Tomatoes, the most popular vegetable for the home garden, are divided into three main types. Small compact plants with stems only 12 to 18 inches long, called determinate, stop bearing once they reach their full size.

The results are often large, dramatic flowers with soft colourings, as can be seen in the hybrid genus Maclellanara, which combines Brassia with Odontoglossum and Oncidium. The species are characterized by the extremely long and narrow petals and sepals, which give rise to the common name of spider orchids.

The common persimmon grows wild in much of the southern and eastern half of the United States and will grow in Zones 5-10. Trees grow 30 to 60 feet tall with a spread of 20 to 30 feet. This species bears 1- to 2-inch yellow, orange or purplish fruit in the fall. Good varieties are Early Golden, Garrettson and Killen. Plant trees of at least two varieties to ensure that the trees bear fruit.

Several nonresistant varieties are recommended because many gardeners find them worth growing for their flavor, color, size or vigor, even at risk of loss.

Chysis bractescens is an untidy plant to grow, and if grown upright will continually strive to turn itself the other way. Eventually the pseudobulbs grow out at all angles. Taking a closer look at this plant, it will be found that the heavy, club-shaped pseudobulbs are wasted at the base; they grow from a considerably thick, strong rhizome and swell out as they mature, consequently becoming top-heavy. Even when accommodated in an open basket this plant will look decidedly uncomfortable, and the best answer is to grow it in a pendent position on a piece of bark.

The plant is removed from the basket in the usual way, and cleaned of its bark compost. The bare-rooted plant is then placed on the raft with a pad of ostnunda fibre, into which the roots have been folded, between the plant and the wood.

Ideally the plant should be left with at least four pseudobulbs, including those in leaf, on the main plant. The excess pseudobulbs can be removed by slicing them from the plant with a sharp knife. The cut should he made downward to sever the rhizome.

Orchids in cultivation require regular repotting. An adult plant should be repotted on average every other year, or perhaps once a year, depending upon porri the type.

Most orchids will be happy in ordinary plastic pots; in fact, these are preferable to clay pots owing to the dry nature of the compost. Clay pots are useful for top-heavy plants, standing the plastic pot inside a slightly larger clay one. Those orchids which persist in making aerial roots can be treated differently; they can be put into hanging baskets, or wired onto a piece of cork bark. Cork bark is best because it takes a very long time to rot and because the roots can easily adhere to the rough surface.

Young plants in small pots will need to be potted or ‘dropped’ on into larger pots every six months or so, and this also should be done in spring and autumn. The summer growing and winter resting seasons are not good times to disturb orchids and should he avoided. Repotting becomes necessary when the plant has outgrown its pot, or preferably when it has just filled the pot. Sympodial orchids grow forward, producing each new pseudobulb or growth in front of the previous one.

The completed tree can be sprayed, wetting the plants and bark alike. From now on the tree will require spraying two or three times a day during the summer, and less in winter. With little in the way of compost around the base of the plants there is no danger of overwatering, but as shrivelling from underwatering can occur quite rapidly moisture is important.

Taking the first plant and a suitably-sized wad of damp osmunda fibre or similar material, place the latter against the tree with the plant on top. Any exposed, non-aerial roots can be tucked underneath the fibre. Once the plant’s exact position has been settled, a length of the wire is taken around the branch and plant and pulled as tight as possible with the pliers, and then twisted, and the end cut off short. Two or three tics may he necessary to secure the plant, which by now must be very firm in its position.

The old wire can be cut and pulled out, when it will probably be found that the plant is well rooted onto its bark. Careful teasing will lift the plant and its osmunda base clear of the hark, and the old fibre can he left in place to be used again.

When the plant has been stripped bare to the roots it can be divided. A leading piece consisting of a double new growth and four-leaved pseudobulbs is removed by severing the rhizome with secateurs. One further leading division of a similar size can be removed from the other sick of the plant, leaving a hack division with leafed pseudobulbs which can also be potted. Any good leafless pseudo- bulbs should be divided and potted singly. Alternatively the rhizome can be severed in the pot six months before repotting when the back division will have started a new growth.

On an annual basis a Paphiopedilum can, for a number of years, be repotted back into the same size pot, or, if the compost is still in good condition, be `dropped on’ without disturbance to the root ball, into a slightly larger pot.

A vigorous-growing Paphiopedilum can he divided only if there is snore than one new growth with at least two mature supporting growths for each division. To reduce the plant further will affect its flowering capability for some years to come. The only reason for dividing paphiopedilums is where they have become too big to manage. Otherwise it is better to keep them as one plant. The rhizome adjoining the growths is quite soft, and the bare-rooted divisions will easily pull apart in the hands.

Orchids which have been growing in baskets for some length of time will have attached their roots firmly to the wooden slats, and it is difficult to remove the plant without some damage. These epiphytes quickly make up for any root loss by producing new ones immediately after potting, providing that it is done at some time during the spring months. The roots therefore can be cut away using a sharp pruning knife and slicing around the inside of the basket. This enables the plant to be gently prised free from the base, and no damage is done to any part of the plant above the surface.

By the time the Encyclia pentotis has been removed from its existing square wooden basket, it will have little of its original root system left, and with the removal of the old compost there will be nothing to hold the plant in the new basket. Using a length of plastic-coated wire and a pair of pliers position the plant in its new elongated basket with the oldest, leafless pseudobulbs to one end, so that the front of the plant is close to the other end, with sufficient room available for at least two years’ growth.