124 



The Weekly Florists* Review. 



ixiLSi.isa. 



branchlets is loosely set with the 

 bright tubular flowers, which open out 

 in succession lasting for a long time 

 in perfection. P. Torreyl is a trifle 

 smaller in the flower, but is a most 

 desirable variety on account of the 

 deep bright red color, while P.b. Youn- 

 gii is of a lovely amaranth shade and 

 bears much larger flowers with the 

 same profusion as any of the others. 

 All these grow to a height of about 

 three feet. P. Murrayanus is not so 

 tall as the former. The panicles are 

 more slender and more closely set 

 with flowers of a very deep dark red, 

 the tube is narrow, about l^^ inches 

 long, and the foliage is broader and 

 has a glaucous appearance; a very dis- 

 tinct and desirable species. 



P. laevigatus digitalis has large 

 white and open flowers, arranged in a 

 rather compact thyrse on strong erect 

 stems 3 feet high or over. It is a bold 

 plant when in bloom and deserves 

 more attention. It has been neglected 

 for a long time, though I really can 

 see no reason for this slight, because 

 this penstemon is not only very showy 

 in a border or shrubbery, but also one 

 of the best for cut flower purposes, 

 though all are good keepers and are 

 frequently used in a cut state. P. 

 pubescens is rather dwarf, generally 

 about 11^ feet high, a very profuse 

 bloomer, sending up many stems 

 which bear loose thyrses of very pret- 

 ty medium-sized flowers, white com- 

 bined with pale purple or lilic. This 

 is one of our native plants, but in a 

 wild state the flowers are much small- 

 er, the stems few-flowered and often 

 the color is a very dull purple. Under 

 cultivation and by selection all these 

 faults have been remedied and we 

 have now decidedly elegant flowers, 

 very freely produced for a long time 

 during the summer months, while the 

 original plant seldom blooms later 

 than the middle of July. 



The above are all perfectly hardy 

 with us, requiring no protection of 

 any description, while P. Clevelandii, 

 P. Jeffrayanum, P. heterophyllus, P. 

 spectabilis and some others are not 

 to be relied upon in our severe win- 

 ters, though with some protection they 

 often come- out all right in spring. 

 They are propagated easily by division 

 or when stock is scarce cuttings can 

 be made in spring or after flowering 

 time is over. These cuttings will root 

 freely inside of a few weeks when in- 

 serted in a frame and shaded from the 

 sun. A light and open soil is best for 

 them, but to obtain the best results, 

 especially when grown for their flow- 

 ers water should be freely applied dur- 

 ing our dry and hot summer months 

 where the ground is not naturally on 

 the moist side, yet even in such dry 

 situations as on our own borders they 

 have done surprisingly well and we 

 never yet could spare the time to wa- 

 ter any of our hardy plants. 



Oenotheras, I mean the real hardy 

 perennial species, not biennials, are 

 Indispensable in the borders. Their 

 large and showy flowers, springing 



from the axils of the leaves as the 

 growth elongates, are produced during 

 the whole of the summer months un- 

 til September, and bright colored 

 patches among the green foliage of late 

 fall blooming plants or along the edge 

 of the shrubbery are always accepta- 

 ble. O. glauca Fraserii is a free grow- 

 ing, rather dwarf, semidecumbent 

 plant, a foot or so in height, with 

 glaucous, oblong foliage and brilTiant 

 bright yellow flowers. 0. taraxacifolia 

 is a little taller in growth, with slight- 

 ly pubescent, serrated foliage and very 

 large and open white flowers. 0. 

 Youngii grows 15 to IS inches high, 

 has lanceolate foliage, deeply toothed 

 and large deep golden yellow flowers, 

 darker than O. glauca, produced with 

 the same freedom and at the same 

 season. 



