THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



41 



where an average temperature of fifty-five is 

 maintained, the Wax-plant, Hoya carnosa, will 

 thrive splendidly. It does not require much 

 moisture, but it loves heat, and produces 

 its wax-like, cream-colored flowers in large 

 clusters, year after year, from the same 

 flower-stalks. The leaves are of a dark green 

 color, and the flowers are deliciously fra- 

 grant. The Catalonian Jessamine, Jasmimtm 

 (jnuidiflormn, with pure white, deliciously 

 scented flowers, and Abutilon Mesopotanvicum, 

 with scarlet and yellow flowers, can also, 

 with a little care and attention, be so trained 



MAURANDYA BARCLAYANA. 



as to cover a considerable space in the win- 

 dow garden, and will be found to answer for 

 many purposes all the desirable qualities of 

 a climbing plant. Several other climbing 

 plants may be grown with success in the 

 window garden, by those who have had some 

 experience in plant cultivation, but as this is 

 written for amateurs mainly, it is best not 

 to enlarge the list at present. Strong and 

 healthy plants of all the varieties named 

 can be easily and cheaply obtained, and, 

 with the exception of the Wax-plant, all 

 thrive in ordinary potting soil — that is, a com- 

 post of one-third well-rotted manure and 

 two-thirds well-rotted sods, all well mixed. 



TH U N BERG I A. 



For the Hoya, add a good portion of char- 

 coal, broken fine, to the above mixture. 



In potting, do not use glazed or hard-baked 

 pots; use porous pots by all means, and in all 

 pots over five inches in diameter place an 

 inch of broken charcoal or potsherds, over 

 this a thin layer of moss, so that the water 

 can escape freely. Water should be applied 

 as often as the plants require it, and once a 

 week they should be given a watering of 

 liquid-manure water. This is prepared by 

 dissolving one-quarter of a pound of guano 

 in five gallons of water, in which proportion 

 it will be found sufficiently strong. 



Excepting in cold, dull, or wet weather, 

 the plants should be sprinkled daily with an 

 atomizer ; and if any insects make their 

 appearance, destroy them at once. 



Air should never be given so as to produce 

 a direct current upon the plants. A tempera- 

 ture of from fifty to fifty-five degrees at night, 

 and from ten to fifteen degrees higher during 

 the day-time, will be found most suitable for 

 a general collection of house plants. 



CARE OF HOUSE PLANTS. 



Bouvardias, Heliotropes, Poinsettias, Be- 

 gonias, and other tender plants that feel the 

 cold first, have, ere this, been placed either 

 under temporary shelter in cool weather, or 

 removed permanently to their winter-quar- 

 ters. Those that require potting or repotting 

 should have immediate attention, and the 

 drainage of pots should always be examined 

 on removal from the outside. Plants infested 

 with worms should have a thorough watering 

 of weak clear lime-water — two ounces of 

 lime to a gallon of water is, after being al- 

 lowed to settle, strong enough. Most plants 

 are benefited by lime-water — the most patent 

 exceptions are Azalias, Rhododendrons, and 

 Ericaceae generally. Tie and stake neatly all 

 plants that require such treatment. The more 

 hardy greenhouse plants, such as Geraniums, 

 Azaleas, Camellias, Carnations, etc., may 

 stand outside until the end of September ; 

 but it is always best to be on the safe side, 

 and plants suffer less from being too hot than 

 too cold. 



Seed Sowing. — Many seeds for winter and 

 spring can be sown at once in {he green- 

 house and window, such as Mignonette, 

 Primulas, Cinerarias, Calceolarias, Sweet 

 Alyssum, Nemophila, Geraniums, Smilax, and 

 any of the pretty early-flowering annuals. 



Bulbs for winter flowering shoifld be potted 

 at once, Hyacinths first, as they evaporate 

 quicker than the harder and closer-formed 

 bulbs. 



Pot firmly in good soil, bury in ashes, cov- 

 ering the pots from six to eight inches deep 

 with ashes or sand for six to eight weeks 

 before taking inside ; other bulbs, such as 

 Tulips, Crocus, Snowdrops, Narcissus, and 

 Lilies, do not require to be buried so deeply. 

 Bulbs intended for cultivation in water 

 should be placed in glasses at once, and put 

 in a cold, dark cellar for two months at least. 

 If the temperature should get as low as 

 forty degrees, or even thirty-five, there is 

 no fear of damage. 



BLEEDING HEART. 



( Dicentra spectabilis, ) 



This charming plant, although of compara- 

 tively recent introduction, has rapidly found 

 its way into almost every garden, and is 

 prized as one of the most 1 >eautif ul spring flow- 

 ers ; as a house plant, however, it is not so gen- 

 erally known as it deserves. For this purpose 

 the roots should be taken up during autumn, 

 divided, and planted in ordinary potting soil. 

 The potting of those intended for early flow- 

 ering should not be delayed till late in the 

 fall, as the roots should have made a good 

 start before being forced. At the approach 

 of severe cold, the pots have to be removed 

 to a cellar and watered when dry. Some may 

 be placed in a room at once, or as soon as 

 fires are kept up, and by adding others at 

 intervals of a few weeks, a continuous bloom 

 may be secured during the entire winter. 



MOSS MULCHING. 



This comparatively new feature in the cult- 

 ure of greenhouse and window plants has 

 given very satisfactory results during last 

 winter, and will recommend itself as worthy 

 of adoption by all growing plants in the 

 greenhouse or dwelling. Wherever a collec- 

 tion of plants is grown, however small the 

 number, it may be used with advantage. 



As the pots containing the plants are ar- 

 ranged on the benches or stands, the spaces 

 between them are filled with moss to about 

 half an inch above the rim of the pots. 



TROP/EOLUM LOBBIANUM. 



This prevents the rapid drying of the soil 

 from evaporation or from the glare of the 

 sun against the pots, and creates a moist 

 atmosphere about the plant, which, in dry, 

 heated rooms, is an important matter in 

 cultivating plants. This lack of moist air 

 is the greatest source of failure in window 

 gardening. 



Plants grown by this system require less 

 frequent applications of water, thus causing 

 a saving of time and labor. Besides, the 

 fertility of the soil is not washed away 

 by constant dribblings of water, and does 

 not become soggy or sour. I would not 



COB/EA SCAN DENS. 



recommend mixing any fertilizer with the 

 j moss, as it draws the young roots from the 

 soil, and they spread in every direction 

 through the moss, and when the plants 

 have to be moved, these roots become dis- 

 turbed and broken, resulting in injury to 

 the plant. The fertilizer had better be given 

 in solution to the plants when required. 



In addition to these advantages, the moss, 

 by covering unsightly pots, gives a neat ap- 

 pearance to the plants, making them appear 

 more like a natural group in the midst of a 

 velvety lawn than like stiff pot-plants. 



