The plants you grow indoors this winter will be doubly enjoyable if they are used as decorative material for your rooms rather than in a nursery-style row on the window sill.
There are so many attractive new plant containers on the market that the problem is not where to find a container but which one to choose.
We have rounded up a wide selection on these pages, and to help you visualize them in your own homes, some were planted and photographed in appropriate settings.
Using clay pots within the glazed containers is unnecessary, although you can do so. Plants grow well in non-porous containers, such as those shown here.
For good drainage in any type of plant holder, regardless of the material of which it is made or whether it has a drainage hole, place about an inch of pebbles at the bottom and cover them with a quarter inch of coarse sand before filling in the soil above.
Glazed Containers
Less water will be required for plants growing in glazed containers of any sort than those in porous containers.
It is advantageous to use them in heated rooms in winter when the plants in ordinary clay pots dry out too rapidly.
Any growing material used for decorative purposes where little light is received a daily turn in the sun in a light window (depending upon the type of plant) to keep it growing and healthy.
For hints on growing the more unusual plants pictured here, see the chart on page 788 of the October Flower Grower.
Regular Good Care
The regular good care all house plants deserve must be followed whenever growing material is used indoors.
Plants growing in water will need a lump of charcoal in the container to keep the water sweet.
All foliage plants, and others not in flower, should be moved to the sink at least once weekly for a cleansing bath in clear water. Use water slightly higher than room temperature and dry it out of the sun.
Watch for insects and diseases—keeping a nicotine sulfate spray nearby to use as a contact insecticide and a Bordeaux mixture or dusting sulfur to overcome fungous diseases. Feed your plants once a month with plant food or liquid cow manure.
Daily Fresh Air
Give them fresh air daily, but avoid drafts, and keep the temperature of your rooms at 68° degrees Fahrenheit or lower unless you plan to replace each plant as soon as it expires in the heat of a warmer room.
If you find that temperature uncomfortable for your family, you might keep the growing material in a cooler room, bringing it into the living room whenever its decoration is desired.
Look carefully over these pictures and also pages 751-753 in the October Flower Grower for more suggestions. Then, for the plants you grow this winter, choose the right containers!
44659 by Ruth Marie Peters