plant--There’s a similar grayish feather in the center of the
leaf, a lighter silver green to the margin; but in between,
mahogany blotches where a “hippity-hopper” might have planted
his paws. The leaves fold up in prayer at night.
_leuconeura massangeana_--A picture is a more vivid
description than any word I can call on. The center is silver,
the thin curvy lines silvery pink. The basic color is mahogany
near the middle, blending into blue-green. The leaves are
tissue-thin with a silky sheen and lined with plum beneath.
[Illustration:
_Leuconeura massangeana_--a most beautiful foliage plant
with a silver center and basic mahogany blending into blue-green]
CARE. Warmth, minimum night temperature of 60 degrees; humid,
and use mist spray; rich soil; use liquid manure (except in winter).
Filtered sun (plant will scorch in too direct sunshine), moist. Partial
rest in winter, dry out between waterings. Repot in spring, with the
crown high in the center; use charcoal in pot.
PROPAGATION. Divide crown.
SPECIAL USES. Foliage plant, artificial light. This plant is prettiest
when young. Markings may disappear in older plants.
=Myrsine africana= _Myrsinaceae_ African Boxwood
This is a shrubby, dark-green-leaved plant of the boxwood sort. It is
small, neat, and trim and may be shaped into many patterns to resemble
the true boxwood.
CARE. Partial sun, moderate temperature, humusy soil, moist.
PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. Formal miniature gardens, dish gardens, indoor bonsai.
=Myrtus communis= _Myrtaceae_ Greek Myrtle
This is a fragrant close-leaved evergreen shrub native to the
Mediterranean region but raised in most of Europe and this country as
a potted plant. It grows out-of-doors in the South. Fragrant white
flowers and purple-black berries. In size, Greek Myrtle ranges from
dwarfs to ten and fifteen feet in height.
_communis microphylla_--dwarf myrtle--This compact form,
with brown twigs and needle-like dark-green leaves, is a
favorite for bridal bouquets, corsages, and decorations. It has
a lovely white flower of pleasing fragrance. This sentimental
association with the marriage ceremony makes it a favorite house
plant.
CARE. Partial sun, cool to moderate temperatures, average soil, keep
moist.
PROPAGATION. Stem cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. House plant, indoor bonsai.
=Oxalis= _Oxalidaceae_
Although most of the familiar varieties with clover-type leaves and
fine-petaled buttercup-like flowers stay within our allotted limits for
height, they are not miniatures as far as spreading width is concerned.
But here are two small indispensables for terrariums and dish gardens.
_hedysaroides rubra_--firefern--Correctly, a tropical
shrublet, but slow-growing and willing to be kept down by
pinching. The silky thin leaves are deep wine colored and shrink
from your touch. The little flowers, like golden twinkling
stars, are frequent and fairly plentiful.
_herrerae (henrei)_--Curious, densely branching succulent
for small hanging containers. The sturdy stems are gray-green
and swollen, tipped with three thick leaflets. Small yellow
flowers in clusters on long stems.
_martiana aureo-reticulata_--Shamrock leaves of emerald
green thickly traced with interlacing veins of gold, easy
flowers in loose clusters.
CARE. Cool, loamy garden soil, needs fresh air, bright light, dry side.
(_O. hedysariodes rubra_ requires more warmth and semishade.)
PROPAGATION. Bulbs, division of roots, seeds.
SPECIAL USES. House plants, hanging containers.
[Illustration:
_Oxalis hedysaroides rubra_]
=Parochetus communis= _Leguminosae_ Shamrock Pea, Blue Oxalis
It’s neither a shamrock nor an oxalis, although it has three-part
leaves resembling both and is marked with a mahogany quarter-moon in
the center. But, the blooms are pea-like, all right, with ocean blue
blending into pink on the two side petals. It’s a tender tropical
trailer never more than three inches tall with creeping stems rooting
over the soil.
CARE. Sun, intermediate temperature, average soil.
