Cause A Frockus

Victorian window gardening 101

Jul 29, 2015 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns

Ellen’s amazing article, It’s a Semi Victorian Life, inspired me to channel my inner Jane Austen and find out about a hobby I have always been interested in, but never excelled at: gardening. My mother has an emerald green thumb – every plant in her life is a blue ribbon beauty. Me… well, I did not inherit that skill. I killed a cactus in college and the trauma of that experience definitely stuck with me. Fast forward a decade and my confidence had rebounded. After all, I’m a mama to two incredible doxies who are healthy and happy – I can try to have a plant in my life again, right?

I bought George (yep, I named him) one fateful day this Spring. He was a cute little succulent in a super adorable mid-century modern style house, which totally spoke to my vintage inclinations. He’s just so darned cute, so of course I made him the cover model of this article. When I first met George under the bright lights of the grocery store floral department I thought I can do this, two ounces of water twice a week, oh yeah – I’m golden. Unfortunately on the heels of our three month celebration, tragedy struck. Yep, George crossed.. well not the Rainbow Bridge, but the Rainbow Garden Path. Sigh. I am hoping if I take some old school advice, I can have success. Join me as I crack open my copy of Manners, Culture, and Dress to figure out Victorian window gardening 101.

“Window-gardening, whether simple or elaborate, is everywhere an evidence of culture and refinement. Flowers in all their richness, beauty and fragrance may adorn the windows of even the humblest cottage at little or no expense” pg. 451

The first step in starting your Victorian window garden is to decide on location, location, location. Some plants love the shade, while others are sun worshipers. Common floral varieties who love a walk on the shady side include pansies or violets. But for the Victorian gardener, it’s not just about those precious golden sun rays. You have to consider the exposures. For example, if you want a window garden along the Northern side of your home – sturdy plants are going to be your best bet. (Ferns are a great starting point for the Northern gardeners among us.) Delicate flowers and cacti thrive in a Eastern or Southern setting. Think beognia, lily-of-the -valley, roses, or geraniums. (For more info on Lily of the Valley check out this great article!) When it comes to our last side – the Western side – ivy is king. But in terms of Western-focused flowers, geraniums prove their versatility as they remain a good fit, but for a unique selection try amaryllis.

Fantastic ferns

So for the beginner (like me), the Victorian experts agree ferns offer the best chance for gardening success. When it comes to how they are presented or housed, start a mini fernery to keep it simple and add a pop of nature into your decor. (Think of a terrarium, but just for our friends, the ferns.) Start by running out to your favorite antique and vintage stores on a hunt for special glass cases or containers. Pick something that brings you joy and prepare for some awesome!

The foundation for these environments is super important and by that I mean soil. Here’s the Victorian recipe: equal parts of silver sand (which is sand with quartz and other treats mixed in), good loam (here’s a helpful article that walks you through loam versus topsoil), powdered charcoal, and refuse coconut fiber (looks like this goes by the term coco peat nowadays).

You want to cover the bottom of your container with a nice layer (about an inch thick) of either left over powdered charcoal or tiny rocks. Your special secret soil mix gets pressed on top of this layer and then finally you set your plants into the case, introducing them to their new digs. (Put the largest ferns in the middle, with the small ones placed around it. A good fern to work with is the climbing fern.) Once your project is done, you get to work on finding the perfect location in your home. A spot that gets equal opportunities of shade and sun is perfect.

Hanging gardens

Window gardens can accent your home nicely, but when you want to play with vertical space a hanging garden makes for an important component to your outdoor space. The biggest way you’ll boost your green thumb is by picking a container with proper ventilation. (Fun, Victorian era DIY hanging basket ideas include large sea shells or coconut halves with holes drilled through.) Without ventilation, the roots will decay and things will go the way of the George. Again, you’ll want to fill the bottom with little pieces of charcoal to encourage drainage and be a wonderful basis for your soil. If you’ve picked a very deep container you may add a sponge to help soak up any excess moisture would could harm the health of your plant.

The Victorian soil formula: one third sand mixed with dark loam and leaf mold (here’s a how-to on making leaf mold). The gurus have some wisdom on watering (which is always my weakness) – when your hanging garden becomes dry, water it thoroughly and then don’t water for a couple days.

Nice choices for hanging baskets include our hard-working begonias, ivy (English Ivy seems to be the most popular for gardeners from this era), or even decorative grasses. Make sure you don’t overcrowd and keep the tallest element in the middle, with shorter plants around it.

I hope these Victorian tips help us all up our gardening game! Let me know if these tips help you too and share your comments below – what is your trick for an emerald thumb?

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