdash;and to find out what a great variety
-is available&mdash;that I was inspired to plant a sink garden of my own.
-Originally, I was intrigued; soon, I was fascinated; now, I’m an
-addict. With the flimsiest excuse I’d have so many of them it would
-look as if our grounds had broken out with measles.</p>
-
-<p>These sink gardens are not for big, burly gardeners who like cabbage
-roses and gaudy shrubs. They’re for connoisseurs who appreciate the
-minuscule perfection of a tiny plant, more effectively displayed at eye
-level. They’re for those who grow alpines and other difficult plants
-and find them less finicky under these controlled conditions. They’re
-for gardeners who can’t, or don’t want<span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">[151]</span> to, squat in the hot sun for
-hours, weeding or transplanting; who want the pleasure of creating
-gardens, but take the accompanying chores in small doses. And sink
-gardens are for people, like me, who simply find irresistible charm in
-the miniature.</p>
-
-<p>If our grounds were spacious, I’d find a place where I could have a
-collection of sink gardens, set up on pedestals and arranged in neat
-rows, so I could move easily from one to the next with the watering
-can. But they’re probably much more ornamental and distinctive if used
-the way the few we have now are.</p>
-
-<p>Instead of a sundial at a break in the shrubbery border, we have a sink
-garden set on a two-foot column of mellowed brick. Two narrow gardens
-outline the corner of the small patio by the front entrance. A small
-sink garden enlivens a shelf beside the door to the lath house. There’s
-one at the end of an old stone bench.</p>
-
-<p>Or you can display one of these gardens against the wall at the end of
-a garden walk; as a centerpiece on the lawn or terrace; on top of a low
-wall or at the edge of a balcony; in place of an inanimate statue or
-urn. If possible, let the background be light and not bright-colored;
-neutral shades show off the plantings to best advantage.</p>
-
-
-<h3>CONTAINERS</h3>
-
-<p>Picturesque old sinks are obviously not available to us, and any horse
-troughs I’ve seen have been much too monstrous. Miss Ashberry casts her
-own containers of concrete (its porosity is excellent for plants), and
-we can do the same.</p>
-
-<p>Sometimes I think the sinks and troughs look a little heavy in
-relation to the plantings. Certainly they <i>are</i> heavy, and
-almost impossible to move, when filled with soil. But I’ve found a
-goodly number of acceptable substitutes. First, of course, I shopped
-my favorite junk yard and found the round concrete planter and the
-wash-tub lid that served as containers for my first sink gardens. I
-also saw possibilities in a big old butter tub that could be cut down,
-and in a leaky birdbath.</p>
-
-<p>Some of today’s building tiles are perfectly beautiful and, if shallow
-enough, could be fitted with a metal or wooden bottom. They come in all
-sizes, shapes, and colors. Thick, old wood is another possibility. I’m
-thinking of some weathered planks we found at the seashore last summer;
-they’d make a handsome and sturdy container for a wind-blown, woodsy
-garden.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">[152]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p33" style="max-width: 410px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p33.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Miniature garden of dwarf evergreens, <i>Cyclamen neapolitanum</i>, and tiny trumpet
-narcissi not yet blooming</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">[153]</span></p>
-
-<p>In designing or selecting a container, you have few rules to go by. It
-should be strong and weather-resistant, of course, because it is to be
-placed outdoors. It must have drainage holes in the bottom, so fallen
-rain won’t stand in it. It should be deep enough (six to eight inches)
-to give small trees and plants root-room. And artistically, it should
-be in harmony and proportion with the garden to be planted in it, not
-as a feature in itself, but as a subordinate element in the picture.</p>
-
-<p>Unless a sink garden is to be placed on top of a wall or some other
-existing support, it will probably need a base to hold it two or three
-feet off the ground. This can be made of cement blocks, rustic brick,
-tile, or concrete, according to the design of the container itself.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANTS FOR SINK GARDENS</h3>
-
-<p>Unlike bonsai, these plants are not to <i>be</i> dwarfed, they
-<i>are</i> dwarf by nature. Miniature perennials, such as
-<i>Calceolaria biflora</i>, never top two inches, nor do some of the
-tiny narcissus species. Some trees have never been known to grow
-taller than six inches. And if you can’t find trees that are small
-at maturity, you can find many that grow so slowly they’ll stay in
-proper scale (even without pruning) for five years or more. There
-are miniature garden plants of all habits and shapes&mdash;stiffly erect,
-tufted, bush-like, sprawling, creeping, hanging, climbing&mdash;and even
-pinhead-size water plants for tiny pools.</p>
-
-<p>Actually, there are miniature plants in every horticultural
-category&mdash;annuals, biennials, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, trees, aquatic
-plants, and wildlings&mdash;and most of them are suitable for sink gardens.
-You have only to select those that are in scale and sympathy with your
-design, and that are culturally compatible, one with the other. You
-can grow many of them from seeds or cuttings. Miniature perennials
-are available in widest variety from growers of alpine and rockery
-plants. Trees and shrubs can be bought by mail from suppliers of small
-plants for bonsai work. Native and aquatic plants are plentiful from
-mail-order wild-flower houses.</p>
-
-
-<h3>ACCESSORIES</h3>
-
-<p>The worst thing you can do with one of these little outdoor gardens
-is to clutter it up with little artificial props such as benches,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">[154]</span>
-bridges, and old oaken buckets. At all costs, avoid the cute and the
-trite. Practice moderation and the utmost restraint.</p>
-
-<p>One prop&mdash;a hand-carved well-head, an alabaster birdbath, a
-lichen-covered rock&mdash;is usually plenty for any one garden. If it is
-handsome in its own right, the whole garden may be designed to set it
-off. If it’s a supporting element, play it down and let the plants
-stand out in the picture.</p>
-
-<p>The same is true of streams, pools, walks, walls, and other miniature
-landscape constructions. They’re pretty and they’re fun to make; but
-just one too many can spoil a garden.</p>
-
-<p>Naturally, any accessories and props to be used in a sink garden
-should be sturdy and weather-resistant. And as in any other miniature
-composition, proportion and scale are terribly important.</p>
-
-
-<h3>THEMES AND DESIGNS</h3>
-
-<p>Many of the principles and suggestions for dish gardens and model
-landscapes in Chapter 3 are equally applicable to sink gardens. The
-design needs, first, a basic idea or theme. Will the garden be formal,
-or informal and woodsy, or simply an artistic arrangement of living
-plants with or without a piece of tree stump or rock? Should it be
-built around an important accessory, or will one plant or a group of
-plants be the center of interest? Does the style of the container
-suggest the style of the garden to go in it?</p>
-
-<p>Since a sink garden is usually planned to have some permanency, it is
-particularly important to plan the design in every possible detail and,
-if at all possible, to put the plan on paper&mdash;and in proper scale. You
-can tell, before it’s too late, whether a tree will be too large, a
-fence too high or prominent, a grouping of plants too far off balance.</p>
-
-<p>When you plan the planting, keep proportion and perspective clearly in
-mind. If the design is to have formal balance, arrange pairs of trees,
-clipped hedges, straight walks, and other elements with geometric
-precision. If the effect is to be informal, make sure the center of
-interest is off-center, with a large airy area or low planting to
-balance it at the other side.</p>
-
-<p>In crowded plantings the beauty of the form of individual plants is
-lost. Be sure to space them so that they have room to grow without
-becoming entangled with their neighbors. To blend the garden with its
-container, plan to have a creeper or trailer dangling over the edge.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">[155]</span></p>
-
-<p>Artistic plant compositions are arranged, like dish gardens, with
-outstanding accent plants, low growers often around the base, usually
-arranged naturally at the base of a rock or around a piece of log or
-stump. Colors and textures of flowers and foliage are contrasted and
-blended as they are in arrangements of cut flowers. Setting the plants
-in the empty container and rearranging them until the best effect is
-achieved may save shifting them about during planting.</p>
-
-<p>All kinds of landscape designs can be re-created, in miniature, in
-sink gardens. And the scenes can change naturally with the seasons
-of the year. One of my informal gardens has a basic arrangement of
-rocks, small evergreens, and ground cover. In spring, miniature
-narcissus species bloom; in summer, tiny annuals such as <i>Ionopsidium
-acaule</i> and perennials such as <i>Erodium chamaedryoides roseum</i>;
-in fall, small cyclamen species.</p>
-
-<p>Woodsy wild gardens can also have basic, permanent plantings&mdash;seedling
-evergreens, moss, foliage plants such as small ferns, rattlesnake
-plantain, and pipsissewa&mdash;through which spring-blooming squirrel corn,
-hepatica, and spring beauty can push up their flowers.</p>
-
-<p>One of the most effective formal-garden designs makes good use of
-miniature roses as a flowering hedge in front of a high wall at the
-back, or as twin specimens on each side of an arch. Other formal
-gardens adapt the designs of the Victorian age, or the Colonial gardens
-of Williamsburg.</p>
-
-<p>Someday I want to try an Oriental garden featuring a bonsai-style dwarf
-tree and planted sparsely, in the Japanese manner, with tiniest shrubs
-and perennials and a ground cover of fine moss or sand, and perhaps a
-curved bridge over a still stream.</p>
-
-<p>With a suitable container you could do an outdoor desert garden. Many
-miniature desert plants are hardy or semihardy and would live through
-the winter with some protection. There are many other possible themes,
-and many types of plants and containers with which to carry them out.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANTING AND CARE</h3>
-
-<p>Unless you can control watering (which means keeping the garden out of
-the rain), make sure that the container has plenty of small holes in
-the bottom for drainage. And for extra insurance that drainage will
-be perfect, start out with a layer of pebbles or sand. A covering of
-burlap or sheet moss will keep soil from sifting down into it.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">[156]</span></p>
-
-<p>Soil should be light and porous, capable of holding some moisture but
-not too much. The standard recipe of one-third garden loam, one-third
-humus, and one-third sharp sand is a good basic mixture to start with.
-Add extra sand if the plants are succulent-like, extra humus for
-woodsy plants, a sprinkling of lime for plants that dislike acid soil.
-A slow-acting organic fertilizer such as bone meal can be mixed in,
-but in very small amounts. Run the mixture through a coarse sieve, to
-remove stones and debris.</p>
-
-<p>As you place the plants, firm the soil gently around the roots. Don’t
-fill the container so full that the soil is level with the rim; leave
-an inch or so to hold water while it seeps down to the roots below.
-Place the ground-cover plants, and those to dangle over the edge, last.
-Some gardens are finished with a thin mulch of stone chips or sand,
-some with a carpet of moss.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Location</i></p>
-
-<p>A sink garden planted in a real trough or sink is a mighty heavy thing,
-once it’s filled with soil and planted; and so may be many others. If
-you can place the empty container in its permanent spot and plant it
-there, you may save someone an aching back.</p>
-
-<p>These gardens are meant to grow out in the open air, but not where
-searing sun and hot dry winds can dry the soil too fast and burn the
-plants. If the plants are all of the type that need sunlight, give them
-only the dappled shade of a high-branched tree or the windbreak and
-slight noonday shade of a low wall. Woodland plants and others that
-like shade can be grown in more protected spots. Naturally, the two
-types are not combined successfully in the same garden.</p>
-
-<p>Don’t place sink gardens where they will receive the drip from eaves
-or an overhanging tree. Don’t set them tight up against a wall. Newly
-planted gardens need some special protection&mdash;a cheesecloth tent or
-newspaper on a temporary frame overhead&mdash;until plants are well settled
-in their new home.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Watering</i></p>
-
-<p>A safe general rule is never to let the soil dry out all the way
-through, never to water so much that it is soggy and sour. For most
-plants, you can scratch into the soil surface with your fingers. If
-it feels moist, don’t water; if it feels dry, do. However, succulent
-plants should be grown drier, boggy plants more constantly moist.
-Frequency of watering depends upon type of plant, size and type of
-container, the soil, the weather&mdash;depends, in fact, upon how often each
-individual sink garden needs water.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">[157]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Fertilizing</i></p>
-
-<p>If a fertile soil mixture is used in the first place, and particularly
-if it is enriched with a slow-acting fertilizer such as bone meal, most
-gardens will not need extra feeding for many months after planting,
-often not for the first year. The point is to give the plants just
-enough food to keep them healthy, not enough to make them grow out of
-proportion to the garden.</p>
-
-<p>If you see signs of malnutrition&mdash;few, small leaves with poor color;
-failure to bud and flower; sickly, stunted growth&mdash;feed quickly but
-lightly. A weak solution of organic food such as fish emulsion or
-liquid manure is usually recommended. Established gardens can take this
-light feeding once in spring when active growth begins, and once or
-twice during the early summer, without outgrowing their bounds.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p34" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p34.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Rock garden set in an old wash-boiler lid</p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Pruning and Grooming</i></p>
-
-<p>Pick off all faded flowers promptly, so the plants will not exhaust
-themselves by setting seed. Remove any dried or fallen foliage so it
-will not rot and invite disease. Pinch the growing tips of plants that
-threaten to grow too tall and lanky.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">[158]</span> Shear hedge plants regularly and
-nip back creepers that spread out too far and strangle other plants.
-Refresh and renew any mulch or moss carpet as needed. In a garden so
-small, the least imperfection seems magnified.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Insects and Disease</i></p>
-
-<p>Once a week, all summer long, my sink gardens get a quick treatment
-from an all-purpose aerosol bomb, used according to label directions.
-So far, with one exception (the mysterious plague of “inchworms” we had
-in the spring of 1961), this has kept insects and disease at a safe
-distance.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Winter Care</i></p>
-
-<p>In mild or warm climates, sink gardens should not need any special
-protection in winter. But in Connecticut, the deep-freeze is so long
-and severe, I move my gardens to the cold frame. To make sure that
-the soil does not freeze and crack the container, I sometimes sink it
-to the rim in the soil. I’ve also packed salt hay tightly around them
-successfully. Or a garden could be wintered over on an unheated porch.</p>
-
-<p>But most of the hardy plants used in sink gardens should not spend the
-winter indoors or in a warm greenhouse. They must have a cool rest
-period for several months to complete their natural growth cycle.</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">[159]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 9</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE PLANTS, BONSAI-STYLE</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>Only in the true Oriental bonsai do art and horticulture combine
-in such an extreme state of perfection&mdash;and in miniature to boot.
-Paintings may be as magnificent, but they’re inanimate. Ancient trees
-of the forest may have equal artistic virtue, but they’re not shaped
-by the hand of man. Living bonsai trees, sometimes centuries old,
-become masterpieces because, says Claude Chidamian, “they’re planted in
-philosophy, shaped by art, grown with love.”</p>
-
-<p>If that sounds as if I am awed by bonsai&mdash;I am. I would never have
-the talent and patience to prune and shape, trim and train, in minute
-detail year after year, so that every branch, twig, and tiny needle
-or leaf would be perfectly placed and proportioned. Even if I were
-an artist, I doubt that I could create the illusion of grandeur in
-minuscule scale. Nor would I ever dare assume the responsibility for
-caring for these priceless, age-old plants.</p>
-
-<p>But that doesn’t mean that bonsai is beyond me, or any other gardener
-who admires it. Without committing the sacrilege of inept imitation,
-we can have our own version of these miniature trees and make them
-artistic and satisfying in our own way.</p>
-
-<p>The original bonsai trees look old and weather-beaten because they
-<i>are</i> old and weather-beaten. The Japanese adopted this art from
-the Chinese many centuries ago. Our trees in bonsai-style are not
-likely to have that venerable age, but they can have character. They
-can have the lines of trees that have held a precarious footing on the
-side of a rocky slope, have been bent by the wind or twisted by mighty
-storms.</p>
-
-<p>Because every part of it is in perfect proportion to every other part,
-a fine bonsai tree creates an illusion of tremendous size&mdash;as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">[160]</span> if you
-were looking through the wrong end of a telescope to a giant more than
-a hundred years old. Our dwarfed trees can be perfectly proportioned
-and create the same illusion. Although there is no substitute for true
-antiquity, our dwarfed trees can be artistic in their own way without
-pretending to be ancient.</p>
-
-<p>By making some concessions (without desecrating the art) we can take
-suitable trees and turn them into “Orientalized” garden ornaments, and
-do it in one year, not ten. If the pruning and training is done with
-care and artistry, the result will be a bonsai which is a distinguished
-ornament and particularly appropriate for contemporary architecture,
-and also for landscape architecture.</p>
-
-<p>I have seen a bonsai of Sargent’s juniper set beside a garden pool, its
-twisting branches swaying out and over the water, and reflected in it.
-Twin (but not identical) bonsai trees are startlingly effective; for
-example, one on each side at the top of a set of formal steps. Bonsai
-can be used as a center of interest on a patio or terrace to accent an
-entrance, on top of low walls, or against the wall at the end of a path.</p>
-
-<p>Last summer, in our wild garden, my husband dammed up a tiny stream at
-a point where it began to run down a short but rather steep and shaded
-slope. This created a small pool from which the water trickles over
-the dam and drops onto a series of rock ledges below. We planted the
-banks on both sides with ferns, wild ginger, bloodroot, trillium, and
-other wildlings. But something was needed at the top, some small tree
-or shrub that would integrate the dam into the picture and would be in
-harmony with the woodsy surroundings.</p>
-
-<p>We considered all the dwarf, shade-tolerant evergreens our local
-nurseries had to offer, but nothing seemed just right. We scoured our
-woods, but the only low-growing trees (which are mighty few in our
-area) were too straight and erect. The mountain laurels and other
-shrubs with interesting lines would eventually grow too large. So we
-decided to try what, for us, is an experiment.</p>
-
-<p>We found a white pine less than two feet tall with a suggestion of the
-irregular shape we had been looking for. We lifted it carefully, took
-it home, root-pruned it, and planted it in the best bonsai tradition,
-in a sturdy box just large enough to hold the roots but leaving a
-little room to spare around the edge. Then we took the tree to the top
-of the dam and planted it by sinking the box in the soil. After some
-weeks, when the pine showed no sign of ill effects from being moved,
-and was making new growth, we shaped and pruned<span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">[161]</span> it, and then wired
-it, bonsai-style, along the lines of the tree we had been hunting for.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p36" style="max-width: 426px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p36.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Streptocarpus&mdash;this variety is the delightful little
-Weismoor hybrid.</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>With sensible care and winter protection, pruning and root-pruning when
-it threatens to grow too large, and training in the way we think it
-should grow, the little pine will, we hope, mature into a gnarled gnome
-in proportion and harmony with its woodland setting. Of course, we plan
-to provide a new box at root-pruning time before the old one can rot
-and set the dwarfed roots free to roam the soil around it.</p>
-
-
-<h3>INDOOR BONSAI, HARDY OR SEMIHARDY</h3>
-
-<p>The real Japanese bonsai is an outdoor inhabitant, usually one of a
-collection that is brought indoors for display purposes and for only a
-few days at a time. But by using tender plants that want more warmth,
-growers are beginning to create bonsai that can be used decoratively
-indoors the year round. In a shadow box, on a coffee table or special
-stand, even as a table centerpiece they should always be alone and with
-no accessories to detract from their unique style.</p>
-
-<p>Last winter I thoroughly enjoyed starting a collection of indoor
-miniatures, frank copies of Japanese <i>name</i> bonsai, and even
-the wee fingertip <i>shinto</i> type. These are a special challenge
-because to preserve proper proportion, leaves and needles must be extra
-small, and pruning and training are particularly crucial. Water is
-applied with an eyedropper; fertilizer is administered in microscopic
-amounts. To provide protective humidity and warmth, and to help keep
-the small amount of soil in tiny containers from drying out, we rigged
-up plastic-covered quarters on a window sill, with a layer of moist
-vermiculite. Our tray was also improvised from a double layer of
-heavyweight aluminum foil. Now, all but the youngest, and the very
-smallest, miniatures are strong enough to grow on glass shelves outside
-the plastic tent.</p>
-
-<p>Indoor plants, bonsai-style, are more than just tender seedlings, or
-cuttings, kept small in small containers. They are patterned after
-true bonsai, with interesting character, artistic lines, and perfect
-proportion. The mechanics of pruning and training are very much the
-same. But because they are not hardy outdoor growers that resent the
-hot dry air of a house, and because they don’t need annual dormancy,
-they are fascinating indoor ornaments to be lived with and enjoyed the
-year round.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">[162]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p37" style="max-width: 418px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p37.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Different types of bonsai trees and containers</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">[163]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p37a" style="max-width: 500px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p37a.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Bonsai in citrus</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>Once we became intrigued with the concept of “indoor bonsai” we found
-so many house and greenhouse plants with picturesque prospects that I
-fear we will never get to try them all. I have seedlings and cuttings
-of all sorts, even including those from a breakfast orange and a
-pomegranate out of the fruit bowl. And, of course, small plants sold by
-mail-order suppliers are just the right size to begin the process of
-dwarfing and shaping.</p>
-
-<p>(<i>In the list at the end of Chapter 6, plants suitable for indoor
-bonsai use are indicated.</i>)</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">[164]</span></p>
-
-
-<h3>OUTDOOR PLANTS FOR DWARFING, BONSAI-STYLE</h3>
-
-<p>With proper care, any woody plant&mdash;any tree, shrub, or vine with
-persisting trunk or stems&mdash;can be grown indefinitely in a pot. With
-some skill in pruning branches and roots, it can be permanently
-dwarfed. And with imagination and artistry, it can be trained to
-re-create in miniature one of the majestic pictures of nature. However,
-some plants are more amenable to rigorous dwarfing than others; some
-adapt more willingly to growing in containers; and some are by nature
-more suitable in habit and appearance.</p>
-
-<p>The easiest plants to dwarf are those that are naturally small, or slow
-growing, and those with small leaves or needles, flowers or fruit.
-Proportion is the most important factor. Every element&mdash;leaf, twig,
-branch, trunk, root, container&mdash;must be in harmony and balance with all
-others.</p>
-
-<p>It’s not impossible to use larger-leaved plants. It’s just a little
-more difficult. Long needles can be cut shorter, for example, but they
-must be kept the proper length. Large leaves can be thinned to relieve
-any feeling of heaviness, and each leaf can be used to represent a
-branch. With some types of deciduous trees&mdash;say, maples&mdash;the leaves
-that come out first in the spring can be pinched off. The leaves that
-come out to replace them will be smaller.</p>
-
-<p>Almost equally important is the “character” of a dwarfed plant&mdash;its
-irregular or fluid lines, illusion of age, unusual aspect of bark
-or twig that make it dramatic and vibrant. Any form of art can be
-dull if it has nothing except perfect proportion to offer. With good
-proportion, plus intriguing line and design, it becomes interesting.</p>
-
-<p>In the original bonsai the artist transplanted a tree he found growing
-in the wild and carefully conserved the misshapen lines made by
-buffeting weather, or he very carefully copied, or re-created, a tree
-he had seen holding a precarious footing high on a rocky ridge and
-perhaps dipping down into a windy gorge. These shapes and forms are now
-the basis for specific classes of bonsai which we can borrow or adapt.
-So the “character” of a plant may suggest that it be trained as if it
-were growing out at a right angle from a rocky slope with its roots
-covering a stone; as a grove, to weep or cascade; or as a gigantic,
-single-trunked forest monarch with pitted, weather-worn bark.</p>
-
-<p>Or perhaps, lightning might have split the trunk, leaving part of it
-jagged and dead. The two trunks may have become entangled<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">[165]</span> with each
-other. Branches may have been blown in one direction so long that they
-bend that way permanently.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Types of Plants</i></p>
-
-<p>Any woody plant whose parts are in proper proportion for dwarfing&mdash;and
-particularly, any that shows promise of interesting lines or
-“character”&mdash;is a good prospect for bonsai. The coniferous evergreens
-are most popular, because they hold their foliage all year, and because
-small-needled types are comparatively plentiful. Small-leaved deciduous
-trees can be at their most attractive best with spring’s budding new
-growth, summer’s airy foliage, fall’s brilliant color, or with the
-silhouette of a naked trunk in winter.</p>
-
-<p>With flowering trees and shrubs the choice of varieties narrows even
-more. Large flowers with brilliant color and overpowering fragrance
-may destroy balance and proportion, and detract from the beauty of
-the plant itself. More delicate plants are more likely to enhance the
-picture. For obvious reasons, plants that bear fruits and berries in
-the proper scale are the hardest to find, and culturally the most
-difficult.</p>
-
-<p>(<i>For plants that are suitable for outdoor bonsai, see list at the
-end of Chapter 14.</i>)</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Sources</i></p>
-
-<p>Bonsai becomes a reality faster, of course, when you start with a
-fairly mature plant. The most fruitful source is the selection of
-three-year-old trees and shrubs at your local nursery. Those growing in
-gallon-sized cans, or other containers, naturally accept pruning and
-transplanting with the least setback. They should be healthy plants,
-not overgrown or neglected, that have been regularly root-pruned and
-transplanted through their infancy. It is perfectly safe to buy them
-pot-bound if that condition has not persisted for several seasons, with
-the outer roots all dead as a result.</p>
-
-<p>In selecting a specimen, first examine varieties that are by nature
-slow-growing and have leaves, or needles, in perfect scale. Be
-selective, pass up the symmetrical specimens that are best for ordinary
-landscaping purposes, and look for that one plant in a thousand, the
-one with interesting “character”&mdash;peculiarity of shape, irregular
-branches, low horizontal growth, stocky or twisted trunk. The most
-ideal plant has its largest branch near the base, and has no regular or
-opposite branches to be pruned away. Next to above-ground development
-in importance, is the below-ground root system. To be ideal, the root
-system should be a compact, shallow mass rather than one long taproot
-with a few offshoots. To make it even more ideal, the stoutest roots
-should be growing near the surface.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">[166]</span></p>
-
-<p>Younger, smaller bonsai plants are readily available from mail-order
-suppliers who specialize in them. Here, make your selection according
-to variety, and then train your plants as you grow them. But beware
-of cheap “bargain offers.” I speak with this advice because of
-the experience of some of my friends. They were too intrigued by
-Sunday-newspaper ads. Buy only from reliable growers who have invested
-time and care in developing healthy plants and, better yet, have
-labeled them true to name. For those who are more interested in the
-finished work of art than in the growing and creating of it, some
-florists and nurseries advertise mature, or nearly mature, bonsai.
-Again may I say, “Beware.” The supplier’s reliability is even more
-important.</p>
-
-<p>Sometimes you can find precious bonsai-type shrubs or trees growing
-in the wild. Small seedlings of hemlock, ash, birch, maple, and some
-elms, if they are dug very carefully&mdash;and at just about any time of
-the year&mdash;can be used as miniature bonsai, or they can be planted in
-the garden for a few years until they are larger. Usually, the taproot
-has to be cut back rather severely to encourage the development of a
-spreading mass of smaller roots. Start your regular pruning as soon as
-the plant recovers from transplanting shock.</p>
-
-<p>The larger native plants should be taken when they are dormant, in late
-fall or the earliest spring. In searching, look for those that have
-been naturally dwarfed and misshapen by misfortune. In digging, make
-sure the soil is so moist that much of it will cling to the roots. Keep
-the roots moist and well covered against drying sun and winds until the
-transplant is safely in the soil again. For any such wildlings, take
-along enough of the surrounding soil to fill the container into which
-they are going. This will make them feel at home in their new place in
-the garden bed.</p>
-
-<p>Many growers now propagate their own bonsai plants; thus they can
-control shape, root-spread, line, and design from the very beginning.
-Almost all of the propagating methods outlined in Chapter 10 are
-useful here, some especially so. Cuttings of all kinds will produce
-stout-trunked plants much faster than seeds. Plants such as willow,
-holly, ginkgo, and ivy can be started from stems as thick as an
-inch or so in diameter. With cuttings you can have quantities of
-new plants from one parent, all with the same variegations or other
-characteristics.</p>
-
-<p>Either ground or air layering can give you plants that are larger than
-those obtained from cuttings. By selecting a certain branch<span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">[167]</span> you can be
-surer of getting the characteristics and shape you want. If your bonsai
-is to be well balanced, select a well-proportioned branch with close
-twiggy growth. By layering you can also correct an unattractive bonsai,
-growing a new one from a plant that has become too tall and gangly, or
-one that has badly formed roots.</p>
-
-<p>Grafting for bonsai plants is not widely practiced because too often
-it leaves a visible scar or some other sign of artificiality, and also
-because there is the danger of undesirable sprouts shooting up from the
-roots. Plants from a graft are generally weaker than cuttings or layers
-which have their own roots. If your plant happens to be a valuable
-one, you can often improve its shape by grafting on new branches where
-they will do the most good; or good branches can be grafted onto
-picturesque, gnarled roots. I have never made a serious effort to graft
-in such cases, but I have seen some good results from the work of other
-growers.</p>
-
-<p>Growing bonsai plants from seed requires infinite patience&mdash;as a
-warning, the process takes years. But seedlings, once you have them
-going, and with the healthiest of root systems, will live indefinitely.
-Seeds of bonsai-type plants are available from several growers. Should
-they need special preparation, such as nicking or stratifying, the seed
-packets should say so.</p>
-
-<p>When seedlings have several true leaves and are ready for
-transplanting, cut back the strong taproot (should there be one) by
-at least one-third. This will encourage root-branching. When potting
-seedlings, spread the side roots so they will develop evenly near the
-soil surface. Pruning and training can begin while the plants are
-still quite young. Plant the stem on a slant. Pinch new tip growth for
-development of side branches. Tie straight trunk stems to a bamboo
-cane, or perhaps just a sliver; or otherwise guide the young shrub, or
-tree, toward the lines you have in mind for its mature effect.</p>
-
-
-<h3>BONSAI CONTAINERS</h3>
-
-<p>In no other art form is it more obvious that a subordinate element
-such as a container can make or mar the perfection of a picture. For
-instance, with a painting the frame can have small faults without
-lessening the impression of a masterpiece. But bonsai is so stark that
-a slight imperfection can become a glaring error. So, although the
-container is merely a supporting feature, it becomes only a little less
-important than the center of interest, the plant. It must<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">[168]</span> harmonize
-with the plant, reflect and supplement its beauty, and not detract from
-its leading role.</p>
-
-<p>Imported Japanese bonsai containers of the traditional type, now
-readily available, are usually shallow bowls or dishes of glazed (or
-unglazed) ceramic. They are never glazed on the inside and are usually
-sold in sets of three matched units of graduated size. Contemporary
-American artists and manufacturers are also turning out pans and trays
-made of dull metals, tile, and wood. The wood may be either of a
-natural finish or artistically weathered. For outdoor bonsai, wood must
-necessarily be treated for durability and weather resistance.</p>
-
-<p>For indoor plantings, containers can very often be improvised. I’ve
-used bronze ash trays, wooden salad bowls, shapely plastic dishes
-(shallow), and odds and ends of pottery&mdash;anything of the right motif
-in which it is possible to bore, drill, or chip drainage holes on
-the bottom. Many of our modern ceramics are in complete harmony with
-bonsai. But you must have those drainage holes, otherwise your watering
-problems are compounded.</p>
-
-<p>The ideal bonsai containers are seldom ornate; really they shouldn’t
-be. They should have the grace and elegance of “expensive simplicity,”
-which doesn’t mean they are expensive. They just look as though they
-were. Colors are subdued, not bright or showy. As a rule to follow,
-darker and somber shades are used for evergreens, lighter shades for
-flowering plants, the specific choice depending on the color of the
-bloom. In shape and form, bonsai containers are simple and graceful and
-are selected to set off the shape or lines of the plants. Erect trunks
-often take shallow, rectangular containers. Hanging or weeping lines
-call for round containers with more depth. Square or oval containers
-are used for extremely delicate, graceful subjects.</p>
-
-<p>Container size, of course, depends on the plants themselves. As
-a general rule, the smallest and most shallow container that is
-culturally practical, and in good proportion, is the best. In true
-bonsai containers, diameters range from two to twenty-five inches;
-depths, from one to ten inches. The accepted rule for good proportions
-allows the plant to occupy 80 per cent of the picture, the container
-20 per cent. Should you have very small plants the ratio is slightly
-changed&mdash;60 per cent for plant, 40 per cent for the container. However,
-these figures should not be considered as hard and fast, but as a guide
-when purchasing containers. Your eye may tell you what is better suited
-for your particular plant or shrub.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">[169]</span></p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANTING AND CARE</h3>
-
-<p>Rather specific cultural practices have evolved for dwarfing hardy
-garden plants, trees, and shrubs, and growing them in small containers.
-Tender house and greenhouse plants, dwarfed and grown as indoor bonsai,
-are also potted, pruned, trained, and watered as outlined in this
-chapter. Otherwise, they are grown like the window-garden plants in
-Chapter 1.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Root-pruning</i></p>
-
-<p>This is often the first thing you do for a plant that is to be grown
-bonsai-style. It is a procedure that is repeated regularly if your
-plant is to have a long life. Dwarf trees and shrubs are root-pruned so
-they will fit their small containers, or to make room for fresh soil
-when they are repotted, or to keep the root system in balance with the
-growth above soil that is being restricted. Pruning also keeps the
-roots compact, near the surface of the soil, and vigorously young.
-Removing old, woody roots encourages the growth of fine new ones.</p>
-
-<p>When seedlings, rooted cuttings, and small newly purchased or collected
-plants are made ready for their first bonsai containers, they are not
-immediately root-pruned in a severe sense. Any roots that are dead
-should be trimmed off and long taproots should be cut back at least
-one-third. Otherwise, it’s a matter of trimming off the root ball with
-as little disturbance as possible, just enough to fit the container.</p>
-
-<p>After they have been established, plants are root-pruned when they are
-repotted. When roots are crowded and completely cover the soil in a
-close mesh, it’s time to repot and root-prune. For some plants this may
-come once in a year, for others once in five years.</p>
-
-<p>Hold the base of the trunk in one hand&mdash;your left hand if you are a
-right-hander. Use a dull-pointed pencil (the Japanese use a chopstick)
-and loosen the soil around the outside. Pick away about one-third of it
-if the plant is established, somewhat more on younger plants. When you
-have finished, the soil ball should be, roughly speaking, one-fourth
-smaller than its container. Then, with sharp scissors, cut away all
-the loose root ends which you have removed from the soil. This is
-rather drastic surgery, although not like removing an arm and a leg
-of a gardener, because the plant or shrub has the happy faculty of
-growing new roots. However, it will need<span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">[170]</span> special care and protection
-until it is back on its feet again. Bonsai plants are root-pruned and
-returned to the same container year after year. None of this making
-each container one size larger each time the plant is moved into a new
-house. That’s for house plants per se.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Soil</i></p>
-
-<p>Potting soil for dwarfed trees and shrubs is particularly important.
-There is so little of it in small containers. In general, it should
-provide good drainage and aeration while also holding a certain amount
-of moisture. On the specific side, soil contents and textures should
-vary to meet the individual plant’s needs.</p>
-
-<p>If your plant happens to have been dug locally, take along a supply of
-local soil. If you happen to have purloined the plant from a neighbor’s
-woods, purloin a little soil. It’s no more of a sin to have stolen a
-sheep than half a sheep. In our neighborhood it is a standing joke
-about how many plants, flat paving stones, etc., we swipe from each
-other. If you have been honest enough to have bought your plant from a
-nursery, ask their advice on the soil. If they are not smart, although
-most of them are, get the reference book down off the shelf and find
-out whether the plant craves a mixture that is sandy, rich in humus,
-acid or alkaline, fine or coarse. You have a baby on your hands. Treat
-it right and it will award you with adulthood in bonsai. Neglect it and
-it will curl up and die. Mix your soil as you would a baby’s formula.
-Remember, babies cry when the formula is faulty; plants can’t. They
-silently pass away.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Potting and Repotting</i></p>
-
-<p>I am frequently asked how often an established tree or shrub should be
-repotted. It depends, first, on how fast it grows. A willow may need
-this attention twice a year, a conifer once in five years. A general
-rule is to repot flowering and fruiting plants about once a year,
-most deciduous varieties every other year, evergreens every three to
-five years. But don’t follow that schedule too literally. If a tree
-begins to wither or look weak, if its color turns sickly and it shows
-no sign of growth, if its roots are so packed they hump up the soil,
-root-pruning and repotting are often the “shot in the arm” that can
-save it.</p>
-
-<p>The most favorable repotting seasons vary with types of plants and the
-climate. Again, it’s a good idea to consult some authority or reference
-book. In general, and in most areas, it is safe to repot evergreens,
-deciduous foliage varieties, and summer-or fall-flowering types in
-early spring before new growth begins. As for spring-flowering<span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">[171]</span> plants,
-repot immediately after flowering; for fruiting types, in early autumn
-before cold weather sets in.</p>
-
-<p>As a side light, it is possible to use watertight containers minus
-drainage holes. That is rather desirable when a plant is to be
-displayed on finely finished furniture in the house. The container
-should be a shade larger than usual so that, in potting, a corner area
-or space along the side can be left empty and the soil sloped down
-toward it. If there is any standing water it will show up in this
-section. Just up-end the container and drain off the excess water.
-In the process make sure that the plant is not also drained off or
-disturbed. But that you will know from plain common sense.</p>
-
-<p>If a pot has drainage holes, I always make sure they are partially
-covered with crockery or aluminum window screen so the soil will not
-sift down and clog the holes. To insure even better drainage, I screen
-the first layer so that it is coarse and granular, put a little soil
-on top, and then set the plant in place. In oblong or oval containers,
-the trunk is usually one-third of the distance from the end and a
-little behind the center line. Of course, that depends on the shape of
-the containers. In round or square containers, the plant is usually
-centered.</p>
-
-<p>When planting, fill in the soil gradually. Use a pencil, or if you have
-the true Oriental feeling, a chopstick, to tuck the soil in tightly
-around the roots. Whatever you use, be sure to eliminate any pockets of
-air. Roots don’t like it. As to how tightly you pack it, that depends
-on the type of plant and the texture of the soil. If your soil is
-built up around the edges and sloped toward the center, you will have
-a depression that will hold water until it can seep down to the roots
-below. Unless you have some particular plan or design, finish off the
-surface with a ground cover of moss, or perhaps a layer of gravel. Moss
-is not only an added attraction but functions as a mulch and delays the
-evaporation of moisture from the soil underneath.</p>
-
-<p>After repotting, soak the soil thoroughly, and soak the container,
-which is probably dried out. Mist the foliage and remove any debris
-such as fallen leaves and petals. Then keep the plant sheltered for
-several weeks until it is re-established. Remember, it has had what a
-human being would regard as a major operation.</p>
-
-<p>Some of the most appealing bonsai plants are grown with their roots
-around a rock of interesting and harmonious size, shape, color, and
-texture. Soft, porous tufa is especially good for this purpose because
-you can cut and shape it easily. You can hollow out cavities<span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">[172]</span> and
-crevices, just the place for roots to grow. Any rock should have a
-stable base. Please don’t let it tip or wobble.</p>
-
-<p>For this sort of planting, select a healthy plant in vigorous growth
-with roots long enough to reach down the side of the stone. Prune
-away any roots that are too short or dead, and remove the soil from
-the others. Set the base of the trunk in place on top of the rock and
-arrange the roots so that the tips reach down and can be buried in the
-soil in the container. Both roots and plant may need to be anchored in
-place for a while; that is, until they can stand on their own.</p>
-
-<p>Such plants naturally need special watering and protection for the
-first few months, perhaps even for a year or so. You can help them
-along by rubbing soil into the roots after they are fastened in place,
-or covering them temporarily with a thin layer of moist moss. Should
-you do any repotting, be careful not to loosen the roots on the rock.</p>
-
-<p>Recently, in the home of one of my Redding neighbors, I saw a bonsai
-arrangement that pretty much follows what I have been describing above,
-except that it goes it one better. This gardener, in the search for
-the “right” rock, had walked miles along the stone fences that divide
-fields, woods, and properties in our area. Eventually she found a
-beautifully weathered specimen with a large pocket in the top. This
-she filled with a rich, moisture-holding soil mixture, encasing some
-of the roots of her bonsai in it. Then she set the rock in water in a
-shallow container to help keep it moist. Someday I am going to defy the
-snakes that are said to lurk in the cracks and crevices of our rock
-walls and see if I can’t find something to approximate what my neighbor
-discovered. I hope it will have a few lichens on it. That would be a
-crowning touch of age and antiquity.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Shaping and Pruning</i></p>
-
-<p>These are the techniques, says one author, that “make bonsai culture
-an art.” That statement alone is sufficient reason to invalidate
-just about all of the specific rules. But there are others&mdash;the wide
-variations among plants and types of plants, plus the personal element,
-the variances in personal tastes and degrees of artistry.</p>
-
-<p>Instead of trying to cover bonsai pruning and wiring in complete detail
-(there are many excellent books on the subject), I’d rather speak from
-personal experience and set down the basic principles as I see them and
-have used them. By following these principles&mdash;not word for word, or
-too literally, but with your own<span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">[173]</span> creative ingenuity and imagination&mdash;I
-feel you can shape a true bonsai plant, or adaptations in the bonsai
-manner.</p>
-
-<p>First, let’s define the objective&mdash;a miniature tree or shrub with
-every part in perfect scale, the line and design of trunk and branches
-clearly outlined and not forced or distorted but naturally picturesque.
-If you start with a very small plant, a seedling, or a rooted cutting,
-the choice of shape and design is mostly up to you. But more mature
-plants almost always suggest their own form. A trunk may be slightly
-twisted, a branch slightly bent, the leaves or needles heavier in one
-area than another. You simply carry on the illusion in as natural a
-manner as possible.</p>
-
-<p>In pruning, the first step is to remove all weak or dead wood, and
-any unwanted branches that cross unattractively or perhaps go off in
-the wrong direction. Then, you decide whether more branches should be
-pruned away&mdash;to reveal the basic form of the tree in general or the
-trunk in particular; to lighten the over-all effect; to help create
-the desired symmetrical or asymmetrical shape. If the plant has been
-root-pruned, the top should be pruned proportionally. Top growth and
-roots should always be kept in balance. Growing tips are pinched or cut
-back to encourage the development of side shoots, or merely to keep the
-plant in dwarf proportions.</p>
-
-<p>From here on, pruning depends on the plant and the planned design.
-Slow-growing types may need trimming only once a year; others need
-constant attention. Any undesirable or excess growth is best removed
-while the plant is still young so the operation won’t leave an
-unsightly scar. Needles that are too long can be cut down to proper
-size from time to time. Leaves that are too large and heavy can be
-severely thinned. Because fruit that is too plentiful can weaken a
-dwarfed tree severely, some of it should be removed.</p>
-
-<p>At repotting time you may find a few roots immediately under the soil
-surface that have enlarged to such a good size they can be exposed
-above the soil. If possible, spread them out slightly so they form a
-swelling base for the trunk. This is fun, but takes a bit of doing.
-You don’t want to end up with something that resembles an unanchored
-telegraph pole with leaves at the top.</p>
-
-<p>Stems, branches, and trunks are trained by wiring them and then bending
-them along the lines you desire. Wiring is best done in the spring. New
-growth is just starting and the older woody parts are more supple and
-pliant. If the soil is left dry a few days before wiring, the wood will
-be even easier to work with. You can use ordinary galvanized wire. If
-you happen to have only copper wire,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">[174]</span> try annealing it. Hold it in a
-fire and then plunge it into cold water. The weight and strength of the
-wire will depend on the size of the trunk or branch with which you are
-working. Be careful not to get a wire that is so stiff you can’t bend
-it easily.</p>
-
-<p>As to the actual process, first fasten one end of the wire. Perhaps
-you wrap it around the trunk, or better still, stick it deeply into
-the soil. Next coil it rather loosely around the branch that is being
-trained and fasten it again at the end. Now, using both hands, bend
-the wired branch in the direction you want it to go. Be firm, but be
-gentle and cautious. Ease up if the branch shows signs of breaking or
-being injured. Don’t hurry the job. If necessary, only bend it a little
-the first time. Bend it a little more the next week, and the weeks
-after that. If you are tempted to rush, stop and think of the bonsai
-creations you have seen on display at flowers shows. Usually you will
-have seen a card that says the creation is fifty or more years old.
-Be especially careful with old hardened growth or plants with tender
-bark that is easily bruised or broken. Most important, once you start
-to bend a branch, don’t change your mind and try to bend it back the
-original way. It will almost surely die. Plan before you act.</p>
-
-<p>Depending on the type and age of the plant, wires may be left in place
-for six months, a year, or even more. However, watch carefully for
-signs that the plant is being choked or disfigured due to heavy growth.</p>
-
-<p>There are also some easy ways to train parts of plants without wiring
-them. Branches can be pulled down to a horizontal line by looping soft
-cord around them and hitching it to the container. They can be made
-to hang down, or weep, by hanging weights at the tips. If you want to
-straighten a trunk, tie it with something strong, like raffia, to a
-straight bamboo stake. To narrow a wide fork between two branches, pull
-them together with raffia. To widen a fork, prop it apart with a light
-wooden wedge.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Location</i></p>
-
-<p>Whether you have a collection of bonsai growing on tables or benches,
-or perhaps just a few plants, in summer give them outdoor growing
-quarters where there is a free circulation of air. Full sunlight
-is good except during the hottest weeks or months. Be careful to
-protect them against hot, drying winds and burning sun, which they
-cannot stand. Being in small containers, excessive heat or dryness is
-dangerous. We had some old bamboo shades that once enclosed our porch
-which were good protection. We also had some<span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">[175]</span> lath screens which came
-in handy. Lacking either, hang up old sheets or sections of burlap. You
-can help by keeping it moist with the garden hose.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Watering</i></p>
-
-<p>Many factors determine how often your plants should be watered&mdash;age,
-type, size, how recently they were repotted, size of root system, and
-the usual climatic conditions such as temperature and humidity. About
-the only concrete thing I can say is that your plants will resent
-neglect, and will show it. Newly potted plants should be kept moist
-constantly until they begin to make new growth or show other signs
-that they have recovered from pruning and transplanting. For plants
-that are established, the ideal is limited moisture in the soil. Don’t
-keep it so wet that rank growth is encouraged. And please beware of
-rot. That is one of the most evil of evils when you are too generous
-with the watering can. At the other extreme, the soil shouldn’t be so
-dry that the plant wilts beyond recovery. You, as a grower, will have
-to determine this for yourself. I do it by feeling the soil in the
-container. If it feels moist to the fingers, no water is needed. Let it
-feel dry and it probably needs a drink. When you do water, be thorough.
-Make sure the soil is so completely moistened that the excess water
-runs out the drainage hole in the bottom of the container.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Fertilizing</i></p>
-
-<p>There is a definite, delicate balance between too much and too little
-fertilizer for a bonsai plant. Too much food and it grows too large and
-is loaded with large foliage, flowers, and fruit. If you feed it too
-sparingly, it will suffer from malnutrition. I most certainly wish I
-could give you an exact rule to use. I fear no one can. Requirements
-differ for different plants. All I can offer is a few basic principles.
-The rest is up to you.</p>
-
-<p>For the first few months after you have repotted a plant in fresh
-soil, withhold all fertilizer. Don’t fertilize a plant that is weak or
-sick or approaching dormancy, and don’t fertilize when the soil in the
-pot is dry. Be alert to fading leaf color, reluctant growth, and all
-similar signs that a plant is suffering for want of nutrients. These
-signs may be most apparent during the spring season of most active
-growth.</p>
-
-<p>Organic fertilizers such as bone meal, liquid manure, or fish emulsion
-are usually recommended, and should be used sparingly in weak
-solutions. The purpose of this feeding is to keep the plant healthy but
-still small, and not to encourage larger growth.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">[176]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Insects and Disease</i></p>
-
-<p>My bonsai plants are much too precious to take chances with any sort
-of infection or insect infestation. As a preventative, I use an
-all-purpose aerosol bomb regularly, according to directions on the
-label. Constantly I keep a sharp eye for any signs of trouble. Thank
-goodness, up to now I have had no serious threats, but should they
-come along, there is a remedy I have used on other plants. I would dip
-them, container and all, in an appropriate solution, thus making sure
-it would penetrate every crevice and cover every surface. For outdoor
-bonsai and the problems most likely to beset plants while in their
-summer quarters, I have elsewhere discussed insects and diseases of
-trees and shrubs. Those general principles also apply to bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Winter Care</i></p>
-
-<p>In areas where freezing temperatures are the rule or, as here in
-Connecticut, where temperatures are much lower, dwarfed potted trees
-and shrubs should spend the winter where the soil in the small
-containers will not freeze. We have a tight cold frame where we plunge
-the pots into the soil, then cover everything with straw and salt hay.
-Those who happen to have an unheated porch, one that is glassed in, but
-where the temperature does not go below freezing, have a good winter
-quarters. But, be careful, don’t let the soil in the containers dry out
-completely. Keep a watchful eye.</p>
-
-<p>After that warning, may I offer another. Please don’t coddle plants by
-keeping them warm in the house or greenhouse. A cool period of complete
-rest is often very beneficial, or even a touch of frost.</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">[177]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 10</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE GARDENS IN THE LANDSCAPE</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>A picturesque surprise on a gently sloping, sunny bank could be a
-wind-blown mugho pine beside an outcropping rock that’s lightly draped
-by a sprawling cotoneaster, with colorful sempervivums clustered at
-the base. Or in the light shade at the base of a clump of white-barked
-birches, there could be a group of dwarf rhododendrons displayed
-against dark, humus-rich soil or a pine-needle mulch. On a patio or
-terrace, it could be a contemporary grouping of low, fluffy juniper,
-perennial lavender, and water-polished rocks.</p>
-
-<p>These are miniature gardens&mdash;not complete landscaping plans for small
-properties, but appealing plantings that often pop up in unexpected
-places and bring beauty into otherwise unusable or undecorated areas.
