428 



THE BELGIAN WINDOW-GARDEN, 



with M. Paqttet that the little Belgian win- 

 dow-gardens are upon the whole more likely 

 to meet the means, if not the fancy of the 

 mass of mankind. We therefore borrow 

 from him the following figure and descrip- 

 tion of one of them, which has now become 

 extremelj- common. Let figure 46 repre- 

 sent the outside of this window-garden, and 

 47, a section of it, together with the win- 

 dow to which it belongs. A sloping roof 

 of glass is carried outwards from the mid- 

 dle cross bars of the sash in such a way 

 that the upper sash allows light to enter 

 the room freel3^ The lower sashes open 

 as usual by a pair of folding leaves as wide 

 as the window frame. A pair of brackets 

 carries the floor which projects be\'ond the 

 walls of the house. Shelves are fixed to 

 uprights next rhe window-leaves, and the 

 sloping roof is raised or depressed by means 

 of a rack, which is easily reached from the 

 inside." 



Fig. 46. Tig. 47. 



It is obvious that this contrivance pos- 

 sesses all the advantages of a Ward's case, 

 without its inconveniences. Being placed 

 on the outside of a house, it occupies no 

 space that is otherwise required. As the 

 glass next the room will always be warm, 

 there will be no condensation upon it to 

 conceal the plants which the window-gar- 

 den contains. The foldinsr leaves render 



it easy to get at the interior, and in towns 

 water could be readily laid on for the pur- 

 pose of moistening the plants when it ia 

 required. Such little contrivances would 

 suggest themselves to any ingenious me- 

 chanic. A place of this kind might even 

 be heated in severe weather by a pan of 

 boiling water, or protected by a woollen 

 covering thrown over it at night. In short, 

 it seems to be of all things the best adapted 

 to the purposes, as well as means, of those 

 to whom window-gardens would be ac- 

 ceptable. In such a place it would be per- 

 fectly practicable to have all sorts of forced 

 flowers in spring and winter ; Eoses in 

 summer. Pelargoniums in autumn. A thou- 

 sand pretty plants might be selected for va- 

 riety, and the whole would be a most agree- 

 able amusement for those who are neat, 

 careful, and skilful. 



A model of this Belgian window-garden 

 was most obligingly forwarded to us from 

 Boulogne, by our good correspondent, Mr. 

 Cruckshanks, and shown to the Fellows of 

 the Horticultural Society. It teaches us 

 several things. A rolling blind is made to 

 work in the inside, so as to screen the 

 plants from too much sun, when placed in 

 a southern aspect. A trellis-work of wires 

 is carried up the ends, and adds much to 

 the appearance of the little garden. Here 

 thrives Maurandya Barclayana, together 

 with the little Tropseolums of Chili. The 

 bottom should be guarded by a raised edge 

 next the sitting-room, so as to form a shal- 

 low box at least 6 inches deep; this is to 

 be filled up with damp moss, in which the 

 pots are plunged, and by which they may 

 also be covered. Attention to these mat- 

 ters has been found by experience to be 

 essential. We would add moveable venti- 

 lators at the front and sides, so that air 

 might be given when it would not be pru- 

 dent to raise the sash. 



Such little details are what constitute the 

 secret of success ; and now that the plans of 

 construction are intelligible, and that many 

 are, as we believe, preparing to adopt these 

 gardens, we must offer some hints in a 

 general way. 



The advantage of such an apparatus con- 

 sists in its separating plants from a sitting- 

 room when they are not wanted, and intro- 

 ducing them there the instant they are 



