PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 



81 



of the pot : put the soil around it ; press it down between 

 the ball and the side, and fill the whole up level with the 

 collar of the plant and the edge of the pot. Let them all 

 be placed in a sheltered spot, and refreshed with water 

 when they require it, which will be more or less frequently, 

 according as the season be dry or wet. Let each pot have 

 a stake in the centre, to which the plants may be closely 

 tied as they rise up for bloom. When they show their 

 buds, remove all but three, and the flowers will be the 

 finer, and not more than one blooming shoot may be left on 

 each plant. 1 When the buds have swollen, and are about 

 to burst, tie a piece of bass matting round the middle, and 

 carefully open the calyx down to the tie, at all the divisions, 

 as the flower can then open all around alike ; otherwise, 

 they frequently burst on one side, and it is then difficult to 

 form an even flower. As the petals develop themselves, 

 they should be shaded from the sun and rain, either of 

 which would damage the flowers. Culture in pots is sel- 

 dom resorted to in this country, unless it be for exhibition 

 purposes ; and it is for the benefit of amateurs, who wish 

 to grow them for that purpose, that we have given such 

 minute directions. 



Culture in Beds and the Flower Border. This is the 

 6 



