Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-12-10
Plants as Holiday. Gifts.

! Just what to buy in the way OF Christ.
mas remembrances for our friends is j
question which must be solved Just be
| fore Christmas-;ime every year: and as
II Is not usually question Of how much
or now little money to expend. but rathe,
the purchasing OF attractive and suitabi.
gifts, let me suggest that visit be paid
| TO the florist while on the rounds OF the
| shops and stores.
There are few people who do not care
| for flowers, and 1t might be said scarcely
any who would not be delighted with d
handsome palm for the hall, a pretty or
1 namentai folase-plant for the parlor, or
dainty. delicate specimen for the din
ing-table.
| In selecting such plants Ii is fully as
essential that only such may be easily
managed are purchased as those which
are most attractive TO the eye.
| First in the list must be placed the
palm, and believe few will deny that
for elegance Of form and grace of foliage
the palm stands alone and ranks highes,
| among ornamental foiiage-plants. OF
palms the most suitable varieties for the
house are the kentias, both Belmorean,i
and Fosteriana. which are rapidly becom-
ing very popular. not only on accoun. of
their beauty. but also for their great dur
| ability and seeming indifference 10
changes of atmosphere, dust gas, etc I:
the Latania borbonica, known as the ian.
palm. and the gol1en-stemmed Areca
| lutescens, very popular variety.
These four varieties are used more than
| any others. and can be purchased in all
sizes at reasonable nrices. For table dec
| Grafton | would recommend the Cocos
weddelliana. beautiful little feathery-
| of fern-dishes, and the Livistonia rotun-
difolia, a pretty sort resembling a NINA
| ture Eatania borbonica.
Next to the palms. and ranking almost
equally with them, / would place. the
Pandanus. well-grown specimen of the
green-leaved Utilis or the variegated sort.
Neitehii; will not fail to excite universal
| admiration. They are also particularly
well adapted for house culture, and with
stand a great amount of abuse.
In the well,known rubper-plant. Ficus
and very desirable plant for almost any
situation, being easy OF management. and
with ordinary care it always presents "a
fresh and vigorous appearance.
Other plants which can be especially re-
commended for beauty of foliage are the
dracenas, among which the Terminals
which is variegated green and white are
well-known and popular varieties.
Many admirers of flowers are exceed
ingly fond of ferns, and to them other
plants are as nothing compared with this
most beautiful class of plants. There are
only few varieties well adapted for
house culture. for a considerable degree
OF heat and moisture is for the most of
them essential, and the latter condition
of the atmosphere is not always practic-
able in the house.
Such sorts. however. as the sword
ferns; the Pteris tremula. or shaking
fern: the Pteris argyrea, a variety haV-
ing large leaves banded with white; the
gold ferns. the leaves of which have the
appearance underneath of having been
busted with gold, and some species of the
Adiantum, or naidenhair-fern, are all of
easy culture and will usually do fairly
well in the house.
For the holiday trade the enterprising
florist will have in stock a number of
fern. dishes tastefully filled for table dec
Grafton. These make very dainty pres
ents,t but should be cared for most ten
derby, and If possible glass bell provid-
ed for covering them SO as to retain tho
moisture.
/. In buying a..filled fern-dish it is well to
insist on getting one that has been filed
for some weeks. so that the plants may
have had sufficient time to become thor
ouohiy established in their new, quarters
Other suitable plants are the Aurauca-
ria excelsa, or Norfolk island pine a ten
der evergreen having its foliage formed
in graceful whorls: the farfugium, which
has. handsome glossy green leaves spotted
with yellow, and the Otaheite dwarf or
ange, which is a verv handsome plant
when in flower or fruit...-if. ~
All of the aforementioned plants. with
the exception of the dwarf orange, are
plants of this nature are better for gifts
than Towering plants, which are orna-
mental for season only-while in bloom.
II }ardiniere is selected to DE present. 4
ed with the plant. let IT be an incn and a
half larger In diameter inside than the
outside diameter of the flower-pot so
mat IN the course of a few months, If it
Is necessary to repot the plant, the jar
diniere will accommodate a flower-pot one
size larger.
In order that the. plants selected may
be able to successfully withstand the
many changes of atmosphere and sur
carefully to see that they lare good,
healthy plants. and also free from insects
of all kinds. especially scale, to which
palms and many other foliage-plants are