244 THE PRACTICAL GARDEN -BOOK 



window. In this case it will be desirable to thin out the 

 foliage somewhat, shorten in some of the vines, and per- 

 haps remove some of the plants. It will also be desirable to 

 give a fresh coating of rich soil. Increased care will be 

 necessary, also, in watering, since the plants will have less 

 light than previously, and, moreover, there may be no pro- 

 vision for drainage. 



The Winter Window-Garden may consist simply of a jar- 

 diniere, or a few choice pot-plants on a stand at the window, 

 or of a considerable collection, with more or less elaborate 

 arrangements for their accommodation in the way of box, 

 brackets, shelves and stands. Expensive arrangements 

 are by no means necessary, nor is a large collection. The 

 plants and flowers themselves are the main consideration, 

 and a small collection well cared for is better than a large 

 one unless it can be easily accommodated and kept in 

 good condition. 



The window for plants should have a southern, south- 

 eastern or eastern exposure. Plants need all the light they 

 can get in the winter, especially those which are ex- 

 pected to bloom. The window should be tight-fitting. 

 Shutters and a curtain will be an advantage in cold 

 weather. 



Plants like a certain uniformity in conditions. It is very 

 trying on them, and often fatal to success, to have them snug 

 and warm one night and shivering in a temperature only 

 a few degrees above freezing the next. Some plants will 

 live in spite of it, but they cannot be expected to prosper. 

 Those whose rooms are heated with steam, hot water or hot 

 air will have to guard against keeping ro.oms too warm 

 fully as much as keeping them too cool. Rooms in brick 

 dwellings that have been warm all day, if shut up and made 

 snug in the evening will often keep warm over night with- 

 out heat except in the coldest weather. Booms in frame 

 dwellings, and exposed on all sides, soon cool down. 



It is difficult to grow plants in rooms lighted by gas, as 



