96 The Flower Garden [Chapter 



vantage of cheapness and availability. Preference 

 should be given to those having close seams. If 

 warped or open they must be tightened by driving in 

 extra nails, or nailing thin strips of wood over the 

 cracks on the inside. The longevity of the window- 

 box is greatly lengthened by keeping the windows 

 above them especially on the south and west sides 

 of the house open as much of the time as possible. 

 If the sun beats on the glass of the closed window and 

 is reflected on the plants, it is literally confining them 

 between two fires and they cannot be expected to come 

 through uninjured. Let the wind sweep through and 

 over them and they will stand any reasonable amount 

 of heat or moisture. This is the reason plants do 

 better in the open than when placed against the side 

 of a wall or building the air must not only have free 

 access, but pass beyond, carrying off noxious vapours 

 and excess of moisture. 



When there is garden room for their cultivation 

 I do not approve of growing annuals in window- 

 boxes; it is better to reserve these for choice plants; 

 but when the window-box must be the only garden, 

 and economy must be studied, very pretty boxes may 

 be arranged with Sweet Alyssum; scarlet, white, or 

 pink Phlox Drummondi ; scarlet, pink, or white Ver- 

 benas; the various coloured Antirrhinums, Petunias, 

 Nasturtiums, the blue Phacelia and Ageratums, Wild 

 Cucumber, the finer foliaged fancy gourds, as Bryon- 

 opsis Coccinea Indica, and Abobra viridiflora. By 



