MAY 24, I'MO. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



787 



The Flower Garden. 

 We have iu om- minds eye at pivs- 

 ent thousands of greenhouses filled to 

 overflowing with all kinds of what is 

 called "bedding stock." Acres of gar- 

 dens and armies of impatient custom- 

 ers and Imtiy gardeners, and what c.in 

 we say that ^-ill be of benefit tu all? 

 Much is being written and talked of 

 every day on the well worn subject of 

 bedding plants, and the floricultuial 

 head, like the overfed stomach, is in 

 trouble with indigestible food. Differ- 

 ences of opinion often bring out the 

 best points in any matter, and if there 

 Is any element more prominent than 

 another in the florist, it is that of imi- 

 tative inclination and timidity in ui-- 

 iginality. 



Let us size up the situation. We 

 are on the continent of .\nierica. The 

 peoples, the climates, and the innum- 

 erable important factors combine to 

 make it all-powerful— a world by it- 

 self. Though we still import much of 

 the material we use, we no longer 

 look afar into the midst of other 

 lands for ideas as to the methods and 

 uses of whatever stock we may have. 

 It is true that we have many "schoo s" 

 in what is called landscape architec- 

 ture, and with them, as in others, 

 there is a vast amount of pure hum- 

 bug. Dear reader, did you ever walk 

 over a contemplated garden with s^me 

 high conceited landscape engineer and 

 listen to his "Garden of Eden" stuff? 

 We have, and the experience is a con- 

 tinuous effervescence to our comic sec- 

 tion. 



We would not refer to them now. 

 only that many — alas, too man.v— of 

 our flower gardens are outlined and re- 

 stricted by the men whose liv.ng is 

 derived by the employment of fine lan- 

 guage, whose experience is pajier 

 splashed theoretics, and whose doings 

 in the garden are crimes against hor- 

 ticultural intelligence. A few years 

 ago it would have cost any gardener 

 his position if he disturbed the 

 "weeds" Mr. Heavenly View ordered 

 planted, or if he introduced any of his 

 own ideas. Not so long ago. and even 

 to-day, many of the wealthiest people 

 in the country were and are influenced 

 by the landscape maker, whose ten- 



■y"i^^ 



ilci and narrow eye could not be.ir the 

 sight of flowers. Thanks to a better 

 knowledge of beauty, this is all chang- 

 ing, and it cannot be entirely oblit- 

 erated too quickly. Mind you, we 

 don't believe in a monotony of any- 

 thing: a generous tolerance is more 

 apt to be better than a too dominant 

 element, but we incline to the doctrine 

 of more flowers, less crime. 



If you are at all observant you will 

 notice that there is a decided yearly 

 inerease in the use of spring and sum- 

 mer flowering plants. This demand is 

 not attrilnitable to the tremendous in- 

 crease of population alone, but rather 

 to a growing love of flowers. The 

 modern dwelling is constructed with 

 a view to interior and exterior plant 

 ornamentation, and it is a fact that 

 never before were so many window 

 boxes and vases filled with plants in 

 the large cities as there are this year. 

 It is a beautifying and beautiful cus- 

 tom, and every efl:ort should be made 

 to increase it and extend its pleasures 

 by a proper selection and doing the 

 work well. 



The subject is too large to dwell 

 upon only in vital points. Much that 

 We do in America must of necessity 

 be subservient to climatic influences, 

 and so variable are they that we are 

 inclined to ignore many special op- 

 portunities and even shorten the sea- 

 sons of outdoor flowers. We are a peo- 

 ple continually on the rush: to even 

 live here is to be filled with ambition 

 or exist in a living death. There is 

 but a limited supply of patience — we 

 demand immediate effects and this is 

 felt in floriculture more than in any 

 other trade: we hate preparation, and 

 therefore much that we do fails. We 

 cannot compare ourselves with the rest 

 of the world for many reasons, and 

 perhaps 'tis better we must remain dis- 

 tinct. We should try to be equal to 

 the demands of the pulilic in all that 

 pertains to flowers. 



Our seasons are short, hut we should 

 stretch them if jiossible. and a little 

 care may often accomplish much. 

 Take, for instance, our early spring 

 flowers. We put out lots of bulbs 

 in the fall: they are in bloom for 

 two weeks in the spring, and we let 



lb,- Im ds b.c.jine eyesores, instead of 

 hlling them with pansios and other 

 early flowers which will last till 

 g-ran.um time. There are manv 

 months in spring and summer we 

 make no provision for, and the earth 

 must wait for our "good and ready" 

 ' jspos.tion. The majority of hedd ng 

 plants are taken from warm house! 

 to cold grounds, and the consequence 

 ^ often disastrous. And then again, 

 toi the sake of economy, we are plant- 

 ing in luly what ought to be out in 

 AJay. Wo should remcmhei- that it is 

 ■ mpo.ss.bU. for most flowers to succeed 

 when planted in the glare of a tropic 

 sun and when the ground is baked- 

 his IS particularly the reason why 

 there are so many failures w.th oan- 

 iias, dahlias, and such plants. And 

 then again, many of the plants offered 

 are entirely too small; cheapne.=s not 

 quality, seems to be the aim of a great 

 many, and it's a grave mistake. 



It is foolish to waste time arguing 

 with a man whose houses are filled up 

 with a poor class of materi.U He 

 wants to get rid of his stock and looks 

 to his trade paper for pointers We'd 

 like to help such. It has been our ex- 

 perience with many small growers 

 that they try to grow too many things 

 If they would devote one or two 

 houses to a collection of retail oddities 

 and specialize the rest they would in 

 most eases do better. But as regards 

 bedding out plants, we are glad to 

 note that the present tendency is for 

 variety. No matter what you've got 

 there is a way of making it look bet- 

 ter. 



Ours is mostly a trade of experiment 

 and we should not hesitate to indulge 

 in It when planting out. A mixed or 

 composite bed often produces a better 

 effect than a solid mass of.ono kind 

 The situation and the plant must both 

 be considered in order to bring forth 

 the most satisfaction. In shady places 

 nothing looks prettier than a group of 

 palms; many varieties will stand in 

 the open, and some of the finest bed- 

 ding we have seen was where palms 

 and foliage plants were used in con- 

 junction with flowers such as lilies 

 Then take crotons. What's finer than 

 a bed of mixed crotons? Sub-tropical 

 styles may be adapted to please all 

 tastes. Cannas are a magnificent 

 class of plants. The finer sorts onlv 

 should be used; there are many on the 

 market which in the order of advance- 

 ment should not be. It is in the re- 

 tention of inferior varieties of plants 

 that we most grievously injure what 

 we aim to advauce. and though a man 

 may not be justified in throwing away 

 his stock without an attempt to dis- 

 pose of it iirolitably, he injures the 

 trade in propagating and flooding the 

 market with such. 



Prom now on the herbaceous border 

 is a changing picture of beauties. It 

 can he made a veritable panorama of 

 all that is brightest in Flora's kingdom 

 by a little study in annuals and herba- 

 ceous plants. As one goes out another 



