Greenhouse or Automobile?- By c. l. Preston, 



TYING THE HOME AND GARDEN TOGETHER AND UTILIZING ONE HEATING 

 PLANT FOR BOTH— MAKING THE GARDEN AN ALL-THE-YEAR-ROUND HOBBY 



New 

 York 



WILL it be a greenhouse or a new 

 automobile then — the cost is 

 the same, anyhow?" That 

 was the ultimatum. Both were 

 in the minds of Him and Her, and the de- 

 cision must be made between them for 

 both (at once) were impossible. For the 

 car He submitted easy travel to any where 

 at any time; independence of railroads; 

 and besides, most of their friends had cars 

 already. On the other side: the greenhouse 

 would be an enlargement of the home, a 

 part of it indeed, a constant and ever 

 present joy working every day in the year, 

 especially welcome in winter; into it could 

 go living reminders of all the countries of 

 the world; from it the dinner table could be 

 graced, if not supplied in part — and besides, 

 She wanted it as a personal recreation and 

 hobby. The greenhouse won! But there 

 were special factors to be considered. It 

 was not to be an ordinary greenhouse run 

 on a schedule by a gardener, but the wo- 

 man's very own to be worked in by the lady 

 herself and her alone. It must, therefore, 

 be attached to the residence, to become 

 indeed another room. It must accommo- 

 date some really large plants as well as the 

 conventional sort of thing. Could it be 

 done? The greenhouse builder thought 

 it could. He merely omitted any central 

 board, making instead a "solid bed," thus 

 getting the whole height of the centre of the 

 house for those "large plants." He further 

 conceived the idea of heating the new struc- 

 ture from the same furnace as heats the 

 house, a separate main being installed to 

 the greenhouse with proper valves to con- 

 trol it. 



All this was two years ago and more than 

 ever, as the time goes on, do she and he 

 feel that no mistake was made by attaching 

 the greenhouse to the residence. In all 

 sorts of weather she can leave the breakfast 

 table and go directly into 

 her little glass garden to 

 attend to the wants of her 

 growing plants; and after 

 dinner all the family can 

 sit on the adjoining piazza 

 which also opens right into 

 the greenhouse, and enjoy 

 the atmosphere of growing 

 plants and flowers, ar- 

 ranged and rearranged 

 easily into new groupings. 

 Asked the direct ques- 

 tion, "Would you do the 

 same thing again in the 

 same way?" the answer is 

 "With one modification 

 only, yes!" It was too 

 small; better for any one 

 else contemplating such an 

 idea to plan for a house 

 in two compartments, so 

 as to permit the growing 

 of a greater variety of 

 things at one time, for 

 She had found out that 



Porch 



"&, 



-Is 



■24'-0"- 





*■* 



This is the actual plan of the greenhouse shown on the next 

 page. Solid bed in centre, with benches on side 



the possibilities of a greenhouse are con- 

 trolled by the temperature maintained. 



Would she change the arrangement in 

 any particular manner? Did she find it 

 difficult to manage and actually run her 

 own greenhouse? The owner very plainly 

 tells me that there had not been any dis- 

 appointment connected with the green- 

 house; enjoyed immensely taking care of 

 it herself; and though (like most beginners) 

 she had experienced some difficulty at the 

 start by trying to grow too great a variety, 



A suggestion for tying together the greenhouse and the home. Make them partners! 



42 



she had learned now how to keep inside 

 certain limits and was thoroughly satisfied 

 with what her house produced. 



With the exception of carrying in and 

 out the necessary soil the owner of this 

 house accepts full responsibility for all the 

 inside work, staking and training, cleaning 

 and the special care of individual plants. 



Fancy turns toward interesting plants 

 rather than showy ones. A large healthy 

 sensitive plant shows the good care bestowed 

 on it; a balloon vine is trained along the 

 roof at one end and a fine banana plant 

 in the centre bed bore promise of fruit 

 when the photographs were made. A few 

 orchids are suspended from the roof. The 

 centre bed was filled with rich earth and 

 side by side flourish bananas, begonias, 

 crotons, and ferns. On the side benches 

 just enough flowers are grown to keep 

 the table and living room supplied at all 

 times. 



Just imagine, if you can, what such a 

 greenhouse means to your place. Bedding 

 plants, in numbers for your outside work, 

 seedlings in unlimited quantities for your 

 flower and vegetable gardens, flowers for 

 your house at all times, and some of those 

 little, old-time favorites of yours which 

 though admired are not a commercial flower 

 and therefore cannot be bought. 



A little one-compartment house, properly 

 managed, should keep a fair sized family 

 well supplied with plants and flowers during 

 the winter season. Taking carnations as 

 the main crop, there may also be sown 

 antirrhinum, mignonette, stocks, narcissus, 

 tulips, hyacinths, freesias, and many others; 

 in one corner, perhaps a few heads of 

 cauliflower or lettuce or rhubarb and 

 asparagus, and even mushrooms under the 

 benches. 



In spring, the house can be used to get 

 an early start for the various gardens. All 

 sorts of annuals, such 

 as asters, heliotrope, cel- 

 osia, pansy, etc., can be 

 started for the flower 

 garden; cuttings of ger- 

 aniums, coleus, alternan- 

 thera, etc., for formal 

 bedding are possible; while 

 for the vegetable garden 

 lettuce, eggplant, pepper, 

 tomatoes, and various 

 other vegetables are in- 

 creased in earliness and 

 quality by the early start 

 which a greenhouse af- 

 fords. 



It is a good plan too 

 with a house of modest 

 size to have it attached to 

 the residence even though 

 you do not intend to run 

 the house yourself, it is 

 then so easily accessible 

 that frequent inspection 

 ensures having everything 

 in first class condition. 



