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Martha Washington Pelargoniums

Growers on the West Coast sell the pansy-flowered Martha Washingtons (Pelargonium domesticum) to home gardeners. Almost every yard flaunts these gorgeous beauties. In other sections, they are sold only as spring gift plants or as Decoration Day specials. Because they are not so easily grown as their relatives, the zonals, you may find it wise to buy rooted cuttings and grow them on in a cool greenhouse. You can get assorted labeled varieties in red, pink, purple, and white for about $10.00 per hundred. Plant these directly into 3- or 4-inch pots. Water freely and keep at a temperature around 55 degrees.

Good sellers are Empress of Russia, Jungle Night, Carmine Queen, Misty Rose, Stardust, San Diego, Mrs. Mary Bard, Ballerina, Azalea, Mary Elizabeth, and Senorita.

Ivy-Leaved Geraniums

You will sell ivy or trailing geraniums to gardeners who want hanging-basket plants, trailers for patios, window boxes, planters, urns, or poolside plantings. The ivy-leaved types do not thrive in extreme heat. Thus in areas other than California, they usually give sparse bloom in the outdoor garden. Still, their shiny green ivylike foliage makes them garden favorites.

Some of the sturdiest are Colonel Baden-Powell, lilac-white; Galilee, pink; Gordon’s Glory, scarlet; and Willy, deep red. Slender-stemmed varieties, ideal for baskets, include the rose-pink Mrs. H. J. Jones, silvery pink, The Blush, and white-and-rose Enchantress. Rapid growing trailers, perfect to drape walls, are the pink Galilee, light purple Diener’s Lavender, and scarlet Intensity.

Episcia

While this is a gesneriad, and so related to the Saintpaulia, it is not a “red violet.” But the common name of Flame Violet may stimulate sales. We can use it and still be ethical only by including the proper identifying word, Episcia, in all advertising and promotion. I know of no company that purchases episcia seeds by the ounce. I sell seeds in mixtures at $5.00 per thousand. One company buys about 20,000 a year, two others each 5,000. This amount of seed is taken from plants in two flats each measuring 14 by 27 inches.

The wooden flats hold the episcias for 2 years. Then I dump them out (in the fall), trim out dead pieces, and replant in

73, 74. Haemanthus Katherinae, with a flower cluster like a bottle brush, is typical of the many unusual members of the amaryllis family. By the simple act of rubbing your hand across the flowers, pollination is achieved. The photo at right shows the results, a nice “potential” cash crop of berries. (Photograph by Author)

fresh soil. By this time they have multiplied enough to fill 6 flats of the same size.

Episcias send out stolons (runners) very much like the strawberry begonia (saxifrage). Flowers are white, yellow, pink, lavender, and red.

Episcias seem not to have the flower-producing capacity of African violets. However, many growers reduce bloom unnecessarily by putting plants in a spot lacking sun. True, they make excellent cover plants for under benches and in shady greenhouse nooks-and the foliage on the hairy ones become deeper colored in shade. But flowers are always scarce on plants grown in this way.

Since I grow my episcias almost exclusively for seeds, I plant rooted cuttings of several varieties in each wooden flat of peatmoss, sand, leafmold, and light loam. The bottom of the flat is first covered with clay pot chips and charcoal pieces. All varieties except the blue-flowered ones are placed where they receive 1500 foot-candles of light at 12:30 P.M. on a bright summer day. They are always kept well moistened and-note well-they require more water than African violets. In this bright spot, they produce maximum bloom. After pollination, the seed capsules form; they resemble bunches of small grapes. The red and lavenders are most congenial, hybridizing easily one with another. Here are some of my favorites-all easy to propagate, all generous with seeds:

Episcia acajou; Chocolate Soldier; E. cupreata, which doesn’t take full sun, but without some sun will fail to flower, the variety, viridifolia, which must have a blaze of light to bring out foliage and flower color; Silver Sheen; lilacina; and the longtime favorite reptans (fulgida) – (which most people think of as the “red violet”).

Episcia dianthiflora and E. punctata are of easy culture but they have one point of difference from other episcias, it takes 5 to 9 months for seeds to ripen, whereas the usual ripening period is 6 weeks. Greatly prized among collectors is the reptans variety Lady Lou, a variegated pink-green and brown-leaved form. Most people find it more difficult than the parent plant, and it often reverts back to the brown and green leaf coloration of E. reptans. The brown-leaved, pink-flowered Pinkishia, fairly new, is easy to propagate. Tropical Topaz should prove as easy as the plants it resemblesE. viridifolia, but I have found it somewhat difficult (though it may be that I do not have the true one). My plant came directly from Panama, as did the one bearing the species name. If it does prove easy, it will make a hit with window and greenhouse gardeners.

