42 



The Rorists^ Review 



Decdmbbb 15, 1921 



ate, l>ut this color sells well later in the 

 winter. Cyclamens are among the most 

 satisfactory of pot plants for the store 

 trade. They are not susceptible to tern 

 perature changi-s, are easily packed, ship 

 well and last remarkably in a steam- 

 heated room. It is safe to say that some 

 hundreds of thousands will be sold for 

 Christmas, from ])lants in 4-ineh pots to 

 the \>\n specimens in 10-inch pots and 

 even small tubs, with the latter whole 

 saling as high as $10 and $15 each. The 

 cyclamen has taken the place of the 

 azalea as a holiday plant and seems 

 likely to hold the lead against all 

 comtjrs. A certain percentage of plants 

 have long stalks Avhich persist in hang- 

 ing down instead of standing erect; such 

 plants make good basket plants. A 

 noted Massiiclnisetts grower disposed of 

 a large number this way last Christmas. 



Begonias to Fore. 



Hegonias are in fine shape again this 

 season. They arc less satisfactory house 

 plants than cyclamens, as their flowers 

 drop rather quickly. They are, however, 

 great sellers and undoubtedly come next 

 to cyclamens in popularity. They can be 

 produced in less time than cyclamens, 

 but need staking and rather more space 

 in the greenhouses to do them justice, 

 juid they cannot command as good i)rices 

 as cyclamens. There is a large range oi 

 varieties offered, and sizes range from 

 wee little Melior and Lorraine in 3-inch 



pots to specimens of Melior about four 

 feet across, (.'incinnati for several years 

 was the favorite seller, but Melior has 

 ilisplai-ed it, and some retailers refuse to 

 buy Cincinnati at all. Mrs. Peterson 

 .'ind I'eerless sell in a moderate way, but 

 do not compare with Melior in favor, 

 while the white flowers sell rather poor- 

 ly. For small-sized plants there seems 

 to 1>(» an insatiable call and the late- 

 struck cuttings undoubtedly pay the 

 growers better than the big specimens. 



Hather more of the large-flowered 

 Knglish race of begonias has been seen 

 this season. They hold their flowers 

 much better than does Lorraine or 

 Melior, and all are of better Christmas 

 colors, such as scarlet, crimson, deep 

 orange, apricot and salmon. When we 

 consid<;r that these begonias propagate 

 from leaves just as easily as the older 

 pink sorts, and that plants three to four 

 feet across can bo produced in twelve 

 months, there would seem to be a splen- 

 did field here for commercial men. So 

 far the private gardeners have largely 

 monopolized these begonias and are 

 growing them by the houseful. Any 

 retailer who could display well flowered 

 ]>]ants of Emily Clibrans, Clibrans' 

 I'ride, Rosalind, Exquisite, Optima, Al- 

 trincham Pink or Vulcan would create 

 something of a sensation. 



Poinsettias Have duistmas Color. 



I'oinsettias undoubtedly fill the bill 



The Cyclamen Is the Leader Among Plants at Christmas. 



better than any other plant when real 

 Christmas brilliant coloring is needed. 

 They are in fine condition this year, with 

 bracts well developed early in Decem- 

 ber. Poinsettias are not the most satis- 

 factory of store plants; the fluctuations 

 in temperature and cold drafts soon 

 cause yellowing foliage and wilting 

 bracts. No plants need more careful 

 watering, and if plants look rather sad 

 and drooping, a soaking of water at a 

 temperature of 110 to 112 degrees will 

 usually stiffen them up. Sogginess at 

 the roots and a low temperature cause 

 leaves to turn golden; it is always safer 

 to keep plants a little on the dry side 

 when the bracts are well developed 

 rather than the reverse, and try to keep 

 your plants where they will not get 

 "cold feet." Poinsettias are unsatis: 

 factory holiday plants and entail con- 

 siderable loss when low temperatures 

 prevail at the holidays. They must be 

 heavily and warmly wrapped to insure 

 safe delivery. The practice of growing 

 some asparagus, cyperus or ferns in the 

 pans is a good one, as they cover the 

 naked poinsettia stems where leaves 

 have fallen. There are a few pink poin- 

 settias. They sell in a moderate way, 

 but no one seems to want the white ones 

 at all. 



Another plant closely akin to the poin- 

 settia, which is also a euphorbia, is 

 Euphorbia jacquiniseflora. Grown sev- 

 eral together in pots or pans, this makes 

 an effective Christmas plant, one splen- 

 did also for utilizing in baskets of flow- 

 ering and foliage plants, as well as for 

 cutting. 



Other Red-flowered Plants. 



There are some well flowered batches 

 of Bougainvillea glabra and Sanderiana, 

 mostly in 6-inch and 8-inch pots, and an 

 occasional lot of B. spectabilis, also 

 called B. brasiliensis, brick red in color 

 and a really good Christmas plant, not, 

 however, nearly so floriferous as glabra 

 and more difficult of propagation. This 

 variety makes a fine climber in Califor- 

 nia and the West Indies, but in the cold 

 states it is yet little known. Speaking 

 of brilliant colors for the festive season 

 reminds me of another plant, not plenti- 

 ful and of rather slow growth, which 

 proves effective now — Anthurium An- 

 dreanuni, sometimes called the "flaming 

 plant," which has handsome green 

 foliage and brilliant spathes of flow- 

 ers, usually scarlet, but occasionally 

 pink and white. This is a tough plant, 

 iind none other will last in fine condi- 

 tion so long in a warm, steam-heated 

 house without either leaves or flowers 

 showing any ill effects. 



* Ericas. 



Tliere are always some h.ard-wooded 

 plants for Christmas, and some fine va- 

 rieties are now in bloom. More of 

 Krica mclanthera is offered than any- 

 thing else.- This is a .splendid keeper, 

 stands a low temperatura-with impunity 

 and will keep fresh a long time in heat, 

 jirovidofl the plants are not allowed to 

 dry out. ?:ricas have a mass of fine hai^- 

 like roots and a thorough drying out 

 usually finishes them; so if vour pots, 

 when taj)i)ed with the knuckles, have a 

 dear, bell-like ring, soak them at once 

 in a pail or tub of wafer. There are 

 some nice lots of King Edward VII and 

 Wilmoreana in small sizes, mostly 4-inch 

 and T) inch, and also some nicely flowered 

 gracilis and mcditerranea, but mclan- 

 thera is the freest bloomer of all and the 

 best grower. 



