September, 1916 
21 
WHEN THE GARDEN COMES INDOORS 
Plants Become Your Equals—And By This Work 
You Create the Winter Democracy ot' Flowers 
F. F. ROCKWELL 
Photographs by Beals and Dr. E . Bade 
Heat is required in the early stages of the 
gloxinia's growth. Propagation may he 
effected by the leaves. The easiest method 
is to grow direct from tubers 
the clustered buds uncurl until the hand 
of the careful gardener gathers their with¬ 
ered remains and they are no more. 
Therefore it is that, although at present 
you may be surfeited with a plethora of 
flowers, you should take heed now for the 
barren months ahead and provide for win¬ 
ter-long cheer in the form of gay blossoms 
and cheerful foliage. The success of your 
The amaryllis ( Hippeastrum ) is a hand¬ 
some pot plant, having large flowers in 
varying tints. Very little water is needed 
for its success in winter 
Begonias—this is semper florens—always 
give a touch of color to the winter garden. 
Propagated by tubers, leaves or cuttings, 
55° is needed in winter 
T HE law of 
supply and 
demand operates 
with the flower 
garden no less than 
with the commodi¬ 
ties of commerce. 
The more scarce a 
thing is, the more 
we prize it. When 
your garden is full 
of plants laden 
with bloom, six red 
geraniums in pots, 
in addition to what 
you have, would 
probably be con¬ 
sidered hardly 
worth the addi¬ 
tional care they 
would require. The 
same six gerani¬ 
ums in your win¬ 
dow in mid-winter, 
when the view out¬ 
side is as bleak—- 
but not so beauti¬ 
ful— as a winter 
scape by Walter 
Crane, would be 
prized as one of your most choice posses¬ 
sions. Their brilliant tresses of bloom, 
somewhat plebeian perhaps, but none the 
less beautiful and cheery, would form the 
center of attraction for every person en¬ 
tering the room, whereas now, lost among 
the riot of summer’s flowers, they probably 
escape the notice of any eye from the time 
winter garden will 
depend largely 
upon your efforts 
during the next 
few weeks: what 
May’s work is to 
the summer gar¬ 
den, that of Sep¬ 
tember is to the 
winter indoor gar¬ 
den of flowers. 
Of course, the 
first point to settle 
about your indoor 
garden is whether 
or not you will 
have one. That 
seems too simple a 
question to require 
discussion, but 
there may be some 
things that you 
have not thought 
of in connection 
with it. There are, 
of course, many 
arguments for a 
winter garden: 
those against it are 
usually lost sight 
of until some expense and a lot of trouble 
have been incurred for nothing, and the 
result is a disappointment. 
In addition to the pleasure your winter 
flowering plants may give you and to the 
added attraction they will lend to your 
rooms, you will find that indoor gardening 
is much more intimate and friendly than 
A row of windows full face to the sun is the best spot for the winter garden. If it 
has a seat below, nothing could be more desirable this side of a fully equipped 
greenhouse with a complete stock of plants 
