The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-07-07
FLOWERS FOR CITY PEOPLE.
4 GARDEN OF SOME KIND WITHIN
 REACH OF ETERYBODY.

REACH OF EVERYBODY.
 dow Boxes and on Roohs-Hints fol
 the Care of PIants-The Best FlowsrI
 for City Use-Growing Love of Flow
 CTS Here-A Cincinnati Bower.
 The cultivation of summer flowers has
 never been so popular in New York as
 in Londom and on the continent or Flu
 sort of thing to the florists and the de- partment or public parks; but the in crease of window boxes, balcony gar
 dens and roof gardens within the last few years augurs some degree of hot weather picturesqueness for future summers.
 Florists say that they have, this sum- mer, filled five times as many orders for window boxes as in any previous sea- son; and flower raising of this expensive ready-made sort is only very small part of the flower culture in the city. Hotels, restaurants and clubs order their window boxes as they do their car pets and chairs and the issue is in the hands of the florist. If he happens to be man of artistic taste, the city owes him a debt of gratitude; but, if his eff fulgent fancy turns itself loose in purple petunias and scarlet salvia, as in the case of one Fifth avenue club then the perspiring passer-by is entitled to vio- lent thoughts.
 A good many individuals follow the club and hotel principles with varying results, but they know nothing of the real joy of flower raising and they are not the lucky mortals who achieve city Arcadias The handsomest house of the town usually go unadorned so far as flowers are concerned, for their owners leave town as soon as warm weather shows itself; but the side streets, partic- ularly in the uptown districts, are breaking out in bloom and the bright splashes of gay color and greenery make the brick and stone and asphalt seem a trifle less forlorn and uncomfortable.
 The simplest fashion of cultivating city flowers In summer is to have them in the ordinary window boX-a long, shallow box fastened to the window ledge; but there are window boxes and window boxes, and personal taste has rare chance to show itself in the choice nd of ho vines. Scarlet geraniums and scarlet salvia are the standard windowbox plants. They make a brave show from the street and it is pleasant to see their dash of brilliant color, as one looks out through the window. Then, too, they are handy, and that isa great recom- But there are other flowers as effective. The long boxes on the first-story windws of one house facing Central Park are filled with German masses of blossom, like bits of fallen sky. backed by spraying white alyssum, while from the edges of the boxes droop small leaved vines.
 The windows of another house in the same neighborhood have been bright with pansies all through the spring
 
 pansies dwindle with warm weather and in evident anticipation of a hot wave, the pansies have given way to warranted to live and blos- som all through the summer if planted In sandy soil not too rich and watered 1iscreetly. Nasturtiums, like all other flowers, will have a better chance for ong and vigorous life if the blossoms are picked before they have time to wither; and it is good idea to prune he central runners occasionally in order | 10 make the vines branch thickly.
 Mgnonette, verbena balsams, lobeia, l arkspur. petunias, sweet alyssum, sal l via, candy -tuft, primroses and phlox are | Ill favorite and hardy annuals for use , n window gardening. They can be 'aised from the seed, if one is willing to | ake little trouble and exercise consid- | srable patience; and there is infinitely | more satisfaction in success with flow ITS if the amateur feels that they are all l lis own, than if he has bought them in | heir prime. The seeds may be sown in shallow boxes or may be put in pots, for handling, and afterward ransplanted. In many cases, though nore particularly with larger perennial ,lants, the window boxes are merely filed with potted plants, packed around with moss. The most common mistake with amateur gardeners in dealing with eed plants is that they bury the seeds co peeply. The seeds should be sown n light sandy soil and covered very tightly with just enough earth to con- cal them. The annuals should be sown lbout six weeks before wanted, while he perennials need longer time, per laps two or three months. After the eed is planted it should be well shaded hat they will need plenty of sun Some lorists cover the seed boxes first with annels wet in warm water, in order to upply heat, moisture and shade Later is wise to cover the boxes with glass ut this is not necessary if the weather | 5 fairly warm. Many seedlings are ru- ned by careless watering. They should e watered very lightly from a can hay ng a very fine spray, so that the force f the water will not wash the light cov- ring of soil from over the seeds It is sually even safer for the amateur to ct the box or pot in water and allow he moisture to soak up from below and | ) continue this process until the plants ave appeared above ground and need | le spray. This subject of washing and watering lants is vital one, and very few anna 9ur gardeners seem to appreciate it's