HORTICULTURE 



Vol. XXX 



DECEMBER 20, 1919 



No. 25 



THE TALK OF THE TRADE 



When one thinks of the different 

 plants that have been offered the 

 florist for quite a number of years 

 back, it would be hard to find any in- 

 troduction of greater value tham the 

 French Hydrangeas. This year their 

 value is greater than ever before. We 

 haven't many plants to select from for 

 the Easter and general Spring trade. 

 Pot Roses are in short supply. Prac- 

 tically no Azaleas are available, and in 

 a general way we are short of desir- 

 able plants to offer. The French 

 Hydrangea is filling the gap and I can 



hardly imagine doing without them. 

 I doubt if there has ever been a larger 

 quantity sold than this season, but in 

 spite of this, there does not seem to 

 be enough to go around. The call con- 

 tinues heavy and while there is a small 

 supply still offered they will surely 

 clean up, as we are now getting close 

 to the time when they must be started 

 for Easter forcing. Of course Hy- 

 drangeas must be started slowly in 

 order to get the best results. They 

 will not stand any amount of heat until 

 they are well budded and coming 



along with a good strong root system. 

 I will mention a few of the varieties 

 which are very popular and known to 

 be good forcers. 



In white, there seems to be no use 

 for any other if you can get Mme. E. 

 Mouillere. It is free flowering, pro- 

 ducing a big head and forces readily. 



The only blue one I have seen that 

 seems to come true is Mousseline, and 

 this is a dandy fine variety. It is des- 

 cribed as Plumbago Blue and we 

 think this fits it very well. The flower 

 heads are large and it is a very even 

 grower and makes a very symmetrical 

 plant when well grown. 



Well Grown Specimen of French Hydrangea 



