48 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



A GAT WINDOW GAKDEN. 



|HE cultivation of a few plants on the -window-sill is 

 certainly one of the most interesting and pleasurable 

 occupations in which those having no conservatory nor 

 other convenience for plant-growing can engage. The 

 embellishment of the window-sill is not, however, a 

 matter of interest to those only who have no other means of enjoy- 

 ing a few flowers of their own growing, because few adornments 

 enhance the appearance of a dwelling-house more than flower boxes 

 at the principal windows. By well-directed efforts, it is surprising 

 what a large number of flowering plants can be grown in that way, 

 and how easy, comparatively speaking, the floral decoration of the 

 windows becomes. 



The most important step to take in connection with plant- 

 growing outside the window is to eschew pots altogether, and to 

 employ well-made boxes instead. It is a matter of extreme diffi- 

 culty, after the beginning of June, to keep pot-plants in health. 

 The fierce heat of the sun, playing upon the sides of the pots, scorches 

 the roots of the plants, consequently all healthy growth is checked, 

 and they soon present a languishing appearance. Even if the roots 



Fig. 1. — Rustic Wood Box. 



were not injured by heat, they would be by drought, because it 

 would be practically impossible to keep the soil moist enough to 

 maintain a healthy growth. These remarks respecting plants in 

 pots refer, of course, to those only which are placed upon the sill, 

 without the sides of the pots being protected ; because, when the 

 windows are furnished with boxes, plants in pots can be employed 

 according to the means and wishes of each cultivator, as the boxes 

 can be loosely filled with cocoanut-fibre refuse, 'and the pots plunged 



Fig. 2.— Rustic Zinc Box. 



to their full depth. The roots and soil will then, of course, be 

 beyond the injurious influences of the heat from the sun. Indeed, 

 to carry out window-gardening in the most perfect manner possible, 

 the whole of the plants should be grown in pots, to admit of frequent 

 change; but, as that system would require more skill and time than 