-They’re gardens because, by definition, they are groups of plants
-that achieve an effect a single plant could not create alone. They’re
-miniature gardens because they occupy small space, and because most
-of their plants are of miniature proportions. Properly designed and
-executed, they’re equally effective in large grounds or small, with
-contemporary suburban homes, in informal settings, and even on estates
-with traditionally formal landscapes.</p>
-
-<p>There’s a special enchantment in these miniature gardens. The eye is
-attracted by their modesty and restraint, and by the utterly natural
-way they seem to suit the scene. Each plant is seen intimately, in
-close-up; its character is revealed in each small detail. And in these
-gardens the creator can express his individuality so easily; seldom
-does a design even resemble the one next door.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">[178]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p38" style="max-width: 380px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p38.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Miniature white poppies featured in a tiny garden beside an
-outcropping of rock</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>Part of the appeal, of course, lies in the charm of miniature
-plants&mdash;tiny annuals and perennials, small or slow-growing evergreen
-and deciduous trees and shrubs, available in amazingly wide variety<span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">[179]</span>
-if you take the trouble to find them. There are also frequent
-opportunities to use inert objects with special effect. Small
-gardens can be designed as settings for works of art or products of
-the hand-craftsman&mdash;ceramic bowls and urns, authentic wrought-iron
-grilles, wood carvings, statuary, sundials, pools, even fountains
-and waterfalls. Or a garden may be designed with a background of
-well-placed rock, a tree stump, or a piece of driftwood. A bench, arch,
-gate, antique hitching post, or well-house may inspire a miniature
-planting. Inanimate ground covers such as gravel are often a definite
-part of the design.</p>
-
-<p>In some ways miniature gardens are easier to design than, for example,
-standard items such as flower beds and foundation plantings. It’s
-easier to achieve originality. Mistakes are usually small and easily
-corrected. On the other hand, really good design is more critical than
-in large plantings where space can swallow errors and provide lucky
-effects. In miniature, even a minor defect shows up immediately, and
-may be a major calamity.</p>
-
-
-<h3>DESIGNING MINIATURE GARDENS</h3>
-
-<p>The first and basic requisite is an idea the garden is to express,
-a theme for the picture it is to create. The objective may be to
-embellish some neglected nook, disguise an unattractive corner, feature
-an unusual plant or art object, soften the lines of a small pool and
-blend it with its surroundings. Once the goal is set, it is pursued
-without deviation. For example, a featured plant is kept dominant&mdash;not
-necessarily in size, but always in visual importance&mdash;and everything
-else is subordinate. A pool planting does not become so elaborate that
-the beauty of mirrored reflections or rippling water is lost.</p>
-
-<p>In both conception and execution the design for a miniature garden
-should be in harmony with its surroundings. Nearby buildings may call
-for certain harmonious lines and proportions. Land contours, and
-constructions such as walls and steps, may dictate size and shape. The
-architecture of a house and its landscape has a style that should not
-be violated.</p>
-
-<p>Our Connecticut landscape demands informal or naturalistic design in
-no uncertain terms. Straight lines and formal geometric shapes would
-be not only out of place, but practically impossible to achieve. The
-land’s slopes and rises call for beds with flowering curves. Points
-of interest such as massive lichen-trimmed boulders, gnarled old<span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">[180]</span>
-trees, or a winding stream are sublimely situated by nature’s unerring
-instinct for what looks right. We’ve merely cleaned them up and made
-the most of them.</p>
-
-<p>For not-too-modern houses built on regularly shaped, level lots, some
-sort of formal design is easier to achieve and much more suitable. In
-the traditional style, elements of equal size and weight balance each
-other. There is strict adherence to a predetermined pattern. Identical
-beds may make a formal dooryard garden, for example; matching groups of
-plants may ornament opposite sides of a gateway.</p>
-
-<p>For houses of contemporary architectural style there are gardens
-of contemporary design, often featuring paved areas and patterns
-with distinct angles and curves. Plantings are based on the tone,
-texture, and form of the plants themselves. The object of interest is
-off-center, balanced by a larger area of subdued importance.</p>
-
-<p>Miniature gardens should be not only in harmony with the style of the
-surroundings, but also in proper proportion. A birdbath with miniature
-roses planted underneath can look lost in the center of a spacious
-lawn, but could be in correct scale for a niche or arch in a brick wall.</p>
-
-<p>Simplicity is extremely important. The smaller the space, the faster
-it will take on a spotty, cluttered look when crammed with too many
-different plants. The smaller the space and the plants, the more
-care and thought should be given to combining various types, forms,
-textures, and colors for best effect.</p>
-
-<p>In addition to aesthetic principles, there are practical aspects to
-designing miniature gardens. Any site should be checked for cultural
-and environmental conditions that favor healthy plant growth. Is a wall
-so high it throws too much shade for sun-loving plants? Is an area too
-exposed in winter for questionably hardy plants? Is the spot so low
-that water collects and stands in the soil, making it suitable only for
-bog plants?</p>
-
-<p>Think of the work of maintenance, too. Use ground covers instead
-of lawn in areas so small you can’t move a mower around. Avoid
-fast-growing plants that need constant trimming and pruning. Don’t use
-plants that require a lot of protective spraying or dusting unless you
-have time to keep up with the job. A healthy dwarf barberry is more
-attractive than a neglected, sickly rose.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">[181]</span></p>
-
-
-<h3>MINIATURE BEDS, BORDERS, AND ISLANDS</h3>
-
-<p>There are a number of ways to use small-scale versions of the
-familiar mixed-flower border. Annuals and perennials can be selected
-for continuity or succession of bloom, and arranged so that colors
-harmonize, textures contrast, and carefully placed taller spikes or
-spires provide accent and relieve monotony. In the background there may
-be dwarf evergreens or flowering shrubs, a low fence or wall, the side
-of a tool house or other small building.</p>
-
-<p>Use miniature flower borders to add interest to tiresome areas such as
-long, narrow strips between the house and boundary line of the lot, or
-along a service walk. Use them at the edge or in corners of small lawn
-areas&mdash;never scattered through it&mdash;or at the base of low foundation
-plantings. Use them as visual space dividers between driveway and front
-yard or entrance to the house.</p>
-
-<p>Miniature beds are also effective at one side of a breezeway, at the
-edge of a terrace or patio, or beside the back door. If they are raised
-slightly, perhaps the height of just one brick, the small plants are
-nearer to eye-level and their full beauty is more clearly revealed.
-I’ve also seen a tiny cutting garden, by the back fence, that was as
-colorful and pretty as any border.</p>
-
-<p>Whenever there are walks, there are spots for miniature beds&mdash;in the
-diamond-shaped points where two walks join; as little islands along the
-curves; in the angles where corners turn. Or use small formal beds for
-dooryard plantings.</p>
-
-<p>The intimate dooryard garden, by the way, is enjoying a revival.
-Instead of advice to keep flowering plants away from the front of the
-house, we’re encouraged to plant little gardens that can be seen from
-the picture window and also will make the house more attractive to
-passers-by. These don’t replace foundation plantings and front-yard
-landscaping, but supplement them in a small way. And the small gardens
-help relieve the monotonous sameness of many modern house fronts.</p>
-
-<p>All kinds of corners are obvious sites for ornamental treatment with
-tiny gardens&mdash;architectural corners between front entrance and house
-wall, between one wing of the house and another; the back corner of
-a lot where, perhaps, a small tree is a focal point or background or
-where, if you’re fortunate, a small stream winds its way across your
-property.</p>
-
-<p>On almost any grounds there are natural nooks that seem to be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">[182]</span> made for
-miniature gardens up and down the sides of informal steps, at the top
-or base of low walls, in a patch of soil at the foot of a high-branched
-tree.</p>
-
-<p>Landscape or architectural focal points can often be enhanced by little
-gardens&mdash;gates, bay windows, sundials, the mailbox, a birdbath, or a
-well. Little pocket-handkerchief gardens are built right into patios
-and terraces. Little creepers planted in crevices between paving stones
-make a miniature garden of their own.</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">[183]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 11</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE ROCK AND WALL GARDENS</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>Anyone who can live and garden in a place like our part of Connecticut
-without going overboard for rocks and rock-loving plants has more
-self-control than I. My bewitchment began one Sunday afternoon when,
-the weekend’s weeding done, I strolled up toward the small wild-flower
-plantings in “the point.” Just beyond the garage, before the trees
-began to cut off the sun, I stopped to glare at an ugly, erupting mound
-of soil and stones that had frustrated our every attempt to make this
-area more attractive.</p>
-
-<p>I was pondering the monstrosity, when I noticed an intriguing detail. A
-partly submerged rock poking its head out of one side of the mound had
-the same color and patina as a snub-nosed piece sticking out the other
-side; and the lines of stratification were on the same slant. Could
-these be opposite ends of one continuous rock formation?</p>
-
-<p>Five wheelbarrow-loads of rocky debris later, we had uncovered a
-beautiful boulder, perfectly placed so that its lines led gracefully
-into twin trunks of a wind-blown birch. It was a boulder with ancient
-age and character, artistically chiseled by the elements. And it said
-“rock garden” as plainly as any landscape plan.</p>
-
-<p>This five-foot-long discovery may not be miniature; and the
-naturalistic kind of planting it inspired is neither practical nor
-suitable for many home grounds. But it was my introduction to rock
-plants, and to how effectively rocks and plants combine; and it led
-me to create and watch for rock gardens that <i>are</i> miniature,
-practical, and suitable for all kinds of grounds. Sometimes I think
-these are the most enchanting little gardens of all.</p>
-
-<p>If they are to look like anything better than a pile of stones,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">[184]</span>
-miniature rock and wall gardens are not composed of miniature rocks.
-They simply contain fewer, perhaps somewhat smaller, rocks than average
-gardens; and they occupy far less space. These small plant-and-rock
-compositions brighten nooks and corners where other plantings would
-seem out of place.</p>
-
-<p>By their nature, most rockery plants are miniature in height, foliage,
-and flower. Alone or combined with miniature bulbs, the smaller
-perennials and annuals, and the tiniest shrubs and trees, they invite
-close-up enjoyment of their daintiness in these small plantings. Rocks
-and rock-loving plants have a perfectly natural way of blending and
-contrasting, each bringing out the best qualities in the other.</p>
-
-<p>Although they’re of different design and construction, rock gardens
-and dry walls are usually planted with the same or similar plants, and
-given similar care. Paths, pavements, and garden steps are close kin.
-But pools and water plants, even though they are often included in rock
-gardens, are a separate subject, and are covered in Chapter 12.</p>
-
-
-<h3>ROCK-AND WALL-GARDEN DESIGN</h3>
-
-<p>“Cemetery,” “penitentiary rock pile,” “collection of geological
-specimens”&mdash;these and other unflattering phrases have been used
-to describe what a rock garden should not be. This eliminates the
-artificial rock-studded circle in the center of a lawn, rocky slopes
-with nothing to back them up, isolated paths and steps that have
-nowhere to go, stone-stuffed piles of loam with no conceivable excuse
-for being where they are.</p>
-
-<p>What a rock garden should be, is an integral part of the landscape,
-completely at home and in harmony with its surroundings, and having a
-sound reason for its existence. Except for a few functional affairs
-such as walls that retain terraces and steps that climb banks, their
-purpose is mainly ornamental. Neither rocks nor plants are featured at
-the expense of the other. Both work together to create the picture&mdash;the
-plants to add brightness, vitality, and life; the rocks to help provide
-favorable growing conditions and a naturally suitable background for
-their display.</p>
-
-<p>Designs for these gardens can be, as for others in the landscape,
-formal or informal. The fixed geometry of walks, walls, and raised
-beds in formal pattern are seen less frequently. But this is a type of
-rock garden that might be placed advantageously in even the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">[185]</span> flattest,
-barest suburban lot where naturalistic plantings and rocks look out of
-place. If you long for a rock garden, try something like this in either
-classic or contemporary style.</p>
-
-<p>Informal rock gardens must, above all else, look convincingly natural,
-as if the glaciers might have placed them. This is equally important
-to a cluster of bulbs at the base of a single, half-sunken boulder;
-the arrangement of rocks and plants on a small slope; or the series of
-rocks that line a winding path. Builders of ambitious rock gardens are
-often advised to study the nearby countryside and use it as a guide.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Designs for Naturally Uneven, Rocky Land</i></p>
-
-<p>This type of terrain makes a natural setting for rock and wall gardens
-of all sizes, shapes, and contours. Generally, the design is informal
-and naturalistic. I don’t know whether it’s really easier to work
-out such designs in miniature, or whether I merely think it’s easier
-because that’s the kind of land I have to work with. So far, we’ve
-never disagreed with Nature about the placement of a rock outcropping,
-for example. The few we’ve uncovered and cleaned up have almost told us
-what and how to plant.</p>
-
-<p>A small existing slope or bank is a perfect site for a composition of
-rocks and rockery plants, or, if you prefer, a retaining wall between
-the two levels with plants grouped at the bottom or top, or planted
-horizontally in the cracks. Or consider a series of ledges that create
-small, irregular terraces.</p>
-
-<p>A slope or grade may be the perfect place for informal stone steps,
-with, of course, a path leading up to them and away. Colonies of
-small plants look well on either side, with, perhaps, very miniature
-evergreens at both sides at the top. Cracks in the steps and a walk can
-be planted with small carpeters.</p>
-
-<p>If you possess a small stream, gulch, or ravine, by all means consider
-a little rock garden along either side. If you’re fond of a gnarled
-old stump, see what a few rocks and plants might do at its foot. Where
-your driveway curves, try a small rock garden. Before you fill in and
-flatten out a small depression, or level off a small knoll, find out
-how it would look as a small “island” rock garden.</p>
-
-<p>Corners like those formed by an old-fashioned “stoop” of a country
-cottage sometimes make effective frames for miniature rock gardens. But
-in general, informal designs usually fit best out in the grounds, away
-from angular architectural lines.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">[186]</span></p>
-
- <div class="figcenter" id="p39" style="max-width: 488px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p39.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Raised flower bed copied from an old English garden</p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Designs for Level, Rockless Grounds</i></p>
-
-<p>Here there are fewer existing, desirable locations for rock and wall
-gardens. But for the sake of enjoying the dainty plants, and of marking
-your garden with originality, you may want to create a site. It is
-possible to dig out a “natural” depression or build up a slope, if it’s
-skillfully designed&mdash;and if you can get rocks that don’t look foreign
-and far away from home. Or dig down a foot or two to make a formal or
-semiformal<span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">[187]</span> sunken garden, the beds raised and held in place by a dry
-wall with crevices to plant in, and flagstone walks.</p>
-
-<p>Corners sometimes offer possibilities&mdash;a far corner, where there is a
-background of trees, fence, or wall; or a front corner where the lawn
-slopes slightly down to the sidewalk. Or there may be a place near the
-patio for a tiny pool in a rocky setting.</p>
-
-<p>A birdbath, sundial, or shrine that’s a focal point in a small garden
-can sometimes be embellished with a small rock garden at the base.
-So can the edge or corner of a raised patio. Terrace pavements with
-cushions of thyme rooted in the crevices are enriched with color,
-fragrance, and texture. The lines of stark steps are softened and the
-appearance mellowed by crowded clumps of fat sempervivums. Wherever
-you can find reason for a rock wall, or even a row of rocks laid
-horizontally and only a few inches high, you can plant it with rockery
-plants at top, bottom, or in between. In the artificial settings of
-many suburban lots, semiformal walls separating two levels of lawn
-or supporting the edge of the family living area are very suitable
-substitutes for rock gardens.</p>
-
-
-<h3>MINIATURE ROCK AND WALL PLANTS</h3>
-
-<p>One of the main virtues of rock and wall gardens is their
-individuality&mdash;they don’t look like other gardens, or even like each
-other. But commonplace plants such as bedding petunias can cancel
-this distinctiveness in a minute. If you use annuals at all, get less
-ordinary varieties and use them sparingly, for temporary color in a
-bare spot or over the dying foliage of spring-flowering bulbs.</p>
-
-<p>The plants that look best with rocks are those that grow naturally
-among them. Hundreds of rock-loving plants are available, and more
-hundreds of alpines from rugged mountain heights. Only the easier
-alpines are included here, the most adaptable to more luxuriant
-climates and soil, the least likely to pine for their rigorous,
-high-altitude homes. Tricky types from above the timber line are left
-to the dedicated collector.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">[188]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p40" style="max-width: 374px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p40.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Saxifraga seedlings&mdash;a natural rock-loving plant</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>Nurseries and catalogues of rock-garden specialists are so full of
-distinctive and delightful miniature plants that my first reaction
-was blissful delirium. And after I acquired as many enticing items as
-I could, my second thought was: These gems are too little known and
-grown. So I began to sort out some that might flourish in our small
-perennial borders. With favorable conditions of drainage and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">[189]</span> air
-circulation, a number of rockery plants have already made themselves at
-home in other, rockless gardens.</p>
-
-<p>Most miniature bulbs are effective in rock gardens, and some miniature
-perennials&mdash;not ubiquitous types, and not those that spread voraciously
-by runners. Miniature shrubs and trees are indispensable in rock
-gardens of all sizes&mdash;to give variety, contrast, and substance; to
-act as accents; to create boundaries or backgrounds. Use them with
-restraint. Place spreading, wind-swept types at the top, bushy shapes
-down lower, upright exclamation points at the very bottom. Make sure
-they are in scale with the rocks, the plants, and the garden as a whole.</p>
-
-<p>Select all kinds of rock and wall plants for their effectiveness of
-form, texture, and color in the complete design. And this repetition
-is important and unavoidable. Select varieties that naturally like, or
-will adapt to, the cultural conditions like sun and soil type you have
-or can provide.</p>
-
-
-<h3>MINIATURE ROCK GARDENS</h3>
-
-<p>For setting a few rocks into the side of a handkerchief-sized section
-of slope, or building many more into a garden in a good-sized corner,
-there are a few guiding principles that will help make sure you are
-happy with the result. Most important, have your design as complete
-as possible before you start to build. A sketch drawn to scale is
-a valuable visualizing aid. Then, make your construction solid and
-substantial, and favorable to plant growth and health.</p>
-
-<p>If you have a choice of exposure, face a sloping rock garden toward the
-north or northeast, so it will get enough summer sun but not so much
-that it dries and cooks. Shrubs and trees in the background should not
-create dense shade in the garden, nor drip moisture on the plants and
-steal nourishment from their roots. Drainage is extremely important
-in selecting a site. If the subsoil is packed and clay-like, you can
-either replace it, make it more porous, or select another spot.</p>
-
-<p>What kind of rocks to use and where to get them depends on the part
-of the country you live in. Anything that’s indigenous to an area
-is first choice, always. Limestone, sandstone, fieldstone, porous
-tufa&mdash;native rocks “belong” as no artificial or imported rock ever can.
-If your land is not blessed (or cursed) by plenty of rocks, you can
-sometimes collect them near rivers, mountains, or abandoned quarries,
-or where a new road is being blasted through.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">[190]</span> Whether you have them,
-collect them, or buy them, all the rocks in one garden (or on the same
-property) should be of the same general type. Varicolored geological
-specimens are seldom attractive.</p>
-
-<p>Consider each rock’s characteristic color, texture, size, and shape
-before you decide where to place it, or whether to place it at all.
-Even in the tiniest rock gardens, tiny rocks look ridiculously
-salt-and-peppery. Start with rocks of substantial size, in keeping with
-the size and contour of the garden; use smaller ones where they fill in
-effectively.</p>
-
-<p>Naturally worn and weathered rocks look more natural than freshly
-chiseled surfaces; irregular, angular forms are better than uniformity.
-Rocks with stratified layers suggest ledges and cliffs. Glacial
-boulders or “hardheads” are not good in formal patterns. Use them
-naturalistically, in varying sizes, arranging them with studied
-carelessness as if they’d been scattered haphazardly and then left.</p>
-
-<p>Avoid overcrowding with so many rocks that the plants are overshadowed
-by the debris. Place rocks as they might lie naturally, partly buried
-in the soil, the tops smoothed over by the elements, and so solid that
-they don’t wobble when you step on them.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Construction</i></p>
-
-<p>Perfect drainage, so that water cannot stand around the roots and
-crowns, has been called “the most important need for all alpine
-plants.” The selected location (raised or sunken) and composition of
-subsoil and topsoil can either contribute to good drainage or deter
-it. In small gardens it’s not too formidable a job to install a system
-of drainage tiles, if necessary, or to add gravelly sand to subsoil to
-make it more porous. Easy insurance in any rock garden is to start with
-several inches of rather coarse gravel or rubble as a bottom drainage
-layer.</p>
-
-<p>Any topsoil that is removed during construction should be saved
-carefully. If you can pile it in the center of a tarpaulin or piece of
-strong burlap, it can’t be scattered and lost; and you can also mix it
-with any additives with pleasurable ease. Simply pile on the peat, leaf
-mold, sand, or other ingredients; then, holding opposite corners (you
-may need a helper to hold one corner of a large piece), pull it back
-over the soil pile and fold it over the other end. Repeat this, from
-opposite ends, until the materials are thoroughly mixed.</p>
-
-<p>The first rocks are usually set at the lowest part of the garden,
-partly sunk in soil or otherwise made extra-sturdy and secure. Build up
-from that point, arranging rocks with their broadest surfaces<span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">[191]</span> at the
-bottom, all lines of stratification horizontal or on the same slant.
-Each rock should slant slightly inward and downward, to catch moisture
-and encourage it to run into the soil in the garden.</p>
-
-<p>Provide plenty of soil for spreading roots, and a minimum depth of
-eighteen inches or more. Plants in shallow pockets may be stunted and
-will certainly dry out too fast during droughts. Whether or not you
-plant as you go depends partly on your agility. Don’t crush the first
-plants under your feet or knees as you set rocks and plants above them.
-It’s often faster and easier to spread out roots and make soil firm
-around them before the next rock is set in place.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Planting</i></p>
-
-<p>Set plants as deep as they were planted before; no deeper (danger of
-crown rot) and not too shallow (they may dry out). Tuck them firmly in
-cool, moist, rock-shaded soil. Keep the soil constantly moist until
-firm new growth shows that the roots are established and growing.</p>
-
-<p>Rock-garden plants are seldom suitable for planting in neat rows or
-geometric patterns. Tiny, slow-growing types are arranged in groups of
-three or more; one or two spreaders per planting spot will do. Don’t
-crowd these plants. Give them room to develop and for air to circulate
-around them, and to display their charms at their best. Provide private
-quarters for the smallest gems, away from hearty growers that might
-overpower them. Keep color combinations and contrasting textures in
-mind. Set trailers where they can droop over stones. Place those that
-like moisture low in the garden; their roots keep cool in the shade of
-rocks.</p>
-
-<p>As a finishing touch, after the rock garden is built, planted, and
-thoroughly watered, cover all soil surfaces with a mulch of fine gravel
-or stone chips. Work it up to each crown, under prostrate stems.
-Aesthetically, this gives a neat, well-groomed look and ties plants,
-rocks, and setting into one coherent picture. Functionally, the chips
-absorb heat and keep soil cool and moist, lift small, low leaves out of
-mud and water, discourage slugs, protect crowns against rot, and firmly
-discourage the intrusion of weeds.</p>
-
-
-<h3>MINIATURE WALL GARDENS</h3>
-
-<p>Any small section of low wall&mdash;brick, cement, stone, or concrete&mdash;can
-be the background for a miniature garden. But it is in a dry wall,
-built of stones without cement, that many small rockery plants best
-display their jewel-like perfection. Planted horizontally, with their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">[192]</span>
-roots in pockets between the rocks, they make a vertical rock garden of
-glowing colors and fascinating foliage textures.</p>
-
-<p>For small, low walls, and those in somewhat formal settings,
-thin-layered rock such as slate or shale is usually preferred.
-Irregularly shaped fieldstone or other rocks of native origin are used
-in more natural, informal designs. Any lines of stratification are, of
-course, laid horizontal and parallel to each other. Another good rule
-to go by is: The smaller the wall, the smaller the rocks.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Construction</i></p>
-
-<p>Low walls (two feet high or less) usually do not need a foundation
-layer sunk below the frost line. They can be started at, or just under,
-ground level. But they must be set solidly on a firm, wide base&mdash;two
-feet wide, for example, for a wall two and a half feet high. Set the
-largest stones and complete the lower layer first. Tilt each rock
-slightly backward and downward so soil won’t wash out of pockets, water
-will run back to plant roots, and the heaving pressure of frost won’t
-thrust the rocks out of place in winter. A guide line of string or wire
-moved up with each new layer will help you keep the construction level.</p>
-
-<p>The wall should slant slightly in toward the bank behind it, and
-usually grows more narrow as it goes up. Each layer is made absolutely
-solid before the next is applied. Set each stone so that it is
-completely steady, and rests on parts of two stones beneath it. This
-distributes weight evenly, avoids crushing plant roots, and prevents
-unattractive and impractical long, vertical cracks created when joints
-coincide. Use small, flattish rocks to fill chinks under large stones
-and make them steady.</p>
-
-<p>Behind the wall, as you build, firm in a goodly layer (one foot thick
-is usually recommended) of topsoil that has been enriched and aerated
-to promote drainage. Roots will reach back here for water and food. As
-you ram soil into pockets, make sure it reaches all the way back to
-this layer. Unless all the soil is made very firm, it may settle and
-the stones may slide out or into the bank.</p>
-
-<p>At the top you can leave some pockets for plants, or plant them just
-behind the wall. Cover cracks at the top with flat stones, so water
-won’t wash out soil.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p41" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p41.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">A rock, a rose, and a miniature rose.</p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Planting</i></p>
-
-<p>If you can remember not to damage plants at the bottom as you’re
-working above them, set the plants in each layer as you build. It’s
-easier then to make sure the roots are firmly embedded well back into
-the soil. Plant sparsely; leave plenty of room<span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">[193]</span> for growth and
-spread, and plenty of uncovered wall surface to contribute pattern and
-texture to the picture. Space the plants at irregular intervals, never
-in straight lines either horizontal or vertical. Water thoroughly,
-making sure the layer of soil behind the wall is completely moist; and
-keep it moist at least throughout the first growing season.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PATHS AND PAVING</h3>
-
-<p>Many little rock plants will make soft cushions and carpets, with
-their roots in crevices between pieces of paving, and also in stone
-steps. They’re very low-growing and very hardy, and usually spring back
-resiliently when stepped on. It’s important that acid-loving varieties
-not be planted near cement, which sometimes neutralizes or alkalinizes
-the soil. And, of course, the situation should provide the amount of
-sunshine and moisture the plants need.</p>
-
-<p>The simplest kind of informal path or paving for an informal patio
-consists of flagstones or slates set in the ground, the top level flush
-with the surface of the soil. Plants are spaced irregularly in cracks
-between the stones. I’ve seen one path of old millstones laid this way,
-the plants rooted in the center hole.</p>
-
-<p>Bricks create a more formal pattern, either laid on a bed of sand
-or set into a foundation of concrete over gravel. The popular
-“crazy pavings” can be odd pieces of either brick or stone arranged
-in any conceivable pattern and laid in mortar. In any such solid
-constructions, planting pockets should be scooped out before the
-concrete sets hard; or a chunk of wood can be inserted to hold the
-space open.</p>
-
-<p>Give the carpeting plants as much good soil as you can, and keep them
-moist until they are growing well. Occasional trimming will stop them
-from growing straggly, and keep them neat, compact, and in a pretty
-pattern.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANTING AND CARE</h3>
-
-<p>Planting times vary according to climate and season of dormancy. In
-warm areas it’s almost always late fall. Where winters are rugged, it
-can be during brief semidormancy in early September, but it’s safest
-in early spring when severe frosts are no longer likely and favorable
-weather blesses plants at the height of their annual growing power.
-In temperate sections spring-flowering varieties can be planted from
-mid-August through October, others in spring.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">[194]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p42" style="max-width: 422px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p42.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Lemon thyme and ivy showing results of being trimmed and kept neat</p>
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Mr. and Mrs. Alex O’Hare</i></p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">[195]</span></p>
-
-<p>Strong, healthy, pot-grown plants can be planted throughout the season
-in almost all areas. They transplant easily, with little disturbance
-and shock. In fact, whenever we acquire plants during the fall, we
-keep them in their pots or pot them up, and protect them in the cold
-frame during the winter. One of my favorite and most knowledgeable rock
-gardeners tells me that he always pots tender or difficult plants, and
-keeps them potted until their roots are fully developed, before he sets
-them out in the garden, no matter what the season.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Soil</i></p>
-
-<p>Providing the proper soil is vitally important to rock-garden plants,
-and particularly to alpines. They’re naturally dwarfed by the rough
-conditions in their native mountain areas. But when they move down
-to our comparatively lush climates and longer growing seasons, they
-respond to a too-rich diet by growing too tall and rangy, with too few
-flowers, and they lose their charm. They do need some nourishment, of
-course. And they are extremely sensitive to soil textures and drainage
-conditions. Heavy, soggy soil causes them to rot quickly. Soil that
-lacks organic matter dries out too fast.</p>
-
-<p>Because of climatic and other variations, I hesitate to set down any
-“ideal soil mix” for these plants. Instead, I suggest a basic formula
-that can and should be varied according to the aridity or rainfall
-in your area, the size and location of your rock or wall garden, the
-composition of your garden soil, the availability of some ingredients,
-and the personal preferences of the plant varieties you want to grow.
-Here it is:</p>
-
-<p>Three parts fairly friable, fertile loam.</p>
-
-<p>Two parts humus&mdash;peat, leaf mold, compost&mdash;for lightness and fertility.</p>
-
-<p>Two parts stone chips or crushed rock&mdash;perhaps the most important
-ingredient, to keep soil open and cool.</p>
-
-<p>One part sharp builders’ sand, or the gravelly sand used in mixing
-concrete, to lighten heavy soil and promote drainage.</p>
-
-<p>If your garden loam is sandy or gravelly, of course, you would increase
-the proportion of humus. If it’s rich in organic matter, you would
-decrease the quantity of humus. Very sticky, heavy clay soils are best
-replaced.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">[196]</span></p>
-
-<p>Rock and alpine plants are also particularly sensitive to the acidity
-or alkalinity of soil. This is measured by the <i>p</i>H scale, ranging
-from very acid <i>p</i>H 4.0, through 7.0 at neutral, to very alkaline
-9.0. Rock-garden specialists usually indicate the preferred <i>p</i>H
-for the plants they sell.</p>
-
-<p>By using a soil-test kit or, better still, sending a sample to your
-state agricultural service to be tested, you can easily find out
-whether the soil in your garden is acid or alkaline, and to what
-degree. Then, to make acid soil more alkaline for plants that need it,
-mix in small quantities of agricultural lime&mdash;the amount depends on
-the degree of acidity and on the plant itself. Don’t overdo it. Too
-much lime can do as much harm as good. Alkaline soils are not quite
-so readily converted to acid, but you can use oak-leaf compost (not
-completely rotted), acid peat, or pine “duff” (rotted pine needles). Or
-you can be satisfied with the tremendous number of rockery plants that
-really prefer alkaline soil. These preferences vary, not only between
-different plant families, but also between individual members of the
-same family.</p>
-
-<p>For our small gardens, I’ve found it not too tiresome to provide soils
-of several types. For specially precious plants, I often mix special,
-small batches of soil. Then I clean out the planting pocket, make sure
-that it is tightly closed in with rocks so water won’t wash this soil
-out or other soil in, and refill it with the preferred mixture.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Watering</i></p>
-
-<p>Except during rare droughts in spring, when the plants are in active
-growth, we seldom have to water our rock and wall garden. Our summer
-rains are usually sufficient for their needs. But whenever or wherever
-there are long weeks of extreme heat and dry winds in summer, water may
-be needed. Use a fine spray gently, so that the small plants won’t be
-washed loose. And let the water soak in long enough so the entire area
-is moist in depth.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Fertilizing</i></p>
-
-<p>Some rock plants can take and use fertilizer, in spring; but most
-alpines are better off without it. For them, we mix a little leaf mold
-with the gravel mulch when we renew it. For the more ordinary types, we
-provide a very light feeding of whatever balanced fertilizer we have on
-hand.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Grooming</i></p>
-
-<p>In rock gardens (and particularly in very small rock gardens) even
-slight untidiness or imperfection shows up all too clearly. But I
-consider it a pleasure to weed and care for the little<span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">[197]</span> plants a few
-minutes every weekend. Faded flowers are snipped off. Weeds are removed
-with determination, but with gentle protection for any small, weak
-plants. Spreading shoots that grow long and out of line are cut off, or
-sometimes uprooted, and removed. Louise Beebe Wilder says it’s an art
-to keep a rock garden in balance, with the proper proportion of plants
-against stones. And she is an artist with hers.</p>
-
-<p>In spring, even before the last of the winter mulch is removed, we look
-for cracks in the soil and for plants that have been heaved out by
-frost, and press them firmly back into place so their roots can take
-hold again. We also fill any washed-out pockets with fresh soil mix,
-and top-dress any low areas. Any rotted leaves and stems and other
-debris are removed; and the entire garden gets a thin fresh layer of
-stone-chip mulch.</p>
-
-<p>In fall there’s the general cleanup operation&mdash;weeding, pressing in
-loose roots and packing them with soil, trimming back rambunctious
-growers, replenishing the mulch of stone chips if needed.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Winter Protection</i></p>
-
-<p>If you can count on a continuous cover of snow over your rock garden
-all winter, there’s little you need to do for these hardy little
-plants. But we can’t; we have the danger of alternate freezing and
-thawing that can do so much damage. So we provide special protection.</p>
-
-<p>In winter, after the ground is frozen at least an inch deep, we cover
-the complete garden with salt-marsh hay. (Some types of Fiberglas,
-and wood excelsior from packing cases, are also suitable, reusable
-materials). This light, airy blanket keeps plants cold and dark, yet
-gives them air to breathe. If it threatens to blow away, we hold it in
-place with a few light evergreen branches.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PROPAGATING ROCK-GARDEN PLANTS</h3>
-
-<p>These are, of course, perennials and with slight variations can be
-propagated like other perennials. (See pages <a href="#Page_255">255–59</a>.)</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Seeds</i></p>
-
-<p>Some need a pre-germination cold and some don’t; some germinate best
-at cool temperatures, some at warm; some need light, others need dark.
-Check seed packet, catalogue, or reliable reference book for specific
-information for each type of seed.</p>
-
-<p>We start seeds of delicate varieties in the greenhouse, where we can
-hover over them, in late winter; others may be sown in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">[198]</span> cold frame
-in March or April, so the plants will be as mature as possible before
-their first winter.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Stem Cuttings</i></p>
-
-<p>For the smaller plants, these can be as short as three inches or less.
-Try to take snappy new growth, neither weak and watery nor hard and
-tough. Sharp sand is a suitable rooting medium for many types.</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">[199]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 12</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE POOLS AND WATER PLANTS</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>If you can work out a way to use water in your landscape, by all means
-do. Whether it’s a dime-sized tub the birds dip into, or a full-scale
-formal pool in a tiled patio, any garden with water attracts immediate
-attention, gives quick pleasure, becomes an unquestionable center of
-interest. Actually, the excitement water adds to any landscape scene
-is the antithesis of its calm, cooling, serene effect. I don’t know of
-any other feature that, with a few plants and a minimum of care, makes
-a garden spot at once so dramatic, artistic, and restful. And if the
-water moves&mdash;ripples through a stream, drips over stones, falls from
-one level to another&mdash;soothing sound is added to the other assets.</p>
-
-<p>Natural brooks, streams, and pools usually require little designing
-beyond bringing out the best of their inherent beauty. But there’s also
-not a suburban lot for which some kind of artificial water garden can’t
-be designed, and few grounds that are not thereby enhanced. The only
-requisite is that the design be in harmony and scale with its setting;
-that it be conceived, located, and constructed with imagination and
-skill.</p>
-
-<p>The fact that pools are inevitably natural focal points makes their
-faults more obvious and more difficult to correct. The most you can do,
-once a pool is in the ground, is to soften or otherwise improve its
-outline with coping, rocks, or plants. If there’s too much cement, you
-can’t hide it with aquatic plants without covering, too, the desirable
-reflections on the water. If it’s too small, you can hardly make it
-larger. If the shape is uninteresting, you can’t change it very easily.
-If it’s in the wrong spot or faced the wrong way, you can’t move it.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">[200]</span></p>
-
-<p>On the other hand, the charm of water itself is so strong that it
-is comparatively easy to create a design that looks just right,
-particularly if simplicity is the keynote in both pool and planting.
-Simple shapes are safer and more effective than intricate ones; few
-plants, well placed, are better than many; water spraying from a
-concealed pipe is often more desirable than a formal fountain or
-statuary.</p>
-
-<p>Depending on architecture and terrain, garden pools may be of formal
-design&mdash;a perfectly regular shape; semiformal&mdash;the shape balanced but
-not usually regular, often in severe contemporary style; or informal,
-completely asymmetrical, and integrated so naturally in the landscape
-the pool looks as if it has always been there. Each type of design
-can be executed in so many different ways that, even for tiny pools,
-there’s good reason to study photographs and articles in gardening and
-homemaking magazines. There’s also inspiration in the designs in books
-about water gardens, plus detailed information on various types of
-construction that I’ve had to omit. I’ve built miniature rock gardens
-but never a pool. Someone who fathoms the mysteries of water levels and
-understands the intricacies of cement work can give much more reliable
-advice than I.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Formal Design.</i></p>
-
-<p>Small square, rectangular, circular, or oval pools can be extremely
-effective in almost any kind of landscape except one so rocky and
-untamed as ours. They’re usually best in level ground, and most
-harmonious with borders and other plantings of fairly formal pattern.
-And, of course, they’re constructed of materials that give a formal
-effect, such as concrete, tile, or brick.</p>
-
-<p>A raised pool in the center of a small terrace, with a foot-high wall
-of tile or brick, can be scaled down from classic designs of other
-eras. A wide coping on the wall provides a place to set potted plants,
-or to seat yourself to feed the goldfish and dabble your fingers in the
-cool water.</p>
-
-<p>A quadrant-shaped pool in the corner where garden walls meet can be
-either raised or level with the ground. Its water might reflect the
-image of a saint in a shrine above it, or might catch the constant
-stream from a lovely fountain.</p>
-
-<p>At one end of a narrow garden a rectangular or oval pool becomes a
-striking focal point. A path may lead to a bench on a far side, between
-the pool and a background of shrubs.</p>
-
-<p>At the end of a garden path a fountain may spout from a mortared wall
-into a projecting pool set at convenient dipping height<span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">[201]</span> from the
-ground, for filling watering cans. The planting underneath can be
-permanent, or an arrangement of potted plants.</p>
-
-<p>And why not a tiny, formal pool in the center of a miniature rose
-garden? Or under a piece of traditional garden statuary? Or simply in
-the center of a garden path that splits to make room for it? If it’s
-of proper proportion, a formal pool can even be set in the center of a
-garden, sometimes even in the center of a small lawn area.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Semiformal Design</i></p>
-
-<p>Here’s where the popular kidney-shaped pools are most useful.
-They’re neither formal nor informal, but especially attractive with
-contemporary architecture. Planting is usually sparse but dramatic,
-making extreme use of contrasting colors and textures, and of unusual
-lines. Construction materials are simple to keep them subordinate in
-interest to the over-all design.</p>
-
-<p>A refreshing sight outside a picture window is a small pool recessed
-in the patio floor. A recirculating pump sends up a spray of water
-from a pipe that ends just below the surface of the pool. These pumps
-make it possible for fish and plants to coexist with fountains because
-they reuse water in the pool. Fresh water from a spring, a stream, or
-the pipes that supply the house is too cold; and it may lack the small
-organisms on which fish feed.</p>
-
-<p>Pools of contemporary design can also be placed in a corner of the
-property, with a tasteful grouping of shrubbery behind; on the bottom
-level of a series of terraces; in a depressed spot in the lawn; in the
-curve of a path; or at one side of a breezeway. They can be illuminated
-dramatically with the new underwater lights available in many sizes and
-styles.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Informal, Naturalistic Design</i></p>
-
-<p>These are either adaptations of existing streams or pools, or designs
-of uneven form deliberately created to look as if they had been
-there all the time. They’re best suited, of course, to naturalistic
-landscapes where slopes, rocks, and hidden springs give them a reason
-for existence. The water-holding basin may be of any material, as long
-as it is not noticeable. Any edgings, copings, or nearby trimmings
-should be just as natural as the pools.</p>
-
-<p>A rock garden on a slope is a perfect setting for a pool with rocks
-that jut out over the water and, if possible, a rock or two coming up
-through the water from below. Or two small pools, one above the other,
-can be joined by a miniature waterfall. If there’s<span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">[202]</span> no water supply on
-the spot, use a recirculating pump. But be careful that the waterfall
-doesn’t resemble man-made steps. It should be as craftily haphazard as
-if the elements had worn it into the rocks.</p>
-
-<p>A dripstone is another delightfully musical device&mdash;an overhanging rock
-from which water drips down onto the surface of the pool. The sound has
-more resonance when there is an empty chamber behind the dripping water.</p>
-
-<p>A meandering brook can be widened to make a pool. Or a completely
-artificial brook can be constructed of cement, like a pool, with
-drainage and overflow pipes and similar appurtenances. This isn’t
-easy to execute effectively, but it can be completely intriguing. It
-might be wise to try to re-create part of a real stream in the nearby
-countryside.</p>
-
-<p>One small boulder half-sunk in the ground can inspire an irregular,
-shallow pool that makes a natural birdbath. A miniature shrub may back
-up the boulder; rock-garden plants may grow at its base.</p>
-
-<p>Many nooks and corners in the naturalistic landscape spontaneously
-suggest the creation of a tiny pool, and become exciting little garden
-surprises. These can often be so simply made that there’s not even a
-drainage hole in the bottom. Scooping out the water, as needed, is no
-chore at all.</p>
-
-
-<h3>CONSTRUCTING MINIATURE POOLS</h3>
-
-<p>There are as many materials and methods for building pools as there
-are sizes and shapes. The depth depends on the requirements of the
-aquatic plants to be grown, and so does the location in sun or shade.
-Pygmy water lilies, for example, need all available sun, and at least
-ten inches of water&mdash;four inches for the container that holds soil and
-roots, eight inches above the crowns or growing points. Other miniature
-water plants are satisfied with much less.</p>
-
-<p>One vitally important construction detail is that the sides of even
-the smallest tub garden be perfectly level, parallel with the water
-surface. Otherwise, there will be an unattractive expanse of bare wall
-at one side&mdash;one of those awkward errors that quickly catches the eye
-and spoils the whole effect.</p>
-
-<p>Some pools are simply sunk flush with the surrounding lawn or other
-surface, without edging or coping of any kind. This can be messy and
-sometimes disastrous to plants when surface water collects<span class="pagenum" id="Page_203">[203]</span> and floods
-the pool during heavy rains. Extending the rim an inch or so above the
-surrounding area usually avoids this problem, but then the rim should
-be concealed with a coping of some sort&mdash;bricks and tiles in formal
-pools, well-arranged rocks, gravel, or flagstone paving in informal
-design.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Tubs and Other Containers</i></p>
-
-<p>Attractive but relatively impermanent miniature pools can be improvised
-or specially planned with many kinds of containers&mdash;metal or wooden
-tubs made and sold for the purpose; half-barrels or half-kegs;
-discarded tanks, kettles, dishpans; even discarded sinks and laundry
-tubs. These last can be eyesores, we found out, if their ignominious
-origins are not kept carefully secret. Rubber-base paint is the only
-way we found to conceal the pristine white porcelain, and it was tricky
-to use so that it wouldn’t peel off. The rim at the top of the sink
-is an unpleasant giveaway that must be covered with something such as
-overhanging rocks. Finding a plug or stopper that fit the drainage hole
-wasn’t the least of our problems.</p>
-
-<p>For the welfare of both aquatic plants and wildlife such as fish and
-scavengers, some containers need special treatment before they can be
-used, and some should not be used at all. Wooden kegs and barrels that
-have held oily substances such as gasoline, roofing compound, and wood
-preservatives can’t be cleaned sufficiently to be safe. Copper poisons
-fish; so do paints with oil or lead bases. Steel, lead, iron, and other
-metals should be protected against rust and corrosion with sound coats
-of rubber-base paint.</p>
-
-<p>Containers freshly made of new wood (except white cedar) can be
-unhealthy for fish. Let them stand out in the weather for the winter,
-or season the wood by filling the container with water, slaking a chunk
-of lime in it for a few days, and rinsing well before using.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Prefabricated Pools</i></p>
-
-<p>These are now available in metal or plastics of a sturdiness that
-varies with the cost, in a wide range of sizes and shapes. Many of
-them make lovely miniature pools which, because they’re small, are
-not necessarily calamities if they don’t last forever. Most have been
-designed after consultation with experts on fish and water lilies. And
-most are simply installed by digging a proper hole and setting them in
-place.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p43" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p43.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-  </div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p43a" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p0"
-    src="images/p43a.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"></p>
-  </div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p43c" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p0"
-    src="images/p43c.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Steps in constructing a no-cost pool out of materials on hand:</p>
-     <p class="p0 P-left sm">a. An old kitchen sink</p>
-     <p class="p0 p-left sm">b. Placing rocks that were a nuisance anyhow</p>
-     <p class="p0 p-left sm">c. Finished pool with goldfish, and an interested cat</p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Permanent Pools</i></p>
-
-<p>Permanency increases, of course, with sound construction. Concrete
-laid on a gravel or cinder base and strengthened with wire-mesh
-reinforcement is usually considered best. But the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">[205]</span> new concrete must
-be cured and the alkalinity of its lime neutralized before the pool can
-be safely used for plants or fish. Leaving the pool open to the weather
-for the winter will usually accomplish this purpose. Or the pool can
-be drained and refilled several times, then thoroughly cleansed with
-household vinegar, as in the “quick cure” recommended by G. L. Thomas,
-Jr., of Three Springs Fisheries.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">[206]</span></p>
-
-<p>Bricks, cement blocks, tile, puddled concrete&mdash;for each type of
-material there are detailed procedures to be found in readily available
-and up-to-date reference books. Prefabricated pools can be found in the
-catalogues of most water-lily specialists.</p>
-
-
-<h3>CARE OF POOLS</h3>
-
-<p>Miniature pools are easy to scrub in the spring and to keep clean
-through the summer season. Floating dead leaves or other organic debris
-that can give off poisonous gas are skimmed off with your hands.
-Discolored or dying leaves of lilies and other plants can be cut away
-cleanly. Plants can be thinned out by removing superfluous leaves or
-pulling out portions of weedy varieties. The pool is kept nearly filled
-with fresh water&mdash;but without adding so much at one time that the water
-is dangerously chilled.</p>
-
-<p>Permanganate of potash will control slimy, green algae. To one gallon
-of water add about two teaspoons of permanganate; let it stand until
-there is little residue at the bottom. For every gallon of water in the
-pool, add one teaspoon of this saturated solution whenever algae become
-unsightly. Don’t make the solution too strong. It might kill the fish.</p>
-
-<p>Insects such as the black aphids common on water lilies can be sprayed
-off with the garden hose to make a juicy meal for the fish. Spraying
-pool plants with insecticides or fungicides is dangerous unless you
-use a preparation made specifically for pools, and use it strictly
-according to package directions.</p>
-
-<p>In winter, most tubs and other containers should probably be lifted
-and stored indoors. I should think this would lengthen the useful life
-of small prefabricated pools, too. Small permanent pools should be
-drained, so ice will not form and crack the construction. This means
-that the pool must remain empty; either the drain must be kept open or
-a roof of canvas or boards should be fitted over the top.</p>
-
-
-<h3>FISH AND SCAVENGERS</h3>
-
-<p>Goldfish earn their upkeep&mdash;a pinch or two of food a week&mdash;by gobbling
-up mosquito larvae the minute they start wriggling. In pools where the
-mud at the bottom does not freeze, they’ll winter safely out of doors.</p>
-
-<p>Several kinds of snails, tadpoles, and other scavengers offered by
-specialists consume impurities in the water, including algae. Frogs are
-just for fun. They’ll often make themselves at home in a pool without
-any invitation. A grandpappy bullfrog lived in our tiny sinkpool<span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">[207]</span> all
-last summer, retreating to a dark cave between the rocks when the dogs
-came down for a drink.</p>
-
-<p>It seemed to me the epitome of modern efficiency when I first learned,
-as a city-dweller, that full-grown frogs could be bought by mail. That
-purchase made us the most popular family on the block. But we couldn’t
-offer them comfortable winter quarters in the city; and the last I
-saw of the frogs, in early fall, they were hopping down the gutter of
-Fortieth Avenue toward the sewer drain.</p>
-
-
-<h3>MINIATURE AQUATIC AND POOLSIDE PLANTS</h3>
-
-<p>Obviously, the location of a pool (in sun or shade, warm climate or
-cool), its size (some plants would smother a miniature pool in a few
-weeks), and its design should be considered in selecting plants to grow
-in or with it. In fact, very tiny pools carefully placed to catch an
-artistic reflection may be better without any plant embellishment.</p>
-
-<p>A frequent error is overplanting, with the water surface covered by
-a confusion of foliage and flowers, the perimeter a jungle. In small
-pools one pygmy lily is plenty; it needs clear, open water to set it
-off.</p>
-
-<p>For pools of all designs&mdash;formal, contemporary, informal&mdash;plants are
-seldom arranged in neat rows, groups that repeat themselves regularly,
-or matching masses in perfect symmetry. The closest to formal balance
-might be adding accent and height by placing the tallest plant in the
-center of a formal pool. More often, it’s effective in one corner or at
-one side.</p>
-
-<p>Few plants offer such striking variation in the forms available to
-create interesting patterns and dramatic contrast. There are flat,
-leathery leaf pads and slim, spiky swords; glorious china-like cup
-flowers and fluffy plumes; modest creepers and bold elephant leaves.