Episcias are best propagated through stolons or seeds; leaf cuttings take too long to produce sizable plants. Plant the stolons directly into pots or flats of light soil-or any good growing media. You can sell them from 2- or 3-inch pots-several in a pot or hanging basket-or as cuttings. If you propagate through seed, you will get a variety of colors and forms from a mixed package. I have reports from customers of several pink-flowered sorts springing up among seedlings grown from my seed mix. And foliage is as varied as that of coleus. These plants are a hybridizer’s dream, and flowers come in white, pink, lavender, red, and yellow.

In the episcia blossom, pollen ripens several days before the pistil is ready to receive it. When the pistil elongates and shows beyond the petal edge, pollination time is at hand. Choose pollen from a one- or two-day flower, and apply it to the pistil with a brush or your finger tip. You may have to pollinate on two successive days to assure success. The rounded seed capsule ripens in 6 weeks. Each seed has attached to it a tiny blob of albumen which sustains the embryo. Seeds are larger than those of African violets but require approximately the same care and seedlings flower in about the same time.

Cyclamen mites are the worst enemies. Prevent or exterminate them through the use of sterilized soil and sodium selenate, or sprays of malathion.

Landscaping ideas come from your heart, and from your mind. Anyone can make their front or backyard look like a professional gardener came in and completely renovated their property. It does not take a lot of skill to make all your landscaping dreams come true. All you really have to have is a little imagination and the will to get your hands dirty.

One very important part of landscaping is planning. The best thing to do when you are adding or fixing the landscape in your yard is to put it all down on paper first. Lay it out on paper so that you can see what you are doing and that you have enough space for what you have in mind. Take your time and think about what you are looking for in your yard. Remember to plan around large unmovable items like trees and outside buildings like sheds or garages. You are not going to be able to move these things so you want to make them fit in with your landscaping design.

Gloxinias grow best in porous soil. I use equal parts of leafmold or peatmoss and sandy soil with a 6-inch pot of processed cow or sheep manure for each bushel. Before planting, soak tubers

68. Rechsteineria cardinalis, with emerald green, soft leaves and flashy

red flowers, appeals equally to novice house plant gardeners and gesneriad connoisseurs. (Photograph by Author)

in a 1-200 solution of Carco-X or other fungicide. Apply the same solution to the potting soil of tubers, cuttings, seedlings or seed, and wait about two days before planting. Subsequent applications direct to moistened soil in the pots of growing gloxinias will keep them free of common troubles.

Start fertilizing as soon as you see flower buds, and continue at biweekly intervals until the plant reaches its peak of bloom. Use a fertilizer which contains the minor or trace elements (boron, manganese, etc.). If these are not present in the brand you are using, switch to another, or buy packaged trace elements and apply them in conjunction with the major-element fertilizer.

Shrubs need to have good soil. It needs to be well-drained soil as well. You may need to add compost to your soil before you plant your shrubs. Whenever you are ready to plant your shrubs, check the roots to make sure that the shrub is root bound. Loosen the roots with a knife and then you are ready to place the shrub in the hole. Make sure that you give your shrubs lots of water.

Do not worry if your landscape of shrubs looks kind of empty at first. Over time the shrubs will spread out and fill in the loose gaps. That is the best thing about shrub landscapes. You do not need to plant a lot to get a lot. If you want to, you can fill in some of the small empty spaces with flowers like perennials. You will be free to design a look that you and everyone else will enjoy.

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One great border

The key to planting a wonderful border is to design layers of colors and textures, and height. Whatever shrub you decide to plant, they will add color and texture to your home for every different season. Shrubs can grow to be enormous but as long as you keep them trimmed and maintained, they will add beauty and style to any home.

You can also use shrubs to line your property with. If you want to add a borderline between your neighbors’ house and yours, this is the perfect way to do so. Shrubs will divide the space without shutting you in like trees do. Shrubs are a great choice for this project and one that both you and your neighbors will enjoy.

