Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-09-16
WINDOW GARDENING.
Suggestions for Those Who Mean to Gull
tivate Homo Plants in Winter.
written for the Dlspatch)

CWrltten for the Dispatch)
Most window gardens are filed with
miscellaneous selection Of so-called flower
IN; plants, whose few poor, scattering
blossoms scarcely pay for their care, AMI
might with profit give place TO those with
out beauty Of flower, but whose foliage IS
al least attractive. Indeed. So often IS
this the case that many housoholders
are banlshng all lowering plants de-
pending solely upon palms, aspelistras'
ct, for their window aiognment.
Bat II one prefers flowers 10 foliage
and most people GC-th!s IS all wrong. a
faw fine foliage plants are Indeed at
tractiye. but they DO not take the place
OF fragrant bios oms. that never seem
half ~ lovely as when all outside nature
is hidden beneath snow and ice. II is
not necessary for the window 10 be- ilo"-
erless, even with the poor facilities OF
the common living-room, II the follow
Ing rules are adhered 10:
1. Select only such plants as are win
ter boomers.
. Choose only those that viii thrive
I'm the temperature ut which you keep
YOUR room. Select carefully 10 suit the
amount of sunshine or shade in your
window.
. Examine every plant TO make sure
that il is entirely free from insects be-
fore bringing to the window in the
autumn.
l. shower the leaves Of your plants once
a week, To keep down dust ana insects.
II insects appear. fight them at cnce' ana
never give up until they are routed.
5 Keep Towering plants in small or
medlum-sized pots. See that the soil is
rich the drainage an inch deep at the bot
tom of pot. and a crust Of hard earth IS
never allowed to form at the top Of the
pot.
fcicnt water To wet 10 the bottom OF the
not. BE chary OF water IN scverely-col-
weather. -
withered flowers and faded leaves. Allow
all Holland bulbs to root six or eight
weeks in the dark, before bringing TO
the window.
g. Give weak liquid manure once fort
night to all plants showing buds-never to
half-grown plants
TO comment a little on these rules: 1t
is useless 10 select summer blossomers Tor
the house in winter. few begonias'
abutllons, and petunias are practlcaliy
ever-bloOmers, but most plants must nave
their season Of rest Few roses, geranlums
or fuchiaS bloom well IN winter, Dut tHeae
few any florist can name. Albums, agerl-
| tums. cannas, cyclamen, cineIarias, pc
tunias. nicotiana, callas, the otalicite
orange, hyacinths. paper-white, and dou-
J ble-Roman narcissus. and Chinese sacred
| lilies are among the surest boomers fo1
/ the beginner.
Nearly all plants can be grown IN a
| moderately warm room. but IN either a
very warm or quite cool room. the choice
must be more restricted. For instance
| begonias, heliotropes. impatients' suitanl'
| salyias and torentias, would soon come
TO grief in a low temperature (unlesS pro-
| tected we'll at night, while they wouiu
| flourish in the warm room. The exact
reverse would be the case with carnations
ten-week stocks, and camelias. In the
same way begonias. primulas, nicotiana,
! and n few other plants will flower Wen
| in a shady window. while roses, gerani-
ums. and heliotropss must have sun, ana
| plenty OF IL, TO boom.
| IL ia the attention to the mnuta OF
nlant culture that makes the successtu'
amateur. Yet these rules are not burden
! some To the true hower-lover, Tor IL Is
not a task to minister 10 our rrlehds
reasonable wants. as our plants wants
are. Clean, well-fed plants are always
ready to bloom II they have hait cnsnee'
LORA s. LA NAME