-Seldom does a flower-arrangement artist have such a wealth of exciting
-material with which to make her prize-winning compositions.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Miniature Water Lilies</i></p>
-
-<p>Of the two general types of water lilies&mdash;tropical and hardy&mdash;the
-tropicals are least likely to be in scale with miniature pools. The
-leaves and flowers are larger, the leaves spreading out wider and the
-flowers standing out higher. The tropicals need lots of sun and warmth,
-can be shocked into dormancy if the water chills, and are usually
-treated like annuals and planted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">[208]</span> fresh, each summer. Some can be
-propagated from viviparous plantlets that grow on the leaves.</p>
-
-<p>Among hardy water lilies there is a selection of pygmies with four-inch
-leaves and two-inch flowers in many colors&mdash;white, yellow, pink, red,
-and bicolors, some with attractively marbled foliage. Given generous
-sunshine, warm quiet water, and good nourishment, they will flower from
-July to frost, and can be held over the winter either outdoors or in.</p>
-
-<p>In our area we set out hardy water lilies in late April or early May.
-If a late cold snap occurs when the plants arrive by mail, we keep them
-moist until it’s over. Since the roots are hardy only if they do not
-freeze, and since it’s difficult to keep small pools from freezing,
-each lily is planted in its own box, which is set on small stones or
-blocks so it is raised off the floor of the pool. Or plant in soil at
-the bottom of a tub-pool that will be taken up in fall. Lay the rhizome
-horizontal, with its growing tip out of the soil. Cover the surface
-with a web of clean sand, to keep the soil from muddying the water. If
-the plant is leafed out and the leaves don’t reach the surface of the
-pool, they’ll lengthen their stems in a few days.</p>
-
-<p>For best growth and flowering, a pygmy lily needs at least a third
-of a bushel of soil and about eight inches of water over its crown.
-Soil can be heavy and clay-like, or average garden loam. If possible,
-add one-fourth the quantity of well-rotted cow manure&mdash;no other kind.
-Experts recommend strongly against the use of other-than-cow manures,
-swamp muck, leaf mold, peat moss, sand, or lime.</p>
-
-<p>Lacking cow manure, you can get fertilizers prepared specially for
-water lilies, or you can use commercial garden fertilizers like those
-with 5-10-5 analysis. Supply nourishment at planting time, and once
-again a month or so later. Wrap balls of rotted cow manure, or handfuls
-of commercial fertilizer, in thin paper (a paper napkin will do) and
-thrust them down into the soil around the roots. Water lilies have
-voracious appetites, and even the pygmies eat heartily. On a starvation
-diet, they’ll stop growing and flowering.</p>
-
-<p>In winter, store the rhizomes in an unheated cellar or garage where
-they will keep cool but not freeze. Don’t let them dry out completely.
-Keep the soil in the container barely moist; or if the rhizome is not
-in soil, wrap it in burlap that can be kept moist.</p>
-
-<p>Hardy water lilies are propagated by planting divisions of the roots,
-with each section having at least one growing point.</p>
-
-<p>In the wide selection of available varieties, the following pygmies are
-suitable for most miniature pools.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">[209]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Nymphaea</b> <i>Nymphaeaceae</i> Pygmy Water Lily</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>adorata minor</i>&mdash;Pint-sized variety of the native pond lily
-with fragrant, dainty, white three-inch flowers in generous
-profusion; leaves lined with red beneath. ‘Helen Fowler’ is a
-fragrant pink-flowered variety.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>aurora</i>&mdash;An old hybrid, more dwarf than miniature, but
-suitable for small pools. Changeable flowers open soft yellow,
-darken to rusty orange in the second stage, then to deep red
-in the third stage. The small leaves are mottled with wine-red
-lines.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Jo Ann Pring’&mdash;True pygmy with three-inch leaves, dusty-pink
-flowers lighter in the center.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Patricia’&mdash;One of the few small tropicals with crimson flowers,
-brown-metal buds. Young plants are borne on the leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tetragona (pygmaea)</i>&mdash;Smallest of all, with long-lasting
-two-inch white flowers with a fragrance like China tea,
-four-inch soft green leaves. Easy to grow, even in shallow
-water. The variety alba, or white pygmy, seems the same to me
-as the variety helvola, an old hybrid usually listed as yellow
-pygmy, and is even smaller than the species, with brown-blotched
-leaves and glowing yellow, star-shaped flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Royal Purple’&mdash;A new red-purple, tropical lily.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Floating Plants</i></p>
-
-<p>Another advantage of miniature pools is that any of the attractive
-surface plants that multiply too fast can be easily scooped out as
-often as you wish. And they are unusually attractive in forms, colors,
-and textures. Feeding from nutrients in solution in the water, they
-make shade for fish, and their dangling roots provide a safe place for
-fish to spawn. Simply drop the plants in the water and let them grow.
-Or, if you want them to raise a family, put some soil in a shallow spot
-where the roots can anchor. Most are annuals, to be bought each year.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Oxygenating Plants</i></p>
-
-<p>These are aquatics that grow down in the water and help keep it
-sweet and clean. Bunches of some can be simply dropped in the pool.
-But all will grow better and save you the trouble of replacing them
-if their roots are in soil, in pots set on the pool floor. Although
-they’re mostly perennials, we prefer to start each season with a fresh
-supply. They’re available in variety at pet stores or by mail from
-lily specialists. Since they’re neither true miniature plants nor
-as decorative as they are functional, separate descriptions are not
-included here.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Other Aquatic Plants</i></p>
-
-<p>With the water lilies and other aquatics, these are the only plants
-that can grow with their roots standing in water&mdash;some in deeper water
-than others. With few exceptions,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">[210]</span> this does not mean sour, stagnant
-water. Even in bogs there is some circulation. Adding chunks of
-charcoal that absorbs impurities will often help keep the water fresh
-and healthful.</p>
-
-<p>Some of these plants are hardy, some are not; some need their roots in
-soil; some can do without it; some are better growing in the water of
-the pool; some in the boggy soil beside it.</p>
-
-<p>Earlier in this chapter I said I had never built a pool. I meant that
-I had never done it personally and worried about water levels and
-the general engineering. But we have had several pools, little more
-than puddles, which my husband constructed. Small though they were,
-they gave us the chance to enjoy water lilies and bog plants. It was
-then that I began to realize the delights and magnitude of this sort
-of gardening. Someday I hope to have a pond of some size&mdash;a spot for
-lilies, frogs, and goldfish and all of those things G. L. Thomas, Jr.,
-writes about so charmingly in his book, <i>Garden Pools, Water-Lilies
-and Goldfish</i>. I also get great pleasure out of the catalogues
-several suppliers send out. They are most delightful reading. Read
-that book, and the catalogues, and I know you will be converted to
-water-gardening.</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">[211]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 13</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE WOODLAND GARDENS AND PLANTS</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>For ten years we lived within the boundaries of New York City in a
-big, old house that occupied more than a third of the squared, bare
-eighty-by-hundred-foot lot. Now we have a smaller house, and the
-gardenable land is completely surrounded by woodlands where native
-plants grow as they please. In both places we’ve had small woodland
-gardens; and no matter how pleasurable our other plantings, we’ve loved
-these best.</p>
-
-<p>If your idea of a pretty garden centers around statuesque delphiniums,
-precise rows of roses, bold splashes of boisterous color, you may call
-insipid what we find enchanting. But if your senses respond to the
-fresh, sharp aroma of moist woods soil, the whispering of trees, the
-patterns of cool shadows, the shy delicacy of the spring beauty, or the
-gnome-like pomposity of a Jack-in-the-pulpit, be sure to have at least
-a tiny woodland garden, whether you have to create a spot for it or
-have it naturally. Once established, it gives more refreshment for less
-care than any other garden I know.</p>
-
-
-<h3>NATURALISTIC DESIGN</h3>
-
-<p>Here, of course, there is no place for classic or contemporary formal
-design. The single purpose is to create, or re-create, a small
-section of the woods with the shade, humus, and other environmental
-conditions woodsy plants can’t live without. The essence of the
-tiniest planting&mdash;even a colony of trillium at the foot of a spreading
-evergreen&mdash;is its naturalness. It doesn’t look planted, it belongs;
-it’s been there all the time. And it looks natural, of course, because
-it’s been planned that way.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">[212]</span></p>
-
-<p>Planning a woodland garden for the informal landscape is simplified by
-the fact that you begin with what you have&mdash;a shaded spot (preferably
-shaded by trees that drop needles or leaves, to enrich the soils) where
-hot, dry summer winds can’t parch the plants. There may be a natural
-stream, rocks, a slope, a hollow; or a place to put a rustic bench,
-rotting log, small pool&mdash;a focal point harmonious with the naturalistic
-theme. Or the size, shape, or contour of the garden may make it the
-object of interest without additional accent.</p>
-
-<p>I know of one design that began with pruning a stunted sapling to
-reveal its bonsai-like lines, another that featured the trunk of a
-rheumatic, old, lightning-shattered evergreen. A soggy, low spot can
-be planted as a bog and backed up by rocks and shrubs. A brook can
-be coaxed to make space for a small, hummocky island. The narrow,
-meandering, stepping-stone path through the sharp point of our land
-invites you to take a walk in the woods.</p>
-
-<p>Originality has challenging freedom in creating a woodland garden
-for level, regularly shaped grounds. You may replace the ubiquitous
-pachysandra in the needle-carpeted shade of a tall pine tree with
-native plants. Or use one of those difficult areas such as the angle
-of a hedge, wall, foundation or shaded patio; an unused corner of the
-property; the space underneath an overhanging bay window.</p>
-
-<p>We used a useless area, about six feet wide and less than thirty feet
-long, between our city house and the property line, shaded not only
-by a few straggling pines but also by the house next door. There was
-a path, a pool, and a little bench. This was the last place I visited
-before I left for work in the morning, and the first when I came home
-at night. Somehow, the flower face of a bloodroot with a shawl of
-unrolling leaf around its shoulders had added piquancy in the city,
-where building banished the wild flowers a hundred years ago. The bloom
-of the first lady-slipper was a noteworthy triumph; the green of the
-ferns seemed specially fresh and mossy; the blue of the bottle gentians
-was almost unbelievable.</p>
-
-
-<h3>CLEARING THE SITE</h3>
-
-<p>Even when we planned that metropolitan oasis, there were a few
-existing features we carefully kept&mdash;a valiant, five-leaved woodbine
-to train over the rail fence that kept out the trampling feet of the
-neighborhood small fry; a scrubby shrub I never managed to identify,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">[213]</span>
-which had voluntarily masked an ugly cellar window; a few precious
-patches of moss.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p44" style="max-width: 535px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p44.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">A wild garden in New York City</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>In Connecticut, of course, the area was almost completely overgrown,
-mostly by poison ivy. After that was cleared away, undesirable
-undergrowth was removed, leaving a rock here, a dogwood or azalea
-there. Baring the ground let us see more clearly what we had to work
-with.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">[214]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p45" style="max-width: 500px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p45.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">A wild flower grows in New York City: bloodroot</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>When the ground is cleared, the designer makes a final decision about
-permanent features such as steps, path, pool, bog, bench. You might
-make a mental note of the place where an old tree stump might be
-artfully installed, when you find one, or where a dead branch might
-fall and make a background for some small plants. Of course, these
-are all kept carefully in scale and harmony. A path should be narrow
-and not sharply defined, perhaps just a series of barely matched flat
-stones. Steps are not conspicuous, but made to look as natural as
-possible.</p>
-
-
-<h3>SOIL</h3>
-
-<p>The next is the most laborious but most vitally important part of the
-procedure&mdash;supplying suitable soil. Woods plants grow naturally in soil
-so rich in humus that it will hold many times its weight<span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">[215]</span> in water.
-Season after season the trees drop leaves, needles, twigs, and branches
-that decay and maintain the high level of humus, which contains
-micro-organisms that help sustain the plants. In our area and in most
-other woodsy sections, forest soil is very acid. But the loam in a
-cleared area adjoining the forest may contain little or no humus, and
-may not be nearly acid enough for the native plants growing a hundred
-feet away.</p>
-
-<p>When a miniature woodland garden is planted in a wild, woodsy spot,
-the soil is probably suitable, and the trees will probably keep it
-that way. Then, you simply use plants that thrive naturally where the
-amount of available light, and the composition of the soil, are the
-same or similar. Otherwise, you need to prepare the soil thoroughly and
-deeply&mdash;a minimum of eight inches, and up to eighteen inches for small
-native shrubs.</p>
-
-<p>You’ll need incredible quantities of leaf mold, very old manure, or
-composted leaves and grass. Over humus-poor soil, spread a layer of
-at least six inches, and mix it in by digging the soil and turning it
-over several times. At the same time, remove matted roots, stones, and
-other unwanted obstructions to planting. For a very small garden, you
-may find it simpler to remove all the soil to a depth of twelve to
-eighteen inches, and replace it completely with humus and leaf mold
-brought in from the woods or purchased for the purpose. Leaf mold, by
-the way, is the layer of partially decayed leaves immediately under
-the top layer of whole leaves; humus, in the next layer down, is more
-completely decayed. Don’t buy humus from door-to-door salesmen offering
-“big bargains.” This is a racket the police and Better Business Bureau
-are trying to extinguish. Buy only from a nurseryman you can trust.</p>
-
-<p>While you’re conditioning soil, make sure there is good drainage. Only
-bog plants will grow with their roots in muck or standing water. You
-may need an initial layer of fine gravel or course sand. Raising the
-surface of the garden will also help.</p>
-
-<p>If you think that the importance of suitable humus-rich soil is either
-exaggerated or overrated, think also of this: With the type of light
-and humus (usually acid) in which they grow naturally, woodland plants
-will settle down contentedly in your garden and establish families and
-colonies that increase every year. If you don’t provide it, they’ll get
-homesick and pine away. Not only that, but once they’ve made themselves
-at home, they’ll require practically no care. They don’t want to be
-cultivated, fertilized, weeded, watered, mulched, or given special
-protection in winter, as long as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">[216]</span> there are trees that drop leaves. The
-most you might have to do will be making sure the leaves aren’t blown
-away, or, if there are no trees, lugging in leaves from somewhere else.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANTING</h3>
-
-<p>Although plants are chosen for any garden according to light, soil,
-moisture, and other cultural requirements, woodland plants permit less
-leeway than most others. This is a matter of ecology, defined as “the
-total impact of the environment and the plant’s accommodation to it.”
-Some delicate plants are, of course, less adaptable than other more
-rugged species. Check catalogues, reference books, and other sources to
-learn all you can about each plant before you plant it.</p>
-
-<p>A quick word about shade. There is full shade, or deep shade, created
-all year by evergreens, walls, or buildings. And there is woodland
-shade created only in summer by deciduous trees. The hill near our
-house where rattlesnake plantain, pipsissewa, and pink lady-slippers
-grow is dark and cool in summer, but bright in spring, fall, and winter
-when the trees are bare of leaves. This is an important distinction.</p>
-
-<p>In the interest of conservation&mdash;American wild flowers are threatened
-not only by bulldozers but also by thoughtless, criminally careless
-humans&mdash;private woodland gardens often become the home for plants dug
-from the wild. Last fall, one of my dearest friends methodically moved
-dozens of maidenhair ferns into a tiny bit of woods on her property
-to save them from extinction when their fronds were being picked in
-bunches to fill out bouquets. But this is conservation only when the
-plants are transplantable (a number of the most precious species are
-not) and are moved to quarters with growing conditions to their liking.
-Otherwise, they might as well die where they are.</p>
-
-<p>In digging woodland plants, always dig deep and take as much of the
-surrounding soil as possible, and disturb the roots as little as you
-can. Protect the transplants against drying sun and wind until they are
-set in their new homes. If you can dig them with the roots intact, you
-can take most plants at any time during the growing season. The safest
-times are immediately after flowering or during fall dormancy.</p>
-
-<p>Unless it is a matter of conservation, I never dig woodland plants.
-I buy them (they’re surprisingly inexpensive) from a local nursery<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">[217]</span>
-or from several mail-order specialists. The nursery plants are
-pot-grown, and even fussy types transplant without loss. By mail they
-arrive bare-rooted&mdash;in early fall for all but the summer and fall
-varieties&mdash;but crisp and lively in their packing of moist sphagnum
-moss. Sometimes they even start to send out new roots and sprouts en
-route. If I can, I get mail-order plants into the ground before dusk on
-the day they arrive. Soil around transplants is kept moist and mulched
-with leaves until they take hold.</p>
-
-<p>Years ago some suppliers collected the plants they sold, and some
-sources of slow-spreading types were completely devastated. Today, I
-believe, specialists grow their stocks of woodland plants, either under
-glass or in woodsy nurseries. They’re doing more to preserve these
-native treasures than to annihilate them.</p>
-
-<p>The best of all sources is by propagation&mdash;seeds, cuttings, division
-of wild plants&mdash;because you’re not only increasing the population, but
-you’re also starting with plants that from babyhood are accustomed to
-your growing conditions and don’t have to make difficult adjustments.
-Even though it may be slow, this is the only method for a number of
-nontransplantable species.</p>
-
-<p>If the garden contains shrubs that will serve as background for small,
-shy woodland plants, that’s fine. If it doesn’t, you may want to plant
-some (these, too, are available by mail), because few native woods
-plants are spectacular enough to make a big display of their own. And
-because woods plants are modest, they’re best planted in colonies a
-half dozen or more of one species, not in mixed colors or varieties.
-Set the groups in the foreground, where they’re easy to see. Allow
-plenty of space between groups for natural increase without crowding.
-Arrange more striking, tall, spiky plants here and there to add the
-interest of accent, just as you would in a conventional flower bed.</p>
-
-<p>Care after planting includes the expected careful watering, and keeping
-the plants moist and shielded from heat and wind until they are growing
-on their own. For their first winter, you may want to supplement the
-natural mulch of leaves with salt hay or something similarly light and
-airy, held in place by chicken wire or branches. This mulch must be
-removed extra early for early-flowering species. By their second season
-the plants should be ready to be watered by rain, and fed and protected
-by trees, without your help. Don’t fiddle with them, pull off leaves or
-seed pods, or move them about unless you must.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">[218]</span></p>
-
-
-<h3>PROPAGATING WOODLAND PLANTS</h3>
-
-<p>These are, of course, hardy perennials. Except for seeds, propagating
-methods are much the same as for cultivated types. It is important only
-that, if possible, you find out what is the most effective (often, the
-only) way each plant can be reproduced. If you can’t track down this
-information, try several ways at once. In general, those with masses of
-fibrous roots can be divided immediately after flowering. For upright
-and branching types, you can usually root stem cuttings in a frame or
-propagating box. If everything else fails, try layering. You can’t lose
-anything by it.</p>
-
-<p>Seeds are planted the minute they are ripe, in a cold frame&mdash;or in
-flats that can be set in the cold frame&mdash;in a finely sifted mixture of
-equal parts of loam, woods leaf mold, and coarse sand. For varieties
-adapted to extremely acid soil, use half as much coarse sand as
-Michigan peat, without soil. For added insurance, acidify the planting
-mix with leaf mold or peat, or neutralize it with lime, until the
-<i>p</i>H is somewhere near that of the soil the plant grows naturally
-in.</p>
-
-<p>Set the flats in shade and keep the soil moist, and leave the seeds
-to their own devices, summer and winter, until they germinate. Some
-species take two months, some take two years. After germination they
-are handled exactly like other perennial seedlings, except that the
-only safe fertilizer is very weak liquid manure at very infrequent
-intervals. Tender types should be grown in pots until they are fully
-mature, before they’re set out in the garden.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANTS FOR WOODLAND GARDENS</h3>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Aquilegia canadensis</b> <i>Ranunculaceae</i> Columbine</p>
-
-<p>Although the native Eastern columbine can grow two feet tall, it
-seems to stay closer to six inches in my woodland garden and on the
-banks that line our Pine Tree Road. The clover-like leaves, and
-characteristic columbine flowers with yellow sepals and knobbed red
-spurs, are scaled down proportionately.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Poor, dry soil, acid (strong to neutral). Fertilizer
-promotes growth that is too rank. Full sun to three-quarter shade.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seed.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Woodland planting, bank planting.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">[219]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Arisaema triphyllum</b> <i>Araceae</i> Jack-in-the-Pulpit</p>
-
-<p>The pulpit stands eight inches tall or more, curving up and over the
-stiff preacher-like spadix in late spring. The divided leaves also
-exceed true miniature size. But prim Jack spreads himself slowly enough
-to allow him entry to all but the very tiniest woodland garden; and his
-comical dignity is not to be dispensed with.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Humus-rich soil, moist. Shade or light shade.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Tuberous roots.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Wild gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Asarum</b> <i>Aristolochiaceae</i> Wild Ginger</p>
-
-<p>In the Northern part of the country this is a deciduous plant, while
-in much of the South it retains its kidney-shaped leaves. Its purplish
-flowers are somewhat hidden under the foliage. There are three general
-types.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>canadense</i>&mdash;Eastern wild ginger.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>caudatum</i>&mdash;Western wild ginger.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>shuttleworthi</i>&mdash;Mottled wild ginger (native of Virginia
-and South).</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Rich soil, moist. Shade or partial shade.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Wild gardens, ground cover.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Asplenium</b> <i>Polypodiaceae</i> Spleenwort (Fern)</p>
-
-<p>Lilliputian, native evergreen fern with deeply cut fronds.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>platyneuron</i>&mdash;ebony sweetheart&mdash;Eight-inch feathery fronds
-with brownish-purple stems in tidy circles. (Needs acid soil.)</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>trichomanes</i>&mdash;maidenhair spleenwort&mdash;Thick, closely
-clustered three-to five-inch fronds with crowds of little
-one-inch leaflets on black ribs. Plant it sideways, its roots in
-a rock crevice, with leaf mold and a touch of lime.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil acid or neutral according to variety. Leaf mold.
-Shade.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums, rock gardens, wild gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Camptosorus rhizophyllus</b> <i>Polypodiaceae</i> Walking Fern</p>
-
-<p>Small native evergreen fern, hardy from Canada to Georgia. Its name
-comes from the fact that the fronds are pointed on the ends and root on
-contact with the soil. It prefers to creep around limy rocks.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Lime-bearing soil, shade, dry. Hardy.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Root division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums, rock gardens, wild gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Claytonia virginica</b> <i>Portulacaceae</i> Spring Beauty</p>
-
-<p>When the leaves of the forest trees are barely ready to break out in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">[220]</span>
-early spring, this lovely little plant is already in full bloom down on
-the ground. It makes colonies and even mats of precious white flowers
-which are tinged and streaked with pink and scarcely a half-inch
-across. But before the trees are in full leaf the spring beauty has
-gone back to sleep and disappeared, flowers, five-inch grass-like
-leaves, and all.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Woodsy soil, moist, shady or semishady.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Tubers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, bog gardens, swamp planting.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Clintonia</b> <i>Liliaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Woodsy plants spreading out into colonies by underground rhizomes. The
-leaves are rather broad, and thin and glassy. The little lily-like
-flowers are held atop stems above. The berries that follow are blue,
-blue-black, or black.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>borealis</i>&mdash;broadlily&mdash;Nodding, greenish-yellow flowers on
-seven-inch stems in May. Berries are blue, a half-inch long.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>umbellata</i>&mdash;Leaves lightly fuzzy; purple-spotted white
-flowers in clusters; shiny black berries.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>uniflora</i>&mdash;Western native with one precious flower per
-stem (one and a half inches across), berries bright blue.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Rich, humusy, acid soil. Shade or partial shade. Moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division of roots in spring.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, bog planting.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Convallaria majalis</b> <i>Liliaceae</i> Lily of the Valley</p>
-
-<p>This fragrant ground cover is a favorite for under trees and other
-shady spots. Perhaps it spreads too fast for very small gardens. The
-oval, lily-like leaves are lasting, but not evergreen. The dangling
-flowers, all on the same side of the stem, are like scalloped
-petticoats. Unless you need a ground cover, try one of the fancier and
-less robust varieties, such as rosea, with light-pink flowers that
-fade to near-white in the sun. Or try flore plens with double white
-hoop-skirts.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Garden soil, shade, moist, hardy. Persists for years and
-doesn’t have to be touched. If you want to increase your planting, dig
-and thin every three years.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division of small bulbs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Ground cover, forcing in February and March.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Coptis trifolia</b> <i>Ranunculaceae</i> Goldthread</p>
-
-<p>This tiny bog plant, only four inches high, has three-way clover-like
-leaves and tiny white waxy flowers. It creeps and spreads by means of
-thready yellow roots.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Humusy, peaty, sandy, and decidedly acid soil. Plant
-needs a cool, moist location and will not survive warmth and dryness.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Bog planting.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">[221]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cornus canadensis</b> <i>Cornaceae</i> Bunchberry, Creeping Dogwood</p>
-
-<p>This is a real dogwood, but a very miniature one. The stems standing
-about six inches high are encircled by a whorl of rich green leaves.
-Above are the up-facing flowers (in May), like elves wearing white
-ruffs. The clusters of red berries are as gay as Christmas, in August.
-After taking a year or so to get settled, the plants spread out into
-colonies or clumps.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Rich woods soil, highly acid, damp, but with drainage.
-Shade, cool location. Takes several years to get established. Needn’t
-be disturbed once settled. Can be transplanted if large chunks of sod
-are lifted with it.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Separate clumps when dormant. Seeds from ripe
-berries will germinate the following spring.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Bog planting, ground cover.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cryptogramma crispa</b> <i>Polypodiaceae</i> Parsley Fern</p>
-
-<p>This is a small alpine fern with clusters of six-inch evergreen fronds
-so finely cut and frilled they could garnish a standing rib roast
-in place of parsley. Don’t overlook this one when next planning a
-terrarium.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Peaty, dry soil. Hardy.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, terrariums.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cypripedium</b> <i>Orchidaceae</i> Lady-slipper, Moccasin Flower</p>
-
-<p>This is the fabulous earth-growing orchid that is native to many parts
-of the country, with culture varying accordingly. The broad, long
-fresh leaves fold around the stem at the base. The flowers have a lip
-inflated into a pouch and are in various colors.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>acaule</i>&mdash;Northeastern native with dusty-pink flowers.
-Requires dry, sandy, woodsy, intensely acid soil, full shade.
-Difficult to transplant unless taken with a large amount of
-soil. Attempt it only after flowering, or in October. Don’t
-cover crown more than a half-inch. No good method of propagation
-is known.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>calceolus pubescens</i>&mdash;Fuzzy yellow lady-slipper from
-moist, wooded hillsides of the North and mid-South. Not
-difficult to transplant and easy to grow. Likes dappled shade
-and slightly acid, humusy soil.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>candidum</i>&mdash;Small white flowers marked and veined with
-brown and purple. From limy, marly bogs. Needs moisture and
-shade.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil, moisture, and shade as described above.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division when dormant.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock and wild gardens. Can force.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Dalibarda repens</b> <i>Rosaceae</i> Dewdrop, False Violet</p>
-
-<p>Precious little creeper, pretending to be a violet, with two-inch
-heart-shaped leaves on long stems and five-petaled, half-inch white
-flowers in July. A native of the Northeastern section.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">[222]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> A sheltered spot. Rich woodsy soil.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds and division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Woodland and rock gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Epigaea repens</b> <i>Ericaceae</i> Trailing Arbutus</p>
-
-<p>Flat evergreen creeper with overlapping hairy stems and bright-green
-oval leaves. In early spring it has white or pink phlox-like flowers,
-not very large but interestingly fragrant. Although it is usually
-cultivated in shady, protected spots, it can thrive in hot dry areas.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Humusy and very acid soil, sandy, with leaf mold.
-Good drainage. Moist. Don’t dig wild plants which are difficult to
-transplant. Use pot-grown plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings. Seed if strictly fresh.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Wild gardens, rock planting.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Erythronium</b> <i>Liliaceae</i> Adder’s-Tongue, Trout Lily,
-Dogtooth Violet</p>
-
-<p>A very large clan of bulbous wild flowers native to many parts of the
-country. All species have the marks of family resemblance&mdash;two leathery
-basal leaves, often beautifully marbled, and miniature lily flowers
-nodding from the tops of central stems in spring. Height, usually six
-inches.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>albidum</i>&mdash;Leaves may be matted or not. In the East flowers
-are white, in April.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>americanum</i>&mdash;Best-known Yankee with marbled leaves and
-bright-yellow flowers in April.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>californicum</i>&mdash;fawn lily&mdash;Mottled leaves, creamy or
-pale-yellow flowers. (From California, of course.)</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>dens-canis</i>&mdash;dogtooth violet&mdash;European emigrant with green
-leaves splotched with brick red; flowers are rosy purple. Also
-available in white and other colors.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>grandiflorum</i>&mdash;Giant of the family, plain leaves, golden
-flowers in clusters. The variety parviflorum has the most midget
-flowers. Western.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>hendersoni</i>&mdash;Mottled leaves, dark-centered purple flowers.
-Western.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>revolutum</i>&mdash;Western with brown-blotched leaves,
-purple-tinged white or lavender flowers. The variety johnsoni
-has rosy-lilac flowers, white in the center.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tuolumnense</i>&mdash;California with unmarked chartreuse leaves,
-large deep-yellow flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Woodsy soil, not especially acid, with leaf mold.
-Drainage. Moist, never hot and dry. Winter mulch.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, offsets (from underground stolons).</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, woodland gardens, forcing.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Goodyera pubescens</b> <i>Orchidaceae</i> Rattlesnake Plantain</p>
-
-<p>This terrestrial herb is a close relative of the most glamorous of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">[223]</span>
-orchids and bears no resemblance to a reptile or the weed that is part
-of its common name. On the woodland floor you will come upon it as a
-flat cluster of durable, oval, deep-green leaves with gleaming-white
-veins that cross and recross in a delicate pattern. Perhaps you will
-find it in bloom with tiny whitish flowers on tall spikes.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Woodsy acid soil, with humus. Slightly damp. Cool.
-Shade. North side of a glacial ridge is ideal.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> If possible, buy section of root from dealer who
-specializes in woodland plants and seeds. Pick sparingly in the woods,
-by breaking off section of rhizome with rootlets and plant. New plant
-will appear in about one month.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums, woodland gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Hepatica</b> <i>Ranunculaceae</i> Liverleaf</p>
-
-<p>Six-inch evergreen plants that shed their old leathery leaves for new
-after the blue-lavender (or pinkish-white) flowers fade and fall in May.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>acutiloba</i>&mdash;Sharp-lobed hepatica, distinguished by the
-points on the lobes of its leaves. (Needs alkaline soil.)</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>americana (triloba)</i>&mdash;Round-leaved hepatica with dainty
-flowers on stems upholstered with silky hairs. Leaves maroon in
-winter</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Not too acid soil. Full shade. Drainage. Not difficult
-to transplant but needs time to get established. Plants in the woods
-best dug in the fall.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, division of roots.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Woodland gardens, colonies.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Houstonia</b> <i>Rubiaceae</i> Bluets, Quaker Lady</p>
-
-<p>This is an enchanting wildling with grass-like leaves and flowers less
-than a half-inch across in the shape of four-pointed stars. It is a
-very profuse bloomer throughout the spring and early summer.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>caerulea</i>&mdash;Northeastern favorite with leaves in tufts
-about an inch high. Flowers are blue or lilac, often fading to
-white in the sun. Seeds itself willingly.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>purpurea</i>&mdash;Larger than miniature, and native from Maryland
-to Georgia. It makes a soft evergreen foliage mat, and in July
-has purple flowers, several per stem.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>serpyllifolia</i>&mdash;creeping bluets&mdash;The stems stretch out
-to ten inches or more with little half-inch teardrop leaves.
-Sky-blue flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Loamy, acid soil with peat. Moist. Part shade.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division. Some varieties are self-seeding.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock and woodland gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Lemna minor</b> <i>Lemnaceae</i> Duckweed</p>
-
-<p>This tiny one is often called the “smallest known flowering plant.”
-A<span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">[224]</span> floating plant that has quarter-inch leaves (actually the body or
-“thallus”), it has hair-like rootlets and flowers so small one needs a
-magnifying glass to see them. In the fall the plants sink to the bottom
-of the pond, to rise again in the spring.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> No attention is needed.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> None necessary. Increases naturally.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Dish-garden pools, rock-garden pools, fish food.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Lycopodium</b> <i>Lycopodiaceae</i> Club Moss</p>
-
-<p>In prehistoric times this was a towering tree; now it is a moss-like
-poor relation of the ferns, bearing needle-like leaves and spores
-instead of flowers.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>clavatum</i>&mdash;running pine&mdash;Slowly but steadily the stems
-creep over the woodland floor, sending up four-inch stems at
-lax intervals, each with several spikes packed tightly with
-needle-like leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>complanatum</i>&mdash;ground cedar&mdash;The stems trail faster and
-more sturdily, the erect branches dividing and spreading out to
-a lacy green fan.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>lucidulum</i>&mdash;shining club moss&mdash;Trailing stems turn upright
-at the tips and are covered completely with glassy, dark-green
-“needles.”</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>obscurum</i>&mdash;ground pine&mdash;Christmas trees in miniature about
-six inches tall and popping up from stems that creep about
-underground.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Rich, woodsy soil, not especially acid. Shade, moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings. Division of roots at joints.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Terrariums, ground cover.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Mitchella repens</b> <i>Rubiaceae</i> Partridgeberry</p>
-
-<p>This native creeper bears the popular partridgeberries widely used to
-fill “Partridge Bowls” at Christmastime. It has glassy green leaves
-which are close to the ground with the berries beneath them. In the
-springtime it has fragrant, fuzzy white flowers. (Note to those who
-hunt the berries in the woods: pick from the tallest plants and do not
-tear up the roots.)</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Rich woodsy soil, not especially acid. Drainage. Shade.
-Cut back to encourage branching. Transplants easily.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Divide rooting stems.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, terrariums, woodland gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Mitella</b> <i>Saxifragaceae</i> Bishop’s Cap</p>
-
-<p>For shady rock and wild gardens here is a saxifrage-like plant with
-mounds of heart-shaped leaves and spires of finely fringed flowers on
-tall stems.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>breweri</i>&mdash;Pacific Coast native with deep-green leaves and
-whiskery yellow-green flowers (in May and June).</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>caulescens</i>&mdash;Also from the Pacific Coast. More dainty, and
-more difficult.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">[225]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>diphylla</i>&mdash;East Coast native with eight-inch flower spikes
-on taller stems. White flowers (in April and May).</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Rich woodsy soil. Drainage, shade.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock and wild gardens.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p46" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p46.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Garden in the landscape in the finest tradition&mdash;it features
-<i>Azalea macrantha basaminæflora</i>, <i>Juniperus
-radicans</i>, and Calluna County Wicklow. (<i>Atlantic Avenue
-Nursery, Inc.</i>)</p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Podophyllum peltatum</b> <i>Berberidaceae</i> May Apple</p>
-
-<p>The May apple, a native of much of the country, is actually too large
-for most small wild gardens, but find a place for it if possible. In
-spring it is fascinating to watch the stumpy stems push up through the
-ground and the foliage slowly unfold to wide flat leaves. Then come
-gold-centered white flowers and finally the “apple” in chartreuse and
-nearly two inches long. (It is edible only when fully ripe.)</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Rich woodsy soil. Shade, or partial shade.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Root division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Wild-garden planting.</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p><i>(Additional plant listings suitable for woodland gardens can be
-found in Chapter 15.)</i></p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">[226]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 14</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>There’s a chamaecyparis that forms a fluffy, green two-inch ball
-by the time it’s seven years old; a cone-shaped Norway spruce that
-rarely grows more than twelve inches tall; a one-foot rhododendron
-with deep-crimson trumpet flowers; a nonfruiting viburnum that makes a
-two-foot globe tightly packed with ivy-like leaves. There are junipers
-that form plush carpets; ericaceous evergreens with neat mounds of
-twinkling flowers over shiny teardrop leaves; deciduous shrubs with
-golden blooms, seeds in silky pea pods, and green stems that look leafy
-the year round.</p>
-
-<p>That is just a tantalizing hint of the fantastic variety of little
-trees and shrubs, and how they can steal the show in the garden. We
-have three magnificent pines on Pine Tree Road (it may have been named
-for them) but our guests are more likely to comment about the starry
-cushions of <i>Leiophyllum buxifolium</i> beside the front walk. We dug
-and lugged tons of rock to make beds for our favorite roses, but the
-small edging plants draw more attention. When the rock garden is a mass
-of flamboyant spring color, we’ll be asked the name of a heather that’s
-not even in flower, or the juniper (<i>Juniperus procumbens nana</i>)
-two inches high that spreads like velvet over a rock.</p>
-
-<p>There are miniatures among all types of trees and shrubs&mdash;deciduous
-and evergreen, broad-leaved and needle-leaved. Those described in this
-chapter are almost all three feet tall or less at maturity, or are so
-extremely slow-growing they seldom top that height in twenty years. In
-just a few cases, slightly taller varieties are included, which can be
-kept to three feet or less with a little pruning. Some low types are
-omitted because they spread too rambunctiously<span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">[227]</span> to be called miniatures
-or to be suitable for small gardens.</p>
-
-<p>These limitations automatically exclude the small, flowering trees and
-shrubs, and dwarf fruit trees, that are part of the over-all landscape
-plan for small grounds. They’re not really miniature garden items, but
-background features around which miniature gardens are planned.</p>
-
-<p>We’ve thought of a dozen different ways to use the really midget trees
-and shrubs, and I imagine there must be dozens more. We have a colony
-of tiny rhododendrons blooming at the base of a boulder, and another
-near an old stump at the edge of the woods. Several sprawly evergreens
-and some precious ericaceous gems adorn the rock garden and spots near
-the front terrace.</p>
-
-<p>There are plenty of miniature shrubs of varying heights, foliage,
-colors and textures, and flowering times to compose a small shrubbery
-border, with tiny bulbs to plant along the edge. Small trees and shrubs
-can be used as background for mixed borders of small annuals and
-perennials; evergreens can make a setting for miniature rose gardens.
-Almost any small pool, wall, raised bed, or set of steps provides a
-place to plant the right tree or shrub. And, of course, these are
-perfect plants for sink and trough gardens, bonsai work, or even for
-indoor forcing in the greenhouse.</p>
-
-<p>If you can’t find the varieties you want at your local nursery, you
-can order them by mail from reliable suppliers. Either way, plants
-that have been transplanted regularly by the grower develop a compact
-system of fibrous roots rather than a few long straggly tap-like roots,
-will take hold faster and transplant easier, will fit into your garden
-quicker. All that will make you a happier gardener.</p>
-
-<p>Don’t be surprised if miniature trees and shrubs cost more than the
-regular varieties of the same name. The little fellows take much longer
-to reach that size, and require more costly care. Many of them are
-difficult to propagate, some even have to be grown from seed.</p>
-
-<p>Your first thought in selecting a miniature tree or shrub, of course,
-is the decorative effect it is planned to achieve&mdash;whether it should
-be formally upright and symmetrical, or irregularly shaped and
-naturalistic; whether it is to act as an accent or specimen, or as a
-background or blender. Consider the texture of the foliage, the time
-and manner of flowering, whether the colors will fight with others in
-the garden. Plant deciduous types where they won’t be an eyesore in
-winter, or select one with an attractive winter habit and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">[228]</span> appearance.
-Make sure the plant and all its parts are in scale with the setting and
-with other plants.</p>
-
-<p>Once you decide that a variety will look right in your garden, make
-sure it will also grow right. A plant that needs full sun will not
-flower in a shady spot. Acid-loving plants will not flourish in
-alkaline soil. Those that like their roots kept cool and moist will
-wither where it is hot and dry. Watch for unfavorable factors such
-as high walls, drip from overhanging eaves, low, muggy spots where
-there is little circulation of fresh air. If the plant requires a lot
-of pruning, training, and spraying, make sure you have the time to
-take care of its well-being. A healthy, easy-to-care-for barberry is
-infinitely more ornamental than a glamorous shrub struggling to stay
-alive.</p>
-
-
-<h3>HARDINESS</h3>
-
-<p>The main factor that determines whether a plant will live through the
-winter in your garden (and it is a factor you can’t control) is minimum
-winter temperature. This is the basis for the newest (1960) Plant
-Hardiness Zone Map issued by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Other
-uncontrollable factors include: How long the low temperature will last;
-how early and suddenly a freak freeze occurs; whether or not winter
-provides a beneficial blanket of continuous snow; whether there are
-punishing gales with driving sleet and encrusting ice.</p>
-
-<p>But even in severe areas, or with plants of questionable hardiness,
-there are some ways we can increase the odds against winter-kill.
-Selection of suitable varieties, careful planting in favorable
-locations (never in low “pockets” where frost settles, or where
-water collects around roots under eaves or around walls), careful
-fertilizing, winter protection, prevention of attacks by insects and
-disease&mdash;all of the cultural principles that promote healthy, thriving
-growth, will help to increase winter hardiness. In other words, “The
-combined effects of all (climatic and cultural) factors determine the
-true plant adaptability.”</p>
-
-<p>Actually, true hardiness means more than mere winter survival. A tree
-or shrub is hardy when it can live through many years to maturity,
-and when it not only survives but develops normally and completes its
-annual growth cycle. For example, in some sections, very late or very
-early frosts will kill flower buds on some varieties. Trees and shrubs
-that require a period of winter dormancy are not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">[229]</span> hardy in Florida,
-where there is no protracted cold period. In arid areas where summers
-are extremely hot, dry, and windy, hardiness may depend on how much
-time you have to spare for special care.</p>
-
-<p>If you would avoid disappointment, especially with rather expensive
-miniature trees and shrubs, buy the strongest, healthiest plants of the
-varieties most suitable to your climate, and do all you can to satisfy
-each individual’s cultural needs. Thus, unfavorable weather has two
-strikes against it from the start.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANTING AND CARE</h3>
-
-<p>No matter how careful we are, fall planting is seldom successful for
-us in Connecticut. But in spring planting it seems as if we can’t
-miss. Once we were given a dozen ornamental shrubs&mdash;named varieties of
-virburnum, lilac, and two of the supposedly tricky caryopteris&mdash;whose
-bare roots had been out of the ground for several weeks. The
-caryopteris and one invincible lilac even flowered that year!</p>
-
-<p>In early spring, just before they awaken from dormancy (or a little
-later when new growth and buds are starting to show), woody plants
-have more vitality than at any other time of the year. Vigorous
-new roots grow faster. And the plants have a full growing season
-to get established before winter sets in. We start planting the
-minute the soil dries enough to be workable, sometimes as early as
-March. Of course, spring-flowering varieties are safest if they are
-container-grown or balled and burlapped.</p>
-
-<p>Early fall planting is fine for milder climates&mdash;from the time the
-season’s growth has matured on evergreens, or when deciduous varieties
-begin to drop their leaves, until the ground freezes. Except for
-container-grown plants, winter planting is usually recommended for the
-South, when the plants are as nearly dormant as possible.</p>
-
-<p>Bare-root plants (risky for evergreens) should be kept moist until they
-are put into the ground. Thoroughly soak the roots, and even the stems,
-in a bucket of water. The roots and soil of balled and burlapped plants
-should also be kept moist. Either way, protect the transplants against
-wind and sun until they’re set out.</p>
-
-<p>Dig a planting hole wide enough for the roots to spread out in without
-bending or crowding, with an extra six inches of loosened soil in the
-bottom for them to penetrate. This is the time to check on drainage,
-one of the most important factors in plant survival. Run some water in
-the hole&mdash;enough to fill it. If the water seeps<span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">[230]</span> away fairly fast, the
-drainage is probably good. If it remains for any length of time, you’d
-better dig much deeper and remove the subsoil. Fill in with sharp sand
-or fine gravel for about six inches.</p>
-
-<p>Enrich or condition the topsoil that you dug out, before you replace
-it around the roots. Set trees and shrubs at the same level they
-were growing in the nursery, never more than an inch or so deeper.
-The burlap around a soil ball doesn’t need to be loosened. It will
-rot away rather quickly. Fill in around the roots until the hole is
-three-fourths full; flood with water to settle soil in any air pockets;
-let it drain; and finish filling the hole until it is just level with
-the surface, but don’t mound it up. A raised ridge around the edge of
-the hole will form a saucer to hold water until it runs down to the
-roots. Water again, slowly and thoroughly, so that the soil in the hole
-and some of the surrounding area is thoroughly saturated.</p>
-
-<p>A newly planted tree or shrub is likely to wilt in sun or dry wind
-unless you provide some temporary shelter or shading. This is rather
-simple to do. An upturned basket over a small shrub, or a screen of
-light cheesecloth, or an old window curtain, or a piece of burlap
-suspended on stakes will suffice.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Soil</i></p>
-
-<p>What you do to enrich or condition topsoil depends on the existing
-soil, and on each plant’s individual preferences. Add sharp sand to
-heavy, clay-like soil to improve the drainage. If you have extra-sandy
-soil, add moisture-holding peat or leaf mold. Almost any soil is
-improved by mixing in liberal amounts of organic matter such as leaf
-mold or well-rotted manure. We seldom add fertilizer for miniature
-trees and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p>If your soil is alkaline, and you are planting acid-loving varieties,
-use liberal quantities of well-rotted cow manure, acid peat, or
-woodsy soil from under pine, beech, or oak trees. To neutralize, or
-alkalinize, acid soil, use horticultural lime.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Watering and Mulching</i></p>
-
-<p>Transplanted trees and shrubs should be watered with extra care during
-their first growing season. Soil should be kept moist constantly,
-but not muddy, to the full depth of the roots. Don’t rely on light
-rains that moisten only the surface. During hot, dry periods, spray
-the foliage with the garden hose as often as possible. A light, airy
-mulch&mdash;buckwheat hulls, crushed sugar cane, or something similar&mdash;will
-help keep the soil from drying out and keep it cooler, too.</p>
-
-<p>Established trees and shrubs are kept moist during the spring and
-summer growing seasons. But in August and September, when<span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">[231]</span> the year’s
-new growth is maturing and hardening for the winter, less watering is
-needed. Resume watering in October, and keep it up until the ground
-freezes. It is particularly vital that evergreens&mdash;both needle-leaved
-and broad-leaved&mdash;should never go into winter with dry soil about the
-roots.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Fertilizing</i></p>
-
-<p>Feeding miniature plants too heavily sometimes can cause them to
-outgrow miniature size. Actually, they don’t need a rich diet. An
-annual top-dressing of well-rotted, or dried, cow manure, or a
-light sprinkling of balanced commercial fertilizer, in early spring
-is usually sufficient. Fertilizing in late summer or early fall
-dangerously promotes soft new growth that is susceptible to winter
-damage.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Pruning</i></p>
-
-<p>Most miniature trees and shrubs are best when allowed to keep their
-natural habits and shapes, and pruned as little as possible. Of course,
-damaged or broken branches should be cut away at planting time, or at
-the end of the winter. Unwanted suckers, and any growth that is out of
-line, ungainly, or unattractive can be removed at any time. Any other
-pruning should be done in earliest spring before new leaves appear.
-There is one exception. Spring-flowering varieties that bloom on last
-year’s wood are pruned immediately after flowering. Fall pruning of any
-type can stimulate new growth that may winter-kill.</p>
-
-<p>Some evergreens, for example the mugho pine, are encouraged to branch
-and keep more compact by breaking off half of the partially matured
-“candles” at the ends of the branches. Evergreen or deciduous shrubs
-sometimes are grown in formal shapes and, like hedges, trimmed
-regularly in spring and summer.</p>
-
-<p>Some summer-and fall-flowering shrubs, referred to as “cut-back” or
-“die-back” types, are perfectly root-hardy although the tops are likely
-to be partly, or completely, killed by winter. But they make new growth
-each spring on which normal flowers and fruit are produced. Some of
-these may grow too tall and awkward when the branches are killed back
-only part way. To keep them small and shapely, cut all stems back to
-mere stubs in earliest spring.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Insects and Diseases</i></p>
-
-<p>We’ve never had to hover over our garden constantly with duster and
-spray gun, and I hope we never will. It’s a dull, tiresome, unrewarding
-occupation&mdash;confusing and frustrating, too. There are so many different
-kinds of pests, with so many different habits, appetites, and life
-cycles, infesting so many different<span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">[232]</span> types of plants in so many
-different ways, that only an expert such as the county agricultural
-agent, or “plant-doctor” Cynthia Westcott, can keep them straight. And
-even Miss Westcott asks, “Is this spray necessary?”</p>
-
-<p>Don’t misunderstand. We do have pests and diseases on our garden
-plants; and we do fight them; and we’ve been known to mutter about the
-injustice of it all. But we try not to let them take all of the joy out
-of summer gardening.</p>
-
-<p>Two or three times during the growing season we fill the tank of the
-small pressure sprayer with a solution of “all-purpose” garden spray.
