truly miniature baskets, or supports--succulent and easy to grow to
boot! Their effect is always dainty, never bold; thin wiry stems may
grow long, but never the leaves; waxy tube-like flowers inspire close
inspection, but are never showy. Here are four of the daintiest species:
_barkleyi_--umbrella flower--A climber with pointed
wing-shaped leaves feathered with a network of silver;
purple-veined greenish flowers like parasols.
_caffrorum_--Pairs of green heart-leaves march down the
threadlike stems; greenish flowers intricately marked with plum.
_debilis_--Green needle-like leaves penciled silver along
the center; green-and-purple flowers.
_woodi_--rosary vine, string of hearts, hearts
entangled--Matching pairs of thick silvery valentines every
inch or so along the dangling stem, identically traced with a
precisely patterned design. The little pink-lavender flowers are
shaped like pixie pipes or urns.
CARE. Soil: loam, leaf mold, sandy and humusy. Intermediate
temperature, filtered sun. Moist in summer, on the dry side in winter.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings in spring; tubers, seeds.
SPECIAL USES. Hanging baskets.
=Chaenostoma fastigiatum= _Scrophulariaceae_ Little Stars
Cheerful little tropical herb which keeps its compact contour by
branching freely, and covers its stems with myriads of half-inch
fragrant leaves. All year it twinkles with a sprinkling of starry white
flowers, outdoes itself in the summer months.
CARE. Loamy garden soil, bright light, moist.
PROPAGATION. Seeds, cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. Edgings.
=Chamaedorea elegans bella= _Palmaceae_
Slow-growing dwarf palm tree, so slow it can be a granddaddy in a
six-inch pot and takes eons to top two feet. The reedy green stems
cluster in a rosette and curve gracefully at the ends. Leaves are thin,
fresh green, airily divided.
CARE. Warm, loamy garden soil, moist, shade.
PROPAGATION. Seeds.
SPECIAL USES. House plant, dish gardens.
=Chamaeranthemum= _Acanthaceae_
A choice, exclusive threesome of tender tropical creepers with small
supine leaves embroidered with dainty patterns.
_gaudichaudi_--Forest-green, long oval leaves of sheer
velvet, silver feathers down the center and out along the veins.
_(Stenandrium) lindeni_--A bolder, golden feather marks the
larger, perhaps even sheerer, leaves.
_venosum_--Symmetrical, oval leaves more broad than
slender, dark powder-blue with thin leaves of silver on the
network of veins.
CARE. Warm, humid, loamy garden soil, filtered sun, moist.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, dish gardens.
=Chlorophytum bicheti= _Liliaceae_
Spidery little pot plant with tapering, grassy-looking leaves about six
inches long, arching somewhat stiffly, with cream-white tidy stripes
along the edge and sometimes down the middle. Always looks prim and
precise.
CARE. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy soil,
filtered sun, moist.
PROPAGATION. Division.
SPECIAL USES. Indoor gardens, artificial light.
=Cissus striata= _Vitaceae_ Miniature Grape Ivy
This lacy little climber looks less like grape ivy, more like woodbine,
but it certainly does look and act like a miniature. The reddish stems
turn and twist at angles, trying to touch the tiny tendrils to a
support they can curl around. The one-and-a-half-inch leaves are like
five fat separate fingers delicately joined in the center, scalloped
or toothed near the rounded tip, burnished green and lined with wine
beneath.
[Illustration:
_Cissus striata_--a genuine miniature climber not unlike
woodbine]
CARE. Intermediate temperature, humid, loamy garden soil,
filtered sun, moisture in the pots.
PROPAGATION. Roots and cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. House plant, miniature gardens, artificial
light.
=Citrus= _Rutaceae_
These are true miniature citrus trees, varieties that are naturally
dwarf, or grow so slowly they’ll flower and fruit in smallish pots
indoors.
