The following list of annuals, perennials, and bulbs which grow well in the heart of towns, though it is not complete, contains enough plants to fill a garden:--
ANNUALS. PERENNIALS. BULBS.
Alyssum. j.a.p. Anemones Crocuses.
Candytuft. Campanulas. Daffodils.
Collinsia. Delphiniums. Hyacinths.
Coreopsis. Flags. Madonna Lillies.
Mignonette. Gaillardias. Squills.
Nasturtiums. Pinks. Spanish Irises.
Poppies. Sunflowers. Tulips.
Sunflowers. Wallflowers. Winter Aconite.
In addition to the plants mentioned above, hardy ferns grow well, and so do lilies of the valley, and stonecrops and saxifrages. Wandering Jew will also thrive, and the canary creeper grows as well in town as in the country.
In summer, geraniums, fuchsias, heliotrope--which must be well watered--pansies, lemon verbena, and scented geraniums, can be planted out.
Roses do not do very well in towns; but hardy ones will grow quite enough flowers to make the possession of them a great delight.
Indoor Gardening and Window Boxes--Precautions
A window full of flowers and green plants makes all the difference to a room. There are always certain difficulties about growing plants in a room; but these may, however, be partly overcome. One is the great change of temperature between day and night in winter; another is the very evil effect of gas on plants; and a third is the presence of dust. The difference of temperature is met to a great extent by taking the flowers away from the window at night and putting them in the middle of the room. This is specially necessary when there is any danger of frost. If gas is burned in the room where plants are all day, it is wise at evening to take the trouble to move them into another room, for nothing injures them more. As to dust, ferns and plants which have smooth leaves should be gently sponged with warm water once a week, or else the pores will be so choked that the plants will not be able to breathe. Those plants which cannot be sponged, such as fine-leafed ferns, geraniums, etc., should be gently sprayed occasionally, or, in warm weather, placed out-of-doors during a soft shower. When a room is being cleaned, the plants should either be taken away or covered with soft paper.
The window chosen for your plants should be a sunny one and as draughtless as may be. It should not be opened unless the day is very mild. One thing to remember is that wherever the plants are they should have as much sun, as equal a temperature, and as little draught as possible.
Watering
No exact rule can be given for watering; but it should be noted that water ought never to be allowed to stand in the saucers. In winter, one good watering a week with lukewarm water, applied in the morning, will be sufficient. In spring, when the plant is more active, more water will be needed, and in summer constant attention must be given to watering. Remember, that not only the surface but the whole soil needs moistening.
Flower-Pots
In spring time, if the plants seem to have outgrown their pots, or if they are not thriving well, re-pot them in larger pots with the best earth you can get. Water well after re-potting.
Turn the plants round every day, as the sun always draws them toward it.
Indoor Plants
A list follows of suitable plants to be grown indoors. Green plants are mentioned first.
_Aspidistra._--Of all green plants the aspidistra is the best to grow indoors. (This plant indeed is so hardy that it will stand not only draught but even a certain amount of gas.) Its smooth, beautiful leaves should be carefully sponged every week.
_India-rubber Plant._--The india-rubber plant is a very handsome, smooth, bright-leaved plant. It should not be given too much water.
_Ferns._--Several hardy ferns grow well in a window. The maidenhair is very beautiful while it lasts, but it is a poor thing the second year unless it can be put into a greenhouse and cared for.
_Ivy._--Small-leaved variegated ivy will grow under almost any conditions. Its leaves should be kept clean. If grown up a small trellis it is very pretty.
_j.a.panese Fern b.a.l.l.s._--In February and March one can buy j.a.panese fern b.a.l.l.s. The b.a.l.l.s have to be soaked for two or three hours in water (rainwater if possible) and then drained and hung up in a window where there is not too much sun. They should be watered three times a week. Gradually the delicate ferns will grow and unfold until the whole ball is a ma.s.s of green. In November they should be put away in a cool dark place until the following February, when they can be started again.
_Miniature Trees._--Fine little trees can be grown from chestnuts, beechnuts, acorns, and hazel-nuts. Collect the nuts as they fall and leave them in a dark place, until about two weeks before Christmas, when you lay them in bowls full of wet moss or in pots filled with earth, and put them in a warm dark place near hot pipes, or in a warm cupboard. This warmth will start the root growth. When the root is two inches long, fill a bowl with moss or pebbles, lay the nuts on the top so that they are only half covered, with the roots downward, and keep in a room where they will have plenty of light. Water frequently but do not let much water stand in the bowl.
_Wheat or Canary Seed._--Wheat or canary seed can be sown in any kind of dish, the bottom of which is covered with wet moss. Sow the seed thickly and then keep the dish in a dark cupboard until the seedlings are about two inches high. Then place it in a sunny window. The seed, which will take about three weeks to grow, makes a beautiful patch of clear light green in a room. Keep the moss wet.
_Mustard and Cress_ can be sown in pots or on pieces of wet flannel.
_Campanulas._--Blue and white campanulas are grown in almost every cottage window, and they are very beautiful and graceful. They can be grown in pots, but are prettiest in baskets from which to hang down.
