Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-10-11
THE WINDOW BULBS.
seasenable suggcssiens.
From Harperp Bazaar.

From Harpers Baxsr.
For house plants which yield the most safis.
factory results with the least trouble the SPRING
Towering bulbs are quite unequalled, and with
proper treatment their spring will begin In Feb
ruary, or even January.
Hyacinths, tulips and narcissus are the most
desirable, the snow-drop and crocus, though
born with the very first breath OF spring. being
short-lived as well as Insignificant. In large
collection q mass of these infants among bulbs
will add to the beauty Of the whole, but those
whose accommodations for plants are moderate
will prefer the more snowy bloomers.
The most beautiful and fragrant OF all these
Towering bulbs is the hyacinth, and. unlike
most other beautiful and desirable things, n
may be obtained at little cost. and kept with
little care. IL will grow most obligingly in
sandy earth, In moist sand without earth. in a
mixture OF broken up moss and earth. In moss
alone or Kept very moist) and In water.
An ornamental window box containing few
pots OF hyacinths In bloom is q beautiful object,
aud II made at home, or by an ordinary carpen-
ter, OF fine wood il may also be a very inexpen-
sive one. Various are the devices for embell-
ishing this window box; to paint IL a male sage
green, and cover 1t with lchens glued on. II not
PAD idea; paper panels in imitation OF tiles
are pretty, but care should be taken to make
the coloring subservient to that OF the bios
| SONS; while to stain It brown aud ornament
with little rustic work, is perhaps as salts
| factory as anything.
II is scarcely necessary TO say that this boz
should be made the length OF the window-ledre
| and supported by a shelf beneath seven or
| eight inches deep by about nine In width will
answer for the other proportions. IL the bulbs
are to be planted directly In the box. there
should be lining OF zinc, and small holes at
intervals for drainage. A fringe of Kenlworth
| ivy, or any delicate trailer. and a ground-cov-
erng or lycopodum. or damp fern moss from
the woods, will redeem the box from ugliness
while the blossoms are yet hid I'm the bulbs.
But. owing to the heat Of most rooms this Ia
not bv any means the best way of raising bulbs
| 1t would be far better to attempt no ornamen.
| tation with the box In which they are grown,
to have it larger and to take up each bulb as it
comes into bloom, and transfer 1t to the orna-
| mental box in the window. A cool dark place
| where they will lust escape freezing il the To-
| caiity most appreciated by hyacinths and their
sister plants until they have made roots and
sent forth yellowish shoot. Then they may
be brought to the sunlight, and will blossom In
| about three weeks.
A large pot or basket filed with hyacinths
and tulips may torn the entire window garden
Of room, and yet fill 1t with sweetness and
light" The cheapest Of baskets as q foundation
can be made pretty In various ways, and hold
| glasses concealed in moss, the blooming occu-
pants having begun life In the rough boz above
| described.
| Pot cultivation, as an authority on flowers
says, seems the most natural, next to the open
| ground, for all plants; and soft-baked eight
| inch pots are recommended as the mos ,on-
ducive to healthy growth. Charcoal or broken
| potsherds should be placed at the bottom to
| the depth OF an inch, and on this a soil one
| third loan. one-thrd clean sand, and one-thlrd
well-rotted cow manure. mixture of horn
shavngs Will make the blossoms unusually
large and brilliant. Each pot should have one
bulb planted in the center and the top OF the
crown should pe left visible; then press the soil
closely around the bulb and water IL well
The pots should then be consigned to q warm
cellar until called for" an the bulbs will need
occasional watering to keel them from drying
up. In about six weeks TIE pots will be full OF
roots, and the sprouts about an inch high; but
on bringing them into the sunlight the yellow
tinge of the embryo leaves will give place to a
vivid green, and they will grow almost as fast
as Jacks bean stalk. Flowers may be expected
in three or four weeks; but il must be remem-
bered that plenty OF water is now required, yet
not enough to rot the roots.
Bulbs can be raised in moss alone IL the moss
Is kept constantly wet, and for this purpose q
watering-pot with q very small rose should be
used. hanging basket would be q convenient
receptacle for this kind OF culture. and also o
novel ornament for the parlor when it's con-
tents come into bloom. But i'm whatever way
| grown, this class Of plants must have the &C.
ciusion Of cellar or closet until their roots are
| fully formed.
Most people want flowers In bloom at Christ
mas, but tits not generally known that the Ro-
| man hyacinth, which is less snowy than the
other varieties, having smaller and less COM
| pact spikes, will bloom as early as the last OF
December If planted at the right time. A salt
| orcheese box according to number Of bulbe),
covered with short pieces OF split boughs nailed
| on with small tacks, and having the little wild
partridge vine trailing over the top and Sides
and from three to nine Roman hyacinths stand
Ing upright at Intervals, while their dropping
flower bells seem like Christmas censers, con.
denses, as it were, the beauty Of whole sum.
mer garden.
Glasses for bulp-growing should have small
pieces Of charcoal at the bottom, as by keeping
the water pure this will prevent the necessity
for changing It. Tepid water should always be
used both In filling the glasses at first and In re-
pairing the waste by evaporation. This style Of
cultivation Is an injury to the bulbs; but theiI
vitality can be In a measure restored by re-
planting In earth as soon as the bloom Is past.
The single hyacinths are usually recommended
for house culture. as they less disappoint
ing than the double sorts, and are also earlier
in bloom. There are endless varieties OF this
popular flower, but the rosy white ''Vesta" can
scarcely fail to please all. Cleopatra" and
''Elfride" are also of the same lovely tint;
"Maria Teresa" and "Emmeline" are rose and
pink" abba Maxima" and "Belle Blanchis-
seuse, pure white; Bishop Royal'and Charles
Dickens" blue; "hdrina' aud "Fleur dor"
yellow; and these different colors In one window
box or basket will fill a room with beauty
Tulips are treated precisely like hyacinths,
and offer the same variety. They are especially
snowy boomers, and are single and double, tall
and low, fringed and otherwise. The duo Won
Thols, single and double are the earliest, and
are pronounced the best for home culture
The narcissus, which is not half appreciated,
should also have a place among the window
bulbs. The polyanthus narcissus is especially
adapted for house gardening, and will do wei
in glasses The flowers are in clusters; and the
Double Roman" white and yellow, IL very
fragrant. Jonquils members OF the same
family, will grow three or four In O pot, and
their deep sulphur flowers are lavish Of de-
hcious perfume.
Bulbs require q long time for rest after
blooming, and are In no hurry to grow until tho
winter has fairly set In but It 10 better not to
plant them later than Octo Der or November
THE FEMALE FORM.