O. speciosa comes out white, but af- 

 ter a few hours turns a lovely light 

 pink shade; the flowers are very large 

 and open, the leaves deeply serrated, 

 hairy beneath and grows 2 feet in 

 height. O. rosea is a lovely dark rosy 

 pink flower, with small ovate leaves, 

 rather dwarf and compact in habit, 

 only 6 to 8 inches high. This beauti- 

 ful plant is a little tender and should 

 be planted in a well sheltered spot or 

 else receive a liberal covering of some 

 kind in winter. The old plant will die 

 down invariably, but the long, wiry 

 underground runners are ready to 

 start out when spring opens, the same 

 as the runners of O. speciosa and 

 many others of the family. A light 

 soil and a fair amount of sun seems 

 best suited for their welfare. 



bcabiosa caucasica has been in 

 flower since June 1st. S. c. connata 

 is a larger flower, often being more 

 than 3 inches in diameter, the color 

 also is decidedly improved, pale blue, 

 and with us at least it flowers contin- 

 uously until severe frost sets in. We 

 had it in bloom last year as late as 

 November LOth. The foliage has a 

 glaucous hue, is lanceolate and much 

 divided; the plant grows 15 to 18 

 inches high. S. c. alba is a desirable 

 white variety blooming with equal 

 freedom. The flower heads are about 

 3 inches in diameter and the foliage 

 is not lacerated or divided into so 

 many segments as in the type. S. 

 ochroleuca is an old free blooming fa- 

 vorite with pale straw colored flower- 

 heads, smaller in size than any of the 

 above named, but bloom is produced 

 in suca great quantities that size and 

 quality may be overlooked for once. 

 All are excellent for cuttings. They 

 have long wiry stems and last well in 

 water. Any ordinary light garden soil 

 will suit them admirably and they 

 propagate readily by division Tn 

 spring. Fall division is not recom- 

 mended because we can ill afford to 

 sacrifice the late crop of flowers, which 

 at that time are so useful in brighten- 

 ing up the borders. 



Among the many campanulas in 

 flower at present we should mention 

 C. Van Houttei, with remarkably long, 

 large, drooping. light blue bells, ar- 



ranged almost along the full length 

 of the stems, which are about 2 feet 

 high; also the beautiful pure white 

 C. trachelium fl. pi. The flowers are 

 not' so large in this species, but they 

 are arranged closer along the stem; 

 both last for a long time in perfection. 

 The first named will bring an abun- 

 dant second crop in late autumn. 



C. punctata is another of the large, 

 pendulous flowered species of great 

 lasting qualities, pure white on the 

 outside, but in the throat thickly spot- 

 ted with small red dots; height about 

 15 to 18 inches. C. garganica is a very 

 neat dwarf compact growing plant, 

 covered with erect, light blue bells un- 

 til September. When once well estab- 

 lished in a spot it forms a dense cush- 

 ion-like mass and then it is a most 

 beautiful object, either in the border 

 or on the rockery. J. B. KELLER. 



ALTHAEA MEEHANH. 

 (Althaea frutcx-Hybiscus syriacus.) 



This is by far the best of all varie- 

 gated leaved Althaeas. It may be a 

 variety known under a different name, 

 but most diligent research failed to 

 find any reference to it in any of the 

 European or American horticultural 

 publications, and when we received it 

 twenty years ago from our old friend 

 Thomas Meehan and found its desira- 

 ble qualities, we gave it the name of 

 its popular introducer. 



The habit of the plant is very com- 

 pact; leaves broadly variegated with 

 yellowish white and never scorched 

 by the most intense hot weather, as 

 is the case with many of the other 

 forms of variegated althaeas. Flowers 

 very large, single, bright light violet 

 and carmine base — produced in great 

 profusion during the whole summer. 

 P. J. B. 



AMONG CHICAGO GROWERS. 



Bassett & Washburn's. 



Bassett & Washburn's immense es- 

 tablishment at Hinsdale is always in- 

 teresting. Some notes on roses made 

 during a recent visit will be found in 

 our rose department in last issue. At 

 this place six painters are now at 

 work. Mr. Bassett believes in paint, 

 and an average of four painters will 

 have steady work here for the next 

 ninety days. He don't give every house 

 a coat of paint each year, but aims to 

 have none pass the third year with- 

 out a coat. The painting is generally 

 done soon after the house is replanted 

 for another season. Mr. Bassett feels 

 he can't afford to have a house idl.= 

 for a single day and has never noted 

 any ill effects to the plants from paint- 

 ing while they are in the house at a 

 season when ample ventilation is re- 

 quired anyway. He holds that the age 

 of a house has no bearing on the pro- 

 duct if it is kept up as it should be. 

 His oldest commercial houses are now 

 in the ninth year and he gets just as 

 good and just as many flowers from 

 them as from the newest ones. He 

 has been fortunate enough never to 

 have any diseases or insect pests to 



