On most varieties stems will, quite naturally, become leafless and woody in time. When this happens and the plant is no longer attractive the stems should be cut to within a few inches from their base. Keep the potful of stumps as they usually grow again from the base. The stems can then be cut up into sections some 2 to 3 in. in length.

After dusting the ends with rooting powder the cuttings should be pressed horizontally into a seed box filled with moist peat until the pieces of stem are almost covered. Any growth buds (small swellings on the stem) that can be seen should be uppermost. As soon as the first two leaves have opened, pot into 31-in. size pots. Many dracaenas (D. Redcdge in particular), and philodendrons with larger leaves can also he propagated in exactly the same way.

Dracaena massangeana is one of the more impressive foliage plants though space demanding, but good value if the room can be afforded. When freely planted in beds of compost or when growing in their natural habitat they become quite substantial plants.

Aglaonema is widely distributed in South East Asia. 16 to 2eC. (6o to 70F.). The suitable temperature for Aglaonema is less than 16C. (60F.); for a short period this may do little harm, but it is essential to provide adequate warmth if these plants are to do well.

A. rhodocyanea is one of the most exotic and unusual of all potted plants. Large, strap-like overlapping leaves form a perfectly watertight urn (hence the common name). When purchasing, look for plants with lighter grey colouring as the darker ones are less attractive. To prevent damage to the natural grey bloom on the leaves it is important to ensure that they are not cleaned or rubbed in any way.

When buying plants in flower it is best to select those that arc more backward in order to get the longest life possible from them. The ideal stage is when the pink bract is a little above the water level in the urn. Plants that have developed to the stage where the blue flowers in the otherwise pink bract are fully open should be avoided.

The larger leaved ivies are better where a bolder effect is sought, but all these are vulnerable to red spider mite in hot, dry conditions, so a watch should he kept for their presence.

As the name suggests, II. Mini Green has smaller, more congested leaves that are crinkled at the edges. Of the variegated plants for outdoor use, and as durable indoor plants, the best small-leaved ivies are those with basically grey colouring.

Ivies may he used for almost every purpose, as trailing plants, upright plants on stakes, climbing plants against the wall or, very effectively, as hanging basket plants. In this respect they may he used in conjunction with other plants, or as individual specimens filling the basket.

Surprisingly enough anthuriums are, on the whole, not too difficult to raise from seed provided it is fresh and sown in a temperature approaching 27C. (80F.). When large enough to handle the seedlings should be potted not into soil, but into a mixture of coarse pear and rough sphagnum moss; to help things along try soaking-the moss in liquid fertiliser at standard strength for 24 hours before using.

It is also helpful if plant pots are plunged to their rims in peat or moss beds, below which there should be permanently warm pipes, or soil-warming cables can be run through the bed. In common with most members of the aroid family this anthurium will develop aerial roots on the main steirk as it extends in, length. If these are left unattended to dry out in the atmosphere then the plant will suffer.

Ant huriunz czysta Ilinztin is grown purely for its truly superb leaves. This is a plant when the beginner would do well to ignore until he has acquired some degree of skill with simpler subjects. In the greenhouse collections of many enthusiasts some surprisingly fine plants are grown, but it is seldom, if ever, that reasonable specimens of A. crystalli num are seen. Frequently the reason for this is that the grower tends to care for these plants by potting them very conventionally in standard pots, when it is infinitely better to grow them on a moss-covered raft.

As in the case of Azalea indica, the most important requirement of hydrangeas when grown as pot plants is water. They must be kept moist all the time and this usually means a good watering every day, but it is important that the water drains away freely ; they should not be allowed actually to stand in water. Purchased in the spring of the year hydrangeas are very little trouble if kept in a light, cool room and watered and fed regularly.

In good growing conditions plants can be very invasive, so will need hard pruning any time after flowering. Mealy bugs can be troublesome pests should they find their way in between the twining stems of the plant, so a careful watch must be kept in order to eradicate them before they have a chance to get established.

The simplest way to increase plants is to peg shoots into small pots in the form of a layer, cutting them away from the parent plant when they become established.

By planting in very acid, peaty soil the blued varieties will retain their blue colouring; in ordinary soil they will revert to pink. Alternatively, the soil can be treated with alum as required.