PROPAGATION. Seeds in March and April. Division in March.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens in mild climate, baskets, miniature gardens,
edging.
=Pelargonium hortorum= _Geraniaceae_ Geranium
How minute is a miniature? How small is a dwarf? Here is one case where
I really don’t care. However you classify them, these small-scale
geraniums are bewitching. And actually, their stature depends largely
on how you grow them.
Their leaves may be as small as your thumbnail, but they are shaped,
edged, veined, zoned, and often variegated like their larger
relatives. In most varieties the size of the flowers has been cut down
proportionately, but sometimes a cluster is as large as the entire
plant. With age the stems may become gnarled and twisted, almost
bonsai-like.
As a sort of yardstick, if you are very much concerned about height,
miniatures are from two to three inches. Anything above that is a
semidwarf, usually up to six or seven inches. There are many varieties
within these limits, and by the time you read this there will most
likely be dozens more. For the moment, here are some varieties you can
start on your window sill; they will stay small and meanwhile bloom
their heads off.
‘Black Vesuvius’--Single, orange-scarlet.
‘Dopey’--Large rose-red with white center. Free-blooming.
Semidwarf.
‘Elf’--Dark leaves, zoned red and black, yellow on edge, single.
‘Epsilon’--Large flowers light pink with dark-pink phlox eye,
semidwarf.
‘Fairyland’--Dull-green leaves with cream on the edge, single,
touched with rose-red.
‘Fairy Tales’--Flouncy white with lilac at the center.
‘Fleurette’--Strong robust free-blooming dark salmon. Semidwarf.
‘Goblin’--Outstanding blooms bright red. Free-blooming, dark
zoned.
‘Imp’--Very miniature salmon-pink. Dark foliage.
‘Kleiner Liebling’ (‘Little Darling’)--Variegated, single, pink.
‘Minx’--Purple-crimson blend, pretty blackish ruffled leaves.
‘Mischief’--Orange-red curled and twisted poinsettia-type petals.
‘Perky’--Single, red with bright white center.
‘Polaris’--Free-blooming white with pink edge. Single.
‘Pride’--Very large full rounded salmon. Robust semidwarf.
‘Prince Valiant’--Purple-crimson with orange flush. Semidwarf.
‘Robin Hood’--Semidwarf, strong growing, dark red. Good for
outdoor planting. Double.
‘Rosy Dawn’--A different shade of salmon-orange-red. Dark
foliage.
‘Ruffles’--Semidouble, small, ruffled, light salmon. Very
miniature.
‘Salmon Comet’--Somewhat shaggy, single, salmon.
‘Saturn’--Bright scarlet, good bloomer, dark foliage.
[Illustration:
Three dwarf geraniums: ‘Salmon Comet,’ ‘Pride,’ and ‘Pygmy’]
[Illustration:
Dwarf geranium, ‘Robin Hood’]
‘Small Fortune’--Double, pure white, blushing pink in center.
‘Sneezy’--Large bright scarlet with white center. Semidwarf.
‘Snow-White’--A pure-white single that blooms and blooms.
‘Sparkle’--Free-blooming bright rose-red. Semidwarf, dark
foliage.
‘Sprite’--Small silvery-and-white leaves sometimes pink-tinged,
single, salmon.
‘Tiny Tim’--Pink or red, tiny blooms. Miniature foliage.
‘Twinkle’--Bright rose-pink, double. Dark foliage, semidwarf.
‘Variegated Kleiner Liebling’--Small green-and-white leaves.
Small single pink blooms.
CARE. Sun (in winter artificial light), fresh air (air-conditioning if
possible), cool greenhouse or cool part of dwelling-house, garden soil
(lime if soil is extra acid), on the dry side.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings, seeds.
SPECIAL USES. Excellent house plant, artificial-light gardens.
=Pellaea rotundifolia= _Polypodiaceae_ Button Fern
Take a piece of wiry brown yarn and string it with shiny, dark-green,
leathery polka dots on either side and you’ll have a model of a frond
of this tropical fern. The fuzzy stems arch gently but stay close to
the soil as the small rhizomes slowly creep around. It’s all very
un-fernlike but exceedingly sweet.
