The Window Garden in Winter 
A Chapter of Practical Suggestions for the Grower of House Plants 
By EBEN E. REXFORD 
W ATERING HOUSE PEANTS.—One of 
the mistakes common to most owners of 
house plants is that of improper water¬ 
ing. Some use too much water, others too little. Be¬ 
tween these two extremes there is a happy medium 
which the woman who would be successful in the 
culture of flowers, plants and shrubs in the dwel¬ 
ling must strive to attain. 
Every pot more than six inches across ought to he 
provided with good drainage. At least an inch of 
broken pottery, brick, charcoal or gravel should be 
placed in the bottom of the pot, and so arranged that 
the hole in it cannot become clogged by the soil, 
which will settle down from above, under the 
influence of repeated waterings. If this is done, 
there will be no danger from overw’atering one’s 
plants, as all the water the soil does not have the 
capacity to retain will drain away from it. 
In watering, apply enough to thoroughly saturate 
all the sod and make sure that this is done by using 
so much that some is seen to run away through the 
hole in the bottom of the pot. 
Without good drainage, or if the hole provided for 
the escape of surplus water becomes closed, so that 
the amount which settles to the bottom is retained, the 
soil will soon become heavy and muddy, and after 
a little it will sour. No plant can grow w^ell in such 
a soil. Roots will become diseased. Decay w ill set 
in. In a short time, the plant will die. 
I he danger from lack of sufhcient moisture at the 
roots is quite as great as that resulting from the lack 
of proper drainage. Those who practice the “little- 
and-often” plan of watering—which consists in 
applying just enough to make the surface of the soil 
look wet, and doing this at irregular intervals, or 
when one “happens to think of it,’’—will And that 
their plants fad, after a little, because their roots 
cannot develop in the lower portion of the soil in the 
pot, where it is often almost dust-dry. Every woman 
who growls plants should form the habit of watering 
them regularly, and thoroughly, and should make it 
a point to always provide a drainage so perfect in its 
operation that it will he impossible to injure a plant 
by the excessive use of water. 
In fall and early winter, most plants will be more or 
less dormant. While in this condition they will re¬ 
quire very little water. Aim to keep the soil simply 
moist, but do not repeat the operation of watering 
until there is a dry look on its surface. Later in the 
season, when growth becomes active, and the heat 
of the room causes more rapid evaporation, the 
supply of water must he Increased, but the dry-look 
appearance of the surface of the soil should govern 
m the frequency and quantity of its application. 
While regularity in caring for one’s plants is ad¬ 
vised, each person must exercise her own good sense, 
and the wisdom which grows out of intelligent obser¬ 
vation, and modify her treatment to suit the time and 
the condition. No hard and fast rule can be laid 
down for these things. The woman who loves 
flowers will study them as she would her children 
until she knows what each plant requires, and then 
she will he a law unto herself. 
The Use of Fertilizers. —Many persons make 
the grave mistake of applying fertilizers when their 
plants are not in a condition to make use of them 
under the impression that something is needed “to 
make them grow.’’ Generally, in late fall and early 
winter, as has already been said, plants are at a stand¬ 
still. They are resting up, getting ready for ac¬ 
tive work a little later on. It is not wise to attempt 
to force such plants into premature activity by the 
application of rich, strong food. Let them take their 
time, and when they begin to grow—not before— 
make use of a good fertilizer. 
Let the application he weak, at first. Increase its 
strength as the development of the plant increases, 
being satisfied, always, with a healthy growth. A 
rapid growth, resulting from overfeeding, is as danger¬ 
ous to a plant as to a person. There will he a reac¬ 
tion, sooner or later. No plant, however strong its 
constitution, can long continue in health under the 
high-pressure system. Small quantities of fertilizer, 
frequently applied, will be found much safer in every 
way than strong applications given at intervals of 
two and three months. 
Airing Plants. —I'he importance of fresh air for 
human occupants of the dwelling is coming to be 
more and more understood each year, and in propor¬ 
tion as we observe the sanitary rules deduced from 
long and caref ul study of the question of ventilation 
will the health of the occupants of the window garden 
be improved. Go into a room not properly supplied 
with pure, fresh air and you will find the plants in the 
windows weak, spindling, and generally flowerless. 
Their foliage will be sparse, and yellow leaves will be 
more in evidence than healthy green ones. But go 
into a room which is well aired daily, and you will 
find plants growing healthily there. The difference 
is due to the difference in the air of the two rooms, 
ninety-nine times out of a hundred. In one room it 
has been robbed of its health-giving qualities by too 
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