FXBBDABT 27, 1919. 



The Florists^ Review 



17 



hazy future, we can import no more of 

 these useful bulbs after June 1 and it 

 will be necessary for us to grow our 

 own stocks hereafter. It will be easier 

 to produce begonia tubers than many 

 other items on the debarred list, how- 

 ever. 



BOUaAINVIUiEAS. 



There will be a paucity of azaleas the 

 coming Easter and other colored plants 

 should sell well. Among these are 

 bougainvilleas, which can readily be 

 flowered for a late Easter. The plants 

 should new be in a warm, moist house 

 where they can be syringed once or 

 twice daily and where they get all pos- 

 sible sunshine. If you want to increase 

 your stock, rub off some of the young 

 shoots with heels and insert them in a 

 warm propagating bench. They are not 

 difficult to root and will make nice little 

 plants before fall. 



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OABDENIAS. 



The sun steadily increases in power 

 and those who may have been unfor- 

 tunate enough to lose a lot of their 

 gardenia buds through the winter may 

 hope soon to get a nice crop of flowers. 

 It is unsafe to feed during the dead of 

 winter, but a top-dressing of partly de- 

 cayed leaves, sphagnum moss and old 

 cow manure applied lightly over the 

 soil will attract the roots quickly. 

 Clay's fertilizer also seems to be much 

 to the liking of gardenias. A common 

 remark heard is that "gardenias are 

 the dirtiest plants God ever made." 

 While it is true that they are headquar- 

 ters for mealy bug when any of this 

 pest is around, there is absolutely no 

 need for their being dirty, as cold water 

 directed through a fine spray nozzle 

 will keep them scrupulously clean. If 

 you have not yet rooted an ample sup- 

 ply of cuttings, do so now. They prop- 

 agate most quickly and successfully in 

 a close frame on a warm propagating 

 bench. Practically no air should be 

 given until the cuttings are rooted, but 

 occasional light sprayings with tepid 

 water are necessary. Given the right 

 conditions, hardly a cutting should fail 

 to root. A suitable night temperature 

 for gardenias producing flowers is 62 

 to 65 degrees at night. Do all syringing 

 on the mornings of clear days. 



MBS. WALTEB W. COLES. 



EVERY florist in Indiana, and many others, knows Mrs. Walter W. Coles as the 

 wife of one fortunate florist, the mother of another, and a chief factor in the 

 success of each. There are few women in the fraternity who have attended more 

 trade gatherings than has Mrs. Coles, for her interest in such doings is scarcely less 

 than that of her husband, who for years was president of the Indiana State Florists' 

 Society. She was vice-president of the Ladies' S. A. F. in 1916, having been 

 elected at the San Francisco convention. 



SEED SOWING. 



March is the month for sowing a large 

 variety of flower seeds; in fact, almost 

 every sort on the calendar may be 

 started now. Among the more impor- 

 tant are: Asters, stocks, zinnias, Phlox 

 Drummondii, nemesias, cosmos, petunias, 

 verbenas, salpiglossis, Coba;a scandens, 

 browallias, thunbergias, snapdragons, 

 riciniis, dahlias, celosias, calendulas, nas- 

 turtiums, nicotianas, annual larkspurs, 

 hunnemannias and mignonette. As 

 niignonette will not stand transplanting 

 from flats, start it in small pots; the 

 same applies to Cobeca scandens. Other- 

 wise pans or flats should be used for 

 the seeds, later potting off the seedlings 

 or transferring to flats. 



readily now. It is a great advantage 

 to get cuttings in while firing still is 

 steady, as there is a more even bottom 

 heat for everything. Later in the sea- 

 son, when the sun has more power and 

 there are wider variations in tempera- 

 ture, cuttings need much closer atten- 

 tion in regard to watering and shading 

 and the necessity for ventilation and 

 consequent air currents render success- 

 ful propagation more difficultr 



HOTBEDS. 



PBOPAGATION. 



Keep the propagating benches well 

 filled now. Cuttings of such plants as 

 fuchsias, heliotropes, coleus, alternan- 

 theras, lobelias, ageratums, petunias, 

 alyssums, impatiens, salvias, Ian- 

 tanas and geraniums will all root 



Plants are now making a rapid growth 

 under glass, and it will soon be a ques- 

 tion how to find space for everything 

 and at the same time do it justice. A 

 good supply of hotbed sashes is a real 

 boon at every commercial establishment 

 where a varied assortment of plants is 

 grown, A large variety of bedding and 

 other plants thrive amazingly in them 

 and make a more vigorous and sturdy 

 growth than can be obtained in green- 

 houses. A supply of fresh stable manure, 

 preferably mixed with leaves and al- 

 lowed to ferment a few days, makes the 



ideal hotbed material. If at all dry, 

 damp with the hose when making up 

 the beds and tramp as firmly as possible 

 in order to hold the heat. Eighteen 

 inches of manure will hold heat for a 

 long time; a month hence a foot will 

 answer well. Some fine old manure or 

 loam can be spread above the germi- 

 nating material, in which to plunge the 

 pots. When the pots are plunged to 

 their brims, or even half-plunged, the 

 roots enjoy a genial warmth and become 

 active. Plunged plants require much 

 less water thau those merely stood on 

 the surface. 



There are few bedding plants which 

 will not thrive in well prepared hot- 

 beds. It is early yet to place tender 

 plants in them. Start with the hardier 

 ones and later such plants as acalyphas, 

 coleus, alternantheras, acliyranthes, etc., 

 will revel in the genial, moist warmth 

 they furnish. All hotbeds should have 

 well glazed sashes. They should, fur- 

 thermore, be provided with mats and 

 match-board shutters for protection 

 on frosty nights. 



