The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1877-08-11
PRETTY THINGS FOR THE PARLoR.
Home Made Jardineries, Hanging-Bas-
kets and Flower-Pots.

habited and habitable look of a room
than do flowers growing in pots, or Gu
and arranged in vases. OF late, tn,
prejudice against them as unhealthy ha
been successfully combated, and it ha
been shown they are in fact agents il
purifying the atmosphere. However
they are fashionable, and many of ou
wealthy city people spend thousands o
dollars yearly at the florists who fur
nishes cut flowers for their parties, anC
who keeps their costly majolica window
boxes filled with rare hot-house plants
Net, 70 the true lover of flowers, half a
least of the pleasure of them lies in thei
culture, and such an one would we'll nigl
as willingly have their children brough
up by contract as their flowers. And
fortunately for the poor people, the
beauty of flowers is not dependent upor
their cost. A platter of ferns gathered
i'll the woods, or a sweet potato vine
growing in wooden bowl may be just
as pretty and afford as much pleasure a:
tropical ferns or delicate foreign vines
Nor need persons who cannot afford
majolica jardinieres eschew window gar
dening. Get carpenter to make you
a wooden box the width of the window
sash in front-eighteen inches across
sloping slightly to fit the window frame
and say 10 inches deep. To this nail
four upright supports, the two in front
a little lower than the others, that the
box may slope slightly to the 'front.'
Mount your Castors, that it may be read
lily moved about the room, and have the
wood stained walnut brown. If the box
is lined with zinc it will last much long
er; but if that cannot be done, give it
an inside coating of waterproof paint
or even of pitch. At the bottom put a
layer of coarse gravel, old mortar, char
coal and broken pottery, to secure drain
age, and cover with coarse sand. This
sub-soil should be filled with rich earth
say, wood-mould two parts, common
garden soil one part, and river sand one
part; in this most flowers will grow and
thrive. Your flowers may either be
planted directly in the box or in earthen
pots sunk in the mold. In the latter
case Sowmignonnette, pansies, verbenas,
ETC., in the interstices between the pots.
A scarlet bean dropped in one corner,
a Madeira vine bulb planted in the other
may be trained around the window
frame. An ingenius person will readily
devise methods of ornamenting such a
jardiniere, Strips of black walnut mould
ing, such as may be had at any picture
store make a. pretty- finish for tnp-a1ad
bottom, and when between these are
framed glass panels, to which wallpaper
figures have been transferred after the
manner described, the result is no bad
imitation of majolica titles. We have
seen such window garden covered with
cone work, giving the effect of hand
some carving. For this a narrow strip
of wood was nailed on top and bottom,
and the space between filled in with soft
putty, colored with burnt umber. In
this were set, like shingles, row and row,
the scales from pine cones, diversified
by occasional clusters of the cones them
selves, split transverSely with a sharp
hatchet. When done the whole was
with black coach varnish.-
There was no end to the work, but the
effect was beautiful. Bark nailed on in
strips, and hoop-poles split in half, both
such a jardiniere prettily.-
Indeed, rustic work is popular now, and
many logs with the bark on are used in
its manufacture. Any one with a saw,
an auger, a chisel and hammer can make
a supply of these in an afternoon. Take
a log of oak, locust, or poplar with the
bark on, and saw into lengths the size
of the fower-pot you wish to make
These are to be hallowed out with auger,
chisel and saw, either leaving bottom
on the solid block or mailing on one
plank. The trunk of tree sawn off
where it divides into branches, and each
branch followed into flower-pots, filled
with verbenas, lobelias, and other trail
ing bright fowered vines, forms love-
ly ornament for lawn. Or if this is
not to be had, drive eight stakes into
the ground, and in and out, out and in,
weave branches of trees, ropes of grape
vine or saplings small enough to be fex-
ible. Fill with earth and plant with
flowers and vines. Keep moist and
your rustic basket will be ''thing of
beauty" till the frosts of winter destroy
its charms.
Hanging baskets, also, are easily made
at home. The wires from old hoop
skirts, were common, bent into shape
and tied with yarn, then painted green
and lined with moss, furnished baskets
to all intents and purposes as serviceable
as those bought from the florists. One
of these with sweet potato planted in
damp sand showed mass of greenery
all summer long, and passers-by won
dered admiringly what that vine could
be. The Spanish potato with its ivy
like leaves is prettiest for this purpose.
A broken goblet, if the fracture be in
the right place, furnishes foundation,
for dainty trife to be had at all fancy
stores, and not at all difficult to make.
For this you want goblet with the stem
broken off close to the bowl, leaving
only that. Take an inch wide strip of
silver cardboard and form ring to fit
around your cup. On it work some
simple pattern-Greek key, scroll, or
any figure you like-in colored worsted
red, blue, pink, or green. Overcast
the strip, top and bottom, and use it as
foundation for worsted crocheted cover
over the goblet. Finish at bottom with
cord and tassel, and suspend by similar
cord and tassel. The strips of card
board may be used, or the cover may be
crocheted of worsted alone. Such a
basket is pretty to hang from the chan
delier to hold cut flowers, or some deli
cate vine or fern. Wine glasses may be
utilized in the same manner to hang on
the bureau as receptacles for hair-pins.
Song of the baker-'1 knead thee
every hour"