-Everything in the garden gets the treatment, including shrubs and trees
-we can reach without a tall ladder.</p>
-
-<p>We also wage annual war against a few familiar enemies as soon as they
-appear. In February we cut off twigs encircled by the brownish egg
-bands of tent caterpillars. When the nests appear in spring we wipe
-them out with rags or crumpled paper and spray the surrounding area
-with DDT. When cankerworms are all over the place (as they were in the
-spring of 1961), DDT protects the foliage of small plants, particularly
-our precious miniature trees and shrubs. We discovered we couldn’t
-possibly cope with the gigantic shade trees of the woods.</p>
-
-<p>We have very few Japanese beetles since we started grub-proofing all
-cultivated land. Any time after the ground thaws in spring, and through
-October, we spray or dust with chlordane. Five pounds of 5 per cent
-chlordane dust will treat a thousand square feet, can be bought for
-about two dollars, and can be applied in an hour with a good-sized
-duster. This treatment is effective for three years. The few beetles
-that start working over the roses in midsummer quickly succumb to DDT.</p>
-
-<p>The infrequent appearances of aphids are met with a dousing of nicotine
-sulfate solution, and the same treatment is used for some kinds of
-scale, although others require dormant oil spray. During one very hot
-summer, mites yellowed some of our evergreens. Aramite, used faithfully
-according to label directions, routed them. We do keep either sulfur
-or Karathane on hand to combat mildew on plants such as roses where it
-really matters. For any more complicated or unidentifiable problems, we
-rely on the advice of our friendly county agent and his staff.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Winter Protection</i></p>
-
-<p>Newly transplanted or very young trees and shrubs&mdash;or any of
-questionable hardiness&mdash;need special protection<span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">[233]</span> against winter
-severities. Our favorite method for small specimens is to pack salt
-hay or leaves around them loosely and put an upturned basket on top.
-Somewhat taller shrubs may be encircled with evergreen branches, the
-ends being stuck in the ground and tied together over the tops. For
-groupings of shrubs, we put a burlap barrier on the windward side,
-especially for tender types, and sometimes make a tent of sorts.
-Evergreens planted where the late winter sun might burn them need shade
-of some sort&mdash;a lathed frame, snow fence, or the like.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PROPAGATING MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS</h3>
-
-<p>This is one of my favorite addictions. I can’t resist planting any
-seeds that come my way, can’t bear to discard an evergreen or a broken
-branch of cotoneaster, can’t resist the impulse to root cuttings. As a
-result, our rather small nursery bed is closely populated with small,
-young shrubs and trees of all kinds. I doubt that we’ll ever find space
-to plant them once they’re grown; and I imagine I could be rather
-popular could I ever bring myself to give them away.</p>
-
-<p>Propagating trees and shrubs is predominantly a trial-and-error
-proposition because each variety has its own preferred method of
-reproducing itself. Some are difficult to raise from seeds, some won’t
-propagate any other way; some root readily from cuttings, some take
-three years; some are amenable to layering, others are not. For me this
-guesswork is a good thing. If <i>all</i> my seeds and cuttings took
-root and grew into bushes and trees, there’d be no challenge, no fun,
-and no place to put them.</p>
-
-<p>We always keep a propagating box handy&mdash;a shallow box or flat with
-sides and top of glass or polyethylene. In summer it rests under a
-tree; in winter it may be on an unheated porch, in the cold frame, or
-in the greenhouse. The propagating medium may be Pelonex or perlite;
-a three-way mixture of peat, vermiculite, and perlite; half-and-half
-sterilized leaf mold and sharp sand (peat packs too hard for me); or
-clean sharp sand alone. The medium is kept constantly moist but not
-soggy and is never allowed to dry out. Cuttings are inserted in rows,
-and removed for potting as soon as the roots are an inch or so long.
-Sometimes seed is sown in part of the box, or we may rig up a second
-box when we have a goodly number to plant. The glass, or plastic, sides
-and top preserve moisture and keep the air humid.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">[234]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Seeds</i></p>
-
-<p>Most types of shrubs and trees are rather slow to grow to maturity
-from seed. And seeds of miniatures produce all-miniature seedlings
-only when the seed-bearing parents are natural species with natural
-miniature characteristics. Small varieties of larger species, “sports”
-or mutations, can’t always be counted on to produce small offspring.</p>
-
-<p>Seeds vary in the time they take to germinate (three weeks to three
-years, depending on the plant) and in germination requirements. Some
-need warmth, some cool temperatures, some darkness, some light. And
-some need a period of dormancy or “after-ripening” before they are
-planted. In a process of “stratification” seeds are stored in moist
-sand for several months, usually at about 40 degrees or slightly less.
-However, some types (cedar, mugho pine) need to be frozen; a few others
-are stratified in warmth. Some seeds that you buy have already been
-stratified. The package will tell you so.</p>
-
-<p>Fleshy seeds, such as chestnuts, are usually planted as soon as they
-ripen and fall. When seeds are covered with a fruity coat, like holly
-berries, for example, the berry should be soaked in water for a few
-days until the seeds can be squeezed free of the pulp. Hard-coated
-seeds need to be gently cracked, or nicked, to hasten germination,
-and can be sown outdoors in the fall to germinate the following
-spring, or even the spring after that. Most winged seeds of conifers
-need to be stratified (remove the wings) in moist sand all winter at
-35 to 40 degrees and are planted in the spring. Fine seeds, as for
-rhododendrons, can be harvested from the split pods in fall and stored
-cool and dry until spring.</p>
-
-<p>These are, of course, generalizations. When I am in doubt about how to
-handle seeds, and if my reference books don’t give me the information I
-need, I plant them several different ways. It is surprising how often
-they’ll germinate, regardless of method.</p>
-
-<p>There is, of course, one inviolable rule about planting seeds of any
-sort&mdash;the planting medium should never dry out from the moment of
-planting, through germination and up to transplanting time.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Softwood Cuttings</i></p>
-
-<p>Take the ends of this year’s growth when it is half ripe, in summer, or
-longer sections that can be cut into pieces with at least two buds or
-“eyes.” Make the cut just a little below the node. Or on slow-rooting
-plants, pull off the cutting with a sliver of the main stem (a “heel”)
-attached to the rooting end. Remove the leaves at the base, and dip the
-cut end in one of the hormone<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">[235]</span> rooting powders if you wish. Check the
-formula on the label to make sure you have the correct one for that
-type of cutting, and follow the directions precisely. Insert cuttings
-in rows in the propagating box and firm the medium around the stem ends.</p>
-
-<p>Almost all deciduous trees and shrubs can be propagated from summer
-softwood cuttings, and so can evergreens&mdash;both the needle-leaved and
-the broad-leaved varieties. Needle-leaved evergreens can also be
-produced from similar cuttings taken in late fall, but they seem to
-take longer to make roots. With mild bottom heat in the greenhouse,
-however, the process is fast enough so the cuttings are rooted before
-time to set them out in the nursery in the spring.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Hardwood Cuttings</i></p>
-
-<p>When deciduous trees and shrubs have dropped their leaves, and this
-year’s growth has had additional ripening from a few sharp frosts, take
-cuttings of the ends of branches that seem fairly thick and sturdy.
-Cut off any immature tips, and trim the cuttings (of miniatures) to
-four to six inches long. Tie a dozen or so into a bundle with covered
-wire, or some similar tie that will neither rot nor injure the bark.
-Bury the bundles (some growers bury them standing, some in a horizontal
-position) so they are completely covered with soil in a cold frame,
-or use a box that can be kept where the temperature will be cold but
-not freezing. In spring, unbundle the cuttings and root them like any
-others in a propagating box, greenhouse, frame, or nursery bed.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Grafting</i></p>
-
-<p>There are several different methods of attaching a stem or branch of
-one tree or shrub to the roots of another until the two parts grow
-together as one plant. So far, I’ve willingly left this field to the
-professionals, or to amateurs who are seriously interested and make a
-thorough study of it. I haven’t found the patience or free time for it.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Layering</i></p>
-
-<p>Here is a foolproof method that guarantees a healthy new plant almost
-every time. Although some root faster than others, there’s hardly a
-tree or shrub with long or low-hanging branches that can’t be layered.
-Of course, the safety lies in the fact that the new plant is part of,
-and supported by, the parent plant until it is well rooted and strongly
-established.</p>
-
-<p>In spring, when the plant is growing vigorously, select a low-hanging
-branch that can be pulled down to the ground. At that spot nick the
-bark, or slit the branch, to encourage rooting. Pin it down with a
-forked twig, a hairpin, or a clothespin and cover the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">[236]</span> tip with a
-little soil. When roots have formed and the tip is growing lustily, cut
-the branch between the new plant and the parent, then pot or transplant
-as you wish.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Air Layering</i></p>
-
-<p>Plants that do not have a low branch are air-layered by nicking a
-stem or branch three or four inches from the tip, covering the nick
-with a ball of moist sphagnum moss, and wrapping the ball tightly in
-polyethylene, which is tied tightly at both ends. Hormone rooting
-powder can be applied to the nick with a small brush if you wish. Make
-sure the moss doesn’t dry out. When you see several good-sized roots,
-cut the stem below the ball, remove the plastic, and transplant or pot
-as you wish. Rooting speed varies with different plants. Some take only
-six weeks; some, several years.</p>
-
-<p>Air layering can be done in spring, using ripened wood of last year’s
-growth, or in summer with new growth that is not yet woody and hard.</p>
-
-
-<h3>MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS</h3>
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Abelia</b> <i>Caprifoliaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Ornamental shrub, persistent or deciduous, often half evergreen,
-spreading. Leaves simple, opposite, nearly stalkless. Flowers
-white or pink tubular, persistent purplish sepals. Native of
-Asia Minor and Mexico.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Semisun, or some protection. Well-drained soil
-with leaf mold. Amenable to pruning. Cool greenhouse. Hardy in
-zones 4 and 5.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Greenwood cuttings in summer, ripe wood
-cuttings in autumn, layering in spring, rarely from seed.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Foundation planting, hedges, ground
-cover, slopes, and as specimens; use as an evergreen in mild
-climates.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Abeliophyllum distichum</b> <i>Oleaceae</i> White Forsythia,
-Korean Abelia</p>
-
-<p>Deciduous ornamental shrub two to three inches high. White
-flowers in dense clusters in May and June or in February in
-mild climates. Leaves like the abelia, branches arching. Close
-relative to the forsythia; flowers smaller but more of them.
-Deep-purple flower buds form in the fall.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Sun, drainage, moist soil, hardy in zones 4 and
-5. Too severe winter weather may kill the buds for spring. Needs
-some cover.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Same as for abelia.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Same as for abelia.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">[237]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p47" style="max-width: 329px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p47.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Foliage details of popular miniature trees and shrubs</p>
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Chamaecyparis pisifera filifera aurea</i></p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">[238]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p48" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p48.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Acer palmatum dissectum</i></p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Abies</b> <i>Pinaceae</i> Fir</p>
-
-<p>Pyramidal evergreen trees with whorls and graceful branches. Cones are
-erect; leaves flat, narrow, whitish on the underside with two lines,
-and shiny green above. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish from
-spruce, picea. (Spruce sheds leaves when dry, and its cones hang.)
-Bark is smooth and thin when young, thick and furrowed when old. Dwarf
-varieties are <i>A. balsamea nana</i>, <i>A. grandis nana</i>, <i>A.
-procera (nobilis) glauca prostrata</i>, two feet high.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Cool, humid. Hardy in the North.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings, grafting, seed.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Andromeda</b> <i>Ericaceae</i> Bog Rosemary</p>
-
-<p>Low, dwarf evergreen shrubs with narrow leaves, urn or bell-shaped
-pink flowers in May. Dwarf varieties are <i>A. glaucophylla</i>, less
-than a foot tall with leathery green leaves lightly frosted beneath,
-stems erect; and <i>A. polifolia</i>, a root-creeping species, the leaf
-margins often rolled.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">[239]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Cool, very acid soil, peaty, deep acid leaf mold.
-Prefers bog garden; if among rocks, prepare soil to conform to above.
-Sun or part shade. Very hardy.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, cuttings (mature wood under glass),
-layers, division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock and bog gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Azalea (Rhododendron)</b> <i>Ericaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>The azalea differs from the rhododendron only in technical points. The
-size varies from tree-like to almost prostrate. It flowers from April
-to June and is the most vivid of all shrubs. Colors pink, yellow,
-salmon, purple, white, red, and orchid. Some are fragrant.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Acid soil, sun. Moist, unsuited for areas where there
-is less than twenty-five inches of rainfall per year. Water after
-flowering when plant is making new shoots. Reduce watering in summer.
-Prune to check irregular growth after blooming season. Remove old
-blooms. Fertilize after flowering. Dust soil with sulfur.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds; layering, in air and in the soil;
-cuttings. Balled and burlapped plants can be set out almost any time.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, foundation planting, bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Betula nana</b> <i>Betulaceae</i> Birch</p>
-
-<p>Deciduous shrub, spreading and branching to two feet, leaves to
-one-half inch long. When young the leaves are sticky and fuzzy on the
-underside. A native of Alaska. Flowers, catkins.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Moist sandy soil.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (stratify at once), layering, green-wood
-cuttings under glass.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, trough gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Bruckenthalia spiculifolia</b> <i>Ericaceae</i> Balkan Heath</p>
-
-<p>Evergreen, heath-like shrub ten inches high. Small pink bell flowers in
-summer. Gives the effect of billowy daintiness.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Drainage and not soggy wet. Hardy, but mulch in zone 4
-with salt hay in winter. Sun; soil gritty and acid.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds and cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock and trough gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Buxus</b> <i>Buxaceae</i> Box, Boxwood</p>
-
-<p>Evergreen shrub, very small with clusters of small flowers.
-Slow-growing; in fact, boxwood I set out two years ago seems hardly to
-have changed in size. But we await the possibilities with anticipation
-and patience. It is a versatile shrub.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">[240]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Little or no care seems necessary. It grows in just
-about any soil not sandy or rocky. It has shallow roots. We protect
-it in winter with a light mulch. Plant in spring or late summer; use
-little or no fertilizer. It accepts being pruned or sheared.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Hardwood cuttings, suckers, division, layering.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Edging, foundation planting, bonsai, hedges,
-pots, and dish gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p><b>Calluna vulgaris</b> <i>Ericaceae</i> Heather, Ling</p>
-
-<p class="p-head">Low evergreen shrub, clusters of pinkish bell flowers in August and
-September, leaves very small.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil light, peaty, sandy, with acid leaf mold. Full sun
-best but light shade is acceptable. Drainage is necessary in winter but
-prevent dehydration by dry winds. Hardy.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings, layering, division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, foundation planting, edging,
-containers.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Caryopteris incana</b> <i>Verbenaceae</i> Blue Spirea</p>
-
-<p>Deciduous shrub, gray-green toothed leaves. Shrub grows to two or three
-feet and forms a ball the same width; firmly packed with fuzzy, fringed
-flowers in late summer, of blue or purplish tints.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Full sun, light soil, the sandier the better. Tolerates
-drought. Not entirely hardy and may be killed-back but will bloom
-anyhow. Prune severely in spring, making a more compact plant.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings of mature wood in August (root under
-glass), layering, seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Borders.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cassiope lycopodioides</b> <i>Ericaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Low evergreen from two to three inches high and formed in a fat dome of
-the same width. Needle-like leaves are tiny and overlap like shingles.
-Has white bell flowers in spring.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Moist and cool, part shade, soil peaty or sandy and
-acid. Suffers in long hot summers or drought. Native of Siberia and
-Alaska.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings from mature wood in August (root under
-glass), layering, seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock and trough gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Chaenomeles (Cydonia)</b> <i>Rosaceae</i> Japanese Quince, Flowering
-Quince</p>
-
-<p>Deciduous or semideciduous shrub with alternate toothed leaves of shiny
-green tone. Blooms in spring before leaves appear, in shades of white
-or pink. Later forms hard, quince-like fruit that is fragrant.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Almost any soil, but if fertile more flowers; drainage;
-partial shade produces more flowers. Top-dress in spring with garden
-fertilizer. Can be pruned for hedges (not too much).</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_241">[241]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (plant in spring and stratify), root
-cuttings, cuttings from ripe wood (root under glass), layering,
-grafting.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Foundation planting, specimens, hedges (do not
-prune as much as privet), bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Chamaecyparis (Retinospora)</b> <i>Cupressaceae</i> False Cypress,
-White Cedar</p>
-
-<p>Actually this is an evergreen that grows to a hundred feet, but it
-also comes in a wide variety of two-foot dwarfs. Basically the tree is
-pyramidal and has leaves more like scales than needles. They are very
-dense and tight, on drooping branches. Some of the dwarf species are
-<i>C. obtusa coespitosa</i> (tennis ball), <i>C. lawsoniana</i>, <i>C.
-compacta</i>, <i>C. compacta glauca</i>, <i>C. nana compressa</i>.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Acid soil; needs moisture, due to shallow roots.
-Fertilize, prune some to keep shapely, root-prune for rock gardens.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds from the small cones.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Bonsai, rock gardens, specimens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Chamaedaphne calyculata</b> <i>Ericaceae</i> Leatherleaf</p>
-
-<p>Evergreen shrub that is a native bog dweller and therefore good for
-locations unsuitable for many plants. The evergreen two-inch leaves
-look rusty underneath and are dull brown in winter; branches are
-sparse. In spring it has dangling clusters of little white flowers.
-One-foot variety nana effective in moist part of rock gardens.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Moist location, acid soil with peat.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, cuttings from ripe wood (rooted under
-glass), layering.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Bog gardens; dwarf variety for rock gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cotoneaster</b> <i>Rosaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>This is a small shrub; some varieties are deciduous, some persistent.
-Has small pink or white flowers in the spring. In fall has bright-red
-berries. Deciduous leaves are colored before they drop.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Sun, but will accept some shade. Cool and moist but
-never waterlogged. (Subject to red spider if hot and dry.) Use lime to
-produce a slightly alkaline soil; use loamy soil. Needs circulation of
-air and drainage. Prune only to remove dead wood or broken branches.
-Doesn’t transplant readily. Plant in permanent location.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, sown when ripe or stratified by layers in
-autumn; cuttings of young wood in late summer (root under glass).</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Bonsai, rock walls, hedges, foundation planting.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cryptomeria japonica</b> <i>Taxodiaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>This is a Japanese evergreen tree that grows to towering heights but
-has several dwarf varieties: lobbi, pygmaea, and nana. It has shreddy
-red-brown<span class="pagenum" id="Page_242">[242]</span> bark and distinctive root formations above ground, making it
-very appealing for bonsai work. Blue-green leaves.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p49" style="max-width: 450px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p49.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Cotoneaster humifusa</i> and <i>juniperus sabina
-tamariscifolia</i></p>
-  </div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p49a" style="max-width: 450px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p49a.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Cotoneaster humifusa</i> with flowers and berry</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Protect during hot and dry summer, and from low
-temperatures. It is best in warmer climates. Enriched soil is not
-necessary but produces a more pleasing tree.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, cuttings, grafting. Seeds are stratified,
-and do not always come true. Cuttings are more satisfactory.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Daboecia cantabrica</b> <i>Ericaceae</i> Irish Bell Heather</p>
-
-<p>An evergreen shrub, upright and dwarf (ten to eighteen inches). The
-leaves are dark green but fuzzy white underneath. Purple, drooping-urn
-flowers, in clusters, last all summer.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil gritty, sandy, and peaty. Protect in winter and be
-careful about drainage. Mulch with salt hay or evergreen leaves.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, cuttings from ripe wood under glass.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_243">[243]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Daphne</b> <i>Thymelaeaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Some of these little shrubs are evergreen, some are not. Some of them
-grow very low. All of the several varieties bloom in early spring,
-often on bare wood. Colors vary from white to pink. Most varieties are
-fragrant.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Plant in a cool, moist location in light soil, drained
-and slightly sandy. Protect in winter with straw or salt hay.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds are sown at once or are stratified;
-softwood cuttings after flowering; layering; hardwood cuttings in fall.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Foundation planting, hedges, border planting,
-rock gardens, greenhouse forcing, ground cover, bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Deutzia</b> <i>Saxifragaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>This is a heavy flowering shrub with a compact, plump shape. The
-flowers, resembling small hoop skirts or bells, cover the plant almost
-completely. Colors vary with varieties, white, pink, and pink with red
-touches.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Will grow and flower in some shade. Accepts most any
-soil. Needs drainage. Most varieties are hardy.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Both green-wood and hardwood cuttings, layers,
-seeds in spring.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Foundation planting, hedges, greenhouse forcing.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Euonymus</b> <i>Celastraceae</i> Burning Bush</p>
-
-<p>Sizes can vary from dwarf shrubs to medium-size trees. Sometimes it is
-evergreen, but is more likely to be deciduous. Simple, opposite leaves;
-clusters of small flowers in spring. Has showy fruit which turns red in
-fall and opens to drop the seeds. Has brilliant red coloring in autumn.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Grows in ordinary soil and does well in shade (bright
-sun makes for better colors in fall). Most varieties are hardy.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (sown in spring), layering, hardwood
-cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Bonsai, pots, dish gardens, rock gardens, hedges.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Fothergilla</b> <i>Hamamelidaceae</i> Bottle Brush</p>
-
-<p>Native American shrub, deciduous with alternate coarse-toothed leaves,
-hazel-like in appearance and brilliant in fall colors. During the
-flowering season blooms of a lustrous white resemble shaggy dust mops.
-It is slow-growing and adapts itself to bonsai treatment.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Seemingly, it requires little pampering. It likes moist
-situations. It is hardy and can be pruned to size and shape.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, layers (may take two years to root), and
-root cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Foundation planting, bonsai.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_244">[244]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p50" style="max-width: 500px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p50.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Ilex crenata helleri</i> ca. 20–25 year old spec.
-with <i>Abies glauca conica</i></p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Ilex crenata helleri</b> <i>Aquifoliaceae</i> Holly</p>
-
-<p>Holly may be a tree or a shrub and is sometimes an evergreen. The waxy
-green leaves are known to anyone who has ever seen a Christmas wreath.
-The red berries are almost as striking. Most varieties grow slowly.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Most like rich well-drained spots. They need acid
-soil or the leaves turn yellow. They are hard to transplant and it
-should only be tried in the spring before growth starts. The deciduous
-varieties are easier to move, but are not so hardy. If you are buying a
-tree, get nursery stock that has been freshly dug. Mulch, but not near
-the trunks in winter because of mice. If you desire the red berries,
-spray with hormones. Prune yearly for shape, in winter.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (stratify, slow to germinate), cuttings of
-young ripe wood (root under glass).</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Hedges, rock gardens, containers, foundation
-planting, bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Juniperus</b> <i>Cypressaceae</i> Juniper</p>
-
-<p>Evergreen trees and shrubs with needles or scale leaves. Can be tall
-trees or prostrate shrubs that hug the ground. Foliage is a beautiful
-blue-green.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_245">[245]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p50c" style="max-width: 451px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p50c.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">A beautiful specimen of <i>Juniperus procumbens nana</i> with
-pansies in a corner planting</p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Moderately moist loamy soil. Some (<i>J. communis</i>)
-thrive in dry spots amid rocks. Most are hardy. Many varieties are
-exceptionally hardy and accept sun or shade, city dust, fumes, and
-smoke. All like drainage and wide spacing.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings, seeds, layering.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, foundation planting, containers,
-bonsai.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_246">[246]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Picea abies</b> <i>Pinaceae</i> Spruce</p>
-
-<p>Pyramidal, evergreen, coniferous trees native to the cooler parts of
-the country. They have four-sided leaves that fall easily, leaving
-cones that usually droop. Although many varieties are tall and
-majestic, there are some of the most shapely dwarfs in the family.
-They grow so slowly they are desirable for small landscapes. Among the
-dwarfs are: clanbrasiliana, gregoryana, maxwelli, nana, nidformis. The
-latter, with its dark-green needles and flat open top, is also known
-as the bird’s nest spruce. It is less expensive because it grows very
-easily from cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Hardy, tolerates more wet than firs or pines, and is at
-home in most soils.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds and cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Foundation planting, hedges, bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Pinus</b> <i>Pinaceae</i> Pine</p>
-
-<p>Among the many familiar pines of ornamental interest there are several
-dwarf forms for limited landscapes. All bear needle-leaves in typical
-bundles of two, three, or five according to type. Here are some
-possibilities: <i>P. cembra chlorocarpa</i>, <i>P. mugo (montana)
-mughus</i>, and a variety of the white pine, <i>P. strobus nana</i>.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Light, dry, sandy soil. Plant where sheltered; for
-example, a northern slope. Dry summer winds and unseasonable, warm
-winter sun will turn the leaves brown. In transplanting trees, remember
-that the roots do not stand exposure to air. Take the biggest possible
-chunk of dirt with them. In buying, get stock that is balled in burlap.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds and grafting.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Bonsai, containers, rock gardens, foundation
-planting.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Rhododendron</b> <i>Ericaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Some of the most charming of our truly miniature shrubs, far too
-infrequently known and grown. Rhododendron species and hybrids may be
-under a foot tall at maturity and have leaves as small as a little
-fingernail. The only thing out of proportion is the size of their
-flowers. Here are some of them: cantabile, chryseum, cinnabarinum,
-cuneatum, didymum, fastigiatum, ferrugineum, flavidum (primulinum),
-glaucum (glaucophyllum), hypolepidotum, impeditum, kotschyi, radinum,
-riparium, russatum, williamsianum.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Humus-rich soil, sandy and of open texture. Mulch for
-winter season and water before freezing weather. Withered leaves in the
-dead of winter mean lack of moisture as well as cold weather.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, softwood tip cuttings (in June).</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Bonsai, rock gardens, edging, foundation
-planting.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_247">[247]</span></p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p51" style="max-width: 500px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p51.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm"><i>Rhododendron keiskei</i></p>
-  </div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Sciadopitys verticillata</b> <i>Taxodiaceae</i> Umbrella Pine</p>
-
-<p>The five-inch needles of this slow-growing Japanese evergreen spread
-out from new tip growth like the ribs of a half-open umbrella, giving
-it an airy distinction. The tree, a squat pyramid, with short branches
-and a stubby main trunk, is ideal for bonsai cultivation.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Grows well in most any soil but does better in one that
-has been enriched. As it is slow-growing, there is slight danger that
-it will outgrow its dwarf proportions. Transplant only when young and
-do not expose the roots. Protect from severe winter conditions.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Bonsai, rock gardens, specimens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Spiraea</b> <i>Rosaceae</i> Spirea</p>
-
-<p>This popular deciduous shrub varies as to size, with most varieties
-far out of the miniature classification. However, there are some short
-ones, with <i>S. bullata (crispifolia)</i> an out-and-out midget of
-twelve to fifteen inches. It has rose-colored flowers in midsummer.
-<i>S. arguta (compacta)</i> is slightly taller. In May it has garlands
-of fragrant white flowers. <i>S. bumalda</i>,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_248">[248]</span> with deep-pink flowers
-in early summer, grows to about two and a half feet. Most others are
-considerably taller.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Almost any soil is acceptable providing it is not too
-heavy and has drainage. However, plenty of moisture is essential.
-Plenty of sun is necessary for good flowering. Pruning also promotes
-flowers, but do it after the blooms have fallen. Transplanting is easy,
-even with bare roots. Fertilize occasionally.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (ripe or stratified), cuttings of green or
-hard wood, layers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Borders, rock gardens, hedges, foundations.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Taxus</b> <i>Taxaceae</i> Yew</p>
-
-<p>This evergreen shrub is very valuable to those who garden in
-smaller-scale plots and grounds. There are a number of extremely low
-and slow-growing varieties available at most nurseries and in several
-different forms. All have the typical yew masses of glassy, evergreen
-needle-leaves and satiny red, berry-like fruit. All accept shearing,
-even need it to preserve their symmetry and small size. It is often
-difficult to differentiate between the many varieties when they are
-young, so be sure to check them when buying.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>baccata</i>&mdash;English yew&mdash;A tall tree but available in these
-small forms: adpressa, a broad, dense bush with half-inch
-needles in thick masses; repandens, a flattish, low, and
-spreading form with drooping branches, two to four feet tall.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>canadensis</i>&mdash;American or Canadian yew&mdash;Three to four feet
-tall and for planting in the shade. Suffers from unusually warm
-winter sun. Its variety stricta is neat and upright and stays
-under two feet in height. The green needles are yellow-tinged
-when it is young.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>cuspidata</i>&mdash;Japanese yew&mdash;This variety is recommended for
-Northeastern planting. The slow-growing variety densa is plump
-and rounded and twice as wide as its four-foot mature height.
-Another variety, nana (brevifolia), is considerably larger,
-horizontal, and spreading in habit.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>cuspidata nana</i>&mdash;This species slightly different, has
-a deeply fissured trunk with red berry fruit and very dark
-evergreen leaves. It is highly regarded as a miniature and
-excellent for bonsai work.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>stricta</i> (<i>fastigata</i>, <i>hibernica</i>)&mdash;An upright
-column that tops dwarf proportions sooner than most others.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Slightly acid soil. Fertilize frequently in early spring
-and early summer. Good drainage. Don’t plant under rain gutters.
-Top-dress with old manure. Easily transplanted. Shear just before
-spring growth starts, to control size and shape. Winter sun may burn
-needles. Comparatively free of disease.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (stratified), cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Foundation planting, specimens, hedges, rock and
-wild gardens, tub planting, bonsai.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_249">[249]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Teucrium chamaedrys</b> <i>Labiatae</i> Germander</p>
-
-<p>This is an aromatic Old World shrublet that is adaptable to many uses
-in the garden, whether formal or informal. Most varieties are less than
-a foot in height. It flowers in late summer. Many gardeners raise it
-for its decorative value and snip off the blooms. It is hardier than
-boxwood and less costly.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> It grows in almost any soil but requires good drainage
-and full sun. Prune the top and sides twice a year for formal effect.
-Give winter protection with evergreen boughs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (good but slow), division, cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Beds, edging, rock gardens, miniature hedges,
-foundations.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Thuja</b> <i>Pinaceae</i> Arborvitae</p>
-
-<p>Certain species of the “tree of life” are majestic monsters. But there
-are a number of shrubby varieties of delicate value in small plantings.
-All have characteristic scale-like leaves arranged along fan-shaped
-branches, making fluffy sprays. But shapes vary from balls to pyramids.
-Foliage may be light, or blue-green, or even golden. Smaller forms are:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>occidentalis</i>&mdash;This species has two small varieties,
-compacta (slow-growing, dense pyramid) and ellwangeriana (a low
-round mound-shape).</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>minima</i>&mdash;A very small and a slow-growing ball.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pumila</i>&mdash;‘Little Gem’&mdash;Dense-leaved and globe-shaped.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pygmaea</i>&mdash;A two-foot globe or ball.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Cool, moist location. Rich soil and leaf mold. Either
-full sun or half shade. City soot harmful.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Same as for conifers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Foundation planting, rock gardens, tubs and
-other containers, specimens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Tsuga canadensis</b> <i>Pinaceae</i> Hemlock</p>
-
-<p>This graceful evergreen conifer has slender horizontal branches with
-small leaves and small cones. Not all nurseries have it in its few
-dwarf forms. Best known of these small varieties are the conical
-compacta, and the completely prostrate, creeping prostrata.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Slightly acid soil, organic fertilizer, shade-tolerant,
-hardy (but protect from cold winds), can be pruned.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (stratified), cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Foundation planting, hedges, specimens, rock
-gardens, bonsai.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Viburnum</b> <i>Caprifoliaceae</i> Snowball, European Cranberry Bush</p>
-
-<p>An ornamental shrub. Most varieties are deciduous, and are valued for
-their heavy flower clusters, fragrance, autumnal color, and attractive
-fruit. Sizes and colors of flowers vary.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_250">[250]</span></p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>carlesi</i>&mdash;Korean snowball&mdash;Fragrant pink buds that open as
-white flowers about the same time the foliage appears.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>davidi</i>&mdash;About three feet tall with handsome crinkled
-leaves sharply creased at the veins. Small clusters of white
-flowers in June; blue fruit in the fall.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>nanum</i>&mdash;A real dwarf popular for low hedges and rock
-gardens. It is strictly ornamental, with no flowers or fruit.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Any soil is acceptable. Moisture required. Hardy.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Stratified seeds, cuttings (hardwood or green
-wood under glass), layers, grafting.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, hedges, specimens.</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_251">[251]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 15</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE PERENNIALS AND ROCK PLANTS</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>Our odd piece of Connecticut countryside is shaped rather like the
-blade of a paring knife. We cleared the point to make a wild-flower
-garden. At the blunt end, on one side, a tree-lined bank dips down
-to the road. On the other, there is an old, low rock wall that’s not
-particularly beautiful, nor is it suitable for dry-wall planting. When
-we finally whipped the central lawn into shape, we realized that a
-flowering border would be nice against the wall&mdash;a low, narrow border
-with colorful bloom all summer long.</p>
-
-<p>To be in proportion and harmony with the setting, the border had to be
-completely in miniature&mdash;following accepted principles for selecting
-and arranging plants, but executed in small scale. Finding the proper
-plants has been a challenge; arranging them has been a trial-and-error
-proposition, because many varieties are entirely new to us. But last
-summer, the little border began to look the way we had visualized
-it&mdash;taller specimens in the background, ground-hugging cushions facing
-them down in front, small groups of straight spires for accent at
-strategic intervals. It will probably take another season or two to
-perfect the blending and contrast of flowers and foliage, and to get
-the most colorful and constant succession of bloom.</p>
-
-<p>This is not, of course, our first acquaintance with miniature
-perennials; and it couldn’t possibly be our last. They combine
-beautifully with small shrubs, show off to advantage in small rock
-gardens, add an artistic finishing touch to garden pools, birdbaths,
-and other ornaments. They’re at their very best in outdoor planters and
-raised beds on patios and terraces, and in ribbon edgings along walks
-and walls.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_252">[252]</span></p>
-
-<p>Although they’re precious in flower, many varieties&mdash;candytuft,
-lavender, sempervivum, thyme, plumbago, to name a few&mdash;are equally
-decorative without bloom. This is a valued advantage when planting
-space is limited. Gardeners with limited time use perennials lavishly
-because, once established, they’re mostly permanent, and they require
-a minimum of care. Somehow, I sympathize with a writer who found more
-pleasure in spring’s tufts of fresh new growth than in the full bloom
-of summer. Nostalgically, one welcomes the return of an old friend;
-practically, one knows it will tend to its business of growing and
-flowering with very little personal attention.</p>
-
-<p>This leads us to the question, “How perennial <i>is</i> a perennial?”
-and to the obvious answer, “It depends....” To begin with, it should
-live at least three years in your garden. After that, some varieties
-need to be lifted and divided into smaller plants with fresh new
-vigor; some may need to be replaced completely; some few may grow on
-indefinitely without renewal, or may replace themselves with seedlings
-that are often of doubtful value.</p>
-
-<p>In the language of the catalogues, a “hardy” perennial is one that
-can withstand fairly severe winter cold, and may not be hardy in
-Southern gardens where it is not frozen into dormancy. Most hardy
-perennials are “herbaceous”&mdash;the stems usually die back to the ground
-each winter; some few have stems that may or may not be somewhat woody
-and persistent. A “tender” perennial is likely to be killed by cold
-weather, and is grown as an annual in the North, if it is grown at all.</p>
-
-<p>The life cycle of a biennial extends over two years. It is grown from
-seed, may or may not need special protection to carry it over a cold
-winter, produces flowers and seeds the second year, then dies. Some
-biennials sow themselves with such faithfulness they’re regarded as
-perennial. The comparatively few biennials among flowering plants are
-grown much like perennials; miniature varieties are covered in this
-chapter.</p>
-
-<p>Originally, I was firmly resolved to admit as miniatures only those
-perennials that grow less than eight inches high. But I couldn’t resist
-stretching the limits an inch or so to allow for a ten-inch flower stem
-above a small, flat rosette of leaves; and I found that the height
-limitation allowed free entry to some rambunctious spreaders that could
-quickly ruin a miniature garden. So I finally settled on biennials
-and perennials that are miniature in general appearance and habit,
-without strict measurements, and with flowers and foliage in suitable
-proportion for miniature gardens.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_253">[253]</span></p>
-
-<p>For the first year or so, locating some of the small perennials we
-wanted was rather like a treasure hunt; we never knew where we’d find
-a clue. Occasionally, we’d spy a prize on a visit to a local nursery.
-Frequently an advertisement or a tip from another gardener would give
-us the name of a promising mail-order supplier. Those who specialized
-in rock-garden plants proved to be particularly fruitful prospects.
-Often, we started our plants from seeds and discovered later that
-mature plants were available, had we known it. Now, we have quite a
-list of sources for miniature perennials which we happily share with
-you, beginning on page <a href="#Page_259">259</a>.</p>
-
-<p>In selecting suitable varieties, decorative effect is naturally the
-first consideration&mdash;size, habit, and blooming season; color and
-texture of flowers and foliage; how the plants fit into your design
-and planting plan. Equally important is hardiness; not only ability
-to survive a cold winter, but also adaptability to other climatic
-conditions. Some perennials simply will not grow where summers are
-hot and dry; others will live but can’t mature enough to flower where
-nights are cool or growing seasons are short.</p>
-
-<p>Like other types of plants, perennials should be selected according to
-their cultural needs, and should be planted only where they can get
-the amount of sunlight and moisture they need, and where the soil is
-suitable or can be made so. An acid-loving plant in neutral or alkaline
-soil is a poor, short-lived thing; a moisture-lover withers pitiably
-where it’s dry as a desert most of the time; a “hardy” perennial won’t
-be hardy unless its environment is to its liking.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PLANTING AND CARE</h3>
-
-<p>Unless it’s utterly impossible, we do all our planting in the spring,
-so there is plenty of time for plants to develop vigorous root systems
-before a mean Connecticut winter comes along. This is particularly
-important to shallow-rooted perennials, and to any that are planted in
-windy, exposed sites. But for us, it also includes spring-flowering
-varieties. In spring we’ve planted dormant roots with or without mere
-nubbins of new growth, and plants that were fully leaved out and
-bursting with buds, with very little loss. But fall planting has proved
-to be a gamble; and if we’re forced into it, we’re more likely to find
-room in the cold frame for the new arrivals until spring.</p>
-
-<p>Of course, this is not usually necessary in more temperate sections
-where plants set out in late summer and early fall have plenty of time
-to become acclimated before heavy frost. And it can be all<span class="pagenum" id="Page_254">[254]</span> wrong for
-Southern gardens, where planting during deepest dormancy is often
-recommended.</p>
-
-<p>Even if you’re planting only three little pinks in a nook the size
-of a lady’s handkerchief, soil should be dug deeply and be suitably
-conditioned or enriched, drainage should be made perfect, roots should
-be spread out carefully, and watering should be as thorough as if you
-were planting a priceless miniature tree or shrub. To prevent a serious
-setback from wilting, put up some sort of temporary protection against
-sun and wind&mdash;an encircling screen of leafy branches, even a tent of
-newspaper or old sheeting.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Soil</i></p>
-
-<p>There are few soils that can’t be improved by the addition of organic
-matter such as leaf mold, manure, or compost; and few plants that won’t
-grow better for it. It helps hold moisture in sandy soil, improves
-texture and increases drainage in clay-like soil, enriches ordinary
-garden loam. Mix it thoroughly with the soil before you place the
-plants. Also before planting, add lime to acid soil for plants that
-need it, acid peat for acid-loving varieties if your soil is neutral
-or alkaline. Above all, don’t plant anything (except for a few bog
-inhabitants) where water stands in puddles. Poor drainage has killed
-more perennials than Old Man Winter himself.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Watering and Mulching</i></p>
-
-<p>Most miniature perennials naturally have rather shallow root systems,
-so they suffer quickly from drought. Don’t let them dry out seriously
-(particularly after transplanting); water often and deeply enough
-that the soil below the roots is wet. Thorough watering in late fall,
-just before the ground freezes, often makes the difference between
-winter-survival and winter-kill.</p>
-
-<p>Mulching with any available, airy material&mdash;buckwheat hulls or crushed
-sugar cane, for example&mdash;will help keep soil moist and will also
-discourage germination of weed seeds, thereby saving you a bit of work.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Fertilizing</i></p>
-
-<p>Most miniature plants don’t like or need a heavy diet. A light
-top-dressing of balanced fertilizer, in early spring, is usually enough
-to nourish them without forcing soft and straggly growth. Reluctant
-bloomers may need a small ration of superphosphate or a booster drink
-of liquid-manure “tea” as flowering time approaches.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Pruning and Grooming</i></p>
-
-<p>To keep them compact and attractive, some varieties should have growing
-tips pinched out once or twice in spring and early summer; others may
-have a few long, straggly stems to be removed; some carpeting types
-should be sheared off<span class="pagenum" id="Page_255">[255]</span> after flowering. Always pick off faded flowers
-unless you have reason to want the seeds.</p>
-
-<p>In fall, when foliage is frostbitten, cut back the old stems and take
-them away, along with any fallen leaves or other debris, to be burned.
-Many diseases and insects winter over in decaying vegetable matter.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Insects and Disease</i></p>
-
-<p>Our trusty duster or sprayer, filled with an all-purpose
-insecticide-fungicide formula, gives all our garden plants a preventive
-treatment several times a season. So far, this has been enough to keep
-problems and pests away. For some special infestations or epidemics, we
-keep a few specific remedies on hand&mdash;sulfur for powdery mildew, and
-Aramite for mites, for example.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Winter Protection</i></p>
-
-<p>In our area we never know whether winter will bless us with a constant
-covering of snow, or the ground will be bare and exposed to alternate
-freezing and thawing that “heaves” tender roots up out of their beds.
-After the ground is frozen two or three inches deep, we cover sleeping
-perennials with a light blanket of salt hay or, sometimes, evergreen
-boughs. Crowns that stay evergreen are surrounded by a collar of sharp
-sand. Questionably hardy varieties are lifted and moved to the cold
-frame.</p>
-
-<p>In spring, as the weather begins to warm up, we remove the protective
-mulch a bit at a time. There’s a fine line between taking it off
-prematurely, thus exposing new growth to a late freeze, and leaving it
-so long that the soil underneath gets soggy and the roots rot. But, rot
-can be fatal, and frozen tips of new growth are not, so we remove the
-winter covering as fast as we dare.</p>
-
-
-<h3>PROPAGATING MINIATURE PERENNIALS</h3>
-
-<p>One item in our Connecticut landscape that’s completely out of scale
-with its surroundings is the monstrous cold frame near the back
-boundary line. The cement-block wall goes down below the frost line,
-and up high enough to make room for winter storage of fairly good-sized
-plants. The discarded storm windows are hinged across the back and
-completely removable in summer, when they are replaced by light wooden
-frames of the same size with laths nailed a lath-width apart. The
-construction slants toward the south, to make the most of all winter
-sunshine; light shading is necessary in summer to protect tender
-seedlings and rooting cuttings.</p>
-
-<p>The cold frame serves dozens of purposes and has more than paid<span class="pagenum" id="Page_256">[256]</span>
-for itself with plants it has protected or produced. When we plant
-perennial seeds in the cold frame, we throw a piece of burlap across
-the top and keep it moist until they germinate. Tender seedlings spend
-their first winter within its walls, and so do newly rooted cuttings.
-Questionably hardy perennials or any that we acquire in fall are held
-over until spring. Every year, it seems as if we take more out of the
-cold frame than we put into it!</p>
-
-<p>Other, smaller, portable devices are equally useful for all kinds of
-summer propagating. Low square or rectangular wooden frames can be
-set over an area of prepared soil and the top covered with glass or
-polyethylene to keep the soil from drying out. An empty fruit crate
-from the grocer can be equipped with a glass or plastic top. A few
-cuttings can be rooted in soil in some shady spot with a clear glass
-jar inverted over them. There are many devices that keep soil moist
-and air humid while seeds germinate or cuttings root. How large or
-elaborate yours should be depends on how much propagating you want to
-do.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Seeds</i></p>
-
-<p>Many hard-to-find miniature perennials can be easily grown from a
-twenty-cent packet of seed. You can also harvest seeds from your own
-plants; but only natural species will “come true.” Complicated hybrids
-will have unpredictable offspring, most of them not particularly
-desirable.</p>
-
-<p>We plant seeds of most biennials and perennials in June, when the soil
-is comfortably warm and the seedlings will have the whole summer to
-grow large and lusty. Some of our own seeds that ripen in midsummer are
-planted as soon as we can harvest them; those that mature later are
-usually stored on a cool shelf in the cellar in plastic boxes or little
-pill bottles that keep them dry.</p>
-
-<p>Soil for the seed bed is sifted to remove pebbles and debris, and mixed
-with equal quantities of sharp sand and peat or sieved leaf mold. To
-prevent “damp-off,” a fungus that chokes off stems at the soil line,
-soil should be sterilized if at all possible. Small quantities may be
-baked in the oven. Special easy-to-use fungicides are also available;
-follow label directions.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p52" style="max-width: 600px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p52.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Rocks, water, and planting&mdash;an effective combination of all the
-elements of a rock garden. (<i>Mr. and Mrs. Norman Cherry</i>)</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>Most seeds are covered to the depth of their diameter; very fine seeds
-are merely firmed down into the soil. Seeds with hard coats may be
-gently nicked with a knife or soaked in water for a day or so. Some
-seeds, like primroses, need to be treated as if they had wintered
-outdoors before they will germinate. You can put them in moist sand
-in a small, tight container and alternate freezing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_257">[257]</span> in the ice
-compartment and thawing in the warmer part of the refrigerator for
-several days. Or you can plant these seeds in a small box or flat of
-their own and leave them outdoors, in a protected spot, where winter
-will supply its own natural conditions.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p53" style="max-width: 500px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p53.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Cold frame planted and ready for top made from discarded
-storm windows</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>Some seeds germinate faster in the dark, some with light; some like
-cooler temperatures than others; some come up in seven days, some
-take months or even a year. Seed packets usually supply pertinent
-information.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_258">[258]</span></p>
-
-<p>Seeds will not germinate in dry soil, or if allowed to dry out even
-temporarily during the critical period. To avoid washing out fine
-seeds, water gently with a fine mist, or set the flat or other
-container in water up to the level of the soil inside. When the soil
-surface looks shiny and moist, remove the container and set it aside to
-drain.</p>
-
-<p>When the first “true” leaves are of fair size, transplant the seedlings
-to peat pots, or flats, or rows in a prepared bed or cold frame. Shade
-against sun and wind until they resume growth.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Stem Cuttings</i></p>
-
-<p>Many perennials can be propagated easily and in quantity by rooting
-softwood cuttings like those of trees and shrubs. Tip cuttings three
-or four inches long are usually best, with all the flower buds and the
-lower leaves removed. Some types, such as dianthus and lavender, root
-faster and more surely if the cutting is taken with a heel.</p>
-
-<p>For spring-flowering varieties, take stem cuttings after flowering
-has finished and up until midsummer; for those that bloom later, take
-cuttings in May or June.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Division</i></p>
-
-<p>This is a wonderful way not only to increase perennials, but also to
-keep them young and vigorous. How often you divide them depends on each
-plant’s individual performance. When growth is so thick it seems to be
-choking itself, when there’s little healthy new growth and a poor show
-of bloom, when a clump or crown becomes tough and hard in the center,
-it’s usually time to refresh the plant by division. Some plants need it
-almost every other year, some not for many years.</p>
-
-<p>How you divide a plant depends upon how it grows. If there is a central
-crown of leaves, it can be cut cleanly into two or three sections,
-each with its own share of roots. Or there may be new, young crowns
-clustered around its edge that can be pulled or cut off. If the plant
-simply has a crowded colony of stems and fibrous roots, you can often
-pull it apart gently into several pieces. Or if it’s the type that
-sends out rooting runners, you can sever these and replant them.
-Generally, the old, tired center of the plant is discarded.</p>
-
-<p>In cold climates, even spring-flowering perennials are most safely
-divided very early in the season, when new growth is beginning. Cool,
-moist spring weather favors rapid recovery from the operation, and
-there is plenty of time for the new plants to mature before fall.
-Summer-flowering and fall-flowering types are also divided in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_259">[259]</span> earliest
-spring. In humid climates the spring-bloomers can be divided in August
-or early September.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Layering</i></p>
-
-<p>Almost any perennial with low or low-hanging branches can be propagated
-by pinning a stem to the soil, several inches from the growing tip.
-When new growth appears, cut off the rooted stem and transplant it.
-This propagating method may not produce great numbers of new plants at
-one time; but it is surely one of the easiest and least troublesome
-practices&mdash;and particularly safe because the new plant is supported by
-the parent until it is well rooted.</p>
-
-<p>I’ve been intrigued with one good gardener’s method of creating a low
-hedge from one plant of dwarf lavender. She layered one stem at each
-side of the original plant. When these two new plants were fairly
-mature (but not cut away from the old plant), she layered one stem
-of each. By repeating the process, and locating each new layer in a
-straight line with the last one, she can extend her hedge as far as she
-wishes and plant it as she goes, along any lines.</p>
-
-
-<h3>ROCK GARDEN PERENNIALS</h3>
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Achillea</b> <i>Compositae</i> Yarrow, Hilfoil</p>
-
-<p>Resembling the field yarrow, but dainty, mottled, and tufted. The
-leaves, some finely cut and ferny, wear thick wool coats. The saucy
-flowers are in heads, some flat-topped and not unlike daisies.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>ageratifolia aizoon (Anthemis aizoon)</i>&mdash;Six-inch mat of
-silver-haired, uncut leaves topped with bright white flowers in
-May and June.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>clavennae</i>&mdash;Tufts of hoary, fine-cut leaves less than a
-foot high, tight round white flower heads three-fourths of an
-inch across in May and June.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tomentosa</i>&mdash;Best-known little species, quickly makes a
-thick mat of semi-evergreen gray-green leaves six inches tall.
-It has sunny yellow flowers from June to midsummer. The variety
-aurea has more golden flowers and blooms earlier; nana is a true
-midget and makes a thick carpet studded with many white flowers.
