WINDOW GARDENING. 
355 
tion in watering ; a few, at any rate, should 
be grown this way to furnish an early batch of 
plants. The latter plan is better suited for 
keeping over very large numbers of plants — a 
score of plants occupying, in this form, but very 
little space ; and where there is the conveni- 
ence to separate them early in spring, and give 
them a little assistance in frames, the plants are 
very nearly as strong as by the other plan. 
Alpine Plants. — This is a good time to go 
through the collection of those kept in pots ; 
to divideany that are required to be increased, 
and to reduce such as are getting too large, 
and of which a greater number is not required, 
so that the whole collection, as far as possible, 
may consist of neat even-sized plants, in small 
even-sized pots : three -inch pots are often 
made to do ; five-inch ones are certainly quite 
large enough. 
Stocks. — Fine double Stocks, of the dwarf 
kinds, are always desirable, and become espe- 
cially so in the month of February ; for this 
purpose sow seeds of the intermediate variety 
now, and let the young plants stand exposedout- 
doors till the beginning of November, or until 
they are liable to be injured by frost : then 
place them in the frames, and remove them to 
the green-house in succession. The same 
plan may be adopted for an early supply for 
the borders. 
■WINDOW GARDENING. 
We will offer our present remarks under 
two divisions, one referring to the present 
treatment of plants in bloom, the other to the 
provision of something to take their place in 
winter. 
Plants in bloom. — "Where the directions 
already given, of shifting various annual and 
half-hardy sub-shrubby plants into pots of 
somewhat larger size, have been properly 
attended to, there will be little other attention 
required besides the due application of water. 
It is absolutely indispensable that the 
operation of watering should be assiduously 
performed, for on it depends very much of 
success. Plants situated as these are with 
respect to evaporation, unless regularly as well 
as liberally supplied, will absolutely suffer from 
want, and this will cause the leaves to turn 
yellow, and the flowers to fall off, or come small 
and imperfect. Where the pots are getting 
full of roots, and the plants are required to 
keep growing on yet for some time to come, a 
little weak clear manure water may be used 
with great advantage. A liquid manure, 
known as Humphrey's compound, is excellent 
for plants in pots ; but any liquid manure will 
do, provided it is not administered in too 
strong doses. 
Winter Plants. — Where there is no other 
convenience than the window for growing 
plants, but little can be said of having plants 
in flower — unless it be purchased ones — ex- 
cept during the summer. If there is a small 
green-house, or the convenience of pits and 
frames, a few plants may generally be had in 
bloom even throughout the winter, by a pro- 
per selection of kinds, and some of these may 
be removed to the window while in blossom. 
And in like manner, if there is no such con- 
venience, and blooming plants are specially 
prized, one or two, or more, may from time to 
time be procured in the nurseries, or in the 
flower-markets. If the window alone is 
trusted to, it is better, instead of depending 
much upon blooming plants, to have plants 
chiefly ibr the winter season possessing some 
beauty or peculiarity in their foliage. Thus 
there are plants with variegated leaves, such 
as the variegated-leaved variety of the small 
shrubby Daphne Cneorum, the variegated 
small-leaved myrtle, and many others ; plants 
with permanent foliage and of shrubby habit 
are preferable. Then there are several small 
evergreen shrubby plants which are suitable, 
and which may be grown for the sake of the 
pleasing associations connected with their 
constantly verdant foliage ; among these the 
different myrtles occupy a high position. 
Daphne hybrida is also a pleasing evergreen, 
and is moreover almost constantly furnished 
with its dull purple, but sweet-scented flowers; 
all these of course should be kept inside the 
window, with fresh air on mild days. For 
the outside and for balconies, some of those 
mentioned at p. 18, may be provided. Then 
again for the inside, there are many plants 
with fragrant foliage, such as a host of the old- 
fashioned Pelargoniums; thus there are species 
called the nutmeg-scented, .the citron-scented, 
the lemon-scented, and the rose-scented, all of 
which have a powerful and very pleasant 
odour. The musk plant might be had in a 
fresh state by raising young plants from 
cuttings late in the season. Besides these, 
others might be selected. In addition to all 
these, we would especially recommend the 
smaller eryptogamic plants, such as mosses, 
and the smaller Lycopodiums and Ferns, 
which would grow under close glass covers, 
and afford a never-failing source of interest 
and gratification. One or two ornamental 
vases, covered by a clear bell-glass, should be 
found in the window of every drawing, and 
every living room; if filled with these minute 
and at first sight uninteresting ciyptogams, 
and the latter are at all closely looked to, they 
cannot fail to impart pleasure of equal depth 
and intensity to that which can be excited by 
more gaudy subjects. Such a vase as that 
here represented would be very ornamental, 
and might be made of almost any sire, from 
what would merely contain two or three of 
the smallest mosses, up to a foot or more in 
a a 2 