Earth Day was established on April 22nd 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson. Its initial purpose was to provide a platform for all the different environmentalist groups to unite under a single day to thrust forward their message of conservation and environmental preservation. The movement was successful with over 20 million people participating world wide by marches and rallies in the name of Earth Day.

The main theme of this movement was ultimately to push through reform for conservation and to drive home the need for action now. It provided environmentalists around the world avenue to get their message across to governments and large corporations to change their practices in favor of green production and farming.

As a result of their efforts great progress has been seen in two main areas, namely the usage of renewable resources and also the production and distribution of natural products which were made with the overall environment in mind. A large part of the conservation message also was regarding the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers and the horrible damage that they do to the environment over the long-run.

All over the world there must be millions of liens grown annually for indoor decoration, ranging from the tiny creeping fig, Ficus pumila, to majestic trees of F. benjamina and F. benghalensis. None of them flower when grown in pots, so the attraction is entirely in the foliage. Ficus elastica robusta is the now greatly improved ordinary rubber plant which is produced in vast quantities annually.

All three will require a moist, warm, shaded environment in which to grow, and even then will not be easy to manage. Indoors they would be best suited to the atmosphere created in a bottle garden; or enclosed glass case. (In Victorian times these were referred to as Ward ian Cases, named after Nathaniel Ward who invented them in effect they were miniature indoor greenhouses where one could grow plants of a delicate nature).

In the garden room it would he essential to provide a warm bed of moist peat in which to plunge the plant=pots. Provided the surroundings are shaded the` maximum tem- perature is unimportant. Propagate from stem cuttings with two to three leaves attached.

Only occasionally available, there are several varieties of brunfelsia in shades that range from white through lavender to purple, but Brunfelsia calycina is the most frequently met with. This grows to about 2 ft. in height and flowers in summer, at which time the compost should be kept fairly moist, and the plant will benefit if the foliage is sprayed over regularly with a fine spray. Also, feeding should not be neglected in summer as foliage quickly takes on a sickly yellow appearance. Any potting on that is needed should be done in late summer after flowering, using J.I.P.2 or 3. Pot firmly and ensure that the pots are adequately drained.

These tuberous-rooted members of the aroid family are started into growth in February when the temperature should be maintained at the maximum 22C. (71F.). Tubers will, however, start into growth more rapidly if the temperature can be kept a little above this level. For preference they should be started in boxes or beds of moist peat in a heated greenhouse where they will soon get under way and can be potted into a standard house plant compost some four to six weeks later.

Almost all of them have overlapping leaves rising like a large rosette from the centre of the griming pot. These make a perfectly watertight urn that must at all times be kept filled with water. With the vast majority the compost in the pot should be kept only just moist, as the root systems are not especially strong and are easily damaged by continual saturation.

Plants can be raised from cuttings; we are usually advised to insert one cutting in a small pot, but better results will be obtained if four or five cuttings are inserted around the edge of the pot. A convenient way of raising them is to fill the pot with J.I.P.2 compost, make holes for the cuttings with a pencil and fill the holes with moist peat. The cuttings are then inserted in the peat in which they will root before finding their way into the compost, where they will grow very much better.

The Destroying Angel (Amanita virosa) is another poisonous mushroom, although quite a rare species, which is distinguished from the other type of Death Cap (A. phalloides ssp. yam) by its sharp club-shaped cap and frayed stipe. It grows predominantly in mountain forests on a limestone subsoil. It is as potentially dangerous as the Death Cap and its fruit-bodies contain another type of toxin called virosin, whose toxic effects can be compared with those of amanitoxins. It should also be mentioned that amanitoxins are present in some other fungi, which are not necessarily related to the Amanita genus. These poisonous substances were in clusters on rotten wood. It can quite easily be mistaken for the edible mushroom Kuehneromyces mutabilis.

Experiments have proved that although high temperatures lessen the virulence of the poison, they do not destroy the toxic substances. Finally the character of the Death Cap arises during which the poison fully penetrates the blood stream so that any late stomach-pumping is ineffective.

Agaric has a stupefying effect and in some countries it is used as a narcotic. It resembles the deistic potion known as Soma, which dates back. more than 3,000 years. It is also the same hallucinogenic drug: which was used long ago in Siberia, Kamchatka and Chukotka.’ by the indigenous population.