Norwich bulletin., 1918-01-12
WINTER GARDEN IN YOUR
 HOME. 5

Dear Social Corner Sisters: Have you ever been in @ house where they literally turned the dining room in- to a garden fn winter: I was in such a home the other day, and we dined in a perfect bower of vines and blos- soms From the moment that I sat down at the table was fascinated by the career of some parlor ivy that sprung from a. deep box on the win dow sill. It's tiny. tendrills had climbed the length Of the curtains, opening their satiny leaves as they went. One branch had draped itself gracefully over "Rembrandt's por- trait of himself" had turned the corner of the room and was reaching wayward with ambitious arms toward the traflsofn of x the door. Another branch had formed a perfect network over the mantelpiece and had clothed a huge pair of anthlers In coquet- tish dress of green.
 Yes" said my hostess, at an ex- clartlation of admiration from me, 'parlor ivy grows amazingly fast. This was planted only month ago ard already it has reached nearly half way around the room. Last year 1t had entirely before spring, and I hat ed to have it torn down when warm weather came. All it requires is a box of rich earth about a foot deep and ten inches wide by twenty inches long, plenty of water and sunshine, and it grows like magic. "
 But the pride of my flower gar den is over there," and she nodded to a low window lined with the brilliant ly colored potted plants. The win dows face the east, where, the sun shine pours in and tho plants are not so much trouble as one would imagine Each morning I look over them and water them, if need be, and at night just before retiring, I glance at the dining room thermometer to see that there is no danger of a freeze, and as a rule that is all the work that my garden requires. And look at the wonderful reward I have. No mural decoration is half so graceful as my ivy when it follows it's own course.
 "Of centerpieces for my table, have an endless variety, and no florist bill to pay. It is my especial joy to take real geranium and place 1t ina large fruit bowl and pile grapes and red apples around it until the pot if hidden by tl.em. If it is a snowy day I scatter nuts and raisins over the tor of the fruit. In the late winter wher want to pretend thats1 am sunnlnf myself in Florida I take one of the lit. l tie orange trees and bury it's base il a bowl of oranges and lemons. Yot have no idea how, rich and inviting the effect is. One can almost imagin
 the perfume of the blossoms"
 So absorbed had we become in ou
 conversation that 1 did not realize tna
 we had reached the salad course unti a dish of fluffy green lettuce and tn tiniest of radishes was set before ms
 My hostess eyes twlnkled and sh
 leaned toward me laughingly. T hay
 a family secret to tell,' she said, I'M
 house has a truck garden in it as we
 as a flower garden. Before each (
 the kitchen windows, which also fac
 the east, there are large wooden box
 es of earth with pieces of window glas over them, and there I grow my hot I house radishes and lettuce. Tn salad was excellent; indeed so goo
 that as I tasted it's, freshness an
 looked around at the springlike greer
 ness of the room, I wondered wh more of us had not thought of 'tf
 house garden" as a road to beaut and economy in the home. l.. M. B. Hl1ntinotnn Long Island