Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-10-13
Window Gardening.

green without, than window tull
Of thrifty plants. Not only is it
pleasant for those within. but the
passer by is given cheering thought
as he views the beauty from with
cut.
Such examples are not as COM
mon as they might and ought to be-
But, says one, cannot have plants
in my house during the Winter,
they require so much care; and be-
sides l do not have good success
with them. To succeed in grow
ing house plants one must be able
to give them proper care at the
proper time, and unless the owner
has a love for the work, and takes
an interest in each plant, and makes
a pleasure of it; they will not sue
coed, so many are the difficulties to
overcome.
Some of the causes of failure are,
want OF sunshine and pure air; too
much or too little water; the tenn
perature being too high or the re-
verse;and the injury done the plants
by insects. Most plants thrive
better if exposed, part of the day
at least, to the direct action Of the
sun. For such, windows facing the
south, southeast or southwest are
best. Too many plants should not
be crowded together at one window
as five good plants will give much
more pleasure to the owner than
fifty inferior ones. In windows,
plants stretch toward the light
which comes from one side only,
and must be turned around every
few days to keep them in good
form. Pinching out the terminal
bud,-a thing very few people will
do,-will cause the plant to throw
out side branches, and is the only
way plants can be kept low.
The more branches upon a plant,
the more blossoms there will be.
Plants require pure air as much
az animals, consequently rooms
where plants are kept should be
thoroughly ventilated every time
the weather will permit. especially
where coal is burned.
The amount of water given a
plant must depend upon the kind Of
pot used, the condition of the plant
whether growing rapidly or not, and
the amount of moisture in the at
mOsphere.
The best kind..Of a pot for the
healthy growth of plants, is the
common: unglazed one, used in
greenhouses; being porous, they al
low rapid evaporation of the water
and perfect aeration Of the soil, both
Of which are essential, To make
them more ornamental, wrap around
the pot some paper of any desired
tint, and insert in one of the expand
ING pot covers represented in figure
IS. The covers are made of thin
strips Of wood put together by small
ornamental tacks, and can be OBJ
tanned from almost any florist or
seed dealer. y plant, growing rap
idly, needs much more water than
one in dormant condition. They
should be watered only when the
soil and the surface OF the pot feels
dry to the touch-not dry enough
TO cause the plant to wilt, but as
near that as possiblc;then apply I'M
til it runs through the soil into the
sauces, leaving it until it is in like
condition again before watering, if
it be a week. More water will
be needed for aplant in dry than
in a moist atmosphere.
Plants growing out of doors are
subjected 20 a change Of tempera
;ure from day to night, being warm
or during the day thon at highland
plants grown in door must have
this change to succeed. Some plants
do well in much cooler room than
others. Geraniums, Nerbenas, Car
nations, Chrysanthemums, Centau,
reas, Calceolarias, Chinese Primo
ses, Vinca major and varieties,
swcct-scented Violets, Pansies,
Othona. Azalea, Camelias, Daph-
mes. etc, will do well in tempera-
ture ranging from 50 to 45 degrees
at night, to so to 20 degrees during
the day, and will not do well in {
warm room. Coleus, Fuchsias,
Roses, Heliotropes, Bouvardia