We all have our problems when it comes to plant care indoors, hut in future when your rubber plant decides to shed a leaf.

Adjustable shelves make it possible for a wide range of smaller plants to be grown very successfully. Under such carefully controlled conditions the saintpaulia does particularly well, and could well provide a specialist interest for the real enthusiast.

Some of the majestic screw pines have beautiful saw-edged yellow leaves and may attain a height of 8 to 12 ft. when roots are confined to a plant pot, or large tub. Tightly overlapping leaves radiate in all directions and may give the really super plant a diameter in the region of 12 ft. Tight, warm conditions are needed and, because of the saw-edged leaves, a position away from the general stream of humanity that may be passing. Alas, plants are in acutely short supply and take many, many years to .reach maturity, so it may be a little unfair.

Unfortunately there are all too few of these specimen plants available today. And to see them in their full glory they must be of specimen size when purchased, as many do not produce fully mat tire leaves until they are several years old.

What the visitor to public authority greenhouses fails to understand is that houses open to the public are really display greenhouses. In order to support the display there are usually many greenhouses behind the scenes in which plants are grown in individual environments from where they are chosen to fill spaces in the display greenhouse as and when required. The display greenhouse will have many permanent plants, but the majority will be fly-by-nights that may be in position for only a few days before being replaced.

It really is not practicable to grow a range of plants with differing temperature, humidity and light requirements together under the same roof and expect them all to do well. Frequently I am invited to inspect the plant collections of acquaintances and give my opinion as to why a certain plant does not do so well. More often than not the garden room enthusiast is paying the price of trying to emulate the example of the botanic garden display and meeting with the customary failure.

When drawing up contracts for office landscaping schemes of this kind the office chief should come to a clear understanding concerning plants that are likely to fail, so that they can be replaced without difficulty. No matter how wonderful the environment, maintenance and general conditions may be, it is almost inevitable that some plants will succumb.

Plants were required for raised beds in the pedestrian way of the L-shaped building. Temperature was to be maintained at not less than i6C. (60F.) and the principal source of light was to he from large, reinforced glass side windows. Plants were to be free planted in J.I.P.3 compost with good drainage provided.

One of the many advantages of these schemes is the flexibility they permit – it is no longer necessary to demolish walls to increase or reduce the size of particular departments; the screens and potted plants can simply he moved one way or the other in order to make the alterations.

The importance of landscaping office interiors with plants has gone sonic way beyond sending the junior to the nearest flower shop to purchase a rubber plant. Today there are specialists in the field who make the installation and maintenance of foliage plants in offices a full-time occupation.

With flowering plants it is always better to remove flowers as they die in order to stop them rotting and avoid fungus troubles. With saintpaulias and cyclamen it is particularly important to ensure that when flowers are no longer attractive the complete flower stalk should be removed.

Any pieces of the stem that may be left will rot back in time and damage the remainder of the plants. The majority of glossy-leaved plants will he improved for having their leaves cleaned periodically. Most of them can be simply treated by gently wiping the leaves with a soft sponge moistened in water.

You will have the satisfaction of knowing that the most competent expert in the land could not pot the plant any better, as it will be at exactly the right depth and the old and new compost will be in contact all the way round the pot. Better than that you just could not have!

If the garden room is attached to the house, then the house wall should be brought into use as a support for climbing plants. All sorts of fittings are available but I am still a great believer in the old-fashioned trellis as a means of support. The timber will be greatly improved by a couple of coats of white paint, which will set of the plants well. As an alternative to the conventional diamond-shaped trellis try making your own up in a squared rather than a diamond pattern.

You invariably feel indebted to the donor and, worse still, once you have accepted the bug-ridden chlorophytum, or whatever, you are obliged to keep it for fear of causing offence when the previous owner pays you a visit and finds his ‘gift’ missing from the collection.

Growing advice amounts to little more than keeping the plants in reasonably good light not full sun under glass watering and feeding regularly and potting on into reasonably large containers fairly early in the season. Try putting five or six cuttings in a large basket early in the season, mid-April say, and you will be quite amazed by the display provided with very little eflbrt on your part only a few months later.

For the beginner wishing to build up a collection of plants rapidly the most satisfactory method is to raise them from seed, though this may be a somewhat slow process with many of them. The main advantage is that it is not necessary to have a collection of plants or a specialises in the unusual. The seed supplier will almost invariably provide advice on the general conditions needed in order to get the best results.

Shallow containers, seed boxes or seed pans should be used for sowing, and John limes No. compost will he ideal for the purpose. Sow in moist compost and keep in a lightly shaded place to begin with ; covering the container with a sheet of glass when the seeds are sown will encourage germination. When the seedlings are large enough to handle they should he transferred to J.I.P.2 compost, or similar, and at this time can either he spaced out in the seed boxes again for a spell or put individually into small pots.

For the most part cuttings of indoor plants are not too difficult to propagate, particularly if reasonable facilities are provided for housing them.

Ficus benghatensis proved to be the most rampant grower of all, developing into a considerable tree with many strong branches at all levels in less than three years. Fortunately it does not take unkindly to annual, almost savage pruning. If you have the space and a really dominant plant is required, then this could well be the one.

It is pointless to have adequate heating for 364 days of the year if on the 365th it should prove to he insufficient – one really cold night can put paid to an entire collection of plants. Advice on fitting out the interior can only he general as everyone’s taste will differ and arranging plants and interior decor is very much a personal matter. Whether plants are made permanent features by planting them in beds of compost on the floor, or portable by growing them in pots on raised staging, are also matters for individual taste.

Beds were filled with sphagnum peat to just below the height of the surrounding wall. Into these beds a wide selection of plants were plunged as deeply as the peat would allow some of the larger pots were only half buried.