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Watering and Fertilizing

Always water the plants with tepid water. Leaves will be spotted when water colder than the surrounding air hits them. These whitish spots give the plants a diseased look. If you are certain that the plants growing in solid mixtures have a good root system, it is advisable to start fertilizing them about a month after potting up. If you like organic fertilizers, try one of the fish emulsions. Ra-pid-gro, Hyponex, Plant Marvel, Blossom Booster, and others also give good results.

Potting

The size of the pot you use for your plants will depend on how you want to sell them. If you plan to sell small plants, probably not yet in bloom, pot directly from the flat into 2-inchers. Let them grow in the pots for 10 days to 2 weeks; they will be established nicely. Plants being grown for bloom will need to be shifted from the 2-inch pots to 3- and 4-inchers.

Shading

If your greenhouse is devoted exclusively to Saintpaulias, you will have to shade it: Saintpaulias do not thrive in bright sunshine. But if, like me, you grow both shade- and sun-loving plants, the placement of your African violets will require thought. In my greenhouse, they grow mostly in flats under the top deck. Since I do not sell specimen plants but do sell leaves and seeds, I keep most of my “stock plants” growing and blooming in the flats, thus saving space, watering time, pots, and the labor of potting. In these flats of porous soil, watering is needed only once a week during the winter and twice a week in summer. Winter temperature in my greenhouse is 72 to 75 degrees during the day, with the usual 10-degree drop at night. (Some authorities recommend a minimum of 60 at night and 70 degrees or more during the day.)

If you can’t get enough shading on your house to keep violet foliage pleasingly green, you can tack up a few layers of cheesecloth or tobacco cloth to exclude the bright sun rays. Simply string a wire across the inside of the house and another at the top of the sidewalls; then drape the material over the wires.

Light

The late Dr. Kenneth Post, authority on florist crop production, recommended “a maximum of 1500 foot-candles of light, a minimum of 1,000″ for greenhouse-grown Saintpaulias. If you are not familiar with foot-candles as a measure of light, have a friend with a photometer measure the light for you. Aim for 1200 to 1300 foot-candles during the brightest part of the day, and you’ll find your plants budding and blooming without cease.

For growth under fluorescent lights in the greenhouse, keep a distance of about 11 inches between light tubes and the larger plants’ pot rim; 4 to 6 inches for seedlings and small plants. Natural light will vary with the season, increasing in spring, decreasing in fall. As light increases you may have to increase the shading on your greenhouse, and vice versa. I have shading on the outside of the greenhouse and two thicknesses of tobacco cloth inside. The thickness of this cloth is not varied with the seasons, but I add or decrease shade on the outside of the house. Low light intensity reduces the number of flowers and makes for weak growth.

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The African violet (Saintpaulia) first headed the pot-plant popularity polls about twelve years ago and has held the top spot ever since, with each year bringing an increasing number of friends. Varieties of this gesneriad are numbered in the thousands, and it is one of the few florists’ plants which blooms throughout the year. Thus, whatever the time of year or the occasion, if you grow African violets you will always have flowering plants to offer your customers. To you, the greenhouse owner, this constant bloom means extra money in the cash register.

Even though you do not devote your entire greenhouse to African violets, you will find it profitable to reserve at least one corner for a few dozen plants. These need not be pinched to single-crown specimens. Let them grow several crowns and become covered with bloom. Such plants make wonderful gifts.

Soil Mixtures

I doubt if there has ever been a pot plant for which so many soil formulas have been devised. Members of the African Violet Society never tire of coming up with new ones. For greenhouse culture, I like this formula: equal parts of loam, peatmoss, leaf mold, and sand, with a sprinkling of charcoal. I realize, however, that not everyone has access to the leaf-mold and rotted manure commonly mentioned in soil recipes. So, with a little extra care in fertilizing, you can grow your Saintpaulias to perfection in this easy-to-make “synthetic” potting mixture: equal parts of shredded sphagnum, peatmoss, and sand. Plants grown in this must receive applications of liquid fertilizer every week. A monthly application of M teaspoonful of dried, processed, sheep manure worked into the mixture for plants in 4-inch pots will enhance their development. Use less manure for smaller pots, more for larger ones. Some growers like to mix loam, peatmoss, and sand and, to a bushel of this mixture, add one 4-inch potful of superphosphate and one 6-inch potful of dried sheep manure.

Soil or synthetic mixtures should be sterilized. If you are planting in the type without loam it is unnecessary to place drainage material in the pot; with a soil mixture containing loam, drainage is a necessity. About 1/2 inch of pot chips to a 4-inch pot is ample.