CARE. Intermediate temperature, humid, loamy soil, shade, moist.
=Pellionia= _Urticaceae_
Two delicate tropical creepers with attractively colored and patterned
leaves lined up and lying flat along the thickish stems. No one cares
whether they produce their drab clusters of small greenish flowers or
not.
_pulchra_--Precise oval leaves are dusty blue-gray,
with broad lines of black over the network of nerves, violet
underneath. Juicy stems look lavender-pink.
_repens (daveauana)_--Young leaves nearly egg-shaped,
metallic copper-green, nearly chartreuse on both sides of the
center nerve. Leaves of the mature plants become slimmer and
pointed on the end, with more green in the center zone and less
copper along the edge.
CARE. Filtered sun, warm and humid, loamy soil, moist.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings, division of rooted stems.
SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, artificial light, hanging baskets.
=Peperomia= _Piperaceae_
Since almost all of these succulents, with their “catkin-like” flower
spikes, fit within our miniature measurements, I’ve enjoyed picking a
few to serve as a sample of their modest but much varied appeal. I like
them, and hope you will also.
[Illustration:
Twenty-three varieties of _Pelargonium hortorum_, miniature
and dwarf: 1. Fleurette 2. Snow White 3. Dopey 4. Mischief 5.
Robin Hood 6. Minx 7. Epsilon 8. Prince Valiant 9. Polaris 10.
Saturn 11. Sparkle 12. Kleiner Liebling 13. Small Fortune 14.
Goblin 15. Variegated Kleiner Liebling 16. Fairy Tales 17. Rosy
Dawn 18. Pride 19. Sneezy 20. Twinkle 21. Ruffled 22. Imp 23.
Salmon Comet]
[Illustration]
‘Astrid’--Layer upon layer of glossy green, pointed oval leaves
creased down the center by the main vein, making a dense,
symmetrical cone-shaped mound. In fact, there are so many tight
branches that the leaves can’t always find room to fill out to
full size. Then ‘Astrid’ turns into a version called ‘Pixie.’ To
reverse the cycle, root a single stem of ‘Pixie’ and see how it
returns to being ‘Astrid’ again.
‘Caperata’ (‘Little Fantasy’)--One perfect little heart leaf,
its end pointing down, perched at the top of a sturdy stem. The
entire leaf is so deeply wrinkled and crinkled that the basic
Kelly-green looks almost black in the indentations, and silvery
on the edges. Its big brother, ‘Emerald Ripple,’ is half again
as large but otherwise identical.
‘Mamorata’ (‘Silver Heart’)--These heart-leaves taper to a
sharper point and are rippled in a much more modest way. There
is so much silver on the surface they look plated.
_metallica_--Upright and branching with slim-oval leaves
pointed at both ends and colored chocolate with a coffee luster.
There is a wide green stripe straight down the middle.
_ornata_--Handsome and stately despite its small stature.
The cupped, pointed-oval leaves are somber green on top and
enlivened with lines of light green along the curved veins.
Underneath, the veins become raised ribs and are wine red.
_prostrata_--Personally, I have my suspicions about
this sprightly creeper. When it is young, discontented, or
ailing, its fat little button-leaves along the thready stems
are a plain light green. It looks so much like the species
rotundiflora (nummularifolia) that you can’t tell the two apart.
But when prostrata is happy and romping around in its favorite
environment, the leaves turn blue-green and wear an ornate
embroidery of silver over the veins. Botanically, I’m probably
wrong. See what happens when you grow it.
_rubella_--Rosettes of tiny oval moss-green leaves stand
out at intervals up and down the straight stems and all the
branches. The undersurface is gaudy red, and so are the stems.
Pinch often to keep it bushy.
CARE. Warm, loamy garden soil, filtered sun, dry side. Water
with care. Drainage to prevent rot.
