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Posted on 7:15 PM by Wanto and filed under
By Carl Johnson
Bulbs of the Jacobean lily, Sprekelia formosissima, should be potted, two-thirds into the soil, in February and watered freely when growth begins to show. When the flower spike begins to appear is the time to begin feeding and when the flowers have finished in the autumn the bulb should be allowed to dry out and rest.
They contained their own atmosphere and required no watering. They were stored during the voyage in certain carefully selected parts of the ship to avoid any possible damage from bad weather or the shifting of cargo.
Because plants lasted so well in these special cases it soon became apparent that more elegant and sophisticated types could be constructed to rest in drawing-rooms, filled with rare, exotic or particularly tender plants. Ferns, green and filmy, were the favourite.
Plant explorers and the several knowledgeable and fanatical nurserymen of 150 years ago were distressed to find that although many hitherto unknown plants were being discovered in distant countries, it was almost impossible to bring them back for further cultivation here, for everything was against them: distance, time, change of temperature and atmosphere, salt-laden winds and lack of knowledge of the sailors in whose care the plants had to rest during the voyage. So Ward devised his case.
Genuine Victorian Wardian cases are a rarity today and fetch high prices in antique shops and salerooms. But they can quite easily be made, usually from large tanks originally intended for tropical fish. They have, however, been largely replaced by bottle gardens.
The bulb flowers are all what we might call perennial, for they will flower indoors year after year. There are many more which can decorate our homes for the period when they are at their best, but which must be grown under the kinder conditions prevailing in a greenhouse. These include some irises, some lilies, arum lilies (zantedeschia), tritonia, schizostylis, acidanthera and some orchids such as the pretty little bletia.
They contained their own atmosphere and required no watering. They were stored during the voyage in certain carefully selected parts of the ship to avoid any possible damage from bad weather or the shifting of cargo.
Because plants lasted so well in these special cases it soon became apparent that more elegant and sophisticated types could be constructed to rest in drawing-rooms, filled with rare, exotic or particularly tender plants. Ferns, green and filmy, were the favourite.
Plant explorers and the several knowledgeable and fanatical nurserymen of 150 years ago were distressed to find that although many hitherto unknown plants were being discovered in distant countries, it was almost impossible to bring them back for further cultivation here, for everything was against them: distance, time, change of temperature and atmosphere, salt-laden winds and lack of knowledge of the sailors in whose care the plants had to rest during the voyage. So Ward devised his case.
Genuine Victorian Wardian cases are a rarity today and fetch high prices in antique shops and salerooms. But they can quite easily be made, usually from large tanks originally intended for tropical fish. They have, however, been largely replaced by bottle gardens.
The bulb flowers are all what we might call perennial, for they will flower indoors year after year. There are many more which can decorate our homes for the period when they are at their best, but which must be grown under the kinder conditions prevailing in a greenhouse. These include some irises, some lilies, arum lilies (zantedeschia), tritonia, schizostylis, acidanthera and some orchids such as the pretty little bletia.
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Euphorbia pulcherrima is a familiar poinsettia. New hybrids of this indoor gardening houseplant last well in the home.
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