am E RICAN 
[Mai 
84 
sow at 
of 
then not 
AND 
greenhouse. 
WINDOW GABDENING FOE MAEOH. 
We should now have an abundance of 
flowei-s, Geraniums, Lady Washington Pe¬ 
largoniums, Oxalises of sorts. Fuchsias, Cal- 
las, Cinerarias, Hyacinths, Tulips, Harcis- 
sns. Heliotropes, Carnations, Petunias, 
Double Sweet Alyssum, Begonias, Meteor 
Marigolds, and many others. Keep plants 
in bloom as near the front of the windo'vs as 
possible. Let all growing plants have plenty 
of water. 
rnuNiNG. 
Shorten the shoots of young Fuchsias, 
Lemon-scented Verbena and other plants that 
are likely to beeome too long and spindly ; a 
short, stocky growth is more to be desired 
than long slender shoots. In shortening the 
shoots of plants do not merely pinch off the 
tips, as that is apt to cause the next end 
eye to grow out without inducing the lower 
ones to start; but, instead, shorten the 
shoots well back, and that will tend to cause 
all the lower eyes to grow out together. 
r.EPOTTIXG PLANTS. 
Plants that we have kept for winter bloom¬ 
ing as Carnations. Chinese Primroses, Cy¬ 
clamens, CaUas and Libonias sliouldnot now 
"heat and moisture to induce 
li<dit to develop 
boxes. 
SOWING SEEDS. 
Hyouhaveagree^ousej^^cm^^ 
«;“ytim«^;^i; oidya cold frame, then 
themon h, f o„]y, it depends 
before Apul, i _ whether you sow 
on the warmth 0 lie 100 
at once or wait till tuo omi 
Seeds require 
them to vegetate, and 
healthy seedlings. 
For the window use pots, ^ 
plates, saucers, or anything that will ho . 
little soil and let surplus water dram oil 
readily. Light sandy soil as old loaf mould 
or line wood soil mixed with sand is gooc , 
fill the vessel nearly to the brim, hrm the 
soil by giving the vessel a sharp tap on the 
table blit dou'tpack the soil with your hand, 
sow evenly over the surface and cover very 
thinly with fine earth. Then water gent y 
through a fine spray rose, and place the ves¬ 
sels near the light but shade them from sun¬ 
shine, and protect from draughts and drip. 
Ueniove each and every bitot mould-fungus 
as soon as you see it, and when the seed¬ 
lings come up, prick them otf as soon as you 
can handle them, into other pots or boxes. 
The groat thing to guard against in the hot¬ 
bed is ‘Hlamp.” Hot-beds must be ven¬ 
tilated else the germinating seedlings are apt 
\ all to mould off. 
Centanreas (“Dusty Millers”), Vincas, 
Verbenas, Globe Amaranths, Cockscombs, 
Celosias, Golden Feather Pyrethrum, Lobe- 
HANGING BASKETS; 
There are great many positions e 
greenhouse and parlor where i 
baskets make beautiful ornaments r 
tractive a hanging basket looks 
from the centre of a large windo 
well filled with good healthy 
vines drooping over the edge. ‘'"<1 
enjoyable to the occupants of the 
from the outside it betokens love a''?’ 
fort withiii. A few lianging basket 
fiended during summer along the f.* 
the veranda are always beautiful *1"*^ 
greenhouse or conservatory there are ” 
many places whore they do well esn!^'?'' 
ill partially shaded spots. ’ * 
be repotted; but young plants of Fuchsias, 
Lady Washington Pelargoniums, Scarlet: lias, and other plants that take considerable 
Geraniums, Petunias and Marigolds that we 
desire to come into bloom between now and I 
I 
time before they become large enough to set 
out should be sown as soon as possible, 
next June may be repotted. Young plants | Stocks, Asters, Marigolds, Zinnias, single 
of Geraniums, Coleuses, Ageratums and 
other summer garden flowers that have been 
wintered in small pots, or several in a pot, 
may now if we have room for them, be 
shaken out and repotted. 
In repotting summer garden plants the 
ball of roots should be unravelled, else in 
Dahlias and other rank and quick growing 
I plants are time enough in April. There is 
i nothing gained by raising plants so early 
i that we have to keep them in stunted condi- 
I tion till we can find room for them ; from the 
I moment a seedling is started till it attains 
i its full proportions we should be ready to 
after months the matted ball will check the ! grow it alomr unchecked 
else we had bcttci- 
delay its e.xistence till we can give it the 
room and attention it requires. 
KAISIXG PLANTS FKOM CUTTINGS. 
.Soft-wooded plants like Coleuses, rresincs. 
