We were waiting for luncheon one day in April 1954 when a public relations man from Hollywood turned to me. “Your husband tells me you have successfully bloomed an orchid two years in succession in your hotel apartment.” “Yes,” I answered, “it was a Cattleya Mossiae, not too difficult to handle.” Paul Snell of Robinson-Hannagan. … Read more
A potential planter is a clear glass bottle with an opening large enough to insert a pencil. Tall, short, square, round — the garden may be planted in an expensive antique or simply an empty perfume, medicine, or beverage bottle. Half-gallon, gallon, and even ten-gallon jugs offer unlimited landscaping opportunities. Having selected a bottle, these … Read more
Here are the three steps to creating a Bell Jar. Scribe a circle on the jug with a glass cutter. To scribe an even mark, rest the handle of the glass cutter on a wooden block, box, or can at the desired height. Hold the blade firmly with your hand, ensuring the cutting wheel is … Read more
Nature is seldom cooperative with the greenhouse gardener in the winter. We need a lot of tricks, including the benefits of modern heating and ventilating methods, and we must stay alert to the possibilities of using the few days of good growing weather advantageously. As many greenhouse amateurs have learned, one slip in the supervision … Read more
One of the many pleasures of the Christmas season is the exchange of flowering and other kinds of Christmas gift plants. Whether you give or buy a poinsettia, an azalea, cyclamen, or other plants from the florist, you will probably have several questions concerning its care. The average home maintains a daytime temperature of 70° … Read more
Who has seen a Christmas cactus tumbling over itself, the branch tips weighted down by delicate red blooms, who hasn’t been filled with admiration? But how many people realize it is one of the most satisfactory plants to grow in the home? Somehow, with the arrival of so many outside-the-home activities, the old-fashioned Christmas cactus … Read more
Let’s turn our hobby of gardening into a pursuit of gift-giving. Here in our window garden, there in our outdoor garden, the materials are at hand. Many plants can get started from slips or cuttings, by divisions or offsets, by air-layering, and even by seeds. And plants are always given a warm welcome for birthdays … Read more
Many kinds of cacti and succulents can be grown in the home. My own collection, relatively small because it is confined to limited available space, is constantly growing. Almost any soil will suffice if you have space for only a few plants. As long as plants are not overwatered, they will be pleased in a … Read more
Glowing African violets have provided a pleasant adventure in indoor gardening for the past few years. However, while I still enjoy working with them, they are now relegated to second place since I discovered 2 years ago the potential glamor encased in a flattened bulb – that of the gloxinia. For sheer joy, no flower … Read more
If you live in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas or in one of the few places in the country where the climate is sunny and moderate all year round, you are among the fortunate who can grow and enjoy poinsettias in the garden. Protected from the severe wind and given adequate water and … Read more