ECONOMICAL ORCHID GROWING.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7259, 15 March 1889, Page 2

ECONOMICAL ORCHID GROWING.

The method of economically erowj— Orchids adopted by the Rev. P. b C* of Lowflelds, Burton-in-Lonsdale, i 8 E described by a correspondent of thl garden, and shows that these beantifni plants may be cultivated at comparative small expense, by any one willing to tat! the trouble involved. "Mr Homer faS! amateur gardener and an ardent lover n* plants. He ia better known as an AuricnU and Tnhp fancier than as a collector ami cultivator of Orchids, but though a florid of the old school, like his father h» has a keen eye to the beautiful* in Nature, and in the Orchid family nJS only the beautiful, but the grotesque ana singular character of some Orchid? notably the Stanhopeas, is equally fesclna! ting. Mrs Homer is a keen Orchldfaaciei also, and has in a short time acquired con siderable knowledge of their culture and habits. Fashionable Orchids are n»2 thought of. They.are grown at LowflelS for their sweetness and beauty, for thei* intrinsic worth, and perhaps their quaint, nees. We have to thank our enterpiWfiff Orchid importers that Orchids artrif cheap or cheaper than any class of ftrtm. house or stove plants, and thoy easily grown as any other garden plant? We often read in the garden descriptiona of famous collections of Orchids, but ? am not sure that anvof them can com pete with the small Lowfields colletifan as an object lesson for small means who cannot afford ja pay extravagant prices for their plant* The houses where the plants are grown are of the simplest construction. Any car. penter could pot up such structure*. There is a lean-to in two divisions mi sunny corner of the walled garden. I& U only 25 feet long, by 10 feet long. The cool house, 12 feet long by 4i feet wide, Ufa front of it. The whole lot might w> nnt under the stage of some of our modem Cattleya houses, and one might p&u through without noticing it, and yet the space Is packed full of nice healthy growing plants, which may possibly give mere real pleasure to the owner than the richest collection in the country. Th 6 plants have all been collected as opportunity offered, and at a small cost. There 19 no trained gardener on the place. Mr and Mrs hot. ner look after their own plants, and as a coriect list of the different species in flower has been kept by Mrs Homer for every month of the year, it might be interesting to give the numbers. In December, 1887, there were in flower 35 distinct species ;in January, 1888,35 species; in February, 33 ; in March. 82 ; in April, 42 ; in May, 48 ; in June, 54 ; in July, 41; in August, 34 ; in September, 39 : in .October, 88; and in November, 37. How few cultivators could give such results from the space at their disposal lv proportion to the size of the collection. As a rule, large houses are filled with hundreds of one species of Cattleya, and hundreds of other species. They make a glorious display ia their season, I admit, but during several months in the year the ordinary Cattleya house is very dull. Now, the Cattleyaa are all right in their way. I have nothing to say against them, but other choice Orchids might also be cultivated, aad amongst them the Stanhopeas. Mr Homer has had several species in flower in hU small collection during the last three months. I may add that another small house has been added to tho establishment. It is spanroofed, 20ft long by 12ft wide, sad, from its position, will be an excellent house for the cool Orchids. Many species of Orchids difficult to manage seem to thrive here, such as some of the Disss, Nanodes Medusae, a miflTy subject, which has been hung out of doors in an Apple tree during the summer months. Mr Homer is also proud of what he calls his hanging groves of Cattleya citrine, of which he had a number of plants out of condition sent him. He has grown then up into great specimens, ana the bulbs made last season are larger and healthier looking than any previouslyproduced. In a note received from Mr Homer a few days ago he says, "I do not know what I do to the Cattleya citrina particularly, but it never stops rooting, and I only follow it up." He believes in covering up the glass at night to retain the heat, rather than maintaining a high temperature at night by means or the not-water pipes. He says every Orchid likes a restful temperature. His remarks is, " That it is astonishing how little artificial heat will suffice in a strong frost under sacking, and if by any mischance the fire goes out the Backing stands in good stead against loss of needful warmth." I thought some ot the amateur readers of thb garden who have to look after their own plants, and who are deterred from growing Orchids not only because of their expense, but also for the supposed difficulties of culture, might be tempted to take a few notes from Mr Homer's experience. I know of many villa gardens where a good greenhouse has been built and filled with little but zonal Pelargoniums. Of course, there are some who prefer Pelargoniums, but there are others who would like to grow Orchids, 1 "■