The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1915-01-01
The Indoor Window Box.

The indoor window box, properl,
planned and tended, will afford mucl
pleasure and satisfaction to the house
wife who misses her out-of-door garden
during the winter months. 1t is a mis-
| taken notion that plants when kept il
| living rooms use up certain elements o
the air in such quantities as to make
it unhealthful for individuals using the
room. 1t is much harder on plants tc
be in a room with people than for peo-
pie to be in room with growing plants.
Plants, indeed, use air, but use such a
small proportion that the effect Of the
plant in the room is negligible if the
room is ventilated at all. This also
holds good for cut flowers or plants in a
sick room, although the odor of some
flowers may be depressing to the pa
tient, and bad for that reason.
A, good depth for an indoor window
box is about - inches. The bottom of
the box should be covered with stones
and broken pottery to give drainage and
this should be covered by a layer of
moss to prevent the soil above from
working down through the stones. The
drainage and moss should take up about
three inches. She greater the body of
soil above the moss the more uniform
it may be kept as to moisture. The soil
should come to within an inch and
half or two inches Of the top of the box.
The indoor window box should be
made to fit into the window. To get as
much light as possible it should be level
with the window. 1t may be fastened
with brackets or placed on a table, or
have legs made for it. There should be
a drip pan beneath to keep water from
soiling the floor. The box may rest
directly above the drip pan on legs half
an inch to an inch high or the box may
be water-tight with the exception of
hole at one end to let out the water.
The top of the soil should be allowed
to become quite dry once in while.
The results of watering will teach the
owner to regulate the supply. Boxes
may need watering in sunshiny weather
toward spring. every day, or
at least every other day; in cloudy mid
winter weather not more than once a
week. AS a rule it is better to water
lightly and frequently than heavily and
The specialist of the de-
partment advises this, although just the
reverse is considered best when water
ing is done out of doors in the summer.
FOLIAGE, NOT FLOWERS, FOR WINDOW
BOX.
A large proportion of the plants in a
window box should be of the same gen.
sral character if the growth is to be sue
,essfui. Plants of different character
iced different treatment. 1t is very
lificult to raise Towering plants in a
window box with the exception of be-
onias. Ordinary Towering plants are
cry exacting, and will not find enough
ght in the ordinary living room, even
hough placed near the window, al
lough they may do we'll in a con-
ervatory. The main object of an in
cor window box is to furnish the fresh
ppearance of growing green leaves rath-
r than to raise flowers indoors.
The department s specialist makes the I
blowing suggestions for window box:
Begonias are one of the most attrac-
We plants that may be used for an in $
cor box. Both Towering and non i
owering varieties will give satisfaction; c
, fact, the Towering variety is one of t
he few plants that will blossom indoors :
ithout special cultivation. The be- t
onia is not very particular in its re- /
uirements and will flourish with ordi- +
airy care. r
Small ferns obtained from florist 6
ill flourish. These are particularly r
]aDted to house culture, as they do =