THE ORNAMENTAL PLANTS — WINDOW-GARDENS 345 



Climbing 'plants. — English ivy, maurandia, senecio or parlor ivy, 

 lygodium (climbing fern). 



Drooping or trailing plants. — Flowering kinds are : Sweet alyssum, 

 Mahernia odorata, Russelia and ivy geranium. 



Bulbs in the window-garden. 



Bulbs flowering through the winter add to the list of house 

 plants a charming variety. The labor, time, and skill required 

 is much less than for growing many of the larger plants more 

 commonly used for winter decorations (for instructions on 

 growing bulbs out-of-doors, see p. 281; also the entries in 

 Chapter VIII). 



Hyacinths, narcissus, tulips, and crocus, and others can be 

 made to flower in the winter without difficulty. Secure the 

 bulbs so as to be able to pot them by the middle or last of Octo- 

 ber, or if earlier all the better. The soil should be rich sandy 

 loam, if possible; if not, the best that can be got, to which about 

 one-fourth the bulk of sand is added and mixed thoroughly. 



If ordinary flower-pots are to be used, place in the bottom a 

 few pieces of broken pots, charcoal, or small stones for drainage, 

 then fill the pot with dirt so that when the bulbs are set on the 

 dirt the top of the bulb is even with the rim of the pot. Fill 

 around it with soil, leaving just the tip of the bulb showing 

 above the earth. If the soil is heavy, a good plan is to sprinkle 

 a small handful of sand under the bulb to carry off the water, 

 as is done in the beds outdoors. If one does not have pots, he 

 may use boxes. Starch boxes are a good size to use, as they are 

 not heavy to handle; and excellent flowers are sometimes se- 

 cured from bulbs planted in old tomato-cans. If boxes or cans 

 are used, care must be taken to have holes in the bottoms to 

 let the water run out. A large hyacinth bulb will do well in a 

 5-inch pot. The same size pot will do for three or four narcis- 

 suses or eight to twelve crocuses. 



After the bulbs are planted in the pots or other receptacles, 



