The Weekly Florists^ Re vie 



w. 



5)9 



MISCELLANEOUS 

 SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Propagating. 

 There are only a few weeks Itft wlien 

 propagating soft wooded stuff can be 

 ■done with ease and certainty, so 

 make the best use you can d' [\n- next 

 two weeks. When the Kriulii -im^ of 

 April arrive the extra ]h:ii .iii.hI- nmrh 

 more care and watchfulness. Xr.iily all 

 the soft wooded, quick growing plants 

 Buch as salvia, ageratum, heliotrope, 

 ■etc., are better propagated as late as this 

 because they make plants of ample size 

 and do not get stunted and unshapely by 

 bedding time. Coleus we continue to 

 propagate till end of May, but that will 

 root at any time with heat and water. 



Caladiutns. 



It is a good time now to start C'aladiuni 

 esculcntum. There seems to always be 

 a demand for these big leaved plants; 

 cut the root well up to the sound last 

 year's bull). The new roots don't come 

 from the bottom of the bulb but from 

 all over its surface. We find time and 

 space sa^-ed by putting the bulbs thick- 

 ly in flats in three inches of sand or 

 sand}' soil, and if the flats can be placed 

 a little .above some hot water pipes the 

 bulbs will start very quickly and soon 

 throw out lots of roots. Don't let them 

 make much top growth in this position 

 or they will be weak. In about thr»e 

 weeks they will be in good order for 

 potting into 5 or 6-inch pots and will 

 need from that on the lightest, brightest 

 and airiest house. If they are induced 

 to make large, soft leaves they are sure 

 to lose them when put out of doors 

 and are then several weeks behind the 

 smaller but more hardened plants. 



Cannas. 



Every one seems to believe that the 

 popular canna will be in as great demand 

 as ever, and even more so, and why not ? 

 There is something so suited to our 

 semi-tropical climate about these stately 

 and beautiful plants. It is a good time 

 now to start the main lot. I have some- 

 times advised putting them in flats of 

 sandy soil and placing the flats on pipes, 

 and it gives them a quick start, but they 

 must remain there but a short time. 

 If you have a bench in a warm house 

 it is just as well and better. Spread 

 an inch of sphagnum on the bench and 

 put the roots on it and then moss enough 

 between them to about cover them, keep- 

 ing the moss moist. They soon make 

 a start and can be lifted and potted 

 as soon as the roots have made a good 

 start. The remarks about light and air 

 ^•Pply to the canna equally as well as 

 to the ealadium. A stout, hardy growth 

 is what is needed. 



Seed Sowing. 



By this time in the month the general 

 crop of asters and other so called hardy 

 annuals should be sown. We presume 

 you have some asters sown a month 

 ago, but now is a good time for the 

 main crop. Marigolds, ten week stocks. 



I'hUix Diunuiiondii, or any other sum- 

 mer annual, can now be sown. Balsaius 

 are very rapid growers and do not 

 want anything but a high temperature 

 so they can be delayed till early in 

 April. 



The "art" of sowing seeds has been 

 so often described that f would not ven- 

 ture to dilate on it here. A few good 

 rules, however, are: Cover the seeds 

 about the depth of themselves and keep 

 them uniformly moist. A sudden parch- 

 ing of the soil just as the seeds sprout 

 has often been the cause of the seedsman 

 being blamed. 



Till the growth is above ground any 

 amount of shade can be given, or even 

 the flats or pans covered with a cloth, 

 but directly they are above ground they 

 must have daylight without bright sun, 

 and as the little plants grow they must 

 have the fullest light or they will be 

 spindling, which is a bad start. As 

 these annuals take up lots of room when 

 pricked out into flats we try to manage 

 to keep them in the seed pans till after 

 Easter, and then we have either room 

 inside or it is warm enough for them 

 in a cold frame. 



Cobea Scandens. 



A seed of different nature entirely is 

 that of Cobea scandens, one of the most 

 tiseful summer climbers we have. Sow 

 it now; there is plenty of time. There 

 is a right end to put in the soil but it is 

 difficult to describe and the safest way 

 for those who do not know the right 

 end is to sow the seed on edge. Just 

 squeeze the seed into the soil edgewise 

 and no covering of soil is needed. Keep 

 in a temperature of 60 degrees and 

 moderately moist and they will soon 

 start. They should be potted off singly 

 into 2i-inch pots directly thiey show 

 their character leaves, or rather growth. 



