INDOOR GARDENING
_A Rainy Day in October_
All summer long the out-of-door gardens kept us busy, planting, weeding
and watering. When we had had a week or two of sunshiny weather we began
to wish a cloud would sail over the blue sky and bring the rain our
thirsty flowers needed. We could see the reason for rainy days in
summer-time. Now, however, it is different; a rainy day in autumn is so
cold and disagreeable. It settles down to work in a business-like
way--not like a summer shower, which has, all through, a hint of the sun
behind the clouds. No, an autumn rain is chilly and gray and lasting,
and the best way to forget it is to find something interesting to do
indoors.
Suppose we plan an indoor garden. There are the plants that were brought
in from the garden the other day--geraniums, heliotropes, lobelias and
begonias--all need our care and attention. A boy with a taste for
woodworking can make a shelf and put up brackets in a window where the
sun will reach them. Even a plant table may not prove too difficult for
him.
There is one particularly interesting thing that both boys and girls can
do, and that is to plan Christmas gifts of budded or blossoming plants
for their family and friends. How is it to be done? Why, by planting
bulbs in October. You have seen bulbs, of course, at the florists; they
are mostly dingy brown or yellow and look like onions. If anyone in the
family had a garden last summer there will be sure to be catalogues of
seeds and bulbs in the house, and you can begin by making a list of the
bulbs you wish to send for. Such a number as you have to choose
from--tulips, crocuses, lilies, hyacinths, narcissus, daffodils, and
plenty more. They are not costly either. Hyacinths can be bought for
from six to fifteen cents each; these are the ordinary ones. Roman
hyacinths, which have beautiful white flowers, cost only four or five
cents. Chinese lily bulbs are more expensive; one can be bought for ten
cents or three for twenty-five cents, but they are large and the
blossoms are so fragrant and beautiful that they are well worth it.
These are grown among pebbles in a dish of water. They will look well in
a glass dish or in a shallow pottery bowl--such as you can buy for ten
or fifteen cents at a Japanese store. For hyacinths, tall, slender
glasses are to be had at the florist's for fifteen cents. They come in
several colours, but the dark green is best--and that reminds me that
there is a case you can make of rattan and raffia around one of these
glasses to enable you to hang it beside a window. This you can do some
other rainy day.
The Chinese lily bulbs are put into a dishful of tepid water which has a
few small pieces of charcoal in it. A number of small stones are fitted
around the bulbs to keep them upright and steady, and then they are put
near a window where the sun comes. Hyacinths may be grown in the glasses
or in flower pots, just as one chooses. A mixture of good soil from the
garden and sand is best if they are to be grown in pots. Be careful in
taking the garden soil to sift it through your fingers, making sure that
no worms are lurking in it, to trouble the bulbs later on. Put stones
for drainage and some pieces of charcoal at the bottom of each pot. The
bulb is planted so that about one-third of it is left above the earth.
If it is to be grown in water, use rain water and fill the glass so that
the base of the bulb will just touch it. However they are planted, in
pots or in glasses, they should be left in a dark, cool place like an
airy cellar, until they are rooted. This will take about two weeks for
those in glasses and six for the potted hyacinths. If it is possible,
bury the pots in the open ground about six inches deep, or cover them
with soil, for about five weeks. They can then be put into the window
garden. Consult the bulb catalogues for suggestions as to the care of
your plants.
_Basket Case for a Hyacinth Glass_
=Materials Required:= A dark green hyacinth glass,
2 weavers of No. 2 rattan,
2 weavers of No. 2 black rattan,
A bunch of copper red raffia,
A tapestry needle, No. 19.
After you have bought your hyacinth glasses, and before the bulbs are
put into them, you may like to make for each a simple case of basket
work by which it can be hung against the window frame.
It is made of rattan rings bound together with raffia of some colour
that will look well with the hyacinth blossoms. A dark green glass with
a covering of black and the natural-coloured rattan bound with
copper-coloured raffia is a good combination, if the hyacinth is to be
white.