PROPAGATION. Leaf cuttings, stem cuttings, division of the
plant or rooting stem (roots at joints), seeds.
SPECIAL USES. Excellent house plant, dish gardens.
=Pilea= _Urticaceae_
With one exception, this is a genus of creepers, crisp,
fleshy--spreaders, and bushlets for dozens of decorative uses indoors
(and outdoors in tropical climates). Their common characteristics
are much-branched stems bearing a full measure of variously colored,
patterned, and shaped foliage, and very greenish flowers in flat
clusters at the branch tips.
_cadieri minima_--Dwarf form of the popular aluminium
plant, or watermelon pilea, eagerly branching into a plump
bush. The quilted deep-green leaves are splotched with
aluminium-silver. And the splotches are faintly reminiscent of
watermelon markings.
_depressa_--Crowded stems spill over the pot, bearing round
sea-green leaves neatly toothed on the edge. Stems root where
they touch the soil.
[Illustration:
_Pilea depressa_--a creeping, dish-garden favorite]
_involucrata_--panamiga--Fuzzy pointed oval leaves deeply
quilted by a tight network of veins, piled pair on pair along
branching stems. Foliage colors darkest green in shade, tinges
of bronze in bright light. Flowers pinkish, nestled close to the
last pair of leaves.
_microphylla (serpyllifolia)_--artillery plant--Tiny,
pointed fresh-green leaves on spreading, somewhat upright
branches. The male flowers explode their clouds of pollen when
dry.
_nummulariaefolia_--creeping Charlie--Stem-rooting creeper
with crinkled round, or broad heart-shaped, leaves, pale green
and fuzzy.
_pubescens_ (‘Silver Panamiga’)--Oval leaves overlaid with
silvery blue, grayish beneath, the veins indented sharply.
_repens_--blackleaf panamiga--Prostrate and creeping, the
branches spreading and bearing nearly round, thin, bronzy leaves
lined with violet beneath. This one holds its beady flowers atop
tall stems.
_seripillacea_--Habit like a perfectly proportioned shrub
but in most miniature proportions. Small round leaves and
plentiful branches, light green and succulent. Flower clusters
held out from the foliage by stems.
‘Silver Tree’--Copyrighted name for a species with brown-green
leaves marked with a broad silver zone on each side of the
center vein, corrugated by indented veins.
CARE. Easy, warm, humid, loamy soil with humus, filtered sun, moist.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings, use sharp sand, 65 degrees.
SPECIAL USES. Dish gardens, terrariums.
=Polyscias (Aralia) fruticosa= _Araliaceae_
Tropical shrub or tree (eight feet or less) better known in Northern
greenhouses for its intricately cut, lacy foliage, and growing so
slowly it is nearly permanent (and unquestionably picturesque) in a
planter or dish garden. The elegant horticultural variety ‘Elegans’ has
leaves cut as fine as a feathery plume. I covet the newly named variety
‘Parsley’ because it is ruffled, to boot, and because its habit is so
restrained, and its form so compact and plump.
CARE. Warm, needs fresh air, loamy soil, bright light, moist.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings of firm wood, eye-cuttings (over bottom heat).
SPECIAL USES. Dish gardens.
=Polystichum tsus-simense= _Polypodiaceae_
Definitely a dwarf fern, keeping its size moderate in a three-inch
pot but not always a subject for terrariums unless they are a
larger-than-usual size. It has a tidy habit, always looks clean
and refreshing. The small fronds are substantial and taper to a
needle-sharp point.
CARE. No sun, cool, humid, loamy soil, moist.
PROPAGATION. Divisions, buds, or offsets.
SPECIAL USES. Hanging baskets. Terrariums.
