Evening star., 1902-03-01
WINDOW GARDENING
Best Flowers to Select for In
door and Out.
RAISE HEALTHY STOCK
ARRANGEMENT OF BOXES AND
SURROUNDINGS.
A Foot of Soil Over a Layer of Broken
Crooks With Good Drain
age.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
The first essential of a successful window
garden IS stocky. well-grown plants. ready
and willing to, grow and blow. instead of
things. forced unhealthy into over Iuxuri-
ance of bloom and leaf These stocky
plants, full of unexhausted vitality, are
not easily bought At least it is hard to
buy them in the right condition If one
waits until the window garden season fully
opens.
raising ones own plants from slips, or
seeds. or roots. is far and away the best.
Where that is out of the question. buv
plants very early-a month at least before
they can be put out, or. better still six
weeks. Choose healthy plants Just coming
into bloom. Bat do not permit further
bloom. Cut off blossoms and buds with a
Teihorseiess hand, cut back foliage also,
Dut more Spar1ngly, and with an eye to fu-
ture developments That is to say. pinch
out ends or struggling shoots, or clip away
Weedy laterals. Aim to make the plant com
pact-not round headed, like a cabbage-but
so well balanced the pot can be spun on
edge without tipping over
Set the plants in a moderate light and
gradually harden them by letting in more
and more air every day. For the first fort
night give no fertiliZer-let them rest and
find themselves in their own environ
ment. When they begin to open pert new
leaves, and show signs Of pushing out fresh
bloom stalks, give dissolved ammoniated
pone meal-halt a teaspoonful to a small
plant Shower the foliage plentfully every
other day, using tepid water at first and
making 1t gradually cooler. The end of all
TINS bother Is to undo what has been done
In the forcing process-namely, to bring the
plant to that estate in life which wouId he
long to II if normally developed
Still, plants thus bought will never quite
come up to those raised in the home boxes.
Especially II they are seedlings-Such things
as Verbenas, catceolaras cinnerarias ne
tunias and SO on. OF all these. nasturtiums
petunlas and verbenas are the only ones
really worth while for window gardening
All Of these have season Of bloom as long
as the summer also a graceful semi-pend-
ant habit or growth that fits them espe-
cially into window garden spaces. Seed
are best sown early in January-in a box
under big pane of glass if nothing else is
at hand Mix petuna seed with dust or
ashes before sowing, do not cover any of
them but press the earth down gently
and water with very fine hose or else
by spraying with a brush. Prick out and
shift like hot bed plants. By mfd-May the
plants should be stout and we'll rooted
ready to burst in blossoms at the least
provocation.
A Nasturtium Box.
Nasturtiums make magnificent window
garden. Use several sorts together-the
bush growing ones foaming over the box
surface proper. In color they run the whole
gamut of velvet reds and crimsons and
orange and yellow, with some approac ching
white, and others verging as nearly ON
black. 1t is impossible to set a well-grown
naSturtium where it will not be thing of
beauty, but one never realizes fully how
very beautiful the plants are until one sees
them thus massed in their own loyeliness
I'm rf1Ny oh 1o6
dows-as easterly or northwesterly with
only the morning sun. If a screen is de-
sirable the whole box can be filled with the
trailing sorts, and the inner row trained to
cover light wire trellis
For a north window, with only the ear
liest morning sun. Japanese morning gIo-
ries are Ideal. They come in all colors-a
10-cent packet of mixed seed sown under
the glass in January, potted and shifted.
should fill two boxes. The flowers have a
crepy texture, and all manner of delicate
markings. The vines grow sufficiently, but
less rampantly than the common morning
glory. They make fine wreathy trails over
the box edge, and will also climb and cover
wire screen. The blossoms open at day.
break. and thus sheltered from the sun.
stay open until little after noon. The
only trouble Is to clip the fallen blossoms
every day, as II they are allowed to riuen
into seed heads the season of growth and
bloom will be brief.
A Geranium Window.
Flowering geraniums make a brave show
in window boxes, but for the best effect it
is best to have only one color Strong grow
Ing single sorts, Of either pink or white or
scarlet, with snowy trusses and habit Of
profase bloom. are best. Choose among
pink those with rich creamy or rather sal
mon toness the purply pink ones do not
flower well In summer heat. A good edging
for line OF blooming geranfums Ii Ger
man Ivy. Set three strong plants IN row
at the outer edge Of the window box, and
Let nj the stems tran over the side. Peg
down . branch OF gera MUM here and thesa
over the surface. or else an In bare spots