March 19, 1903. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



657 



Four Fine Paeonies. 



now, (>!■ l)efoi"e they send out their leaf 

 buds, and a lot of others that should be 

 left entirely alone and pruned only after 

 they are through flowering. 



There are two distinct classes. In the 

 first class, or those that should be 

 pruned now. are the altheas. hydrangeas, 

 hybrid perpetual roses; in fact, all those 

 that make a growth and a terminal flow- 

 er. In the class that should not be 

 pruned until after the flower is gone are 

 cvdonia. forsythia, staph.vlea, lilac, etc. 

 You can easily reason out that a shrub 

 like the lilac, that sets its flower buds 

 the previous fall, is read.v to open its 

 lihissoms in the genial, warm days of 

 Jlay or June, and if you prune it now 

 you ^vill cut off the flower buds; while 

 a shrub like the H.vdrangea P. G. should 

 be severely cut back, for then it will 

 break strong and make a vigorous 

 growth, crowned later in the season with 

 a fine panicle of flowers. 



William Scott. 



SOME HINTS ON PEONIES. 



Tlicse flowers liave cume to stay and 

 are being constantly reinforced by new 

 varieties, so that interest will increase 

 instead of diminish. Four points are 

 to be observed in selecting a first-class 

 flower : 



First. Symmetrical and beautiful 

 form. We want no defects here. We 

 nuist have supreme excellence on this 

 line, and many of our favorites score 

 well on tliis point and can stand beside 

 the rose without blushing. 



Second. The flower should be frag- 

 rant. Without this there is something 

 lacking. They vary essentially in the 

 nature and quantity of their perfume. 

 The glorions Huniei is cinnamon scented. 

 Some have the odor of heliotrope. Others 



have the perfume of the rose in greater 

 or less degree. 



Third. Readiness of propagation. I 

 want a' peony which I can push and get 

 at least l,00il from one in ten years, and 

 I am now testing difi'erent varieties on 

 this point. Some of the beautiful flow- 

 ers are so slow in propagating that I 

 have no patience to bother with them. 

 .1. Discaisnc. for instance, is a glorious 

 flower of ermine and gold, but it scores 

 only two points out of the four. It is the 

 tardiest and most reluctant flower to pro- 

 pagate on the whole list. It is a shy 

 bloomer also. General Custer, one of 

 Father Terry's productions, is almost a 

 perfect i)attern of it in beauty, and I 

 think in fragrance, and is very vigorous 

 and nuiltiplics rapidly. It is one of the 

 latest of tlie white and gold varieties, 

 and I think tills all the requirements. 



Fourtli. Ready l)loomers. Some peo- 

 ple ask, "Why don't my peonies bloom? 

 I have had them year after year and 

 they won't blossom." Well, they are 

 luit built that way. They are shy bloom- 

 ers with me. Edulis Superba is rather 

 slow alKiut blooming, while others bloom 

 on the least provocation. Some flowers 

 score up on all these points, in fact, 

 quite a number. 



Baroness Schroder fills the bill, but 

 there is such a demand .you cannot buy 

 them. Even Kelway is out of them. I 

 got one root four .years ago at $2 and 

 last fall sold seventeen at the same 

 price. Had about as many to carry over. 

 Canary Plume, a new sort, scores up 

 well as a ready multiplier and ready 

 l)loomer. One merit it has is that it is 

 early in flowering, coming on for Decora- 

 tion Day in most northern states. 



T su])pose the finest flower in the whole 

 family is Lady Alexander Duff. This 

 fills all the requirements, but it is scarce 

 and costs $.5 a root at wholesale in Eng- 



land. There are others of great merit 

 and it is interesting to watch them, get 

 acquainted with them, find out the treat- 

 ment best adapted and all their peculiari- 

 ties. Herewith are four fine flowers: 

 Richardson's Rubra Superba is a magni- 

 ficent bloomer, one of the latest, a deep 

 crimson. The flowers keep for weeks 

 in cold storage. By forcing and retard- 

 ing in cold storage, we can have these 

 flowers four months out of the year. 

 C. S. Habeison. 

 York, Xeb. 



VALLEY AND ROMAN HYACINTHS. 



W'ill you give in your notes in the 

 Review at some future date how to 

 handle lily of the valley and Roman 

 hyacinths in a climate where the outside 

 night temperature is about 40 to 45 

 degrees and the day 65 to 78 degrees? 

 The flowers would have to be sheltered 

 from the rains and dews. I have a call 

 for these very often, but have never 

 grown any bulbs except Lilium Harrisii, 

 which grow to perfection anywhere they 

 can get water. H. V. B. 



Florida. 



It is my opinion, though it may Ije er- 

 roneous, that up to fJie middle of Feb- 

 ruary the roots and bulbs of both the 

 above would want just the same treat- 

 ment as we give them in the north; that 

 is. the hyacinths in flats or pans out of 

 doors covered with a few inches of earth 

 or tanbark. and the valley stored away 

 in boxes out of doors, but sheltered from 

 the rains. As you are doubtless aware, 

 the Roman hyacinth is -the simplest of 

 bulbs to force." After Christmas it grows 

 and sends up its spike freely in a night 

 temperature of 55 degrees. In January 

 and February I think the valley roots 

 would want just as much forcing to get 



