THE WINTER WINDOW GARDEN II 3 



arrive from abroad, however, until about 

 November. As soon as received pot them 

 up in a good potting soil, water them, and 

 store them in a cool, dark place. 



It takes ten to fourteen weeks to flower 

 the astilbe, so if you want the plants for 

 any special occasion you must figure ahead 

 a bit. The astilbe is not at all particular 

 as to temperature, anywhere between 50 

 degrees and 60 degrees will do. Anything 

 above that will cause a flabby growth and 

 the plant will have no lasting qualities. When 

 through flowering keep the plants in a light 

 place until all danger of frost is past, when 

 they can be planted outdoors in the border 

 and left until a year from the following fall, 

 when they may be potted up and again forced. 



FORCING GLADIOLUS 



A lot of pleasure may be had from forc- 

 ing the gladiolus. The best one for this is 

 G. Colvillei, an early blooming hybrid, which 

 has many varieties. For Easter bloom the 

 bulbs need not be started until December. 



The secret of success in forcing gladioli 

 is to grow them cool. A night temperature 

 of 45 degrees to 50 degrees is plenty warm 



