Greenhouse Plants.—These are plants requiring the shelter of a glass house, provided with a moderate degree of heat, of which 45° Fahr. may be taken as the minimum in winter. The house should be opened for ventilation in all mild weather in winter, and daily throughout the rest of the year. The following is a select list of genera of miscellaneous decorative plants (orchids, palms and ferns excluded; climbers are denoted by *; bulbous and tuberous plants by †):

AbutilonColeusLachenalia†
AcaciaCoprosmaLantana
AgapanthusCordylineLapageria*
AgathaeaCorreaLilium†
AgaveCupheaLophospermum*
AlonsoaCyclamen†Mandevillea*
AloysiaCyperusManettia*
Amaryllis†CytisusMutisia*
ArdisiaDarwinia (Genetyllis)Myrsiphyllum*
AsparagusDiosmaMaurandya*
AspidistraDracaenaNerine†
Asystasia (Mackaya)Eccremocarpus*Nerium
AzaleaEpacrisPelargonium
BaueraEpiphyllumPetunia
Begonia†EricaPimelia
BlandfordiaEriostemonPlumbago*
Bomarea*ErythrinaPolianthes†
BoroniaEucalyptusPrimula
Bougainvillea*EupatoriumRhododendron
BouvardiaEuryaRichardia (Calla)†
BrugmansiaFicusSalvia
CalceolariaFuchsiaSarracenia
CamelliaGrevilleaSolanum
CampanulaHaemanthus†Sparmannia
CannaHeliotropiumStatice
CelosiaHibiscusStrelitzia
Cestrum*Hoya*Streptocarpus
Chorizema*HydrangeaSwainsonia
ChrysanthemumImpatiensTacsonia*
CinerariaJasminum*Tecoma
ClianthusJusticiaTradescantia
CliviaKalosanthesVallota†
Cobaea*

Stove Plants.—For the successful culture of stove plants two houses at least, wherein different temperatures can be maintained, should be devoted to their growth. The minimum temperature during winter should range at night from about 55° in the cooler to 65° in the warmer house, and from 65° to 75° by day, allowing a few degrees further rise by sun heat. In summer the temperature may range 10° higher by artificial heat, night and day, and will often by sun heat run up to 90° or even 95°, beyond which it should be kept down by ventilation and frequent syringing and damping down of the pathways. During the growing period the atmosphere must be kept moist by damping the walls and pathways, and by syringing the plants according to their needs; when growth is completed less moisture will be necessary. Watering, which, except during the resting period, should generally be copious, is best done in the forenoon; while syringing should be done early in the morning before the sun becomes too powerful, and late in the afternoon to admit of the foliage drying moderately before night. The following is a select list of genera of stove plants (climbers are denoted by *, bulbous and tuberous plants by †):

AcalyphaCyanophyllum (Miconia)Musa
Achimenes†CycasNelumbium†
AeschynanthusDieffenbachiaNepenthes
Allamanda*Dipladenia*Nymphaea†
Alocasia†DracaenaOxera*
Amaryllis†EranthemumPancratium†
AnthuriumEucharis†Pandanus
AphelandraEuphorbiaPassiflora*
AraliaFicusPavetta
ArdisiaFrancisceaPetraea*
Arisaema†GardeniaPleroma*
Aristolochia*GesneraPoinsettia
AtacciaGloriosa*Rondeletia
BegoniaGloxinia†Sanchezia
BertoloniaHeliconia†Schubertia*
Bignonia*HoffmanniaScutellaria
BromeliadsIpomaea*Stephanotis
CactusIxoraTabernaemontana
Caladium†JacobiniaTerminalia
CalatheaJasminum*Thunbergia
CentropogonLuculiaTorenia
Cissus*MarantaThyrsacanthus
Clerodendron*MedinillaTydaea
Crinum†MeyeniaVinca
Codiaeum (Croton)

Orchids.—For the successful cultivation of a mixed collection of tropical orchids, it is necessary that two or three houses, in which different temperatures can be maintained, should be provided. The greater number of them are epiphytes or plants that grow on others without absorbing nourishment from them, and heat and moisture afford all or nearly all the nourishment they require. At one time it was thought the plants themselves were better for being associated with such objects as ferns and palms, but they are best grown by themselves.

