596 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



When the plants are in pots, stir the surface [ 

 soil a little occasionally, as then the water 

 flows to the roots and the whole ball of soil 

 becomes properly moistened. Remove decay- 

 ing leaves and flowers, and the plants should 

 remain in beauty until quite the autumn, | 

 when the season has again returned to make 

 use of little shrubs. 



GREENHOUSE AND HARDY PLANTS 

 USED IN WINDOWS. 



WHEN one deals with this question, mere 

 window or room gardening proper must not 

 be thought of. It is a very simple matter 

 to bring plants in from the greenhouse or 



, 1UIMULUS. 



cold frame to adorn the window; but certain 



things may remain in the window, without great harm, longer than others, such as the 

 Persian Cyclamen and Chinese Primula, and the writer has attempted on many occasions 

 to grow these plants, but without result. It is absolutely impossible to provide suitable 

 conditions for tender greenhouse plants throughout the year. There is much to contend 

 against in a room — changeable temperature, dust, dryness, and draughts. We have 

 brought buxom specimens of the Lyre-flower, Dielytra (or Dicentra) spectabilis, from the 

 cold frame in spring and used them for the room, and under such conditions they remain 

 in beauty for a considerable season. A neat, well-flowered specimen, such as that 

 shown in the illustration, is very pleasing, and we may write the same of the Petunia, 

 Mimulus, Musk, and other homely subjects. Splendid results are often obtained by 

 window gardeners, especially in cottages. The writer well remembers a number of 

 cottages once upon trie outskirts of a large town, and the kinds seen were noted 

 down ; these were all grown, from year to year, in the window, for the good reason 

 that there was no greenhouse or frame. The names were Onion Plant, a large Onion- 

 like bulb, with tall slender flower spike, the pretty Mother of Thousands (Saxifraga 

 sarmentosa), the variegated Ophiopogon, the Fern named Aspienium bulbiferum, Phalangium 

 lineare variegatum, Ivy grown in a pot, a very pretty decoration, always green and very 

 vigorous ; Geraniums, Fuchsias, Daffodils, Vallota purpurea, some Cactuses, and in one case 

 an Himantiphyllum miniatum, which had been given to the cottager by the gardener at the 

 " Hall." This is usually regarded as quite an indoor plant, but it was thriving well 



enough in this window, and the secret of success 

 was keeping the plant away from searching 

 winds or draughts and sponging the leaves. 

 The most beautiful plants, however, were the 

 Campanulas, of which mention has been already 

 made ; the plants were in baskets and masses 

 of bloom, in one instance no less than six filling 

 the window and standing upon the table 

 with the old-fashioned Geranium. Campanula 

 carpatica seemed to be the favourite species, 

 this having somewhat larger flowers than 

 C. isophylla, otherwise they are much alike, 

 being as free in growth and flower also. 



In some cases a miniature fernery is 



