20 



The Florists^ Review 



June 14, 1917. 



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PROFIT IN PRIMULAS 



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• ONE OF TRADE'S BEST ITEMS. 



When Properly Grown. 



Primroses have become in recent 

 year* an important source of revenue to 

 retailers, many of whom use several 

 thousands each year. The Chinese prim- 

 roses are still a staple article and may 

 be more so this season, as the supply 

 of the German strains of the obconica 

 type will be extremely short, owing to 

 the lack of seed from German sources. 

 P. malacoides increases in popularity 

 each year, as the cultivation becomes 

 better known. 



. There are few plants that return so 

 large a profit, considering the few 

 months required to grow them if plants 

 are purchased. If they are grown from 

 seed, the profit is still greater. A few 

 hints as to their cultivation may be 

 welcome, especially to those who are 

 new in the trade. 



Ciilture of Primula CMnensls. 



The Chinese primrose. Primula chinen- 

 sis fimbriata grandiflora, should be 

 grown as cool as possible in summer. 

 In the house in winter a temperature of 

 50 degrees or even somewhat lower will 

 develop flowers of greatest size and 

 bring out the colors to best advantage. 

 "We grow our Chinese primroses during 

 the summer in open frames, with a lath 

 shading several feet above them. In 

 such conditions they get the right dark 

 green hue in the foliage, and, if given 

 plenty of room, they shape themselves 

 perfectly. The Chinese sorts love a 

 rich, loamy, porous soil, with plenty 

 of drainage. If specimens are wanted, 

 planting out in a frame is the right plan. 

 They lift easily. 



While the grandiflora strain of 

 Chinese primulas is the one mostly used, 

 it will pay to grow a few of the gi- 

 gantea forms, which have large foliage 

 and flowers. For a critical trade a few 

 of the named varieties also are desira- 

 ble. For February blooming the stel- 

 lata sorts, with their smaller flowers, 

 are to be recommended. 



Primula Obconica. 



The obconioa primrose, Primula ob- 

 conica grandiflora, takes the lead of all. 

 Enormous quantities are handled every 

 season, and the sales are ever on the 

 increase. Like all primroses, it likes 

 moisture, and outside plants may be 

 syringed several times a day in bright 

 weather without injury to the foliage. 

 We grow ours also under lath shades and 

 sometimes in a pit, where they are 

 shaded with boards about two inches 

 apart. This heavier shade seems to be 

 ideal for them. Use the same compost 

 as for the Chinese varieties, but avoid 

 leaf -mold, as this seems to produce yel- 

 low edges on the leaves. Later, as they 

 grow larger, the soil should be heavier, 

 and it should be extra heavy, with good 

 drainage, for the last transplanting be- 

 fore they go into the house. Obconicas 

 also want some shade in winter. Accord- 

 ing to our experience, they do not like 

 bright light at any time. They may 



easily be had in bloom for Thanksgiv- 

 ing. They require a temperature of 55 

 to 60 degrees. 



Do not be in a hurry to sell yout 

 plants when they have one or two flower 

 stems; wait till they have at least six 

 or more, and do not be afraid that the 

 first flowers will not last, as they stay 

 on for weeks in good condition. A plant 

 with twelve or more, flower stems and 

 good foliage will sell at any time and 

 return more cash than the best carna- 

 tions will bring from the same space in 

 the whole season. We have seen florists 

 who had no trouble to retail them for 

 $1 each, and a wholesale price of 50 

 cents is nothing unusual. Imagine that, 

 for a plant that occupies house room 

 for only a few months! 



Grandiflora or Gigantea? 



