THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



225 



these light jobs it is no effort to keep it 

 up, and it must be done quickly or it 

 won t pay. When you set a man to turn 

 over fifty loads of earth don t expect big 

 shovels and quick work all the time. 

 Have mercy; you shoveled once yourself 

 and may again. 



THUNBERGIA ALATA. 



There are few prettier basket plants 

 than the above, and its variety T. auran- 

 tiaca. Its flower resembles a miniature 

 convolvulus. It is an annual and easily 

 raised from seed sown in March. Being 

 a true climber, it is most suitable for 

 our hanging baskets. 



Sow the seed, which is quite large, in 

 light soil and keep in good heat. When 

 well up pot into ^A-inch pots; the rea 

 son they should have i^o-inch pots is to 

 give the plants room to grow, for if 

 stunted early they soon get infested with 

 red spider; in fact, they are very badly 

 addicted to it, and that is their chief 

 defect. 



When put into a basket they grow 

 quickly and soon wind up the wires or 

 hang over the sides. They should not 

 be at a lower temperature than 60 de 

 grees at any time, and are not suited for 

 a basket in a windy situation, for the 

 foliage would not stand it. 



The Workroom of a Well Appointed Store. 

 TORENIA. 



These pretty plants are grown for con 

 servatory decoration, T. Fournierii being 

 one of the, prettiest species, but not a 

 florist s flower. T. Asiatica is often 

 used with us as a bedding plant, being a 

 fine plant for an edging. Its blue and 

 violet flowers are very pretty and give 

 a change from the prevalent reds of our 

 flower gardens. 



It can be raised from seed sown in 

 February and afterwards grown on in 

 flats or put into small pots and planted 

 out when settled warm weather arrives. 



It can also be carried over winter by 

 putting in cuttings in August and fur 

 ther propagated during winter and 

 spring. Any good ordinary soil will 

 grow it. Fumigate, for it is troubled 

 wiijh greenfly, and it requires a high 

 temperature at all times. In the flower 

 garden it should have a rich soil, and it 

 thrives well in partial shade. 



TROPAEOLUM Nasturtium. 



This useful genus is very familiar to 

 all. The tall nasturtium is one of the 

 best plants for covering fences or walls 

 when given some strings or brush to climb 

 on. The dwarf nasturtium is used as a 

 bedding plant and in mixed borders its 



round, compact clumps have a fine ap 

 pearance. They are always treated as 

 annuals and although growing most freely 

 in our summers they will not endure the 

 slightest frost. 



The dwarf varieties of the nasturtium 

 are not always a success as bedding 

 plants, because they are planted in too 

 rich a soil and the leaves hide the flow 

 ers. Plant in rather poor soil in the 

 full sun, and you will have better re 

 sults. The double forms of the nastur 

 tium were formerly used as bedding 

 plants, but we have many better plants 

 for the purpose. A dark scarlet variety 

 of the tall form is often grown in an 

 8-inch or 10-inch pot and trained up a 

 rafter where it will give many (lowers in 

 any greenhouse where the temperature is 

 not under 50 degrees. 



Both the tall and dwarf forms are too 

 easily raised from seed for us to think 

 of them as bedding plants, but as plants 

 for our veranda-boxes they air of conse 

 quence, their fine, bright jjreen leaves 

 and showy flowers being always liked by 

 our patrons and soon filling up and mak 

 ing a fine show. We never remember 

 having any left when trade was over by 

 the middle of June. 



Obtain the best strain you can of the 

 tall growing kinds, and sow the middle 

 of March. As soon :is they have formed 