_aurantifolia_--lime--Spiny little tree with small leaves,
small tartly acid, thin-skinned, green fruit. The Persian lime
is a variety called “one of the most beautiful of all citrus
trees.”
_limonia ‘ponderosa’_--ponderosa lemon--Oblong, glassy,
evergreen leaves; stiff sharp spines; large waxy, fragrant
flowers; heavy (to two and a half pounds) pear-shaped (to five
inches long) lemons at intervals through the year, beginning
when the tree may not be much more than a foot tall. Supposedly,
one lemon “gives enough juice to make a pie.”
_mitis_--calamondin--Bushy little tree, not prickly, dense
with glassy green leaves; flowers fragrant, small and white. May
bear fruit all year but usually in winter it produces bright
oranges, about one and a half inches in diameter, thin-skinned
and somewhat flattened on the end. The lime-like flavor of the
juice is reportedly pleasant, but my tree looked so pretty I
didn’t pick the fruit. A calamondin can, and often will, fruit
in a two-and-a-half-inch pot--a mighty midget.
_nobilis deliciosa_--tangerine, mandarin orange--Small,
nearly thornless tree with willowy leaves; sweet fruit, with
loose skin that peels off like a kid glove and segments that
separate freely.
_taitensis_--otaheite orange--Neat little bush for pots,
with plenty of two-inch, wavy-edged leaves, few if any spines,
and fragrant pink-tinged flowers in January. By Christmas,
even if the tree is only eight inches high, the oranges are
ripe. They are the size of a plum, shaped like a lemon, tartly
flavored like a lime.
CARE. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy soil, bright
sun, keep on the dry side. For fruit, pollinate. Humidity, not too
much fertilizer, not too much water. Sudden temperature changes causes
leaves to drop.
PROPAGATION. Seeds, grafting, cuttings (for pot varieties).
SPECIAL USES. Seedlings for miniature gardens and greenhouses.
=Columnea microphylla= _Gesneriaceae_
Velvety trailer, suitable for small hanging baskets, with soft little
mouse-ear leaves. But wow! the fiery-red flowers never heard of the
word _miniature_. Their long slender tubes stand straight up from
the dangling stems, flare out to a wide mouth through which you can
look to see the yellow throat inside.
CARE. Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
PROPAGATION. Seeds, stem and leaf cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. Hanging baskets.
=Cryptanthus= _Bromeliaceae_ Earth Stars
Not many bromeliads can rightly be called miniatures, and grow either
in air or in soil to boot. These are low flat rosettes of stiff painted
leaves, often with prickles on the edge and always unusually colored.
From the heart, wee white flowers peep out, usually in summer. Some
suppliers offer a grab-bag selection of hybrids, “no two alike.” Or you
can buy these smaller species if you wish.
_acaulis_--Thin gray fuzz over rather mottled green leaves.
_bahianus_--These leaves are slimmer, curving at the tip
and wavy on the edge, flushed or margined brick red, more
upright than flat.
_beuckeri_--Asymmetrical arrangement of ladle-like leaves
tapered to a sharp point, dark green marbled over light.
_bivittatus minor_ (_roseus pictus_)--Faintly banded
dark-green leaves completely flushed bronzy pink or salmon.
_bromelioides tricolor_--Slim, pointed leaves with bands of
rich cream and green, shaded cherry pink along the edge and in
the heart.
_lacerdae_--‘Silver Star’--Definitely star-shaped and
definitely silvery; the only green is in the two stripes down
each side of the center.
CARE. Warm, humus, filtered sun, dry side, good drainage.
PROPAGATION. Offsets or cuttings. Peel off one or two basal
leaves from stem; pot and root for two to three weeks.
SPECIAL USES. House plant.
=Cryptbergia meadi= _Bromeliaceae_
Everything said about the cryptanthus applies here. This is the result
of crossing a billbergia with a cryptanthus. The leaves are slim
spear-shaped and sharply pointed, upright in the center and arching out
around the side. The basic green is rather drab. Made more appealing by
a bronzy sheen and faint dark mottlings.
