May is "bedding-out month" in the garden, and in mild districts tender plants are put out during the first half of the month. The bedding system still keeps its grip on public gardens, and with the advent of May the superintendents clear their bulb beds in order to prepare the soil for fresh plants. Window gardens, too, change their garments. Seedling plants sown out of doors are thinned.

There is not much to do among outdoor fruits, but indoor fruit demands constant attention.

Seedling vegetables are thinned, and a few late sowings are made.

Window Gardening. Window Boxes

The duration of the spring display depends upon the kinds put in during autumn. If they were all bulbs, they will be over now; if Wallflowers and Primroses were included, they may still be bright. I do not suggest the hasty dismantling of a window box early in May, because the end of the month is time enough to replant for summer. But brown Hyacinth spikes, and Tulips with only one draggled petal left, are not beautiful. If the boxes contain nothing better than these, they may as well be overhauled at once. The bulbs may be transferred to a remote place in the garden, the flower stems removed, and the bulbs covered with soil. The soil had better be removed, and the drainage rearranged. If the soil was fresh in autumn, it would do again, but it is wise to add some fresh, and to mix all well together. If a compost is being prepared, let the greater part of it be fibrous loam: a quarter of leaf mould and a tenth of sand are the only additions necessary.

The regulation Zonal Geranium and Marguerite box is not bad; it is bright from the outset, and it tends to improve with time; but some may like to introduce less common plants. The drooping white Campanula (Iso-phylla Alba) looks very nice mixed with crimson and yellow plumed Celosias. These are plants of the Cockscomb class, but have not the pompous and flunkeyfied stiffness of the Cockscomb. Fuchsias associated with white Asters look very nice, and rambling Tropoeolums or Ivy-leaved Geraniums may be introduced to prevent any suspicion of stiffness.

Plants In Room Windows

The feathery white Spiraea (to modern botanists Astilbe) Japonica looks very well in windows in spring. It is a very thirsty plant, and must have abundance of water. One sometimes sees what florists call show and fancy Pelargoniums in windows. They are near relatives of the Zonal Geranium, but the leaves are wholly green, and generally somewhat incurved. The relationship can be seen in the flowers, which are very richly marked, and are born freely. Triomphe de St. Mande, very large crimson, is one of the best. H. J. Jones, rose, with white eye and crimson blotch, is also good. The Bride, white with marone upper petals, is one of the best of the lighter varieties. If the plants are shaded during the hottest part of the day, the flowers will last longer than if fully exposed to the sun. Azaleas are often grown in windows, and they also will be benefited by careful shading and watering. They are brilliant plants, which can be bought from nurserymen and bulb-dealers, well set with flower buds. It is a good time to repot such foliage plants as Aralia Sieboldii and the India-rubber Plant.

Continue sponging the leaves of Palms, and watering judiciously.