THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



ILLUSTRATED. 



A Reference Book for Commercial Florists. 



ABUTILON. 



Greenhouse shrubs with drooping, bell- 

 shape^ I flowers, ranging in color from 

 pure white to crimson and purple, most 

 ly erect in growth. A few of the species 

 will endure a few degrees of frost, but 

 they are best treated as cool greenhouse 

 plants during our winters. The hybrids 

 now both in beauty of leaf and flower 

 far surpass the true species. They are 

 largely used in subtropical flower gar 

 dening, growing very freely in our warm 

 summers and are fine ornamental plants 

 for the conservatory, and can either be 

 grown as specimen plants in pots or 

 trained to pillars or rafters. As a com 

 mercial plant, except for flower garden 

 ing, they are not of great value, being 

 strong growers and occupying too much 

 room for their value. 



They propagate easily any time dur 

 ing winter or early spring by cuttings 

 from young tender growths. 



A. Savitzii is the most useful of all 

 the varieties to the florist. Perfect in 

 variegation and neat and compact in 

 growth it is particularly valuable for 

 edging to subtropical beds. Lift and 

 pot some plants before frost and prop 

 agate during winter. Put cuttings in 

 early as a good sized plant is desirable 

 for bedding. 



A. vexillarium is a drooping species 

 and used largely in hanging baskets, 

 veranda boxes and carpet bedding. 

 For a drooping plant for a vase they 

 should be propagated in September 

 from the young shoots of plants grow 

 ing outside. By spring these should 

 be in 3-inch pots and are most useful 

 for the purpose described. 



Abutilons are troubled with few 

 enemies. The hose will keep down 

 mealy bug, and aphis seldom appears. 

 Any soil that water passes freely 

 through will grow abutilons, but much 

 manure should be avoided, as most of 

 the kinds are very free growers. The 

 following varieties are fine decorative 

 plants: Souvenir de Bonn, variegated 

 foliage, orange flowers; Bosaeflora, deep 

 coppery rose ; Snowstorm, large white ; 

 Splendens, deep red; Pink Perfection, 

 fine bright pink. 



ACACIA. 



A very large genus of shrubs or 

 trees. Those of most commercial val 

 ue are from temperate regions, South 



Australia and New South Wales. Some 

 of the species, armata, for instance, 

 make neat, compact plants for pot 

 culture, while pubescens, one of Ithe 

 most graceful of all, is splendidly 

 adapted for training on a pillar or 

 wall of a light, cool house. A tem 

 perature of 45 degrees in winter will 

 suit the commercial species, but their 

 flowering can be hastened several 

 weeks by more heat and at all times 

 an abundance of water. They are 

 most free flowering and the prevailing 

 colors are lemon and yellow. In a 

 temperature of 45 to 50 degrees most 

 of the species flower from February to 

 May. A good loam not too finely broken 

 up and a fourth of leaf -mold will suit 

 the acacias in pots. If planted out 

 permanently in a border then it must 



be well drained; and some charcoal 

 mixed with the soil will greatly help 

 to keep it in good condition. 



They are propagated from the half 

 ripened wood in May or June, that is 

 from the shoots made the previous 

 spring. Place the cuttings in pans of 

 sand or leaf-mold and sand and place 

 the pans in a coldframe, which shade 

 on hot days and keep close till growth 

 begins. When rooted, pot off and grow 

 on in a coldframe. During the follow 

 ing winter keep in a cool house and 

 after danger of frost shift into larger 

 pots and plunge outside, where they 

 must be well supplied with water. 

 They should be stopped as soon as they 

 grow in the spring to induce a branch 

 ing growth. Although their propaga 

 tion is not difficult, it will be found 



Acacia Pubescens. 



