Window Garden
Many cottagers and amateurs who have no glass structure at their command take an especial interest in plant cultivation, and set admirable examples of what may be accomplished by constant attention, even in an ordinary window. Window Gardening has of late years made rapid strides, partly from the encouragement given to it locally by the managers of annual exhibitions, and even more so by the greater interest in the cultivation of flowers which has become so generally diffused. By the term Window Gardening, the cultivation of plants in a window, or on the sill outside in favourable weather, should only be referred to; decorative subjects that are grown to perfection elsewhere, and then used temporarily for windows, ought not to be judged in comparison. Windows facing south, or nearly so, are best adapted for plants generally; but many subjects will succeed admirably in less favourable aspects. The general potting of window plants is best attended to in spring, when the drainage must be rendered complete. As a rule, it is necessary to use saucers to prevent water running into the room; the water should be emptied out so soon as the plant is well soaked. When water is required-and this time can only be known by practice-a good soaking should be given, and in summer an occasional sprinkling over the foliage, through a fine rose or syringe, generally helps to keep the plants clean and in health. During severe frost, window plants are at times unsafe in their usual quarters; they should then be placed temporarily on the floor for the night; in the day-time, where there is a fire in the room, plants are usually safe in the window, unless they are of an exceptionally tender kind. Amongst window plants that generally succeed well, Zonal Pelargoniums, of various sorts, perhaps take first place; the scented-leaved ones are also great favourites. Other subjects which may readily be adapted to culture in the same position are: Fuchsias, Calceolarias, some of the dwarf Campanulas, Chinese Primulas, several kinds of Cacti, greenhouse Ferns, spring-flowering bulbs (such as Hyacinths and Tulips), Heliotropes, Myrtles, &c. Many more might be enumerated, but those mentioned afford a great selection. Richardia africana and Vallota purpurea sometimes succeed as window plants.