The Weekly Florists' Review, 



NuvKjiuEi; 20, I'jOo. 



HYDRANGEAS FOR FORCING. 



J. J. agks for an answer in the 

 Beview to the following: He says he 

 lias sonio hydrangeas, Thomas Hogg and 

 Otaksa, three and fonr years old, \ery 

 mnch root bonnd. They grew tall last 

 summer outside bnt did not flower after 

 one alight 's frost. He has ent them down 

 to within ten or twelve inches of the i)Ot 

 and laid them under a bench in a cool 

 house. He would like some in flower ft.r 

 Easter and some for Hecoration day. 



Plants that are three and four years 

 old, if they have done at all well should • 

 need a larger pot than a" 7 or 8-in«h. 

 A year-old plant, one propagated last 

 Feliruarv. ivonld be much better for forc- 



ing. In cutting the Otaksa back so hard 

 you have cut' away, the buds that woukl 

 give you the flowers. I would try but 

 a few of either sort for Easter. Keep- 

 ing them at rest in a cool house is cor- 

 rect, but it should be very cool, and only 

 water eucnigh to keep the wood from 

 shriveling. Start them growing about 

 the first of Mdrch. As they would be 

 dormant you can shake off what soil will 

 i-ome off and give them a larger pot. J 

 don't think you wUl have success with 

 these plants for Easter bloom, but treated 

 as above they may be all right for Deco- 

 ration day. If you try a few for Easter 

 you would, of course, have to start them 

 growing in heat at New Year's. '^^ g. 



MISCELLANEOUS 

 SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Covering Pansies. 



We have had a touch of winter ami 

 may soon expect the real, strenuous ar- 

 ticle and it 's a great comfort to know- 

 that everything is sung and in its win- 

 ter quarters, safe and protected. Here 

 are a few reminders. 



If von grow pansies in the open field 

 and they should be covered with snow 

 the greater part of the winter, they will 

 ■como out in the spring in good order, 

 but if we are not blessed with snow they 

 will freeze and then heave out of the 

 ground and you will lose many. Hemlock 

 boughs make the finest covering. There 

 is always a bow or arch to these branches 

 which prevents them lying heavily on the 

 little plants. If you are not in the hem- 

 lock belt, then branches of the white pine 

 ■will do and if you are on the prairie, 

 •where neither of these noble trees grow, 

 then rye straw laid between the rows and 

 very lightly over the plants will do, but 

 file evergreen branches are lietter. 



Hardy Roses and Shrubs. 



1 f you made a iilanting of hardy roses 

 for youreslf or your patrons last spring 

 and they have made a growth of three 

 or four "feet, don't indulge in the non- 

 sense of strawing them up; just cut off 

 a foot or so of the longest growths and 

 tie the shoots together and put six inches 

 of stable litter or leaves on the ground 

 l)etween the plants. That is of the great- 

 est benefit. Trying to preserve the tops 

 is folly, because if killed down to within 

 six inches of the ground is of no conse- 

 quence. You would pnine them down as 

 low as that anyway next April. 



Snow is a great protector of our herba- 

 ceous plants. Some species would perish 

 if it were not for their natural protecting 

 mantle. Yet with us we get "the beau- 

 tiful" in such sudden and copious doses 

 that it frequently breaks down the 

 branches of the deciduous shrubs. I have 

 seen the branches of Hydrangea pauicu- 

 lata grandiflora badly crushed ; also many 

 ottier shrubs. We get called to "como 

 and tie up the shrubs" for our custom- 

 ers. Tying the growths up compactly is 

 well worth doing, but strawing them up 

 like a bale of trees is nonsense, unless 

 you want to find work for your men and 

 make a bill. 



Protecting Bulbs. 



llon't be in a hurry to cover the tulip 

 and hvacinth beds that are to look so gay 

 next May. Frost will not hurt them; it 

 is toward spring that the alternate freez- 

 ing and thawing heaves the bulbs to the 

 surface. If they have three inches of 

 stable litter on them by New Year's, it 

 will be in plenty of time. Y'our own 

 flats of these biilbs that are now' out- 

 doors, covered with three or four inches 

 of soil, should be allowed to freeze just an 

 inch or so and then covered with six 

 inches of long stable manur". Leaves 

 would be excellent but its a trouble to 

 keep them in place. So long as the soil 

 in the flats is not frozen these btilbs 

 are making roots, but if you cover too 

 I'arly and keep too warm the tulips that 

 you' don't want till March will have shot 

 np like small yellow snakes standing on 

 their tails and are never worth much 

 for any purpose. I always want the 

 Dutch "hyacinths in 4-inch pots, or a 

 number in 7 or S-inch pans, to be in a 

 frame and, besides the covering of litter 

 or leaves, covered with sash or shut- 

 ters. As you are continually getting out 

 a few of" these you don't want them 

 frozen hard, or any great diflicnlty in 

 getting them out. 