=Sansevieria= _Liliaceae_ Snake Plant
Here we have some of the most fortuitous “sports” in the history of
plants. The tall, stiff, ungainly but omnipresent snake plant has
produced spontaneously mutant growth that turned into neat, low,
bird’s-nest miniatures that are really most attractive. First came the
variety named ‘Hahni,’ a flat spiral of broad leaves tapering to a
sharp point, dull green marked crosswise with splashy bands of lighter
green. Another sport, ‘Silver Hahni,’ abandoned most of the crossbands
and plated its green with pewter. Even more striking is ‘Golden Hahni,’
with lavish bands of creamy yellow running lengthwise of the leaf on
either side of a center stripe of mottled green. And to top it all,
these picturesque plants are just as easy to grow as the rugged species
from which they sprang. Flowers, whitish or yellowish. Slow-growing.
CARE. Filtered sun, warm, loamy soil, slightly moist.
PROPAGATION. Division of clumps. Leaf cuttings (three-inch piece in
sand, shade, and 65-degree temperature). Makes stolon-like buds that
form the new plants.
SPECIAL USES. Dish gardens. Good house plant.
=Sarcococca ruscifolia= _Buxaceae_ Sweet Box
Sweet box is a small, free-branching evergreen with attractive leathery
leaves, broad at the stem but coming to a point. Has tiny fragrant
white flowers.
CARE. Intermediate temperature, fresh air, loamy soil, filtered sun,
moist.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. Dish gardens, indoor bonsai.
=Saxifraga sarmentosa= _Saxifragaceae_ Strawberry Begonia or Geranium
One of the few hardy perennials that will thrive indoors the year
round. Round, hairy silver-veined leaves grow in a rosette from the
crown, which also sends out slender red stems, strawberry style, with
new little plants that root and grow wherever they touch soil. In late
spring the fall stems are topped by cloudlike soft clusters of small
white flowers. ‘Maroon Beauty’ is slightly darker, and larger.
More miniature, and more tricky, is the variety tricolor, sometimes
called ‘Magic Carpet,’ with smaller, basically gray-green leaves,
red-rimmed and variegated with wide areas of creamy white, purple
underneath. In cool air and sun, the cream is strongly tinted pink.
CARE. Humid, cool, poor soil, dry.
PROPAGATION. Runners.
SPECIAL USES. Dish and sink gardens.
=Schizocentron (Heeria, Heterocentron) elegans= _Melastomaceae_ Spanish
Shawl
Mexican creeping perennial with thickly branched stems rooting at the
joints, making a plush carpet of tiny, teardrop leaves. In summer the
one-inch open-faced, royal-purple flowers seem unbelievably large and
rich. This one is very nice in a small hanging basket, but its natural
inclination is to creep and it really goes to town when it can cover
soil or some sort of porous support such as a moss totem pole. It
should be spectacular covering a hanging ball filled with sphagnum
moss.
[Illustration: _Saxifraga sarmentosa_--a hardy perennial
good for indoor miniature gardens]
CARE. Intermediate temperature, humid, loamy soil with humus, filtered
sun, moist.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings, division of rooted stems.
SPECIAL USES. Small baskets, miniature gardens, ground cover.
=Selaginella= _Selaginellaceae_
Soft, fluffy foliage plants in all shades of green, including metallic,
and with all kinds of growth, low and creepy, upright, even climbing.
They bear more resemblance to each other than they do to their cousins
the ferns.
_emmeliana_--sweat plant--As the nickname hints, this ferny
plant languishes unless it is “perspiring” in high heat and
humidity. In fact, once the fine-lace fronds turn dry and brown,
they won’t be fresh and green again.
_kraussiana browni_--Scotch moss--Soft, symmetrical
cushions of bright-green leaves, slowly spreading into larger
mounds.
_kraussiana (denticulata)_--spreading club moss--Branching,
rooting, creeping stems thickly set with needlepoint leaves.
_lepidophylla_--resurrection plant--Antithesis of the sweat
plant. When the fan-shaped branches have dried out and curled
into a ball, immerse them in water and they will come back fresh
and green as ever.
_martensi_--Young branches stand upright, may drop or creep
with age. The variety variegata has eye-catching white splashes,
splotches, or tips and supports itself on stiff aerial roots
from stems to soil.
