42 



THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



warmer tints of color and fragrant. 

 Then again all cut flowers must now 

 have their natural stem and that 

 largely bars the camellia. There was 

 a time which all older florists remem- 

 ber in the first days of the use of elab- 

 orate mechanically made designs, 

 when camellias were indispensable, 

 and more than one of us can remem- 

 ber the request or order of our patrons 

 of twenty-five years ago: "Be sure to 

 put in plenty of Japonicas." 



They are mostly all propagated by 

 grafting the fine varieties on seedling 

 stocks, or stocks raised from cuttings 

 put into sandy soil in July and Au- 

 gust in a cold-frame that can be kept 

 shady and cool. The propagation is 

 better left to the specialist, and the 

 growing of camellias to the private 

 gardener. Not because their cultiva- 

 tion is at all difficult, but because the 



only way to get them into bloom early 

 is to start them growing in the spring 

 early. At that time they will stand 

 a good heat with plenty of moisture 

 on leaf and root. As soon as they 

 have made their growth and show 

 the small flower bud on the end of 

 the growth they should be kept as 

 cool as possible during the remainder 

 of the summer. The hot summer is 

 what they don't like, and there is no 

 better place in summer than out of 

 doors in the shade of a building, or 

 what is still better a summer house 

 covered with lattice-work, which gives 

 partial shade and coolness. They will 

 do very well in winter in a tempera- 

 ture of 40 degrees at night. 



When I say they are hardy in the 

 south of England and the milder parts 

 of Ireland you can form an idea as to 

 their hardiness. I remember about 



CANNA. 



The canna was of old often called 

 "Indian Shot" because' the seed is ex- 

 cellent as a charge for the shotgun 

 when a stray dog is the game in view. 



Few plants have undergone such a 

 change and improvement of late years 

 as the canna. Thirty years ago cannas 

 were grown almost exclusively for 

 their handsome tropical foliage, but 

 since M. Crozy introduced his wonder- 

 ful hybrids the flower is of more im- 

 portance than the leaves. Our sum- 

 mers are admirably adapted to the 

 perfect development of the canna, and 

 as a decorative plant for our summer 

 gardens it easily takes the front rank. 

 Gorgeous beds are seen in the parks, 

 cemeteries, private grounds, and even 

 in the humble little garden of the day 

 laborer. In an 8 or 9-inch pot they 



demand, both for the plants and flow- 

 ers, is too meager. 



In cool conservatories they make 

 grand bushes planted out in the bor- 

 der. The writer well remembers the 

 day when it was his duty to jar the 

 stem of a large double white camellia 

 every morning when in flower and 

 then rake up from the perfectly kept 

 border hundreds of fallen petals, but 

 that was in a climate more suitable, 

 I think, fbr the camellia than this 

 one. 



They like a good, strong yellow 

 loam and should not be overpotted. 

 The roots should be moist the year 

 round and in the spring and early 

 summer (their growing time) should 

 have plenty of water and an occasion- 

 al syringing. They can be had in 

 bloom from October till May, but en- 

 dure no such thing as forcing. The 



Bed of Cannas bordered with Acalyphas. 



the year 1864 a large plant of the 

 "Lady Hume's Blush" that was badly 

 covered with white scale. It was left 

 out of doors all winter with the in- 

 tention of applying the radical treat- 

 ment of kill or cure. The camellia 

 came through the winter unharmed. 

 I forget whether the scale was killed 

 or not. The scale is about the 

 only pest that troubles the camellia, 

 and that can be destroyed by washing 

 with the kerosene emulsion. 



The hybrids that were raised from 

 the several species are the most use- 

 ful if you grow them at all. The sin- 

 gle colored varieties are fine decora- 

 tive flowers. I learn from a Philadel- 

 phia firm that a great many camellias 

 are now sold to go to the southern 

 states. Where planted out they 

 would be very fine. Last winter, how- 

 ever, would about do .them up. 



make grand plants for the decoration 

 of a large conservatory, where you 

 can see the fullest perfection of their 

 grand flowers. 



Since the introduction of the Crozy 

 type (or, as they are often called, 

 "Flowering Cannas"), the old species 

 and types whose leaves were the at- 

 traction and flowers small and few, 

 have sunk into desuetude and are 

 rarely cultivated, because the newer 

 varieties have not only splendid spikes 

 of flowers but all the variety in color 

 of foliage also. There is one of the 

 old type still left that for effect of 

 foliage I have never yet seen equalled 

 by any of the large flowering ones. 

 We call it La Grande Rouge. It grows 

 six feet high in any ordinary soil, has 

 narrow, long, pointed leaves, in color 

 a. deep, almost purple, bronze, and 



