WINDOW BOXES AND HANGING BASKETS 263 



high, is good. The dwarf zinnia is perhaps even more brilliant in its 

 various colours. It is also stifFer in its habit of growth and conse- 

 quently better for a windy location. California poppies can be had in 

 all shades of yellow and orange and could be used with nicotiana for a 

 white and yellow box. Another good combination is blue lobelia, pink 

 verbena, and asparagus fern. 



Care should be taken to select the flowers which will bloom simul- 

 taneously. Foliage plants should be used to provide an abundance 

 of green, and enough vines and flowers of a drooping habit should be in- 

 troduced to counteract the stifi'ness of the box. 



When planting, pack the roots in firmly on account of the wind. 

 For an unusually windy position it is best to use a deeper box. In 

 choosing the plants, exposure is the first important consideration. (See 

 the following lists.) For sunny positions the more vigorous growing 

 and flowering plants are apt to do best, while in shade ferns and 

 foliage plants, generally speaking, are more successful. In a dusty 

 location smoother-leaved plants such as myrtle and ivy geraniums 

 should be used. 



Inside window boxes should get sunshine and plenty of fresh air 

 but must never be placed in a draft. The temperature for the average 

 house plant is between 55° at night to 70° in the daytime. The plants 

 should be watered regularly and the foliage sprayed two or three times 

 a week, with the exception of those plants with fuzzy foliage, such as 

 gloxinia, where moisture upon the leaves would cause decay. Hang- 

 ing baskets should be lined with moss in order to retain their moisture. 



The soil used in all window boxes must be rich, as the roots are so 

 crowded and ample plant food must be available. A good soil mix- 

 ture for this purpose is two parts garden loam, one part rotted leaf 

 mold, and one part sand, mixed with one part well-rotted manure. 

 This mixture can be procured from any florist. As the box becomes 

 filled with roots it is necessary to furnish food to the plants by working 

 into the soil a small amount of bone jneal or well-rotted manure every 

 week or ten days. 



The box may be constructed of various materials: concrete, terra 

 cotta, or wood. The inside measurements for a window box should be 

 six inches to eight inches deep and ten inches to twelve inches wide. 

 The outside measurements should be fourteen inches wide and one 

 inch shorter than the window or space it is to occupy. A very long 

 box can be made in sections averaging three feet to four feet in length, 



