174 SCHOOL AND HOME GAUDENING 



flowering bulbs add much to the pleasure and value of school 

 work. 



Non-blooming plants, or those grown for the beauty of 

 the foliage are : Coleus, asparagus ferns, true fern, cactus, 

 palm, auricaria, ice plant, spiderwort, Kehnilworth ivy, Eng- 

 lish ivy, century plant and others. 



Plant Holders. — House plants may be grown in window 

 boxes, earthen pots on shelves or window-sills, tin cans, wooden 

 or wire baskets suspended from brackets, glass bulb-dishes, and 

 many other styles of holders. Probably the most satisfactory 

 form of window box is a shallow wooden box lined with light- 

 weight galvanized metal. The length should be such as to fit 

 the window or other location desired ; the width may be eight 

 to twelve inches inside; and the depth from four to eight 

 inches inside. The bottom should be provided with one or 

 more drain tubes from which the drainage water may be caught 

 when necessary to prevent the wetting of window sills, walls 

 and floors. 



It is a good plan to grow the plants in regular flower pots 

 or in tin cans with good drainage holes in the bottom. Then 

 place the pots in the window boxes instead of on the bare 

 window-sills. 



The metal-lined boxes will catch the drainage and protect 

 the room from much litter. The plan of having the potted 

 plants in a window box is a decided improvement over the 

 older method of planting directly in the soil of the box. 

 If the pots are to be used the boxes may be very shallow and 

 may be as wide as can be readily supported on a pair of 

 'brackets level with the window sill. 



Such household articles as tin cans, small buckets, small 

 boxes, etc., give very satisfactory results. These may be 

 painted or stained a suitable color, as dark green, or they 

 may be covered with green crepe or other paper. When such 

 .vessels are used for growing the plants, they should be pro- 

 vided with suitable drainage holes in the bottom, as nearly 