_plumosa_--Foamy creeper with short, branching stems
overlapped by foliage of fresh woodsy green.
_uncinata_--Foliage sparse but shimmering peacock-blue in
shade. The running, branching stems have a ludicrous way of
sending down stilt-like roots into the soil, so they seem to be
running above the soil, not in it.
CARE. Fern culture; warm, humid, humus, shade, moist.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings in pots (several pieces per pot), in spring. Put
on top of medium and cover with glass at 70 degrees until roots form at
joints. Spores, division of rooted stems.
SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, greenhouses, ground cover.
=Serissa foetida (japonica)= _Rubiaceae_
A boxwood-like plant with tiny white-margined leaves clustered on
branchlets. White funnelform flowers to one-half inch long.
CARE. Partial sun, average soil, moderately moist.
PROPAGATION. Cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. Artificial light, dish gardens, indoor bonsai.
=Sinningia pusilla= _Gesneriaceae_
If ever a plant was a miniature, this is it. The tuber is hardly
as large as a grain of wheat. The soft round leaves, not even a
quarter-inch across, make a flat rosette on the soil in a thimble,
or any tiny pot. From the crown arise the thread-thin stems, to the
great height of one inch. And from the tip of each stem stands a slim
flaring, tube-like flower, pale orchid with violet veins and lemon in
the throat. This plant is quite obviously close kin to the familiar
gloxinia (_G. speciosa_ hybrids), but you almost need a magnifying
glass to compare the characteristics.
CARE. Warm, humid, humusy soil, filtered sun, slightly moist.
PROPAGATION. As for the gesneriads (Gesneriaceae).
SPECIAL USES. Terrariums, miniature gardens.
[Illustration:
Miniature of miniatures, delightful _Sinningia pusilla_]
=Streptocarpus= _Gesneriaceae_
When limited growing space frustrates the hobbyist who admires the
great, glorious gloxinias (sinningias), here’s a selection of pleasing
and precious substitutes. In general these plants are distinguished
by the fact that the flower stems grow out from the base of the leaf
where it joins its own stem (axil). The flowers are typical gesneriad
trumpets, usually nodding; the leaves are mostly rather round and
velvety. The following are fibrous-rooted:
_hybridus_--Botanical name for groups of hybrids called
“as complex as the garden geranium,” with quilted light-green
leaves and a wide selection of flower colors. One strain of
particularly attractive low plants, the German Weismoor hybrids,
has fringed and crested flowers up to four inches across, often
contrastingly veined or blotched.
_rexi_--Long-oval, velvety leaves lie very flat. Six-inch
stems hold two-inch funnel-flowers, pale orchid with purple
throat.
_saxorum_--Leafy-stemmed species, the stems branching
continually, making dense mounds of plump, one-inch oval leaves
curled under on the edge and covered with soft silk-velvet. The
lavender-flushed white flowers stand out at the end of wiry
three-inch stems.
CARE. Cool, humid, loamy soil with humus, filtered sun.
PROPAGATION. Seeds (plant in early spring for flowers fall and winter),
leaf cuttings, some offsets.
SPECIAL USES. Artificial light.
=Tillandsia= _Bromeliaceae_
There are several entrancing dwarfs and miniatures among these
tree-perching bromeliads with curved, leathery, often quill-tipped
leaves. For two of the newly listed species (_T. argentea_ and
_T. tricolepsis_) I can simply say that the leaf rosettes resemble
airy, long-bristled cones; they have not yet flowered for me.
_circinnata_--The silvery leaves, broader at the base,
overlap and form an urn-shaped, tuber-like swelling. Tight, flat
spikes of glowing-orchid flowers in late winter.
_ionantha_--Three-inch tuft of pewter-gray leaves turn
fiery red at flowering time, January-February. The inflorescence
is an incredible paddle-shaped composition of fat, flat, tightly
overlapping bracts, and the plant sends out large violet flowers
day after day.