Decbmbbb 11, 1919. 



The Florists' Review 



29 



CHRISTMAS PLANTS 



SOME OF THE MOST SALABLE VARIETIES, WITH TIMELY 

 SUGGESTIONS ON MAKING THEM READY 



SPLENDID STOCK AVAILABUS. 



To Fill Becord Demand. 



Business in plants for Christmas a 

 year ago was far beyond all expecta- 

 tions. That it will be better for the 

 conoing great holiday admits of no doubt. 

 Cut flowers experienced a few weeks of 

 rather dull trade in some sections when 

 the chrysanthemum wave was at its 

 crest, but this happens every year and 

 is expected. From Thanksgiving on- 

 ward we have seen a robust market, 

 and all inclinations point to a record- 

 breaking Christmas sale of plants. Prices 

 have advanced all along the line and 

 now average about double those of pre- 

 war times, but this is not too much when 

 one considers how labor, fuel, flower 

 pots, twine, boxes, paper and all other 

 incidentals of the trade have jumped. 



It has been a good growing season on 

 the whole. During the summer there 

 were fewer torrid days than usual. 

 While fall has had more cloudy days 

 than clear ones, the temperature has 

 been above normal. Except in some 

 western sections, winter has not yet 

 been felt to any great degree. This is 

 particularly fortunate when fuel sup- 

 plies are falling dangerously low. It is 

 also an advantage to have plants grown 

 with as little artificial heat as possible, 

 especially where growers have to ship 

 considerable distances. 



Cyclamens Replace Azaleas. 



One familiar Christmas plant will be 

 conspicuous by its absence this year, 

 viz., the azalea. Even in 1918 a fair 

 number of Mme. Petrick, Firefly and 

 other early sorts appeared, but this sea- 



son they will be practically nil. The 

 plant which will in great measure take 

 the place of this one-time stand-by is 

 the cyclamen. The cult o of this is 

 becoming well understood commercially 

 and never did the leading plant fac- 

 tories contain a grander lot of plants 

 than at present. The dreaded "mite" 

 has been little seen. It is becoming 

 recognized that when a grower has a 

 bad attack of this he will not secure 

 immunity unless he drops their culture 

 for a season, for while fumigating, 

 spraying and sterilizing may all work 

 wonders, if any host plants are retained 

 of this popular plant, there is great 

 danger of its being carried over on them. 

 Only a year or two ago we imported all 

 our cyclamen seeds. Now a great pro- 

 portion are American-grown, and some 

 of our largest and best growers claim 

 the domestic are superior to the Eu- 

 ropean seeds. Certainly in beauty of 

 foliage, size of bloom and richness of 

 colors the plants leave nothing to be 

 desired. That retailers, who at one time 

 thought $60 per dozen a stiff price to 

 pay for cyclamens, are willing to pay 

 double the price, and in special cases 

 treble and quadruple, goes to show that 

 the cyclamen has become a popular 

 plant when well cultivated. When we 

 take into consideration their beautiful, 

 symmetrical foliage, above whicn stand 

 numerous salmon, scarlet, pink or white 

 flowers, with swarms of buds below the 

 foliage, and consider the fact that this 

 plant is an ideal one for the store win- 

 dow and that if given reasonable care it 

 will flower for weeks or even months in 

 the average home, where can we find a 



plant which will surpass or even equal 

 it? 



Begonias Next in Favor. 



Begonias come next in favor to cycla- 

 mens and are now to be had in consid- 

 erable variety, but most of them are in 

 one color, pink. It looks at this time 

 as though it would be a close race for 

 supremacy between the popular Glory of 

 Cincinnati and the newer Melior, with 

 its more cup-shaped flowers. Personally, 

 I prefer Melior commercially, but admit 

 that when it comes to growing specimen 

 plants Cincinnati has it beaten. The 

 dark foliaged and flowered Mrs. Peter- 

 son has a large call, and makes a good 

 Christmas plant. For basket work I pre- 

 fer it to any of the other begonias. Some 

 growers have entirely dropped Lorraine, 

 as it does not hold its flowers so well as 

 other sorts already named. I think, how- 

 ever, it is well worth retaining, and 

 small plants in from 2% -inch to 4-inch 

 pots prove specially valuable. It also 

 makes a beautiful basket subject. The 

 white Turnford Hall variety does not 

 sell well; in fact, no white flowers go 

 well for the holidays. 



The new Eliglish race (to us) of be- 

 gonias with socotrana blood in them are 

 worth watching. The private estates 

 grow beautiful specimens, and our wide- 

 awake florists are beginning to see great 

 possibilities in them. Their flowers are 

 as large as those of the tuberous-rooted 

 begonias and are abundantly produced. 

 The colors embrace crimson, scarlet and 

 orange, the finest possible Christmas 

 colors. Another point to consider is that 

 this race, popular for over twenty-five 

 years in Europe,, will withstand the arid 



Tw« Ways of FiUlag tbe Same Basket, Using Popular Kiods of Christmas Plants. 



