June 16, IS&S. 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



53 



frame. You can then bring them in in 

 October. Rest them for a few months, 

 and when started up get all the cut- 

 tings you want. The lemon verbena 

 is always in demand and I have found, 

 if yon don't have it yourself, very dif- 

 ficult to ptu'chase. 



Poinsettias. 



Don't neglect to put in cuttings of 

 poinsettias whenever they are two or 

 three joints long. They root at any 

 time if Ivept moist in tlie sand and the 

 sun kept off them. In potting them 

 off from the sand they want a close, 

 shady house for a week or two. or you 

 will lose them. When once rooted in 

 the pots they want the lightest and 

 brightest house, with abundance of air 

 to keep them stocky and dwarf, and, of 

 course, shifted as they need it. I will 

 have something more to say about 

 shifting them later on, because that is 

 a very important point in their cult- 

 ure. At no time do they like theii' 

 roots disturbed, especially after cool 

 weather has set in. 'Wm. Scott. 



tie grown. It is very pretty, particu- 

 larly the yellow and wliite kinds, fully 

 equal to an orchid and with its long, 

 grassy foliage very desirable for bou- 

 quets. An excellent plan is adopted in 

 the hardening off of bedding stock 

 which is really necessary where the 

 summer season is of such short dura- 

 tion. 



Another idea is the storing of soil 

 for use throughout the winter, under 

 the potting shed, the floor of which 

 is laid in sections or hatches by which 

 means space is saved and labor facili- 

 tated in handling. 



Mr. Harris is pushing the sale of 

 hardy herbaceous plants, arguing that 

 owing to the desire on behalf of the 

 public for outdoor exercise, they will 

 not devote the time to gardening as has 

 formerly been the custom, so that 

 these plants wliich require so little at- 

 tention are bound to become popular 

 apart from their individual merits. To 

 illustrate this idea he has planted a 

 border with a specimen plant of each 

 •variety which cannot but be appre- 



to represent snow; beneath this is a 

 belt of Herniaria glabra showing a 

 darker hue, while at base is planted a 

 deep belt of Scotch heather, both pinlv 

 and white. Upon the south side are 

 planted the following ferns, which, if 

 not all native, thrive and are peren- 

 nial: Osmundas cinnaniomea and rega- 

 11s, Lastreas Filix-mas, dilitata, spinu- 

 losum, noveboracense and cristata, 

 Polystichum acrostichoides and Brau- 

 nii, Polypodium Phegopteris. The 

 north side is comparatively bare, con- 

 veying the idea of vegetation growing 

 up to the snow line. 



Andromeda angustifolia is a native, 

 very free and its profusion of lacemes 

 of white, bell-shaped blossoms give it 

 an attractive appearance at this sea- 

 son. A magnificent pair of variegated 

 aloes, the pride of Mr. Powers who has 

 nurtured them for three ye&rs, are 

 showing bloom. One has an immenso 

 spike and affords much speculation on 

 the part of visitors. The whole garden 

 reflects great credit upon its caretak- 

 ers. W. M. 



■View of the Greenhouses of Mr. J. H. Harris, Halifax, Nova Scotia. 



HALIFAX, N. S. 



To one acquainted as I am witli Mr. 

 Fred Harris, of Wellesley fame, it was 

 not surprising to find his brother Mr. 

 J. H. Harris actively engaged in busi- 

 ness here, undoubtedly the most up-to- 

 date member in the Provinces; nor are 

 his labors confined within these boun- 

 daries. I noted much foreign corre- 

 spondence which betokened consider- 

 able outside business. 



Apart from the nursery proper, there 

 are two ranges of glass, making a to- 

 tal of 40,(X)0 feet in which is grown a 

 general assortment of stock. In such 

 surroundings it is impossible to go in 

 for specialties and being distant from 

 a good market Mr. Harris mu5t depend 

 upon himself to supply the demand. 



Of a grand stock of geraniums and 

 pelargoniums I noticed Agnes Kelway 

 and King of Bedders in the former 

 and Mrs. Rogers, with Duchess of Teck 

 should be in every collection. Another 

 item was Spanisli iris, which is so lit- 



ciated by the host of visitors he enter- 

 tains from all part of the provinces. 

 A considerable number of cape heaths 

 are well grown and find a good sale. 

 Euphorbia jacquinlaeflora is grown 

 in conjunction with poinsettias; 'tis 

 rather scarce but can be worked up 

 quickly and is a good selling plant. 



Mr. Harris kindly piloted me to the 

 Public Garden where I met the genial 

 superintendent, Mr. Richard Powers, a 

 gardener of the old school; knows 

 more about Central Park and Boston 

 Gardens than the writer, and has turn- 

 ed to good use the information he ob- 

 tained at those places. 



Among the fine collection of ever- 

 green and deciduous trees are some 

 grand specimens of Kilmarnock 'Wil- 

 low and 'Weeping Birch. Retino- 

 sporas are in excellent color, also 

 Thuja "Vervaeneana. 



At one end of the garden a succes- 

 sion of mounds are formed to repre- 

 sent an Alpine range. Upon the tallest 

 peak is planted Antennaria tomentosa 



TORONTO. 



Business was so rushing last week 

 that both writing and reading notes 

 had to be put off for rainy days. Dur- 

 ing this week we have been the fortu- 

 nate recipients of several of these (at 

 this time of year) inestimable bless- 

 ings, in consequence of which all 

 vegetation, including the weeds, is 

 making truly tropical progress. I 

 think I never saw the city looking 

 more beautiful than it does now, the 

 "bedding out" is nearly all done now, 

 and everything is looking green and 

 gay, especially the public parks and 

 gardens, which are exceptionally 

 pretty. 



The plant trade has been very good, 

 although some lines have been selling 

 below the profitable notch. There is 

 complaint that the bedding plant sea- 

 son is getting shorter every year. For- 

 merly it lasted well into July but now 

 it is said that after May 24th every- 

 body wants their plants right away, 



