In its native habitat a coniferous tree which will attain a height of too ft. or more, the Norfolk Island pine is, nevertheless, a plant that is superbly well equipped for cultivation as a house plant. Like the aralia mentioned previously it is a supremely elegant plant, producing tiers of well-spaced leaves of soft green colouring. It is capable of adjusting to a variety of temperatures but is really best suited to the cooler situation where the temperature ranges between 50 and 55F. Good light is also important; other than that it simply requires the standard treatment for easier indoor plants.

Growth that appears from the arils of those leaves should he allowed to develop two pairs of leaves of their own before they are severed from the parent plant. A clean cut straight across the stem should be made about half an inch below the lower leaf. Propagate in a pure peat mixture and pot on into a proper growing compost as soon as the plant has rooted through to the sides of the small pot in which it has been propagated.

However, compared to the average life of a hunch of flowers, even if the aphelandra plant should die off completely after six months this is reasonable value for money, and there is a great deal of pleasure to he had in trying to make the plant do was not very easy. It really is quite incredible the number of times that I have emphasised in a talk to a gardening club how difficult it is to grow such and such a subject in the greenhouse only to discover that little Brown in the front row has an embarrassment of them growing on almost every window-sill in his house!

Essential advice from the time of purchase: it is vitally important to ensure that the compost is kept moist all the time, as dryness at the roots results in limp and bedraggled leaves which have a marked tendency to detach themselves from the main stem very soon afterwards. The aphelandra is also a pretty avid feeder and will require fertilising from the word go indoors.

In display terms such a plant is one that can be relied on to fill a reasonable section of the exhibition area with very little bother; being pleasantly green in colour it will fit with little difficulty into most colour schemes. It is also particularly useful as a bold individual plant where space can be afforded to show it off to full advantage. The wide temperature variation will give some indication of its toughness, but efforts should be made to acclimatise the plant to a reasonably even temperature, as wild fluctuations between (45 and 65F.) can be damaging no matter how tough it may be. When grown indoors Aralia sieboldii responds very well to standard treatment for the easier type of plant which is moist compost, regular feeding and a light.

The principal attraction of Asparagus aleyeri is the compactness of the pale green foliage, which makes it an ideal plant for pot culture or for use in hanging baskets. Fronds achieve a maximum length of some 2 ft. and their neat, cylindrical shape is particularly attractive. Grow in light shade and keep warm and moist. Old clumps can be split up to make new plants in the early part of the year, or they may be raised from seed.