v«» ^ V vr^TT^. .( ^/^y >.• "ST'T r.ir.T "TT*^'^ .??'v.--v 



20 



The Florists' Rc\^ew 



^f^ 



Septbmbeb 7, 1916. 



I 

 « 



1 



ac 



lt=3C 



ac=3c 



ac 



ac 



a^^c 



SEASONABLE jr 

 M SUGGESTIONS 



ac 



ac 



ac 



a^c 



ac 



ac 



ai 



I 



Liliuin Caudidum. 



The 'arrival of the useful and most 

 beautiful of all pure white lilies, Lilium 

 candiflum, from Europe is now due and 

 it is necessary to unpack the bulbs at 

 once and pot tliem as soon as possible. 

 L. candidum at this season makes a 

 growth of leaves which remain on the 

 plants through the winter, and if the 

 bulbs are left in boxes or bas"kets for 

 even a few days at this warm season 

 they will make considerable leaf and 

 root growth and be seriously damaged. 

 Only north-of-France candidums are of 

 any value. These are the true broad- 

 petaled type. The bulbs are more 

 pointed than the inferior type common- 

 ly sold and the scales are thicker. 



Candidums succeed better grown sev- 

 eral in a pot, rather than singly like 

 longiflorums. Plant four to seven bulbs 

 in 8-inch to 10-inch pots. Stand them 

 outdoors or in a coldf rame. Water them 

 moderately, and afterward not at all 

 until leaf growth is well started. An 

 excess of water soon after potting often 

 causes the bulbs to rot. Once the pots 

 are well filled with roots, allow them 

 to stand outdoors and have several 

 freezings before placing them under 

 glass. Many growers fail to handle this 

 lily profitably, as they attempt to grow 

 it in the same way as Harrisii or longi- 

 florum. Forcing should not be started 

 before December 20 and then only in a 

 cool house. Candidums succeed best in 

 a night temperature not exceeding 52 

 degrees. The cooler they are grown, 

 the larger will be the flowers. 



PrlmiUa Malacoldes. 



If the plants of Primula malacoides 

 are now ready for 3-inch pots, they are 

 quite large enough. This is a rapid- 

 growing primula and a few years ago, 

 when it was a novelty, growers made a 

 natural mistake in sowing it in January 

 or February, along with P. Sinensis, ob- 

 oonica and Kewensis. This gave them 

 plants of immense size before winter, 

 which rotted badly. We now know that 

 July is suflSciently early to sow P. mala- 

 coides and have strong plants in 5-inch 

 to 7-inch pots from Christmas onward. 

 For some weeks yet a coldframe will be 

 the ideal place for this primula; after 

 that a cool and light greenhouse will be 

 needed. 



Primula Obconica. 



In spite of the somewhat poisonous 

 properties of Primula obconica, it con- 

 tinues to be largely grown and is sold 

 in great numbers at both Christmas and 

 Easter, as its flowering season is a lonj; 

 one. In repotting the plants, guard 

 carefully against too deep potting, 

 which is responsible for many blind 

 plants. The old, matured leaves may 

 preserve a healthy look, but the tender 

 flower spikes and many leaves will rot 

 with too deep potting and you are liable 

 to blame caterpillars for destroying 

 them. Keep the plants potted along be- 

 fore they become potbound. Plants for 

 Christmas sales should now be in their 



flowering pots, which should be of the, 

 5-inch or 6-inch size. Those needed for 

 later sales, if still in 3-inch or 4-inch 

 I)ots, will make good plants. Use a 

 light, moderately rich soil and keep the 

 plants in coldf rames for some time yet; 

 they will grow there much better than 

 in a greenhouse. About the middle of 

 September house the plants wanted in 

 flower for the holidays. 



-Hydrangeas. 



Pot-grown plants of the French 

 hydrangeas wanted for early forcing 

 should have a somewhat reduced water 

 supply, to assist in stopping and ripen- 

 ing the growth. Let .the plants have 

 all possible sunshine. The new French 

 varieties are much better for early forc- 

 ing than the old and ever popular 

 Otaksa. The former also are more eas- 

 ily injured by frost when the growths 

 are soft, but it is a mistake to class 

 them as tender plants, as stock left out 

 last winter on high, wellidrained ground 

 came through the winter perfectly and 

 flowered well, although minimum tem- 

 peratures of 10 degrees below zero were 

 recorded and snow lay deep for many 

 weeks. Hydrangeas planted out should 

 be lifted and potted, or tubbed, as soon 

 as possible. If some ball is left on each 

 plant they will wilt but little. Spray 

 freely for a few days and give the 

 plants an open, sunny exposure. 



