216 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



December, 1911 



Roses and Nas- 

 turtiums 



By E. W. 0., No. Car. 



LAST year, about 

 the end of March 

 I planted seed of the 

 climbing nasturtium 

 near the roots of a 

 DorothyPerkins rose 

 which covered the 

 pillars and roof of 

 the porch. By the 

 last of May the rose 

 had ceased bloom- 

 ing, but the nastur- 

 tium vines had 

 climbed up among 



the rose foliage, attaining a height of The nasturtiums 

 several feet and were blooming profusely, a killing frost cut 



Huge cabbages like these can be had by any one who will feed the growing plants 



continued blooming until 

 them down. 



Giant Cabbages 



By Moe Spiegel, N. Y. 



T AST summer I 

 I—* grew two varie- 

 ties of late cabbage 

 — Danish Ballhead 

 and Marblehead. 

 From the latter vari- 

 ety I obtained a cab- 

 bage which weighed 

 forty-nine and a half 

 pounds! One of the 

 Danish Ballheads 

 weighed fully ten 

 and a half pounds. 

 This mammoth 

 growth I attributed 

 to two applications of nitrate of soda put 

 around the plants just before a rain storm. 



Window Boxes for Inside the House— By l. j. Doogue, 



Massa- 

 chusetts 



JUST because window boxes are not 

 used to any great extent in our 

 houses is no reason that they are not 

 fitted for such use. Inside window boxes 

 have the same relative fitness as do the 

 outside window boxes in the scheme of 

 ornamenting house windows, but because 

 of improper handling they have not been 

 accorded the consideration due them. 

 This does not mean that the box that has 

 been out of doors, of great size and weight, 

 can be used indoors. 



The indoor box must be small. Let it 

 be about four inches wide and three to 

 four inches deep, inside measurements. 

 Have it lined with zinc, with a hole in the 

 bottom for drainage. Let the opening 

 have a short drain pipe extending half an 

 inch from the bottom of the box, and 

 after watering let the superfluous water 

 drain through into a receptacle. A cork 

 can then be put in the pipe to prevent 

 further dripping on the floor. Big plants 





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Only a small box is suitable, as the window must 

 not be blocked 



are out of the question; a low window 

 dressing of plants is the most attractive 

 and there are hundreds of small plants 

 that will answer the requirements. 



Such a box filled with loam and plants 

 will not be heavy. To support it, if the 

 ledge is not sufficiently wide, screw to the 

 window two small pieces of flat iron, one- 

 half inch wide, and let the box rest on 

 these. If there is a possibility of the box 

 being knocked over, attach small hooks 

 at each end, or have a hole bored in each 

 iron support underneath the box, and on 

 the bottom of the box put a small screw 

 to fit the holes. It will be rarely found 

 necessary to do these things as most win- 

 dows are at least four inches wide. 



WHAT TO PUT INTO THE BOX 



I have three of these boxes in my house 

 with something different in each one. 



In one I have the box three quarters 

 filled with Mesembryanthemum and a 

 small plant of Pandanus Veitchii at one 

 end. The graceful habit and foliage of 

 the Mesembryanthemum make an unusual 

 and attractive decoration. It must be 

 watched carefully for pests. Inspection 

 once a week is enough to hold these in 

 check ; a solution of tobacco water or Ivory 

 soap will destroy and prevent them. 



In another box I have Lycopodium, the 

 little green plant that can be found growing 

 in every nook and corner in greenhouses. 

 Before attempting this, the box should 

 be filled in a greenhouse and the plants 

 allowed to establish themselves before be- 

 ing taken into the house. Or if the plants 

 have been grown in pots you will have 

 no trouble in starting them. 



In the third box I have pennyroyal, 

 which makes a perfectly dense mass of 

 soft green and grows so thickly that it 

 pushes itself out of the box. Separating 

 when this happens will remedy the trouble. 



In the third box I have Echeveria Hoveyi, 



Any small plants can be used. The trailing pani- 

 cum makes an excellent fringe 



an uncommon but most attractive plant. 

 The commoner kinds will perhaps do even 

 better than this. Of course, the soil for 

 these plants must be very sandy and they 

 require but little water. 



It is not a question of any particular 

 kinds of plants to use as most anything 

 that will fit in the box will do well. The 

 small boxes commend themselves from 

 the fact that they are easily handled and 

 do not permit growth that will shut out 

 the light from the rooms. 



Remember in using these boxes that the 

 amount of loam in them is small and that 

 it will dry out very quickly. In watering 

 do not drain off too much of the water, 

 particularly if the room is very warm. On 

 very cold nights put the curtain between 

 the box and the glass, or use a newspaper. 



