130 GARDENING INDOORS AND UNDER GLASS 
concealed by the vines and reasonably inconspicuous. 
Where such precautions are not taken, restrict the 
plants used to those doing well in the heat, and a 
dry soil; one of the best is the ice plant (Mesem- 
bryanthemum) with flowers of pink or white, very 
freely produced. 
There is no prettier way of displaying plants than 
in the hanging basket, either in the house or on the 
porch. That one so seldom sees them is undoubt- 
edly due to the fact that few people seem to know 
how to fill and take care of them. In the first place, 
the basket should be as large as possible —a size 
or so larger than you think you ought to have, for 
what reason you will see in the following. 
Get a supply of sphagnum moss, and line the en- 
tire inner surface, sides as well as bottom, an inch 
in thickness; press down compactly, then fill nearly 
full of light, rich prepared soil, and put in the 
plants; something tall and graceful in the center, 
compact and dwarf-growing around this, and vines 
around the edges. Astonishingly beautiful results 
may be had with small baskets by using only one 
sort of plant in each, such as oxalis, ivy geranium 
or some trailing flowering vines. Cover the sur- 
face of the soil between the plants with clean live 
sphagnum moss. This will both add to the appear- 
ance and conserve the moisture. 
The best way by far to water hanging baskets is 
to have them so arranged that they may be taken 
