^ecember 9, 1916 



HORTICULTURE 



761 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS^ STOCK 



CONDUCTED BT 



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Questions hy our readers in line with any of the topics presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 



by Mr. I'arrell. Such lonimunications should Invarialily he addressed to the ofllce of HORTICULTURE. 



"It vain oar toll, we oncbt to blamo the cnltnre, not th« loU." Pote. 



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Care of Christmas Plants 



Azaleas — ^There are few more fwpular Christmas 

 plants than azaleas, the bright colored sorts, such as 

 Hexe and Mme. Petriek especially. Remove plants 

 nicely in flower into a cooler house, but do not let the 

 change be so sudden as to cause wilting. 



Camellias — Camellia plants carrying two or three 

 flowers are quite salable at the holidays. If plants have 

 hard, green buds, which have not yet started to swell, 

 they cannot be flowered on time. By all means grow 

 camellias fairly cool, not exceeding 50 degrees at night 

 at this season. 



PoiNSETTiAS — If the foliage is still dark green on 

 the plants you are fortunate. Such stocks, even if the 

 bracts are not large, will sell well. From now on pay 

 special attention to watering and do not subject the 

 plants to any cold draughts or low temperature. 



Lilies — The crop of Christmas lilies must now have 

 the buds starting to open. Then in a temperature of 

 sixty to sixty-five degrees at night, they will be all 

 right. 



Berried Plaxts — Christmas is the time par excel- 

 lence for disposing of berried plants. In fact, the sale 

 for them at any other time is quite limited. Ardisia 

 crenulata is deservedly popular. Solanum, Christmas 

 peppers and Otaheite oranges are all popular fruiting 

 plants for the holiday trade. 



Begonias — Lorraine, Glory of Cincinnati and Mrs. 

 Peterson begonias are great Christmas plants. Do not 

 keep them too warm from now on and they will then 

 give 30ur customers more lasting pleasure. 



Ericas — Ericas .-^ueh as melanthera are quite easily 

 flowered for Christmas and meet with a good sale. This 

 is another plant w-hieh will not tolerate forcing and 

 must always be grown cool but which is quite accom- 

 modating in that it will remain fresh a long time. Any 

 temperature just above actual frost will suit it. 



Lilt of the Valley — Pots of lily of the valley five 

 and six inches in diameter, with fifteen to twenty single 

 pips in each, will make salable plants. As they are get- 

 ting fully opened, give them slightly cooler quarters 

 but be careful on this point as a drop of 20 degrees will 

 cause the plants to wilt. 



Decorative FolAge Plants — Do not make the mis- 

 take of mixing these rich foliage plants in the same pans 

 or hampers with poinsettias, as they hardly agree. The 

 highly colored crotons and dracaenas make excellent 

 plants for warm rooms, as docs Pandanus Veitchii. All 

 of these stand the drying heat with little injury. It is 

 well also to remember that none of these plants should 

 long be exposed to a temperature lower than 50 degrees, 

 or they will soon show it in loss of foliage. They 

 should, therefore, be extra well protected when sent out 

 to customers during severe weather. 



Primulas and Cyclamens — Primulas and cyclamens 

 are plants which can be sold at a moderate price and 

 are really satisfactory to the purchasers, as they bloom 



so long under quite adverse conditions. The pink and 

 red are the ones which sell now, and plants which have 

 had a light, sunny bench an(J a temperature of 50 to 

 55 degrees at night since early September are now in 

 good condition. Use care in watering to do it around 

 the sides of the pots. If poured in the center of the 

 plant the probabilities are that the buds and foliage will 

 decay. 



. Fern Dishes — ^There is invariably considerable call 

 for fern dishes at Christmas and it is well to have a 

 good number made up in advance. Some prefer them 

 with a small Cocas Weddelliana as a centerpiece. 



Specimen jSTephrolepis — The old Boston variety is 

 still most in evidence and sells better than any other 

 sort, but there is a wide assortment of other fonns. 

 Watering is of vital importance or there will be a great 

 loss while plants are in the store. Few store florists 

 know much about it and when large numbers of valuable 

 plants are on hand, get a competent greenhouse man to 

 water them. 



Hardy Shrubs— English hollies in tubs take the 

 lead among the berried subjects. Others are Skimmia 

 japonica and Aucuba japonica. These being able to 

 withstand quite hard freezing, they are excellent to 

 stand outside the store, and in addition some of the 

 cupressus, retinosporas, thuyas, abies and other coniferae 

 can be used to good advantage. Neat tubs, painted 

 green are better than pots for all these shrubs. 



Care in Handling — Christmas is the holiday when 

 we may naturally look for a low temperature. An 

 ample stock of newspapers, tissue and oil paper and cot- 

 ton-wool should be laid in. Regular wrapping paper 

 should be used as an outside cover at least for small 

 plants, for the sake of neatness. Such special flowers as 

 gardenias and orchids should have their flowers wrapped 

 in tissue or oil paper before heavier material encloses 

 them. If severe cold, a sheet of cotton-wool should also 

 be wrapped around each. Do no't cover the plant heavily 

 and leave the pot exposed. A bad chilling at the roots 

 may easily prove disastrous. Wrap heavily; it is better 

 to be on the safe side and overdo it, rather than have 

 customers telephone complaints of chilled or frozen 

 plants. 



Christmas Greens 



Practically everyone in the retail business handles 

 Christmas greens, and with most of us it pays as well as 

 anything we do around the holidays. A few words on 

 this will not go amiss now. A deep cold-frame caivt be 

 beaten for storing greens. Spread some heavy )>aper or 

 burlap over the bottom to keep the stock clean ; the 

 made-up wreaths can be piled up here, also the loose 

 holly and most of the other stock if the weather isn't 

 too severe. Sprinkle lightly, place heavy paper over the 

 top of all. followed by tbe sa,«hes and such protection on 

 the outside as well bo necessary to keep out frost. We 

 shall want all such kinds as holly, fresh cut boxwood, 

 laurel wreathing, lyeopodium, moss, mistletoe, etc. 



