Maech 29, 1917. 



The Florists^ Review 



29 



Two Highly Effective Ways of Using Bulbous Stock in Handle Baskets. 



The Roses. 



At one time Crimson Rambler was 

 the great seller for Easter. A good 

 many of this old-time favorite are still 

 sold, but the number decreases each 

 year, while the pink shades now have 

 far and away the heaviest sales. T.-ui 

 sendschon and Baby Tausendschon, Dor 

 othy Perkins, White Dorothy Perkins, 

 Lady Gay, Hiawatha, Excelsa, and such 

 ])olyanthas or baby ramblers as Or 

 leans, Erna Teschendorff, Phyllis and 

 Ellen Poulsen, are all good. I doubt 

 if any one variety will sell so heavily as 

 Tausendschon, better known as Thou- 

 sand Beauties. The hybrid teas and hy- 

 bri<l perj)etuals, if they ean be held 

 so as to liave one or two flowers opening, 

 are good sellers. Especially good in 

 tlie latter class are Magna Charta, Brun- 

 ner and that glorious white, Frau Karl 

 Bruschki. Be sure your roses receive 

 <'in aniyile water supply. Do not take 

 them from a hot to a cold house where 

 there is more or less draft, or mildew 

 will soon attack them and soon dis- 

 figure them so that they will become 

 unsalable. 



French Hydrangeas. 



No other plants have come into favor 

 so rapidly in late years as the beautiful 

 <ind varicolored French hydrangeai:. 

 They have entirely eclipsed the old 

 Otaksa for early work and are easily 

 had in fine shape for Easter, even if it 

 comes as early as the third or fourth 

 week in March, Such lovely sorts as 

 Mme. E. Mouillere, Radiant, Avalanche, 

 Bouquet Rose and Mme. Treraeault have 

 proved to be fine sellers. Their flower 

 heads are less coarse than those of Otak- 

 3a and, while they will not stand out- 

 door weather conditions like Otaksa, 

 they are much more florjferous and bet- 

 ter plants in every way for Easter work, 

 ^iven an ample water supply, hydran- 

 geas will last as long as any flowering 



plant on the Easter list, but water they 

 must have, and in abundance. Speaking 

 of the (Comparative hardiness of various 

 plants, it may not be generally known 

 that these French hydrangeas ])lante<l 

 outdoors have successfully wintered in 

 sections where temperatures have fallen 

 to 10 and !."» degrees below zero, where 

 they had a good mulch of leaves. 



The Azaleas. 



While a great many azaleas are dis- 

 j)osed of at Christmas, there is always 

 an ample stock of them left for Easter, 

 and at this latter date the plants will 

 be found more heavily bloomed. If in- 

 ured to cool conditions. Azalea Indica 

 will stand a position even outside the 

 store, but while the Indica section is 

 fairly tough it will be noted that forced 

 !)hints of A. mollis wilt much more read- 

 ily. The flowers of mollis contain less 

 substance than those of Indica, but 

 come in some delightful shades. If some 

 of your a/.aleas chance to be unsalable, 

 j)ick oft' tlie seeds, keep the plants well 

 watered anil plant them out on or about 

 May 25, in a location easily reached by 

 the hose. 



Dutch Bulbous Flowers. 



Pots and jians of tulips, narcissi an<l 

 hyacinths are always sold in immense 

 numbers at Easter. They can be profit- 

 ably moved at a moderate ])rice and 

 they are plants which can safely be 

 placed outdoors with impunity, even 

 when the temperature falls below freez- 

 ing and the winds are cold. The com- 

 mercially grown bulbs need to be grown 

 cool and well up to the light in order 

 to have them stocky and avoid the need 

 of staking them. While many varieties 

 are offered at Easter, Murillo tulips 

 and Victoria narcissi are special fa- 

 vorites, and Queen of the Blues, L 'Inno- 

 cence and Gertrude hyacinths are good 

 sellers. In wrapping your bulb pans 



it is not usually necessarv- to (■onij)lete- 

 ly cover them, but let the paper cover 

 the ])ans and come up the sides of the 

 pans level with the flowers. 



The Spiraeas. 



Since the introduction of the new 

 pink and lavender-colored spira'as or 

 astilbes, these plants have l)ecome 

 greater Easter favorites. Such varieties 

 as Philadelphia, Rubens, Venus, Ceres, 

 Peach Blossom and Queen Alexandra 

 are of charming colors. Among the 

 whites the old Japonica is less grown 

 eacli year, but Gladstone, with its dense 

 flower spikes, is popular. Remember 

 that spiraeas are notoriously thirsty 

 subjects and can scarcely be over- 

 watered. Most i)lants, if jjlaced in 

 saucers in which water is allowed to 

 stand, are soon seriously damaged, but 

 this stagnant condition has no ill effect 

 on s])ira^as. It is best to tell your cus 

 toniers to water them twice daily. Once 

 a day might carry them in a cool room, 

 but in the average steam-heated home 

 twice a day should be insisted upon. 

 Kee]>your pink and lavender varieties ir 

 a shaded position, for the sun soon takes 

 out much of their color. 



Hard-wooded Plants. 



Both the small-flowered and long- 

 tubed ericas make splendid Easter 

 plants. One thing is certain; there is 

 little likelihood of flowers being broken 

 or shaken off; the erica will stand longer 

 in fine condition in the home than al- 

 most any other plant. 



Boronias are seen in fewer numbers 

 than ericas, but are pretty, sweet-scent- 

 ed plants for which the demand is usual- 

 ly good. Acacias are graceful and at- 

 tractive in their several shades of yel- 

 low; not cheap plants, by any means, 

 but wonderfully fascinating. These and 

 other hard-wooded plants should never 

 be allowed to become dry at the roots. 