-Five-inch ‘Moonlight’ has flowers of sulfur yellow, and greener
-foliage.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>umbellata</i>&mdash;Four-inch mounds of fuzzy, silvery, ferny
-leaves. It has cream-white flowers in June and is evergreen in
-temperate areas.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Any soil, even sandy or poor. Dryish to moist. Sun or
-very light shade. Easy to grow.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division in spring or fall, seeds (flowers the
-second year).</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock plantings, dry-wall planting, edging,
-ground cover, pavements.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_260">[260]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Aethionema</b> <i>Cruciferae</i> Stone-Cress, Persian Candytuft</p>
-
-<p>This is a heathery little shrub-like perennial with slim leaves and
-steely-blue needles, cheerful clusters of flowers at the stem tips in
-May and June. It is often compared to a minuscule daphne.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>armenum</i>&mdash;Neat tufts of short, sharp leaves and petite
-pink flowers in June. It is never over four inches high.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>iberideum</i>&mdash;Low, crowded, and cushiony-minute with
-gray-green leaves and large white flowers in short clusters.
-This one is earlier than other varieties, blooming even in April
-if the weather is favorable. (Needs gritty soil with some lime.)</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>schistosum</i>&mdash;By comparison this one is a giant growing
-to eight or ten inches, with two-inch leaves and fragrant pink
-flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil light, sandy, well-drained, and gravelly; dry; sun.
-Hardy in southern New England. Give protection in severe winters.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Cuttings in summer, division and seeds in spring.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, dry-wall planting, edging, borders.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Ajuga</b> <i>Labiatae</i> Bugle</p>
-
-<p>This is a low, creeping or spreading perennial with pinwheels of rather
-coarse leaves and small blue flowers which come in May and June. It is
-of miniature height and should only be planted where you can control
-it, or want it to spread. Some of the better-known varieties are:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>genevensis</i>&mdash;Oval toothed leaves, light green. Flowers
-deep blue.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pyramidalis</i>&mdash;Less likely to spread and stays neat and
-small. Flowers blue and slightly larger than those of other
-varieties.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>reptans</i>&mdash;Also known as carpet bugle, it is nearly supine,
-with stems that root as they creep. Flowers blue or purplish.
-Variety alba has white flowers; variegata, foliage marked with
-cream and pink. Rubra pink flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Silver Beauty’&mdash;Compact and ground-hugging. White markings on
-leaves give a silvery appearance. Blue flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Ordinary soil, even poor; sun or part shade; dry. Plant
-in fall or spring six inches apart. Easy to grow.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds in spring, division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, dry-wall planting, ground cover,
-edging.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Alyssum</b> <i>Cruciferae</i> Madwort</p>
-
-<p>Plushy, mat-forming, like a silver-gray rug with flecks of white or
-golden flowers in spring and summer. The grayish leaves are small, the
-flowers in thick clusters. Popular forms are:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>alpestre</i> (<i>serpyllifolium</i>)&mdash;Three-inch gray carpet
-with bright-yellow flowers through June.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>montanum</i>&mdash;Fragrant gold flowers in June; about eight
-inches high.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>mulfenianum</i>&mdash;Smaller (four-inch) version with balls of
-yellow flowers from May to June.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_261">[261]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>saxatile</i>&mdash;basket of gold&mdash;Blooms in May; nine inches
-high; spreads thickly. Variety compactum is more compact and
-shorter; about eight inches. Variety citrinum has lemon-yellow
-flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>spinosum</i>&mdash;Dense growth, shrubby and spiny, about eight
-inches high. White flowers sometimes tinged with pink, in June
-and July.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Any ordinary soil with drainage. Sunny, open location.
-Plant in spring or fall six to eight inches apart.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds in fall, division of roots in spring.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, borders, dry walls, pavements,
-edging, carpet for bulbs, ground cover.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Anemone</b> <i>Ranunculaceae</i> Windflower</p>
-
-<p>One of the earliest to bloom in the spring, it has lacy leaves and
-colorful flowering saucers not made up of petals but of sepals (leaves
-that encircle the flowers at the base).</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>apennina</i>&mdash;Tuberous species six or seven inches high
-with deeply cut leaves; arrives in March with bright, sky-blue
-flowers. Variety alba has white flowers; purpurea, rich
-lavender-rose.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>blanda</i>&mdash;Resembles apennina but is slightly larger and has
-darker flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>nemorosa</i>&mdash;European wood anemone&mdash;Similiar to American
-forms. Variety alleni has lavender flowers. Variety rosea, pink.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>palmata</i>&mdash;Six-inch dwarf with whorls of leathery leaves,
-golden-white flowers in May or June. The flowers of the variety
-albida are heavenly white with gold centers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pulsatilla</i>&mdash;pasque flower&mdash;A more robust alpine growing
-to eight inches tall. Hardy even in Maine rock gardens. Flowers
-are purple-blue bells that come early and last as long as the
-weather is cool. Its finely cut leaves are softened with silky
-hairs. Other varieties are alba, white; rubra, plum red; and
-camla, silvery lilac surrounded by white.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Rich sandy loam with leaf mold. Part shade for some
-varieties.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seed in late fall, root division in early spring.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Wild gardens, rock gardens, forcing, flower beds.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Antennaria</b> <i>Compositae</i> Pussy-Toes</p>
-
-<p>This is a furry little creeper with flat, silvery, spoon-shaped leaves
-and bristly flowers sometimes dried as everlastings.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>dioica</i>&mdash;Fast-creeping carpet with pink-tipped flowers in
-spring.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>microphylla (parvifolia)</i>&mdash;Western native, slower growing,
-with white flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>neodioica</i>&mdash;Eastern native that makes a low mat of
-silver-hairy leaves and sends up pink-tipped white flowers in
-early summer.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Sandy, even poor, soil; full sun; dry. Cut off leaves
-after flowering to make neater plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds and division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock walls and pavement.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_262">[262]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Aquilegia</b> <i>Ranunculaceae</i> Columbine</p>
-
-<p>Hardy little perennials with two-or three-part leaves like clover but
-often cut or indented on the edge, and drooping or noddling flowers
-with flaring sepals and spurs of different sizes and shapes.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>akitensis</i>&mdash;Six-inch Japanese doll with stemless
-blue-green leaves and large lavender-blue flowers with yellow at
-the center. June flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>discolor</i>&mdash;Alpine with glowing blue flowers, white inside
-and frosty-green leaves. Five inches tall.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>flabellata nana-alba</i>&mdash;fan columbine&mdash;Three divided leaves
-like blue-green fans, lustrous white flowers in May.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>jonesi</i>&mdash;Diminutive, two to three inches tall. Small
-leaves in small mounds, flowers upturned and deep blue in June.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>saximontana</i>&mdash;Alpine with two-inch tufts of crisp leaves;
-aquamarine flowers with yellowish sepals on four-inch stems in
-April.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil light and sandy, with leaf mold; drainage; shade or
-semishade. Hardy. Plant in fall.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds in the spring (flowers the following year),
-division in the spring.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock and wall planting, wild-flower gardens,
-beds.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Arabis</b> <i>Cruciferae</i> Rock Cress</p>
-
-<p>Mat-forming perennials with blankets of hairy leaves under spreads
-of flowers rather like stocks or candytuft. They flower in spring or
-summer and are often fragrant.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>albida</i>&mdash;Unless the form is marked “compact” the species
-may top ten inches. Leaves green and woolly, flowers white
-(in April and May). Variety flora plena is about six inches
-tall with double white flowers; rosea, orchid pink and single;
-variegata, white-marked leaves. ‘Pink Charm’ is single with
-bright-pink flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>blepharophylla</i>&mdash;Clusters of deep-green leaves with
-eyelashes on the edge; pink-purple flowers in April. Height,
-four inches.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>procurrens</i>&mdash;Matting plant with creeping stolons, white
-flowers in May. Dwarf variety, stari, spreads slowly and stays
-under four inches.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Medium, even poor, soil; warm and sandy. Not too moist.
-Sun or light shade. After flowering cut back straggly stems.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division (in spring or fall), seeds, cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, wall planting, ground cover,
-edging.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Aster alpinus</b> <i>Compositae</i> Rock Aster</p>
-
-<p>Small leaves mat closely to make a mound four inches high. The flat
-lilac daisy-like flowers come in June and July on eight-inch stems. The
-variety superbus is slightly larger; albus has white flowers. ‘Goliath’
-is a variety with flowers ranging from yellow-centered lavender to
-near-purple. ‘Spring Charm’ is a midget with lavender-pinkish flowers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_263">[263]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Any good soil, full sun.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds in the spring (flowers the next year).</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, borders, edging.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Bellis</b> <i>Compositae</i> Daisy</p>
-
-<p>Miniature daisies of cheerful charm, some varieties barely six inches
-tall.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>perennis</i>&mdash;English daisy&mdash;Nests of green leaves sprinkled
-in spring and summer with flowers of white, rose, or red.
-Several new strains are now being offered in singles, doubles
-(some have quilted petals), and varied colors.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>rotundiafolia caerulescens</i>&mdash;alpine daisy&mdash;Soft-blue
-flowers all summer long.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Fertile soil; moist, but good drainage; sun or semisun.
-A cool summer produces larger flowers. Not suitable for hot climates.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (flowers following year), division in cool
-weather.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, edging, ground cover.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Campanula</b> <i>Campanulaceae</i> Harebell, Bell Flower</p>
-
-<p>These are the beloved bell flowers which should be included in all
-gardens. Included on page <a href="#Page_264">264</a> are varieties that are easy to get and
-grow.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Light loamy soil, slightly on limy side; drainage. Sun,
-except dwarfs, which take light shade. Remove dead flowers. Shelter
-with evergreen boughs in severe winter.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division in early spring or fall, seeds (plant as
-soon as ripe), cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, walls, borders, edging, pots, and
-baskets.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cerastium</b> <i>Caryophyllaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Perennial creepers and carpeters with slim silk-hairy leaves and
-showers of white flowers with an over-all effect of soft fuzzy wool.
-Maximum height six inches, but most plants less.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>alpinum lanatum</i>&mdash;Smallest downy leaves, white flowers in
-clusters in June and July.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>bierbersteini</i>&mdash;Longer leaves, flowers one month earlier.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tomentosum</i>&mdash;snow in summer&mdash;This, the most popular
-species; quickly forms a large mat like a silver carpet under
-starry white flowers in May and June. It is said it will grow in
-pure sand.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Ordinary soil, sun, dry. Easy to grow.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (plant in fall or spring), division,
-cuttings after flowering.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, edging, flower beds, ground cover.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_264">[264]</span></p>
-
-
-<h3>VARIETIES OF HAREBELL, BELL FLOWERS</h3>
-
-<table summary="flowers" class="smaller" style="max-width: 50em">
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"></td>
-    <td class="cht2"><i>Leaves</i></td>
-    <td class="cht2"><i>Flowers</i></td>
-    <td class="cht2"><i>Blooming season</i></td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>carpatica</i></td>
-    <td class="cht2">mats 4″ tall</td>
-    <td class="cht2">blue saucers</td>
-    <td class="cht2">June to Oct.</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>carpatica alba</i></td>
-    <td class="cht2">mats 4″ tall</td>
-    <td class="cht2">white</td>
-    <td class="cht2">June to Oct.</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>carpatica</i> ‘Wedgwood’</td>
-    <td class="cht2">cushions</td>
-    <td class="cht2">violet-blue cups</td>
-    <td class="cht2">June to Oct.</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>carpatica</i> ‘White Wedgwood’</td>
-    <td class="cht2">cushions</td>
-    <td class="cht2">white</td>
-    <td class="cht2">June to Oct.</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>carpatica turbinata</i></td>
-    <td class="cht2">low mass</td>
-    <td class="cht2">large, flat, violet</td>
-    <td class="cht2">June to Aug.</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>cochlearifolia</i></td>
-    <td class="cht2">shell-shaped mass</td>
-    <td class="cht2">blue bells</td>
-    <td class="cht2">May and June</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>cochlearifolia alba</i></td>
-    <td class="cht2">shell-shaped mass</td>
-    <td class="cht2">white</td>
-    <td class="cht2">May and June</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>cochlearifolia</i> ‘Mironda’</td>
-    <td class="cht2">shell-shaped mass</td>
-    <td class="cht2">silver-blue</td>
-    <td class="cht2">June to Aug.</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>collina</i></td>
-    <td class="cht2">fuzzy clumps</td>
-    <td class="cht2">purple bells</td>
-    <td class="cht2">June</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>elatines</i></td>
-    <td class="cht2">dense 3″ mass</td>
-    <td class="cht2">stars, white center</td>
-    <td class="cht2">June and July</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>elatines alba plena</i></td>
-    <td class="cht2"></td>
-    <td class="cht2">double white ‘Star of Bethlehem’</td>
-    <td class="cht2">for baskets and pots</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>garganica</i></td>
-    <td class="cht2">may be woolly</td>
-    <td class="cht2">blue</td>
-    <td class="cht2">June and July</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>portenschlagiana (muralis)</i></td>
-    <td class="cht2">roundish, toothed crinkled tufts</td>
-    <td class="cht2">violet bells</td>
-    <td class="cht2">June and July</td>
-  </tr>
-
-  <tr>
-    <td class="cht"><i>saxifraga</i></td>
-    <td class="cht2">broadened</td>
-    <td class="cht2">upturned violet bells</td>
-    <td class="cht2">spring</td>
-  </tr>
-</table>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_265">[265]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Ceratostigma plumbaginoides</b> <i>Plumbaginaceae</i> Leadwort</p>
-
-<p>Shrubby little perennial “bushes” about eight inches high and spreading
-into clumps twice as wide, with hairy-edged leaves which are green with
-bronze overtones. It turns to a brickish color in autumn. In August the
-plants cover themselves with blue phlox-like flowers and continue to
-bloom until heavy frost.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Most any soil with drainage. Will grow in sand. Full sun
-best but semishade is acceptable. Don’t plant in moist location. In
-winter give protection.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds in the spring, division at time of new
-growth in spring, cuttings.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Borders, edging, rock gardens, ground cover.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Coreopsis auriculata nana</b> <i>Compositae</i></p>
-
-<p>Neat little plant with tufts of divided, or lobed, leaves;
-golden-orange daisy-like flowers on three-to six-inch stems, from June
-through August.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Light sandy soil. Shade in extremely hot climate. Cut
-faded flowers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Sow seeds in fall for flowering next year;
-division of clumps.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, edging.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Corydalis</b> <i>Fumariaceae</i> Fumitory</p>
-
-<p>Ferny-leaved herbaceous perennials with spurred flowers like bleeding
-heart but more colorful and blooming in the spring. Some types are
-tuberous-rooted, or partly so, but are grown more like other perennials.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>cava (bulbosa)</i>&mdash;Tuberous type, about eight inches tall,
-with gaudy clusters of purple flowers in April.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>cheilanthifolia</i>&mdash;Perennial with thickened roots, finely
-dissected eight-inch leaves, sprays of yellow flowers from May
-to frost. Requires shade from hot sun. Striking for its foliage
-alone.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>halleri (densifolia)</i>&mdash;March bloomer, tuberous. Not many
-leaves but plenty of clusters of rosy, or purple, flowers; six
-to eight inches.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>lutea</i>&mdash;Eight-inch clump-makers with lacy blue-green
-leaves. Yellow flowers appear in June and repeat later. Likes to
-keep cool in the shade, or have its roots under a rock. Won’t
-grow in extreme heat.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>nobilis</i>&mdash;Tuberous type, upright to eight inches, with
-leaflets both wedge-shaped and deep-toothed. It may have as many
-as twenty spurred white flowers per cluster, tipped with yellow
-and spotted with purple.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>rupestris</i>&mdash;Ferny-leaved eight-inch perennial with
-short-spurred yellow flowers. Nontuberous.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Any garden soil with drainage. Partial or light shade,
-or sun. Plant tuberous types in fall.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division, seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Borders, rock gardens, wall plantings, edging.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_266">[266]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Dianthus</b> <i>Caryophyllaceae</i> Pink</p>
-
-<p>There are some very special treasures for every garden in this big
-family of spicy-scented plants with flowers that seem to have been
-fringed with pinking shears. There are impermanent perennials that
-flower the first year like annuals, biennials like sweet William that
-often self-sow, longer lived types that tuft or spread out to make
-low flowering mounds or mats, elusive alpines for the rock-garden
-connoisseur, pixies with tiny half-inch flowers, and great garden
-carnations. Every year new hybrids make the list longer.</p>
-
-<p>Make your selection, of course, according to size, scent, growing
-habits, and the color scheme of your little garden. For the miniature
-rock garden, the rose-colored species <i>D. alpinus</i> stays under
-three inches; <i>D. neglectus</i> combines pink and buff, and there
-are many more. The Allwoodi hybrid varieties are sturdy, lasting,
-and flower freely for most of the summer. The cheddar pinks (<i>D.
-casius</i> varieties) are clumpy; the maiden pinks make mats; the
-cottage or grass pinks are tufted; sweet William (<i>D. barbatas</i>)
-is one of the clusterheads; the “annuals” (usually forms of <i>D.
-chinensis</i>) will flower early when seed is started indoors, repeat
-the performance if cut back after the first flowering, and may even
-live to bloom once more the second year.</p>
-
-<p>For the most miniature, look for these newcomers: double pink,
-three-inch ‘Pixie’; rose-red ‘Tiny Rubies’; four-inch ‘Wee Willie’
-(sweet William’s son), not reliably perennial but behaves beautifully
-as an annual; deep-red ‘Little Joe.’ One seed house offers a perennial
-‘Midget Double’ sweet William under four inches high and like a
-button-size carnation.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Warm sandy soil, not too rich. Lime, dryish, drainage.
-Full sun, cool temperature. Cut off faded flowers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division, layers, cuttings, seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Flower beds, rock gardens, edging.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Geranium</b> <i>Geraniaceae</i> Cranesbill</p>
-
-<p>This is not the popular potted plant (pelargonium) or the wild geranium
-of the Eastern woods (<i>G. maculatum</i>). These are lacy-leaved
-perennials with a delicate look but a tough constitution. Here are some
-of the smallest available types, flowering mostly in the spring but
-often repeating in spurts throughout the summer.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>farreri</i>&mdash;A little three-inch doll from China, the
-many-fingered leaves making a low nest under the astonishingly
-large, black-anthered, blush-pink-on-white flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>macrorrhizum</i>&mdash;The species is largish and makes a buxom
-six-inch bush with light sprays of pink flowers. The foliage is
-aromatic and turns beautifully bronzy in fall.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pylzowianum</i>&mdash;Eager spreader, two to three inches high,
-with finely divided leaves and rosy flowers in May and June.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_267">[267]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Gravelly soil with drainage, dryish. Sun or light shade.
-Mostly hardy.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds; root division in spring or fall.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Border and dry-wall planting.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Gypsophila</b> <i>Caryophyllaceae</i> Baby’s Breath</p>
-
-<p>Here is something for every rock garden, the beginner’s or the
-connoisseur’s. Over a soft cushion of tiny leaves the foamy flowers are
-heart-tuggingly romantic and delicate. The plants are hardy, eagerly
-branching and spreading, and veiled in bloom for most of the summer.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>cerastioides</i>&mdash;Four-inch creeper with gray-velvet
-mouse-ear leaves, sprays of white flowers with pink veins. Soil
-should be alkaline, sandy or gritty, and perfectly drained.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>muralis</i>&mdash;An unusual “annual” about six inches high, with
-narrow leaves and warm rosy flowers. Looks and grows best when
-crowded.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>repens</i>&mdash;Midget trailer with slim, silvery blue-green
-leaves and white or pinkish flowers only a few inches above
-them. Available varieties include, white-flowering alba, compact
-double pink bodgeri, and single rose-pink rosea.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Not too rich soil, dryish, with drainage. Full sun or
-light shade. Usually hardy. Don’t thin too much.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (sow where you want the plant), division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, wall plantings, pavements, ground
-cover.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Iberis</b> <i>Cruciferae</i> Perennial Candytuft</p>
-
-<p>Extremely decorative and useful evergreen with durable, fresh-looking
-foliage and clusters of sparkling white or pale-tinted flowers in
-spring. The plants spread, but not enough to be troublesome in small
-gardens.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>saxatalis</i>&mdash;Miniature even among miniatures, with two-inch
-clumps of hairy-edged leaves and flat clusters of white flowers
-in May. Needs gravelly, limy soil.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>sempervirens</i>&mdash;The better-known named varieties are
-offspring of this stalwart, nearly shrub-like perennial
-with blunt-tipped narrow leaves and flowers forming an
-umbrella-shaped cluster on six-to eight-inch stems. One plant
-can spread out to several feet across. Among the dwarfs are
-‘Autumn Snow,’ seven inches high and often blooming again in
-September; ‘Little Gem,’ compact mounds four to six inches high;
-‘Purity,’ the purest of white; and ‘Snowflake,’ a little later
-(June) and a little larger (eight inches).</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Iris</b> <i>Iridaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Basically, iris are of two types&mdash;bulbous and rhizomatous&mdash;each with
-miniature species, varieties, and hybrids. Leaves may be broad and
-flat, or slim and grass-like. Stems may bear one or several flowers,
-the earliest<span class="pagenum" id="Page_268">[268]</span> in March and the latest in June. Natural colors include
-white, yellow, and all shades of lavender and purple; hybrids widen the
-range to many other tints.</p>
-
-<p>There are many miniature species, some with several varieties, and
-also hybrids, of their own. By far the largest group is the ‘Dwarf
-Bearded Iris,’ so classified by the American Iris Society according to
-the height of the flower stalk, and further divided into two series:
-miniature dwarfs (four to ten inches) and standard dwarfs, Lilliputs
-(ten to fifteen inches). These are rhizomatous, of course, like the
-tall bearded giants of the garden, and bloom midway between the earlier
-species and the big ones.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>bakeriana</i>&mdash;Bulbous, about six inches high, with round
-leaves and early, fragrant, blue-purple flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>cristata</i>&mdash;Crested iris with rhizomes and spreading by
-stolons to make wide mats. About six inches high with one or
-two white-crested, lilac, fragrant flowers in mid-May. There is
-an all-white variety. It likes light shade or dappled shade and
-cool moisture for its roots.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>flavissima</i>&mdash;Rhizomatous, spreading by stolons to make
-open clumps under six inches high. It has narrow leaves and
-several bearded, brown-marked yellow flowers per stem when it
-blooms in April and May. It needs gritty or sandy soil, only
-slightly acid.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>histroides</i>&mdash;Bulbous, about four inches high, with
-pale-blue flowers which appear early before the leaves. Various
-colors available.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>innominata</i>&mdash;Rhizomatous West Coast dwarf with long grassy
-leaves and flowers varying between yellow and orange, and
-between lavender and purple. Blooms in May and June. Takes light
-shade and neutral, or even slightly acid, soil.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>orchioides</i>&mdash;Bulbous, with sword-shaped leaves to nine
-inches long; has several purple-blotched yellow flowers per stem.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>reticulata</i>&mdash;Bulb covered with netted membrane. Reedy
-stems about eight inches long disappearing in June. Crested
-flowers on six-inch stems with a fragrance like fresh violets.
-Gold-marked on deep purple. Blooms very early in March, even in
-snow.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tenuifolia</i>&mdash;Rhizomatous, about six inches high,
-blue-purple flowers in June.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>vartani</i>&mdash;Bulbous, flowering in late winter in mild areas,
-stemless slate-blue or violet flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>voina</i>&mdash;Native rhizomatous species which spreads by
-stolons; four to six inches tall. Has tufts of narrow leaves and
-beardless flowers which are lilac, or velvet marked yellow, on
-three-inch stems; blooms in May. Provide light shade and acid
-soil.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> For bulbous type: sandy or gritty soil with humus;
-drainage; sun, except the hottest. For dwarf bearded type: loamy
-alkaline soil, and drainage. Moist. More sun for best flowering.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_269">[269]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Bulbous: divide bulbs in summer and replant in
-summer. Rhizomatous: divide in summer.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, forcing, flower beds.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Lavandula officinalis</b> <i>Labiate</i> Lavender</p>
-
-<p>Here is one that deserves a place in every garden, and for many
-reasons: Its aromatic foliage and flowers, its nostalgic charm, and the
-pleasant sight of it against evergreen with its gray-felt leaves and
-dark-lavender flowers. It usually stops growing just under the height
-of one foot and can be clipped lower if you wish. The leaves are lacy,
-slim, and dainty, especially with their pure-white fur when young.</p>
-
-<p>Among the varieties available are the Munstead strain, dwarf, plump,
-and bearing pink flowers; ‘Hidcate Blue,’ very hardy; compacta
-(nana compacta), earlier flowering and only a few inches high; and
-atropurpurea, with dark purple flowers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Poor soil so plants will not grow too vigorously and
-winter-kill. Drainage, sun, winter protection. Dryish. Lime for maximum
-fragrance. Prune almost any time; mulch.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, division, cuttings in late fall or early
-spring on this year’s growth with heel of older wood.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Edging, rock gardens, ground cover.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Myosotis</b> <i>Boraginaceae</i> Forget-Me-Not</p>
-
-<p>Sentiment, compelling as it is, is not the only reason for having this
-delightful little plant in one’s rock garden. Small though it is, it
-has its own quiet charm in its delicate foliage and transparent cloud
-of tiny blue flowers. The intensity of color of those blooms catches
-your eye and draws you to it. You look at it and understand the reason
-for its name. Here are a few members of the family:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>scorpioides (palustris)</i>&mdash;Light, low, and sprawling;
-light-blue flowers touched with gold at the center during the
-spring. (They last much longer if you have the dwarf variety
-semperflorens.) The fact that these perennials are often
-listed as “half-hardy annuals” indicates their need for winter
-protection, but they will self-seed. (Water-lily specialists
-offer an aquatic variety that grows in bogs.)</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>sylvatica (alpestris)</i>&mdash;Self-sowing biennial (also offered
-as an annual) that has blue flowers with touches of pink,
-sometimes entirely pink. May flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Ordinary soil, cool, moist, part shade.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (flowers the second year), division of
-clumps in late summer.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, edge of pools.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_270">[270]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Nepeta hederacea (glechoma)</b> <i>Labiatae</i> Ground Ivy</p>
-
-<p>This is a ground cover, one that can get out of hand unless checked,
-but it has its uses in shady spots where other covers do not flourish.
-About the best-liked variety is variegata, which has round leaves
-neatly scalloped on the edge and embroidered with white. In the spring
-it has spires of blue flowers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Ordinary or sandy soil. Drainage, either sun or shade.
-Cut off faded flowers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, division.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Ground cover, containers, baskets, house and
-greenhouse plantings, rock gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Oenothera</b> <i>Onagraceae</i> Evening Primrose, Sundrop</p>
-
-<p>The sundrops bloom by day; the evening primroses stay open at night
-and play host to the moths of the garden. There is a miniature of
-each type for the small garden. Each has the common characteristic of
-large yellow poppy-like flowers which are short-lived but are quickly
-replaced by others for most of the summer.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>missouriensis</i>&mdash;Evening primrose from the West, six inches
-high. The leaves are long and oval, covered with ash-gray hairs.
-The nocturnal flowers, poppy-like, can measure six inches across
-and are yellow.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>perennis (pumila)</i>&mdash;sundrop&mdash;This is the daytime bloomer,
-often with one-inch blooms on a plant only three inches tall.
-The silk-hairy leaves make a lush-looking mound.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Medium sandy soil, dry, with drainage (heavy dampness is
-fatal). Lime and manure. Sun. Remove seed pods to promote more flowers.
-Plant has long taproot which must not be broken when transplanting.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, division (in early fall or spring),
-cuttings (in late summer).</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens and wall plantings.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Phlox</b> <i>Polemoniaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>There are so many varieties of this furiously spring-flowering plant,
-and all with many admirers, that the trick is to find the ones which
-appeal to you personally. You will be guided by the colors you want and
-the amount of space available. Many of them, after the blooming season,
-make lush, plushy, green foliage mats.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>amoena (procumbens)</i>&mdash;Neat, not rampant, cushions of
-two-inch oval leaves with flat clusters of fragrant pinkish, or
-purplish, flowers on six-inch stems in May and June.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>bifida</i>&mdash;sand phlox&mdash;A native of the Midwest with low,
-tufted, and slightly hairy foliage and starry blue flowers
-(early, in April and May).</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_271">[271]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>divaricata (canadensis)</i>&mdash;wild sweet William&mdash;This slow
-creeper is a little tall&mdash;about twelve inches&mdash;but may fit your
-planting scheme. It has two-inch oval leaves and clusters of
-lavender-blue flowers at daffodil time.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>douglasi</i>&mdash;alpine phlox&mdash;Three-inch Western native with
-half-inch knife-like evergreen leaves and half-inch white or
-pastel flowers (in June).</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>rigida</i>&mdash;sandhill phlox&mdash;Western alpine, similar to
-douglasi except for thinner, more sharply pointed leaves and
-white flowers blending to blue and purple. The more acid the
-soil, the deeper the colors.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>stolonifera</i>&mdash;creeping phlox&mdash;Partly or fully evergreen
-creeper with four-inch stems, oval, hairy leaves, and full
-clusters of light or dark lavender flowers in May and June.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>subulata</i>&mdash;ground moss, or mountain pink&mdash;In April and May
-the six-inch mats of evergreen leaves are almost invisible under
-the profuse cover of one-inch, fragrant flowers. They may be
-purple, purplish-pink, or white, and some varieties are red or
-blue.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Fertile soil, acid or alkaline according to the variety.
-Moist. Most are hardy, again according to the variety.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (do not always come true), cuttings in July
-and August, division of roots.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, edging, ground cover.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Primula</b> <i>Primulaceae</i> Primrose Official “Sections,” by
-common cultural requirements.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">Auricula Section. <i>P. auricula</i> and
-other European alpines and their hybrids; usually evergreen;
-flower in early spring. Stony, drained, rich loamy soil
-lightened by leaf mold and sand; will stand more sun than most,
-but not hot midday sun; likes its roots under stones; mulch with
-stone chips.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">Candelabra Section from Asia. Flowers in tiers, one whorl above
-another, open-faced; most tall with big leaves. Needs moist
-soil, part shade. Flowers in late spring and early summer.
-Disappear over winter.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">Capitatae Section from the Himalayas. Biennial here, perennial
-where snow covers all winter and on the West Coast. Flowers late
-(July). Flat rosettes of delicately toothed leaves, twelve-inch
-silver stems; flat silvery heads of slightly drooping flowers.
-Disappears over winter.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">Cortusoides Section from Asia. Woodsy-rich humusy soil.
-Decorative leaves usually soft hairy. Flowers in spring.
-Disappears over winter.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">Denticulata Section. Small group from the Himalayas. Easy
-perennial. Be careful about dampness in winter. Among the
-earliest to flower in spring.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">Farinosae Section. Huge group from many lands. Moisture,
-drainage, part shade. Stand more sun if moist. Small bud,
-usually white at surface, shows in winter.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_272">[272]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">Nivalis Section from Asia. Biennial here. Long narrow leaves.
-Flowers in tiers closer than candelabra and more drooping.
-Cool, rich, moist soil, part shade. Flowers in early spring;
-disappears in winter.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">Sikkimensis Section from Asia. Belled primulas, with hanging
-heads of bell-shaped flowers. Biennial here; perennial in both
-colder and warmer climates. Most tall with heads of fragrant
-flowers held well above large toothed leaves. Flowers in late
-spring; disappears in winter.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">Vernales Section includes all the easiest-to-grow and best-known
-primulas. Requires part shade, rich soil, moisture; should
-never be completely dry. Evergreen. Includes: <i>P. vulgaris
-(acaulis)</i>, single flower per stem; <i>P. polyantha</i>
-with many varieties, and stalked umbrella of flowers above the
-leaves; <i>P. juliae</i> hybrids. Among <i>P. polyantha</i>
-there are some dwarf hybrids (not miniature).</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Some shade for hottest part of the day. Woodsy soil rich
-in humus, neutral or slightly acid. Mulch with manure if possible,
-around and between plants; don’t cover crown. Keep moist. Provide
-winter protection of salt hay, evergreen boughs, or excelsior, which
-results in gradual thawing of the ground around the plants in spring,
-and also prevents premature blooming during unseasonably warm winter
-days. Fertilize in spring, and in summer for next year’s flowers. No
-nitrogen in summer fertilizer. Watch plants for signs of slugs and red
-spider. Divide when plants get too crowded, preferably after flowering.
-Hearty seeders.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds when ripe (others must be frozen first and
-thawed), division after flowering.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Carpet under shrubs and under early-flowering
-trees. Naturalize by streams and beside pools. Wall planting, rock
-gardens, borders, wild gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Saxifraga</b> <i>Saxifragaceae</i> Rockfoil</p>
-
-<p>There are so many species and hybrids of this popular plant it is
-difficult to know all of them. Generally, they are characterized by
-flattish clusters of leaves around the crown, and airy sprays of
-flowers on top of taller stems. But from this point the variations take
-many forms and sizes. The leaves may be the size of a nickel or five
-times that size; flowers may be minute, or large and open-faced; there
-may be creeping stems or runners, or not.</p>
-
-<p>For most gardeners it is not necessary to know how botanists classify
-these plants. If you plan to delve deeply into rock gardening there are
-a number of excellent books on rock plants, some of which are listed in
-the appendix.</p>
-
-<p>Following are a few of the better-known, and easier grown, saxifraga,
-including several that have a place in flower borders and other garden
-spots.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_273">[273]</span></p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>aizoon</i>&mdash;Arctic native with rosettes of evergreen, stiff,
-gray-blue leaves edged with a thin “crust” of limy deposit, and
-purple-spotted white flowers on tall stems (in May or June).
-There are a number of varieties, including yellow-flowering
-lutea, pink rosea, and tiny baldensis with leaf clusters only a
-quarter-inch across. (Drainage, moist, with northwest exposure.
-Shade from noon sun; provide limy soil with leaf mold.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>cuscutaeformis</i>&mdash;Thick, hairy, roundish leaves tinged with
-copper and marked with a network of white veins; spreads by
-reddish runners that produce new plants at their tips.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>decipiens rosacea</i>&mdash;Mossy mats of finely cut leaves and
-large cupped white flowers on six-inch stems (in May and June).
-Drainage; gritty sandy soil with leaf mold and humus. Moist,
-shade from sun. Also pink-and red-flowering varieties.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>sarmentosa</i>&mdash;strawberry begonia&mdash;Favorite pot and basket
-plant, hardy in nearly every garden. Spreads by strawberry-like
-runners with plantlets at the ends. Makes mats of round,
-white-veined leaves and tall airy sprays of white or purplish
-flowers in June. Requires shade, and moist acid soil.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>umbrosa</i>&mdash;London pride&mdash;Makes a carpet of three-inch-high
-rosettes of leathery leaves; spires of pink flowers in early
-summer. Needs moist, rich soil and shade or semishade. The
-small-scale variety primuloides is daintier.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>virginiensis</i>&mdash;Slender, oval three-inch leaves in flat
-clusters, green tinged, but bronze in the fall; small white
-flowers on ten-inch stems in May. Native of our Northeast. Nice
-in wild gardens.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil varies with the species (lime for the encrusted
-ones, which also tolerate more sun). Semishade, moist, but perfect
-drainage. A hot dry climate is bad for the alpines. Mossy varieties
-need heavier shade, richer soil, and are best moist.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Divisions of sets, cuttings, seeds (most
-varieties).</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Baskets, pots, dry-wall planting, containers,
-borders.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Silene</b> <i>Caryophyllaceae</i> Campion, Catchfly</p>
-
-<p>The perennials of this genus include some of our most colorful native
-plants (the flaming fire pink <i>S. virginica</i>, for example), all
-related to the garden pinks but each one having its own characteristics.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>acaulis</i>&mdash;cushion pink, moss campion&mdash;Dainty two-inch
-mossy tufts of needle-like leaves slowly increasing to clumps
-and having half-inch purple-red flowers all summer. (Provide
-gritty, limed soil.)</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>caroliniana (pennsylvanica)</i>&mdash;wild pink&mdash;Sticky-fuzzy
-plant with slim four-inch evergreen leaves and pink flowers on
-six-inch stems (April-June). Native to Northeastern woods. Good
-in rocky spots. Has deep taproot so handle with care. Dig deep
-when dormant.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_274">[274]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>maritima</i>&mdash;Sea campion&mdash;Slim, gray-blue leaves on trailing
-stems, making a mat four inches high with clusters of white
-flowers in June.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>saxifraga</i>&mdash;Tufts of knife-shaped leaves under summer
-flowers which are white inside, tinted green or red outside, on
-six-inch stems.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>schafta</i>&mdash;moss campion&mdash;Spreading mounds of silky-hairy
-leaves covered in August with rose or purple flowers on six-inch
-stems.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Good soil, gritty for some varieties with lime for some.
-Top-dress yearly with mixture of soil and cow manure. Drainage.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, division, cuttings (of young growth).</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock planting, borders, walls, wild gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Thymus</b> <i>Labiatae</i> Thyme</p>
-
-<p>These are actually tiny shrubs with tangling, woody stems and masses
-of little leaves that are evergreen in all but the coldest and most
-exposed locations. Some creep flatly; some make three-inch mounds.
-You can choose from varying fragrances, leaf textures and colors, and
-colors of early summer flowers. In fact, there is a much wider variety
-available than most gardeners realize.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>herba-barona</i>&mdash;caraway thyme&mdash;Ground-hugging creeper
-with fresh green caraway-scented leaves, and tight clusters
-of rose-purple flowers. It does not seed and is propagated by
-division of roots. Hardy.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>lanicaulis</i>&mdash;Four-inch carpet with half-inch leaves slim
-as needles at the base and broadening higher on the short stems.
-Stems feature a woolly coat of hairs as long as they are thick.
-Tight clover-like flowers are rosy pink.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>nitidus</i>&mdash;French thyme&mdash;Six-to eight-inch shrub with
-shiny, oval, gray-green leaves, and lavender flowers. Older
-clumps resent being disturbed, so start young plants from
-cuttings.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>serpyllum</i>&mdash;mother-of-thyme, creeping thyme&mdash;Perennially
-popular stem-rooting creeper, less than four inches high with
-half-inch oval green leaves and purple flowers loved by bees.
-There are many varieties: white-flowered albus, silver-marked
-argenteus, gold variegated aureus, larger, red-flowering
-coccineus, bright-pink roseus, robust, romping, red-flowering
-splendens. Almost in a class by themselves&mdash;and often
-listed as separate species&mdash;are lanuguinosus, woolly thyme
-(completely covered with silvery fuzz), and the variety vulgaris
-(citriodorus), lemon thyme with citrus-scented leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>vulgaris</i>&mdash;common thyme&mdash;Kitchen herb, spreads by
-underground stems. The erect stalks are covered with fine white
-hair and set with half-inch oval leaves; there are deep-lilac
-flowers in May and June. It spreads so fast it has been accused
-of being a weed.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Ordinary soil, or rich and sandy loam (gritty for some
-plants). Drainage. Fairly sunny. Protect lightly where winters are
-severe.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division, layers in spring, cuttings in early
-summer, seeds (not all varieties have seed, and seeds do not always
-come true).</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_275">[275]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Pavements (plants not damaged), border planting,
-herb gardens, ground cover, edging, dry-wall planting, cover for bulbs.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Veronica</b> <i>Scrophulariaceae</i> Speedwell</p>
-
-<p>Most of the smaller veronicas are matmakers; some are clumpy, and a few
-are even woody or shrub-like. Also there is a fairly wide variation in
-the foliage. But the flowers are always arranged in spires; a few are
-white, purple, or pinkish, but mainly there is a wide choice of true
-blues from baby blue to royal blue. Here are a few varieties:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>allioni</i>&mdash;Carpet of little leathery leaves, violet flowers
-in July.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>armena</i>&mdash;Ferny, furry tufts of finely cut leaves on
-trailing stems, five-inch spikes of vivid blue flowers (from May
-to July). Provide drainage, filtered sun, or half shade.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>filiformis</i>&mdash;An idiosyncratic creeper that delights some
-gardeners and drives others crazy. It has been described as
-“pernicious” and a weed. Actually it’s rather pretty, with small
-rounded leaves and galaxies of starry-blue flowers in late
-spring. Grows in either sun or light shade.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>fruticans (saxatilis)</i>&mdash;Woody stems tightly clothed in
-dark evergreen leaves making a shrubby plant under six inches.
-In June and July sapphire flowers open their eyes with pinkish
-lids.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>fruticulosa</i>&mdash;Shrubby and semi-evergreen, about four
-inches high with half-inch leaves and pinkish-blue flowers in
-June.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>gentianoides</i>&mdash;This species has clusters of gleaming
-leaves close to the ground. And in June the flowers are very
-large, a luscious Wedgwood blue. But there are alarming reports
-that it has topped twenty inches in height. To play safe, try
-the miniature version nana, which has the same characteristics
-but is much less than half that high.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>repens</i>&mdash;This is a precious pet, a massy creeper with
-tiny teardrop leaves. It sparkles in May or June with baby-blue
-flowers. It is all of two inches tall at maturity.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>spicata nana</i>&mdash;The midget reproduction of the better-known
-species, slowly swelling to low, leafy clumps and topped
-with three-inch spikes of blue-purple flowers in July. A
-white-flowering form has smaller leaves but taller flower stems.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Any good soil. Moist but with drainage. Sun or light
-shade depending on the variety (see notations in plant descriptions).
-Cut back faded flowers. Trailers start best if plants were grown in
-pots. Divide occasionally.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds in spring, division in fall or spring,
-cuttings early in the summer.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, ground cover, dry-wall planting,
-pavements, steps, stepping stones.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_276">[276]</span></p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Viola</b> <i>Violaceae</i> Viola, Violet</p>
-
-<p>Thanks to the viola, gardens of all sorts are richer and more pleasant
-places in which to work, visit, or spend a pleasant afternoon. Here are
-some of the viola’s gifts to gardening:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>cornuta</i>&mdash;Tufted pansies.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>odorata</i>&mdash;sweet violets&mdash;Fragrant violets, once strictly a
-specialty of florist shops but now widely grown in home gardens.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>rosina</i>&mdash;Pink flowers with intense fragrance.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>semperflorens</i>&mdash;Mats of fresh green leaves with purple
-flowers that last much of the summer.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tricolor</i>&mdash;Commonly known as Johnny-jump-up, an
-all-summer-long bloomer with small purple and gold flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tricolor hortensis</i>&mdash;Pansies which grow in many colors and
-color combinations.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Rich garden soil, partial shade, moisture, light winter
-protection.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (sown in flats and exposed to freezing
-weather over winter for spring germination), division, layering of
-runners of those varieties that produce them.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Cut flowers, beds, edging, rock gardens.</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_277">[277]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 16</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE ANNUALS</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>Even if every inch of our gardens were permanently planted, I’d
-probably still start some annuals every spring. In those depressing,
-letdown weeks of January after the holidays nothing brightens my life
-like leafing through the new seed catalogues. In the dark days of March
-when late-winter blusters snarl at spring and threaten to hold it off
-forever, my perky indoor seedlings tell me that it is just around a
-bend in the road. My traditional birthday treat, in early June, is a
-day all my own when I get my favorite flower beds ready for the summer.
-I absolutely refuse to fry an egg, wash a dish, or lift a dustcloth.
-Before dark on that wonderful day I see that every seedling is planted
-in moist warm soil.</p>
-
-<p>Actually, I can’t imagine our grounds being so completely planted
-that there isn’t a place for at least a few annuals&mdash;no bare spots in
-the perennial border, no shrub or tree around which to set flowering
-clumps, no window boxes or planters in need of decoration. And if ever
-there is a spring when I don’t ask my husband to spade up “just one
-more spot” for a few more annuals, I’ll eat my garden gloves finger by
-finger.</p>
-
-<p>Because they cost so little, and because they last only one season,
-you can plant annuals with careless abandon. You can experiment with
-bizarre color schemes. If they don’t work out, try something different
-next year. If you are saving a special spot for a special shrub or
-bush, and you feel it is too expensive for the moment, or you can’t
-find a specimen that is exactly what you want, let annuals fill in
-until you have that particular plant. If you are creating a new garden
-and are not quite sure of the design, test it with annuals before you
-make it permanent.</p>
-
-<p>As with the miniature perennials, the annuals included here have been
-selected not only because they are small, but also because<span class="pagenum" id="Page_278">[278]</span> they are
-in suitably modest scale for use in miniature gardens of many sorts.
-Descriptions of the varieties should be helpful in selecting the truly
-miniature annuals at local nurseries and garden centers. Seeds are
-available from various mail-order suppliers listed in the Appendix.</p>
-
-<p>Like all other garden plants, miniature annuals should be selected
-according to such cultural conditions as the amount of moisture and
-sunlight and the type of soil. If these requirements are not clearly
-stated on the seed packets or in the seed catalogue from which you
-ordered, check for details in a good reference book rather than risk
-disappointing failure.</p>
-
-
-<h3>GROWING ANNUALS FROM SEED</h3>
-
-<p>When and where you sow seeds of annuals depends on whether the
-particular varieties grow best in coolness or warmth, and how long the
-growing season has to be for maturity and flowering. This is the basis
-of catalogue listings that classify annuals as hardy, half-hardy, or
-tender. Hardy annuals germinate best when air and soil are cool and
-make their best growth before hot weather sets in. Seeds are sometimes
-sown out of doors in autumn to germinate in early spring, or they may
-be sown in the garden the moment the frost is out of the ground.</p>
-
-<p>Half-hardy seeds are planted outdoors where the plants are to grow,
-or you can give them a head start either indoors or in a hotbed or a
-cold frame. Plant about six weeks before the time to set them outdoors.
-Tender perennials grown in cold areas as annuals follow the same
-schedule.</p>
-
-<p>Seeds of tender annuals should not be planted outdoors until all danger
-of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up considerably. But many
-tender varieties, like petunias, are slow-growing and need plenty of
-time to reach flowering size. These should be started indoors no later
-than March.</p>
-
-<p>Unless you have a greenhouse or hotbed, it’s risky to start seeds
-too early indoors. Poor light and high temperatures will cause the
-seedlings to grow limp and leggy and often to topple over toward the
-source of the light. At transplanting time they may be so weak they
-will be slow getting established; thus, little time is saved after all.</p>
-
-<p>But you can save several weeks by starting seeds early in a sunny
-window (just not too early), and you can start them even earlier<span class="pagenum" id="Page_279">[279]</span> in
-a cool greenhouse, a hotbed, or a cold frame. When we lived on Long
-Island we rigged up a workable substitute outside a cellar window by
-using discarded storm windows. In fact, since it had a brick foundation
-that reached below the frost line and had a heating coil in the soil,
-we grew many cool greenhouse plants in it during the winter. The open
-cellar window provided enough heat for flats of annual seedlings we
-propagated in it in the spring. Once these seedlings were transplanted
-to the garden, we dismantled our temporary greenhouse, filled the
-spot with topsoil, and made a flower bed. I’ve seen several small
-greenhouses like the one we improvised on sale commercially, one, of
-metal and glass, selling for less than ten dollars.</p>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p54" style="max-width: 550px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p54.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Improvised greenhouse costing $00.00 which saved author,
-shown in photograph, at least a hundred dollars per annum in the cost
-of annuals</p>
-  </div>
-
-  <div class="figcenter" id="p55" style="max-width: 650px">
-     <img
-    class="p2"
-    src="images/p55.jpg"
-     alt="" />
-     <p class="p0 center sm">Greenhouse construction diagram</p>
-  </div>
-
-<p>Indoors or out, seeds germinate best in clean, sifted soil that is
-light and porous and drains perfectly. Add organic matter such as
-peat or humus to help hold moisture, and sand to aerate and insure<span class="pagenum" id="Page_281">[281]</span>
-drainage. If possible, sterilize the soil with heat or one of the
-special fungicides, to prevent “damp-off.” Plant seeds only to the
-depth of their diameter, and don’t cover dust-fine seeds at all.
-Keep the soil moist during the germination period and for some weeks
-afterward.</p>
-
-<p>For several years we’ve transplanted seedlings directly into peat pots
-as soon as they have their first few leaves. This is a tedious job, but
-how it saves backache and heartache later. Indoors you can transplant
-while seated comfortably at a table or bench, and while listening to
-soft music on the radio. When the seedlings have flourished in the peat
-pots and it is time to put them outdoors, there is much less time spent
-bent double on one’s knees. And since the roots aren’t disturbed, the
-plants seldom suffer from transplanting shock and seldom fail to thrive.</p>
-
-<p>Plants grown indoors should be hardened before they’re put out of doors
-for good. Every day expose them to fresh outdoor air for an increasing
-length of time, until they are accustomed to the cooler temperatures,
-particularly at night.</p>
-
-
-<h3>SUMMER CARE</h3>
-
-<p>Annuals take the same kind of care you give perennials, except
-that most of them require less of it. Few need, or even thrive in,
-especially fertile soil. Fertilize lightly, if at all. Many annuals get
-along with less moisture and mulching than perennials. And of course,
-none need be prepared for winter. During their one big season, simply
-pinch or prune those that grow straggly, and remove fading flowers
-before they set seeds. That usually prolongs the blooming season. After
-frost strikes, burn the dead tops, which helps control the spread of
-insects and disease.</p>
-
-<p>As you study miniatures you will realize how many of the old regular
-annuals of the garden, plants that usually top two or three feet,
-can also be had in five-to eight-inch sizes. You have but to look
-through your seed catalogues. The tiny ones are usually listed at the
-end of each category, though in the affections of miniature-lovers
-they should come first and take precedence over the “new giant-size,”
-“bigger-than-ever” varieties.</p>
-
-<p>In searching for miniatures I’ve culled through my large collection
-of catalogues from Burpee to Vaughn and have compiled a list of small
-annuals I have either grown, or expect to grow the coming season. Not
-all of them are compact versions of their larger relatives.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_282">[282]</span> Many by
-nature are on the diminutive side. So many of them are old friends,
-let’s call them by their first names&mdash;the ones by which they are listed
-in most seed booklets. The plants I have in mind are mostly eight
-inches in height or less, though some of the longer-stemmed charmers
-may slip in simply because they are too lovely to be left out. We’ll
-give colors for those who have color schemes in mind for their gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Ageratum</b></p>
-
-<p>This annual, a great garden favorite, is also known as the floss
-flower. In general it is a profuse bloomer that is fine for borders,
-edgings, rock gardens, small flower beds, and even as a house plant.