=Cyanotis= _Commelinaceae_
Succulent creeping or trailing cousins of the inch plants, with similar
botanical characteristics, but each an individual in its own right:
_kewensis_--teddy-bear plant--Brown-woolly all over the
stem and the tiny pointed-ear leaves.
_somaliensis_--pussy ears--The fresh green leaves are bent
into boat shape, clasping tight to the stem and covered with
velvety white fuzz.
_veldhoutiana_ (_Tradescantia villosa_)
(_Tradescantia pexata_) (_Tradescantia sillamontana_),
and known in the trade as tradescantia ‘White Velvet’ and also
‘White Gossamer’--This tiny plant, more trailing than creeping,
has lettuce-green leaves, and stems clothed in long silky
silvery-white hairs. It has so many names I fear it would be
lost to view if all of its labels were placed around it. I quote
all of them in order to avoid confusion and controversy. But
according to the Institute de Biologia in Mexico, the correct
name is _Tradescantia sillamontana_.
CARE. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, loamy soil,
bright light, dry side.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. Miniature tropical gardens, greenhouses.
=Dionaea muscipula= _Droseraceae_ Venus Fly Trap
Never let anyone tell you this little bug-eater will “trap flies on
your window sill.” Don’t poke at it to see it close its trap. Avoid
disturbing it; let it feed itself naturally. And now that the negatives
are covered, do try this braggart elf (give it conditions in which
it can grow), for the pleasure in its intricately devised mechanism,
one of nature’s wonders. Basically, there’s a five-inch-wide rosette
of wide flat stems, a two-part leaf at the end of each making a flat
burnished bronze oval with a fringe of thick whiskers. When an insect
steps onto this dance floor, the hinges in the center fold the two
halves together fast, and that is the end of the bug. White flowers top
the tallish stems in spring.
CARE. Cool, humid, sun, soil rich in humus with sphagnum, wet.
Dormant in February and March before flowering. Most vigorous growth in
spring and summer.
PROPAGATION. By roots or seeds. If seeds are used, start them
under a bell jar.
SPECIAL USES. Terrariums.
=Dracaena godseffiana= _Liliaceae_
Small tropical foliage shrub, slow-growing and bushy, with glassy,
leathery leaves haphazardly splotched with white. The named variety
‘Florida Beauty’ is even more dwarf, takes years to fit a four-inch
pot, and boasts golden-yellow splotches.
CARE. Warm, loamy garden soil, filtered sun (more light for color),
moist to wet.
PROPAGATION. Pieces of stem with several joints; tip cuttings; air
layering.
SPECIAL USES. Miniature gardens.
=Drosera rotundifolia= _Droseraceae_ Sundew
The whole plant can often hide under a half-dollar--the smallest of all
the insect-eaters. Flat stems radiate out from a central crown, expand
at the ends, become flat spoon-shaped blades covered with reddish hairs
that are tipped with drops of glue. Any insect landing on the surface
gets his feet stuck while longer hairs on the edge act like tentacles
to entangle him even more. Spring flowers top stems that grow straight
up in the center.
CARE. Cool, humid, humusy soil made acid with peat moss if
necessary, moist but not soggy, good drainage, room temperature is
adequate with some direct sunlight but not enough to raise temperature
in terrarium to a dangerous level. Transplanting or shipping may retard
growth several weeks; don’t get soil on leaves. May go dormant after
flowering. Do not try to grow in ordinary room without glass cover or
a plastic bag. Small amount of plant food (such as Vigoro). Rain water
preferred.
PROPAGATION. As in _Dionaea muscipula_.
SPECIAL USES. Terrariums.
