462 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



FEBRUARY 10. 189S. 



THE PERENNIAL BORDER AT LIN- 

 COLN PARK, CHICAGO. 



Helenium Autumnale. 



The helenium is one of tlie most use- 

 ful of the middle-sized yellow flowered 

 perennials, as it fills the place between 

 the phloxes and asters below and the 

 taller sunflowers above. Its profuse 

 wealth of golden bloom lights up the 

 harvest borders with a solid mass of 

 color no other plant can equal. The 

 middle group in the engraving shows 

 its brightness after being in bloom 

 nearly a month. 



1.1 size it may vary from eighteen 

 inches, as usually seen in native slough 

 edges, to five feet or even more, as it 

 grew this year in the perennial border 

 in Lincoln park. 



The helenium has the further advan- 

 tage of keeping within bounds; its 

 groups do not spread unduly as do too 

 many of its composite neighbors, while 

 its offsetting habit makes it quite easy 

 to divide and transplant. 



The group of flowers at the left in 

 the picture are the decapetalus sun- 

 flower, a peculiarly bright sulphur yel- 

 low. It does not usually grow so tall 

 as this but is always effective. 



The dark group in front at the right 

 it Perilla nankinensis, an old-time fa- 

 vorite, which always blends well with 

 any kind of foliage. It is one of the 

 most thrifty plants in cultivation, a de- 

 sirable contrast to its pampered rela- 

 tive, the coleus, J. H. 



LYCHNIS SEMPERFLORENS 

 PLENISSIMA. 



In my last notes I recommended the 

 old well known pinks to the florists 

 catering to a home trade in the smaller 

 towns. Today, with your permission. I 

 will say a few words about a compara- 

 tively new, but equally hardy plant, 

 which has not yet been tried in many 

 places, for forcing under glass and 

 which can safely be recommended for 

 growing largely, not only for a local 

 trade, but also everywhere else. My 

 humble opinion is that great quantities 

 could be disposed of if its many good 

 qualities were better known. Lychnis 

 semperflorens plenissima is not a coarse 

 leafed plant like L. flos-cuculi or L. 

 vespertina, nor does it grow very tall. 

 The foliage is lanceolate, narrow and 

 bright green in color. Branching flower 

 stems. 15 to 24 inches high, are spring- 

 ing up among the leaves constantly in 

 uninterrupted succession if the plants 

 are kept in growing condition, which is 

 not at all difficult to manage. The tem- 

 perature of a carnation house or even a 

 violet house will suit them admirably 

 and we know of no disease whatever 

 which attacks either foliage, roots or 

 flower spikes: the plants have always 

 been clean and healthy with us. 



When we first came into possession 

 of the plant, several years ago, we had 

 no proof of its hardiness and therefore 

 ou the approach of cold weather we 

 potted about a dozen of them for stock 



to propagate from, should our winters 

 prove too severe for those left outdoors 

 unprotected. We found room for the 

 potted plants in a corner of the carna- 

 tion house, where they started into vig- 

 orous growth in less than a month's 

 time and began to send out young flow- 

 er stems. Seeing their desire to bloom, 

 we allowed them a little more space, re- 

 potting them at the same time into 5- 

 inch pots and had no reason to regret 

 this little extra care. They rewarded 

 us with an occasional bunch of very 

 serviceable and neat flowers, which 

 could readily be disposed of to any cus- 

 tomer in search of loose, delicate sprays 

 for vases, etc. Another repotting was 

 necessary before spring. Tlie plants 

 kept on producing new growths and 

 new flower stems as well, and by these 

 gratifying results we were induced to 

 try them the following season in a 

 bench, where they have done admira- 

 bly well under the same conditions and 

 treatment with the carnations. 



