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Tlte Horticulturist and Journal 



My Window G-arden. 



IT had been a dream for years — an Oriental 

 sort of a picture — with plants arranged in 

 graceful groups, a fountain with musical drops 

 falling and tinkling in the center, and birds 

 hopping and singing amid the branches. 

 Finally it came to pass. I had it in reality, 

 although somewhat smaller than I used to 

 imagine, as it is so much easier to build 

 " chateaux en Espagyie''' than on terra firvm. 

 And this is how it was done — the " gude mon," 

 the early days, having decided that it was not 

 impracticable, even with moderate means. 

 Our sitting-room had a delightful southeastern 

 exposure, and was shaded by large maples in 

 summer, and yet permitted full entrance to 

 the sunshine when the leaves had tiallen. So 

 the whole side of the room was taken out, and 

 a large bow window fitted in, with sides and 

 sloping roof of glass. The foundation, of 

 brjck, was filled in with large stones at bot- 

 tom, then smaller ones, with gravel on the 

 top for the floor, which was left one step 

 lower than the room. Some sashes were hung 

 on hinges, to be opened for ventilation, and 

 two opposite panels of wood at the bottom as 

 well. A beam that was left as support to the 

 ceiling, in the center of the opening, was cased 

 and made ornamental, with brackets for pots, 

 as were those at each side. Hooks, for hang- 

 ing-baskets, were placed in the sashes of the 

 roof, and shelves on iron brackets around the 

 window. 



The fountain — a very simple one, it is true, 

 with a single jet, but very pretty for all 

 that — was made by leading water through a 

 small lead pipe, from a tank up stairs, into a 

 basin formed of a large, round wooden bowl, 

 sunk in the ground, covered with cement in- 

 side, into which pretty pebbles and shells from 

 the seashore were stuck while wet. A border 

 of ferns and mosses made a very appropriate 

 finish to this spring-like vase, and the little 

 drops rose nearly to the roof, and fell again 

 with a delicate music, sparkling brightly in 



the sunshine and helping to moisten the air, 

 warmed only by a stove in the room. 



A narrow, raised border of ferns, wild flow- 

 ers and mosses ran around the window under 

 the shelves. A rustic vase, some large pots, 

 and small stands for pots, filled up the front 

 and corners ; and then we waited for results. 

 Wise people shook their heads, and prophesied 

 dire results to my pets, from the frosts and 

 cold nights of winter. At last it came, sharp 

 and severe — a bitter night, with raging north- 

 eastern wind. The glass was thick with frost 

 when we left them to their fate. 



We came down next morning a little hur- 

 riedly, and found all as bright as when we 

 left. It has never frozen there except once — 

 when some one unfortunately forgot to raise 

 the shades which divide it from the room, one 

 extremely cold night — and not badly even 

 then, and it has been in use for years. 



In February and March my window was a 

 most exquisite picture. Framed in arches or 

 green, formed by training vines on wires, with 

 drooping graceful masses from pots placed on 

 the brackets ; a dozen hanging-baskets, gay 

 with color or green with leaves and vines, 

 suspended from the roof, with beautiful plants 

 in healthy growth and full of bloom ; the sil- 

 very water drops falling around them ; while 

 my pet canary hopped from bough to bough, 

 singing more merrily and seeming far hap- 

 pier than ever canary bird was before — shut 

 up even in a gilded prison. — Pansie, in The 

 Independent. 



A Large jBeri.— Make a bed, oblong, 

 elliptical or quadrangle, with rounded corners, 

 17 feet broad, 51 feet long. Put Ahutilon 

 Thompsonii along the middle, next a row of 

 dark velvet Coleus, next a row of Achyran- 

 thus reticulata aureus, next row of Golden 

 Coleus, then a row of silver leaved plants, and 

 Alternanthera outside. Let the roses be 18 

 inches apart, and plant 15 inches apart in the 

 rows — the outside row to be a foot inside the 

 edge. 



Fine flower seeds, such as portulaeca, pe- 

 tunia, etc., should be sown on the surface, 

 pressed in, and then watered with a fine rose. 