We are often asked which is the bet- 

 ter, the grandiflora or the gigantea type 

 of obconicas. In our judgment, there is 

 no preference. While the giganteas gen- 

 erally have larger flowers, there are 

 some varieties among the grandifloras, 

 especially Appleblossom and P. rosea 

 splendens, which are just as large as the 

 largest of the gigantea type. It must 

 not be forgotten that Primula obconica 

 grandiflora and P. obconica gigantea 

 are two distinct plants. Many seem to 

 be under the impression that gigantea 

 is simply a sport or an improvement of 

 grandiflora, but this is wrong. Gigantea 

 is a cross of P. obconica grandiflora and 

 P. megasesefolia. . 



The grandifloras are far more florifer- 

 ous than the giganteas and not nearly 

 so particular as to treatment, and there 

 is a greater variety of colors among 

 them. Especially pleasing are those of 



the crispa type, with their waved and 

 curled petals, and also the oculatas, 

 with dark eyes. The giganteas all have 

 large flowers and heavy foliage, and 

 while some prefer them, others do not. 

 We were fortunate enough last year to 

 reserve our own seed-bearers, or we 

 would be without any obconicas this 

 season. 



Malacoides and Kewensis. 



The malacoides primroses like the 

 same treatment as the obconicas, but 

 they die off now and then. Various 

 methods of checking this trouble are 

 recommended, but we have not found 

 any of these methods invariably suc- 

 cessful. At some establishments I have 

 seen the plants in positions to which I 

 would not relegate the most worthless 

 stock, and yet they were fine, full of 

 health and bloom. Other growers give 

 them the best place they have and still 

 they die. 



Specimen malacoides plants are a 

 beautiful sight, and small plants from 

 3-inch pots are almost indispensable for 

 basket work. The range of colors was 

 till lately restrictied to lavender shades, 

 but now a clear, deep pink and a white 

 have appeared, and also a grandiflora 

 type in lavender, pink and white. The 

 pink here is a bright Enchantress shade, 

 and the improved white is much purer 

 than the white of the type. They can 

 be had in bloom at almost any time. 

 Seedlings will start to flower when 

 hardly three months old. 



Primula kewensis will not bloom till 

 February. Its deep, clear yellow flow- 

 ers make it highly desirable, but it does 

 not seem to take the popular fancy and 

 is most likely one of those plants which 

 will be forgotten for a time and re- 

 vived in the more distant future, when 

 it will take the place it fully deserves. 



The primrose family is exceedingly 

 large, but the hardy ones, with the ex- 

 ception of Sim 's hybrid Polyanthas, are 

 of little interest to the florist in winter. 



J. L. Schiller. 



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SEASONABLE Mf 

 jfg SUGGESTIONS 



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Hardy Larkspurs. 



No country florist with any space for 

 outdoor plants can afford to be without 

 a liberal batch of hardy larkspurs. 

 There is no need of buying plants of 

 named varieties in order to secure a 

 choice strain, for by buying seed of 

 named sorts, or even mixtures, from a 

 reliable firm, magnificent varieties may 

 be had. If you have overlooked these 

 majestic plants, secure and sow a liberal 

 packet or two of seeds now in a cold- 

 frame. Transplant them when they are 

 big enough to handle and set them out 

 in nursery rows later, selecting, if pos- 

 sible, a cool, moist day for the work. 



These seedlings will be quite strong 

 before fall and many will flower. It is 

 necessary to keep them a year or two, 

 however, in order to have tall, noble 

 spikes, such as are seen on older and 

 well established clumps. There are many 



varieties of hardy larkspurs, but, whil» 

 all are beautiful, I think that if I were 

 restricted to one I would select Del- 

 phinium Belladonna, of which seed is 

 now purchasable, the seedlings coming 

 perfectly true to type. One should stock 

 up on these larkspurs; they are easy of 

 culture and there is nothing finer in 

 the whole family of hardy herbaceous 

 plants. 



Aquilegias, or Columbines. 



How beautiful and graceful are the 

 hardy columbines! In all the families 

 of hardy herbaceous perennials I doubt 

 if there is a more charming family than 

 the columbines. They are not only at- 

 tractive in a mixed border or rockery, 

 but arrange delightfully in vases. The 

 old-fashioned double and drooping-flow- 

 ered types are a little the hardiest and 

 most long-lived, but the long-spurred 



