Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-07
AWintsr BuIb Garden for heWindow

All those in favor of a bulb garden this
year say Aver
We must go to work now II we want to
have blossoms for Christmas decoration
and budded plants to give for presents. I
believe boy girl with basket of hy-
acinth glasses. the buds beginning to show
what color the flowers are to be, would be
as welcome as old Santa Claus himself.
Look at the florists windows. Aren't they
full Of little boxes of rather grimy brown
and yellow bulbs OF assorted sizes? And
have you seen the bulb catalogues of some
of the nurserymen? The fine pictures Of
tulips, crocuses, freesias, oxalis. hyacinths
and daffodils are enough to make the PEN
MES fairly burn holes in our pockets. You
have no idea how many bulbs you can get
for quarter of dollar If you choose care
fully; and II dozen children should club
together and get bulbs for window gar
den at school. perhaps they could get q
hundred.
When you get through admiring the pic
lures In the bulb catalogues you must de-
eide what kinds you will have, and send off
your order Immediately. While you are
waiting for the bulbs to come you will have
leisure to read carefully the directions for
planting and caring for the bulbs in order
to get the largest number of fine flowers for
your money. If you do not follow the sug-
gestions. and fail. you must not blame the
pub man nor me. The bulbs will do their
best
For Christmas flowers, or even earlier,
there is nothing like better than the Chi
nese sacred lily. Three big bulbs cost %
cents; single one 10: but they are well
worth that. They seem to be crowded full
of beauty and perfume, which comes out in
the form OF long, fiat, green leaves and tall
flower stalks crowned with delicate white
flowers
We shall need no earth for these All
they want is air and water.
shall put my bulbs into large glass
dlsh, which cost 10 cents and Is used year
after year for the same purpose. prop the
bulbs up with clean stones. so that thew will
stand upright. Then keep the dish full of
tepfd water on table which stands near a
sunny window. A few bits of charcoal will
keep the water sweet. as do not change it
every day for fear of injuring the strong
white, shiny roots which my bulbs send out.
rms Is very convenient garden for a
busy person. 1t needs no hoeing or weed
ing. needs watching, though, If one
would keep track of the truly marvellous
growth. l have a foot rule always handy
to measure the daily increase in height.
once my plant grew an inch in twenty-four
hours. 1 wonder il yours can heat that
record. ~
The appearance of the first buds is a great
event. 1t Is almost as exciting as baby's
nrst tooth. Soon there will be a race be-
e"eeh mower Stalks, and the one which
opens the first blossom Is the winner
Oh! / should certainly have at least o,a
Chinese sacred lily
,Hyacinths come next in favor, in spite of
tneir cost. The bulbs of the most common
variety cost from six to fifteen cents
each, while the lovely single white ones
called Roman hyacinths, can be had for
-FOUR or nVe cents each. II bought by the
dozen all these bulbs can be had cheaper.
Hyaclnths are grown indoors In ordinary
mower pots or cans in do fn,
the purpose They may be planted any
time from September till November. If in
a pot the bulb should be set so that about
one-thrd of 1t is above the surface of the
soil. Good garden soil. with some sand.
makes the best bed for them. If hyaciath
glasses are to be used, the glass should be
tlied with rain water Just SO that the base
or the bulb touches the water.
The pots should be buried five or six
inches deep in the open ground If possible,
or covered with few inches of ashes or
soil, for four or five weeks
AS soon as the hyacinths are nlanted
either in water or soil they should be set
in a COOL dark place. the cellar or a closet,
Until the roots get well started The glasses
Will be ready to bring out into the light in
two weeks, the pots in about six weeks
Minute directions are given in the bulb
catalogues Study them well and follow
them. The suggestions given above for
hyacinths answer equally well for tulips.
narcissus, daffodils and crocuses
For March window gardens there is moth
Ing more charming than crocuses unless 1t
is yelloy danodils. Aren't you glad we
don't have to decide which we like best?
Both are the very embodiment of all the
hopes and aspirations of the season. Some
crocus bulbs have been known to put forth
as many as a dozen fine flowers, fairly
crowdtng each other to get out of the
ground, and l know a generous invalid
whose window box yields several daffodils
to pick and give away.
For fine, brave colors what could be bet
ter than tulips? Do you know that song
which calls them gay as butterfiy's
wing? Let US have plenty of red tulips,
and get our yellow and white and purple
from the crocuses and daffodils.
Do not think that because you have had
no experience you not have bulb gar
den. Begin this year and see what fun 1t is
to really own a living, growing plant and
to have it for a companion and playfellow.
And don't forget that the way to begin is to
beginI