364(1 



rtORTICUUTURi: 



CULTURE OF THE GARDENIA. 



Paper read l)v Williaai ICleinhelnz before 



the Florists' Club of Plilludelplila, 



March 2, 1009. 



The best time for propagation of 

 gardenia is January and February. 

 Select your cuttings from strong grow- 

 ing, healthy plants. I have experi- 

 mented with propagating in sanJ in 

 half peat and half sand, and also iu a 

 mixture of fine chopped sphagnum 

 moss, peat and sand iu equal parts, 

 and have found the mixture the best, 

 as I always get the strongest roots on 

 cuttings propagated in this last men- 

 tioned composition. 



It is very important to give sufficient 

 heat; I should say 75 to 80 degrees 

 on bottom and 70 to 75 degrees on top. 

 Syringe two or three times a day, pro- 

 tect from the sun and never allow any 

 draught to strike the cuttings. Under 

 this treatment the cuttings will be 

 rooted in from twenty to twenty-five 

 days. Then the young plants must be 

 potted into 2-inch pots in a mixture of 

 half peat and half well-rotted compost. 

 Never allow them to get dry, and pro- 

 tect from the sun for three or four 

 days. Keep the house at a tempera- 

 ture of 68 to 72 degrees at night and 

 75 to 80 degrees in daytime, for about 

 one week, until the young roots are 

 coming through the soil, then com- 

 mence to reduce the temperature at 65 

 to 68 degrees at night and 72 to 75 

 degrees during the daytime, and the 

 young plants will soon begin to grow. 



In from three to four weeks the 

 plants will be ready for a shift into 3 

 or 3%-inch pots, and the shifting must 

 be continued as often as necessary. 

 Never allow the plants to get pot- 

 bound. 



All the buds must be removed to 

 secure a good, healthy growth. 



In the month of July the plants 

 should be in 5 or 6-inch pots, and this 

 Is the time to plant on benches. Be 

 Etire to have good drainage In all 

 cases, 'eEpecially in the benches, as this 

 is a very important item. The soil 

 must be one part rough peat and two 

 parts well rotted compost, with a 

 little sand mixed under. I found it 

 well to mix a little pulverized slwep 

 manure with it. 



The distance to plant is about 12 to 

 15 inches each way, but great oare 

 must he exercised in planting, to see 

 that it is not done too deeply, as the 

 joung, fibrous roots always run on 

 top and those are the ones to take 

 care of. Plant solidly, but not too 

 firmly, and leave a little drain around 

 each plant, so that every one can be 

 watered separately. 



Two weeks after this the bench can 

 bo leveled off and packed some, but 

 not too firm, to give the water always 

 a chance to run through th'e soil 

 (luickly. 



From September 15th an the critical 

 time begins, as the plants will now 

 Bhow buds, and we all know that the 

 most difficult part of flowering Gar- 

 denias in winter is to keep the buds. 

 Groat < are must be exercised from now 

 c-n until February 15th. 



The falling off of buds is caused by 

 irregular teraperature, over-watering, 

 running too dr>', and by syringing 

 with very cold water. Great care must 

 be taken to avoid these mishaps. The 

 night temperature should he 65 to 68 

 degrees, as nearly as possible, but 



never below 65 degrees, and in day- 

 time should b'e about ten degrees 

 higher. 



As soon as the fibrous roots show on 

 the surface a light top dressing of 

 half compost and half sheep manure 

 must be applied, and repeated as often 

 as necessary. 



This is one treatment under which 

 1 have grown Gardenias with success, 

 but I have tried another way also, 

 with good results. I have been grow- 

 ing my plants up to 7-inch pots under 

 glass all summer. August 1st I re- 

 moved the glass and kept the plants in 

 the open until September 15th. This 

 ripened the wood and the flowering 

 buds could be found at the end of 

 each growth by that time. The plants 

 have to be moved under the glass 

 again when the nights get cooler. I 

 have planted a bench, when the plants 

 have been treated in this manner, by 

 October 1st and cut a very fine crop 

 of flowers from December 15th on. 



This method gives anyone the 

 chance to have Gardenias in succes- 

 sion if you have different houses to 

 plant in rotation, as you can hold them 

 in a cool house at about 52 to 55 de- 

 grees at night, until wanted for 

 forcing. By planting in the bench, it 

 is understood that I mean to give them 

 the same treatment as in the first 

 method. 



The varieties grown are principally 

 Veitchi or Florida and Floribunda. 

 Gardenia Fortunei produces larger 

 flowers, but it is more suitable for 

 summer flowering. 



