THE FLORAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 47 



remarks which follow, and we hope shortly to be enabled to present 

 a serviceable list of plants adapted for window and balcony cultiva- 

 tion. 



GiYiNG AiE.— The frequent occurrence of the direction '^ to give 

 air," in garden calendars, should have full force in regard to window 

 flowers. However free from dust or injurious exhalations the atmos- 

 phere of a room or small conservatory may be, the plants kept there 

 require as much air as the temperature and other circumstances 

 will admit of. Even in the depth of winter, we have occasional 

 warm sunny days, when, if only for an hour at noon, the windows 

 should be opened, and the fresh air allowed to play amongst the 

 foliage ; and at otlier seasons, air should be given regularly, as a 

 matter of course. Too often window plants get air only by accident, 

 and the consequence is that they get weak and spindling ; their 

 blooms fall in the bud, the leaves turn yellow, and insects appear 

 in numbers to prey upon their unhealthy juices. But certain pre- 

 cautions are necessary. Cold draughts are generally injurious; a 

 whistling east wind, that would cause an attack of toothache to the 

 cultivator, will not be likely to benefit any rather tender plant, 

 especially if it has been previously kept in a warm temperature. So, 

 also, an intensely hot sunshine will be likely to exhaust the plants ; 

 and a smart gale will sometimes cause the leaves to flag as if they 

 had not had water for a week past. I will tell you how to kill a 

 collection of plants in an hour, and the process will perhaps serve 

 to impress upon the mind the necessity of avoiding whatever 

 approaches to violent treatment in the management of plants. Tou 

 may purchase from a hawker a few hydrangeas, pelargoniums, 

 genistas, and cinerarias, in full bloom. Place them on the flagstones, 

 where there is a brisk breeze and a bright sun. Then drench them 

 overhead three times with cold water from the rose of a common 

 watering pot. In an hour's time, they will be found in a drooping 

 and dying state, and no novice in horticulture will be able to restore 

 them. They are, in fact, killed through the rapid transition from a 

 warm forcing house to a fresh breeze and sunshine, and the chill 

 caused by the dash of water upon them. 



Sunshine and Shade. — A south widow is the proper place for 

 the majority of plants that produce gaily-coloured flowers. But a 

 north widow will serve admirably for plants already in bloom, and 

 which it is desired to keep in perfection as long as possible. Usually, 

 the ardent cultivator of window plants appropriates the north aspects 

 for ferns and lycopodiuns ; and if these are well managed, they are 

 always beautiful. But there need be no such strict rule observed. 

 Our own collections of window ferns enjoy a little sunshine at all 

 seasons, and are the better for it ; and, on the other hand, camellias, 

 cytibuses, primulas, and Alpine auriculas will thrive in an airy 

 north window, and bloom to perfection if kept safe from frost, and 

 otherwise properly cared for. Window plants can be moved about, 

 and, when forming their bloom buds, it will be a good rule to let 

 them have some amount of sunshine, especially those that bloom 

 early in the year. The form of a plant will be very much deter- 

 mined by the direction in which it receives light ; and some writers 