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Ruellia

Pretty leaves, pretty flowers, and easy to grow-that’s Ruellia macrantha. With olive green leaves daintily marked in white and rosy-purple petunia-like blooms, it is a real eye-catcher. Propagate through cuttings inserted into light soil or other rooting media. Three or 4 months bring you plants ready for 2-inch pots. Flowers last several days; and ruellia becomes more beautiful if given monthly feedings of liquid fertilizer. Temperatures of 60 to 70 degrees, moderate light, and ordinary soil are the growth requirements.

Samevieria

Called sword plant or snake plant, this tough individual remains high on the popularity list with people who dislike the fuss and bother of caring for flowering plants. Sansevieria is also invaluable for poorly-lighted indoor areas. It grows in virtually any soil, in temperatures from 60 to 80 degrees. Improved forms of the old-fashioned snake plant are numerous. This, however, is another case of a plant in plentiful supply; so check your market first. One gardener made a considerable profit by selling these plants to residents of housing projects. Many of these folks have indoor planters and, while they like to see something growing in them, they cannot afford the more expensive green plants. For such planters a combination of sansevieria, anthericum (spider plant), and Chinese evergreen is hard to equal. All these plants can be offered at a price these householders-mainly young people-can afford to pay. Sansevieria propagates easily from 2-inch cuttings of the swordlike leaves.

Shrimp Plant (see Acanthacea)

Vines and Trailers

Potted vines and trailers, particularly those of easy culture, are among the best sellers. Several forms of cissus (treebine), closely related to the grape, are rapid growers and have good-looking foliage. The most familiar one is Cissus rhombifolia, the grape ivy. The peacock of the tribe is C. discolor-often confusingly called trailing begonia because leaves rival the coloring of Rex begonias. Foliage is green and silver above, reddish purple beneath the leaves. C. antarctica is the popular kangaroo vine. It requires some 8 months to produce salable plants from leaf bud cuttings, about 2 to 4 months from stem cuttings or basal shoots. A minimum temperature of 60 degrees, subdued light, and ordinary potting soil are the growth requirements.

Walking Iris

Another plant of most interesting growth is Marica northiana, the walking iris, whose leaf fans resemble garden iris. The flower, rather like a spuria iris, emerges from between the leaves. The “stem,” an elongated irislike blade, continues to grow. After the flowers have completed their blooming, this blade will be bent toward the earth. If it touches a growing medium, roots will soon form and dig firmly into the soil. This is an old-timer still loved by collectors. It grows in any kind of soil, in a cool to warm greenhouse, and needs little attention. Propagate through plant division.

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Prayer Plant

Of interesting foliage and growth habit is Maranta kerchove-ana, the prayer plant. The leaves of soft green are blotched with dark brown. At night maranta folds its leaves upward as if in supplication-thus giving rise to the common name.

Grow this one in peatmoss, loam. Give it plenty of drainage and a warm greenhouse. Propagation is by plant division.

Rivina Humilus

Among the prettier of the rapid-growing house plants is white-flowered, red-fruited Rivina humilus, the rouge berry plant. Successive plantings of seeds or cuttings will give you plants with flowers and fruit for easy sale through the year. It is an especially good seller for fall and winter holidays. Seeds germinate in about 10 days, and the plants will flower and fruit 4 months after seed sowing-in 2 to 3 months from cuttings. A warm house of 70 degrees is to their liking; they grow in sun or slight shade. Symmetry can be produced by pinching out tips on older plants. Pot directly from the flat to 2-inch pots, a valuable time-saver.

Royal Poinciana

Although not strictly classed as a pot plant, the royal poinciana

60, 61. There’s a cluster of ready money in this multiple-crowned African violet plant (top). With careful dividing and slicing, retaining all possible roots, you may get as many as a dozen small plants or a half-dozen sizable specimens from it, and most of these will be all ready to be potted and sold. (Photographs by Author)

tree (Delonix regia or Poinciana regia) is so easily grown from seed into a ferny little shrub that it is a splendid subject for the dish garden. It will stay small enough for indoor use for some time.

Seeds resemble large beans. Plant them in any good soil; they pop up in a week or less. Their chief requirement is water; if you forget this, the leaves will fall all over the place. These plants have the intriguing habit of folding their leaves toward evening.

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