As all plants have their enemies, 

 so, also, has the Gardenia. The worst 

 of all is the mealy-bug. Syringing 

 with a mixture of lemon oil and Rose- 

 leaf keeps them in check, but the best 

 and surest remedy is prevention. This 

 can be accomplished only by heavy 

 syringing with a good force of water, 

 in summertime I would say three 

 times a day, and as the days get 

 shorter reduce to one, or, in bright 

 days, to two applications. 



WASHINGTON INAUGURATION 

 NOTES. 



March ■Ith. wth its sleet and snow, 

 rain and thunder is, "tnanks be," a 

 thing of the past. Not for years, as 

 all the world already knows, has Wash- 

 ington been called upon to endure such 

 a storm as swept over it the niglir, 

 of the third and day of the 4th, for 

 more than twelve long hours. Busi- 

 ness of every Vind was virtually para- 

 lyzed. The Court of Honor in front of 

 the White House which had been beau- 

 tifully decorated by Gude Bros., pre- 

 sented a bedraggled and ragged ap- 

 jiearance, and but for the substantial 

 quality of the decorations it would 

 liave been entirel.v ruined. 



The ball room, which was decorated 

 Ny Small, was a marvel of beauty, one 

 of the chief features being a sunken 

 fountain in the center. Here hun- 

 dreds of pot plants of specimen aza- 

 leas, genistas, hougainvilleas and baby 

 ramblers were banked from the center 

 up to the outer edge, which was fin- 

 inished by a row of ferns and palms 

 The entire building was hung with 

 patriotic emblems, among which the 

 colors of the newly made President's 

 alma mater were conspicuous. 



March 13. 1909 



PREPARING FOR BEDDING PLANT 

 TIME. 



With the approach of long days and 

 the warmth of sunshine, it is neces- 

 sary that the cutting bench be pre- 

 pared in readiness in order to have a 

 tuoply of good plants when bedding- 

 out time arrives. 



Prepare your cutting beach and see 

 that it is thoroughly cleaned and re- 

 placed with clean fresh sand to a depth 

 of three or four inches, which is suf- 

 ficient for most bedding plants. 



Look over al) stock plants that have 

 been carried over from last fall and 

 select cuttings from none but healtliy 

 plants; it may be well to state that 

 this is the only means by which a 

 large number of plants are kept true 

 to character. 



Althernanthera. — Insert cuttings and 

 it a greater supply is needed than the 

 number of cuttings at your command, 

 divide up old plants and put them in 

 the bench, so that root action is en- 

 couraged, after which they may be 

 potted into two-inch pots, which will 

 be suflicient to carry them along, or 

 they may be planted in small flats. 



Geraniums that have been carried 

 over winter in two and two-and-one 

 half-inoh pots must now be shifted and 

 pinched. If short of any particular va- 

 riety take off the tops and insert in 

 cutting bench; these will make thrifty 

 plants by the last of May. 



Cuttings of the following plants are 

 best started now, viz., Ageratum, Abu- 

 tilon, Achyranthes, Stevia, Centaurea 

 candidissima. Fuchsia, Petunia, Be- 

 gonia maculata, B. Vesuvius and Er- 

 fordii. The latter species begonia is 

 frequently raised from seed, but from 

 my experience I find that cuttings 

 make the best plants and are more 

 floriferous if young soft wood cuttings 

 are taken. 



!n shading the cuttings it would be 

 well to state that a little sun in the 

 early morning and in the late after- 

 noon will not hurt; in fact it is bene- 

 licial for it will dry up any moisture 

 that may gather around the cuttings 

 over night, or during the day while 

 shaded, thus preventing damping off. 



Cannas need urgent attention. Select 

 the strongest and most promising eyes; 

 put them into small flats; after root 

 action is started pot off into four-inch 

 pots, in which they can remain until 

 bedding out time. 



RICHARD J. HAYDBN. 



GARDENERS' AND FLORISTS' 

 CLUB OF BOSTON. 



The next meeting of the club will 

 be held at Horticultural Hall on 

 Tuesday evening, March 16, 1909, at 

 S o'clock. Owing to the decease, of 

 Mr. E. V. Hallock of Queens, N. Y., 

 who was to have been tne lecturer of 

 the evening, Mr. Robert Cameron of 

 the Harvard Botanical Gardens has 

 kindly volunteered to favor the club 

 with "a paper on "Perennial Plants." 

 There will be. as usual, attractive ex- 

 hibits and other interesting features. 



The annual club banquet originally 

 announced for March 31 has been post- 

 poned to April 14 at the solicitation of 

 a number of members. Tickets may 

 be had from the officers and members 

 of executive committee, as well as at 

 the coming meeting. It Is planned to 

 make the coming banquet the best the 

 club has yet held. 



W. N. CRAIG, Secretary. 



