HOUSE, AREA, AND WINDOW GARDENING. 



193 



at our hands more consideration tlian some other sub- 

 divisions of domestic horticulture. 



The simplest form of window-SLll gardening is the 

 growth in pots of three or four Geraniums, or 

 i''uchsias, by watering them when the earth is diy, 

 and taking them indoors in frosty weather. The 

 next step is to try and lessen the work of watering 

 liy protecting the sides of the pots, and thus prevent- 

 ing so much escape of moisture by evaporation. The 

 readiest way of doing this is to put each pot into 

 another pot two sizes larger, and to fill up the space 

 between the two pots with moss. By this arrange- 

 ment much labour in watering will be saved, and the 

 roots of the plant will he kept in a more natural 

 condition. 



Of course a still better plan is to fasten three 

 sides of a box round the whole of the window-siJl, 

 and then to pack moss around all the pots. This 

 woodwork can be secured with small brackets, either 

 to the brickwork of the house, or to the woodwork of 

 the window-frame, as may be most convenient. The 

 outside may be ornamented with tiles, or cork, 

 tacked on. 



The n£xt best arrangement to this is to have a box 

 to fit the window-sill, and filled with moss, into 

 which the pot-plants can be plunged ; or filled with 

 earth in which the plants can be placed, and the pots 

 thus dispensed with. This box may be made of 

 wood, slate, or pottery. If wood is used, it should 

 be well painted, or tarred, inside, otherwise it will 

 soon rot and fall to pieces. The ornamentation of 

 the outside can be done, as cooks say in the matter 

 of salt, sugar, and other addenda, " to taste." 



"Window Boxes. — The construction of boxes to 

 ■stand on window-sills is a very simple affair to any 

 one who possesses a slight knowledge of tools and 

 their use. But as some of our readers inay 

 not have " graduated " in a carpenter's shop, a few 

 hints and drawings may be found useful. The 

 easiest form of box to make is that shown in 

 Fig. 26, where the bottom is simj^ly nailed in 

 between the sides. If it is thought that the weight 

 of the pots might burst out the bottom, it can be 

 strengthened by strips of hoop-iron piissing under 

 the bottom and up the sides for two or three inches. 

 These strips, after being cut of the proper length, 

 must have a couple of holes punched in each end, so 

 as to permit of their being nailed to the side of the 

 box. The best wood to use for boxes is 3-ellow deal ; 

 boxes made of this, if painted with four coats of oil- 

 paint, will last for years. 



As window-siUs are not flat, but all slope a little 



downwards from the window to throw off rain, one 



or more wedges must be put under the outer edge 



of the box to keep it level. One of these' wedges 



85 



is shown at c (n Fig. 26. When these have been 

 prepared of the proper size and shape, they should be 

 nailed on to the bottom of the box ; otherwise, they 

 are liable to slip out of their places. But a more 

 workmanlike method is to make the outer side of the 

 box a little deeper than the inner one, and then no 

 wedges will be required. To do this, a section of the 

 proposed box must be drawn, somewhat as in Fig. 26, 

 where n represents a section of the window-sill. In 

 order to ascertain the exact incline of the sill for 

 which the box is to be made, one leg of a partly- 

 opened two-foot rule must be laid on the sill, and the 

 other leg moved up against the wall of the house ; if 



Fig. 26.— ■Window Box. 



the rule in this position be laid down on the paper, 

 a line drawn along the outer edges will show the 

 required slope. 



Drainage must, of course, be provided for by 

 making a' few holes in the bottom of the box with 

 an auger, or centre-bit. If, however, a portion of a 

 flower-pot stood upon one of these holes, it would 

 stop it up. It is therefore necessary that the pots 

 should be kept away from the bottom of the box, 

 either by a layer of gravel not small enough to fall 

 through the holes, or by strips of wood fastened to 

 the bottom, as shown at b k. Fig. 26. If wood 

 is used, then the strips must be well painted before 

 they are put in, otherwise they will soon rot. 



A better mode of making the lower part of 

 the box, is by cutting shallow grooves in the sides 

 into which the bottom fits, and in which it is then 

 secured by screws from the outside. After this has 

 been cut and fitted together, it must be taken to 

 pieces and thoroughly painted several times before it 

 is finally screwed up. 



Perforated zinc trays are preferable to either of 

 those methods. 



Take a perforated sheet of zinc of the same size as 

 the bottom of the box ; turn up the edge for half an 

 inch all round so as to form a shallow tray, turn this 