Since these preliminary trials we 

 have also grown the plants over sum- 

 mer in 3 or S'o-inch pots, planting them 

 in the bench in fall: with this treat- 

 ment we are enabled to cut some flow- 

 ers as early as September, but the same 

 stock, when grown in the field until 

 fall, would have perfected many more 

 crowns, ready to produce a greater 

 quantity of flower spikes during the 

 season than we could expect from the 

 little potted plants: yet the latter can 

 be planted closer in the bench and per- 

 haps in the end we get about as many 

 sprays from these as on the stronger 

 clumps on a given space. The soft pink 

 color of this lychnis and the way it pro- 

 duces its many finely shaped flowers in 

 long, light, airy and graceful sprays 

 cannot fail to give universal satisfac- 

 tion in all fine floral work. Its keeping 

 qualities also are excellent and we may 

 have it the whole year around, for it 

 blooms as freely in the open ground all 

 the summer and fall months as it does 

 in winter under glass. In an ordinary 

 light garden soil, moderately enriched 

 and well drained, it would never be 

 without fiowers if frost did not stop 

 growth late in the autumn. 



A stock is readily worked up from a 

 few plants by dividing in early spring, 

 every growth with a few rootlets at- 

 tached will then grow quickly into 

 strong tufts, producing hundreds of 

 flower stems that same season if allow- 

 ed to remain. But where plants are 

 wanted for forcing in winter, we have 

 always followed the old practice of 

 keeping the stems pinched out until the 

 plants were housed. When you have no 

 stock out doors, cuttings from those 

 grown on a bench or in pots may be ta- 

 ken at any time and are sure to root; if 

 well taken care of, they will make 

 blooming plants in less than three 

 months. From the above notes it may 

 plainly be seen that Lychnis semperflor- 

 ens plenissima is one of the few good 

 things which can be relied on to fur- 

 nish us with a supply of elegant cut 

 flowers at all seasons. 



With ordinary care the patch in the 

 garden will continue in full bloom until 



the approach of cold weather, while 

 from October to May we have an 

 abundance of them under glass, provid- 

 ing we have benched or potted suitable 

 stock early in September. The cultiva- 

 tion of this deserving plant under glass 

 presents no diflJculty at any season. In 

 a light and airy house near the glass it 

 does better than in a house where the 

 atmosphere is kept closer or where 

 more moisture and heat are required 

 for the other occupants of the benches. 

 Like the carnations, they dislike over- 

 head watering, especially in prolonged 

 dull weather, but the results in their 

 case are not so disastrous to their wel- 

 fare, the plants soon recovering their 

 vigor when normal conditions are re- 

 stored in their surroundings. K. 



APONOGETON DISTACHYON. 



A few flowers of this beautiful plant 

 occasionally appear as a novelty in the 

 windows of some of the best flower 

 stores. It is certainly a novelty, too, 

 in the cut flower market, though far 

 otherwise as a cultivated plant, having 

 been in cultivation for more than 100 

 years. It was introduced to Europe 

 from the Cape of Good Hope in the lat- 

 ter part of the last century and has 

 become so completely naturalized 

 upon some lakes and streams as to ap- 

 pear like a native so great is its lux- 

 uriance. 



Doubtless much might be done with 

 it in American waters in southern lat- 

 itudes, but the present object of this 

 note is to advise those who have the 

 facilities to give it a little attention un- 

 der glass for winter flowering, and 

 small indeed are its cultural needs. 

 Grown under glass it would be an ever- 

 blooming plant as in outside waters 

 it flowers persistently till forced to a 

 reluctant rest by the freezing of the 

 water. 



I have gathered flowers of it in mid- 

 winter when that season has been un- 

 usually mild, so that no forcing condi- 

 tions are necessary under glass to en- 

 sure flowers in abundance during win- 

 ter months. Tanks, tubs, or any re- 

 ceptacle of sufficient size and conven- 

 ience could be utilized for its cultiva- 

 tion, placing in the bottom of 

 them about a foot of compost 

 consisting of loam and well rotted 

 cow manure in proportions of about S 

 to 1. The temperatures at which rose 

 and carnation houses are kept will suit 

 admirably and like these the apono- 

 geton will enjoy all the sun it can get. 

 As far as my observation goes of the 

 plant under natural conditions it al- 

 ways appeared to thrive best and flow- 

 er most abundantly along the margins 

 of running water or in lakes throug,h 

 which there was a constant fiow. This 

 would indicate that it likes a change 

 of water more or less frequently, con- 

 ditions that can be met under cultiva- 

 tion by turning the hose into its tank 

 or tub occasionally. The plant has a 

 fleshy tuberous root, broad and flat at 

 its apex, narrowing to almost a point 



