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, 
