Evening star., 1939-10-28
Raise Some
Tropical
Shrubs
Certain Varieties
Will Flourish
With Care
BY EDITH L. HOUGH.

Tropical shrubs, as the camellia
and hibiscus, and trees. as the fig
and almond, may be grown here far
more commonly than is generally
believed. They are unusually beau-
tiful and it is fascinating expert
ment to cultivate them during the
winter when the garden is bare.
They can be grown in pots on a
warm sunporch or in a sunny WIN
dow, as well as in greenhouses and
conservatories. If they are started
now in the steady warmth of the
house they may be added to the
garden next summer. They should
be started indoors, as rule, for
they rarely flourish when planted
Immediately outside.
The camellia attains large size
in the coastal towns of Georgia and
even in Virginia, growing contin-
uously in the open. but here it
should be kept indoors, especially
during the winter. 1t is an ever
green shrub, blooming from No.
vember till April. The Camellia
japonica, introduced to England
from the Orient by a Jesuit mis-
sionary, grows to 20 feet or more
There are several outstanding va
rieties, such as the pure white
Candidissima, the delicate pink
Lady Hume's Blush and the Sangue
di Cristo, of white with splash of
carmine. The fruit is like a small
green apple. In late summer or
early autumn it may be grown from
cutting 4 to 6 inches long, with
two leaves. This is placed one-third
in rich soil, allowed air and watered
every other day.
Other evergreen shrubs are hardy
mere. if given warmth and proper
care The hibiscus blooms con-
tinually from a height of a few
inches till it becomes a veritable
tree, branching out in all directions
The leaves are glossy green and the
flowers, to S inches across, of all
shades of pink and red. The
oleander, as large shrub as the
hibiscus but with smaller blooms OF
pink and red, will grow under the
same conditions. Jasmine, of droop-
ing habit and with most fragrant
blossoms, will flower throughout the
summer and should be even re-
strained by pruning, for it is very
prolific, outgrowing its pot or crowd
ing other shrubs while it is in the
garden.
Cyclamen, a small plant with
perky white or pink flowers on stif1
stems, will give a succession OF
bloom in the autumn. The ever
green leaves are mottled green and
sometimes purple underneath. The
plants can be bought from nur-
sery. Growing them from seed is
rather difficult. The seed is i'm
ported from Europe and should be
planted, while it is still fresh, under
a pane of glass indoors or in a
protected sunny spot. In its third
year it will have 6 or 8 leaves and
possibly one or two flowers. The
corms should never be divided and
when the plants are placed in their
permanent home in sufficiently
large container, they should never
be disturbed. They prove very
hardy and some have as many as
100 blooms at one time.
The fig tree, irregular in shape
and with large, glossy leaves, and
the nut trees, with their fragrant
bloom in the Spring, may be grown
in pots to furnish particularly orna-
mental paintings in the house
Their earth should be rich and well
watered. In the summer they can
be put outside and make attractive
additions to the garden or yard
The fig can be trained against a
wall, if it is heavily mulched during
the winter, and will bear edible fruit
in two or three years.