580 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



NOVEMBER 3. 



For the first two or three weeki 

 after potting, the plants are best in a 

 cool, shady and rather close house or 

 frame; after that, a cool, light house 

 for those you wish to flower the fol- 

 lowing Easter. By cool I mean 40 

 degrees at night is ample, and to re- 

 tard them still more, anytjhing above 

 the freezing point will do. Some 

 varieties cannot be kept for spring, 

 and it is well to bring early varieties 

 along, so that at all times during win- 

 ter you have some plants in flower. 



At no time should tlie roots of the 

 azalea be allowed to get extremely 

 dry. They will not bear it; and it may 

 be well to state right here that the 

 many complaints of our customers 

 that their azalea has shriveled up or 

 the flowers are wilted is nothing but 

 the insufficiency of water. Especially 

 is this the case with the plants when 

 sold the winter following their im- 

 portation. When in a temperature of 

 over 50 degrees or when any forcing i.s 

 attempted, the plants should be well 

 syringed at least once, or better, twice 

 a day. 



Mealy bug oftem attacks azaleas. 

 Plenty of syringing will keep them 

 down. Thrip and red spider are also 

 very bothersome to them, but neither 

 of these would appear if syringing 

 were faithfully observed. They can 

 be removed by a syringing of tiie to- 

 bacco extract. The Rose Leaf Extract 

 diluted 50 to 1 will do. It is a general 

 belief that tobacco smoke injures the 

 foliage. It may be so, and it is well 

 to avoid it, but I have seen little evi- 

 dence that it injured the azalea. 



During January, February and 

 March the plants imported the pre- 

 vious autumn have a great inclina- 

 tion to make a growth before they 

 develop their flowers. If this growth 

 is not rubbed off the flower will be so 

 weakened by the strong young growth 

 that it will amount to nothing. 



Many growers would rather import 

 every year, and if they had plants left 

 over in the spring, throw them away. 

 To the man who grows but a few 

 dozen this is likely to be the most 

 profitable way of doing business; but 

 where there is enough to warrant sys- 

 tematic care, it should not be done, 

 for the second, third or even tenth 

 year they are a more satisfactory plant 

 to the purchaser than those jiist im- 

 ported. With good but not necessarily 

 costly care the azalea attains a good 

 size and fiourishes for many years. 



Plants of the previous autumn's im- 

 portation that are unsold the next 

 spring, and are frequently in bad 

 shape from neglect in stores, should 

 be cut back quite severely, even to the 

 previous summer's growth. Place them 

 in a light, warm house, and syringe 

 frequently. When cutting back, see 

 that the soil is in good shape and the 

 drainage in order. By the first of June 

 they will have made a good growth; 

 that growth is what gives you the 

 bloom the following winter. From 

 the first to the middle of June plunge 

 them out-of-doors in the broad sun. 



The pots should be plunged in some 

 material to the rim, but in a place 

 where water won't remain dur- 

 ing heavy rains to unduly 

 soak the roots. Over the sur- 

 face of the pots spread an inch 

 of rotted refuse hops or rotted stable 

 manure. In this position they will dn 

 till the end of September, 'or till there 

 is danger of frost. They want faith- 

 ful attendance in watering, never to 

 be killing dry and in hot weather a 

 daily syringing. 



If it is desired to grow on some 

 plants a number of years to make fine 

 specimens, the above treatment in 



ROSE NOTES. 



We are fast approaching the criti- 

 cal time of the year when nature is 

 preparing for its annual winter rest. 

 To keep your rose houses in good con- 

 dition w-ill require more careful atten- 

 tion during these days of ups and 

 downs in the weather. We often hear 

 it said: "Anybody can grow roses in 

 summer time, there is no trick in 

 that." but when it comes to growing 

 roses for winter bloom, that is quite 

 another thing. Just where the trick 

 is in growing roses during the winter 

 months I have never been able to 

 discover. In fact. I want it to 

 be understood that there are no tricks 

 in rose-growing; neither do we depend 

 upon such imaginary things as luck, 

 good or bad, as the case may be. If | 

 your roses have i.een doing well and | 

 producing good blooms up to date, it \ 

 is because your treatement has been 

 such as to bring about this result. If 

 tliey are not up to expectation, it is 

 your treatment that is at fault. You I 

 are (or should be) the master of the 

 situation, and as such you must be 

 alive to the needs of your plants. 



Study to prevent those diseases and 

 insects that are a constant menace to 

 the health of your plants. Don't wait 

 until you see a dose of mildew before 

 applying sulphur; neither should you 

 await the appearance of greenfly to 

 remind you of the necesity of fumigat- 



most respects will do, but there are a 

 few exceptions. Plants established in 

 pots will seldom need those early 

 growths rubbed off, for they have not 

 the inclination to make them; neither 

 will they want tlie hard cutting back 

 every spring, the growth they make 

 after flowering being sufficient for the 

 next year, and stopping strong 

 growths to keep the plant in good 

 shape is all that is needed. 



Azaleas by training and tying easily 

 conform to almost any shape. They 

 are beautiful if left to grow quite n_at- 

 urally. They are easily kept by pinch- 

 ing and stopping in wliat may be call- 

 ed umbrella form, but are grand when 

 trained in pyramidal form. Few cul- 

 tivated plants can equal a well flow- 

 ered azalea four or five feet in diam- 

 eter at base, tapering to two feet at 

 top and six or seven feet high. 



ing. Red spider is another one of 

 those pests that do not herald their 

 arrival with a brass band; and so we 

 might go on enumerating the many 

 evils that fall to the lot of him who 

 has yet to learn the meaning of that 

 old saying as to prevention being bet- 

 ter than a cure. 



During the coming months we will 

 endeavor to call your attention to 

 some of the most common errors that 

 prove such stumbling blocks to the 

 beginner, and if perchance something 

 may be suggested that will enable him 

 to produce two good roses where only 

 a poor one grew before our labor will 

 not be in vain. 



In the meantime let us keep an eye 

 on the temperature, always remember- 

 ing that an even temperature is nec- 

 essary for a steady growth and con- 

 tinuance of bloom, not forgetting the 

 need of pure air so beneficial to the 

 health of your plants. S. A. B. 



CLEMATIS PANICULATA. 



Every florist doing a general busi- 

 ness should have a number of plants 

 of this beautiful clematis on his place. 

 They will not only ornament his 

 grounds, but will supply excellent ma- 

 terial for design work during the pe- 

 riod of bloom. It can be used for 

 sprays in bunches or can be utilized 

 with very pretty effects in all manner 

 of festooning. It is simply magnifi- 

 cent when hung in long garlands over 

 archways and down pillars, and for 

 curtain effects it is superb. 



The engraving is from a photograph 

 taken September 11. last, of a speci- 

 men growing against a pillar of the 



