14 



TEE FLORAL WORLD 



of shelves and covered with white 

 oilcloth. I made a frame of woven 

 wire in front of the window to look 

 like a bay window, and had it covered 

 with vines; nothing prettier could be 

 had. I have a flower stand sitting in 

 the bay window, with the shelves 

 facing the window. 



I began with plants from seed, and 

 soon had a choice lot of them. I now 

 manage to buy a nice plant every year. 

 Palms are easily grown, and I have 

 the tallest one sitting on top. Swain- 

 sonia alba is beautiful. Choice gera- 

 niums can all be started from seed, 

 too. Cacti are the loveliest and eas- 

 iest grown flowers, and grow fast 

 from seed. Primroses are beautiful, 

 and so easy to carry through. Storm 

 King fuchsia is always in bloom. I 

 have a large Chinese lantern plant 

 that I started from seed. Perpetual 

 abutilon is a flower which is orna- 

 mental in both leaf and flower, and has 

 large, double, bell-shaped flowers of 

 lovely colors. I have two passifloras 

 which are elegant. Giant ghost flower 

 is pretty, too. Callas are lovely, and 

 cinerarias are showy flowers. Zamia 

 is a beautiful plant, and it seems 

 a flower lover ought to curtail her 

 toilet luxuries in order to obtain one 

 of these beauties. Petunias are now 

 grown to perfection, and should be in 

 every window. 



I have a comet plant at which every 

 passer-by stops to gaze. It is the eas- 

 iest thing in the world to grow. Chrys- 

 anthemums are not to be slighted, 

 either. This makes a good guide now, 

 and no one need be without flowers 

 nowadays. To all those who cannot 

 keep fires at night I would say, make 

 a tight double box with legs on and 

 lid to fit so that nights the plants can 

 be put in. Excelsior makes a good 

 filling for the box. I have often set 

 a lantern in the center when we lived 

 on the ranch and could not afford a 

 furnace. 



Mrs. Kl,evance Parkinson. 

 Wyoming. 



A BAY WINDOW FULL OF PLANTS 



"How lovely!" was often heard dur- 

 ing tne winter of 1900, as people ad- 

 mired my south bay window of plants. 

 There were over sixty. The large 

 geraniums were three years old, cut 

 back sharply in spring, not allowed 

 to bloom in summer. Those from ' 

 summer slips have but one or two 

 branches. Madame Salleroi, Rose, 

 Balm and Skeleton in large pots of rich 

 soil are pierfect trees. Of thirteen 

 roses, Clothidle Soupert and Little Pet 

 bloomed best; I cut sprays of seven 

 from Pet. 



Double and single petunias from 

 August slips were always in bloom, 

 also salvia. Justicia flava and Butter- 

 cup oxalis gave a touch of yellow. 

 Heliotrope from seed was "nothing but 

 leaves," but such big ones! Swain- 

 sonia with its sprays of white was 

 lovely. Gloxinias bloomed all winter 

 (out of season), also Ruellia makoy- 

 anna and impatiens. Pelarg*oniums 

 bloomed towards spring, but the queen 

 of my flowers was scarlet hibiscus. 

 Several pots of coleus — a large one 

 contained three varieties — were mag- 

 nificent. Bougainvillea was large and 

 grew like "Finney's turnip." I watched 

 in vain for bloom. Solanum jasminoides 

 grandiflorum covered a large trellis, 

 scarlet passion vine climbed over the 

 window, Madeira and ivy draped pic- 

 tures. Two plumbagos, ardisa, orange, 

 jasmine and other small plants received 

 by mail in August proved it too late for 

 winter bloom. Speciosa is the best 

 winter fuchsia. On a bra^'ket is trail- 

 ing queen, ginger plant, weeping lan- 

 tanas and asparagus Sprengeri; had 

 also plumosus nanus, several small 

 ferns; an immense Boston and Aus- 

 tralian fern in jardinieres each occupy 

 a stand. 



At an east window are several be- 

 gonias, two kentia palms, with perfect 

 leaves, although small. A two-year-old 

 pink Chinese primrose had twelve 

 large clusters of bloom, while one-year- 



