FOR THE WOMAN GARDENER

Evening Star, Issue 22817, 27 November 1937, Page 27

FOR THE WOMAN GARDENER

THE JOYS OF WINDOW-GARDENING Flat-dwellors, and those who live in the heart of the city, and who are deprived of the pleasure of having a garden, need not be without flowers. It is quite possible, with care and attention, to grow plants in window boxes in flats, basements, or even in the backyards of places where the outlook is somewhat dreary and cheerless, and there is as much pleasure to ho derived from the task of growing them as there is interest in watching their progress in life. Flowers grown under such conditions naturally require more care than those that have the advantage of Nature’s help in the matter of light, sunshine, and fresh air, but, to those who wish to gratify their love of Nature, the task of cultivating blooms to brighten their surroundings is a pleasant one. Window boxes can be plain or elaborate as fancy dictates, but should be uniform in size and pattern, and should conform to the style of house. Zino linings, a triflle smaller than the outer wooden case, and with the bottoms well perforated, can bo had cheaply, or can be made at home at trifling cost. Drainage is most import-

[By Donald Loomis, Noted Hollywood Physical Director.] If you have time for just one exercise some morning, I’d advise you to try this one which helps keep you flexible, limber, and graceful; it stretches the back muscles and takes the fat off hips and thighs as well. As you will see from the picture, posed by Jean Ghatburn, you stand with feet well apart, arms folded, and knees stiff. Bend forward, aud as you go down keep twisting your body from side to side as you work yourself lower; then twist again as you work up. Be sure you feel every muscle hi the back getting stretched, also feel the puli in the hips and thighs. Girls who work in pictures must keep their weight six to eight pounds less than would be considered correct for the average girl. Because they cannot put on the extra pounds, picture girls are nearly always hungry and would eat like wolves if given the chance. If you are, overweight and want to lose a few pounds try following the advice I give these girls. i tell them to drink a glass of orange juice when they feel desperately hungry, or to eat an apple, a slice of pineapple, several stalks of celery, or a head of lettuce with the juice of a lemon squeezed over it. When a girl acquires the habit of eating a great deal of food it is difficult for her to give it up.

Luise Rainer came from Vienna, Austria, where the ideal girl is much plumper than is considered beautiful over here. She was 201 b overweight, according to our standards, although at her home she was thought slender. At first she couldn’t understand why she was asked to lose some weight, as she believed it would- make her face hag-

ant, as few plants like to liave their roots kept constantly moist; therefore, a, good plan is to have a litter of broken flower pots covering the holes in the bottom of the boxes, but, mot placed so that they prevent the fie© passage of the water, and then pressing a thick layer of moss or straw fitemly over the broken pots to prevent t|»e earth running down and choking the drainage. The inner cases can be 1 treated in the same manner before bei tig filled with the soil, which should be good, as it has to last for a considerable time. Whore circumstances permit, two zinc linings could be made for each window box, so as to ensure having a display of flowers all the, year. During the blooming period in one the other can be bringing on seedlings, plants, or bulbs, thus pa-eventing any dull times for the little garden.

Avoid Overcrowding. Do not overcrowd the boxes, and keep a sharp lookout for disease. Remove decayed wood, folihge, and weeds whenever they make thyeir appearance, and, if a stimulant foir the plants is required, apply some weak liquid organic manure. The following plants are suitable for growing in the boxes: — Alyssum, pink and red begonias, calliopsis, coleus (colotured foliage), double-flowered blue lobelia, linaria, -WVUVWWVWWWVWWV^

gard and she would lose her pretty curves, but alter she had observed our American stars on and off the screen she began to understand, and she worked hard to get rid of the excess poundage. As a rule, though, overweight girls haven’t the will power of thin girls, for they are likely to be complacent, content, or lackadaisical. The thin girl runs instead of walking, is energetic and ambitious, and easy to work with because she wants to succeed. The fat girl, on the other hand, listens to me and does as she pleases. “ I’d like to be thin, of course,” she will say, “ but I’d much gather eat!” Unless she is scared into dieting and doing her exercises by a threat of losing her contract she is always cheating—taking a piece of pastry or ico cream for dessert—and forgetting to do her exercises. Did you ever try sky-walking? Here it is, a good thing for that extra-tire-look at the waistline: Lie on you back on the floor. Raise both legs as high as you can, arms outstretched at the sides. Now rotate your legs forward and backward alternately, as though you were walking on a globe hung in the sky. You can’t do much of this at first, so do it with discretion. On Wednesday—Knees,

mignonette, nasturtiums, petunias, and py rethrum. There are many other plants and bulbs suitable for window gardens, but one must be guided by one’s own taste in choosing them, and in arranging and grouping them for effect. Ordinary flower pots can bo used instead of the zinc cases. These can be arranged inside tbe outer wooden cases, and have the advantage of being easily changed about.