BALSAM BASKET PLANTS 29 



perfect column of flowers. Balsams are injured by the 

 slightest frost. Seeds germinate quickly. Plants should 

 stand 12-18 in. apart. They grow 18-30 in. high. 



Bartonia. Hardy annual, with golden yellow, 

 brilliant flowers. The tall-growing Bartonia (B. aurea) 

 may be used in a mixed border to good advantage. It is a 

 bushy plant, reaching 23 ft. high. The dwarf kind may 

 be used as a border plant or in a rock garden, or as an 

 edging. The fragrance of both tall and dwarf is very pro- 

 nounced in the evening. The Bartonias are very easy to 

 grow in a warm soil and sunny exposure. Their numerous 

 thread-like, long stamens are very interesting. 



Basket Plants. In order to have a good hang- 

 ing basket, it is necessary that some provision be made 

 to prevent too rapid drying out of the earth. It is custom- 

 ary, therefore, to line the pot or basket with moss. Open 

 wire baskets, like a horse muzzle, are often lined with moss 

 and used for the growing of plants. Prepare the earth by 

 mixing some well decayed leaf -mold with rich garden loam, 

 thereby making an earth which will retain moisture. Hang 

 the basket in a light place, but still not in a direct sunlight; 

 and, if possible, avoid putting it where it will be exposed to 

 drying wind. In order to water the basket, it is often ad- 

 visable to sink it into a pail or tub of water. Various 

 plants are well adapted to hanging baskets. Among the 

 drooping or vine-like kinds are the strawberry geranium, 

 Kenilworth ivy, maurandya, German ivy, canary-bird flower, 

 Asparagus Sprengeri, ivy geranium, trailing fuchsia, wander- 

 ing Jew, and othonna. Among the erect-growing plants 

 which produce flowers, Lobelia Erinus, sweet alyssum, 

 petunias, oxalis, and various geraniums are to be recom- 

 mended. Among foliage plants such things as coleus, dusty 

 miller, begonia, and some geraniums are adaptable, 



Baskets. For the picking and handling of 

 fruit in the home garden, the common Climax basket, in 