(.1 I • 1 • , . I ' Ageratums, Stevias. Ga/ani-w 
they reach their desired proportions, hence double white Feverfevv, Nastu tiiu rc^ 
should be ivpotted as often as necessary, i man Ivv and ^ 
Ferns should be repotted. If their present: quickly from cutUnos T ^ 
pots are large shake out the Ferns and put; year so too do ciittimr>; r 1 
them into smaller pots: if too small cliango ' ^ slirubby plants 
into one si^e larger only. ! , ' ' 'f.' Lantanas^ 
Over-potting is very injurious to plants, iHibi.s- 
Many plants will not need 
need seeing to that tlie dramage is good, and ' i.cii, they will snap off r„ 11 
there are no worms in the soil. Camellias hr.„c,.c. at. hi Uie 
and iVzaleas do not need repotting every I otbers^t is TiT" 
year, in fact, after they become large plants, i ” - ■ ’ ^ throwing time ji 
once in three or more years is 
vigorous root action of the plants and render ! 
them an easier prey to drouth than would ! 
be the case were the roots disentangled. | 
Young plants raised now from cuttings or j 
seeds should be gi-own along unchecked till I 
.j i.ijuiums 10 Plants, eases. The wood ii.sod should I,., n . 
need repotting, b„t all | sneculent points and so te' mt 
le dramage is good, and | Lent they will sm.n ..it .. 
enoiigli. III 
repotting quick-growing plants that are l,o 
remain in the pots only a few weeks as 
“ bedding” plants in spring, or free-rooting 
plants in small pots at any time, draining 
the pots is needless; but in the ease of Cy¬ 
clamens, Pelargoniums, Cytisus, and other 
plants that we bloom in pots, draining is an 
advantage. 
The drainage may consist of broken jiioces 
of pots, pounded bricks or rotten stone or 
similar material, and over that some half 
rotted leaves, dry chafTy manure, or roii<d. 
soil, but the common plan of a bunch of 
sphagnum moss is not to bo commended un¬ 
less the moss is chopped up fme, 
of Co- 
I inani 
iiig” the cuttings, just stick them'in as'you 
H"ckthc,n off, they will root as we 
■oad.lyasiftheywere “made.” 
/^^'l-lias, Heliotropes, an 
Olliers root more evenly 
when “ made,'’ 
Off under l''>t iliosiH^y''.'i.' 
Mic two lower leaves, q'r" '''’’■"'''ing 
a(lvi.so arnafoius to “make” 11“ ' 
except in oases where (..Kneri ’ 
them that siieeoHs is 1 
eertaiii when 
njiuiy 
and usually sooner 
eessis a,K 
cuttings are not made. 
Cuttings will strike 
tliat is dani|), f|„|„ 
the 
" almost 
in '^nter.ah.nc.’“I|'“,.7,^;'^''’[’''‘'''‘^ 
' ^inang work I 
‘•'’'tl.CONI,; 11, 
prefer clean sand. 
In positions where the sun shines 
brightly there are few plants which 
well hanging close to the glass. There 
some, however, which are at home in 
such a situation, requiring considerable 
to insure a good supply of flowers, such 
plants as Epiphylhim Iruncaium, Cereusfla 
eUiforniis and some of the bright floweriJ' 
Sedums. I may add another beautiful plant 
for the position, Crassula lactea, which dur 
iiig the winter mouths produces from the 
point of every well matured .shoot a spike of 
lieaiitiful star-shaped pink flowers. The 
above plants do best when growing in bas¬ 
kets, alone without any otherassociates;they 
look better, flower more freely and show 
their distinctive characters only when grown 
alone. 
In pictures we often see fine looking torn 
cotta baskets filled with Ferns. I am led to 
believe from experience with Ferns in terra 
cotta baskets that the only place to see them 
looking well is in pictures; but in rustic bas¬ 
kets made from wood and in ivire baskets 
lined with moss some kinds do well, 
especially as individual plants, best for this 
purpose is Nephrolepis exaltala which if 
groAvn in wire baskets, sends its fronds from 
the bottom and sides through the meshes of 
the baskets and forms a large ball of beauti¬ 
ful and graceful appearance suitable for 
either wiudoiv, greeiilioiise or veranda. 
hamlUa Tyermannii, Gomophlebiiwi. sub- 
niirir.nhiluiii, Platyloma rotundi/olia, Pbi- 
iycerinm alciconie and many others of a 
hardy nature succeed well in baskets if 
regularlj’ supplied with ivator. 
Ilangiug baskets of all kinds should Ic 
coustnictcd to hold a large body of soil, 
'vliicli is a necessary requisite toinaiiitainfoi' 
any length of time food and moisture forthe 
planls. .Sliallow terra cotta baskets arc 
poorly adapted for the well-being of plant*- 
They easily dry out and unless extra laboi'in 
waloring is given, the plants will soon look 
sickly, tlioro is also not enough soil in thcni 
to supply siillicieiit food for suoouloiit groi'- 
iiig phuils; only tho Cactuses iiiciitionei 
above and somo of tho Oxalis do well in tho>"- 
'I’liore is, howovor, a form of terra cotU 
IiiisIcoIh wliich hoUls a reasoiiablo amount of 
soil, looks attractive, and plants do "'cH 
tlioiii for a. longer period than in any of 
sliallow kinds, It is niado in tho imitrtt'J"' 
<»r II lo<^ (>r wood, iiiul hiivinp; tho color of t 
Wood huriied in, keeps iiiiradod as loujf 
the basket lasts. 
Wire baskets are tho best for plant* B®*’ 
orally. If lined with 11 good thiokiio**'® 
uioHs, they retain the moislairo for 
tiiiio. AVhon they got thoroughly ' 
best way to wet tliem is to immoi’®® 
