Here's the recipe that makes a neat crystal garden that you can enjoy. Your completed garden will form salts which create beautiful flowering towers and spires. Caution. Several of the materials in this recipe are harmful if swallowed. Keep this experiment out of reach of young children and animals. This is the same recipe that we use in our science workshops at the Museum.

Mix together the following in a small, clear cup or dish (we like shallow plastic cups):

• 6 tablespoons water
• 6 tablespoons non-ionized salt (not the ionized kind)
• 6 tablespoons laundry bluing (found in the laundry section at most, but not all, supermarkets)
• 2 tablespoons of household ammonia

Find a rock about the size of a Quarter. Place the rock in the solution. Now, put your container in a safe spot where no one can tip it over.

In a day or more, you'll notice white formations on your rock and on the base of your container. Be careful when moving your experiment. The formations are fragile. When you are through with your garden, wrap in newspaper and dispose with the trash.

Note: You'll be hard pressed to find laundry bluing locally in most places. The Luther Ford & Company manufacures an excellent product. For a list of places to purchase in your area, or to order online, see: