350 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



MARCH 9, 1S99. 



Polypodium aureum areolatum is a 

 variety of the preceding and similar to 

 it except tliat it is a dwarfer grower 

 and witli somewhat smaller fronds. It 

 also is very popular as a market plant 

 abroad and preference is often given 

 it as a house plant oa jiccount of its 

 dwarfer growth. Both of these are old 

 ferns, but Mttle known and appreci- 

 ated here. 



Tree ferns are not generally of any 

 commercial value, but Mr. Eisele has 

 found a very desirable thing in Cibo- 

 tium Schiedei. Thci^gii '.t i;ppears soft 

 it has been found to stand exceedingly 

 well in decorations and the large 

 fronds are remarka ily handsome. It 

 also possesses the desirable character- 

 istic of growing into a good sized spec- 

 imen in a short time, a two-year-old 

 plant in a 7-inch pot being two feet 

 high, with a spread of three feet and 

 with ten to twelve fronds. Some of the 

 Philadelphia florists have purchased 

 plants merely to cut the large fronds 

 off for use in decorating. 



Cyrtomium falcatum is coming more 

 and more into use as a trade fern and 

 has an excellent reputation as a good 

 keeper under adverse conditions. It 

 is often called the Holly fern. 



Microlepia hirta cristata has a soft 

 appearance, but it stands well as a 

 house plant and is gaining in popular- 

 ity. 



Polystlchum coreaceum would be 

 one of the most desirable of commer- 

 cial ferns for all purposes if we could 

 only get stock enough. 



Pteris cretica magnifica is the lead- 

 ing trade fern with the English grow- 

 ers aside from Adiantum cuneatum. 



All the ferns above named are sold 

 principally as specimen plants for 

 house decoration. 



Among new ferns Mr. Eisele believes 

 Pteris serrulata voluta will be found 

 very useful. The curled appearance of 

 the pinnae makes it very noticeable 

 and this is enhanced by the tips being 

 crested. 



Adiantum Charlottae is also a very 

 promising new sort. The pinnae are 

 between cuneatum and gracillimum in 

 size, the pinnae being peculiarly cut, 

 giving it the grace of gracillimum, 

 while it has the long stem and hardy 

 foliage of cuneatum. He first saw it 

 at the Hamburg exhibition, and be- 

 lieves that when it becomes plentiful 

 it will to a great extent take the place 

 of cuneatum for cutting. 



Pteris Drinkwateri is not a prohibi- 

 tion fern, as might be imagined from 

 the name, but is a promising sort for 

 growing into good sized specimens. It 

 is similar to Pteris Ouvrardi but with 

 broader, heavier and darker pinnae. 



iMr. Eisele thinks that florists re- 

 strict their list of ferns for jardinieres 

 to too small a number, and that great- 

 er variety would be an advantage from 

 every point of view. He named the 

 following sorts as all being adapted 

 to the purpose and giving an attrac- 

 tive variety in foliage: Adiantum pu- 



bescens, Adiantum rhodophylium, As- 

 plenium Belangeri, Cyrtomium fal- 

 catum, Cyrtomium caryotidium. Da- 

 vallia stricta, Lastrea aristata varie- 

 gata, Lastrea chrysoloba, Lastrea opa- 

 ca, Nephrolepis hertipes, Onychium ja- 

 ponicum, Platyloma falcata, Pteris 

 adiantoides, Pteris cretica albo-lineata, 

 Pteris cretica magnifica, Pteris cretica 

 Mayii, Pteris Victoriae, Pteris lepto- 

 phylla, Pteris palmata, Pteris serrula- 

 ta, Pteris internata, Pteris serrulata 

 cristata, Pteris Sieboldii, Pteris Ourar- 

 di, Pteris Wimsetti. 



He grows all his ferns in a temper- 

 ature of about 60 degrees, even Adian- 

 tum Farleyense, and find that all the 

 commercial sorts do well in any good 

 rose soil that is open and not too 

 clayey. 



Quite a lot of ferns are grown in 

 pots suspended by wire hangers. Thi.-i 

 allows air and light all around and 

 results in a very shapely plant as well 

 as economizing room, but the watering 

 has to be carefully attended to. as they 

 dry out quickly. In one case a half- 

 inch pipe was suspended from the 

 rafters with stout wire loops and the 

 ferns were hung to this, enabling the 

 plants to be moved just as far apart 

 as desired. 



