70 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



THE WINTER S WINDOW GARDEN. 



BY E. E. REXFORD. 



WHAT TO HAVE IN IT AND HOW TO TAKE CARE OF IT. 



'HE only fuchsia which can be de- 

 pended on for flowers in winter is 

 the variety called speciosa. This is 

 not as rich in color as most of the 

 summer bloomers, but it is a really beautiful 

 plant. 



The abutilons, popularly known as flower- 

 ing- maples, because of the resemblance of 

 their foliage to that of our native maple, are 

 excellent bloomers, and require very little 

 care. Their flowers ase pedant and bell- 

 shaped, some red, some pink, some yellow 

 and some pure white. 



The calla is a g-eneral favorite. Its large, 

 rich foliage makes it an attractive plant 

 without flowers. Add these to- it, and it 

 becomes a most ornamental feature of any 

 collection. This is one of the plants for 

 which the general rule given for watering 

 must be modified somewhat. It likes a good 

 deal of water at its roots, and a daily ap- 

 plication will generally be needed. 



The Primroses. — For winter flowering, we 

 have few plants more satisfactory than the 

 Chinese primrose. Primula obconica and 

 Primula forbesii — better known as the baby 

 primrose^^ — all members of the same family. 

 The Chinese primrose is the most difficult 

 one of the three to grow well, but the ama- 

 teur will find but little trouble with it if she 

 is careful to pot it so that the crown of the 

 plant stands well above the soil. If it is 

 low enough for water to stand about it, decay 

 is pretty sure to set in. Let the soil srlope 

 towards the sides of the pot. The others 

 will not require special treatment in this 

 respect. Primula obconica has flowers of a 

 pale lilac, often nearly pure white, with a 

 yellow-green eye, and they are so freely pro- 



duced that a healthy plant is nearly covered 

 with them. They have a woodsy air about 

 them that gives them a special charm to 

 those who love our native flowers. The 

 "baby primrose" is one of the most de- 

 lightful of all flowers, and one of the very 

 easiest to grow, and grow well. Plants 

 procured now, or a month or two later, will 

 soon come into bloom, and throughout the 

 winter they will be a mass of dainty rosy 

 blossoms with a yellow eye — lovable little 

 things that will attract more attention and 

 receive more admiration than anything else 

 your window garden will be likely to con- 

 tain. Primula obconica has great quantities 

 of very fine roots, and must be given a good 

 deal of water. These plants do well in 

 comparative shade. 



Pentas lanceolata is quite a new plant, 

 but it deserves a place in all collections. It 

 has a star-shaped flower of purest white. Its 

 flowers are borne in clusters, and bear con- 

 siderable resemblance to the bouvardia 

 which everybody admires, but which so few 

 succeed in growing, even in a greenhouse. 

 Pentas is a good substitute for it, and has 

 the merit of being easy to grow. 



The Paris Daisy — known as Marguerite 

 abroad — is seldom seen in the window gar- 

 den, but it would be extensively grown if its 

 merits were more generally understood. It 

 literally " grows like a weed." There are 

 two varieties, one having white flowers, the 

 other flowers of a soft, sulphur yellow. 

 They so closely resemble our natiVe daisy 

 that they are often mistaken for it. To 

 those who have a friendship for the daisy 

 this will be a strong argument in their favor, 

 and may induce them to give these plants a 



