May 10, I'.iO-l. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



J377 



I can also remember when we thouglit 

 it necessary to erect every spring a tem- 

 porary structure of hotbed sash so a'^ 

 to give the vases a week's protection 

 and start. You cannot afford to do it. 

 Fill the vases one day, giving them tlio 

 thorough and important first watering 

 and cart them out the next. 



Stock to Use. 



The plants we use comprise a consid- 

 erable variety. To illustrate this I might 

 quote the dialogue that invariably oc- 

 curs. The customer starts ofi' : " Oh, 

 I want you to fill my vase again and 

 keep it watered. " " Yes, sir, any par- 

 ticular style you wish?" "Oh, no, s 

 nice assortment; I will leave that to 

 you," In that case we should book the 

 order as ' ' good mixed. ' ' More often 

 nowadays the answer will be: "Yes, 1 

 want it filled with the bright pink ger- 

 anium and the edge of flowering ivy" 

 (ivy geranium), or the order may be 

 ''all the dark, scarlet geranium (S. A. 

 Xutt) and green vines" (green vinca) 

 and so on. Situation has much to do 

 with what is suitable. Where large trees 

 often shade part of the day, and per- 

 haps entirely, we use Begonia A'ernon, 

 tuberous-rooted begonias, fuchsias and 

 other plants that will thrive without the 

 sun 's rays. But too shady a situation 

 is not easily overcome and it is difficult 

 to keep a vase looking good. 



Fifteen years ago seventv'-Cve per cent 

 of all the vases, were filled, as we call 

 it, in the mixed style. First a Draesena 

 indivisa in the center, then a few foli- 

 age plants, coleus and achyranthes and 

 half a dozen geraniums of the most ro- 

 bust kinds and two or three variegated 

 geraniums and then round the entire edge 

 of the vase the ' ' vines ' ' and it would 

 take ten to fifteen of these drooping 

 plants to encircle the vase. And you will 

 find that if you charge from $2.50 to $4. 

 according to the size of the ordinary iron 

 vases, that you give your customer ful! 

 value for his money. In fact, if it was 

 not that you use what you happen to 

 have, clearing up your stock, there would 

 be very little profit in this style of fill- 

 ing. 



The drooping plants are vinca. Knglish 

 ivy, senecio, money vine, glechoma, ivy 

 geranium, lobelia, sweet alyssiun, Abu- 

 tilon vexillarium, lophospermmn, and 

 nasturtium. If sheltered, most of the 

 above will grow and look fairly well 

 throughout the season, but if exposed 

 and windy and. the slightest neglect oc- 

 curs, the softer plants, such as lobelin. 

 sweet alyssum, senecio and nasturtium, 

 soon get whipped with the wind and be- 

 come shabby and infinitely worse than 

 nothing. 



Our great standby for a vine, when 

 they are asked for. is the variegated and 

 green vinca and for most nurnnses the 

 latter, which I think is V. Harrisonii, is 

 the best. In some cities the English 

 is grown largely for this vase use. Some- 

 how it never was much used here. It 

 has the advantage, however, of remain- 

 ing .-just as good as the day you put it in 

 the vase. You don 't expect it to grow 

 much in its eramped position, but it is 

 there with its tough, green leaves through 

 wind, sun and even frost. We know of 

 vases that have looked well filled entirelv 

 with tuberous-rooted begonias, where if 

 was not too windy and nartial shad". 

 We fill large vases entirely with C'ala- 

 dium esculentum. Sometimes with all 

 coleus and if kept properly pinched thev 



Wreath of Leucothoe, Galax, Valley and Orchids. 

 (The Work of the Late Walter KreitUng. Chioaeo.) 



look well in contrast to the surrounding 

 sameness. Vases of dwarf, free-flowering 

 eannas are oceasionallv seen and look 

 well. 



And now we come to the ])lant of all 

 plants for summer decoration in a ceme- 

 tery, the zonale geranium. Every year 

 tlie people are learning that for bright- 

 ness, dui'abilitv and continuous good 

 looks there is nothing equal to the zonale 

 semi-double geranium and I think last 

 year seventy-five per cent of all our vases 

 were tilled with geraniums alone, mostlv 

 one variety in a vase, occasionally with 

 an edge of vinca, but more often with 

 nothing. Encourage this style, for you 

 will have less grumbling to endure, peo- 

 ide will be better satisfipd throughout 

 tjie season and. what is of the greatesi: 

 importance, you will get a good, rouml 

 price for your plants and labor. S. A. 

 Xutt is the great favorite with many: 

 F. Perkins for a pink: Gloire de France 

 for a beautiful peachblow pirk; Alphonse 

 Ricard. brighter scarlet: La Favorite for 

 a white, and Beauty Poitevine for a 

 salmon, and the very ancient Earnest 

 Louth is still excellent. There are many 

 more fine varieties, but whatever you use 

 they should be stron?, vigorous growers. 

 Alwavs cover the surface of the soil with 



green wood moss, both for appearance 

 and as a mulch. 



Watering the Vases. 



Xow we come to watering. I may as 

 well speak plainly and say that where 

 you have 200 vases or upwards there is 

 a good margin of profit if you charge a 

 proper price. We like to water our own 

 vases, for then we are responsible for 

 tlieir welfare, and if we take good care 

 of them the customers will come back. 

 The least that should be charged fo:* 

 watering any vase is $2. We have re- 

 cently learned that vases have been wa- 

 tered for $1. It can't be done and pay 

 ynur debts. 



It should be needless to say that the 

 soil in the vases should be of the richest 

 ai'd compactly firmed round the plants. 

 This vase business is laborious, yet is 

 soon over and there is a good living 

 profit in it if you don 't try and undersell 

 vour neighbor. William Scott. 



Bridgetox, N. J.— Theo. E. Edwards 

 iias the contract for the bedding plants 

 required for planting the station grounds 

 of the West .lersey and Seashore Eail- 

 road. 



