724 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



iLvRiH 2G. 190.1. 



Aug. Victoria, but only one bloom out of 

 a great number shows any pure yellow 

 in coloring. It, in fact, has so few 

 flowers that differ from the variety from 

 which it sported that it will hardly 

 pass as a distinct sort. There is, how- 

 ever, a sufficient number of yellow flow- 

 ers to show its tendency to sport into a 

 distinct variety. 



Saxonia — This is a variety from Ger- 

 many. It is claimed to be a seedling 

 from" Golden Gate. The grow th and gen- 

 eral make-up of the flower shows its 

 relationship to its American parent. It 

 has not been tested sufficieutly to de- 

 termine its winter blooming qualifica- 

 tions, but we are inclined to think well 

 of the variety. It has a finer coiorinjr 

 than Golden Gate and is somewhat, on 

 the order of Mme. Pierre Guillot in its 

 markings, and the bud has a much better 

 form. 



Duchess of Portland — Tliis is one of 

 Alex. Dickson"s seedlings and a most 

 magnificent rose it is. It is larger and 

 of heavier texture than our fanio\is 

 Kaiserin — a truly noble flower, but its 

 neck is so weak that its flmvers look 

 down at Mother Earth. This is most 

 unfortunate, for it has many charms to 

 its credit. 



Mildred Grant — .\nother of Dickson's 

 fine Hy. Teas, showing its hybrid blood 

 in its growth and form of flower to a 

 most remarkable degree. It is pearl 

 pink in color, a choice, refined flower. 

 This -won the English Rose Society's 

 Gold IMedal. In favored jilaces we think 

 this variety will certainly bo heard from, 

 especially for garden piuposes. 



Prince de I'.nlgaria — This is a valu- 

 able new color in llio Hy. Tea class — 



bufl" yellow .shaded with apricot; the 

 form of the bloom is not unlike many of 

 the H. Ps., its flower being very prettily 

 shaped, quite full and double. This 

 should make a fine pot variety as we'! 

 as a choice bedding subject. Th-" petal- 

 are too short for its use as a cut flower 

 and we hardly think it would force 

 were it tried. 



William Askew — The plant is of 

 sturdy growth, producing freely its fine 

 large flowers. This is a variety well worth 

 a trial for garden or pot culture. It is 

 one of Mr. Guillot's productions and is 

 possibly the very best of his later varie- 

 ties. 



Laura Wattine — Tliis is a superb pro- 

 duction and. we think, here at Rich- 

 mond, one of the very best that tliis 

 firm has producwl. It is a brilliant 

 dark red. with a fine long bud and a 

 good double flower. It is a cross be- 

 tween Marie Uauniaiiii and Caroline 

 Testout. This should make a valuable 

 addition for garden purposes. 



The above mentioned varieties have 

 all been flowere<l here in considerable 

 numbers and we believe them to be 

 promising roses in their respective 

 classes. They are tlie pick of over a 

 hundred new introductions of the past 

 two years and are worthy of trial by 

 all lovers of garden roses. 



The prosjiect of some new American 

 seedling roses is fairly pioniising. and 

 we anticipate that a few good novelties 

 will lie introduced in 1004. The varie- 

 ties will lie grown in consi<leral>lc quan- 

 tity, and. if past e\pcrieiue is dupli- 

 cated by these varieties when grown in 

 large nuinl)ers. we anticipate a ])lea5ant 

 surprise fnr .\nicriraii rose L'rowers. 



MISCELLANEOUS 

 SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Easter Crops. 



With most of us there will be noth- 

 ing weighing on our thinking apparatus 

 so much as the Easter crops, and to get 

 all plants intended for sale at this im- 

 portant time in just the right degree of 

 development will keep us busy. As so 

 often remarked, we are creatures of the 

 weather, no other industry so much so, 

 and nothing so uncertain. The June 

 weather of the past week would have 

 hurried things along at a great pace, 

 but at this writing, Monday, March 23, 

 1903, it is about 40 degrees and raining. 



Lilies. 



It is often the case that the Japan 

 longiflorum need a good deal of forcing 

 to get them in by the middle of April. 

 Tliis year with us it has been no trou- 

 ble and they are all in abundance of 

 time. There is a trouble with them, 

 however, although not 5 per cent are 

 diseased. Their flowers are fine and 

 perfect, yet 50 per cent are not over a 

 foot to fifteen inches high. It is worth 

 mentioning that these stunted or dwarf 

 plants are nearly all confined to a thou- 

 sand black stemmed variety, which I 

 think had the prefix '"grandiflora" at- 

 tached to them. The bud is long, but 

 we would be better satisfied it the plant 

 had more longitude and the flower was 



a little shui-ter. It looks like a loss, yet it 

 need not be serious. Three of these well- 

 flowered lilies in an 8-inch azalea pot, 

 or five plants in a 10-inch azalea pot, 

 make a very handsome jar of plants, 

 and with a white or green mat covering 

 the pot will. I believe, sell well. 



