A few house plants have purple leaves on top; purple undersides are a little more numerous, but there is one whose foliage is purple both on top and underneath. I refer to the delightful but little-known Setcreasea, Purple Heart. It is worth making a concentrated effort to secure. Setcreasea: A Delightful Indoor Plant My first … Read more
Among the most charming pineapple’s colorful cousins are the impish Cryptanthus, known as earth stars for their starry white flowers peeping up from low-mounded rosettes of prickly-edged leaves. They possess all the virtues of the perfect modern house plant and are not costly or difficult culturally. Plant lovers or not, we’re all hungry for color … Read more
Gloxinias are the royalty of all house plants and are easily grown in a window garden. Coming in all colors except yellow, the plants provide an array of colors set off against a foil of large, velvety leaves. Tubers require little or no experience to grow to bloom size if directions are followed carefully. They … Read more
Some say you can; some say you can’t. All I know is that we do grow orchids in our living room. Quietly defying all the people who said we could never grow them at home, we brought some budding plants back with us from Guatemala after getting permission from the proper authorities. To the amazement … Read more
At a Garden club meeting, I was sitting behind two women discussing a misfortune concerning the child of one of them. “I just went into my greenhouse and looked at my (lowers until I could bear it,” she said. I’ve done the same thing, and so have all who can take refuge in their greenhouse … Read more
Eleven years ago, Albert H. Buell hardly knew a petunia from a pansy. Today, he’s the proud originator and grower of his strains of hybrid gloxinias, judged by experts to be among the finest available anywhere in the world. His rise to fame has all the elements of a Horatio Alger story, except that, in … Read more
Enthusiastic gardeners who have lived in California and Florida often need reminding before they know the adaptability of many exotic plants. Many catalogs are regular almanacs of growing information. In one such catalog, I first noted Bougainvillea was recommended for pot and window culture. I wanted to try Bougainvillea since the catalog said it could … Read more
Why do more people not enjoy the pleasure of growing orchids? Is it because they feel these plants are delicate and difficult to raise, or do they have a greenhouse? Orchids are tough plants, so one must only follow a few elementary rules to grow them to his heart’s content in the attic, spare room, … Read more
The members of the pineapple tribe are making a new mark in the world. This is not for culinary distinction but for the charm. Their hold lines and bizarre markings lend the decor of the modern home interior and, in mild climates, the garden. History of Pineapple The familiar pineapple (Ananas comosus) has been known … Read more
Growing orchids in the home is a rewarding hobby for an increasing number of home gardeners. Beginners, familiar only with the florist’s orchid, the cattleya, are amazed to learn how many others can grow in the ordinary home. All that is required is common sense and a little knowledge of the natural conditions in which … Read more