-It comes in several colors but usually in the same sizes, two to six
-inches.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Blue Ball’&mdash;This name is especially descriptive. The plants
-shape up as round as a ball and then cover themselves with
-dark-blue flowers. Who can expect more of one so small?</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Blue Mink’&mdash;My friends who write seed catalogues, and so see
-many beautiful plants, rave about this one as being true blue,
-the real ageratum color. Its blooms, pretty as they are, grow
-surprisingly large for a bush so small.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Imperial White Dwarf’&mdash;For its contrast I love this one, a
-pattern of white surrounded by the blues, pinks, and reds of
-other annuals.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Midget Blue’&mdash;This is my real pet, a really tiny one of uniform
-shape, never over three inches tall and with the most delicate
-blue ageratum flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Alyssum (Sweet)</b></p>
-
-<p>This is just about the nicest thing that can happen to your garden
-be it annual, miniature, or otherwise. Although some members of this
-family may reach twelve inches, most of them run from three to five
-inches.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Carpet of Snow’&mdash;Much like ‘Royal Carpet’ for spreading, but
-has white flowers instead of purple.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Little Gem’&mdash;This one is about six inches tall, but atones for
-its height by being a more profuse bloomer, with small white
-flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Pink Heather’&mdash;The blooms open in a delicate pink and slowly
-darken. It has vigor and scent, and seems to want to bloom
-constantly.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Rosie O’Day’&mdash;The pride and joy of the family, and the winner
-of an award comparable to being chosen Miss America. The blooms
-are a deep pink, even more so when the weather is a bit cool. It
-is quick to bloom, easy to grow, and nicely fragrant.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Royal Carpet’&mdash;This one is only about two inches high. With
-its purple flowers it fills in vacant spots most beautifully. A
-single plant may spread out ten inches.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_283">[283]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Violet King’&mdash;Somewhat shorter than ‘Violet Queen,’ but has a
-deeper color and more compact shape.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Violet Queen’&mdash;Averages about five inches, and is as its name
-says a rich violet color. Delightfully scented, it is wonderful
-for edging, borders, and flower beds.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p>Alyssum has long been one of my garden favorites, whether for a ground
-cover, for rock gardens, as an edging for walks and beds, or just for
-its own sweet alyssum self.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Balsam</b></p>
-
-<p>In my concept of miniature plants I had always thought of balsam as a
-towering giant of at least two feet or more. Then one night while going
-through seed catalogues I discovered an entire column listing ‘Tom
-Thumb Double Flowered Dwarf,’ ‘Tom Thumb Purple,’ ‘Tom Thumb Scarlet,’
-‘Tom Thumb Shell Pink,’ ‘Tom Thumb Pure White,’ ‘Tom Thumb Rose.’</p>
-
-<p>According to growing directions, Balsam likes a rich soil, well-drained
-but slightly moist, and full sun.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Coreopsis</b></p>
-
-<p>It was love at first sight when I saw a clump of this delightful
-annual. I was even more delighted to learn that the plant can be grown
-as a miniature. In the smaller form the cute little fellows spread out
-into low mounds of six or eight inches and cover themselves with blooms
-that last all summer. As an edging, for rock gardens, and as a cover
-for otherwise bare spots, they are truly charming.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Golden Ray’&mdash;Yellow with crimson touches.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Petite Purple’&mdash;Rich purple covering the small mounds.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Tiger Star’&mdash;Rich-crimson-striped and splashed with yellow.
-Plants stay at about six to eight inches and become mounds of
-color.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cornflowers</b></p>
-
-<p>Here is another of the taller plants which fortunately has some small
-relatives. There are:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Jubilee Gem’&mdash;Has a vivid blue flower on a compact bush.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Lilac Lady’&mdash;Purplish blooms on a neat bush.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Little Snow Man’&mdash;Pure-white blooms.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Rose Gem’&mdash;Red blooms, double.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p>Most of these plants will stay under eight inches. They are ideal for
-rock gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Marigolds</b></p>
-
-<p>Marigolds are very well represented in the gallery of miniatures.
-Loving the large ones as I do, I love the tiny ones even more. In one
-of my favorite catalogues I find an entire group with “Petite” as a
-first name:</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_284">[284]</span></p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Petite Gold’&mdash;About seven inches tall and golden yellow.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Petite Harmony’&mdash;Mahogany in tone, with a gold crest.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Petite Orange’&mdash;About the same size, only tending to be more
-orange in color.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Petite Yellow’&mdash;Another variation on the popular marigold
-color. In another catalogue I find the small ones called
-“Pygmies”; all of them are just a little short of nine inches in
-height.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Fireglow’&mdash;Mahogany-scarlet with gold centers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Helen Chapman’&mdash;Rich gold in color with flecks of red.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Primrose Pygmy’&mdash;Primrose-yellow flowers with a red base.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Yellow Pygmy’&mdash;Lemon-yellow pompon-type flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p>There are other miniature marigolds, from the double dwarf French part
-of the family, within my idea of how small a small one should be.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Brownie Scout’&mdash;Golden little flowers with a base flecked with
-red.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Butterball’&mdash;Canary-yellow blooms and plenty of them until
-frost time.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Fireball’&mdash;A few inches taller than some varieties, but with
-flame-like markings flashing up through the otherwise orange
-petals.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Gold Laced’&mdash;Basically mahogany in color but with each petal
-edged in gold.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Rusty Red’&mdash;The brightest of red, extra-large flowers for a
-small plant.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Nasturtiums</b></p>
-
-<p>I love this plant so much I hate to leave it out of my listing even
-though it might be a few inches taller than my other miniatures. I
-always am careful to plant it toward the rear of flower beds where it
-will not overpower the smaller plants. There are several dwarfs, but
-the one I know best is ‘Cherry Rose.’</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Nemophila</b></p>
-
-<p>This is a very beautiful little dwarf, each plant spreading out into
-a shapely clump, and covering itself with pretty cup-shaped blossoms.
-When sown in the spring it blooms all summer. When sown in the autumn
-it is an early spring-bloomer. It is at its best when used in a
-semishaded spot for a ground cover, for a border, or in a rock garden.
-Its more usual name is baby blue eyes.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Insignis Blue’&mdash;The best-known variety; covers itself with
-lovely, cup-shaped, sky-blue flowers with white centers.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Petunias</b></p>
-
-<p>Petunias, being favorite annuals, belong in just about every garden,
-but it is difficult to find the small ones for the miniature garden.
-But they are available despite the fact that most hybridizers try to
-develop a larger and larger plant. Here is a list of smaller ones; few
-of them are taller than eight inches.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_285">[285]</span></p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Blue Star’&mdash;Velvety blue with a sharp white star.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Bright Eyes’&mdash;Rosy-pink blooms with white throats.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Heavenly Blue’&mdash;Light sky-blue, a heavenly color.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Igloo’&mdash;Compact and pure white.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Rosy Morn’&mdash;Brilliant rose with white throat.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Salmon Gem’&mdash;Bright salmon color.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Twinkles’&mdash;Brilliant rose-starred white.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Phlox</b></p>
-
-<p>This is another garden favorite that may give you problems when you
-try to find seed for the small ones. Again, the tall varieties are
-being developed, but concessions have been made to those who like the
-diminutive. I find five varieties listed as the ‘New Dwarf Compact.’</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Cinnabar Red’&mdash;Scarlet vermilion.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Fireball’&mdash;Rich fiery crimson scarlet.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Isabellina’&mdash;Primrose yellow.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Pink’&mdash;Bright chamois-pink.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Snowball’&mdash;Flowers of purest white.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p>Another source lists:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Dwarf Globe’&mdash;A plump-shaped plant with flowers of various
-colors.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>nana compacta</i>&mdash;Not six inches high and a constant bloomer
-with large radiant flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Twinkle’&mdash;Various colors with fluted, fringed petals.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Portulaca</b></p>
-
-<p>Seemingly this is an insignificant little plant, though I don’t know
-how one so charming could be classified as such. I had never raised it
-until the editor of one of my favorite magazines asked me to make some
-photographs of it. Of course, I had to grow it first. I planted a bed
-and waited for results. They were not long in coming. Plants barely out
-of the ground started blooming a few days later, and started spreading
-about the same time. The blooms, when single, were cup-shaped; the
-doubles looked like roses. The plants had a sunny exposure, a sandy
-soil, not much nutriment, and an inordinate attraction for our dogs
-(like catnip for cats). One day I took a photograph of my husband’s
-Labrador-retriever pup looking over a short picket fence at my
-portulaca. I promptly put in a higher fence, but the puppy grew
-faster than the fence. Eventually, I got my photographs, but it was a
-dog-gone struggle. If you do not have dogs, or if your dogs are not
-portulaca-minded, I offer you a listing of a few varieties.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Alba’&mdash;Pure white.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Aurea’&mdash;Lovely yellow.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Coccinea’&mdash;Scarlet.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_286">[286]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Red Foundling’&mdash;A little larger than some of the others, but
-semidouble, carmine-red, and most lovely.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Rosea’&mdash;Rose.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Salmon’&mdash;Salmon-colored and delightful.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Snapdragons</b></p>
-
-<p>I didn’t think it possible that the lovely tall snapdragons, the ones
-that are waist high or taller, could be reduced to a mere six or eight
-inches. But it is possible. I offer two varieties in substantiation.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Miniature Magic Carpet’&mdash;Four to six inches. Colors are mixed
-and very dainty. As a carpet plant it is a creeper when given a
-chance.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Tom Thumb’&mdash;A plant that varies from six to eight inches tall,
-very free-flowering, good for window boxes, rock gardens, porch
-boxes, and flower pots for the window. Colors are in all of the
-brilliant shades.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Sweet Peas</b></p>
-
-<p>One seed company came right to the point when listing the small
-varieties of sweet peas, calling them ‘Little Sweethearts,’ which they
-are. Eight varieties were listed in one booklet.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Boy Blue’&mdash;Clear mid-blue and delightful.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Caprice’&mdash;Red-maroon.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Coquette’&mdash;A rose-red variety.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Heidi’&mdash;Another red bloomer.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p>Those are varieties we have grown. Others which I hope to meet are
-‘Fantasy-Face,’ ‘Pollyanna,’ ‘Sinbad,’ and ‘Snow-White.’</p>
-
-<p>Another source lists ‘Cupid,’ ‘Little Sweetheart,’ and ‘Color Carpet.’
-These three are bushy, not viny, make six-inch mounds of small-scale
-pea-type leaves, are slightly fragrant, and are usually sold in
-mixtures of colors.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Verbena</b></p>
-
-<p>Actually this is a perennial, but it is usually grown as an annual. It
-is rampant both as a bloomer and as a creeper. The flowers are tubular
-with flat heads and show up in many colors&mdash;pink, lavender, scarlet,
-white. Our sources list <i>Verbena bipinnatifida</i>, the most hardy;
-and <i>V. hortensis</i>, many colors with white eyes, and a low compact
-shape. Another, ‘Dwarf Compact’ is white.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Zinnias</b></p>
-
-<p>In running down my alphabet of annuals, from alyssum to zinnias, I find
-it a bit difficult to fit the latter into what I consider the miniature
-category, eight inches or thereabout. But zinnias are so effective in
-a garden I’ll forgive them if they are a few inches above eight. I’ll
-plant them in the back rows of my beds and pinch out the tops if they
-get too<span class="pagenum" id="Page_287">[287]</span> rambunctious. In the Lilliput class, those delightful little
-plants which cover themselves with the pompon type of bloom, I offer
-the following list.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Canary Yellow’&mdash;Clear yellow.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Peach Blossom’&mdash;Soft light pink.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Rose Gem’&mdash;Deep clear rose pink.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Scarlet Gem’&mdash;Bright fiery scarlet.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘White Gem’&mdash;Pearl-like white.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p>Sorry I can’t offer more varieties, but all growers seem to be devoted
-to growing giants in the zinnia class. I happen to love the little
-ones, those cute pompons that look so charming in the buttonhole of a
-man’s jacket.</p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_288">[288]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="small"><i>CHAPTER 17</i><br />
-<span class="subhed">MINIATURE GARDEN BULBS</span></h2></div>
-
-<p>Ring-around-a-rosying at the foot of a gray birch, twenty
-dazzling-white spring snowflakes nodding at the turn of a path, a
-company of bright-eyed kaufmanniana tulips; perching lightly in a
-rocky crevice, a flock of tiny canary daffodils that seem ready to
-wing away.... There’s something about the miniature bulbs that’s more
-fauna than flora, more fairy tale than real. Each one has its own elfin
-character and a happy-go-lucky way of stamping your garden “personally
-yours.”</p>
-
-<p>In the rock garden, at the edge of a border, with evergreen ground
-covers, clustered wherever there’s a stone or stump to back them up,
-used by the hundreds as drifts in the lawn, miniature bulbs more
-than anything else give you that spring feeling. Potted and forced
-into flower indoors, they’re winsome window-garden items, delicate
-decorations for coffee table or what-not, delightful dish-garden
-inhabitants. They’re indispensable for sink gardens, precious in the
-small greenhouse.</p>
-
-<p>Perhaps part of their charm lies in their unfamiliarity. So few are
-well known and widely grown. So many more are easy to find, easy to
-grow, and especially easy to pay for. And they’re such beguiling
-plants, I don’t see how any garden could be without them, miniature or
-not.</p>
-
-<p>All of the bulbs included here hold their flowers no more than six
-inches high. They’re not small versions of better-known, larger
-plants, but mostly completely different, with their own individual
-characteristics&mdash;and with bulbs, foliage, and flowers in miniature
-proportions. The word <i>bulb</i> is used in its generalized sense, and
-includes true bulbs, corms, and tubers. To be botanically accurate,
-a few plants such as tuberous-rooted dahlias, rhizomatous iris, and
-bulbous erythroniums should also be included; but to be consistent<span class="pagenum" id="Page_289">[289]</span> in
-such matters as culture and decorative use, they’re grouped with plants
-that grow similarly, in the chapters on annuals, perennials, and wild
-flowers.</p>
-
-<p>Some of these miniature bulbs are available from nurseries and other
-local suppliers. But the majority, and particularly the most unusual,
-are offered by mail by bulb importers and specialist growers. Reading
-some of the catalogues is like taking a quick trip to exotic parts of
-the world. And for me, ordering no more than I can find time to plant
-and care for is a severe exercise in self-restraint. There are always
-a few more that would look well in some special spot, others that are
-intriguing simply because I’ve never grown or seen them.</p>
-
-<p>Most bulb catalogues give specific cultural recommendations that are
-helpful in selecting varieties that will adapt to your climate, and to
-the sun, soil, and moisture in the spot where you want to plant them.
-In general, bulbs are either hardy or not; they will survive a deep
-winter freeze, or they must be lifted and stored before the ground
-freezes at all. There are some natural borderline exceptions, like many
-fascinating varieties native to the West that are not so touchy about
-cold as they are about other climatic and cultural conditions.</p>
-
-
-<h3>GROWING MINIATURE BULBS OUTDOORS</h3>
-
-<p>Tender, summer-flowering bulbs are planted in late spring, when soil
-is warm and danger of severe frost has passed. Hardy bulbs are usually
-planted in late summer and early fall, when foilage has ripened and
-died back and the plants are in deepest dormancy. This includes
-fall-flowering types like the colchicums. The earlier bulbs can be
-planted, the stronger the root systems they can develop before winter,
-and the stronger their flowering during the first season.</p>
-
-<p>Make sure the selected site has perfect drainage. Bulbs rot quickly
-when water stands around their roots. Dig generously, to about eight
-inches deep; enrich the soil with organic matter such as leaf mold or
-compost; increase aeration and drainage in sticky, clay-like soils with
-sharp sand; add a light sprinkling of bone meal or superphosphate, if
-fertility is low. Since few bulbs like very acid soil, lime is a “must”
-except where the soil tests so extremely alkaline that the addition of
-organic matter does not make it acid.</p>
-
-<p>An average measure for depth of planting is twice the diameter of the
-bulb in cooler climates, an inch or so deeper in areas like<span class="pagenum" id="Page_290">[290]</span> southern
-Virginia to provide protection against summer heat. For quick effect,
-plant about a dozen bulbs in a group; six bulbs more widely spaced will
-usually increase and give the same effect in several years.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Watering</i></p>
-
-<p>Most bulbs need moisture before, during, and after flowering, when
-foliage is green and growing or ripening. They’re better off on the dry
-side during dormancy. This is a perfect setup for most hardy types,
-because they need the least watering in summer, when droughts are most
-common. But it does increase the urgency for perfect drainage for some
-of the Western species that can’t bear moisture in winter.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Fertilizing</i></p>
-
-<p>Except for an early-spring top-dressing of leaf-mold compost, we seldom
-feed our little bulbs. Occasionally, some healthy specimens may get
-a puny, undernourished look that calls for sprinkling bone meal or
-superphosphate over the soil and scratching it in. Or we may water with
-manure “tea” during or after flowering time.</p>
-
-<p>If soil is properly prepared at planting time, supplemental feeding
-should not be necessary for most types for several years. By that time
-some bulbs have multiplied so enthusiastically they should be lifted,
-separated, and reset in freshly mixed soil.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Problems and Pests</i></p>
-
-<p>If you plant bulbs where they don’t stand in soggy mud or water, you’ll
-have little loss from rot. But if you’re in a suburban or rural area
-inhabited by cute chipmunks, squirrels, or mice, you won’t want to
-plant juicy morsels such as tulips, crocus, and eranthis just to feed
-the animals. I’ve never had the time or patience to plant bulbs in wire
-cages. Poison baits can be dangerous when you have children or pets. An
-effective safety measure is to put the bait inside a clean milk bottle
-and cover it with a heap of straw or leaves, with evergreen branches to
-hold the heap in place.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><i>Winter Protection</i></p>
-
-<p>Because the root systems may not be completely matured, newly planted
-bulbs should be mulched with a light, airy covering of something like
-salt hay during their first winter. After that, the necessity for
-protection varies with hardiness and with climate. Sometimes these
-mulches hold in more moisture than is good for bulbs. If alternate
-freezing and thawing should heave the shallow roots up through cracks
-in the soil, press them back gently but firmly and cover with soil
-again.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_291">[291]</span></p>
-
-
-<h3>PROPAGATING MINIATURE BULBS INDOORS</h3>
-
-<p>Whether they’re to be exhibited in competition at a flower show,
-or displayed for close-up enjoyment in the living room, uniform
-perfection is the objective. First, then, buy the finest-quality bulbs
-available&mdash;the most plump, firm, healthy bulbs you can find. If the
-catalogue listing includes “recommended for forcing” or “specially
-treated for forcing,” so much the better.</p>
-
-<p>Time for potting, and length of time required for rooting, vary with
-the varieties. We’re usually potting up bulbs for forcing through most
-of October, occasionally into the first week of November. Our favorites
-are potted at two-week intervals, so we’ll have a continuous show of
-flowers in winter and early spring.</p>
-
-<p>We prefer clay pots because of their porosity, and shallow pots because
-most miniature bulbs are shallow-rooted. A generous layer of pebbles
-or broken crocks goes in the bottom of every pot. The potting soil is
-a house-plant mixture with a teaspoon of lime mixed in for a six-inch
-bulb pot. Bulbs are set so their tips are barely covered with soil;
-then pots are set in water up to the rims to make sure both soil and
-pots are thoroughly moist.</p>
-
-<p>Before they can be forced into flower, bulbs need time to grow sound
-root systems. They need to be stored cool, and in the dark so that
-premature top growth won’t be encouraged.</p>
-
-<p>Our potted bulbs are pre-rooted in the cold frame, the pots sunk in the
-soil, each pot covered by another pot turned upside down over it. Soil
-is added to cover the top pots; and after severe weather sets in, we
-top with at least six inches of salt hay.</p>
-
-<p>In lieu of a cold frame, a fairly deep trench, with a layer of pebbles
-or sand for drainage, can be used in the same way, with twice as much
-salt hay on top or even more. Some growers set the pots on shelves in
-cool, dark corners of the basement, but our cellars have always been
-much too warm. Soil should be kept moist, but not wet, during the
-rooting period.</p>
-
-<p>When the pot is completely filled with roots, and a few stick out the
-drainage hole in the bottom, the potted bulbs are moved to a cool,
-shady spot in the house or greenhouse for just a few days. Then they
-are brought into the sun for growth and flowering. For the best and
-most lasting flowers, try to provide temperatures between 55 and 60
-degrees by day, five degrees or more cooler by night.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_292">[292]</span></p>
-
-<p>The window of an unheated bedroom or attic, or an enclosed porch, may
-be the only place where temperatures are low enough for healthiest
-growth. These are good places to grow the plants until they open their
-flowers, then they can be brought into warmer quarters for a flowering
-display.</p>
-
-<p>If you are trying to force bulbs into flower at some specific time, and
-if the buds aren’t swelling as fast as they should, warmer temperatures
-and a booster feeding of liquid manure should speed up the process.
-Cooler temperatures will help retard flowering.</p>
-
-<p>Keep the soil always moist before, during, and after flowering. When
-the leaves begin to yellow, gradually hold back on watering and keep
-it barely moist until time to set the bulbs out in the garden. Forcing
-bulbs two years in succession is not usually successful.</p>
-
-
-<h3>MINIATURE BULB PLANTS</h3>
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Chionodoxa</b> <i>Liliaceae</i> Glory-of-the-Snow</p>
-
-<p>Early April flowers that disregard unfavorable weather. Leaves are
-narrow and grassy and disappear after the flowering period. Flowers are
-open-faced with short tubes.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>gigantea</i>&mdash;Largest flowers, pastel lavender-blue. Strong
-stems that don’t fall over in bad weather.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>luciliae</i>&mdash;Five or more flowers per five-inch stem, bright
-sky-blue with white centers. The variety alba is white; rosea,
-pink.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>sardensis</i>&mdash;Like luciliae, but deeper blue without the
-white eye.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Gritty soil. Moisture. Mulch with manure in the fall.
-Light and sun. Hardy and easy to grow. Makes a ground carpet.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds (seeds itself except for some varieties
-which increase below ground), offshoots.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Ground cover, rock gardens, forcing.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Colchicum</b> <i>Liliaceae</i> Autumn Crocus, Meadow Saffron</p>
-
-<p>Usually called crocus, this fall bloomer actually is a lily.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>autumnale</i>&mdash;Crocus-like flowers four inches across from
-September to frost. Leaves two inches wide in spring. Usually
-has purple flowers. There are several varieties: album, white;
-roseum, pink and often double; ‘The Giant,’ large, late, lilac
-and white (best-known variety).</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>bornmuelleri</i>&mdash;Generally considered the finest species
-with five-inch-wide flowers, rosy-lilac turning to purple and
-the tube white.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>luteum</i>&mdash;Rare spring-flowering species, flowers yellow and
-smaller, leaves slim and less conspicuous.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_293">[293]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>speciosum</i>&mdash;Large leaves, and flowers with pink or white
-throats. The white variety album is also large and is often
-considered the most beautiful of hardy bulbous plants.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil loamy, slightly acid. Sun or partial shade. Plant
-in colonies in August, two to three inches deep. Let leaves mature.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Separate bulbs. Division of corms. Seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Borders, rock gardens, forcing.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Crocus</b> <i>Iridaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>There are three general kinds of these grassy-leaved plants with
-flaring flowers of several colors. The large flowering “Dutch” hybrids
-flower in the spring; the usual spring-flowering varieties come earlier
-and last longer; other species flower in the fall.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>biflorous</i>&mdash;Spring. Bright-purple flowers with darker
-stripes, yellowish throat.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>medius</i>&mdash;Fall. Bright-orchid flowers with very pale throat.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>sativus</i>&mdash;Fall. Pastel-lilac flowers accented with scarlet
-stamens.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>seiberi</i>&mdash;Spring. Yellow-throated lavender flowers.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>speciosus</i>&mdash;Fall. Light blue with fiery orange stigmas.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tomasinianus</i>&mdash;Spring. Palest pinkish-blue.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>versicolor</i>&mdash;Spring. Lilac with purple streaks, or, in the
-variety picturatus, white with purple feathering.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>zonatus</i>&mdash;Fall. Rosy lavender with orange inside.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil, sandy and drained. Not much fertilizer. Full sun.
-Hardy, but winter mulch is often helpful. Divide seldom and replant at
-once. Be on alert for rodents.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Offsets, seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Forcing, rock gardens, colonization.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Cyclamen</b> <i>Primulaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>These are the country cousins of the florist’s cyclamen but smaller
-in size. Their substantial, heart-shaped leaves are often beautifully
-marked in marbled patterns and are in a circle near the ground.
-Generally they are evergreen through the winter but drop before the
-flowers appear. Each blossom hangs from its own stem with turned-back
-tubes. Some varieties blossom in summer and fall, some (indoors or in
-suitable climates) flower In winter or very early spring. A number of
-varieties are available.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>atkinsi</i>&mdash;Crimson flowers in January, foliage marbled. The
-variety album has white flowers; roseum is pink.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>cilicicum</i>&mdash;Purple-throated pale-pink flowers on five-inch
-stems (in September), small marbled leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>coum</i>&mdash;Blooms in February and March; choice of red, white,
-or pink. Dark-green foliage.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>europaeum</i>&mdash;Fragrant red flowers in late summer. Leaves
-marbled.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_294">[294]</span></p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>libanoticum</i>&mdash;Large flowers with dainty pink blending into
-white, in early spring. Foliage marbled.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>neapolitanum</i>&mdash;Exquisite silver-zoned leaves follow the
-rosy-pink flowers that push their buds through the soil in
-September. The variety album is white.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>repandum</i>&mdash;Red-purple flowers with wide-flaring petals, in
-April.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Humusy soil, with drainage. Must never dry out, but
-roots must never stand in water. Humidity in greenhouse. Outdoors,
-shade. Small amount of lime. Once established, small amounts of rotted
-manure.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Seeds, and division (plant with top of tuber at
-surface; may be dormant first year after planting).</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock and woodland gardens, forcing.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Eranthis</b> <i>Ranunculaceae</i> Winter Aconite</p>
-
-<p>Often during a mild January or February this little flower blooms with
-its butter-yellow cup on a stem only four inches above the ground. The
-finely-cut leaves form a collar below the blooms.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Cuinia’&mdash;Slightly later and faintly fragrant.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>hyemalis</i>&mdash;Long-stemmed ferny leaves with clear yellow
-flowers. The variety cilicica has deeper-colored flowers and
-brownish leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent">‘Tubergeni’&mdash;A hybrid with larger golden flowers.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil woodsy, not too acid. (Plant is dormant in summer.)</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division of roots.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, pockets atop walls, forcing.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Galanthus nivalis</b> <i>Amaryllidaceae</i> Snowdrop</p>
-
-<p>An early-flowering plant that often has blooms sticking up through
-March snow. The narrow leaves form a base for six-inch stems with
-fragrant white bell-shaped flowers.</p>
-
-<p>Several varieties are available: flore-pleno, double; maximus, larger
-and less frail-looking flowers; viride-apice, white petals tipped with
-green.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil heavy, moist, and cool. Considerable shade, but
-only opens fully in the sun. Top-dress with manure in the fall. Hardy.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> In fall plant bulbs three to four inches deep,
-near deciduous trees or shrubs. Most effective in groups. Spreads by
-self-seeding.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Forcing, rock and wild gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Gladiolus</b> <i>Iridaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>In a small woodland garden only the miniature gladiolus is suitable;
-they are little fellows two and a half inches in height or less. A
-number of these small ones are available. Named varieties are:</p>
-
-<p>‘Glee,’ ‘Gnome,’ ‘Impresario,’ ‘Little Egypt,’ ‘Little Fawn,’ ‘Little
-Red Star,’ ‘Little Spice,’ ‘Periwinkle,’ ‘Pinkie Dots,’ ‘Pint Size,’
-‘Whirlybird,’ ‘Red Button,’ ‘Red Dot,’ ‘Red Tweedle,’ ‘Tom Thumb,’ ‘Wee
-Red.’ As a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_295">[295]</span> point of information, the term “small” applies to plants
-from two and a half to three and a half inches high.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Good garden soil. If manure is to be used, it should be
-applied the year previous and worked into the soil; it should not come
-into contact with the corms. Drainage. Sun.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Plant corms or bulbs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens, beds.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Hyacinthus</b> <i>Liliaceae</i> Hyacinth</p>
-
-<p>The large formal hyacinths of the regular garden have a number of
-relatives that are small, delicate, and graceful, including two midget
-species:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>amethystinus</i>&mdash;Early-flowering Spanish species with
-typically flat leaves and nodding blue bell flowers on spikes
-seldom over five inches. There is also a white variety, albus.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>ciliatus (azureus)</i>&mdash;Slightly smaller with stiff
-three-inch spikes, blue-green leaves often hairy on the edges,
-and blue flowers. The variety albus is white.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Rich fertile soil. Drainage. Mulch if no leaves fall on
-plants. Sun.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division, seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Forcing, rock gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Leucojum</b> <i>Amaryllidaceae</i> Snowflake</p>
-
-<p>The long leaves are about a half-inch wide and in a basal circle from
-which the stems stretch up to hold nodding bell flowers marked on the
-edge with bright-green dots.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>aestivum</i>&mdash;summer snowflake&mdash;Flowers in May. About nine
-inches tall, it may be a little large for really small gardens.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>vernum</i>&mdash;spring snowflake&mdash;One fragrant bell flower to
-each six-inch stem, in April.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil rich and sandy, drainage, protect from hot sun.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Detach bulblets after leaves wither. Self-seeds.
-Increases rather fast. Plant bulblets three to four inches deep.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Rock gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Muscari</b> <i>Liliaceae</i> Grape Hyacinth</p>
-
-<p>These slim-leaved plants come in a wide variety with a selection of
-flowering times from early March through May and have clusters of
-flowers that look bright and grape-like or soft and plumy.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>armeniacum</i>&mdash;Violet-blue flowers on six-inch stems.
-The variety cantab blooms in mid-spring, clear blue and
-sweet-scented. ‘Early Giant’ is larger and earlier. True blue.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>botryoides album</i>&mdash;Heavenly white and fragrant. The most
-compact and suitable for smaller gardens, or forcing.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_296">[296]</span></p>
-
-<p><i>comosum monstrosum (plumosum)</i>&mdash;feather or tassel
-hyacinth&mdash;Lavender feather dusters in late May.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>moschatum flavum</i>&mdash;Out-of-the-ordinary purple flowers
-turning to yellowish in March and April. One of the smaller
-species.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>pacemosum</i>&mdash;Fragrant, deep-blue flowers on eight-inch
-stems.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>parodoxum</i>&mdash;Flowers of blue so dark they’re nearly black.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tubergianum</i>&mdash;A newly introduced species, with the top
-flowers turning lighter, and the lower ones darker. (Mid-April.)</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Soil deep, rich, and sandy. Drainage. Sun or light shade.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Offsets, seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Forcing, rock gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Narcissus</b> <i>Amaryllidaceae</i> Daffodil</p>
-
-<p>It is very unlikely that the average gardener realizes how many
-varieties in the narcissus world are under six inches in height
-at maturity. One catalogue lists over two hundred names of little
-varieties for little gardens. Obviously, only a few can be mentioned
-here.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>bulbocodium</i>&mdash;hoop-skirt daffodil&mdash;The “trumpet” is drawn
-in a bit at the mouth, making it more like a balloon than a
-trumpet. Six smallish petals twist and turn shyly behind. All
-varieties are under six inches tall. Among the smallest are
-three-inch, scented, white-flowering monophyllus (for forcing
-only); obesus, with a fat yellow trumpet; tunifolium, smaller,
-brighter, and later than the species; and scented vulgaris
-nivalis, the smallest of all at two to three inches and very
-early. The variety conspicuus is the easiest to grow and about
-four inches tall.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>cyclamineus</i>&mdash;The nodding trumpets are long and slim, the
-petals fold straight back around the stem, giving a feeling
-of motion. The species is all yellow and about four inches
-high. Among the smallest hybrids are ‘Milky-White,’ ‘Yindee,’
-‘Minicycla,’ deep yellow ‘Jetage,’ and ‘Flute.’</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>jonquilla</i>&mdash;Like the familiar jonquils, these are usually
-scented and have small, flattish cups with a neat ruff of flat
-petals around the neck. The variety atlanticus is pure white and
-four inches high; the variety juncifolius is three inches high
-and has several scented yellow flowers per stem. ‘Peachblossom’
-is similar and one inch taller.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>tazetta</i>&mdash;Similar to jonquils, but the cups are even
-smaller and flatter. They are mostly early flowering and have
-several blooms to a stem. The species is twelve inches tall, but
-the variety lacticolor (canaliculatas) is only four inches, with
-yellow cup and white petals that flare back. ‘Halenzy’ combines
-pale yellow and white. ‘Shrew’ is the tiniest.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>triandrus</i>&mdash;angel’s tears&mdash;Several drooping flowers per
-stem, the center cup-shaped, the petals turned back and twisted
-rather like a tiny fuchsia flower. Among the varieties, albus is
-all white, and three to four inches<span class="pagenum" id="Page_297">[297]</span> high; concolor is all gold;
-‘Frosty Morn’ is white; ‘Poppet’ has yellow petals and a white
-cap.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>trumpet</i>&mdash;Miniature replicas of the familiar larger types,
-the flaring trumpet standing out from a collar of six petals. In
-some types the petals are flat, in others wavy or twisted. Among
-these, asturiensis (minimus) is the smallest of all daffodils;
-minar (nanus) is slightly larger, two to three inches tall; ‘Wee
-Bee’ is lemon yellow and five inches tall. ‘Little Beauty’ has
-two shades of yellow; ‘Sneezy’ is all yellow, and four inches
-high.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Average soil (acid or alkaline), not too heavy, not too
-light. Drainage. Fertilize little and use only bone meal. Mulch with
-stone chips to prevent flowers being spattered with mud during rain.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Bulbs. Plant in August if possible. Plant in
-groups because of small size. Allow space for increase. Plant smallest
-bulbs one and a half inches deep; large bulbs, the depth of bulb
-itself. Don’t disturb unless crowded.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Forcing, rock gardens, containers.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Oxalis</b> <i>Oxalidaceae</i></p>
-
-<p>Bulbous or tuberous shamrock-leaved perennials with five-petaled,
-buttercup-shaped flowers that close in the dark, most of them much
-hardier than realized and all suitable for indoor or greenhouse
-planting.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>adenophylla</i>&mdash;Blue-green leaflets, clusters of pink
-flowers with deeper pink veins (May and June). Three inches
-tall. Hardy.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>enneaphylla</i>&mdash;Tuberous-rooted perennial with gray-green
-leaves and large white-purple veined flowers; two inches. Spring
-bloomer.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>lasiandra</i>&mdash;More fragile species, bulbous with tight
-clusters of deep-rose flowers. Dig and store in fall, or provide
-protection. Sun.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>rubra (crassipes)</i>&mdash;Not bulbous but with thickened roots.
-Pink flowers in clusters above the leaves.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>variabilis rubra</i>&mdash;Dense mats of fresh green leaves under
-deep-pink flowers, some two inches across. Hardy as rubra.</p>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Average soil. Dig and store bulbs of some species.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Division of roots, bulbs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> House plants, rock planting, containers.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Sternbergia lutea</b> <i>Amaryllidaceae</i> Winter Daffodil</p>
-
-<p>Popularly called a daffodil and compared to a crocus, but these small
-amaryllids beat both of those plants for durability and distinction.
-They have up-facing butter-yellow flowers like squat, flaring, two-inch
-vases. They bloom in mid-September with the flowers lasting some weeks.
-The narrow leathery leaves often last through the winter but die back
-by spring. Fragrant.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARE.</span> Heavy soil, barely acid. Dry, drainage. Sun.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_298">[298]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION.</span> Bulbs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPECIAL USES.</span> Forcing, rock gardens.</p>
-
-
-<p class="p-head"><b>Tulipa</b> <i>Liliaceae</i> Tulip</p>
-
-<p>These are typical tulips with flowers that are up-facing bells or
-saucers, but are varied in shape, colors, and markings of the petals.
-They keep tightly closed after dark and on dark days but open wide in
-the sun. The foliage may be wide or grassy, clean green or mottled.
-Included here are only the smallest available species.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>batalini</i>&mdash;Twisted, narrow leaves and soft creamy-yellow
-flowers (in April).</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>biflora</i>&mdash;Only two or three slim, tapered leaves around a
-four-inch flower stem bearing from one to three long, striped
-buds which open to flat, white, star-shaped flowers with golden
-centers. Often blooms in March. Variety turkestanica has wider
-leaves and up to ten flowers per stem.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>dasystemon (tarda)</i>&mdash;Polished blue-green leaves fan out
-flat under three-inch stems with bouquets (three to five) of
-yellow-centered white flowers. Some have pointed petals striped
-lengthwise with green on the outside. (Mid-April.)</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>eichleri</i>&mdash;Typically broad leaves, stems six to eight
-inches, fiery-red flowers with gold and blue-black centers and
-gold stripes outside.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>kaufmanniana</i>&mdash;water-lily tulip&mdash;The leaves are very
-broad, short, and sharply pointed; the stems are sturdy and five
-inches long. The flowers are very large, creamy yellow marked
-with carmine (in April). There are many named varieties with
-flowers in shades and combinations of gold, scarlet, cream, and
-even salmon pink.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>kolpakowskiana</i>&mdash;Long, blue-green leaves waved on the
-edges, yellow flowers blotched with brick red on the outside (in
-April).</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>linifolia</i>&mdash;Narrow, wavy leaves and six-inch stems topped
-with satiny scarlet flowers, marked with blue-black at the heart
-(in April).</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>patens (persica)</i>&mdash;Slim, arching leaves, stems with one to
-three flowers, yellow, darker outside, fragrant (in May).</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>puchella</i>&mdash;Early, even before the daffodils. Slim leaves.
-Flowers an odd shade of lavender and tinged red. Slightly larger.</p>
-
-<p class="hangingindent"><i>stellata chrysantha</i> (originally considered a species,
-chrysantha)&mdash;Curved-down blue-green leaves, six-inch stems;
-cherry-flushed yellow flowers opening to flat stars (in April).</p>
-</div>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_299">[299]</span></p>
-
-<h2>EPILOGUE</h2>
-</div>
-
-
-
-<p>There is a touch of sadness to any book that is published posthumously.
-It means that an author who has devoted years to acquiring a skill with
-words and their ways, one who has something to say, will write no more.</p>
-
-<p>This book, <i>All About Miniature Plants and Gardens, Indoors and
-Out</i>, is the work of Bernice Gaines Brilmayer. It was written in the
-last months of her life and was practically completed except for the
-mechanics of preparing it for publication. Although she didn’t realize
-the seriousness of her illness, she asked me to do the final work on
-the manuscript.</p>
-
-<p>Her dedication, “For my family, again and again. The future is coming
-closer,” is typical of the magnificent woman she was. She lived for
-the days when we would be free of the commercial world, when we could
-write, dream, plant, and write. It was to be for, and with, the family
-she loved so well. I’ve never heard the philosophy of her existence
-expressed so well as by an old fishing friend, Captain Bill Stiles of
-Stone Harbor, New Jersey. Captain Bill, of the <i>Skipper</i>, is not
-one who professes to write phrases and words, but he does know people.
-On the long ride out to the fishing grounds off the Jersey coast Bill
-used to observe her. When the anchor was down, Bill would give the
-order to “drop lines, Folks.” He noted that she was always the last to
-get her line in the water. Her family came first and she waited until
-they were set.</p>
-
-<p>If ever I do a biography of Bernice, the title will be “The Last to Get
-Her Line Down.”</p>
-
-<p>The family to which she dedicated her books, has a dedication to her:</p>
-
-<p class="center sm">TO BERNICE&mdash;A GALLANT WOMAN<br />
-1913–1962<br />
-IN LOVING MEMORY<br />
-THE FAMILY YOU LOVED SO MUCH</p>
-
-<p class="p-left p-min sm"><i>Robert Brilmayer</i></p>
-
-<p class="p-left p-min sm"><i>Redding, Connecticut, 1963</i></p>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_300">[300]</span></p>
-
-<h2>BIBLIOGRAPHY</h2>
-</div>
-
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p>Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture,
-<span class="allsmcap">PLANT HARDINESS ZONE MAP</span>. Washington, D.C.: Government
-Printing Office, 1960.</p>
-
-<p>Ashberry, Anne, <span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE GARDENS</span>. New York: Van
-Nostrand, 1952.</p>
-
-<p>Ashberry, Anne, <span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE TREES AND SHRUBS</span>. London:
-Nicholas Kaye, Ltd., 1958.</p>
-
-<p>Bailey, L. H., and Ethel Zoe, <span class="allsmcap">HORTUS SECOND</span>. New York:
-Macmillan, 1941.</p>
-
-<p>Beale, James H., <span class="allsmcap">THE EVERGREENS</span>. New York: Doubleday,
-1960.</p>
-
-<p>Brooklyn Botanic Garden, handbooks on many subjects&mdash;<span class="allsmcap">DWARF
-TREES AND SHRUBS</span>, <span class="allsmcap">DWARFED PLANTS</span>, <span class="allsmcap">FLOWERING
-SHRUBS</span>, <span class="allsmcap">PROPAGATION</span>, <span class="allsmcap">ROCK GARDENS</span>,
-<span class="allsmcap">WHERE TO BUY TREES AND SHRUBS</span>. New York: Brooklyn
-Botanic Garden, various dates.</p>
-
-<p>Chidamian, Claude, <span class="allsmcap">BONSAI, MINIATURE TREES</span>. New York:
-Van Nostrand, 1955.</p>
-
-<p>Chidamian, Claude, <span class="allsmcap">CACTI AND OTHER SUCCULENTS</span>. New
-York: Doubleday, 1958.</p>
-
-<p>Clark, William H., <span class="allsmcap">GARDENING THE SMALL PLACE</span>. Boston:
-Little, Brown, 1952.</p>
-
-<p>Clarke, J. Harold, <span class="allsmcap">GETTING STARTED WITH RHODODENDRONS AND
-AZALEAS</span>. New York: Doubleday, 1960.</p>
-
-<p>Cumming, Robert W., and Lee, Robert E., <span class="allsmcap">CONTEMPORARY
-PERENNIALS</span>. New York: Macmillan, 1960.</p>
-
-<p>Foley, Daniel J., <span class="allsmcap">GROUND COVERS FOR EASIER GARDENING</span>.
-New York: Chilton &amp; Co., 1961.</p>
-
-<p>Free, Montague, <span class="allsmcap">PLANT PROPAGATION IN PICTURES</span>. New
-York: Doubleday, 1957.</p>
-
-<p>Genders, Roy, <span class="allsmcap">GARDENING IN MINIATURE</span>. London: Robert
-Hale, Ltd., 1958.</p>
-
-<p>Genders, Roy, <span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE ROSES</span>. London: Blanford Press,
-1960.</p>
-
-<p>Graf, Alfred Byrd, <span class="allsmcap">EXOTICA II</span>. Rutherford, N.J.: Julius
-Roehrs, 1960.</p>
-
-<p>Gray, Alec, <span class="allsmcap">MINIATURE DAFFODILS</span>. London: W. H. &amp; L.
-Collingridge, Ltd., 1955.</p>
-
-<p>Ishimoto, Tatsuo, <span class="allsmcap">ART OF GROWING MINIATURE TREES, PLANTS AND
-LANDSCAPES</span>. New York: Crown Publishers, 1956.</p>
-
-<p>Klaber, Doretta, <span class="allsmcap">ROCK GARDEN PLANTS</span>. New York: Henry
-Holt, 1959.</p>
-
-<p>Moore, Harold E. Jr., <span class="allsmcap">AFRICAN VIOLETS, GLOXINIAS AND THEIR
-RELATIVES</span>. New York: Macmillan, 1957.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_301">[301]</span></p>
-
-<p>Newsom, Samuel, <span class="allsmcap">DWARFED TREE MANUAL FOR WESTERNERS</span>.
-Tokyo: Tokyo News Service, Ltd., 1960.</p>
-
-<p>Noble, Mary, and Merkel, J. L., <span class="allsmcap">PLANTS INDOORS</span>. New
-York: Van Nostrand, 1954.</p>
-
-<p>Rickett, Harold William, <span class="allsmcap">BOTANY FOR GARDENERS</span>. New
-York: Macmillan, 1957.</p>
-
-<p>Rockwell, F. F., and Grayson, Esther C., <span class="allsmcap">COMPLETE BOOK OF
-BULBS</span>. New York: Doubleday, 1953.</p>
-
-<p>Taylor, Norman (ed.), <span class="allsmcap">ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GARDENING</span>.
-Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1961 (Revised Edition).</p>
-
-<p>Taylor, Norman, <span class="allsmcap">WILD FLOWER GARDENING</span>. New York: Van
-Nostrand, 1955.</p>
-
-<p>Thomas, G. L. Jr., <span class="allsmcap">GARDEN POOLS, WATER-LILIES AND
-GOLDFISH</span>. New York: Van Nostrand, 1958.</p>
-
-<p>Van Melle, P. J., <span class="allsmcap">SHRUBS AND TREES FOR THE SMALL PLACE</span>.
-New York: Scribner’s, 1943.</p>
-
-<p>Westcott, Cynthia, <span class="allsmcap">ARE YOU YOUR GARDEN’S WORST PEST?</span>
-New York: Doubleday, 1961.</p>
-
-<p>Westcott, Cynthia, <span class="allsmcap">GARDENER’S BUG BOOK</span>. New York:
-Doubleday, 1956.</p>
-
-<p>Wilder, Louise Beebe, <span class="allsmcap">ADVENTURES IN MY GARDEN AND ROCK
-GARDEN</span>. New York: Doubleday, 1929.</p>
-
-<p>Wilson, Helen Van Pelt, <span class="allsmcap">NEW PERENNIALS PREFERRED</span>. New
-York: Van Nostrand, 1962.</p>
-
-<p>Wyman, Donald, <span class="allsmcap">SHRUBS AND VINES FOR AMERICAN GARDENS</span>.
