4S8 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



MISCELLANEOUS 

 SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Ea>ter Plants. 

 There will be no question of so much 

 iuipoitance to the grower now as the 

 condition of his stock for Easter, whether 

 backward or too early or just right, as 

 he thinks. If we knew exactly what 

 weather to expect we could regulate 

 things pretty closely but that, very prop- 

 erly, will always be unfathomable. It 

 is. "by the time these lines are in print, 

 only four full weeks until o>ir crops 

 should be ready for the market. 

 Azaleas. 

 Azaleas that have been kept in a green- 

 house all winter arc rather too early. 

 That is, several of the best sorts. You 

 can usually find one end of a house 

 where you "can place the forward plants 

 and sliade them heavily, at the same 

 time giving them air day and night if 

 possible. With small quantities you 

 can even stand them beneath the bench 

 on full, bright days. We find the ma- 

 jority of people who will pay three or 

 four dollars for an azalea don't want 

 them too full out. 



A few years ago we had a hundred 

 fine plants in full bloom two weeks too 

 early and put them in a cool, dry cellar 

 or basement. It answered the purpose 

 after a fashion but they lost color and 

 did not look fresh and attractive. Re- 

 tard them before they open their buds 

 if possible. In a milder climate than 

 ours a deep cold-frame with air and 

 shade would be an ideal place for these 

 early varieties, but in case of a zero night 

 it would necessitate a good many blank- 

 ets. 



In Philadelphia I saw thousands of 

 Japan longiflorums that were in plenty 

 of time or what I considered about right. 

 If they are now clearly showing thcii 

 buds you have them safe. The Hinri^-ii 

 that i have seen and the few llinl \v(^ 

 have arc ra-ilv in tiinr. Thrrr j. n<i 

 trouljlc :il 1 tl Im 111- .l:i|i.n;- N\.iiit 



inches long and sonic "11 1> !ii-i li.iwi 

 ■would be to give them n!l i- mih li li 

 as you have at your cuininiii 1 jmI 

 move out one of them till tin lii-i Imi.I 

 was ready to open. Keinembir 1Ih\ will 

 last two weeks after they arc ii]mii ami 

 when taken from a very warm hmi-c :\iiil 

 put in a cool one when the lnnU arc 

 about half grown they will oflin -laml 

 still. Rush them all along. The inilioi 

 Japans will easily keep till Ka-lcr if 

 removed to cool, shady houses jnst as 

 the buds are beginning to open. When 

 the buds are above the foliage the green 

 fly is easily kept down, so fumigate 

 mildly twice" a week. 

 Like. 

 Lilac will come along nicely in fmir 

 weeks in about GO degrees at night and 



will be more satisfactory if kept in a 

 cool house for a few days if you should 

 happen to have them too early. 

 We have kept them in a moist cellar for 

 ten days in perfect order. 



The Crimson Rambler Rose. 

 This is now a standard Easter plant. 

 When down east two weeks ago I had 

 to take a good lecture from expert 

 growers like Robert Craig and Mark 

 Mills because I have had occasion to 

 advocate the summer grown pot plants 

 in preference to the field grown plants 

 lifted in November and forced for the 

 following Easter. I will confess gladly 

 that as Mr. W. K. Harris and Mr. Craig 

 force these field grown plants nothing 

 better or finer can be desired, but we 

 have not yet been able to manage it. 

 The secret is, they should be on your 

 own place and not a particle of drying 

 out should occur. When shipped some 

 distance with ordinary packing they do 

 drv out and dry canes that won't break 

 is "the result. If fine canes can be pro- 

 duced in 8 and 9-inch pots the previous 

 summer thev bave the advantage that 

 every eye will break and will force with 

 ease. As I may tire my readers on this 

 subject I will say, get some young plants 

 this spring and plant them m your own 

 field. If they make four or five good 

 canes you can lift them for forcing next 

 No\einber, but they make much better 

 plants by cutting back next winter and 

 letting tihem grow one more summer. 



Now about our Easter plants; if you 

 cans.Ttl,.'tru-..iin,r.nl .lll.r ■jmwths 

 thev «ni Ih. .11 ...III lli'> ' 'l""g 



flower, and when you sell a plant tell 

 voiir customer to keep them in a saucer 

 "and saturated. If not they are the most 

 unsatisfactory of plants. In a church 

 decoration I have seen them wilted by 

 noon, especially if the sermon was dry. 



