238 



The Country Gentlewoman 



WINDOW GARDENING. 



IF there is one aspect of London garden- 

 ing that may be appropriately termed 

 badly done, as a general rule, it is that of out- 

 side window boxes. Hundreds of attempts are 

 made at window gardening annually within 

 the metropolitan districts, and yet but few of 

 them can be said to be successes. This 

 arises from — first, unsuitabiUty of the plants 

 employed ; and, second, neglect. It is not 

 unusual to see early in March, when cold 

 northerly or easterly blasts prevail, window- 

 boxes filled with tender plants from a warm 

 house, such as Cinerarias, Primulas, and simi- 

 lar things, that in a day or two become 

 shrivelled and browned. This is often attri- 

 buted to want of water, and a copious supply 

 being given soon completes the work of de- 

 struction. On the other hand, many a box 

 of plants fully exposed to scorching sunshine 

 and the drying eftects of east wind, soon 

 presents a starved appearance for want of 

 water. There are, however, many exceptions, 

 where a genuine love for plants causes them 

 to be tenderly watched, and their wants 

 supplied. Under such circumstances, they 

 are a constant source of gratification. 



My sitting-room window has an aspect due 

 south, and on the outside of it there is a 

 wooden box, painted green, about 45 inches 

 in length by 7 in width. In November last 

 this box was planted as follows : — At the bot- 

 tom was laid some strips of green turf, and 

 on this was laid soil, of which rotten manure 

 formed a large proportion, about 3 inches in 

 depth. On this I planted a dozen single 

 Hyacinths, some of the best cheap varieties 

 of different shades of colour, and about half- 

 a-dozen bulbs of Narcissus tazetta (Polyan- 

 thus Narcissus). Then, having covered these 

 with a layer of soil, I added another of bulbs, 

 consisting of Snowdrops, Crocus susianus, 

 (Cloth of Gold), ('. biflorus (Scotch), and 

 some striped and blue varieties of C. vernus 



— only a few of each ; with these I mingled' 

 a itw roots of mixed Turban Ranunculus, 

 covered the whole with soil, and then, by way 

 of a finish, I planted along the front of the 

 box some tufts of the pretty new Leptosiphon 

 roseus. From the early days of February, 

 when the Snowdrops and Early Crocuses 

 come into bloom, and on down to the pre- 

 sent time, when the gay flowers of the Ra- 

 nunculuses are fading away, and the tufts of 

 the Leptosiphon are in full splendour, there 

 has been one uninterrupted sequence of floral 

 beauty. The Crocuses and Snowdrops died 

 away gradually ; but after the Hyacinths and 

 Narcissus were out of bloom, I cut them down 

 nearly to the surface, in order that the fast 

 developing Ranunculuses might have ample 

 space. While the bright, hot, dry weather 

 lasted, I water copiously every day, though 

 the soil in the box is so honeycombed by the 

 number of roots it contains, that it passes 

 through it very quickly. 



In a few day the contents of the box will 

 be turned out, and all the bulbs, with some 

 soil adhering to their roots, will be carefully 

 put away in paper bags, for use m the same 

 way next autumn. They will answer well two 

 years in succession. Then the box being 

 filled with fresh soil, will be again planted, 

 with a few foliaged and flowering plants. 

 Over the front of it will fall the variegated 

 form of Sedum Sieboldi, variegated Ivy-leaved 

 Pelargoniums, and the pretty pale lavender- 

 blue Convolvulus mauritanicus. A plant or 

 two of a free-blooming Tropasolum Lobbi- 

 anum, Mrs Pollock variegated Pelargonium, 

 and similar things, will complete the arrange- 

 ment till the end of October ; and when they 

 come to an end, another season for planting 

 will have come round again. 



Thus managed, the window garden is 

 always gay and always attractive ; and these 

 simple and inexpensive modes of embellish- 



