flora18

What's Inside

Seed Sowing and Germination - The actual sowing is governed by the same rules as for outdoor sowing. Scatter flat seeds - such as those of lilies, hippeastrum, and grevilleas-thinly and evenly over the soil or other medium, and press each seed gently on one side with a pencil or point... more

Pruning Established Roses - Remove any diseased or dead wood. Old wood left for several years tends to become infected with diseases and insect pests. The bark of winter-damaged wood generally is brown or discoloured and must be cut back to healthy wood, which has a white or greenis... more

Caring for Newly Sown Lawn - Don't make the mistake of sprinkling it daily; but if the upper inch or so of soil becomes obviously dry, then water it freely with a fine sprinkler adjusted so that it will not wash the surface soil away. Once the seed has started to germinate, the young... more

Watering House Plants - The amount of water a plant need depends on temperature, humidity and the size of the plant in relation to soil and light. A plant in a warm, well-lit position may use twice as much water as one in cool shade. If a plant is making new growth, its water de... more

Seed Raising and Drainage - It is very important to provide good drainage. Fill the seed-pots to one-quarter of their capacity with clean broken clay pots, called crocks, and give seed-boxes or pans a good layer of these crocks over the drainage holes—coarse gravel or clinker ash ca... more

Propagating Roses - Propagation by cuttings is generally not as successful as by budding. Commercially the method is quite impracticable since a shoot which provides several buds yields only one cutting, and budding is much quicker. Even if the cutting should root, it may su... more

Preparing for Planting Roses - soil preparation should be completed about three weeks before planting in order to allow the ground to settle. For spring planting, it is better if the rose bed is prepared the preceding autumn. Beds for massed planting are best prepared by digging the wh... more

Watering Roses - Bush roses such as hybrid teas and floribundas are winter hardy in all but the coldest climates; in these areas it is advisable to bank the plants up with soil or heavy mulch straw for the winter. This should be done when the main autumn flush of bloom is... more

Pruning Houseplants - If a plant is growing too tall and a bushier shape is required, stop the growing shoots by breaking off the tips with finger and thumb (known as "pinching" or "pinching back"). This encourages the growth of side shoots and bushiness will soon result. Hous... more