1 meant earlier in these notes, while 

 on the subject of protecting shrubs, to 

 sav that our herbaceous plants are often 

 treated shabbily. Perhaps not all but 

 many of our most familiar herbaceous 

 plants are found naturally growing be- 

 neath the shelter of larger vegetation, 

 where leaves have fallen for years or even 

 their own dying foliage has accumulated. 

 We forget this and clean up tbe tops for 

 tidiness' sake and leave them exposed in 

 a bare field, so two or three inches of 

 stable manure thrown over, their crowns 

 is of the greatest benefit, aud particu- 

 larly to those you have planted last 

 spring or this fall. 



The Storage House. 



Nothing up to date has in the least 

 hurt our sweet bay trees in tubs but now 

 they shcnild be in their winter quarters. 

 Of late it has been quite a business, this 

 storing sweet bays for our customers. A 

 greenhouse is no place for them. In the 

 first place you cannot afford it, and it is 



too warm. This business gradually grew 

 on us till we had to build a frame struc- 

 ture, with plentv of big windows for 

 light, and run two hot water pipes around 

 it, to keep out frost. A few degrees of 

 frost would do no harm to the sweet 

 liays, but we have in this shed also a large 

 Hydrangea Otaksa and a few oleanders. 

 So we try and keep the frost out, and no 

 more. AVe do not cater to this trade of 

 storing these plants for the winter; quite 

 the contrary, but ' circumstances arise 

 when you can't get out of it. Make it 

 [la.y, and then there are no tears. Hv- 

 drangeas are deciduous aud when resting 

 in winter want little water. Sweet bays 

 and oleanders are evergreen and should 

 never be allowed to get dust dry. -Of all 

 abominations is the old woman's olean- 

 der. She has great reverence for the old 

 thing but does not want to pay much for 

 its preservation. In fact she would take 

 a .$5 bill for one in a 20-ineh tub and 

 eight feet high, only, "I hate to part 

 u ith it because my mother raised this 

 tree from a slip that an old lady owued 

 in New Jersey and Gen. La Fayette 

 [licked a blossom otf that very tree and 

 wore it on his co.'it. 



Forcing Bulbs. 

 The Paper White narcissus, if it pays 

 to grow at all, pays best at the holi- 

 days. In fact, I never knew us to have 

 too much at that season. If it is showing 

 white now, it is not too early but it 

 should have a light bench aud not over 

 50 degrees at night. When this bulb is 

 forced in strong heat it is a poor thing, 

 but in a cool house aud tlie flowers fully 

 expanded it is verv' useful. 



Konian hyacinths force very easily at 

 this time of J'ear. When about to open 

 their bells they, too, are of mnch better 

 quality if given a house about 55 de- 

 grees at night, aud light. 



We used to think it very necessary 

 and very grand to have tulips at Christ- 

 mas. They are not wanted at that sea- 

 son. Due Van Thol is the only variet.v 

 that will force so early without extraor- 

 dinary heat, and then it 's not worth 

 while. Ijcave your La Beine. Vermilion 

 Brilliant and Yellow Prince and daffodils 

 outside making roots till New Year's, 

 Avhen if brought in yon can with proper 

 treatment be sure of fine, long-stemmed 

 flowers. 



Allow twenty days for your cold stor- 

 age crop of valley to be in good order 

 for Christmas. .Six-inch pans of valley 

 in fine bloom are in good demand for a 

 holiday gift. If they are fully matured 

 a few days ahead, so much the better. At 

 this time of year you can use your vallev 

 forcing bed for the present crops. The 

 atmosphere is cool and a little bottom 

 heat w on 't hurt. 



As the chrysanthemum benches are 

 emptied you will have room to bring in 

 the Japan lilies; not that you should be- 

 gin to force them in too high a beat: 

 45 to 50 degrees at night will do very well 

 till New Y'ear's, and then begin to give 

 them a strong heat. Last year our Japan 

 lilies were all in by Easter, and .some days 

 to spare, bnt many were too dwarf and 

 we would rather blame ourselves than the 

 quality of the bulbs. We think it was 

 largely due to giving them a strong heat 

 before there were much roots. 



Christmas Plants. 



The most interesting work in the green- 

 house now is getting your Christmas stock 

 in proper shape. We see no signs of 

 the Christmas gift taking other than the 

 form of a pretty plant, as for the past 



