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PERENNIALS THAT PAY 

 AS A CUT CROP 



Where sufficient outdoor space is available, florists in increasiyig num- 

 bers are finding it profitable to grow perennials for the production of cut 

 flowers. One of the first essentials to success in the undertaking is the 

 selection of such varieties of pla^its as are best adapted to the purpose. 



S MIDSUMMEE is not the 

 usual sowing or planting 

 season for most species of 

 perennials, these sugges- 

 tions on the selection of 

 varieties may not seem, at 

 first thought, to be well 

 timed. Yet in some re- 

 spects the present is an 

 especially opportune time 

 for the discussion of this type of plants. 

 A large proportion of perennials are 

 now, or soon will be, in their most in- 

 teresting period of growth; some of 

 them are blooming and many others are 

 well advanced toward the blooming 

 stage. Hence every florist who owns 

 a bed or border of per- - -•..— ■•im^mb 

 ennials is intently 

 watching the progress 

 of the plants. He rea- 

 lizes that now is the 

 time when he can form 

 the most accurate opin- 

 ion of the merits and 

 •demerits of the differ- 

 ent varieties. There- 

 fore he is carefully 

 comparing one variety 

 with another and try- 

 ing to determine what 

 changes should be made 

 in his stock — what old 

 varieties should be 

 discarded and what 

 new ones should be 

 added. He is passing 

 judgment on the plants 

 now, though the exe- 

 cution of the judgment 

 must be deferred. 



Taking Notes. 



If he is a thoroughly 

 systematic florist, he 

 is not trusting these de- 

 tails of future action 

 •entirely to his memory, 

 but is taking notes in 

 writing. The florist 

 who is not now grow- 

 ing perennials, but in- 

 tends to do so, is also 

 "taking notes. It is 

 hoped that this article 

 :may be helpful in such 

 note-taking. 



Moreover, the fall, 

 which is not many 

 weeks distant, is an 

 •advantageous time for 

 the planting of some 

 species of perennials, 

 and especially for the 

 rearranging of these 

 species with reference 

 Tt o their relative 



heights and habits of growth. Florists 

 who expect to purchase any stock for 

 such fall planting have not a great deal 

 of time to lose. To be sure of ordering the 

 stock in time, they must decide before 

 long what varieties will be required. 



Fereimials from Seed. 



Though midsummer, as already ad- 

 mitted, is not the ordinary seedtime for 

 the majority of perennials, a few words 

 on the sowing may seem proper in this 

 connection. The seed is most commonly 

 germinated in late winter or in spring, 

 in a greenhouse, in a coldframe or in 

 the open ejround, according to the date, 

 the climatic conditions and other cir- 



Aquilegta Cbrysaatha, the Golden Columbine. 



cumstances. Use a light soil, contain- 

 ing plenty of leaf-mold. If the soil is 

 naturally stiff and retentive, add some 

 sharp sand. It is best to use sashes 

 and keep the frames tolerably close and 

 shaded until the seeds germinate; then 

 give light and more ventilation and 

 later remove the sashes. The seedlings 

 may be transplanted during cool, moist 

 weather. In the case of many varieties 

 it pays to transplant into other frames 

 and from these transfer them outdoors. 

 There is then practically no loss ev£n 

 when hot weather happens to arrite ' 

 Most varieties of perennials, after they 

 are well established, can be multiplied 

 indefinitely by means of root divisions. 

 It will be noted that 

 two or three favorite 

 biennials, or plants 

 customarily treated as 

 biennials, -are included 

 in the list which here 

 follows. For general 

 convenience, the va- 

 rieties are mentioned 

 in their alphabetical 

 order. The list, of 

 course, is far from com- 

 plete; many perennials 

 that are desirable for 

 cutting are necessarily 

 omitted. Yet a judici- 

 ous assortment of the 

 varieties here named 

 will supply cut flowers, 

 in greater or less quan- 

 tity, from early sprinc 

 till late fall. ' ^ 



Achillea. 



Achillea Ptarmica 

 The Pearl has for 

 many years been a 

 valuable florists ' 

 flower. It grows to a 

 height of one to two 

 feet, ;vith strong, erect 

 stems, and it blooms 

 with varying persis- 

 tence throughout the 

 summer. It is easily 

 grown from seed and 

 usually bears some 

 flowers the first season 

 if the sowing was done 

 sufficiently early. It is 

 particularly useful in 

 funeral work, its 

 double, pure white 

 flowers having grjcat 

 keeping qualities. The 

 seedlings are not al- 

 ways double and it is 

 well to select one or 

 two of the best and dis- 

 card the others. The 



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