ORNAMENTALS 267 



finished appearance in summer without one or two 

 of these. The Asparagus sprengerii is one of the 

 most useful of greens, either for hanging baskets 

 or pots, but no hanging basket plant will succeed 

 without plenty of moisture, and this least of all. 

 One of the most beautiful specimen plants of this 

 I have ever seen, 3 feet in length, and with the 

 very strongest of fronds, was grown in water. The 

 basket was placed in a large crock, strong wire was 

 placed around the crock, and this suspended from 

 the ceiling. The crock was kept constantly filled 

 with water, and this gradually soaked up into the 

 basket. Tin or porous receptacles are best, and 

 the water should be allowed to soak up through the 

 draining holes. The wire hanging baskets, with 

 the moss, dry out so quickly that hardly anything 

 will be a success in them." 



PANSIES IN WINTER 



" Let me tell you," says C. L. Meller of Wiscon- 

 sin, " how I have obtained rather inexpensive, 

 though very pretty floral decorations from the 

 pansy, and that without going to a florist. You 

 can have pansies any winter month in bloom if you 

 will follow directions, and if you have a pansy bed, 

 or can get a few plants from one. 



" Remove the winter covering from the bed and 

 dig up a few plants, roots and all, nor hesitate even 

 though the ground is frozen solid. Then take the 

 plants into the coolest part of the cellar or base- 

 ment, there to thaw the ground out thoroughly, 

 but not too rapidly. Leave the plants there for a 

 week at least, taking care, however, that the ground 

 does not become too dry and hard. When the soil 

 around the roots has warmed somewhat, and is 



