The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1916-01-13
The Indoor
Window Box
Ferns, Ivy, Smilax and Geraniums
Are Easily Grown. Flowsring
Plants Require Special Conditions

Those who love plants need have
no hesitation in installing window
boxes in their homes. The old no
ton that plants make living rooms
unhealthful is quite unfounded, &C.
cording to specialists of department,
for the consumption of air by PANTS
is so small that II may safely be ig-
nored if the room is ventilated as 1t
should be. On the other hand. the
window box will furnish much inter.
est and pleasure through the period
when outdoor gardening is impractic
able. The following suggestions for
q window box are made by the de-
partment's gardeners:
Preparing the Box
A good depth for en- indoor win.
dow box Is 10 to IL inches. The larg-
er the body Of soil the easier to main
tain uniform moisture conditions.
Cover the bottom Of the box with
stones and broken pottery to give
drainage and cover this with a layer
of moss to prevent the soil above
from working down through the
stones. The drainage and moss
should take up 2 to inches. The
soil should come to within An inch
and half or 2 inches Of the 'op Of
the box.
Those who do not have gardens
will do well to get potting soil Of the
nearest florist. 1t Is desired to pre-.
pare 1t, one part compost, one part
good loan, and one part sand should
be used. The compost should be of
COW manure and good turf rotted to-
gether for year and turned Two or
three times in the interim. Well de-
composed leaf mold would answer as
partial substitute for the compost
In regions where the forests have a
large share of beech, maple, elm
busswood, and ash, the best potting
soil is woods earth. This is sell
from a sheltered position of leaf
mold. Oak and chestnut leaves dc
not decay in mold as readily as dc
those mentioned above. One-twenti
eth part bone meal is a good add
ton to the mixture. If the loan
Is very heavy, containing much clay
its proportion should be somewhat
diminished. If the loan is light ant
sandy, reduce the amount OF sand
Or In some localities omit 1t altogeth
err.
Place the top of the box level witt
the window ledge so as to get a.
much light as possible. It may b.
fastened with brackets, placed on {
table, or on legs. Keep a drip par
beneath to prevent water from soil
ing the floor. The box may rest di
rectly above the drip pan on leg
half an inch to an inch high, or /
may be watertight with the excep
ton of hole at one end to let on
the excess when over watered
Allow the top of the soil to becom,
quite dry once In while. Experience
in watering will teach the owner t
regulate the supply. The boxes ma,
need watering every day in sunshin.
weather, especially toward spring o
at least every other day, but in tn
cloudy midwinter weather they ma,
not need 1t oftener than once eacl
week.
In steam heated rooms a recepta
Gle containing water should be KEEP
on the radiator, so that the air will
not become too dry.
Foliage Plants Are Best
Select plants with the same ger
eral requirements. as plants OF dii
ferent character demand diircren
treatment. II requires more car
through a longer season to produc
blooms in window box than t
grow good foliage. Flowering plant
are eXacting, and will not as a rul
find enough light in the ordinary liv
ing room, even though placed nea
the window, although they may d,
well in a conservatory.
Vines are among the most satisfac
! tory plants for a window box. Anon,
hose that can be trained up owe,
The window to make an attractiv,
Green frame are English ivy (Hederi
helix, German Ivy (Seneoio makan
ioides). and smilax asparagus as
paragoides). The first two ar,
grown from cuttings which are hes
started In spring while the smiax II