The East Indian orchid house takes in those species which are found in the warm parts of the eastern hemisphere, as well as those from the hottest parts of the western, and its temperature should range from about 70° to 80° during the summer or growing season and from 65° to 70° during winter. The Mexican or Brazilian orchid house accommodates the plants from the warm parts of South America, and its temperature should range from about 65° to 75° during summer and from 60° to 65° in winter. A structure called the cool orchid house is set apart for the accommodation of the many lovely mountain species from South America and India, such as odontoglossums, masdevallias, &c., and in this the more uniform the temperature can be kept the better, that in summer varying between 60° and 65°, and in winter from 45° to 60°. A genial moist atmosphere must be kept up in the hottest houses during the growing season, with a free circulation of air admitted very cautiously by well-guarded ventilators. In winter, when the plants are at rest, little water will be necessary; but in the case of those plants which have no fleshy pseudobulbs to fall back upon for sustenance, they must not be suffered to become so dry as to cause the leaves to shrivel. In the Mexican house the plants will generally be able to withstand greater drought occasionally, being greatly assisted by their thick pseudobulbs. In the cool or odontoglossum house a considerable degree of moisture must be maintained at all times, for in these the plants keep growing more or less continuously.

For potting or basketing purposes, or for plants requiring block-culture, the materials used are light fibrous peat, special leaf-mould, osmunda or polypodium fibre and living sphagnum moss, which supply free drainage for the copious supply of water required. Good turfy loam is also used for some, such as cypripediums and calanthes. Indeed the composts now used are varied considerably according to the particular group of orchids. The water should, however, be so used as not to run down into the sheathing bases of the leaves. While in flower, orchids may with advantage be removed to a drier and cooler situation, and may be utilized in the drawing-room or boudoir. Of late years not only have many fine hybrids been raised artificially between various species, but some remarkable bigeneric hybrids (between what are considered two distinct genera) have also been produced (indicated in the list below by *). To keep a valuable collection of orchids in good condition requires the services of an expert orchid grower.

The following is a select list of genera in cultivation:—

AcinetaCymbidiumPeristeria
AdaCypripediumPescatorea
AëridesCyrtopodiumPhajus
AngraecumDendrobiumPhaio-calanthe*
AnguloaDiacriumPhalaenopsis
AnoectochilusDisaPilumna
AnselliaEpidendrumPlatyclinis
ArachnantheEulophiaPleione
ArpophyllumEulophiellaPleurothallis
BarkeriaGaleandraPolystachya
BatemanniaGongoraPromenaea
BifrenariaGrammatophyllumRenanthera
BrassavolaHabenariaRestrepia
BrassiaHoulletiaRodriguezia
Brasso-Cattleya*IonopsisSaccolabium
BroughtoniaIpseaSchomburgkia
BulbophyllumLaeliaScuticaria
BurlingtoniaLaelio-Cattleya*Sobralia
CalantheLeptotesSophro-cattleya*
CatasetumLissochilusSophronitis
CattleyaLycasteSpathoglottis
ChysisMasdevalliaStanhopea
CirrhopetalumMiltoniaThunia
CochliodaMormodesTrichopilia
CoeliaOdontoglossumTrichosma
CoelogyneOdontioda*Vanda
ComparettiaOncidiumZygo-colax*
CycnochesPachystomaZygopetalum

Palms.—These form charming table and drawing-room plants when quite young. When more fully developed, and long before their full growth is attained, they are among the most decorative plants known for the conservatory and for subtropical gardening. They are easily cultivated, but should not be allowed to become dry. The soil should consist of about 3 parts turfy loam, 1 part leaf mould, 1 part coarse silver sand, with enough chemical or other manure added to render the whole moderately rich. The older plants will occasionally require the roots pruned in order to keep them in as small pots as possible without being starved. This should be done early in the spring, and the plants heavily shaded until feeding roots are again produced. It is of advantage to afford stove culture while the plants are quite young. A little later most of the genera succeed well under moderately cool conditions.