Winter Myosotis. 



If you have any use for forget-me-not 

 and have a place to grow some in, it is 

 not yet too late to root cuttings or to 

 sow seeds for a winter or spring crop of 

 flowers. Myosotis dissitiflora is a good 

 winter-flowering variety; a form of it, 

 Perfection, is of a deep blue color and 

 carries fine spikes. The myosotis flow- 



W 



ers freely if planted along the sides of 

 a bench in a house kept at 46 to 50 

 degrees at night. It is of no use to 

 sow seeds of M. alpestris, palustris or 

 sylvatica. These are of no use under 

 glass, although all are excellent for out- 

 door planting. 



Late Asters. 



The crops of asters have been almost 

 a failure in many localities this summer, 

 owing to excessive rainfalls, and- the 

 prices consequently have averaged 

 mu«h higher for early and midseason 

 varieties. Asters are useful flowers for 

 country florists and they can be profit- 

 ably used over a long season. If you 

 have any late plants and there is a like- 

 lihood of frost getting them before they 

 flower, why not try the plan of plant- 

 ing these in a coldframe where you can 

 give them the necessary head room? 

 Use a rich soil and keep them well sup- 

 plied with water. Stir occasionally and 

 place the sashes over them if frost 

 threatens, also when the flowers start to 

 open. It is well to leave the plants 

 covered, as this insures cleaner flowers 

 than can be had outdoors. 



Propagation of Bedding Plants. 



Be sure to take an ample stock of 

 cuttings from alternantheras, coleus, 

 achyranthes, acalyphas and other tender 

 bedding plants. Put the coleus and 

 alterndnthera cuttings in flats. Do not 

 lift old plants; they are simply head- 

 quarters for mealy bug. Do not start 

 too soon on the propagation of . gera- 

 niums, as the cuttings are soft now. In 

 the cooler nights and days they grow 

 less rampantly and become harder, and 

 such cuttings are less liable to damp 

 off. Kemove the leaves closely from the 

 cuttings, also all scales, and cut below 

 a leaf joint. Of course cuttings will 

 root if not made in this way, but they 

 are less likely to damp off if cut below 

 a leaf joint. Lay the geranium cut- 

 tings on a shelf to dry after making 

 them, and let them remain there at least 

 twelve hours; there is less likelihood of 

 their damping off then. Water well to 

 settle the sand about the cuttings, then 

 quite carefully. Give full sun all the 

 time. 



SEASONABLE SUGGESTIONS 

 FOR SOUTHERN FLORISTS 



all 



SWEET PEAS IN THE SOUTH. 



If the first sowing of sweet peas has 

 not been made, no time should be lost 

 in doing so. The winter-flowering 

 Spencers easily surpass the old grandi- 

 flora type. While their cultural re- 

 quirements are not many, it is essen- 

 tial that all of them should be met, if 

 the best paying results are expected. 

 Sweet peas in the south do best on 

 solid beds, and the soil should be fresh, 

 with about one-third cow manure added. 

 The rows should be at least three feet 

 apart, and one vine every six inches in 

 the row is close enough. The vines, 

 when- they do well, will grow to a great 

 height, probably twelve feet, and that 

 amount of head room should be pro- 

 vided. A medium mulch of manure 

 may be applied when the vines are 

 twelve to eighteen inches high, but 



liquid manure should not be applied 

 until the flowering season starts. Syring- 

 ing must bo regularly done and it is 

 always well when watering to soak 

 the plants well. 



To prevent wilt when the vines are 

 starting, I have found the following 

 plan effective. Throw the rows into 

 low ridges, make a furrow along the 

 ridges and water thoroughly on both 

 sides of the ridge and in the furrow. 

 Place a little clean, wet sand in the 

 furrow, sow the seeds and cover them 

 with more wet sand. This will make 

 enough moisture to start the seed and 

 any water required until the vines start 

 to run up the supports may be sup- 

 plied on both sides of the ridges. By 

 following this plan for the last three 

 years, I have never lost a vine from 

 wilt. L. 



it ^ 



