The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-12-25
FLOWERS IN WINTER.
How They Should BE Cared for, and
What Kinds Thrive Best.

What Kinds Thrive Best.
If things look desolate out of doors,
why should we not have beauty and
cheerfulness within doors, even in the
humblest homeP Among the pleasant
and delightful things to look upon MOTH
ing is more attractive than stand of
growing and blossoming plants, which
light up and make fragrant the room,
and are suggestive of warmth and life
when nature lies cold and dead under
her winding sheet of snow. Then, too,
few plants can be bought so cheap
that they are easily procurable by all
but the very poorest. The ehrysanthe-
NUNS are coming into flower and will
bloom until nearly Christmas. We find
almost every color among them except
blue. They flower very freely, and
those of the Japanese variety have i'm
mense blooms, from four to six inches
in diameter. Fine plants can be bought
from twenty-five to seventy-fve cents,
according to size. They bloom for
a long time, the colors growing
care and trouble. The varieties of
the geraniuIn are numberless, and
one is bewildered as to choice. The
plant is such favorite that every one
who grows flowers is sure TO possess
some one or more specimens. The
florist can best tell what varieties are
good for home culture; but, surely, no
one would be without the scented
foliage geraniunns that always somehow
remind us of summer days, or nosegays
sent with quivering heart to the object
of ones latest affection in the far-off
days of ones youth. These plants can
be obtained for q very few cents, and
will brighten dull room amazingly.
Why do not more people grow car
nations at home? All that they require
is cool room and slight attention to
make them show their gratitude with
profuse blooms. Their pungent Glove
scent is delicious, we never seem to get
enough of it, and the variety and In
tensity of color is wonderful. Then,
too, after being cut they keep fresh for
a week, by trimming their stems and
changing the water. They can be
bought as low as twenty-five or as
high as fifty cents, according to the
size of the plant. The hyacinth is a
faYorite with every lover of flowers, and
nothing can be more delightful, either
for fragrance or beauty, than a
stand of these beauties in parlor or sit
ting-room. The bulbs are grown either
in glasses or pots. For glasses the sim
gle hyacinth is to be preferred. This is
| not liked so well as the double, but its
color, of whatever shade. is usually
more vivid, and its bells, though small
er, are more numerous. It blooms
earlier than the double hyacinth, and is
very sweet-seented. The mode of treat
ing this plant to make it bloom success
fully can be learned from the florist, OF
| from one Of the many books upon the
subject of plant-eulture. The bulbs are
comparatively costly, averaging about
twenty-five cents, but money spent up
| on them is not thrown away. As tC
roses, of which the florist has a large
variety, we would not advise the anna
teur to bother himself with these, as
they require careful and special treat
ment, and the number of those thai
flower in winter is very limited. An
other dubious plant is the oxalis. It il
a profuse bloomer, white, pink, yellow
and billiant rose-color, and requires
very little attention. A few bulb
planted in a hanging basket win so01
make mass Of foliage and flowers
GerusaHtosca Telegraph.