Pot-pourri from a Surrey garden

On the side ledge of two large windows I have pots of the common Ivy of our hedges. We dig it up any time in the spring, and put it into the pots, which are then sunk into the ground under the shade of some wall, and kept well watered. Before bringing it into the room in winter, it is trained up on an iron stake or Bamboo-cane, singly or in bunches, to give variety to its shapes. If kept tolerably clean and watered, this Ivy is practically unkill- able, even in London. Then there are some pots of the long-suffering Aspidis- tras, the two kinds — variegated and dark green. These also want nothing but plenty of water, and sponging the dust off the leaves twice a week. They make pretty pot-plants if attended to during the summer in the country. They should be well thinned out and every injured leaf cut off, tied together towards the middle, kept growing all the summer in the greenhouse, and encouraged to grow tall ; they are then more graceful and satisfactory. They seldom want dividing or re-potting. I have two sorts of India-rubber plants — the large-leaved, straight-growing common Ficus elastica, and the Ficus elastica indica, which is a little more delicate, and the better for more heat in summer ; but it has a smaller leaf, and grows in a much more charming way than the other. Keeping the leaves very clean is of paramount importance with both JANUARY 9 these plants. During the winter they want very little watering, yet should never be allowed to get quite dry, as this would make the leaves droop. If, on the other hand, you see a single yellow spot on the leaves, you may be sure that they are too damp ; and, if watering is continued, the leaves will turn yellow, and eventually fall one by one. When they are growing in heat during the summer, they must be watered freely and the leaves well syringed. Both kinds propagate very easily. The top shoots strike in sand and heat ; and so do single leaves, if cut out with the eye and stuck round the edge of the pot. Another plant on the window-sill, Phalangium liliago variegatum, is of the same family as St. Bruno's Lily, that lovely early June flower in our gardens. It makes a most excellent pot-plant, young or old, for a room at all times of the year. It has a charming growth, and throws out branches on which young plants grow ; these can be left alone, or cut off and potted up in small pots, in which case they root easily in summer, or in a little heat at other times of the year. The flower which comes on the plant in summer is quite insignificant. It is very easy of cultivation, though not quite hardy ; and yet, when grown in a little heat, has all the appearance of the foliage of a delicate stove-plant. In the middle of the room is a Pandanus veitchii. This must be sparingly watered. It is a delightful winter pot-plant in all its sizes. The offsets that come round the stems of the old plant root very easily in heat. It does not mind the heat of the fire, but resents frost on the window-pane. Cocos weddeliana and its varieties are most useful and well-known drawing-room plants, from South America. To save time, it is best to buy small plants from a nurseryman, and grow them on. They can, however, be grown from seed in a hot-bed in spring, but they are not very quick growers. io POT-POURRI FROM A SURREY GARDEN