=Dyckia= _Bromeliaceae_
Small, stiff fountains or sprays of spiny-edged leaves, spikes of
orange or yellow flowers like a miniature version of the pineapple in
various sizes and shapes. Some are not very dwarf. The dwarfs, to the
best of my knowledge, are:
_altissima_--Light-green, tapering leaves armed with brown
spines and yellow flowers.
_fosteriana_--Dense circle of sugary gray leaves with
purplish sheen.
_rariflora_--Slim, sharp-pointed six-inch leaves with
minute silver scales, spines soft and black.
CARE. Intermediate temperature, humusy soil, filtered sun, dry side.
PROPAGATION. Easiest from offshoots when suckers are large
enough to handle. Root in sphagnum peat. Seeds, germinate on tissue
napkins in a shallow tray covered with glass. Keep in light at 65 to 70
degrees.
SPECIAL USES. House plant.
=Episcia dianthiflora= _Gesneriaceae_
Although none of the episcias grow very high, they do spread out to
make wide, handsome pot or hanging-basket plants. This is the only
species that can reasonably be called dwarf. Its leaves are the size
and shape of my little fingernail, olive green and softly velvet,
reddish along the center vein, first forming a tidy rosette. Soon the
branches start stretching, rather stiff and woody for an episcia, with
new leaf rosettes forming as the branches grow. The silky tube-flowers
are pure white and fringed on the edges.
CARE. Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
PROPAGATION. Seeds and cuttings.
=Exacum affine= _Gentianaceae_
This is a compact, free-flowering plant of the gentian family. The
flowers are blue with golden stamens and very fragrant. A herbaceous
biennial, it can be treated in a greenhouse as a perennial. It has
bushy green leaves, ovate and tiny. A dark-lavender form is the variety
atrocaeruleum.
CARE. Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
PROPAGATION. Seeds. Can be planted any month, but a February planting
will produce flowering plants for autumn and winter.
SPECIAL USES. Window gardens and greenhouses.
=Ficus= _Moraceae_ Creeping Fig
Here are two delightful foliage creepers that keep their miniature
proportions, although the large-leaved form of the first often covers
large walls in the South.
_pumila minima_--Tiny valentine leaves patterned and
crinkled with a network of sunken veins, deep green and
refreshing.
_radicans variegata_--Much larger, slim pointed leaves
basically silvery green, but marked with creamy white, starting
at the edge and blending off irregularly. Like many variegated
plants, it’s not very vigorous and thus is suitable for
terrariums, where it will get the humidity it needs.
CARE. Warm, needs fresh air, loamy soil, filtered sun, moist.
PROPAGATION. Division of the rooting stems.
SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, hanging baskets, outdoors in the
South.
=Fittonia verschaffelti= _Acanthaceae_ Nerve or Mosaic Plant
Flat-creeping tropical plants with jewel-like foliage netted with veins
of contrasting color. The oval or rounded paper-thin leaves may be
large--up to two inches long--but the plants grow slowly and seldom
exceed dwarf proportions, particularly if there are any slugs within
miles. Fittonias are one of the critters’ favorite foods.
You have a choice of three color schemes: The species is dark green
with carmine veins; its variety argyroneura is emerald with silver; the
variety pearcei, light green with pink.
CARE. Warm, humid, loamy soil, filtered sun, moist.
PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. Foliage plants in greenhouses.
=Fortunella= _Rutaceae_ Kumquat
Smallest, and hardiest, of the evergreen citrus trees or shrubs, with
typical glassy, leathery leaves and flowers at intervals during the
year, sometimes coincidental with the thin-skinned fruit. The species
vary in size, habit, and fruit, some taking a lifetime to reach ten
feet. But before they achieve that altitude, they can long pass as
dwarfs or miniatures. Who wants to wait a lifetime to watch a kumquat
outgrow a three-inch pot?
_hindsi_--Small spiny tree with small (less than one inch)
pea-shaped fruit.
_japonica_--marumi kumquat--Small tree, well branched and
shapely, with perfectly round, somewhat sweet fruit nearly one
and a half inches in diameter.
