Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-16

CNESIR,NN line himself.
SkS4Aj Then you have
<21rXTJ/ been quite success
I STNVT full, I presume. with
winter bic m 1 n G
vfanta"
~Oh. no. indeed: have never tried 1t be-
Borey but, you See, / have ordered lot of
Awfully pretty plants from = florist whose
analogue I got hold of. and every plant.
tou know. Is guaranteed to bloom: and
ooming from a colder climate to a warmer
one VIII make them that much more vfgor-
eua. you see, and Just can't help having
rood luck and all the flowers I want
The Star man smiled. He had Travelled
lver the same old deceptive ground a few
Hest years ago. had felt the bitter pangs of
misplaced confidence and had reached the
inevitable point where one stumbles upon
lost
The arluring promises Of florists in their
pretty catalogues are all right in the main,
with . bit OF the coloring washed out. but
u must be one with experience and proper
facilities and conditions to make anything
out Of those promises and the tiny scraps
Of plants which the patron generally re-
eetves.
Once obtaining the hang of amateur
Horticulture in the way of house garden
ing In the winter, love of IL will establish
3tself. and things that are green can be
made to flourish and bloom In contrast with
The snow-covered outside. and the parlor.
ehamoer or sitting room to assume an air
Of inviting cheerfulness not easily attained
IA any other way.
House BloominG Plants.
With each succeeding season the love.
refining influence and cultivation Of flowers
appear to increase. and those that bloom
IN the spring and summer and fall find
confronting them rival to divide the court
md attention paid them almost exclusively
until few years ago. The cultivation OF
house blooming plants for winter has
grown so wonderfully within the past de-
eade that many florists assert that their
orders for winter boomers are nearly
DQualing those for spring and summer.
Every year the house gardener now casts
9bout for something new-some novelty to
surprise and please the visitor as well as
30 add to his OF her own comfort and
pleasure. Every season brings with IL a
lengthy roster of new enthusiasts consumed
with 4 consciousness of knowing all about
II and an eager impotence to have all the
plants in band and every one in bloom in
m incredibly short space of time. The
zeal knowing ones put their stock in order.
nide their time and enjoy the result. Few
Beginners abandon the project bent upon
not much from pride as from the ire
sistible interest and pure love that has
sprung up out Of Incidental enthusiasm
A Word to Beginners.
The experienced house gardener can
doubtless give the writer of this liberal
discount and teach him a great deal about
success with flowers. indoors or out-so It
- not for that fortunate individual these
foregoing hints and following suggestions
are offered. but in humble way. for the
guidance Of those who may venture for the
arst or even second season to gather about
them for the dreary days of winter CHEEKY
doral companions. 1t Is hardly time yet to
begin actual work. but IL is high time to be
thinking over II. for generally a deal
OF runmagtng through the out-of-town
Hover mems catalogues and asserting the
yoluble declarations of our own home for
bts Is spent in order to decide upon just
what one wants-or rather what is best to
get
Popular BuIbous Plants.
Among the popular winter boomers there
IRE none more attractive or easily Guilt
waited than the dubious class. OF these the
hyacinth is by far the most popular. having
begun its career as a winter or early spring
house bloomer many years ago But the
single boomers of earlier days are incom-
and double fowerets of today. with their
great range of delicate and brilliant colors
and delightful perfume. But there are
others Of this class which divide admira-
Non with the hyacinth-and as easily grown
-among them the Easter and Gala lilies,
Aarcissus. lily of the valley. fuchsia tube
rose. tulip. tonquil. cyclamen. and even the
Hiadiolus- There are said to be nearly forty
Kinds OF Dubious plants susceptible of win
Ter cultivation. but the above list would ap-
pear to be better adapted to the require
snents OF the beginner. if not satisfactory
20 most of the well up amateurs The
Chinese sacred lily has become popular for
IKE the hyacinth IL can be grown in water
N glasses The same may be said OF the
yonauil and narctssus. though they are not
generally treated that way, for like the
hyacinth. better results can be obtained
when potted in soil. The Chinese lily sue
esecs better without soil. as a little soil
dimes done with the mistaken idea that IT
VIII strengthen them. inclines them to foil
hge rather than flowers.
Soil for and Potting bulbs.
The variety Of soil is not an irnperatively
important item in bulb culture Any good
garden loan will be sufficient though pref
orence Is given to a rich, sandy soil mixed
with leaf mold Planting should be done
from the latter part of September through
Sctooer and November-October being the
best period The bulbs should be set lust
below the soil. 50 that they will be barely
covered They should be pressed down we'll
but the soil should not be pressed too light
" around thern-sonething too often done
0y those whose experience should teach
them better 1t Is well enough, however
when the soil is put in lightly, even with
NE top. to give the bottom OF the pot a
smart rap on something solid to obtain a
necessary firnness of the dirt. leaving II an
Inch or SO below the rim OF the pot II is
always necessary to have this space at the
Sop for watering purposes. Thea set away
N dark. cool place. after a thorough
watering. for from four to six weeks to
make root They should be watered enough
only to be kept moist in this time and
should be brought out only when a vigor-
Gus top growth is observed. OF course they
an be forced by being placed in a warm
temperature and made To bloom earlier but
u greatly enfeebles the bloom.
Lilies OF the valley roots cannot be had
generally before the LIST of November II
fhen placed in boxes and set outside and
brought in about the end of December
placed IN a temperature of seventy TO
etghty degrees. and kept moist they will come
INTO bloom in two weeks. BY bringing in
p few at a time blooming plants can be
had throughout the winter.
Selecting Other Plants
While Dubious plants are of easy man.
hGenent to apprentices in Horticulture, not
altogether 50 with those OF other classes.
% the fewer selected upon the first venture
the greater the probability Of success.
Houng plants are the best. for IL the full
md overgrown ones, which have been do
ing faithful duty the summer long, are
brought In at once from natural TO artifi-
efal heat. and expected to continue right
along being things OF joy and beauty some
one VIII ind great mistake has been made.
uhe result can only be a misera BILE looking
Bet OF sptndltng plants. that have dropped
thefr leaves. taking up lot of valuable
space and In every ones way.
AT the head of the list is undoubtedly the