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HINTS OX PLANT-GROWINa IN LIVING EOOMS. 



BY GEORGE GOEDON, ESQ., A.L.S., 

 President of the Central Society of lEorticultiire. 



ANY persons are eitlier deterred from, or misled, in 

 growing plants in living rooms, by reading the lugu- 

 brious nonsense written about the danger of keeping 

 plants in such situations after nightfall, or in perusing 

 the mystified directions given from time to time for 

 their cultivation under the head of " Window " or " Indoor 

 Gardening." Such instructions, for the most part, consist of tios- 

 trums, secrets, and tricJcs, which are not only pernicious, but silly, 

 and tend to puzzle and perplex the inexperienced, by creating a 

 belief that there is much more art in growing plants in such 

 situations than there really is. But as the former of such state- 

 ments may with propriety be placed in the category of absurdities, 

 so may the latter instructions be transferred to that of twaddle; for 

 the principal cause why plants in living rooms do not thrive so well 

 as those which are kept in plant structures, is chieily owing to the 

 extreme dryness of the air in sitting-rooms, and consequently their 

 being subjected to a constant drain upon the moisture in their 

 leaves and the soil in the pots — the leaves under such circumstances 

 being deprived of their water by evaporation, instead of by per- 

 spiration; and in the exercise of their absorbent functions being 

 more or less disarranged from a deficiency of moisture in the air, for 

 all plants are more or less dependent upon the vapour in the 

 atmosphere as a source for their healthy development. 



Much, however, depends also upon the suitableness of the plants 

 selected for the purpose, and the regular attention bestowed upon 

 them, especially during the winter months ; for it is an unquestion- 

 able fact, that plants in sitting-rooms require greater care and 

 attention, and suffer more from neglect during the dull months, 

 from November to February, than at any other period of the 

 year. Therefore, the first thing to do in cultivating plants in 

 living rooms, is to determine what are the most suitable kinds 

 for such a situation ; and the more select they are, according to 

 habit and culture, the easier will be their treatment. Plants of 

 low and humble growth should always be kept in the front, and 

 close to the glass, while the larger growing ones may be elevated 

 behind ; and in order to favour in the greatest degree possible the 

 harmonious growth of the plants, and obtain a uniform development 

 of the branches and leaves, the position should be capable of 

 admitting light as much as possible on all sides ; and the best and 

 only general rule that can be adopted is to keep those plants not in 

 a growing state rather dry, for plants kept in sitting-rooms gene- 

 rally are over-watered : and it# is not an uncommon thing to see 

 plants flourishing in the window of a dwelling under the care of an 

 uninitiated individual, whilst those under the charge of others, in 



