WINDOW AND ROOM GARDENING. 



5X9 



Jaburan variegatum, Phalangium lineare variegatum, and some Palms ; these are the most 

 satisfactory. Succulent plants, it must not be forgotten, may be grown in a window, and of 

 these there is a wide choice. The gorgeous Phyllocacti are a host in themselves ; their 

 flowers are of wonderful brilliancy, big petals opening wide in the sun, and though this 

 wonderful beauty is fleeting, a succession of buds expands to carry on the procession. White, 

 intense purple, crimson, scarlet, rose, pink, mauve, and a host of shades of all the leading 

 colours, shot with satiny hues, are reflected in the petals. Nothing is more gorgeous or 

 more interesting in the whole flower world than a blaze of Phyllocactus blossom, and these 

 plants may be grown in a window. True, their foliage, if one may so describe the succulent 

 leaves, is not ornamental ; it is picturesque, hut the beautiful flowers are worth waiting for. 



Hard-leaved room plants, such as Aralia Sieboldii, the Ficus elastica, Cordyline 

 australis, and the Aspidistra must always he sponged gently with warm water every week 

 at least, as if this be not done they quickly fall into bad health. The reason is obvious. 

 Dust chokes up the leaf surface, and interferes, so to speak, with the breathing of the 

 plants. Treat each leaf tenderly, never brushing against the foliage, and in summer or- on 

 warm spring days, when a soft rain is falling, stand the plants out of doors to obtain a 

 refreshing bath. Sponging is one of the principal items in the culture of room plants, and 

 must be closely attended to, more so than is the rule. Watering is another important 

 operation; it means either success or failure, and water should never remain in the saucers. 

 Sometimes a plant is put into a large ornamental bowl, and in time an inch of water 

 accumulates in the bottom. This is fatal ; the roots are in a constant state of saturation, and 

 quickly rot. Always water well. Driblets are harmful ; but the beginner usually gives 

 sufficient to moisten the surface, unmindful that the roots are in the centre and bottom of 

 the ball of soil as well as at the top. One thorough watering will often suffice during the 

 week in winter, unless the room is very warm, and in winter of course the plants are less 

 active than in the spring, when new roots 

 are made to exhaust moisture in the soil. 

 These items, apparently trifling, are of 

 great importance in successful room or 

 window gardening. A successful grower 

 of plants in a room writes as follows : "A 

 great many plants will keep in good health 

 for-^years in a dwelling-house, provided 

 they are carefully attended to and placed 

 in a fairly light position. The bane of 

 plants kept in rooms is the dry atmosphere 

 and the dust which settles on the leaves. 

 To counteract this they should be 

 thoroughly sponged once a week in tepid 

 water, and the roots must not be allowed 

 to get dry. An excess of moisture, 

 too, is equally to be avoided, and this 

 is very liable to happen if the pots are 

 stood in vases or jardinieres, which do 

 not allow of the escape of surplus water. 

 In a light sunny window some flowering 

 plants may be grown, but where shaded 

 it is best to depend upon foliage subjects 

 alone. The best time of year to repot 

 any room plants that require it is in the 



month of April, as the roots are just pink-flowered ivy leaved pelargonium. 