-New York: Macmillan, 1958.</p>
-
-<p>Wyman, Donald, <span class="allsmcap">TREES FOR AMERICAN GARDENS</span>. New York:
-Macmillan, 1951.</p>
-</div>
-
-
-<h2>WHERE TO BUY MINIATURE PLANTS AND SUPPLIES</h2>
-
-
-<p>Nothing is as frustrating to a gardener as to hear or read glowing
-descriptions of plants that appeal to him and then be unable
-to find them in catalogues or elsewhere. For the unusual and
-out-of-the-ordinary plants the answer is quite often a mail-order
-supplier. For some general types such as water lilies and woodland or
-rockery plants, the most fruitful source is the specialist, who quite
-naturally has the widest selection and the greatest knowledge of the
-plants he grows the most. We have increased our collection of miniature
-plants by mail order from many<span class="pagenum" id="Page_302">[302]</span> (but not all) of the following. While I
-have not bought from all of them, enough of my friends and colleagues
-have so that I am rather familiar with all. In writing for catalogues
-of any sort, remember they are expensive to produce and often you are
-asked to pay a nominal fee for them. I usually get so much information
-I am happy to pay a few cents. You can often save time and trouble by
-asking if there is such a fee.</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p><span class="smcap">ALBERTS &amp; MERKEL BROS., INC.</span>, Box 537, Boynton Beach,
-Fla.&mdash;Orchids and other tropical plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">ALLGROVE, ARTHUR EAMES</span>, North Wilmington,
-Mass.&mdash;Terrarium and woodland plants and supplies.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">ALPENGLOW GARDENS</span>, 13328 Trans-Canada Highway, North
-Surrey, New Westminster, B.C., Canada&mdash;Alpines, perennials,
-trees, and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">AMERICAN PERENNIAL GARDENS</span>, 6975 Dover St., Garden
-City, Mich.&mdash;Perennials.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">ARENIUS, ARTHUR</span>, 123 Western Drive, Longmeadow 6,
-Springfield, Mass.&mdash;Gladiolus.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">ARMSTRONG NURSERIES</span>, Ontario, Calif.&mdash;Roses, dwarf
-citrus.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">ARNDT’S FLORAL GARDEN</span>, Route 2, Box 336, Troutdale,
-Ore.&mdash;African violets and other gesneriads.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">BARNHAVEN</span>, Box 218, Gresham, Ore.&mdash;Primulas.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">BARRINGTON GREENHOUSES</span>, 860 Clements Bridge Rd.,
-Barrington, N.J.&mdash;House and greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">BEAHM GARDENS</span>, 2686 E. Paloma St. Pasadena 8,
-Calif.&mdash;Epiphyllums and other succulents.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">BEE, MRS. T. C.</span>, Route 3, Box 120, Newnan, Ga.&mdash;African
-violets and other house plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">BIT OF FLORIDA, INC.</span>, Box 3305, West Hollywood,
-Fla.&mdash;Dwarf citrus.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">BRECK’S OF BOSTON</span>, 250 Breck Bldg., Boston 10,
-Mass.&mdash;Seeds, bulbs, and supplies.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">BRIMFIELD GARDENS NURSERY</span>, 245 Brimfield Rd.,
-Wethersfield, Conn.&mdash;Trees and shrubs for garden, bonsai.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">BRISTOL NURSERIES</span>, Bristol, Conn.&mdash;Chrysanthemums.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">BUELL’S</span>, Eastford, Conn.&mdash;African violets and other
-gesneriads.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">BURGESS SEED AND PLANT CO.</span>, Galesburg, Mich.&mdash;Seeds,
-bulbs, perennials, trees, and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">BURNETT BROS., INC.</span>, 92 Chambers St., New York 7,
-N.Y.&mdash;Seeds, bulbs, supplies.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">BURPEE, W. ATLEE, CO.</span>, Philadelphia 32, Penna.&mdash;Seeds,
-bulbs, supplies.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">BURT’S</span>, Federal Highway No. 1, North Jupiter,
-Fla.&mdash;House and greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CACTUS PETES</span>, 5454 Valley Blvd., Los Angeles 32,
-Calif.&mdash;Epiphyllums and other succulents.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CALIFORNIA NURSERY CO.</span>, Niles, Calif.&mdash;Trees and
-shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_303">[303]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CAROLINA BIOLOGICAL SUPPLY CO.</span>, Elon College,
-N.C.&mdash;Woodland, bog, and water plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CARROLL GARDENS</span>, Westminster, Md.&mdash;Bulbs, perennials,
-trees, and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CHAMPLAIN VIEW GARDENS</span>, Burlington, Vt.&mdash;Gladiolus.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CHAUTAUQUA FLOWERFIELD</span>, Greenhurst, N.Y.&mdash;Bulbs,
-perennials.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CHERRY, NORMAN J., CO.</span>, Box 608, Merrick, Long Island,
-N.Y.&mdash;Supplies for house and greenhouse.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">COCHLAN, JAMES J.</span>, Box 331, Saddle River, N.J.&mdash;Bonsai
-plants and containers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">CONARD-PYLE CO.</span>, West Grove, Penna.&mdash;Roses.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">DAFFODIL MART</span>, Nuttal Station, Gloucester,
-Va.&mdash;Narcissus.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">DE JAGER, P., AND SONS, INC.</span>, 188 Ashbury St., South
-Hamilton, Mass.&mdash;Bulbs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">DELKINS BULBS</span>, 4205 Hunts Point Rd., Bellevue,
-Wash.&mdash;Bulbs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">DOLBOW, DOROTHY J.</span>, 149 W. Main St., Penns Grove,
-N.J.&mdash;Supplies for house and greenhouse.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">EASTERN NURSERIES, INC.</span>, Holliston, Mass.&mdash;Trees,
-shrubs, alpines.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">EDENWALD GARDENS</span>, Vincennes, Ind.&mdash;Iris.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">EL SEGUNDO GERANIUM GARDENS</span>, Box 289, Gardena,
-Calif.&mdash;Geraniums.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">EMERSON INDUSTRIES, INC.</span>, 132 Adams Ave., Hempstead,
-N.Y.&mdash;Window greenhouses, etc.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">EVANS, HERBERT O.</span>, Solon, Ohio&mdash;Gladiolus.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">EVERGLADES ENTERPRISES</span>, Box 48-811, Miami,
-Fla.&mdash;Tropical plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">EVERGREEN HOUSE</span>, Box 433, Los Altos, Calif.&mdash;Bonsai
-plants and containers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">FANTASTIC GARDENS</span>, 9550 S.W. 67th St., Miami, Fla.&mdash;-
-Bromeliads and other tropical plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">FENNELL ORCHID CO.</span>, 26715 S.W. 157th Ave., Homestead,
-Fla.&mdash;Orchids.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">FIELD, HENRY, SEED AND NURSERY CO.</span>, Shenandoah,
-Iowa&mdash;Seeds, bulbs, perennials, aquatic plants, trees, shrubs,
-and house plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">FIORE, CHARLES, NURSERIES, INC.</span>, Prairie View,
-Ill.&mdash;Trees and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">FRENCH, J. HOWARD</span>, Baltimore Pike, Lima, Penna.&mdash;Seeds,
-bulbs, supplies.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">GARDENS OF THE BLUE RIDGE</span>, Ashford, McDowell County,
-N.C.&mdash;Native woodland, bog, and water plants, trees and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">GERRY’S GERANIUM GARDEN</span>, 221 W. 223 St., Torrance,
-Calif.&mdash;Geraniums.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">GIBBS, WINSEL, SEED AND NURSERY CO.</span>, 1955 W. Florence
-Ave., Los Angeles 47, Calif.&mdash;Tropical trees, shrubs, plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">GIRARD NURSERIES</span>, Geneva, Ohio&mdash;Trees and shrubs for
-garden, bonsai.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">GLEN SAINT MARY NURSERY</span>, Glen Saint Mary, Fla.&mdash;Trees
-and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">GRAY, ALEC</span>, Treswithian Daffodil Farm, Camborne,
-Cornwall, England&mdash;Narcissus.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">GREEN LEAF NURSERY</span>, 2047 Middlefield Rd., Mountain
-View, Calif.&mdash;House and greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">GRIFFING NURSERIES</span>, Beaumont, Texas&mdash;Trees and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_304">[304]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="smcap">HAGA, F. M., &amp; SON</span>, 5033 Doris St., Charlotte 5,
-N.C.&mdash;African violets and other gesneriads.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">HARRIS, JOSEPH, CO., INC.</span>, Rochester 11, N.Y.&mdash;Seeds,
-bulbs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">HARROLD’S</span>, Box 29, Grants Pass, Ore.&mdash;House-plant and
-garden seeds, plants, roses.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">HAV’ALOOK GARDENS</span>, 10045 Grand River, Fowlersville,
-Mich.&mdash;House and greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">HOLLY HILL</span>, Straight Path, Huntington, N.Y.&mdash;Holly,
-heath, heather.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">HOUDYSHEL, CECIL</span>, 1412 Third St., LaVerne,
-Calif.&mdash;House and greenhouse bulbs and plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">HOUSE OF PLANTS</span>, 26 S. Hotchkiss St., Binghamton,
-N.Y.&mdash;Gesneriads.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">HOUSE PLANT CORNER</span>, Box 810, Oxford, Md.&mdash;Supplies for
-house and greenhouse.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">ILGENFRITZ, MARGARET</span>, Monroe, Mich.&mdash;Orchids.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">INTER-STATE NURSERIES</span>, Hamburg, Iowa&mdash;Seeds, bulbs,
-perennials, trees, and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">JACK’S CACTUS GARDEN</span>, 1707 W. Robindale St., West
-Covina, Calif.&mdash;Cacti and other succulents.</p>
-
-<p><span class="smcap">JACKSON &amp; PERKINS CO.</span>, Newark, N.Y.&mdash;Roses, perennials.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">JOHNSON CACTUS GARDENS</span>, Paramount, Calif.&mdash;Cacti and
-other succulents.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">JOYNER’S</span>, 404 Fisher Drive, Ocala, Fla.&mdash;Caladiums.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">KARTUZ, MICHAEL J.</span>, 92 Chestnut St., Wilmington,
-Mass.&mdash;House and greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">KELSEY NURSERY SERVICE</span>, Highlands, N.J.&mdash;Bulbs, trees
-and shrubs, woodland plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">LAGER AND HURRELL, INC.</span>, 427 Morris Ave., Summit,
-N.J.&mdash;Orchids.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">LAKEMONT NURSERIES</span>, 915 S. Lakemont Ave., Winter Park,
-Fla.&mdash;House and greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">LAMB NURSERIES</span>, 101 E. Sharp Ave., Spokane 2,
-Wash.&mdash;Chrysanthemums.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">LESLIE’S WILD FLOWER NURSERY</span>, 30 Summer St., Methuen,
-Mass.&mdash;Woodland plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">LOGEE’S GREENHOUSE</span>, 55 North Street, Danielson,
-Conn.&mdash;House and greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">LOUNDBERRY GARDENS</span>, Oakford, Ill.&mdash;Bulbs and woodland
-plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">MANHATTAN GARDEN SUPPLY</span>, 305 N. Sepulveda Blvd.,
-Manhattan Beach, Calif.&mdash;Geraniums.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">MARX, WALTER, GARDENS</span>, Boring, Ore.&mdash;Bulbs, perennials,
-roses.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">MAYFAIR NURSERIES</span>, RFD 2, Nichols, N.Y.&mdash;Alpines,
-trees, and shrubs for gardens, bonsai.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">MCCLEELAN, ROD, CO.</span>, 1450 El Camino Real, South San
-Francisco, Calif.&mdash;Orchids, bonsai containers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_305">[305]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">MERRY GARDENS</span>, P. O. Box 595, Camden, Maine&mdash;Rare house
-plants, geraniums, begonias, and a large selection of miniatures.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">MILLER, HOLMES C.</span>, 280 W. Portola Ave., Los Altos,
-Calif.&mdash;Geraniums.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">OAKHURST GARDENS</span>, Box 444, Arcadia, Calif.&mdash;House and
-greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">OPPEN’S GREENHOUSE</span>, 4330 Auburn Rd., Salem, Ore.&mdash;House
-and greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PARK, GEORGE W., SEED CO.</span>, Greenwood, S.C.&mdash;Seeds,
-bulbs, supplies.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PEARCE SEED CO.</span>, Moorestown, N.J.&mdash;Seeds, bulbs,
-perennials, plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PILLEY’S GARDENS</span>, Box 757, Valley Center, Calif.&mdash;Iris.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PINE-CROFT NURSERIES</span>, Exeter, N.H.&mdash;Perennials.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PLANTERS, THE</span>, 385 Bleecker St., N.Y.C.&mdash;House and
-greenhouse plants, bonsai.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">PUTNEY NURSERY</span>, Putney, Vt.&mdash;Chrysanthemums.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">RARE PLANT CLUB</span>, Route 1, Box 155, Mill Valley,
-Calif.&mdash;Bonsai plants and containers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">ROEHRS, JULIUS, CO.</span>, Rutherford, N.J.&mdash;House and
-greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SCHERER, S., AND SONS</span>, Northport, N.Y.&mdash;Aquatic plants
-and water lilies.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SCHULZ, PEGGIE</span>, 7714 N. Fairfield Rd., Minneapolis 12,
-Minn.&mdash;House-plant seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SHERWOOD NURSERY CO.</span>, Corbett, Ore.&mdash;Trees and shrubs
-for garden and bonsai.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SKY-CLEFT GARDENS</span>, Camp Street Ext., Barre,
-Vt.&mdash;Alpines, perennials, woodland plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SLOCUM WATER GARDENS</span>, Binghamton, N.Y.&mdash;Aquatic plants
-and water lilies.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SPRING HILL NURSERIES</span>, Tipp City, Ohio&mdash;Perennials,
-roses, trees.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">STARK BROS.</span>, Louisiana, Mo.&mdash;Trees and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">STARKER, CARL, GARDENS</span>, Jennings Lodge, Ore.&mdash;Alpines,
-perennials, trees and shrubs, bonsai containers.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">STEWART, FRED A., INC.</span>, 8606 E. Las Tunas Drive, San
-Gabriel, Calif.&mdash;Orchids.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">SUMMIT GARDENS</span>, Box 567, Glenn Ellyn, Ill.&mdash;Gladiolus.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">TERRACE VIEW GARDENS</span>, Greencastle, Ind.&mdash;House and
-greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="smcap">THOMPSON &amp; MORGAN, LTD.</span>, Ipswich, England&mdash;Seeds.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">THREE LAURELS</span>, Madison County, Marshall, N.C.&mdash;Woodland
-plants; trees and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">THREE SPRINGS FISHERIES</span>, Lilypons, Md.&mdash;Water lilies
-and aquatic plants of all sorts.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">THURMAN’S GARDENS</span>, Route 6, Spokane, Wash.&mdash;Alpines,
-perennials.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">TINARI GARDENS AND GREENHOUSES</span>, Bethayres,
-Penna.&mdash;African violets.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">TRICKER, WILLIAM, INC.</span>, 196 Allendale Ave., Saddle
-River, N.J.&mdash;Water lilies and other aquatic plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_306">[306]</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">TROPICAL PARADISE GREENHOUSE</span>, 8825 W. 79th St.,
-Overland Park, Kan.&mdash;House and greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">UPPER BANK NURSERIES</span>, Ridley Creek Rd., Media,
-Penna.&mdash;Trees and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">VAN NESS WATER GARDENS</span>, 2460 N. Euclid Ave., Upland,
-Calif.&mdash;Water lilies and other aquatic plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">VAUGHAN’S SEED CO.</span>, 24 Vesey St., New York 7,
-N.Y.&mdash;Seeds, bulbs, perennials, trees, shrubs, aquatic plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">VILLAGE HILL NURSERY</span>, Williamsburg, Mass.&mdash;Geraniums,
-perennials.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">WAKE ROBIN FARM</span>, Route 1, Box 33, Home,
-Penna.&mdash;Woodland plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">WARE, ROMAINE B.</span>, Canby, Ore.&mdash;Lilies and other bulbs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">WARREN’S NURSERY</span>, 2200 Fifth St., Berkeley 10,
-Calif.&mdash;House and greenhouse plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">WAYSIDE GARDENS</span>, Mentor, Ohio&mdash;Annuals, bulbs, trees,
-shrubs, etc.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">WESTON NURSERIES, INC.</span>, E. Main St., Hopkinton,
-Mass.&mdash;Perennials, trees, and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">WHITE FLOWER FARM</span>, Litchfield, Conn.&mdash;Bulbs,
-perennials, trees, shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">WILSON BROTHERS</span>, Roachdale, Ind.&mdash;Geraniums.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">WOOD, THOMAS M.</span>, Constantia, N.Y.&mdash;Woodland plants.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">WOODLAND NURSERY</span>, Hendricks Rd., RFD 1, Perkiomenville,
-Penna.&mdash;Trees and shrubs.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">WYANT, MELVIN E.</span>, Johnny Cake Ridge, Route 84, Mentor,
-Ohio&mdash;Roses.</p>
-
-<p><span class="allsmcap">YOARS HOUSE PLANT NURSERY</span>, Bunker Hill, Ind.&mdash;House and
-greenhouse plants.</p>
-</div>
-
-<hr class="chap" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_307">[307]</span></p>
-
-<h2>INDEX</h2>
-</div>
-
-<ul>
-  <li><i>Abelia</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_236">236</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent"><i>Abeliophyllum distichum</i> (White Forsythia, Korean Abelia),
-    <a href="#Page_236">236</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Abies</i> (Fir),
-    <a href="#Page_238">238</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Abutilon hybridum savitzi</i> (Flowering Maple),
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Abutilon megapotamicum</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Achillea</i> (Yarrow, Hilfoil),
-    <a href="#Page_259">259</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Achimenes</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_93">93–94</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Acorus gramineus variegatus</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_94">94</a></li>
-
-  <li>Adder’s-Tongue,
-    <a href="#Page_222">222</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288–89</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Adeline’ (‘Improved Darling’),
-    <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Adiantum bellum</i> (Bermuda Maidenhair Fern),
-    <a href="#Page_94">94</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Aeonium caespitosum spathulatum</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Aeschynanthus</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Aethionema</i> (Stone-Cress, Persian Candytuft),
-    <a href="#Page_260">260</a></li>
-
-  <li>African boxwood,
-    <a href="#Page_124">124</a></li>
-
-  <li>African violets (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Viola"><i>Viola</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li><i>Agave victoriae-reginae</i> (“century plant”),
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Ageratum</i> (floss flower),
-    <a href="#Page_282">282</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Aichryson (Aeonium) domesticum variegatum</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Ajuga</i> (Bugle),
-    <a href="#Page_260">260</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Alba,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Albatross,’
-    <a href="#Page_101">101</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>All About Begonias</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_78">78</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>All About Vines and Hanging Plants</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_36">36</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_37">37</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Allophyton mexicanum</i> (Mexican Foxglove),
-    <a href="#Page_94">94</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Aloe</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li>
-
-  <li>Alpenglow Gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_13">13</a></li>
-
-  <li>Alpine daisy,
-    <a href="#Page_263">263</a></li>
-
-  <li>Alpine gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_187">187–98</a></li>
-
-  <li>Alpine phlox,
-    <a href="#Page_271">271</a></li>
-
-  <li>Alpine (rock) plants,
-    <a href="#Page_62">62</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_150">150</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_187">187–98</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_273">273</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Alternanthera</i> (Joseph’s Coat),
-    <a href="#Page_94">94–95</a></li>
-
-  <li>Aluminum plant (watermelon pilea),
-    <a href="#Page_130">130</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Alyssum">Alyssum (Madwort),
-    <a href="#Page_47">47</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_260">260–61</a></li>
-
-  <li>Alyssum (Sweet),
-    <a href="#Page_252">282–83</a></li>
-
-  <li>American Iris Society,
-    <a href="#Page_268">268</a></li>
-
-  <li>American yew,
-    <a href="#Page_248">248</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Andromeda</i> (Bog Rosemary),
-    <a href="#Page_238">238–39</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Andy,’
-    <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Anemone</i> (Windflower),
-    <a href="#Page_261">261</a></li>
-
-  <li>Angel’s tears,
-    <a href="#Page_296">296–97</a></li>
-
-  <li>Annuals,
-    <a href="#Page_10">10</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_38">38</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_47">47</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">miniature,
-    <a href="#Page_277">277–87</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in rock and wall gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_187">187</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Antennaria</i> (Pussy-Toes),
-    <a href="#Page_261">261</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Anthurium scherzerianum</i> (Flamingo Flower),
-    <a href="#Page_95">95</a></li>
-
-  <li>Aphids,
-    <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent"><i>Aptenia cordifolia (Mesembryanthemum cordifolium)</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Aquilegia</i> (Columbine),
-    <a href="#Page_262">262</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Arabis</i> (Rock Cress),
-    <a href="#Page_262">262</a></li>
-
-  <li>Aramite,
-    <a href="#Page_232">232</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_255">255</a></li>
-
-  <li>Arborvitae (<i>Thuja</i>),
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent"><i>Arisaema triphyllum</i> (Jack-in-the-pulpit),
-    <a href="#Page_211">211</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li>Arizona,
-    <a href="#Page_140">140</a></li>
-
-  <li>Aroids,
-    <a href="#Page_51">51</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_53">53</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>Artillery plant,
-    <a href="#Page_130">130</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Asarum</i> (Wild Ginger),
-    <a href="#Page_160">160</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ash,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ashberry, Anne,
-    <a href="#Page_150">150</a></li>
-
-  <li>Asia,
-    <a href="#Page_271">271</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_272">272</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Asplenium"><i>Asplenium</i> (Spleenwort),
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Aster alpinus</i> (Rock Aster),
-    <a href="#Page_262">262</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Astrid,’
-    <a href="#Page_129">129</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Astrophytum</i> (Star Cactus),
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Aurea,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li>Autumn Crocus,
-    <a href="#Page_289">289</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_292">292</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Autumn Snow,’
-    <a href="#Page_267">267</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Azalea">Azalea (Rhododendron),
-    <a href="#Page_177">177</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_213">213</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_226">226–27</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_234">234</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_239">239</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li><i>Babiana stricta</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_95">95</a></li>
-
-  <li>Baby blue eyes,
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Baby Bunting,’
-    <a href="#Page_145">145</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Baby Crimson,’
-    <a href="#Page_145">145</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Baby Perfection,’
-    <a href="#Page_98">98</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Baby Rainbow,’
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li>
-
-  <li>Baby Toes,
-    <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li>
-
-  <li>Baby’s Breath,
-    <a href="#Page_267">267</a></li>
-
-  <li>Baby’s Tears,
-    <a href="#Page_120">120–21</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ball Cactus,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ballard, Ernesta,
-    <a href="#Page_13">13</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Balsam</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a></li>
-
-  <li>Banana, dwarf,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li>
-
-  <li>Barberry,
-    <a href="#Page_228">228</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">dwarf,
-    <a href="#Page_180">180</a></li>
-
-  <li>Basket of gold,
-    <a href="#Page_261">261</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bayside,
-    <a href="#Page_23">23</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_24">24</a></li>
-
-  <li>Beech,
-    <a href="#Page_230">230</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Begonia</i>:
-    <a href="#Page_19">19</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_25">25</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_28">28</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_29">29</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_37">37</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_95">95–101</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">fibrous-rooted,
-    <a href="#Page_95">95</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_96">96–97</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">floriferous,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">grown in artificial light,
-    <a href="#Page_24">24</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_35">35</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">miniature (dwarf),
-    <a href="#Page_44">44</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_53">53</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_95">95–101</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Strawberry (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Saxifraga"><i>Saxifraga</i></a>);</li>
-  <li class="i1">tuberous,
-    <a href="#Page_24">24</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_95">95</a></li>
-  <li class="hangingindent1">(<i>See also</i> <a href="#Rex">Rex begonias</a>, <a href="#Rhizomatous">Rhizomatous begonias</a>, <a href="#Semperflorens">Semperflorens begonias</a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Bell Flower,
-    <a href="#Page_263">263–64</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bellis (Daisy),
-    <a href="#Page_263">263</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bermuda Maidenhair Fern,
-    <a href="#Page_94">94</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Bertolonia</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li>
-
-  <li>Better Business Bureau,
-    <a href="#Page_215">215</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Betula nana</i> (Birch),
-    <a href="#Page_239">239</a></li>
-
-  <li>Billbergia,
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li>
-
-  <li>Birch tree:
-    <a href="#Page_177">177</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_183">183</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_239">239</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">as base for bromeliads,
-    <a href="#Page_69">69</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in bonsai,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bird’s nest,
-    <a href="#Page_246">246</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bishop’s Cap,
-    <a href="#Page_224">224–25</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Black Falcon,’
-    <a href="#Page_98">98</a></li>
-
-  <li>Blackleaf panamiga,
-    <a href="#Page_131">131</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Black Vesuvius,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bloodroot,
-    <a href="#Page_160">160</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_212">212</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_214">214</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Blue Ball,’
-    <a href="#Page_282">282</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Blue Gem,’
-    <a href="#Page_95">95</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Blue Mink,’
-    <a href="#Page_282">282</a></li>
-
-  <li>Blue Oxalis,
-    <a href="#Page_125">125</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Blue Star,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bluets,
-    <a href="#Page_223">223</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Boea hygroscopica</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bog Rosemary,
-    <a href="#Page_238">238–39</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bone meal (<i>See</i> <a href="#Superphosphate">Superphosphate</a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Bonsai:
-    <a href="#Page_159">159–76</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">character of the plant in,
-    <a href="#Page_164">164–65</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in citrus,
-    <a href="#Page_163">163</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">indoor,
-    <a href="#Page_161">161–63</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1"><i>name</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_161">161</a>;</li>
-  <li class="hangingindent1">plants for use in,
-    <a href="#Page_101">101</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_110">110</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_122">122</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_124">124</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_132">132</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_134">134</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_150">150</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_160">160</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_227">227</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_238">238–49</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">root-pruning in,
-    <a href="#Page_169">169–70</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">roses in,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1"><i>shinto</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_161">161</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Bo-Peep,’
-    <a href="#Page_145">145</a></li>
-
-  <li>Boston (Massachusetts),
-    <a href="#Page_64">64</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_65">65</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">beans,
-    <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bottle Brush,
-    <a href="#Page_243">243</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Bouvardia longiflora humboldti</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_101">101</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Bow-Arriola,’
-    <a href="#Page_97">97</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_99">99</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Bow Chance,’
-    <a href="#Page_97">97</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_99">99</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Bow-Joe,’
-    <a href="#Page_97">97</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Bow-Nigra,’
-    <a href="#Page_97">97</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_99">99</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent">Box (<i>See</i> <a href="#Buxus"><i>Buxus</i></a>; <a href="#microphylla"><i>Buxus microphylla japonica</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Boxing gloves,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>Boxwood, African,
-    <a href="#Page_124">124</a></li>
-  <li class="hangingindent1">(<i>See also</i>: <a href="#Buxus"><i>Buxus</i></a>; <a href="#microphylla"><i>Buxus microphylla japonica</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>‘Boy Blue,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bracts,
-    <a href="#Page_104">104</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_136">136</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Bright Eyes,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li>Broadlily,
-    <a href="#Page_220">220</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bromeliad,
-    <a href="#Page_44">44</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_45">45</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_69">69–70</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_136">136</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">tree,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_69">69–70</a></li>
-
-  <li>Brooklyn,
-    <a href="#Page_137">137</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Brownie Scout,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Bruckenthalia spiculifolia</i> (Balkan Heath),
-    <a href="#Page_239">239</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bugle,
-    <a href="#Page_260">260</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bulbs:
-    <a href="#Page_288">288–98</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">fertilizing,
-    <a href="#Page_290">290</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_292">292</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">propagating miniature, indoors,
-    <a href="#Page_291">291–92</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">South African,
-    <a href="#Page_95">95</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">spring-flowering,
-    <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">winter-flowering,
-    <a href="#Page_95">95</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bunchberry,
-    <a href="#Page_221">221</a></li>
-
-  <li>Bunny ears,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>Burning Bush,
-    <a href="#Page_243">243</a></li>
-
-  <li>Burpee,
-    <a href="#Page_281">281</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Butterball,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li>Button Fern,
-    <a href="#Page_128">128</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Buxus"><i>Buxus</i> (Box, Boxwood),
-    <a href="#Page_46">46</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_239">239–40</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li>
-
-  <li id="microphylla"><i>Buxus microphylla japonica</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_101">101</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Cactus:
-    <a href="#Page_49">49</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_64">64–65</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_78">78</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_101">101–7</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Christmas,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">use in window gardens of,
-    <a href="#Page_19">19–21</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Caladium"><i>Caladium</i> (Elephant Ears),
-    <a href="#Page_11">11</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_107">107–9</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">bicolor varieties of,
-    <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li>
-
-  <li>Calamondin,
-    <a href="#Page_113">113</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Calathea"><i>Calathea (Maranta)</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_109">109</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_122">122</a></li>
-
-  <li>Calceolarias,
-    <a href="#Page_38">38</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Calceolaria biflora</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_153">153</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Callopsis volkensi</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_109">109</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Calluna vulgaris</i> (Heather, Ling)
-    <a href="#Page_226">226</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_240">240</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Campanula</i> (Harebell, Bell Flower),
-    <a href="#Page_263">263–64</a></li>
-
-  <li>Campion,
-    <a href="#Page_273">273–74</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Camptosorus rhizophyllus</i> (Walking Fern),
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li>Canada,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li>Canadian yew,
-    <a href="#Page_248">248</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Canary Yellow,’
-    <a href="#Page_287">287</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Candidum, Jr.,’
-    <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li>
-
-  <li>Candytuft,
-    <a href="#Page_252">252</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_267">267</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Persian,
-    <a href="#Page_260">260</a></li>
-
-  <li>Cankerworms (<i>See</i> <a href="#Inchworms">“Inchworms”</a>)</li>
-
-  <li>‘Caperata’ (‘Little Fantasy’),
-    <a href="#Page_129">129</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Caprice,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>Caraway thyme,
-    <a href="#Page_274">274</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Carex elegantissima (Morrowi variegata)</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent"><i>Carissa grandiflora nana compacta</i> (Natal Plum),
-    <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li>
-
-  <li>Carnations,
-    <a href="#Page_266">266</a></li>
-
-  <li>Carpet bugle,
-    <a href="#Page_260">260</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Carpet of Snow,’
-    <a href="#Page_282">282</a></li>
-
-  <li>Caryopteris,
-    <a href="#Page_229">229</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Caryopteris incana</i> (Blue Spirea),
-    <a href="#Page_240">240</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Caryota urens</i> (fishtail palm),
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Cassiope lycopodioides</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_240">240</a></li>
-
-  <li>Catchfly,
-    <a href="#Page_273">273–74</a></li>
-
-  <li>Cedar,
-    <a href="#Page_234">234</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">White,
-    <a href="#Page_241">241</a></li>
-
-  <li>“Century plant,” miniature,
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Cephalocereus senilis</i> (Old Man Cactus),
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ceramics, as plant containers,
-    <a href="#Page_39">39</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_41">41</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Cerastium</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_263">263</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Ceratostigma plumbaginoides</i> (Leadwort),
-    <a href="#Page_265">265</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Ceropegia</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent"><i>Chaenomeles (Cydonia)</i> (Japanese Quince, Flowering Quince),
-    <a href="#Page_240">240–41</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Chaenostoma fastigiatum</i> (Little Stars),
-    <a href="#Page_111">111</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Chamaecereus silvestri</i> (Peanut Cactus),
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li>
-
-  <li>Chamaecyparis,
-    <a href="#Page_226">226</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent"><i>Chamaecyparis (Retinospora)</i> (False Cypress, White Cedar),
-    <a href="#Page_141">141</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Chamaedaphne calyculata</i> (Leatherleaf),
-    <a href="#Page_241">241</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Chamaedorea elegans bella</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_111">111</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Chamaeranthemum</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_111">111</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Chantilly Lace,’
-    <a href="#Page_98">98–99</a></li>
-
-  <li>Charcoal:</li>
-  <li class="i1">for house plants,
-    <a href="#Page_78">78</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">use in terrariums of,
-    <a href="#Page_58">58–59</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Charm,’
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
-
-  <li>Cheddar pink,
-    <a href="#Page_266">266</a></li>
-
-  <li>Chenille plant,
-    <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Cherry Rose,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li>Chidamian, Claude,
-    <a href="#Page_159">159</a></li>
-
-  <li>Chin Cactus,
-    <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘China Doll,’
-    <a href="#Page_98">98–99</a></li>
-
-  <li>China plant,
-    <a href="#Page_136">136</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Chinodoxa</i> (Glory-of-the-Snow),
-    <a href="#Page_292">292</a></li>
-
-  <li>Chipmunks,
-    <a href="#Page_290">290</a></li>
-
-  <li>Chlordane,
-    <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Chlorophytum bicheti</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_111">111</a></li>
-
-  <li>Chlorophytums,
-    <a href="#Page_90">90</a></li>
-
-  <li>Chrismas cheer,
-    <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li>
-
-  <li>Chrysanthemums,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">commercial, and photoperiodism,
-    <a href="#Page_23">23</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Cinderella,’
-    <a href="#Page_145">145</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Cinnabar Red,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Cissus"><i>Cissus striata</i> (Miniature Grape Ivy),
-    <a href="#Page_111">111</a></li>
-
-  <li>Citrus:
-    <a href="#Page_113">113</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">dwarf,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_68">68</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">evergreen,
-    <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent" id="Claytonia"><i>Claytonia virginica</i> (Spring Beauty),
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_211">211</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219–20</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Cleopatra,’
-    <a href="#Page_97">97</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Clerodendrum"><i>Clerodendrum thomosoniae</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>Climbers,
-    <a href="#Page_27">27</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_47">47</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_51">51</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_70">70</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_110">110</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">miniature,
-    <a href="#Page_18">18</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_49">49</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_111">111–12</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_143">143</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Clintonia</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_220">220</a></li>
-
-  <li>Club moss,
-    <a href="#Page_224">224</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Coccinea,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent"><i>Colchicum</i> (Autumn Crocus, Meadow Saffron),
-    <a href="#Page_289">289</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_292">292</a></li>
-
-  <li>Coleus,
-    <a href="#Page_94">94</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Color Carpet,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>Columbine,
-    <a href="#Page_262">262</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Columnea microphylla</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_113">113</a></li>
-
-  <li>Columneas,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>Common thyme,
-    <a href="#Page_274">274</a></li>
-
-  <li>Conifers (<i>See</i> <a href="#Evergreens">Evergreens</a>)</li>
-
-  <li><i>Conophytum</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent">Connecticut:
-    <a href="#Page_75">75</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_142">142</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_144">144</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_150">150</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_158">158</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_176">176</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_179">179</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_183">183</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_213">213</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_251">251</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_253">253</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_255">255</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">fall planting in,
-    <a href="#Page_229">229</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Redding,
-    <a href="#Page_64">64</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_81">81</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_172">172</a></li>
-
-  <li>Connecticut Power and Light Company,
-    <a href="#Page_35">35</a></li>
-
-  <li>Conservatories, planted as gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li>
-
-  <li>Containers, gardens in,
-    <a href="#Page_38">38–52</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_41">41</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_49">49</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_53">53–60</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Convallaria majalis</i> (Lily of the Valley),
-    <a href="#Page_220">220</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Coptis trifolia</i> (Goldthread),
-    <a href="#Page_220">220</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Coquette,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>Coral beads,
-    <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Coreopsis</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Coreopsis auriculata nana</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_265">265</a></li>
-
-  <li>Corms,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">and fertilizing,
-    <a href="#Page_295">295</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Cornflowers</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent" id="Cornus"><i>Cornus canadensis</i> (Bunchberry, Creeping Dogwood),
-    <a href="#Page_221">221</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Corydalis</i> (Fumitory),
-    <a href="#Page_265">265</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Coryphantha vivipara</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Cotoneaster</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_177">177</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_233">233</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_241">241</a></li>
-
-  <li>Cottage (grass) pink,
-    <a href="#Page_266">266</a></li>
-
-  <li>Cotton,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>Cranesbill (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Geranium"><i>Geranium</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li><i>Crassula</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent">Creepers:
-    <a href="#Page_105">105</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_111">111</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_120">120</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_129">129</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_132">132</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_134">134</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_136">136</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_182">182</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_221">221</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_224">224</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_271">271</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_274">274–75</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in greenhouse,
-    <a href="#Page_70">70</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in indoor garden,
-    <a href="#Page_19">19</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_27">27</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_49">49</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_58">58</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_60">60</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in sink garden,
-    <a href="#Page_154">154</a></li>
-  <li class="i1">(<i>See also</i> <a href="#Episcias">Episcias</a>; <a href="#Ivy">Ivy Vines</a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Creeping bluets,
-    <a href="#Page_223">223</a></li>
-
-  <li>Creeping Charlie,
-    <a href="#Page_130">130</a></li>
-
-  <li>Creeping Dogwood,
-    <a href="#Page_221">221</a></li>
-
-  <li>Creeping fig,
-    <a href="#Page_27">27</a></li>
-  <li class="i1">(<i>See also</i>: <a href="#Ficus"><i>Ficus</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Creeping phlox,
-    <a href="#Page_271">271</a></li>
-
-  <li>Creeping thyme,
-    <a href="#Page_274">274</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Crocus</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_290">290</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_293">293</a></li>
-
-  <li>Crown: division of plant,
-    <a href="#Page_90">90</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">of thorns, dwarf (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Euphorbia"><i>Euphorbia</i></a>);</li>
-  <li class="i1">Cactus (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Rebutia"><i>Rebutia</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li><i>Cryptanthus</i> (Earth Stars),
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Cryptbergia meadi</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Cryptogramma crispa</i> (Parsley Fern),
-    <a href="#Page_221">221</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Cryptomeria japonica</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_241">241</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Cuinia,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Cupid,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>Cushion pink,
-    <a href="#Page_273">273</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Cuttings">Cuttings:
-    <a href="#Page_31">31</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_73">73</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_88">88–89</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_140">140</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_198">198</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in bonsai,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">effect of red rays of spectrum on,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">hardwood,
-    <a href="#Page_235">235</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_243">243</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_250">250</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">leaf,
-    <a href="#Page_89">89</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in propagation of perennials,
-    <a href="#Page_258">258</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">rhizome,
-    <a href="#Page_89">89</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_208">208</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">root,
-    <a href="#Page_89">89</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">softwood,
-    <a href="#Page_88">88</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_234">234–35</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_243">243</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Cyanotis</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Cyclamen</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_38">38</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_293">293–94</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1"><i>neapolitanum</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_152">152</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Cymbalaria"><i>Cymbalaria muralis</i> (Kenilworth Ivy),
-    <a href="#Page_11">11</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_40">40–41</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent" id="Cypripedium"><i>Cypripedium</i> (Lady-slipper, Moccasin Flower),
-    <a href="#Page_212">212</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_216">216</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_221">221</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li><i>Daboecia cantabrica</i> (Irish Bell Heather),
-    <a href="#Page_242">242</a></li>
-
-  <li>Daffodils, Winter,
-    <a href="#Page_297">297–98</a></li>
-  <li class="i1">(<i>See also</i>: <a href="#Narcissus"><i>Narcissus</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Dahlias,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Dainty Spray,’
-    <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li>
-
-  <li>Daisy,
-    <a href="#Page_263">263</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Dalibarda repens</i> (Dewdrop, False Violet),
-    <a href="#Page_221">221–22</a></li>
-
-  <li>“Damp-off,”
-    <a href="#Page_256">256</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Daphne</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_243">243</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_260">260</a></li>
-
-  <li>Davallias (rabbit’s-foot ferns),
-    <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li>
-
-  <li>Day-neutral plants,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li>
-
-  <li>Delphiniums,
-    <a href="#Page_211">211</a></li>
-
-  <li>Desert Rose (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Trichodiadema"><i>Trichodiadema densum</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>‘Dew Drop,’
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li>
-
-  <li>Dewdrop,
-    <a href="#Page_221">221–22</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Dianthus"><i>Dianthus</i> (Pink),
-    <a href="#Page_258">258</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_266">266</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1"><i>barbatus</i> (sweet William),
-    <a href="#Page_10">10</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_266">266</a></li>
-
-  <li>Dieffenbachias,
-    <a href="#Page_89">89</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Dionaea muscipula</i> (Venus Fly Trap),
-    <a href="#Page_115">115–16</a></li>
-
-  <li>Dish gardens:
-    <a href="#Page_38">38–39</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_42">42–45</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">commercial,
-    <a href="#Page_51">51–52</a>;</li>
-  <li class="hangingindent1">plants for,
-    <a href="#Page_93">93–95</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_101">101</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_109">109–11</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_124">124</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_129">129–32</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_134">134</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_239">239–40</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_243">243</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">use of accessories in,
-    <a href="#Page_44">44</a></li>
-
-  <li>Dogtooth Violet,
-    <a href="#Page_222">222</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288–89</a></li>
-
-  <li>Dogwood,
-    <a href="#Page_213">213</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Creeping (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Cornus"><i>Cornus canadensis</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>‘Dopey,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>Double pink,
-    <a href="#Page_266">266</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Dracaena godseffiana</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_115">115</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Drosera rotundifolia</i> (Sundew),
-    <a href="#Page_115">115</a></li>
-
-  <li>Duckweed,
-    <a href="#Page_223">223</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Dwarf Bearded Iris,’
-    <a href="#Page_268">268</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Dwarf Compact,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>Dwarf crown of thorns,
-    <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Dwarf Globe,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Dwarf Houghtoni,’
-    <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li>
-
-  <li>Dwarf myrtle,
-    <a href="#Page_124">124</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Dyckia</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_116">116</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>‘Early Giant,’
-    <a href="#Page_295">295</a></li>
-
-  <li>Earth Stars,
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li>
-
-  <li>Earthworms,
-    <a href="#Page_60">60</a></li>
-
-  <li>Easter Lily Cactus,
-    <a href="#Page_104">104–5</a></li>
-
-  <li>Eastern wild ginger,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ebony sweetheart,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Echeveria</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent"><i>Echinocereus melanocentrus</i> (Hedgehog Cactus),
-    <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Echinopsis</i> (Easter Lily Cactus),
-    <a href="#Page_104">104–5</a></li>
-
-  <li>Electricity: as source of light for plants,
-    <a href="#Page_23">23–37</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">use in greenhouse propagating of,
-    <a href="#Page_73">73</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86</a></li>
-
-  <li>Elephant bush,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>Elephant Ears (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Caladium"><i>Caladium</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>‘Elf,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>Elms, for bonsai,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Emerald Ripple,’
-    <a href="#Page_129">129</a></li>
-
-  <li>England,
-    <a href="#Page_150">150</a></li>
-
-  <li>English daisy,
-    <a href="#Page_263">263</a></li>
-
-  <li>English Ivy,
-    <a href="#Page_11">11</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_118">118–19</a></li>
-
-  <li>English Royal Horticultural Society,
-    <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li>
-
-  <li>English yew,
-    <a href="#Page_248">248</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Epigaea repens</i> (Trailing Arbutus),
-    <a href="#Page_222">222</a></li>
-
-  <li>Epiphyllum,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>Epiphytic plants,
-    <a href="#Page_44">44</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_53">53</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_62">62</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_92">92</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">on bromeliad tree,
-    <a href="#Page_70">70</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Episcia dianthiflora</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_116">116</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Episcias">Episcias,
-    <a href="#Page_20">20</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_37">37</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_70">70</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_90">90</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_116">116</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Epsilon,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Eranthis</i> (Winter Aconite),
-    <a href="#Page_290">290</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Erodium chamaedryoides roseum</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent"><i>Erythronium</i> (Adder’s-Tongue, Trout Lily, Dogtooth Violet),
-    <a href="#Page_222">222</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288–89</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Euonymous</i> (Burning Bush),
-    <a href="#Page_243">243</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Euphorbia"><i>Euphorbia</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li>
-
-  <li>Evening Primrose,
-    <a href="#Page_170">170</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Evergreens">Evergreens:</li>
-  <li class="i1">coniferous,
-    <a href="#Page_165">165</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_234">234</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_246">246</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">ericaceous,
-    <a href="#Page_226">226</a>;</li>
-  <li class="hangingindent1">as mulch,
-    <a href="#Page_140">140</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_144">144</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_197">197</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_233">233</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_242">242</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_255">255</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_272">272</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_292">292</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in rock garden,
-    <a href="#Page_49">49</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_239">239</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in sink gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">watering of,
-    <a href="#Page_231">231</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Exacum affine</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_116">116</a></li>
-
-  <li>Exotica II,
-    <a href="#Page_11">11</a></li>
-
-  <li>Eyelash begonia,
-    <a href="#Page_97">97</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>‘Fairyland,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Fairy Tales,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>False Cypress,
-    <a href="#Page_241">241</a></li>
-
-  <li>False Violet,
-    <a href="#Page_221">221–22</a></li>
-
-  <li>Fan Columbine,
-    <a href="#Page_262">262</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Fantasy-Face,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Faucaria</i> (Tiger Jaws),
-    <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li>
-
-  <li>Fawn lily,
-    <a href="#Page_222">222</a></li>
-
-  <li>Feather hyacinth,
-    <a href="#Page_296">296</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Fenestraria</i> (Baby Toes),
-    <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li>
-
-  <li>Fern:
-    <a href="#Page_51">51</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_54">54</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_58">58</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_66">66</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_131">131</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_133">133</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_212">212</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Button,
-    <a href="#Page_128">128</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">maidenhair,
-    <a href="#Page_94">94</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_216">216</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Mexican tree,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">rabbit’s-foot,
-    <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">staghorn,
-    <a href="#Page_70">70</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">use in window gardens of,
-    <a href="#Page_20">20</a></li>
-  <li class="i1">(<i>See also</i>; <a href="#Asplenium"><i>Asplenium</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Fertilizing:</li>
-  <li class="i1">of greenhouse plants,
-    <a href="#Page_72">72</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">of house plants,
-    <a href="#Page_79">79–80</a>;</li>
-  <li class="hangingindent1">with liquid manure,
-    <a href="#Page_109">109</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_123">123</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_175">175</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_218">218</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_254">254</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_290">290</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_292">292</a>;</li>
-  <li class="hangingindent1">of miniature gardens in containers,
-    <a href="#Page_51">51</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_156">156</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_175">175</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_208">208</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">with rose food,
-    <a href="#Page_141">141</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_143">143</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">trees and shrubs,
-    <a href="#Page_230">230</a></li>
-
-  <li>Fiberglas, as mulch,
-    <a href="#Page_197">197</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Ficus"><i>Ficus</i> (Creeping Fig),
-    <a href="#Page_27">27</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_117">117</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1"><i>pumila minima</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_19">19</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li>
-
-  <li>Fig:</li>
-  <li class="i1">creeping,
-    <a href="#Page_27">27</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">dwarf ever-bearing,
-    <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li>
-  <li class="i1">(<i>See also</i>: <a href="#Ficus"><i>Ficus</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>‘Fireball,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284–85</a></li>
-
-  <li>Firecracker Vine,
-    <a href="#Page_122">122</a></li>
-
-  <li>Firefern,
-    <a href="#Page_124">124–25</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Fireglow,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li>Fish emulsion, as fertilizer,
-    <a href="#Page_157">157</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_175">175</a></li>
-
-  <li>Fishtail palm,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>Fittonias,
-    <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent"><i>Fittonia verschaffelti</i> (Nerve or Mosaic Plant),
-    <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li>
-
-  <li>Flamingo Flower,
-    <a href="#Page_95">95</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Fleurette,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>Floribundas,
-    <a href="#Page_137">137</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Florida Beauty,’
-    <a href="#Page_115">115</a></li>
-
-  <li>Floss flower,
-    <a href="#Page_282">282</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Flower and Garden</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_27">27</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_61">61</a></li>
-
-  <li>Flowering Maple,
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
-
-  <li>Flowering Quince,
-    <a href="#Page_240">240–41</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Flute,’
-    <a href="#Page_296">296</a></li>
-
-  <li>Forget-Me-Not,
-    <a href="#Page_269">269</a></li>
-
-  <li>Formal gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_48">48</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_64">64</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138–39</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_180">180</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Fortunella</i> (Kumquat),
-    <a href="#Page_117">117–18</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Fothergilla</i> (Bottle Brush),
-    <a href="#Page_243">243</a></li>
-
-  <li>Foxglove, Mexican,
-    <a href="#Page_94">94</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Francois Cardinaux,’
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
-
-  <li>Free, Montague,
-    <a href="#Page_45">45</a></li>
-
-  <li>French thyme,
-    <a href="#Page_274">274</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Frosty Morn,’
-    <a href="#Page_297">297</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Fuchsia magellanica</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_118">118</a></li>
-
-  <li>Fuchsias,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_118">118</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">light requirement of,
-    <a href="#Page_75">75</a></li>
-
-  <li>Fumitory,
-    <a href="#Page_265">265</a></li>
-
-  <li>Fungicide, for roses,
-    <a href="#Page_143">143</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li><i>Galanthus nivalis</i> (Snowdrop),
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Garden Pools, Water-Lilies and Goldfish</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_210">210</a></li>
-
-  <li>Gardens:</li>
-  <li class="i1">aquatic,
-    <a href="#Page_199">199</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_207">207–10</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in the city,
-    <a href="#Page_213">213</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">herb,
-    <a href="#Page_48">48</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Northeastern,
-    <a href="#Page_10">10</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Northern,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Oriental,
-    <a href="#Page_48">48–49</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">pests in,
-    <a href="#Page_83">83–85</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Southern,
-    <a href="#Page_109">109</a></li>
-
-  <li>Gentian,
-    <a href="#Page_116">116</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">bottle,
-    <a href="#Page_212">212</a></li>
-
-  <li>Georgia,
-    <a href="#Page_219"> 219</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_223">223</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Geranium"><i>Geranium</i> (Cranesbill):
-    <a href="#Page_135">135</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_266">266</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">dwarf,
-    <a href="#Page_17">17</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_87">87–88</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_127">127</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">miniature,
-    <a href="#Page_20">20</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">temperature for greenhouse,
-    <a href="#Page_71">71</a></li>
-  <li class="hangingindent1">(<i>See also</i>: <a href="#Pelargonium"><i>Pelargonium hortorum</i></a>; <a href="#Saxifraga"><i>Saxifraga</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>German Weismoor,
-    <a href="#Page_135">135</a></li>
-
-  <li>Germander,
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li>
-
-  <li>Gesneriads:
-    <a href="#Page_20">20</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_28">28</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_71">71</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_96">96–97</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_134">134–35</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">and artificial light intensity,
-    <a href="#Page_35">35</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_37">37</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in Greenwich Village apartment,
-    <a href="#Page_23">23</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">grown from seed,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘The Giant,’
-    <a href="#Page_292">292</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ginger, wild,
-    <a href="#Page_160">160</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ginkgo, in bonsai,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a></li>
-
-  <li>Gladiolus,
-    <a href="#Page_294">294–95</a></li>
-
-  <li>Glass: gardens in,
-    <a href="#Page_53">53–60</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">as plant containers,
-    <a href="#Page_39">39</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Glee,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>Glory bush (<i>Tibouchina semidecandra</i>),
-    <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li>
-
-  <li>Glory-of-the-Snow,
-    <a href="#Page_292">292</a></li>
-
-  <li>Gloxinia (Sinningia),
-    <a href="#Page_134">134–35</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Gnome,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Goblin,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>Golden Easter Lily,
-    <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Golden Hahni,’
-    <a href="#Page_132">132</a></li>
-
-  <li>Golden lace,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Golden Ray,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a></li>
-
-  <li>Goldfish,
-    <a href="#Page_36">36–37</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_205">205–6</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Goldheart,’
-    <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Gold Laced,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li>Goldthread,
-    <a href="#Page_220">220</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Goliath,’
-    <a href="#Page_262">262</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent" id="Goodyera"><i>Goodyera pubescens</i> (Rattlesnake Plantain),
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_216">216</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_222">222–23</a></li>
-
-  <li>Graf, A. B.,
-    <a href="#Page_11">11</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Granada,’
-    <a href="#Page_145">145</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Granata,’
-    <a href="#Page_145">145</a></li>
-
-  <li>Grape Hyacinth,
-    <a href="#Page_295">295–96</a></li>
-
-  <li>Grass, in dish gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_47">47</a></li>
-
-  <li>Greek myrtle,
-    <a href="#Page_124">124</a></li>
-
-  <li>Greenhouse:
-    <a href="#Page_61">61–73</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">author’s,
-    <a href="#Page_279">279</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">indoor,
-    <a href="#Page_27">27</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_55">55</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">low-cost,
-    <a href="#Page_279">279–80</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">miniature,
-    <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">pests in,
-    <a href="#Page_83">83–85</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">plants for,
-    <a href="#Page_136">136</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">propagating,
-    <a href="#Page_73">73</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86–90</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">rampant,
-    <a href="#Page_69">69</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">soil mixture,
-    <a href="#Page_71">71–72</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">window,
-    <a href="#Page_22">22</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Green Medora,’
-    <a href="#Page_97">97</a></li>
-
-  <li>Gro-Lux lamps,
-    <a href="#Page_31">31</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_35">35–36</a></li>
-
-  <li>Gro-Master propagating box,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ground cedar,
-    <a href="#Page_224">224</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ground Ivy,
-    <a href="#Page_270">270</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ground moss,
-    <a href="#Page_271">271</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ground pine,
-    <a href="#Page_224">224</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Gymnocalycium mihanovichi</i> (Chin Cactus),
-    <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li>
-
-  <li>Gypsophila (Baby’s Breath),
-    <a href="#Page_267">267</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>‘Hahni,’
-    <a href="#Page_131">131</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Halenzy,’
-    <a href="#Page_296">296</a></li>
-
-  <li>Harebell,
-    <a href="#Page_263">263–64</a></li>
-
-  <li>Hawaii,
-    <a href="#Page_140">140</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Haworthia</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_104">104–5</a></li>
-
-  <li>Hearts entangled,
-    <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li>
-
-  <li>Heather,
-    <a href="#Page_226">226</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_240">240</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Heavenly Blue,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Hebe buxifola variegata</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_118">118</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Hedera"><i>Hedera helix</i> (English Ivy),
-    <a href="#Page_11">11</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_118">118–19</a></li>
-
-  <li>Hedgehog Cactus,
-    <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li>
-
-  <li>Hedges, in dish gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_46">46</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Heidi,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Helen Chapman,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Helen Fowler,’
-    <a href="#Page_209">209</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Helxine soleiroli</i> (Baby’s Tears),
-    <a href="#Page_120">120–21</a></li>
-
