EDGING PLANTS FOR THE GREENHOUSE

Evening Star, Issue 21216, 24 September 1932, Page 20

EDGING PLANTS FOR THE GREENHOUSE

There are many plants which can be used to soften the hard Outline of stages in the greenhouse and conservatory. They may be grown in small pots and arranged closely together, or, in some cases, grown directly on the stage. Pot-grown plants can be moved and rearranged at any time, whereas those which are growing in soil on the stage are more or less permanent. The latter, however, require little attention, and by close planting a dense, continuous edging is produced. For growing in pots the following are suitable:—lsolepis gracilis, a graceful grass-like plant; Helxine Solierolii (ornamental cress), having miniature bright green leaves on long creeping stems, which hang over the sides of the pot; Tradescantia zebrina, a creeping plant with large ovate leaves, having alternate longitudinal bands of purplish-green and silvery-grey. Pilea muscosa (the artillery plant) has stiff, succulent green ; stems and miniature leaves. Selaginella kraussiana is similar, but the stems are very slender and the shoots hang downwards over the sides of the pot, which they cover with a dense mass of greenery. For covering the supporting legs of the staging Ficus repens is ideal. IF planted at the bases of the supports it will climb upwards, attaching itself in the same manner as ivy, with its roots. For summer use Coleus Mrs Sanders is effective. The leaves, which do not exceed one inch in length, are daintily marked with splashes of green, yellow, crimson, and purple. Ivy-leaved geraniums, with their flower-laden shoots hanging . over the sides of the stage, are also suitable for summer; so is Campanula isophylla, a creeping kind with blue flowers.

Selaginella, Pilea, and Hclxine can also be used as a permanent edging on stages covered with ashes or shingle. Pilea is the simplest to grow. It is necessary only to break off small pieces of shoot and place them along the edge of the shingle. With a daily damping they will quickly take root and quickly form a continuous edging of greenery. For Selaginella and Hclxine place a narrow band of soil along the edge of the stage, then dibble the cuttings in thickly and damp them over twice a day. At the bases of the staging supports there is' usually a bare strip of soil which looks unsightly. This can quickly be made attractive with the trailing shoots of Tradescantia or verdant tufts of Helxine or Pilea.— 1 Popular Gardening,’ London.