May 22, 1909 



HORTICULTURE 



735 



PEONIES 



All the standard 



varieties of the 

 large flowering 



Z: 



sweet-scented chinensis sec- 

 tion ; pink, white, crimson, 

 blush, scarlet, etc. 



$5.00 and $6.00 

 per 100 



for any color, or assorted. 



American Beauty Roses 



r growers have mrde special preparations and 

 will have an ample supply of the choiest 



long stemmed flowers. 



SPECIALS $2 SO per dozen 



20.00 per 100 



HANCVS 200 per dozen 



ISOO per 100 



EXTRAS I.7S per dozen 



12 50 per 100 



FIRSTS 1 SO per dozen 



10 00 per 100 



SECONDS 8 00 per 100 



THIRDS 6 00 per 100 



RIBBONS 



For commencements and weddings. 

 We mention a few. Send for our 

 illustrated raalogue for complete \Ut. 



PATTERN KILLARNEY 



Exact Match for the Killarney 



Rose 



Decoration Day Orders. 



w 



E will Ye exreptionally strong on Peonies and 

 American Beauty roses this year. Crops just on 

 ti ' e and of the liighest quality. Place your order 

 uch in advance as possib'e. 



Fancy varieties of Peonies, 

 of unusual color and form. 



$8.00 per 100 



Festiva Maxima, and novel- 

 ties in Peonies, the choicest 

 coming to this market: — 



No. 40 width.. 

 No. 60 widtli . . 

 No. 100 width . 

 Jvo. 150 width . 



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PATTERN 1614 

 Exact natch for the Am. 

 Beauty Rose, shaded effect 

 exactly like the flower. 



Sweet Peas 



The most popu'ar low priced flower for tt is season, 

 filling admirably the violet gap. 



.50, .75 and $1.00 per 100; all colors. 



S. S. PENNOCK- 

 MEEHAN CO. 



The Rortr!^ Philadelphia 



1608-1620 Ludlow Street 



Gauze for Shower Bouquets. Chiffons 

 all Widths and Colors. New Com 

 bination Riiibons for All colors of 

 Sweet Peas. Sam[ les on Request. 



Weekly Price Current 



$10.00 and $12.50 

 per 100 



This contains weekly quotations of 

 all the leading market flowers at date, 

 Roses, Carnaiions, Orchids, Garden- 

 ias, Lili s and the minor subjects ac- 

 cording to season. Every florist should 

 be on this list. Write for copy. 



the seasons. There is a continual 

 change of flowers. It is here where 

 the herbaceous border has the advan- 

 tage over the bedding system. Not 

 only is the frequent changing of the 

 flowers of special interest, but in early 

 Spring to a keen observer the color 

 effects of the young foliage and stems 

 are quite conspicuous and very inter- 

 esting. The herbaceous border comes 

 nearer nature's way of doing things 

 than the bedding system, hence the 

 reason why we enjoy it so much. 

 Background and Location. 



No doubt a herbaceous border is 

 more attractive and gives more satis- 

 faction when it has a suitable back- 

 ground. A background of shrubbery is 

 always pleasing, but such a background 

 is not always procurable. There is one 

 precaution which one should always 

 take and that is to see that the border 

 Is not near large trees. Otherwise 

 there is sure to be failure and disap- 

 pointment. The roots of the trees get 

 into the border and steal the food from 

 the plants. The strong-growing kinds 

 soon becoiue weak and sickly and tail 

 to give the expected show of flowers. 



The outline of the border is not of 

 so much importance, but the one that 

 gives the most satisfaction is one 

 where the lines are uneven or sinuous. 

 Best Kinds of Soil and Its Preparation. 



After selecting the location the next 

 consideration is the soil. If of mod- 

 erate depth, any kind of soil will grow 

 the plants; that is, many of the kinds, 

 provided that plenty of manure is 

 given; but a deep loam, if well 

 trenched, of medium texture that does 

 not need an annual supply of manure 



is the best. Of course, all have not 

 such a soil at their command and 

 therefore recourse must be had to sup- 

 plying the most suitable ingredients 

 to the varying soils that have to be 

 dealt with. A deep loam, if well 

 trenched and given a good dressing of 

 well rotted manure, will need little, if 

 any, other dressing for four or flve 

 years. This is of great importance, 

 both as regards saving labor and well 

 doing of the plants, as many kinds of 

 herbaceous perennials attain their most 

 perfect development when left undis- 

 turbed for years. The only safe way 

 to enrich the border during this long 

 period is to give it a liberal top dress- 

 ing late in the fall of well rotted stable 

 manure. The snow, frost and rain will 

 wash most of the top dressing into the 

 soil before the plants begin to grow. 

 We like stable manure much better 

 than commercial fertilizers as it is 

 much more lasting and gives better re- 

 sults. Clay soils should be trenched 

 at least two feet deep, and plenty of 

 leaf soil worked in with manure. 



Replanting the Border. 



Every fourth or fifth year we dig all 

 the plants from our herbaceous borders 

 and trench the ground. In this pro- 

 cess of trenching the earth is com- 

 pletely turned over to the depth .>f 

 two feet and we work into the soil a 

 liberal supply of well rotted cow ma- 

 nure. In turning over the soil to this 

 depin it gives an opportunity to re- 

 move all roots and weeds from it. Not 

 only does the soil need enriching but 

 there are many of the strong gi'ow- 

 ing kinds of herbaceous plants that 

 need lifting and breaking up. The 



plants are degenerate, the growth be- 

 comes weak, the flowers small and few 

 in number; examples of such are 

 phloxes, larkspur, asters, rudbeckias 

 and chrysanthemums. When overhaul- 

 ing the border in this way there are 

 many plants that require just as care- 

 ful handling as if moving a large tree. 

 The plants are very sensitive to rough 

 handling and, if not done with care, 

 they do not grow or flower as well for 

 some time afterwards. Examples of 

 such plants are Adonis vernalls and 

 Statice latifolia. Clematis recta if not 

 lifted and planted with care does not 

 grow more than eighteen inches the 

 first season, whereas it ought to grow 

 four feet. The best time to do this 

 kind of work is in September. The 

 nights begin to get cool then, we are 

 liable to get showers, the soil has not 

 lost any of its warmth and the plants 

 are able to make new roots and 

 growth before Winter sets in. 



How to Arrange the Plants. 



In planting our borders we try to 

 get the tallest plants near the back 

 and are careful not to get plants of 

 the same height to follow one another, 

 as an uneven line when the plants are 

 fully grown is much more pleasing. 

 We work the smaller plants to the 

 front where they have not to struggle 

 with the tall-growing kinds and, as 

 they are mostly all lovers of sunshine, 

 in such a position they have a much 

 better chance to get sufBcient light. 



Of late years we have adopted the 

 system of setting the large plants in 

 the back rows about four feet apart 

 and in the spaces between we grow 

 large colonies of bulbous plants. 