-  <li>Hemlock,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li>
-
-  <li>Henri,
-    <a href="#Page_124">124</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Hepatica</i> (Liverleaf),
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_223">223</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Hidcate Blue,’
-    <a href="#Page_269">269</a></li>
-
-  <li>Hilfoil,
-    <a href="#Page_259">259</a></li>
-
-  <li>Himalayas,
-    <a href="#Page_271">271</a></li>
-
-  <li>Holly,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_244">244</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent">Home decorating, and artificially lighted plants,
-    <a href="#Page_24">24–25</a></li>
-
-  <li>Hoop-skirt daffodil,
-    <a href="#Page_296">296</a></li>
-
-  <li>Hormone rooting preparations,
-    <a href="#Page_88">88–89</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_234">234–36</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Hortus Second</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_11">11</a></li>
-
-  <li>House plants:
-    <a href="#Page_72">72</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_74">74–136</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_282">282</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">collecting,
-    <a href="#Page_18">18</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">culture of, described,
-    <a href="#Page_92">92–136</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">humidity for,
-    <a href="#Page_76">76–77</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">insects and disease and,
-    <a href="#Page_83">83–85</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">propagating of,
-    <a href="#Page_84">84</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86–90</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">repotting of,
-    <a href="#Page_79">79–80</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">temperatures for,
-    <a href="#Page_75">75–76</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">unusual,
-    <a href="#Page_91">91</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">watering of,
-    <a href="#Page_80">80–82</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Houstonia</i> (Bluets, Quaker Lady),
-    <a href="#Page_223">223</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Hoya bella</i> (Wax Plant),
-    <a href="#Page_120">120</a></li>
-
-  <li>Humidity: gauge,
-    <a href="#Page_76">76</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">for house plants,
-    <a href="#Page_76">76–77</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">relative,
-    <a href="#Page_76">76</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Hyacinthus</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_295">295</a></li>
-
-  <li>Hybrids:
-    <a href="#Page_12">12</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">fuchsia,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">man-made,
-    <a href="#Page_11">11</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Weismoor,
-    <a href="#Page_160">160–61</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li><i>Iberis</i> (Perennial Candytuft),
-    <a href="#Page_252">252</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_267">267</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Igloo,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Ilex crenata helleri</i> (Holly),
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_244">244</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Imp,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>Impatiens,
-    <a href="#Page_19">19</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Impatiens repens</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_120">120</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Imperial White Dwarf,’
-    <a href="#Page_282">282</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Impresario,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>Inchworm plant,
-    <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Inchworms">“Inchworms,”
-    <a href="#Page_158">158</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li>
-
-  <li>Indian head,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Insignis Blue,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li>Institute de Biologia,
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li>
-
-  <li>Internodes, long,
-    <a href="#Page_75">75</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Ionopsidium acaule</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Iris</i>:
-    <a href="#Page_267">267–68</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">bulbous,
-    <a href="#Page_267">267</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">rhizomatous,
-    <a href="#Page_267">267</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288–89</a></li>
-
-  <li>Irish Bell Heather,
-    <a href="#Page_242">242</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Isabellina,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘It,’
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Itsy Bitsy,’
-    <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Ivalace,’
-    <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Ivy">Ivy:
-    <a href="#Page_41">41</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_194">194</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in bonsai,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">English (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Hedera"><i>Hedera helix</i></a>);</li>
-  <li class="i1">grape,
-    <a href="#Page_11">11</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_111">111</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Kenilworth (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Cymbalaria"><i>Cymbalaria muralis</i></a>);</li>
-  <li class="i1">poison,
-    <a href="#Page_213">213</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Jack-in-the-pulpit,
-    <a href="#Page_211">211</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li>Japanese beetles,
-    <a href="#Page_137">137</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li>
-
-  <li>Japanese Quince,
-    <a href="#Page_240">240–41</a></li>
-
-  <li>Japanese yew,
-    <a href="#Page_248">248</a></li>
-
-  <li>Jasmine,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-  <li class="i1">(<i>See also</i>: <a href="#Stephanotis"><i>Stephanotis floribunda</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Jelly beans,
-    <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Jetage,’
-    <a href="#Page_296">296</a></li>
-
-  <li>Jewel plant,
-    <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Jo Ann Pring,’
-    <a href="#Page_209">209</a></li>
-
-  <li>Johnny-jump-up,
-    <a href="#Page_276">276</a></li>
-
-  <li>Joseph’s Coat,
-    <a href="#Page_94">94–95</a></li>
-
-  <li>Joshua tree, little,
-    <a href="#Page_49">49</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Jubilee,’
-    <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Jubilee Gem,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a></li>
-
-  <li>Julius Roehrs Company,
-    <a href="#Page_13">13</a></li>
-
-  <li>Juniper,
-    <a href="#Page_139">139</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_177">177</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_226">226</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_245">245</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Sargent’s,
-    <a href="#Page_160">160</a></li>
-  <li class="i1">(<i>See also</i>: <a href="#Juniperus"><i>Juniperus</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li id="Juniperus"><i>Juniperus</i>:
-    <a href="#Page_244">244–45</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1"><i>communis</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_139">139</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_245">245</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1"><i>procumbens nana</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_226">226</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_245">245</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Kalanchoe,
-    <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li>
-
-  <li>Karathane,
-    <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Kathy Diane,’
-    <a href="#Page_98">98</a></li>
-
-  <li>Kenilworth Ivy,
-    <a href="#Page_11">11</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_40">40–41</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Kleiner Liebling’ (‘Little Darling’),
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Kleinia</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Koellikeria erinoides</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_120">120</a></li>
-
-  <li>Korean snowballs,
-    <a href="#Page_250">250</a></li>
-
-  <li>Kumquat,
-    <a href="#Page_117">117–18</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Lady-slipper (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Cypripedium"><i>Cypripedium</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Landscape, gardens in the,
-    <a href="#Page_177">177–82</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Lantana camara</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_120">120</a></li>
-
-  <li>Laurel, mountain,
-    <a href="#Page_160">160</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent" id="Lavandula"><i>Lavandula officinalis (Lavender)</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_177">177</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_252">252</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_258">258</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_269">269</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">dwarf,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_259">259</a></li>
-
-  <li>Lavender (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Lavandula"><i>Lavandula officinalis</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Layering:
-    <a href="#Page_89">89–90</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166–67</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_235">235–36</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_259">259</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">air,
-    <a href="#Page_89">89</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166–67</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_236">236</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">ground,
-    <a href="#Page_90">90</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166–67</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_235">235–36</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_259">259</a></li>
-
-  <li>Leadwort,
-    <a href="#Page_265">265</a></li>
-
-  <li>Leatherleaf,
-    <a href="#Page_241">241</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Leiophyllum buxifolium</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_226">226</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Lemna minor</i> (Duckweed),
-    <a href="#Page_223">223</a></li>
-
-  <li>Lemon thyme,
-    <a href="#Page_274">274</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Leucojum</i> (Snowflake),
-    <a href="#Page_295">295</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Leuconeura massageana</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_123">123</a></li>
-
-  <li>Levittown,
-    <a href="#Page_23">23</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_27">27</a></li>
-
-  <li>Light bulbs:</li>
-  <li class="i1">distance from plants of,
-    <a href="#Page_32">32–33</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">fluorescent,
-    <a href="#Page_27">27</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_31">31</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_55">55</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">incandescent,
-    <a href="#Page_27">27</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_31">31</a></li>
-
-  <li>Lilac,
-    <a href="#Page_229">229</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Lilac Lady,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a></li>
-
-  <li>Lilliputs,
-    <a href="#Page_268">268</a></li>
-
-  <li>Lily of the Valley,
-    <a href="#Page_220">220</a></li>
-
-  <li>Lime (citrus),
-    <a href="#Page_113">113</a></li>
-
-  <li>Lime:
-    <a href="#Page_156">156</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_208">208</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_260">260</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_289">289</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">horticultural,
-    <a href="#Page_78">78</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_230">230</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">and humusy soil,
-    <a href="#Page_94">94</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_218">218</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_254">254</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ling,
-    <a href="#Page_226">226</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_240">240</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Little Beauty,’
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_297">297</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Little Darling,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Little Egypt,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Little Fantasy,’
-    <a href="#Page_129">129</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Little Fawn,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Little Gem,’
-    <a href="#Page_96">96</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_267">267</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_282">282</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Little Joe,’
-    <a href="#Page_266">266</a></li>
-
-  <li>Little Joshua tree,
-    <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Little Princess,’
-    <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Little Rascal,’
-    <a href="#Page_108">108</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Little Red Star,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Little Snow Man,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Little Spice,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>Little Stars,
-    <a href="#Page_111">111</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Little Sweethearts,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>Liverleaf,
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_223">223</a></li>
-
-  <li>Lobelia,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Lobivia aurea</i> (Golden Easter Lily),
-    <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li>
-
-  <li>London pride,
-    <a href="#Page_273">273</a></li>
-
-  <li>Long Island,
-    <a href="#Page_279">279</a></li>
-
-  <li>Long-night plants,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30–31</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Lorraine Closson,’
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Louise Closson,’
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Lucille Closson,’
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Lucy Closson,’
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Lycopodium"><i>Lycopodium</i> (Club Moss),
-    <a href="#Page_224">224</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Madwort (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Alyssum">Alyssum</a>)</li>
-
-  <li>‘Magic Carpet,’
-    <a href="#Page_132">132</a></li>
-
-  <li>Maidenhair spleenwort,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li>Maiden pink,
-    <a href="#Page_266">266</a></li>
-
-  <li>Maine,
-    <a href="#Page_261">261</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Malpighia coccigera</i> (Miniature Holly),
-    <a href="#Page_122">122</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Mammillaria</i> (Pincushion Cactus),
-    <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Mamorata’ (‘Silver Heart’),
-    <a href="#Page_129">129</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mandarin orange,
-    <a href="#Page_113">113</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Manettia"><i>Manettia bicolor</i> (Firecracker Vine),
-    <a href="#Page_122">122</a></li>
-
-  <li>Manitoba,
-    <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Mantha requieni</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Maphil’ (‘Cleopatra’),
-    <a href="#Page_97">97</a></li>
-
-  <li>Maple:</li>
-  <li class="i1">in bonsai,
-    <a href="#Page_164">164</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">flowering,
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Maranta</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_53">53</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_109">109</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_122">122–23</a></li>
-  <li class="i1">(<i>See also</i>: <a href="#Calathea"><i>Calathea</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Marigolds,
-    <a href="#Page_283">283–84</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Maroon Beauty,’
-    <a href="#Page_132">132</a></li>
-
-  <li>Marumi kumquat,
-    <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li>
-
-  <li>Maryland,
-    <a href="#Page_223">223</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Beltsville, artificial light experiments,
-    <a href="#Page_23">23</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Masterpiece,’
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
-
-  <li>May Apple,
-    <a href="#Page_225">225</a></li>
-
-  <li>Meadow Saffron,
-    <a href="#Page_289">289</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_292">292</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Medora,’
-    <a href="#Page_97">97</a></li>
-
-  <li>Medusa’s head,
-    <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li>
-
-  <li>Merry Gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_13">13</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Mesembryanthemum cordifolium</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mexican Foxglove,
-    <a href="#Page_94">94</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mexican snowball,
-    <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mexican tree fern,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mexico,
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mice,
-    <a href="#Page_290">290</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Midget,’
-    <a href="#Page_98">98</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Midget Blue,’
-    <a href="#Page_282">282</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Midget Double,’
-    <a href="#Page_266">266</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mildew,
-    <a href="#Page_142">142</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Milky-White,’
-    <a href="#Page_296">296</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mimosa,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>“Ming urn,”
-    <a href="#Page_54">54</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Miniata,’
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Miniature Magic Carpet,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Minicycla,’
-    <a href="#Page_296">296</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mint, Corsican (<i>Mantha requieni</i>),
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Minx,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Mischief,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Misera,’
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Miss Marveen,’
-    <a href="#Page_108">108</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Mitchella repens</i> (Partridgeberry),
-    <a href="#Page_53">53</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_224">224</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mitella (Bishop’s Cap),
-    <a href="#Page_224">224–25</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mites,
-    <a href="#Page_37">37</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li>
-
-  <li>Moccasin Flower (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Cypripedium"><i>Cypripedium</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>‘Mon Petit,’
-    <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Mon Petite,’
-    <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li>
-
-  <li>Monstera, cut-leaf,
-    <a href="#Page_17">17</a></li>
-
-  <li>Montreal Botanical Gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_120">120</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Moonlight,’
-    <a href="#Page_259">259</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Morgan’s Pink,’
-    <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li>
-
-  <li>Morning glories,
-    <a href="#Page_24">24</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_37">37</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Morrowi variegata</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mosaic Plant,
-    <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li>
-
-  <li>Moss:
-    <a href="#Page_86">86–87</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_155">155–56</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_171">171–72</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_208">208</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_213">213</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Club (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Lycopodium"><i>Lycopodium</i></a>);</li>
-  <li class="i1">Michigan peat,
-    <a href="#Page_78">78</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">sheet,
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Spanish,
-    <a href="#Page_70">70</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">use in terrariums of,
-    <a href="#Page_58">58–59</a></li>
-  <li class="i1">(<i>See also</i> <a href="#Sphagnum">Sphagnum moss</a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Moss campion,
-    <a href="#Page_273">273</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mother-of-thyme,
-    <a href="#Page_274">274</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mottled wild ginger,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mountain laurel,
-    <a href="#Page_46">46</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mountain pink,
-    <a href="#Page_271">271</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Mrs. Arno Nehrling,’
-    <a href="#Page_108">108</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent">Mulching,
-    <a href="#Page_140">140</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_144">144</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_197">197</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_233">233</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_242">242</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_255">255</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_272">272</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_293">293</a></li>
-
-  <li>Munstead lavendar,
-    <a href="#Page_269">269</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Muscari</i> (Grape Hyacinth),
-    <a href="#Page_295">295–96</a></li>
-
-  <li>Mutations,
-    <a href="#Page_11">11–12</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_234">234</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Myosotis</i> (Forget-Me-Not),
-    <a href="#Page_269">269</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Myrsine africana</i> (African Boxwood),
-    <a href="#Page_124">124</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Myrtus communis</i> (Greek Myrtle),
-    <a href="#Page_124">124</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Nagami kumquat,
-    <a href="#Page_118">118</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Narcissus"><i>Narcissus</i> (Daffodil):
-    <a href="#Page_17">17</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_296">296–97</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">fertilizing,
-    <a href="#Page_297">297</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">miniature,
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">trumpet,
-    <a href="#Page_152">152</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_297">297</a></li>
-
-  <li>Nasturtiums,
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li>Natal Plum,
-    <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Needlepoint,’
-    <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li>
-
-  <li>Nemophila (baby blue eyes),
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Nepeta hederacea (glechoma)</i> (Ground Ivy),
-    <a href="#Page_270">270</a></li>
-
-  <li>Nerve Plant,
-    <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘New Dwarf Compact,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li>New England,
-    <a href="#Page_260">260</a></li>
-
-  <li>New York City,
-    <a href="#Page_211">211</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_213">213</a></li>
-
-  <li>Nicotine sulfate,
-    <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li>
-
-  <li>Night-neutral plants,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Notocactus</i> (Ball Cactus),
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Nymphaea</i> (Pygmy Water Lily),
-    <a href="#Page_209">209</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Oak,
-    <a href="#Page_230">230</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Oenothera</i> (Evening Primrose, Sundrop),
-    <a href="#Page_270">270</a></li>
-
-  <li>Offsets,
-    <a href="#Page_135">135</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in propagating,
-    <a href="#Page_90">90</a></li>
-
-  <li>Old lady,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>Old Man Cactus,
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li>
-
-  <li>Oleander,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>Olive,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Oncidium pusillum</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_12">12</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Opuntia</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>Orchids:
-    <a href="#Page_10">10</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">for bromeliad tree,
-    <a href="#Page_70">70</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">cattleya,
-    <a href="#Page_17">17</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">and electric lighting,
-    <a href="#Page_24">24</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_37">37</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">miniature (dwarf),
-    <a href="#Page_11">11</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_17">17</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_44">44</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_53">53</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in New York,
-    <a href="#Page_23">23</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">potting material for (<i>See</i> <a href="#Osmunda">Osmunda fiber</a>)</li>
-
-  <li>‘Oriental Music,’
-    <a href="#Page_98">98</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Osmanthus fragrans</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Osmunda">Osmunda fiber,
-    <a href="#Page_44">44</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_45">45</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_70">70</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_81">81</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_92">92</a></li>
-
-  <li>Otaheite orange,
-    <a href="#Page_113">113</a></li>
-
-  <li>Overpotting,
-    <a href="#Page_79">79–80</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Oxalis</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_124">124–25</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Pachysandra,
-    <a href="#Page_212">212</a></li>
-
-  <li>Pacific Northwest, plants shipped from,
-    <a href="#Page_91">91</a></li>
-
-  <li>Painted lady,
-    <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li>
-
-  <li>Panda plant,
-    <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Pansy,’
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li>
-
-  <li>Pansy,
-    <a href="#Page_245">245</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">hybrid,
-    <a href="#Page_46">46</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent"><i>Parochetus communis</i> (Shamrock Pea, Blue Oxalis),
-    <a href="#Page_125">125</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Parodia</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>Partridgeberry,
-    <a href="#Page_53">53</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_224">224</a></li>
-
-  <li>Parsley Fern,
-    <a href="#Page_221">221</a></li>
-
-  <li>Pasque flower,
-    <a href="#Page_261">261</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Passiflora"><i>Passiflora coccinea</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Patens Major,’
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
-
-  <li>Patient Lucy,
-    <a href="#Page_120">120</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Patricia,’
-    <a href="#Page_209">209</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Patty Lou,’
-    <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Peach Blossom,’
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_287">287</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Peachblossom,’
-    <a href="#Page_296">296</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Peacock,’
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li>
-
-  <li>Peanut,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>Peanut Cactus,
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent">Peat:
-    <a href="#Page_86">86</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_140">140</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_143">143</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_196">196</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_218">218</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_230">230</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_233">233</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_254">254</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_256">256</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_258">258</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_279">279</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_281">281</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">Michigan,
-    <a href="#Page_218">218</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">moss,
-    <a href="#Page_115">115</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">orchid,
-    <a href="#Page_136">136</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Pelargonium"><i>Pelargonium hortorum</i> (Geranium),
-    <a href="#Page_126">126–28</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Pellaea rotundifolia</i> (Button Fern),
-    <a href="#Page_128">128</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Pellionia</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_128">128</a></li>
-
-  <li>Pelonex,
-    <a href="#Page_78">78</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_233">233</a></li>
-
-  <li>Penwiper plant,
-    <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Peperomia</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_19">19–20</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_58">58</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_89">89</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_128">128–29</a></li>
-
-  <li>Perennials:
-    <a href="#Page_197">197</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_209">209</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_218">218</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">dwarf,
-    <a href="#Page_10">10</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_132">132–33</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_251">251–76</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">effectiveness in rock gardens of,
-    <a href="#Page_189">189</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Periwinkle,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Perky,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Perle d’Alcanada’ (‘Perle d’Alconada’),
-    <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li>
-
-  <li>Perlite,
-    <a href="#Page_47">47</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_73">73</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_77">77–78</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_81">81</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in propagating,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_233">233</a></li>
-
-  <li>Permanganate of potash,
-    <a href="#Page_206">206</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Persian Brocade,’
-    <a href="#Page_98">98</a></li>
-
-  <li>Persian Candytuft,
-    <a href="#Page_260">260</a></li>
-
-  <li>Pests and house plants,
-    <a href="#Page_85">85</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Petite Gold,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Petite Harmony,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Petite Orange,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Petite Purple,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Petite Yellow,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Petunias</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_278">278</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_284">284–85</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">bedding,
-    <a href="#Page_187">187</a></li>
-
-  <li>Philadelphia,
-    <a href="#Page_118">118</a></li>
-
-  <li>Philodendron,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Phlox</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_270">270–71</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li>Photochrome,
-    <a href="#Page_24">24</a></li>
-
-  <li>Photoperiodism, principle of,
-    <a href="#Page_23">23</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30</a></li>
-
-  <li>Photosynthesis,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Picea abies</i> (Spruce),
-    <a href="#Page_246">246</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Pied Piper,’
-    <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Pilea</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_129">129–31</a></li>
-
-  <li>Pincushion Cactus,
-    <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Pine">Pine:
-    <a href="#Page_212">212</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_226">226</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_230">230</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">“duff,”
-    <a href="#Page_196">196</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">mugho,
-    <a href="#Page_177">177</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_231">231</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_234">234</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Pink,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Pink Charm,’
-    <a href="#Page_262">262</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Pink Heather,’
-    <a href="#Page_282">282</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Pinkie Dots,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Pink Radiance,’
-    <a href="#Page_108">108</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Pint Size,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Pinus</i> (Pine),
-    <a href="#Page_246">246</a></li>
-  <li class="i1">(<i>See also</i> <a href="#Pine">Pine</a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Pipsissewa,
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_216">216</a></li>
-
-  <li>Pitcher plant,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Pixie,’
-    <a href="#Page_129">129</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_266">266</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Pixie Gold,’
-    <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li>
-
-  <li>“Plant rooms,” in contemporary homes,
-    <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li>
-
-  <li>Plant sources,
-    <a href="#Page_58">58</a></li>
-
-  <li>Plumbago,
-    <a href="#Page_252">252</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Podophyllum peltatum</i> (May Apple),
-    <a href="#Page_225">225</a></li>
-
-  <li>Poinsettias,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li>
-
-  <li>Poison ivy,
-    <a href="#Page_213">213</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Polaris,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Pollyanna,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Polyscias (Aralia) fruticosa</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_131">131</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">‘Elegans,’
-    <a href="#Page_131">131</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">‘Parsley,’
-    <a href="#Page_131">131</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Polystichum tsus-simense</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_131">131</a></li>
-
-  <li>Pomegranate, tree,
-    <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li>
-
-  <li>Ponderosa lemon,
-    <a href="#Page_113">113</a></li>
-
-  <li>Pools, miniature:
-    <a href="#Page_66">66</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_199">199–206</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_223">223–24</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">charcoal as purifier of,
-    <a href="#Page_210">210</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">oxygenating plants for,
-    <a href="#Page_209">209</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Poppet,’
-    <a href="#Page_297">297</a></li>
-
-  <li>Poppy, miniature,
-    <a href="#Page_178">178</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Portulaca</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_285">285–86</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Portulacaria afra variegata</i> (Rainbow Bush),
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>Powder puff,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>Prayer plant,
-    <a href="#Page_122">122</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Pride,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126–27</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Primrose Pygmy,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li>Primroses (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Primula"><i>Primula</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li id="Primula">Primula (Primrose),
-    <a href="#Page_38">38</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_256">256</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_271">271–72</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Prince Valiant,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>Propagating:
-    <a href="#Page_197">197–98</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_233">233–36</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">of cacti and succulents,
-    <a href="#Page_101">101</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">greenhouse,
-    <a href="#Page_73">73</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_197">197</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">with the Gro-Master,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">of house plants,
-    <a href="#Page_84">84</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86–90</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_92">92</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">miniature roses,
-    <a href="#Page_144">144–45</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">of woodland plants,
-    <a href="#Page_217">217–18</a></li>
-
-  <li>Pruning:
-    <a href="#Page_82">82</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_231">231</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">of dish gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_43">43</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">miniature roses,
-    <a href="#Page_141">141</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_143">143</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">of sink gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_157">157–58</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Purity,’
-    <a href="#Page_267">267</a></li>
-
-  <li>Pussy ears,
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li>
-
-  <li>Pussy-Toes,
-    <a href="#Page_261">261</a></li>
-
-  <li>“Pygmies,”
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Pygmy,’
-    <a href="#Page_127">127</a></li>
-
-  <li>Pygmy Water Lily,
-    <a href="#Page_209">209</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Quaker Lady,
-    <a href="#Page_223">223</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Rabbit tracks,
-    <a href="#Page_122">122</a></li>
-
-  <li>Rabbit’s-foot ferns,
-    <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li>
-
-  <li>Rainbow Bush,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Raspberry Parfait,’
-    <a href="#Page_99">99</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent">Rattlesnake plantain (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Goodyera"><i>Goodyera pubescens</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li id="Rebutia"><i>Rebutia</i> (Crown Cactus),
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Red Berry,’
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Red Button,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Red Dot,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Red Foundling,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Red Imp,’
-    <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Red Tweedle,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>Resurrection plant,
-    <a href="#Page_134">134</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Rex">Rex begonias,
-    <a href="#Page_89">89</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">miniature,
-    <a href="#Page_99">99–101</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Rhizomatous">Rhizomatous begonias,
-    <a href="#Page_89">89</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_95">95</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_97">97–99</a></li>
-
-  <li>Rhizomes,
-    <a href="#Page_89">89</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_97">97</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_208">208</a></li>
-
-  <li>Rhododendron,
-    <a href="#Page_246">246</a></li>
-  <li class="i1">(<i>See also</i> <a href="#Azalea">Azalea</a>)</li>
-
-  <li>‘Robin Hood,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126–27</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent">Rock, as an accessory in gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_45">45</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_47">47</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_57">57</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_66">66</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_172">172</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_177">177</a></li>
-  <li class="i1">(<i>See also</i> <a href="#Rock">Rock gardens</a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Rock Aster,
-    <a href="#Page_262">262</a></li>
-
-  <li>Rock cress,
-    <a href="#Page_262">262</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Rock">Rock gardens:
-    <a href="#Page_183">183–98</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">alpine and rock plants in,
-    <a href="#Page_187">187–98</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in containers,
-    <a href="#Page_49">49</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">designs for,
-    <a href="#Page_184">184–87</a>;</li>
-  <li class="hangingindent1">plants for,
-    <a href="#Page_119">119</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_187">187–91</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219–26</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_239">239–50</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_259">259–76</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_282">282–83</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_292">292–95</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_297">297–98</a></li>
-
-  <li>Rockfoil (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Saxifraga"><i>Saxifraga</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Roots: cuttings from,
-    <a href="#Page_89">89</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">division of,
-    <a href="#Page_90">90</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">as plant holders,
-    <a href="#Page_45">45</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">rotting of,
-    <a href="#Page_42">42</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_81">81</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Rosa Oakington Ruby,’
-    <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li>
-
-  <li>Rosary vine,
-    <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Rosata,’
-    <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Rosea,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>Rose gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138–39</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_227">227</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Rose Gem,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_287">287</a></li>
-
-  <li>Roses:
-    <a href="#Page_137">137–49</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_211">211</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_226">226</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">climbing,
-    <a href="#Page_139">139</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">growing, under artificial light,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">rambler,
-    <a href="#Page_139">139</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in sink gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">tea,
-    <a href="#Page_137">137</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_139">139</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">tree,
-    <a href="#Page_139">139</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_143">143–44</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Rosie O’Day,’
-    <a href="#Page_282">282</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Rosy Dawn,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Rosy Morn,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Rouletti,’
-    <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Royal Carpet,’
-    <a href="#Page_282">282</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Royal Purple,’
-    <a href="#Page_209">209</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Ruffles,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li>Runners, in self-propagating,
-    <a href="#Page_90">90</a></li>
-
-  <li>Running pine,
-    <a href="#Page_224">224</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Rusty Red,’
-    <a href="#Page_284">284</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Sakrete,
-    <a href="#Page_47">47</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_49">49</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Salmon,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Salmon Comet,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126–27</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Salmon Gem,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sand:</li>
-  <li class="i1">builders’,
-    <a href="#Page_78">78</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_195">195</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">dollar,
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">sharp,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_195">195</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_198">198</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_233">233</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_255">255–56</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sandhill phlox,
-    <a href="#Page_271">271</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sand phlox,
-    <a href="#Page_270">270</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Sansevieria</i> (Snake Plant),
-    <a href="#Page_131">131–32</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Sarcococca ruscifolia</i> (Sweet Box),
-    <a href="#Page_132">132</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Saturn,’
-    <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Saxifraga"><i>Saxifraga</i> (Rockfoil):
-    <a href="#Page_272">272–73</a>;</li>
-  <li class="hangingindent1"><i>sarmentosa</i> (Strawberry Begonia, Geranium),
-    <a href="#Page_90">90</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_132">132–33</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_273">273</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">seedlings,
-    <a href="#Page_188">188</a></li>
-
-  <li>Scale, treating,
-    <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Scarlet Gem,’
-    <a href="#Page_148">148</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_287">287</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent"><i>Schizocentron (Heeria, Heterocentron) elegans</i> (Spanish Shawl),
-    <a href="#Page_132">132</a></li>
-
-  <li>Schulz, Peggie,
-    <a href="#Page_13">13</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">garden sold by,
-    <a href="#Page_87">87</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Sciadopitys verticillata</i> (Umbrella Pine),
-    <a href="#Page_247">247</a></li>
-
-  <li>Scotch moss,
-    <a href="#Page_134">134</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sea campion,
-    <a href="#Page_274">274</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Sea Gull,’
-    <a href="#Page_108">108</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Sedum</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li>
-
-  <li>Seedlings:</li>
-  <li class="i1">blue rays of spectrum and,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in bonsai,
-    <a href="#Page_167">167</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">repotting of,
-    <a href="#Page_79">79</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_281">281</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">woodland,
-    <a href="#Page_218">218</a></li>
-
-  <li>Seeds:
-    <a href="#Page_84">84</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">and bonsai,
-    <a href="#Page_167">167</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">effect of red rays of spectrum on,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">house plants from,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86–87</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">woodland,
-    <a href="#Page_218">218</a></li>
-
-  <li>Selaginella,
-    <a href="#Page_58">58</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_66">66</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Selaginella</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_133">133–34</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Semperflorens">Semperflorens (“wax”) begonias,
-    <a href="#Page_73">73</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_95">95–96</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sempervivums,
-    <a href="#Page_177">177</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_187">187</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_252">252</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Serissa foetida (japonica)</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_134">134</a></li>
-
-  <li>Shading, artificial,
-    <a href="#Page_70">70–71</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_73">73</a></li>
-
-  <li>Shamrock Pea,
-    <a href="#Page_125">125</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sheet moss,
-    <a href="#Page_47">47</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Shell,’
-    <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li>
-
-  <li>Shining club moss,
-    <a href="#Page_224">224</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Shippy’s Garland,’
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>Short-night plants,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30–31</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Shrew,’
-    <a href="#Page_296">296</a></li>
-
-  <li>Shrubs:
-    <a href="#Page_101">101</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_181">181</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_212">212</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_226">226–50</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in bonsai,
-    <a href="#Page_169">169</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_173">173</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">“cut-back,”
-    <a href="#Page_231">231</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">“die-back,”
-    <a href="#Page_231">231</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">tropical,
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Silene</i> (Campion, Catchfly),
-    <a href="#Page_273">273–74</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Silver Beauty,’
-    <a href="#Page_260">260</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Silver Hahni,’
-    <a href="#Page_132">132</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Silver Heart,’
-    <a href="#Page_129">129</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Silver Jewel,’
-    <a href="#Page_99">99</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Silver Panamiga,’
-    <a href="#Page_131">131</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Silver Star,’
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Silver Tree,’
-    <a href="#Page_131">131</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Sinbad,’
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Sink">Sink gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_138">138</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_150">150–58</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sinningia,
-    <a href="#Page_134">134–35</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sinningia pusilla,
-    <a href="#Page_10">10</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_40">40</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_134">134–35</a></li>
-
-  <li>“Slips” (<i>See</i> <a href="#Cuttings">Cuttings</a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Slugs,
-    <a href="#Page_60">60</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_117">117</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_272">272</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Small Fortune,’
-    <a href="#Page_128">128</a></li>
-
-  <li>Snake Plant,
-    <a href="#Page_131">131–32</a></li>
-
-  <li>Snapdragons,
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Sneezy,’
-    <a href="#Page_128">128</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_297">297</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Snowball,’
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-
-  <li>Snowball,
-    <a href="#Page_226">226</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_229">229</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Snowdrop,’
-    <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li>
-
-  <li>Snowdrop,
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Snowflake,’
-    <a href="#Page_267">267</a></li>
-
-  <li>Snowflake,
-    <a href="#Page_295">295</a></li>
-
-  <li>Snow in summer,
-    <a href="#Page_263">263</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Snow-White,’
-    <a href="#Page_128">128</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>Soil:
-    <a href="#Page_60">60</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_74">74</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_230">230</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in greenhouses,
-    <a href="#Page_71">71–72</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_92">92</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">humusy,
-    <a href="#Page_92">92</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_214">214–16</a>;</li>
-  <li class="hangingindent1">mixture for miniature gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_50">50</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_59">59</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_77">77–79</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_85">85–86</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_92">92</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_140">140</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_142">142</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_170">170</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">prepared,
-    <a href="#Page_78">78</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">“sour,”
-    <a href="#Page_59">59</a></li>
-
-  <li>South, winter planting in,
-    <a href="#Page_229">229</a></li>
-
-  <li>Spanish Shawl,
-    <a href="#Page_132">132</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Sparkle,’
-    <a href="#Page_128">128</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Spaulding,’
-    <a href="#Page_97">97–98</a></li>
-
-  <li>Speedwell,
-    <a href="#Page_275">275</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent" id="Sphagnum">Sphagnum moss,
-    <a href="#Page_44">44–45</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_89">89</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_92">92</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_115">115–16</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_133">133</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_217">217</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_236">236</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Spiraea</i> (Spirea),
-    <a href="#Page_247">247–48</a></li>
-
-  <li>Spleenwort,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li>Spring beauty (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Claytonia"><i>Claytonia virginica</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>‘Spring Charm,’
-    <a href="#Page_262">262</a></li>
-
-  <li>Spring snowflake,
-    <a href="#Page_295">295</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Sprite,’
-    <a href="#Page_128">128</a></li>
-
-  <li>Spruce,
-    <a href="#Page_226">226</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_246">246</a></li>
-
-  <li>Squirrel corn,
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a></li>
-
-  <li>Squirrels,
-    <a href="#Page_290">290</a></li>
-
-  <li>Star Cactus,
-    <a href="#Page_102">102</a></li>
-
-  <li>Starch, in plant growth,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Stephanotis"><i>Stephanotis floribunda</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Sternbergia lutea</i> (Winter Daffodil),
-    <a href="#Page_297">297–98</a></li>
-
-  <li>Stilt-roots,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
-
-  <li>Stolon,
-    <a href="#Page_90">90</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_132">132</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_222">222</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_262">262</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_268">268</a></li>
-
-  <li>Stone-Cress,
-    <a href="#Page_260">260</a></li>
-
-  <li>Strawberry Begonia (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Saxifraga"><i>Saxifraga</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li><i>Streptocarpus</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_135">135</a></li>
-
-  <li>Streptocarpus,
-    <a href="#Page_20">20</a></li>
-
-  <li>String of hearts,
-    <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li>
-
-  <li>Succulents:
-    <a href="#Page_49">49</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_51">51</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_64">64–65</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_78">78</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_81">81</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_107">107–36</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">containers for,
-    <a href="#Page_42">42–43</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">garden of,
-    <a href="#Page_68">68</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">propagating of,
-    <a href="#Page_73">73</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_89">89</a></li>
-
-  <li>Suckers,
-    <a href="#Page_95">95</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_116">116</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_231">231</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_240">240</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sugar, in plant growth,
-    <a href="#Page_30">30</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sulfur,
-    <a href="#Page_239">239</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_255">255</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">dusting, for roses,
-    <a href="#Page_143">143</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li>
-
-  <li>Summer snowflake,
-    <a href="#Page_295">295</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Sunbeam,’
-    <a href="#Page_149">149</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sun cup,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sundew,
-    <a href="#Page_115">115</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sundrop,
-    <a href="#Page_270">270</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent" id="Superphosphate">Superphosphate (bone meal),
-    <a href="#Page_140">140</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_143">143</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_156">156–57</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_175">175</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_254">254</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_289">289–90</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sweat plant,
-    <a href="#Page_134">134</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sweet Box,
-    <a href="#Page_132">132</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Sweet Fairy,’
-    <a href="#Page_149">149</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sweet Peas,
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>Sweet William (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Dianthus"><i>Dianthus</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Sylvania Electric Products, Inc.,
-    <a href="#Page_31">31</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Tangerine (Mandarin orange),
-    <a href="#Page_113">113</a></li>
-
-  <li>Tassel hyacinth,
-    <a href="#Page_296">296</a></li>
-
-  <li>Taxus (Yew),
-    <a href="#Page_248">248</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Tear Drop,’
-    <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li>
-
-  <li>Teddy-bear plant,
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Telecurl,’
-    <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li>
-
-  <li>Temperatures:</li>
-  <li class="i1">for house plants,
-    <a href="#Page_75">75–76</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_92">92</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">for miniature bulbs,
-    <a href="#Page_291">291–92</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">of plants in terrariums,
-    <a href="#Page_59">59</a></li>
-
-  <li>Tennis ball,
-    <a href="#Page_241">241</a></li>
-
-  <li>Terrariums:
-    <a href="#Page_53">53–54</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_65">65</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">cider jug as,
-    <a href="#Page_54">54–57</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">commercial,
-    <a href="#Page_65">65</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">cultural compatability in,
-    <a href="#Page_58">58</a>;</li>
-  <li class="hangingindent1">plants for,
-    <a href="#Page_93">93–95</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_97">97</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_100">100</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_101">101</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_109">109–11</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_115">115–17</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_124">124</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_128">128</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_131">131</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_134">134</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_221">221</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_223">223–24</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Teucrium chamaedrys</i> (Germander),
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li>
-
-  <li>Texas,
-    <a href="#Page_103">103</a></li>
-
-  <li>Thomas, G. L., Jr.,
-    <a href="#Page_205">205</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_210">210</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Thousand Beauties,’
-    <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li>
-
-  <li>Three Springs Fisheries,
-    <a href="#Page_205">205</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Thuja</i> (Arborvitae),
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Thumbelina,’
-    <a href="#Page_149">149</a></li>
-
-  <li>Thyme,
-    <a href="#Page_187">187</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_252">252</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">lemon,
-    <a href="#Page_194">194</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_274">274</a></li>
-  <li class="i1">(<i>See also</i>: <a href="#Thymus"><i>Thymus</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li id="Thymus"><i>Thymus</i> (Thyme),
-    <a href="#Page_187">187</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_252">252</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_274">274–75</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Tibouchina semidecandra</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li>
-
-  <li>Tiger Jaws,
-    <a href="#Page_104">104</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Tiger Star,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a></li>
-
-  <li>Tillandsia,
-    <a href="#Page_136">136</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Tiny Rubies,’
-    <a href="#Page_266">266</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Tiny Tim,’
-    <a href="#Page_128">128</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Titanopsis</i>,
-    <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li>
-
-  <li>Tom Thumb Cactus,
-    <a href="#Page_106">106</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Tom Thumb’:
-    <a href="#Page_105">105</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">‘Double Flowered Dwarf,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">‘Pure White,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">‘Purple,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">‘Rose,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">‘Scarlet,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">‘Shell Pink,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent" id="Tradescantia"><i>Tradescantia</i> (Spiderwort, Inch Plant, Wandering Jew),
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_136">136</a></li>
-
-  <li>Trailing Arbutus,
-    <a href="#Page_222">222</a></li>
-
-  <li>Transplanting “shock,”
-    <a href="#Page_50">50</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_80">80</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_175">175</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_281">281</a></li>
-
-  <li>Trees:
-    <a href="#Page_226">226–50</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in bonsai,
-    <a href="#Page_164">164–76</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">deciduous,
-    <a href="#Page_75">75</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_165">165</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_170">170</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_216">216</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">miniature fruit,
-    <a href="#Page_68">68–69</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_227">227</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">roots as plant holders,
-    <a href="#Page_45">45</a></li>
-
-  <li id="Trichodiadema"><i>Trichodiadema densum</i> (Desert Rose),
-    <a href="#Page_107">107</a></li>
-
-  <li>Trillium,
-    <a href="#Page_160">160</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_211">211</a></li>
-
-  <li>Tropical gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_49">49</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_62">62–65</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_109">109</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_115">115</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">“jungle,”
-    <a href="#Page_26">26–27</a></li>
-
-  <li>Tropical Gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_13">13</a></li>
-
-  <li>Tropical Paradise Greenhouse,
-    <a href="#Page_98">98</a></li>
-
-  <li>Trough gardens (<i>See</i> <a href="#Sink">Sink gardens</a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Trout Lily,
-    <a href="#Page_222">222</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288–89</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Tsuga canadensis</i> (Hemlock),
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Tubergeni,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>Tubers,
-    <a href="#Page_288">288</a></li>
-
-  <li>Tufa rock,
-    <a href="#Page_171">171</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_189">189</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">as plant-holder,
-    <a href="#Page_44">44</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_57">57</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Tulipa</i> (Tulip),
-    <a href="#Page_288">288</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_290">290</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_298">298</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Twilight,’
-    <a href="#Page_109">109</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Twinkle,’
-    <a href="#Page_10">10</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_128">128</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Umbrella flower,
-    <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li>
-
-  <li>Umbrella Pine,
-    <a href="#Page_247">247</a></li>
-
-  <li>U. S. Department of Agriculture,
-    <a href="#Page_31">31</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>‘Variegated Kleiner Liebling,’
-    <a href="#Page_128">128</a></li>
-
-  <li>Vaughn,
-    <a href="#Page_281">281</a></li>
-
-  <li>Venus Fly Trap,
-    <a href="#Page_115">115–16</a></li>
-
-  <li>Verbena,
-    <a href="#Page_122">122</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>Vermiculite:
-    <a href="#Page_77">77</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_78">78</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_81">81</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in indoor bonsai,
-    <a href="#Page_161">161</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in indoor greenhouse,
-    <a href="#Page_22">22</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_27">27</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in propagating,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_233">233</a></li>
-
-  <li><i>Veronica</i> (Speedwell),
-    <a href="#Page_275">275</a></li>
-
-  <li class="hangingindent"><i>Viburnum</i> (Snowball, European Cranberry Bush),
-    <a href="#Page_226">226</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_229">229</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li>
-
-  <li>Vigoro,
-    <a href="#Page_116">116</a></li>
-
-  <li>Vine,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">rosary,
-    <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li>
-  <li class="hangingindent1">(<i>See also</i>: <a href="#Cissus"><i>Cissus striata</i></a>;
-<a href="#Clerodendrum"><i>Clerodendrum thomosoniae</i></a>; <a href="#Passiflora"><i>Passiflora coccinea</i></a>;
-<a href="#Manettia"><i>Manettia bicolor</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li id="Viola"><i>Viola</i> (Viola, Violet):
-    <a href="#Page_276">276</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">African,
-    <a href="#Page_20">20</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_25">25</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_51">51</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_63">63</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_90">90</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Violacea Semi-Plena,’
-    <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Violet King,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Violet Queen,’
-    <a href="#Page_283">283</a></li>
-
-  <li>Violets (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Viola"><i>Viola</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>‘Virbob,’
-    <a href="#Page_98">98</a></li>
-
-  <li>Virginia,
-    <a href="#Page_290">290</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Walking Fern,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li>Wall gardens:
-    <a href="#Page_183">183–89</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_191">191–98</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">design of,
-    <a href="#Page_184">184–89</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">planting and care of,
-    <a href="#Page_193">193–97</a></li>
-
-  <li>Wandering Jew (<i>See</i>: <a href="#Tradescantia"><i>Tradescantia</i></a>)</li>
-
-  <li>Wardian case,
-    <a href="#Page_53">53</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_55">55</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_77">77</a></li>
-
-  <li>Watering of plants:
-    <a href="#Page_80">80–82</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_91">91</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_101">101</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_156">156</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_230">230</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">excess,
-    <a href="#Page_42">42</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_50">50</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_59">59–60</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_80">80–81</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_180">180</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">importance of drainage in,
-    <a href="#Page_190">190</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_229">229–30</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">with manure water,
-    <a href="#Page_60">60</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_80">80</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_109">109</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_123">123</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in propagating,
-    <a href="#Page_86">86</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">in terrariums,
-    <a href="#Page_59">59–60</a></li>
-
-  <li>Water lilies,
-    <a href="#Page_205">205</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">miniature,
-    <a href="#Page_202">202</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_207">207–9</a></li>
-
-  <li>Watermelon pilea,
-    <a href="#Page_130">130</a></li>
-
-  <li>Water ‘N’ Watch garden,
-    <a href="#Page_87">87</a></li>
-
-  <li>Water plants,
-    <a href="#Page_207">207–10</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">floating,
-    <a href="#Page_209">209</a></li>
-
-  <li>Wax Plant,
-    <a href="#Page_120">120</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Wayside’s Garnet,’
-    <a href="#Page_149">149</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Wee Bee,’
-    <a href="#Page_297">297</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Wee Red,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Wee Willie’ (‘Sweet William’),
-    <a href="#Page_266">266</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Wendlinger,’
-    <a href="#Page_109">109</a></li>
-
-  <li>Westchester,
-    <a href="#Page_23">23</a></li>
-
-  <li>Westcott, Cynthia,
-    <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li>
-
-  <li>Western wild ginger,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li>West Indies,
-    <a href="#Page_122">122</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Whirlybird,’
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>White Cedar,
-    <a href="#Page_241">241</a></li>
-
-  <li>White Forsythia,
-    <a href="#Page_236">236</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘White Gem,’
-    <a href="#Page_287">287</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘White Gossamer,’
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li>
-
-  <li>White pygmy,
-    <a href="#Page_209">209</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘White Velvet,’
-    <a href="#Page_114">114</a></li>
-
-  <li>Wilder, Louise Beebe,
-    <a href="#Page_197">197</a></li>
-
-  <li>Wild-flower, mail order houses,
-    <a href="#Page_153">153</a></li>
-
-  <li>Wild ginger,
-    <a href="#Page_160">160</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_219">219</a></li>
-
-  <li>Wild pink,
-    <a href="#Page_273">273</a></li>
-
-  <li>Wild sweet William,
-    <a href="#Page_271">271</a></li>
-
-  <li>Williamsburg,
-    <a href="#Page_48">48</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_155">155</a></li>
-
-  <li>Willow,
-    <a href="#Page_166">166</a></li>
-
-  <li>Windex bottle, for misting plants,
-    <a href="#Page_77">77</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_82">82</a></li>
-
-  <li>Windflower,
-    <a href="#Page_261">261</a></li>
-
-  <li>Window boxes,
-    <a href="#Page_20">20</a>;</li>
-  <li class="i1">plants for,
-    <a href="#Page_109">109</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li>
-
-  <li>Window gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_18">18–22</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_97">97</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Winkie,’
-    <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li>
-
-  <li>Winter Aconite,
-    <a href="#Page_290">290</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Winter Jewel,’
-    <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li>
-
-  <li>Woodbine,
-    <a href="#Page_111">111–12</a>,
-    <a href="#Page_212">212</a></li>
-
-  <li>Woodland gardens,
-    <a href="#Page_211">211–25</a></li>
-
-  <li>Woolly thyme,
-    <a href="#Page_274">274</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Yarrow,
-    <a href="#Page_259">259</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Yellow Miniature,’
-    <a href="#Page_149">149</a></li>
-
-  <li>Yellow pygmy,
-    <a href="#Page_209">209</a></li>
-
-  <li>Yew,
-    <a href="#Page_248">248</a></li>
-
-  <li>‘Yindee,’
-    <a href="#Page_296">296</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<ul>
-  <li>Zinnias,
-    <a href="#Page_286">286–87</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-<p class="transnote">Transcriber’s Notes:<br />
-<br />
-1. Obvious printers’, punctuation and spelling errors have been
-corrected silently.<br />
-<br />
-2. Some hyphenated and non-hyphenated versions of the same words have
-been retained as in the original.</p>
-
-
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author	nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org>	2025-01-25 09:22:59 -0800
committer	nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org>	2025-01-25 09:22:59 -0800
commit	a510318beee46bb6d006be8d1b1797761d326d53 (patch)
tree	21a0dfa2346544ec631dfe7f3a8e46bb30a3ba9d
parent	718e6b637f720ba912adc51ebd0afc5beedd5314 (diff)