_margarita_--nagami kumquat--Most frost-resistant and
dwarf. Nearly thornless, with sour-sweet, egg-shaped fruit.
CARE. Intermediate temperature (any sudden changes in temperature
may cause the leaves to drop), soil on the dry side (not too much
fertilizer), bright sun, pollinate if you wish fruit, maintain humidity.
PROPAGATION. Seeds, grafting, cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. Potted plants, seedlings for miniature gardens.
=Fuchsia magellanica= _Onagraceae_
This “hardy” fuchsia, when given a chance to develop, can hardly be
called a miniature. It can cover a wall twenty feet high, I have been
told. However, in a climate like that near Philadelphia, it is only
“root-hardy” and even then has to have a protective winter mulch. In
the spring it has to start new growth all over again. Then it assumes
miniature proportions. I’ve seen it in a small hanging basket, the
leaves less than one-third the size of the typical hybrid fuchsias, the
stems thin and wiry, the red-and-purple flowers quite small. Even more
like a miniature is the slower-growing variety variegata, with creamy
blotches and streaks on the leaf edges. Then there is the slender, more
airy and lax variety, gracilis, also available in variegated form.
CARE. Cool, needs fresh air, loamy soil, shade, moist.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings of soft green wood.
SPECIAL USES. House plants, hanging baskets.
=Hebe buxifola variegata= _Scrophulariaceae_
This is a charming little plant I have grown in my greenhouse. Although
it has some larger relatives, my specimens have been delightfully
small. The leaves are about one-half inch long, waxy green with creamy
white edges which overlap into a nice pattern. I love the small white
flowers which appear frequently.
CARE. Little sun, humusy soil, moderate warmth, moist.
PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. House plants.
=Hedera helix= _Araliaceas_ English Ivy
As long as I’ve grown house plants I’ve always had ivies, sometimes
only a few pots of my favorite varieties (when my growing space was
limited) but more often a collection of a dozen or more. Once when
preparing a magazine article, I had thirty-seven scrambling around the
greenhouse! The foliage always is fresh green and glossy, delightful
the year round; the climbing or trailing stems are graceful and willing
to be trained in just about any pattern. In the tiny-leaved miniatures
there is a particular fascination in the intricate formations of lobes
and points, edges which are waved or crinkled, and the markings, which
may be dainty, pert, or bold.
[Illustration:
(MEAGHERI GREEN FEATHER)
_Hedera helix meagheri_--a fine small specimen]
These variations (actually mutations) of the ubiquitous evergreen
ground or wall cover, are less hardy than the species from which they
have sprung. Their outdoor use is best limited to moderate or mild
climates--but never where it is hot and dry. Some slow creeping types
like the variety conglomerata are delightful in not-too-hot rock
gardens. Indoors, of course, you can have any or all of them, and you
have many to choose from. Here is a representative selection to tempt
you:
‘Goldheart’--Deepest green leaves centered with a heart of gold.
‘Itsy Bitsy’--Lacy leaves half the size of a fingernail.
‘Ivalace’--Fresh green with a crocheted edge.
‘Jubilee’--Gray-green spattered with white.
‘Needlepoint’--So sharply cut there’s nearly no leaf at all.
‘Shell’--Waved and crinkled on the veins.
‘Tear Drop’--A baby’s tear at that.
‘Telecurl’--Tight as a brand-new “permanent.”
CARE. Cool, needs fresh air, loamy soil, shade or semishade, moist.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings, layering, seed. (Seeds may take as long as two
years to germinate.)
SPECIAL USES. House plants, ground cover, rock gardens, miniature
gardens.
=Helxine soleiroli= _Urticaceae_ Baby’s Tears
Millions of tiny, button-like leaves hug close to the thready stems of
this wee creeper that covers soil, or a pot, in incredible haste. The
growth twines and intertwines thickly as if it were weaving a fresh
green carpet for a doll’s house.