For church decorations you must have 

 tall lilies, but only about one-third of 

 the lilies sold go to church (like the 

 florists), and the majority are sold as 

 presents. We have within an hour put 

 five dwarf lilies into a 10-inch azalea 

 pot, and you don't want a prettier jar 

 of plants for a present. There are 

 twenty-one buds and flowers, and al- 

 though the flowers are but fifteen inches 

 above the soil I don't see but that it 

 will be even preferred to one that is 

 higher, for it is glossy, green foliage to 

 the rim of the pot. Several times I 

 have said what is perhaps generally 

 known, that when the flowers are about 

 ready to open you can slice the ball of 

 earth of a fi-inch pot grown plant down 

 to three inches and the plant will .show- 

 no ill eflect from it. The flowers will 

 last just as long as they would if left 

 in the original pot. and tliat is all yen 

 want. 



Azaleas. 



It is the sun that brings out azaleas. 

 Keep them shaded if forward and as 



cool as possible, but look out for those 

 like ^'an der Cruyssen that are well 

 out. If the weather be dull and rainy 

 they are liable to damp and rot with no 

 tire heat at all. All your azaleas won't 

 be too early, and some varieties will 

 need a temperature of o5 to 60 degrees 

 to get thera into salable shape. 



Lilacs. 



I hope you got your lilac plants into 

 the house in good time. If fairly w'ell 

 out a week before Easter it will do no 

 harm, for they are much improved by 

 a few days in a cool house. A few 

 years ago we had an order for a dozen 

 lilac plants ten days after Easter, and 

 altliougli these plants were in full bloom 

 at Easter, in a very cool, dark cellar 

 they keep perfectly. 



Palms and Ferns. 



Palms have taken a dreadful tumble. 

 We know that by our sales, and no 

 better proof of it is wanted than by 

 the remarks of various representatives 

 of firms who grow them. "It is no use 

 to talk palms, I know,' is the general 

 remark. This can only be for a while, 

 and their time will come again. The 

 Boston fern seems to be in great favor 

 just now", and if you are not supplied 

 with nice plants in ti-inch pots, or pans 

 of or S-iuch. you should be, for they 

 are going to be in great demand. And 

 so. I think, will be plants of araucaria 

 about eighteen inches to two feet high. 



Plant Arrangements. 



iladeup baskets of plants sell about 

 as well at Easter as at Christmas. 

 There is plenty of material to choose 

 from. A small pink azalea, one or two 

 of the dwarf longiflorum lilies, filled up 

 with Primula obcoiiica, will make a very 

 ])retty basket, and there is a great' vari- 

 ety of material. If your trade does not 

 call for baskets, which are exjjensive, 

 you are sure to have some customers 

 who want more than a single plant; 

 they want something a little more 

 showy. Then the ordinary pan can 

 be made good use of. Now, I 

 know that many growers plant their 

 tulips, narcissus and Dutch hyacinths 

 in the ]>aiis in the fall. We do largely, 

 and perhaps it is the better plan, but 

 if you have not done so, or want 8, 9 

 or lO-iiidi pans of varieties that you 

 did not plant, then you can make them 

 up finiit those you have grown in flats 

 and they will last just about or quite 

 as long and be as satisfactory to the 

 customer: only don't do this making 

 tip into pans until the flower is fully 

 developed. Dig them out of the flats 

 with all the roots you can and as little 

 earth as possible and they will never 

 know it. There is certainly one ad- 

 vantage in this plan; there will be no 

 blanks; the pan can be perfect. We 

 kept cool during winter a number of 

 cyclamens in 5-inch pots. They are now 

 in flower. They make a beautiful pan 

 of blossoms, ami so do the primulas. 



Frills and Tucks. 



I am not much of a ribbon man. but 

 there are some plants that can bear 

 it without looking absurd. A hand- 

 some azalea or hybrid perpetual rose 

 would, in my opinion, be spoiled by any 

 ribbon amongst its foliage. Can you 

 paint tlie lily or gild the rose? No. 

 Yet there are plants of meager foliage 

 that can be made more attractive with 

 some frills and tucks that harmonize 

 with their color. Tlie Azalea mollis is 