Make two rings of black rattan like those described in the directions
for making a sponge bag (see Chapter IV). One should be large enough to
slip over the glass, down to about half an inch from the bottom of it,
the other to three inches from the bottom. This second ring must be made
on the glass, as the flaring top will not allow so small a ring to slip
over it. This will not be difficult to do. Tie the rattan around the
glass just below where you wish it to be placed (about two and
three-quarters inches from the bottom), then slip it up where the glass
is narrower and twist the ends around this foundation ring twice, as
shown in Fig. 22. This makes a ring of three circuits, the foundation
ring counting as one. Make four rings of the natural-coloured rattan,
each measuring two inches and a quarter in diameter on the inside. These
are made with two circuits; that is, after tying the foundation ring the
ends are twisted all the way around it once, instead of twice as the
black ones were, and are cut just so that they will lap. Bind these
four rings together in a hollow square with bindings five-eighths of an
inch long of raffia in buttonhole stitch (see Fig. 67). Fasten the ends
of the rings by making the binding come over them. Slip this square over
the top of the glass and down between the two black rattan rings. Here
each of the four light rings is bound with raffia in buttonhole stitch
to the black ring above it, as well as to the one below. To make a loop
to hang it by, tie a ring of black rattan around the neck of the glass,
twist its ends twice around it, and then without cutting the ends tie
them into another ring an inch and a quarter in diameter, inside
measurement, which stands out from the glass and forms a loop. This ring
is made with two circuits.
[Illustration: FIG. 67]
_Growing Plants in Fibre_
Later on, in November and December, there may come days when you are
kept indoors, and then perhaps you will like to do some more gardening
with bulbs. Shall we begin with the spring bulbs--tulips, crocuses and
daffodils? It is wonderful, isn't it, to think of being able to plant
them when out of doors the earth is covered thick with snow? This is how
it is done: Buy from a florist or seedsman a fibre mixture which they
sell for this purpose. Take a large tub or pail and put some fibre into
it, add plenty of water and stir the fibre thoroughly with a stick. Let
it remain in the water for two days, stirring it from time to time so
that it shall get water soaked. It will then be ready for use. If you
plan to give the plants away when they are in bud they should be started
in jars or bowls that can be included in the gift. Japanese or Spanish
pottery bowls can be bought for from ten to twenty-five cents each, and
one of these with a daffodil or narcissus growing in it will make a
delightful birthday gift for someone you love. If you are not planning
to give them away, of course you will be able to collect about the house
enough bowls and jars of china and pottery to hold them. Put a few
pieces of charcoal at the bottom of each dish--these are to keep the
water pure and the fibre wet. Put into each bowl some of the wetted
fibre until it is about two or three inches deep, depending on the
depth of the bowl. Place the bulbs on the fibre so that they just touch
and fill all in with the wet fibre. Put more fibre over them and press
it gently down and around them--not too hard. Fill the dish in until it
is nearly solid. Now put the bowls away in a cellar or any dark but airy
room where they will not get frostbitten and watch them day by day to
see that the fibre does not get dry; it must be kept moist but not
soaking wet. Be especially careful that the bulbs do not get dry. When
they are all rooted and have grown perhaps an inch, bring the bulbs into
a lighter room and let them have plenty of air. Put them on the window
sill or even in the garden in the middle of the day, if it is not too
cold, and as they begin to show some buds water regularly and often.
_Planting Indoors in February_
As early as February you can begin to plan your out-of-door flower
garden and start some seeds indoors. Tuberous begonias, Canterbury
bells, verbenas, single dahlias, scarlet sage or salvia, tufted pansies
and cosmos can all be started now. First of all you will need some
flats or low wooden boxes--they should be about three inches deep and
not too large to handle. If it is possible to get such shallow boxes at
your grocer's so much the better, otherwise you can have a soap box or
two sawed down to the required height. If they have no cracks or holes
for drainage, bore some and partly cover them with pieces of an old
flower pot, rounded side up. Put pebbles or other rough material in the
bottom of the box. Now you are ready for the soil. Get good, rich loam
from the garden and sift it into the boxes. You can then begin planting.
The large seeds should be planted about half an inch deep, medium sized
ones as deep as four times their own width; the very small ones are just
pressed into the earth, and the smallest should have a piece of glass
placed over the box so that they will not dry out entirely. Wet the soil
until it is quite moist and press it with a level board after planting.
Set the boxes in a sunny window, one that faces south or southeast, and
keep them moist, but not wet, with a bulb sprinkler (see Fig. 68).
[Illustration: FIG. 68]
_March Planting_
This blustery month of bad weather out of doors you can have a
delightful time with your indoor garden. The bulbs you started in fibre
should be in bloom by this time, and while you are enjoying them you can
start some flower seeds for your out-of-door garden.