Pansies. 



Those who grow a few thousand 

 pansies in frames for early use in vases 

 must now keep a sharp lookout if they 

 want good, sturdy plants. With a cover- 

 ing of snow or hemlock boughs they have 

 been doing well all winter, but now they 

 want_ the glass over them and must be 

 growing. Every day when the sun 

 shines don't neglect giving plenty of air 

 or your plants will be spindling and use- 

 less. 



Chfysantliemums. 



There is no better time than from now 

 on to start your chrysanthemum stock, 

 and we need it. There is no such thing 

 as doing without the mums. When the 

 meadow lark flies south and our woods 

 turn scarlet and yellow we look with joy 

 at the opening petals of the atit!umn 

 queen. 



Cuttings rooted in May. or even 

 June, make just as good commercial 

 flowers as any, but we can't root them 

 all then, and must make use of all avail- 

 able cuttings from now on. With late 

 cuttings you often hear complaints of 



their not rooting well. Tlie trouble is 

 vou don't keep them wet enough. You 

 should never let them wilt. Soak them 

 twice a day and keep the sun off them. 



The varieties are too many for me to 

 attempt to know even tlie best. I was 

 iiiMch iiii|.n--^r.| l:i-l year with the great 

 i'\cellciii-c u\ tlir 'jrand yellow. Colonel 

 .Vpph'loii, :iri.l :ihhi>iigh rather late for 

 me to acknowledge it, W. H. Chadwick 

 is a white of the very first order. It is 

 easier to grow and a finer all around 

 variety than the great Mrs. Robinson. 

 Whoever intends to grow for exhibition 

 cannot possibly dispense with Timothy 

 Eaton, the great Canadian white, be- 

 cause in size and weight it will make 

 any other mum look like thirty cents. 



Vou often hear the remark, "My trade 

 does not call for very large flowers." But 

 if you can grow a large flower in the 

 same space as a smaller one you are bet- 

 ter off for I have never seen the cus- 

 tomer who would not choose the large 

 flowers if at the same price. Like dear, 

 sweet Rosina Vokes, who delighted mil- 

 lions in "The Milliner's Bill," she 

 snatched two books from the shelf and 

 without looking at their titles said: 

 "I'll take the big one." 



Easter Plants. 



I can't add much to ray notes of two 

 weeks ago on this important matter. 

 Don't get nervous. The last two weeks 

 does wonders, particularly if we get a 

 briglit warm spell, which with us is 

 about due. I remarked before that I 

 do not believe in putting lilies into a 

 cool house till the first buds are ready 

 to open or they will with a sudden check 

 stand quite still, and if the buds begin 

 to open two weeks before Easter they are 

 then in a cool house just right. 



I see some neighbors are getting in 

 their bulbs much ahead of time. You 

 must remember that the hyacinths and 

 daffodils are pushing up fast out of 

 doors now and two weeks in a light 

 house is all the time you want. Spiraea 

 is a flower you want well out. People 

 do not expect it to be a lasting plant 

 and they want all the show they can 

 get. 



Azaleas differ very much in their time 

 of flowering, and that you have doubtless 

 looked out for. The early varieties, of 

 which Van der Cruyssen is the best type, 

 will need a cool, heavily shaded house, 

 while the later varieties will take a good 

 brisk heat for the last two weeks. You 

 cannot expect to get all the plants in 

 flower that you would wish to without a 

 continual watchfulness and labor. ]\Iauy 

 moves and contrivances will have to be 

 resorted to and it is wonderful what your 

 fertile brain will think of if you have 

 your heart in the business. Both the 

 "heart" and "fertile brain" are used, of 

 course, figuratively, as the heart has 

 quite a different function and the br.ain's 

 fertility could be better expressed by 

 saying that a clear head and observing 

 eye will be productive of healthy molec°- 

 ular action of the gray matter. 



Excuse this psychological deviation. 

 It's a relief sometimes, don't you know. 

 But to be more matter of fact, let me 

 conclude by saying that above all thing.4 

 that is inexcusable is to h.ave green-fiy 

 on your plants when sold, or the odor of 

 tobacco. I don't know of any plants 

 that are in bloom for Easter "that are 

 at all hurt by a moderate fumigation, 

 and do all the smoking that is necessary 

 at least a wsek before the plants are to 

 be sold. WiLLiAjr Scott. 



