GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



the house. Perhaps they think it isn^t worth 

 while. ' ' If they can afford to buy all they want to, 

 that may be the reason, but the real flower lover 

 will delight in coaxing some favorite to go on bloom- 

 ing indoors. Heliotropes cut back, petunias and sal- 

 vias, by being carefully lifted with a ball of earth 

 so as not to disturb the roots, and then kept in the 

 shade for a couple of days, ought to continue to 

 bloom for some time. Begonias I have moved this 

 way without affecting them for a single day. A 

 small canna, thus potted, will last a long time and 

 help out among the more expensive foliage plants. 

 Geraniums, however, are the old stand-by of win- 

 dow gardeners. If ^ ^slipped'' during the summer, 

 by cutting off a tender shoot just below a joint, and 

 putting it in a pot of light, rather sandy soil, 

 and kept moist, it should bloom during the win- 

 ter. It does best in sunshine. 



The kind of soil best adapted to houseplants gen- 

 erally, is given by one authority as two parts loam, 

 one part leaf mould, one part sharp sand. The 

 variation of different growers simply proves what 

 I have seen contended, that it is the proper tem- 

 perature and moisture that really count. 



The city girl, with little space to spare, will 

 find the begonias, in their many varieties, most 

 satisfactory. They respond quickly to house treat- 



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