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Jlorists 



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FRENCH 

 IN 



HYDRANGEAS 

 LIEU OF AZALEAS 



HEN commercial products 

 ^^ 'Y'Y ^re requisitioned for war 

 \^/ / purposes, or are prevented 

 A^^Wiffi, ^^ blockade or embargo 

 ™ * ^ from reaching the country 

 in which they are needed, 

 substitutes for them must 

 be obtained without delay. 

 Necessity so decrees — the 

 same well-known necessity 

 that has the credit for being the 

 mother of invention. Florists, as a 

 class, must endure a large share of 

 these war-inflicted privations, but the 

 members of the trade who are quick- 

 est to find remedies — in the form 

 of satisfactory substitutes for the 

 missing commodities — will suffer the 

 least. This is a time of emergency, and 

 an emergency demands both prompt and 

 wise action. An emergency is the strong 

 man's opportunity. Present conditions 

 not only try men's souls, but also test 

 their mental resourceful- 

 ness. When azaleas, for in- 

 stance, are wanted and can- 

 not be procured, the florist 

 who makes the best appeal 

 with other stock will real- 

 ize the best profits. 



A Oood Substitute. 



There will be no imports 

 of azaleas from Belgium 

 this year. Growers who 

 carried over any unsold 

 azalea plants, and cared for 

 them well, will assuredly 

 get excellent prices for 

 them. The c a r r i e d-over 

 stock, however, will prove 

 but a drop in the bucket of 

 the people's needs. Seeing, 

 then, that azaleas will be 

 practically unavailable, 

 what can we substitute for 

 them f Probably many 

 more primulas, cyclamens 

 and begonias will be sold. 

 But all these, though beau- 

 tiful and satisfactory in 

 their way, carry small 

 flowers and are dwarf in 

 habit. There is need of 

 something with larger and 

 showier flowers — something 

 which is not difficult or ex- 

 pensive to grow, and which 

 will flower early, keep well 

 when in bloom and give 

 satisfaction in the average 

 home. What plants will 

 fill these requirements bet- 

 ter than the French hy- 

 drangeas? 



French hydrangeas are 



The favorite slogan, "Accept no substitutes" is not applicable this season 

 to azaleas. The motto for the present case is: "Find the best substitutes 

 available.** Plants of many species and genera may help to supply the defi- 

 ciency, but French hydrangeas are especially suitable for the purpose. 



propagated with the greatest ease. They 

 grow rapidly, force splendidly, bloom 

 much earlier than the older H. otaksa, 

 produce splendid heads of flowers and 

 can be had in a fine range of colors, 

 thanks to the work of Nonin and other 

 French hybridizers, who happily are 

 continuing their good work in spite of 

 the great world war. 



Procuring the Plants. 



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To anyone who has not hitherto grown 

 many of these hydrangeas and may 

 now wish to increase their culture, we 

 would say that this is a suitable time 

 to purchase either pot-grown or field- 

 grown stock. If you want the plants to 

 bloom extra early, purchase pot-grown 

 plants in 5-inch to 6-inch sizes, or even 

 a size larger if your customers are will- 

 ing to pay for larger and more fancy 

 stock. Having secured these pot-grown 

 hydrangeas, keep them in a coldframe 



Hydrangea Avalanche* White. 



for some time and gradually reduce 

 their water supply, not causing a com- 

 plete drying up but a gradual shrink- 

 age. 



If, however, you want the plants to 

 bloom at Easter — which in 1918 will be 

 March 31 — and to continue in bloom 

 until Memorial day, field-grown plants 

 will answer just as well. Secure these 

 now and pot them up promptly in a gen- 

 erous soil to which some old cow manure 

 and bone meal have been added. After 

 potting them, place them in a sunny 

 spot where they can be easily protected 

 from heavy rains and sharp frosts. For 

 a time water them freely; later let the 

 soil gradually run drier. What you 

 want is nutty brown and well ripened 

 wood, if you would be sure that the 

 plants will force and bloom creditably. 

 It might be said in passing that well 

 ripened French hydrangeas will with- 

 stand severe weather. The writer has 

 plants in mind which have 

 wintered outdoors in a bor- 

 '•\ der for two seasons with- 

 out any protection and 

 liave been subjected to oc- 

 casional temperatures of 10 

 to 15 degrees below zero. 

 They do not winterkill and 

 they bloom splendidly. H. 

 otaksa, tried under similar 

 conditions, was killed prac- 

 tically outright. 



Their Culture. 



When you buy French 

 hydrangeas you can be 

 reasonably sure that nearly 

 all the shoots will flower. 

 You are far less certain 

 with H. otaksa. We have 

 seen French varieties 

 blooming at Christmas, but 

 somewhat sparsely. These 

 were plants which showed a 

 few flower heads at potting 

 time and were kept along in 

 a good growing greenhouse. 

 Ordinarily the wood on 

 these plants will be well 

 ripened and gentle forcing 

 can start by Christmas. 

 For a start, 50 degrees at 

 night is ample. This can 

 be increased 10 degrees as 

 growth advances. 



Among the requirements 

 of these hydrangeas are an 

 abundant water supply 

 when they are well rooted 

 around the pots, and liquid 

 manure from the time the 

 flower heads show until 

 they start to turn color; 