This is the time to plant what are called annuals--that is, plants that
live just a year--like batchelor's-buttons, sweet peas, nasturtiums,
four-o'clocks, marigolds and zinnias. Use flats or shallow wooden boxes,
like those already described, to plant in. Choose good garden soil and,
before filling the boxes, heat it in the oven, very hot--this will kill
the weed seeds. Sow the seeds in rows an inch and a half apart and
three-quarters of an inch apart in the row. When all the seeds are up,
thin the little plants out so that they will be an inch and a half apart
in the row. Put them in a sunny window as close to the glass as possible
and keep the shades rolled high. If you do not give them enough sun they
will become thin and spindly--like children who never go out. Turn
the boxes now and then so that all sides will get the sunlight. You will
need to put some labels into each box, bearing the names of the seeds
that are planted there. The best ones are made from the covers of old
grape baskets. Cut them into strips, write on each the name of the seed
and the date, and stick it into the earth.
[Illustration: A little garden for a little girl]
Gradually as the weather gets warmer you can give the little plants more
air by opening the windows, and later by putting them out of doors in
some sheltered but sunny spot. When there is no longer any danger from
frost, the boxes can be set out of doors day and night, only taking them
in in case of a severe storm.
The seedlings may need to be separated and transplanted indoors before
it is warm enough to set them in the out-of-door garden. Common grape
baskets do very well for this purpose and hold about a dozen little
plants--flats may also be used. Allow as much space between the
seedlings as possible, for if they are too close the roots will twine
about each other and make it very hard to transplant them later on. When
they are large enough to be transplanted put them into a basin of
lukewarm water and plant them in their new box one at a time. Do not
put them in the sun for a few days, but keep them shaded until they have
taken root.
_Starting Gourd Vines in the Indoor Garden_
Of course you have seen gourds, perhaps not growing, but surely you know
how they look when dried. Hard, smooth-shelled things of a beautiful
golden brown colour, they grow in the strangest shapes. Some are round
or oval with a queer twisted stem (see Fig. 69). They have many uses--to
hold the stockings open and smooth (so that grandma can darn them
easily), as bird houses, match holders, and even for drinking cups.
[Illustration: FIG. 69]
They are the fruit of a vine which would be charming to train on a
trellis or arbour in your out-of-door garden, and then when harvest time
came you would have the interesting gourds to dry and use as you chose.
If you would like to raise them, sow the seeds in shallow wooden boxes
indoors in March. Plant them a quarter of an inch deep, and when the
little plants crowd one another and are strong enough to transplant
remove them to larger boxes and plant them six inches apart. When
planting the vines out of doors in May or June put plenty of manure
about them and give them ample space. If the vines bear many gourds, and
all small ones, pinch off some and the others will develop better. Do
not pick the gourds until they are quite ripe; that is, when they begin
to look slightly yellow. They need plenty of hot sun in order to come to
perfection. Leave them as long as possible on the vines, only being
careful that they are not touched with frost. In the South they are
sometimes left on the vines all winter.
After picking them, hang them in an airy place in the house or out of
doors. Leave a little of the vine on each one and they can then be hung
by strings tied to these handles. If you follow these few rules your
gourds should dry smooth and hard.
_How to Start Lavender Indoors_
Do you know the smell of lavender--that sweet, refreshing perfume that
clings to some of grandmother's treasures of linen and embroidery? One
catches a whiff of it in old gardens sometimes, and it is always
welcome. You can buy the seed from a florist or seedsman--_Lavandula
vera_ is what the true English lavender is called, and that is best. If
it cannot be had, _Lavandula spica_ is next best. It takes time to raise
either, but it will be such an addition to your out-of-door garden that
you will not regret the time spent. About the first of March the
lavender seed should be sown, in window boxes or flats. Make shallow
drills with your finger, drop the seed in and cover lightly. Sprinkle
them every day with your bulb sprinkler until they come up. When the
little plants each have four leaves they may be transplanted. Before
starting to transplant them they should be thoroughly wet. Set them five
inches apart. In the winter protect the plants with litter--leaves,
straw, etc.--six inches deep. The next year, in March, they should be
set in rows three feet apart.
When the plants are in full bloom the sprigs are cut, and then dried in
a cool, darkened room or closet. Lay them on paper so as to save all the
blossoms. The lavender flowers may be made into the daintiest of sachets
by filling with them sheer linen bags or pale lavender silk ones.
The sprigs that are left after the blossoms have fallen may be used like
Chinese incense to sweeten a room, by lighting the blossom end of a
single piece and letting it burn in a vase or incense holder.
Gifts and How to Make Them