Dracaenas. 



Dracaenas Lindenii and Massange- 

 ana seem to be steadily growing in 

 favor, the demand for good plants con- 

 siderably exceeding the supply. They 

 are somewhat erratic as to coloring. 

 The call for D. fragrans has been 

 spasmodic, being good one season and 

 light the next. 



Dracaena gracilis or marginata is a 

 pretty, narrow leaved variety that is 

 becoming a favorite for use in the cen- 

 ter of fern dishes. It is somewhat 

 suggestive of Pandanus utilis, but the 

 leaves are not recurved and they have 

 a narrow margin of bronzy crimson. 

 The plant is very graceful. 



Mr. Eisele believes that the princi- 

 pal value of Dracaena Sanderiana will 

 be in small plants as centers of fern 

 dishes, and that when it can be pro- 

 duced so as to sell at a price equal to 

 that of a cocos of same height it will 

 become popular on account of the va- 

 riegated foliage. 



Although when in a small state Dra- 

 caena Godseffiana reminds one of an 

 aucuba, when it becomes a plant of 

 good size in a 7 or 8-inch pot it makes 

 a good specimen with an individuality 

 of its own and its hardiness as a house 

 plant will make it very useful. It is 

 much tougher than Sanderiana, com- 

 paring favorably with flcus and as- 

 pidistra. 



He believes there is still a place for 

 Dracaena terminalis. Great quanti- 

 ties were sold in the eastern cities 

 during the last holidays at good 

 prices, well colored plants in 6-inch 

 pots wholesaling at $1.00 each. 



Among high colored varieties Lord 

 Wolsley is undoubtedly the best yet 

 offered. The foliage is narrower, lon- 



ger and more graceful than that of 

 terminalis, while the coloring is much 

 superior and more constant, showing 

 well in a small plant and holding it 

 through all stages of growth. And 

 while it is a faster and more healthy 

 grower it is just as tough as termina- 

 lis. It cannot yet be had in quantity, 

 as canes from which to propagate can 

 as yet be obtained only in limited 

 quantities. 



The dracaena canes from which cut- 

 tings are secured for propagating are 

 here cut into lengths only six to eight 

 inches long before being placed in the 

 bench. Mr. Eisele finds that the eyes al- 

 ways start first at the upper end of the 

 cane and by cutting into short lengths 

 he has more upper ends to start quick. 

 Cutting any shorter would probably 

 weaken the canes too much. 



Miscellaneous. 



A bench of Begonia Gloire de Lor- 

 raine in 4-inch pots was a gorgeous 

 sight, the plants being literally a mass 

 of bloom. It is certainly the grandest 

 introduction among winter flowering 

 begonias. It blooms so profusely that 

 cuttings for propagating cannot be se- 

 cured till April, when it makes shoots 

 from the base of the plant. The 4-inch 

 pot plants noted were propagated last 

 June or July. This is a begonia that 

 no florist can afford to be without. 



Mr. Eisele notes an increasing call 

 for Rex begonias and there are indi- 

 cations that the public is again taking 

 interest in them. We noticed a num- 

 ber of new varieties of which Lucy 

 Closson is one of the parents and in 

 which the rich coloring of that vari- 

 ety prominently appears. 



Primula obconica grandiflora is a 

 most decided acquisition. The flowers 

 are six to eight times the size of those 

 of the type and are borne in large 

 trusses distributed over the plant much 

 like those of a geranium. It should 

 make an excellent market plant. It is 

 grown from seed the same as the type 

 and seed can be had now. 



While fully as many araucarlas are 

 sold as formerly fewer go to the large 

 cities and more to the smaller places. 

 Robusta compacta is a broader grow- 

 ing and in some ways a handsomer 

 plant than excelsa. 



Ardisias are grown, but Mr. Eisele 

 does not flnd them profitable, as it 

 takes too long to grow them to a suit- 

 able size. It seems to be steadily 

 growing in favor as a Christmas plant. 

 Cannas are heing started in quantity 

 by being spread very thickly over a 

 bench on ashes and with a light 

 sprinkling of sphagnum moss over 

 them. They are, of course, potted as 

 soon as roots start. 



Rubbers maintain their popularity 

 very well, but prices have dropped to 

 a point where he is about prepared to 

 let some one else produce them. 



They have their own box factory, 

 with all suitable machinery, and find 

 this very convenient, so many cases 



