THE CAlffi 



FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



ILLUSTRATED. 



A Reference Book for Commercial Florists. 



ABUTILON. 



Greenhouse shrubs with drooping, 

 bell-shaped flowers, ranging in color 

 from pure white to crimson and 

 purple, mostly erect in growth. A few 

 of the species will endure a few de- 

 grees of frost, but they are best treat- 

 ed as cool greenhouse plants during 

 our winters. The hybrids now both 

 in beauty of leaf and flower far sur- 

 pass the true species. They are 

 largely used in sub-tropical flower 

 gardening, growing very freely in our 

 warm summers and are fine ornamen- 

 tal plants for the conservatory, and 

 can either be grown as specimen plants 

 in pots or trained to pillars or raft- 

 ers. As a commercial plant, except 

 for flower gardening, they are not of 

 great value, being strong growers and 

 occupying too much room for their 

 value. 



They are easiest propagated from 

 the young tender growths. If desira- 

 ble to increase your stock in the fall, 

 September is the best month, keep 

 ing the sand very moist and not al- 

 lowing the cuttings to wilt from the 

 heat or sun. The plants lift from the 

 open ground perfectly in October and 

 if cut. back during the winter will give 

 you lots of cuttings which root most 

 easily in the ordinary propagating 

 bed. 



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-in. 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 appear. 

 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: Savitzii, green and white fo- 

 liage; Mrs. J. Laing, strong grower, 

 flowers bright rose; Souvenir de Bonn, 

 variegated foliage, orange flowers; 

 Infanta Eulalie, compact grower for 

 pots, flowers pink; Boule de Niege, 



pure white; Thompsoni plena, free 

 blooming double orange. 



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 the 

 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 with a fourth of 

 leaf-mould or in the absence of the 

 latter, Jadoo, will grow any of the 

 acacias, but the soil should always be 

 in that condition from proper drain- 

 age that water passes freely through 



They are propagated from the half 

 ripened wood in May or June, that is, 

 the shoots made the previous spring. 

 Place the cuttings in pans of sand or 

 leaf-mould and sand and place the 

 pans in a cold-frame, which shade on 

 hot days and keep close till growth 

 begins. When rooted, pot off and grow 



Acacia Pubescens. 



