January 20, 1898. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



335 



New Late White Chrysanthemum Merry Christmas. 



were already beginning to bloom, Merry 

 Christmas was just showing signs of buds. 



GERANIUMS FOR WINTER 

 FLOWERING. 



On all sides one hears of a growing de- 

 mand for plants and there is much to re- 

 flect over in the detailed reports of 

 Christmas trade that have recently ap- 

 peared in these pages, so many writers 

 remarking that tbe demand for plants 

 was greater than the supply. This is a 

 healthy indication of substantial progress 

 and depend upon it, it is a branch of the 

 trade that is going to grow rapidly in di- 

 rect ratio with the efforts that are put 

 forth to foster and extend it. 



A cyclamen or an azalea that has gone 

 into the homes of thousands recently has 

 proved a thing of beauty and a joy for 

 many days, and tbe purchaser has got 

 satisfaction from the purchase; yet all 

 the cut flowers that were fit to offer 

 found a remunerative market. The 

 plants, therefore, should not be consid- 

 ered usurpers. They are rather a power 



for good all round and find ready pur- 

 chasers in a class whose means are more 

 limited, and who, but for them, would 

 forego purchasing cut flowers at holiday 

 prices. 



This by way of preface, because unless 

 the signs of the times are misleading the 

 go-ahead florist must be looking for some- 

 thing else likely to take the popular eye 

 and I certainh- think geraniums in winter 

 can be made to do so, more especially 

 round about Christmas time. From first 

 to last, however, they must be grown 

 with that definite object in view, and in 

 advocating them I am not suggesting a 

 new and uncertain thing, although new 

 to winter trade here. The geranium as a 

 winter flowering plant is indispensable 

 across the water and nothing at that sea- 

 son can compare with it in brilliancy, 

 profuse blooming and in general all- 

 round satisfaction, its beaut}' developing 

 and unfolding, too, beneath leaden, sun- 

 less skies, under which the rose and car- 

 nation languish and refuse to expand. 



Haphazard treatment will not make 

 them a success, and because the)- grow 



and flower anj'how in open ground in 

 summer, let no one think those plants 

 can be lifted and potted as cold weather 

 approaches and be fit to put on the mar- 

 ket a little later. The geraiuum that has 

 to flower in the winter niu.st not be al- 

 lowed to flower in summer at all, nor 

 will it show much disposition to do ,so if 

 treated after the manner indicated be- 

 low. 



To be a good selling article it must be 

 a presentable plant, compact, bushy, 

 with from eight to twelve shoots, having 

 from ten to twenty tru,sses of bloom in 

 different stages of advancement or expan- 

 sion. There is a wide color range to 

 choose from and the wise grower will 

 adapt his colors to what his market wants, 

 though it would appear, judging by the 

 demand for things red at Christmas, a 

 good red would pay best and fortunately 

 in this family reds of intense brilliancy 

 predominate, 



The month of April or even May- 

 would not be too late to start raising 

 stock of this kind; it would not be advis- 

 able to begin earlier than this date. 

 Choose some good strong cuttings and 

 insert them in the propagating bed in a 

 temperature of about 55°, allowing each 

 cutting ample room. An even better 

 way would be to insert cuttings singly in 

 a 2',2-inch pot as this ensures sufficient 

 isolation of the individual, and there are 

 after advantages in that no check is felt 

 when the time comes for shifting on. 

 They should be potted on into 4-inch pots 

 just as soon as they show an abundance 

 of root growth, using a compost of three 

 parts loam and one part well decayed 

 manure. As soori as these pots are well 

 filled with roots another shift must be 

 given; this time into 6-incli pots, the 

 plants to be firmly potted in soil not over 

 rich, the aim being to secure short 

 jointed growth and firm wood. A rank 

 growth with a superabundance of large 

 leaves is something to avoid, being un- 

 likely to flower sati,sfactorily. 



From the lime that there is no more 

 danger of spring frosts, the best place for 

 the plants is standing upon or plunged in 

 a bed of ashes in a sunny spot out of 

 doors, each plant standing far enough 

 apart to allow of exposure all round, thus 

 inducing short stock}- growth. 'J he plants 

 will naturally manifest a tendency to run 

 up with two or three shoots, but this is to 

 be corrected by pinching, an operation 

 they will probabl)- need about three times 

 in the course of the season, once while 

 in the 4.inch pots and twice after their 

 final potting. 



Further, all flower spikes that appear 

 must be picked off up to within eight 

 w-eeks of the time at which it is desired 

 to have these plants in bloom. As the 

 fall season advances the pots will become 

 full of roots, and just as soon as there is 

 a liability of frost the plants must be 

 brought in under cover. 



It occurs to me to suggest here the ad- 

 vantages of frames in connection with 

 these plants as with the aid of these the 

 plants could be kept outside longer, the 

 simple protection they afford being suffi- 

 cient for many weeks in fall. If one had 

 frame conveniences it would be compara- 

 tively easy to have a grand batch of ge- 

 raniums kept safe and sound, ready for 



