Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1917-10-18
WINDOW AND VERANDA BOXES
BY EREN E. RExFoRp.

By EbEN e. nEAf OnDs
Where vines are lacking a most ex-
cellent substitute for them about the
veranda is furnished by plants grown
In boxes made to fit the spaces be-
tween the posts.
These boxes the boys of the family
will be delighted to make, If they are
like most boys know, if you will fur,
nish them good tools to make them
with.
They should be at least foot wide
and foot deep and the timber of
which they are made should be of fair
ly good quality, for it will have to re-
sist considerable pressure when the
box is filled with the soil.
These boxes will be found most sat
lsfactory If allowed to project outside
the veranda rail. They should be well
supported by braces running from the
bottom of the box on the outside to
the veranda floor.
Paint them some neutral color be-
fore filling them with soil.
If ordinary soil is used you will have
only an ordinary development of the
plants you set out to grow in it, while
what you want is vigorous growth.
Therefore, send the children out
with shovels and baskets and instruct
them to gather the rotten vegetable
matter to be found in old fence cor
ners and about stumps and logs.
No matter how full of roots it is,
the nutriment you are in search of is
there, and a few roots more or less
will not interfere with the plants you
propose to grow in it. On the con-
trary they will prove of positive bene-
fit as they will help to keep the soil
light and porous.
Before filing the boxes with soil,
bore a few holes in the bottom of them
to allow for the escape of surplus wa
ter. In all probability there will be no
surplus water to escape, but it is well
to be on the safe side. When you put
the soil into the boxes press it down
firmly. Ii dumped in lightly evapora-
ton will be rapid and the roots of your
plants may suffer in consequence.
At the outside of the box set vines
of quick development, like German ivy
tradescontia, moneywort, or the ma
deira vines. These will soon hide the
box completely and after a little they
will form screen for all that portion
of the veranda below the rail-
Morning glories can be planted here
and there along the box and trained
upon strings and made to furnish
shade for the veranda as well as a
screen.
Other Towering plants can be select
ed to suit individual taste. Almost
any plant can be used with reasonable
chance of success if-care is taken to
see that the soil in the box is always
kept moist. This is the secret of the
success of the culture of plants in
window and veranda boxes. Do not be
satisfied with a quantity of water that
will wet the surface of the soil and
leaves that portion of it two or three
inches below almost as dry as before
any was applied.
Use it by the pailful and make sure
that the soil in the box is moist. Here
is where most persons fail in box gar
dening. They use pint where a pail
full is needed. They overlook the fact
that because of their elevated position
these boxes part rapidly with mois-
ture by evaporation.
Being exposed to hot air and wind
on every side they are likely to be-
come dry in a very short time, and the
only way to prevent this is to make
1t rule to apply water in liberal
quantities every day. Do this and you
have no trouble in growing good plants
in them. Neglect to do this and you
will meet with the failure you de-
serve. While the ordinary window box
affords great deal of pleasure by the
flowers it furnishes at the window sill,