CARE. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, humidity,
humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings of rooting stems.
SPECIAL USES. Ground cover, rocks and walls. (Outdoors only in
mild climates.)
=Hoya bella= _Asclepiadaceae_ Wax Plant
Definitely a dwarf, as wax plants grow, and not climbing, as most
others are, little _H. bella_ has arching, rather than woody,
stems with thick, heavy somber green leaves on either side and clusters
of incredible flowers at the tips, porcelain-white, waxy, and fragrant,
with a wheel-shaped purple “crown” in the center. Best in a basket
because the flowers droop, and the view is prettiest from below.
CARE. Warm, needs fresh air, loamy soil, bright light, dry side.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings in spring.
SPECIAL USES. Good house plant.
=Impatiens repens= _Balsaminaceae_
This precious creeper bears so little superficial resemblance to the
popular “patient Lucy” it’s hard to believe it’s a close kin. I loved
it when I first saw it at the Montreal Botanical Gardens, and was
delighted when it became available to us here. It is a creeper with red
stems, plump button-shaped leaves, and yellow flowers.
CARE. Intermediate temperature, needs fresh air, humusy soil, bright
light, moist.
PROPAGATION. Seeds, cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. Good house plant, miniature gardens.
=Koellikeria erinoides= _Gesneriaceae_
This one is a gem--clusters of pert green-velvet leaves with indented
veins and sprinkled with silvery star dust; on short stems, tiny
two-lipped bell flowers of creamy white and red, in summer.
CARE. Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, moist.
PROPAGATION. Seeds.
SPECIAL USES. House plant.
=Lantana camara= _Verbenaceae_
Here is a plant I have long enjoyed around the greenhouse. It is a
small hairy shrub with angled branches and rough bristly leaves and is
sometimes prickly.
[Illustration:
_Helxine soleiroli_, baby’s tears--a delightful little
crawler]
Its blooming habits have always delighted me, and it is a prolific
bloomer come summer. The verbena-like flowers open pink or yellow and
later darken to red or orange. Often several different shades will be
found on the same plant at the same time.
CARE. Moderate greenhouse temperatures, or out of doors in the
summer. Needs fresh air, loamy garden soil, bright light, and does best
on the dry side.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings and seed.
SPECIAL USES. House plant, pots, and containers.
=Malpighia coccigera= _Malpighiaceae_ Miniature Holly
Small glossy leaves sharply toothed like holly, and adorable as a
foliage plant, but in addition provides the sweetest white-pink blooms
which in its native West Indies produce red, edible fruit rich in
vitamin C.
CARE. Partial sun, warmth, humusy soil, moist.
PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. House plant, indoor bonsai.
=Manettia bicolor= _Rubiaceae_ Firecracker Vine
Small, sharp-pointed leaves, tube-flowers only a half-inch long, fine
thready twining stems--everything about this tropical vine is miniature
except the height to which it will climb in the greenhouse, or outdoors
in the South. Although its inclination is to climb, it is sold most
often as a plant for hanging baskets. Perhaps the lack of a support
helps keep it small. The leaves cluster thickly around the intertwining
stems, making a massed background for the impertinent flowers, yellow
at the tips, fire-engine red at the base.
CARE. Cool greenhouse, needs fresh air, humid, loamy soil, filtered
sun, moist.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings over heat, of young growth. Seeds.
SPECIAL USES. Trellis and rafter vines for the greenhouse, hanging
baskets.
=Maranta= _Marantaceae_
Exotic tropical foliage plants, laying their large oval leaves almost
flat on the soil, only technically different from the calatheas, and
sometimes offered under that name.
_(Calathea) bicolor_--Really should be “tricolor,” I think.
The silky, six-inch leaves are silvery in the center, feathering
out to points at intervals, and fading into a dark-green zone
which gives way to the basic blue-gray or gray-green that
extends to the edge.