_Fuchsias and Geraniums._--Both fuchsias and geraniums are gay and delightful plants for a room. Good kinds should be bought in early summer and well watered. In winter the plants should be kept in a cool dark place, until with the coming of spring they begin to grow again.
Both can very easily be increased by cuttings. To do this take off a shoot of about four inches long, cutting it off just below a joint.
Then pull off the leaves just above the joint and put it into some earth in a sunny corner and water it well. In about a month roots will have formed and it can then be potted.
_Bulbs._--Bulbs, such as tulips, iris, daffodils, crocuses, scillas, and snowdrops, can be grown in pots or deep earthenware saucers that have been filled with cocoanut fibre. This can be bought at any florist"s. A little sh.e.l.l, shingle, or sand, can be mixed with the fibre, and a piece of charcoal should be put at the bottom of the pot to keep it sweet. The bulbs need only to be covered with a thin layer of damp fibre. Water regularly, as they must never get dry. If your pot has no drainage hole it is a good thing a little while after watering to turn it gently on one side so that any water which has not been soaked up by the fibre can run off.
Bulbs can also be grown indoors in earth. Plant them in October just below the soil, and keep them in a cool dark place until they have made a little growth. Then bring to a sunny window. Horsfieldii narcissus, polyanthus-flowered narcissus, and yellow jonquils, grow well, and so do tulips, hyacinths, and crocuses. In a sunny window the Scarborough lily (_Vallota purpurea_) can be grown. It is a very gorgeous and imposing red flower which blossoms in August and September. It should be planted in autumn and plenty of room allowed for its roots.
The Good-Luck Lily, which is a strong and beautiful polyanthus narcissus, can be grown in bowls filled with pebbles and water. Fill the bowl almost to the top with clean pebbles (which can be brought from the seash.o.r.e), and among them plant the bulbs and fill up with water which must be added to as it evaporates. Among the pebbles put two or three pieces of charcoal.
Bulbs in Gla.s.ses
Hyacinths and daffodils can also be grown in gla.s.ses filled with water, either gla.s.ses sold for the purpose, or any kind into the necks of which the bulbs will fit. The bulb should be placed in the gla.s.s in October, and should not quite touch the water. Use good fresh water and put a little piece of charcoal in the gla.s.s. Change the water once a week. In warm sunny weather the hyacinths can be put out of doors for a little while every day.
Window Boxes
One cannot grow very many things in a window box, but it is most interesting to grow a few. In a town it is often all the garden that many people possess.
The length of a window-box will depend on the size of the window. Its depth should be ten inches at least. At the bottom of the box some cinders or other rough material should be put, and then it should be filled up with the best earth you can get. And because of the difference it makes to the growth of your flowers it is worth while to take a great deal of trouble in getting good, rich mould. The earth may be kept level, or heaped up at one or both ends, and a few stones added to make a tiny rockery, in which you can grow small saxifrages and other rock plants.
Flowers for Window-Boxes
Nasturtiums and canary creeper can climb up a little trellis made of sticks at each end of the box, or they can cling to strings fixed to the box and nailed high up at the side of the window. Wandering Jew or ivy-leaved geranium will fall over the front of the box and make it look very gay. Bulbs, such as winter aconite, squills, snowdrops, a few daffodils, tulips and irises, will grow well in boxes. These should be planted rather deep. Then primroses and forget-me-nots can be planted, and in May a border of lobelia, one or two geraniums, pansies, fuchsias, a plant of lemon verbena, and some musk.
Mignonette, Virginia stock, collinsia, should be sown in spring in little patches or lines.
Keep the leaves of all the plants as clean as possible by gentle watering with a rose. Never let the earth get dry from neglect, or sodden from too much watering; yet water well, for driblets only affect the surface, and it is the roots far down in the box that need moisture.
Cutting Flowers and Packing Them--Flowers for Post
It is best, if possible, to pick flowers the day before you want to send them off. Pick them in the afternoon, sort them and bunch them up, and then stand them in water right up to their heads, and keep them there over night. A basin is the best thing to put the flowers in, unless the stalks are very long, and a jam-pot or two in the water will help to keep them from tumbling over and drifting about. Be very careful that the blooms do not touch the water. Keep the flowers in water until you are ready to pack them. Tin boxes are best to send flowers away in; but generally one has to use cardboard ones. Choose the strongest you can find and line it with two sheets of paper, one across and one long ways, and each long enough to fold over when it is full. Then line again with some big cool leaves or moss. Dry the flowers and pack them as tightly as possible, taking great care not to crush the petals. Cover them with a few more leaves and fold the paper over. Then wrap up the box, remembering to write the address on a label tied at one end of the box, so that the postmark will not be stamped on the box itself and perhaps break it.
Picking Flowers
When you are picking flowers to send away, never pick old ones. Buds are best generally, especially in the case of poppies; but they should be buds just on the point of opening. Always use scissors to cut flowers with. A very slight tug at a little plant in dry weather pulls its roots out of the ground. Cut the flowers with long stems and with some of their green leaves, and at the top of the box that you are sending away it is pleasant always to put something which smells very sweetly--lemon verbena, or mignonette--for that first sweet scent is one of the very best things about receiving a present of this kind.