The cyclamen prefers a cooler temperature than does the poinsettia, with night temperatures not exceeding 60 degrees, but safely above freezing. The coolest room in the house, and one with medium light, is to its taste.
A common fault in growing the lovely cyclamen is insufficient provision of water. It is a lover of moist soil and ina dry atmosphere will probably need water both morning and evening. However, moisture applied too-sudden changes in. temperature and giving a rest period followi the production of bloom.
Primulas should always be watered by setting the pot in a basin of water; never from above. Moisture in the crowns will cause rot, and moisture on the leaves is harmful A moderate temperature, good light. feeding once in every four weeks, and keeping old blooms picked off assure an extended period of bloom. About mid-June plunge these plants in a cold frame where they are lightly shaded and where air circula-"ion is good.
Cinerarias do best in a room that is cool but has a humid atmosphere, and they like a sunny east window. The earth is kept moist at all times, and (as with primulas and cyclamen) water is not applied from above, but by submerging the pot until dampness appears on the surface.
While in bloom hydrangeas m be freely watered, and given an application of liquid manure now and then. They like a moderately cool temperature and protection from draughts. After flowering, the plant is pruned back to one or two pairs of buds, and repotted in a suitable soil mixture of loam, leafmould and sand, with ground bone or commercial recommended. The amount of water and food provided are decreased after flowering, until as the foliage withers and dies, the soil becomes quite dry. At this time, the pot is turned on its side in a cool dry place, and left until autumn when the bulbs are repotted in rich garden loam and started into active growth. Until roots are established, the pots are better kept away from light and heat, and the soil only lightly watered.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.