Genistas — Acacias. 



Strange to say our cytisus (Genista 

 racemosa) is not a day too early this 

 year. Usually they are wanting to- 

 flower about this time. Not a very satis- 

 factory plant outside of a greenhouse, 

 but what have we else but the cytisus in 

 its color? I know of no bright yellow, 

 except perhaps the Acacia armata. 



These are fine with us this year. 

 Plants that were pruned short back 

 after last Easter and in June plunged 

 out of doors have made a number of 

 "rowths of two feet long covered with 

 their little globular flowers. They have 

 a bad propensity of rotting quite a per- 

 centage of their flowers, but even when 

 in the best of order they do not sel as 

 readily as such an attractive plant 

 should. Keep them quite cool ; they are 

 sure to be in time. 



Bulbous Flowers. 



iw been forced so long 



Bulbs 



iM tlr 



very- 



been frozen 



have a inir 

 grown below 

 when forced 

 never trouble 

 Rambler bcea 



,:,! ,1 ., - il,:in thpv have 



iMii.li ;il- ixr it. W"e were 

 I «iili ivd >iiidcr on the 

 \iM' uc ailuavs gave them 

 igiiig till tli'e flowers are 



ill! :il..(ll1 tlicm, but 

 a ,ln-tiinl tired at 

 and hvariiillis have 

 12, steady cold spell 

 they will want a week longer in the 

 house than if they have not been frozen, 

 for if in the latter state they have been 

 continually growing and soon jump into 

 flower when given heat and daylight. 

 Considering that winter is likely to be 

 with us at Easter and the week or two 

 preceding I would say, to be safe, give 

 the Dutch hyacinths and dalfodils two 

 weeks, the "single tulips seventeen or 

 eighteen days, and the double tulips 

 tw"enty-one days. 



Lily-of-the-valley is always a favor- 

 ite at Easter. You ought to put an ex- 

 tra lot in the sand for that dale, allow- 

 ing about twenty-one days ilns will 

 give them plenty of time to be fully out 



and a day or " '" '■" ' 



fore using. 



ater be- 

 WiT.i.iAM Scott. 



ROSE NOTES. 



Azalea Mollis. 



A/alea mollis forces easily in four 

 weeks in about 55 degrees. They sell 

 fairly well because there is nothing like 

 them in color. In hot weather the (low- 

 ers drop quickly, but at Easter time 

 they last fairly well. 



Deulzias. 

 Dcut/ia gracilis shou'd be showing 

 tlicir little sprays now. It is much bet- 

 tir to bring it along in a cool house. 

 1 believe in this plant for Easter, for it 

 ,,ays to cut if you don't sell it in pots. 



Spiraeas. 



It seems we can't do without Spiraea 

 or Astilbe japonica. Some force this 

 plant in an extraordinary short time. 

 Ours are just now showing their spikes 

 above the leaves and in 50 degrees at 

 ni"ht will be on time. I have before now 

 i.riiiiiiiiciulcil that I'viTV plant be stood 

 in a -aiiiir and a little water be put in 

 thciii I'liis "ill sail' vciu one watering 

 •I (lav and add iiimh to the robustness 

 and "color of the foliage and size of 



Sub-Watering. 



Consideial.lr lia- 1 

 watering ' ai nai i n-. 

 heard niitlmrj .ili"i 

 roses. 1 bavr liad ' 

 some time and slud.\ 

 rnations and 



said about sub- 

 t so far I have 

 ■ lib-watering for 

 It unity to devote 



sub-watering for 

 cs and was very 



favorably impressed with the results. I 

 am of tiie opinion that when sub-water- 

 in" is more fully understood its value 

 wfll be more appreciated and the exist- 

 ing prejudice against it will be removed. 



It is of special value in growing Amer- 

 ican Beauties. It assures having the 

 top of the soil and the foliage dry wh'le 

 there is still sufficient moisture at the 

 roots. There is no baking and cracking 

 of the soil as the result of heavy over- 

 head watering, and the soil can always 

 be kept loose on tl,.- -uifam. The ten- 

 dency to black ^|. 1 1- vi.all.v reduced 

 and the labor -aN.,! h> ih - system ot 

 watering will pas f-i Ihr .Mra cost of 

 building the beds in bss than a jear. 



The beds for sub-watering can be made 

 in many difTerent ways. The great point 

 is to have them watertight, whether 



