ox ROOM PLANTS 



shrubs belonging to different sections are Auaiba japoiiica^ 

 MahoTiia {Be?'be?'is) Aquifolia, Eiio?iymus japoniais variegatus, 

 the pretty Pernettya imic?'o?iafa, and Skimmia oblata. These are 

 all excellent town plants, which is an additional recommenda- 

 tion. Xor must the useful hardy Heaths be forgotten. 

 E. vulgaris and its varieties, E. carnea^ and several others make 

 pretty and compact window-box plants, and they will withstand 

 a good clipping each season. Then there are the beautiful 

 Laurustinus {^Viburnufn Tinus)^ Fig. 523, Laurel, Privet, and 

 many others. This shrubby section is such an important one, 

 and contains so many widely different kinds, that the planter 

 must refer to the Chapter " On Trees and Shrubs for a more 

 extended list and more details of culture. 



To hide the front of the box some trailing plants might be 

 advantageously used. Many of the Ivies, Periwinkles ( Vinca), 

 G7iaphaliiim lanatiim^ Creeping Jenny {Lysi??iachia), Toadflax 

 {Linaria), Convolvulus major^ and Tropaeolum Fireball would 

 depend gracefully ; or if something pretty and somewhat out of 

 the common were required, Sweet Peas might be sown near the 

 edge of the box — Cupid, for instance — and be allowed to fall 

 over. The taller-growing varieties of Sweet Peas might also be 

 similarly used. Even the few trailers enumerated are capable ot 

 giving plenty of variety and affording some pleasing contrasts if 

 but arranged with an eye to colour. 



Quite amongst the finest of plants for a sunny window-box are 

 the Petunias. Good bushy plants of really strongly-constitutioned 

 kinds should be selected and planted in summer, supporting 

 them with neat little birch twigs. Amateurs who have not the 

 necessary accommodation for raising their own plants in spring 

 can purchase stocky specimens from any good nursery. Petunias 

 like plenty of water in summer, and to be fed while in blossom 

 with weak liquid manure. The double varieties are the most 

 effective, and these are increased bv cuttins^s taken in late 

 summer. Aubrietia deltoidea grceca should oftener be employed, 

 as blue flowers are always appreciated. To the genus Armeria 

 (Thrift) belong several capital window subjects if a light, rich 

 soil be provided. They are pretty while in flower, and their 

 foliage is refreshingly green in autumn and spring. 



A plant so well known in the borders as Alyssum saxatile 

 should need but little recommendation, as its fragrant yellow 

 blossoms are excellent when associated with those of other spring- 

 flowering subjects — Aubrietias or Arabis, to go no further. Gypso- 

 phila repens will add beauty to any box in which it finds a 

 place : the minute white flowers and graceful habit combine to 

 form a most pleasing whole. Saxifraga Aizoon, S. Wallacei, and 

 S. Burseriana are all white-flowered Saxifrages, but they differ 

 considerably in habit ; they are especially valuable on account 

 of their earliness and hardiness. In the rock garden one frequently 



