HANGING BASKETS.--WARDIAN CASES AND JARDINIERES.
Hanging Baskets for plants are made of different materials, and in a
great variety of forms. Some are made of wire, others of clay, and
ornamented with fancy mouldings, etc. Very pretty baskets in rustic
style are made by covering the outside of a wooden bowl with fantastic
knots and roots; this makes a pleasing basket, but we know of none so
desirable as the old style semi-globular wire basket, when properly
filled.
DIRECTIONS FOR FILLING HANGING BASKETS.
To fill a wire basket, first obtain some of the green moss to be found
on the lower portion of the trunks of trees in almost any shady piece of
woods. This is to be used as a lining to the basket, turning the green
side out, and entirely covering the inside of the wire form with the
moss. Before filling the basket with soil, place a handful of charcoal
or gravel in the bottom, which will hold the moisture. Fill the basket
with rich, loose loam, such as will not harden by frequent waterings.
Plants that are peculiarly suitable for hanging baskets are quite
numerous, and from them a selection may be made that will please the
most exacting taste.
It is a mistake to crowd too many plants into a basket, if they grow
they will soon become root-bound, stunted, and look sickly. If the
hanging basket be of the ordinary size, one large and choice plant
placed in the centre with a few graceful vines to droop over the edges,
will have a better effect when established and growing, than if it were
crowded with plants at the time of filling. Hanging baskets being
constantly suspended, they are exposed to draughts of air from all
sides, and the soil is soon dried out, hence careful watching is
necessary in order to prevent the contents from becoming too dry. If the
moss appears to be dry, take the basket down and dip it once or twice in
a pail of water, this is better than sprinkling from a watering-pot. In
filling hanging baskets, or vases of any kind, we invariably cover the
surface of the soil with the same green moss used for lining, which,
while it adds materially to the pleasing appearance of the whole, at the
same time prevents the soil from drying out or becoming baked on the
surface.
The following is a list of choice plants suitable for hanging-baskets.
Those marked thus (+) are fine for the centre, those marked thus (*)
have handsome foliage, and this mark (**) indicates that the plants have
flowers in addition to handsome foliage:
**Begonia glaucophylla scandens.
+Oxalis.
**Begonia Rex, very fine.
*Fittonia
+Cuphea platycentra (Cigar Plant).
+Pandanus (Screw Pine).
+Dracæna (Young's).
+Neirembergia.
+Centaurea gymnocarpa.
**Geraniums, Mrs. Pollock and Happy Thought.
*Tradescantia discolor.
*Peperomias.
**Gloxinias.
*Fancy Ferns.
+Ageratum (John Douglass, blue).
+Achyranthes.
**Variegated Hydrangea.
*Ficus Parcelli.
**Gesnerias.
*Variegated Grasses, etc., etc.
TRAILING PLANTS.
**Fuchsia, microphylla.
Sedum (Stone Crop).
**Ivy-leaved Geraniums.
German Ivy.
Indian Strawberry Vine.
Kenilworth Ivy.
Lycopodium.
Moneywort.
**Trailing Blue Lobelia.
*Cissus discolor.
**Lysimachia (Moneywort).
**Tropæolums.
**Torrenia Asiatica.
**Mesembryanthemums (Ice Plant).
**Cobæa scandens.
**Pilogyne suavis.
+Lygodium scandens (Climbing Fern).
WARDIAN CASES--JARDINIERES, ETC.
A Wardian Case consists of a base, which is generally an oblong box,
covered with a square glass frame, under which certain plants can be
successfully grown. This is now considered by many to be a desirable
ornament in the window-garden during the winter months. When neatly and
artistically filled with suitable plants, a Wardian Case becomes a thing
of beauty. These cases can be easily and cheaply made by any one
possessed of ordinary mechanical skill. The base or box should be oblong
in shape, at least eight inches deep, and lined inside with zinc or
tin-plate, securely soldered to prevent the water and soil from staining
the wood. A case made in this manner will endure a number of years
without decaying. Over the case a square glass frame should be made to
fit snugly; it should be from eighteen inches to two feet high, so as to
allow the plants that are to grow under it plenty of room. When the case
and frame are finished, the whole should be mounted upon a stand, or
legs can be made with the case, under which are casters, by which to
move it about easily. Before planting, make a small funnel hole through
the bottom of the box, to allow the surplus water to escape rapidly, and
before putting in the soil, cover the bottom of the box two inches deep
with broken crocks or charcoal, or even gravel, to facilitate a rapid
drainage, a matter absolutely essential to the healthy growth of the
plants. Fill the box within an inch of the top with fine, rich, peaty
loam, and all will be ready to receive the plants. Those suitable for
growing in a case of this kind, should be such as will live and thrive
in a moist, still atmosphere, and are of slow growth; all rampant,
rank-growers must be discarded as being wholly unsuitable, as they would
soon become of such proportions that they could not be confined in so
limited a space. The following plants are eminently suited for Wardian
Cases, Jardinieres, etc.; Fittonias (Gymnostachyum), Fancy Caladiums,
Tradescantias, Cissus discolor, Gesnerias, some varieties of Crotons,
Dwarf-growing Begonias, Fancy Ferns, Lycopods, etc., etc., are very
suitable for this purpose. In arranging the plants in the case,
particular care should be taken to have them so placed that the
tallest-growing ones will be in the centre, and grading downward,
according to size, the Lycopods being on the bottom. The whole surface
of the soil may be covered with the trailing Lycopodium; by placing
small pieces here and there, it will soon spread over the entire
surface, making a beautiful ground work of purplish-green. Small,
highly-colored sea-shells, and beautifully-colored pebbles, are
scattered about among the plants, to enhance the beauty of the whole.
After the case has been filled the soil should be thoroughly soaked with
lukewarm water. Remove the case to a shady place for three or four days,
to allow the plants to recuperate, after which it can be placed in the
full light with safety. The lid or top should be lifted whenever there
is excessive moisture on the inside, which will be indicated by the
moisture trickling down on the inside of the glass. As a rule the plants
should have fresh air, by lifting the lid for a few minutes each day,
but beware of all cold draughts, or too much exposure to chilly
atmospheres. Ordinarily, once a month is often enough to water, this
must be governed by the circumstances, but they should never be allowed
to become dry, remembering that as warmth, moisture, and a still
atmosphere are secured, success will be certain.