44 



The Florists^ Review 



Al'UlL C. 1922 



sports arc also fiiu'. Tauseiulsc.hoeu is 

 an early bkioiiicr and for this reason is 

 favored, as well as for its lovely j)ink 

 flowers and shiny foliage. Then there 

 is Dorothy I'erkins, pink and white, a 

 later bloomer than Tausendschoen and 

 more susceptible to mildew if exposed 

 to drafts; Exeelsa, Weddinj^ Bells, 

 Lady Gay, Koserie and other ramblers. 

 Among the polyanthas, Orleans, Clo- 

 tliilde Soupert, Mme. Ceeile Brunner, 

 Baby White, Baby Tausendschoen and 

 others are available. 



The old Magna Charta still retains 

 its lead among hybrid perpetuals. It 

 is certainly a great bloomer and easy 

 doer. Smaller lots of that immaculate 

 white, Frau Karl Drusciiki, are seen 

 and also sonic Mrs. John Laing. Then 

 there are American Beauties and not a 

 few hybrid teas in variety, such as the 

 old Killarney and the newer Columbia, 

 and among reds there is no finer pot 

 plant than Richmond. A few of the 

 apricot, buff, orange and yellow hybrid 

 teas are seen and these charming colors 

 will always attract buyers. 



French Hydrangeas. 



What a glorious variety of colorings 

 in the French hydrangeas we now have! 

 Since azaleas, thanks to the F. H. B. 

 and quarantine 37, are now scarce, it 

 seems fortunate that we have this beau- 

 tiful and early-blooming plant to take 

 their places. Trophee lias attracted 

 much notice this season. It is the deep- 

 est pink yet sent out, appearing almost 

 scarlet when placed alongside of some 

 of the older pinks. Chautard is a splen- 



did clear pink and General de Vibraye is 

 a iieautiiul rosy pink. Then we have 

 Radiant, Lilie Mouillere, Baby Bini- 

 benet, Mme. .\. Noniii and other splen- 

 did sorts, giving us pure white, delicate 

 ])ink, clear pink, deep rose, light blue 

 and dark blue colors, and how freely 

 these hydrangeas flower! Even the 

 smallest shoot will throw a truss of 

 flowers. Give them an abundance of 

 water, and remember that they do not 

 stand as strong sunshine as the old 

 otaksa without burning. 



Pelargoniums. 



The advent of that popular pelar- 

 gonium, Easter Greeting, gave florists 

 a good plant for the Easter trade, one 

 which can be had in fine shape by the 

 middle of April. Then, Swabian Maid, 

 Lucy Becker, Wurtembergia and other 

 bloomers give us a varied range of col- 

 ors, all useful for Easter. These plants 

 must not be forced. They should have 

 cool treatment at all times. Personally, 

 I still prefer the later-blooming vari- 

 eties of these show pelargoniums, which 

 in America are at their best in May and 

 June, but commercially they are not so 

 valuable as the earlier-blooming Easter 

 Greeting type. On private estates, how- 

 ever, the older ty])e remains far the 

 most popular. 



Bulbous Plants. 



Bulbous material will be hard to hold 

 back in many sections for the coming 

 Hnster and a good deal of the stock 

 offered will, undoubtedly, be leggy as a 

 consequence of trying to retard them. 



The Lily Is the Plant of Easter. 



There will be few of the single early 

 tulips, but Murillo will be much in evi- 

 dence. Grown cold, it will give flowers 

 of a lovely pink color. Darwins are 

 rapidly displacing early tulips as Easter 

 plants; they grow better, are more 

 stately and have far better lasting 

 qualities. A good many will be offered 

 this season. Narcissi will not be abun- 

 dant; some Victoria, Glory of Leiden 

 and double Von Sion are about all I 

 have seen. Hyacinths hold up well in 

 popularity and a good many old-time 

 favorites, like L 'Innocence, Queen of 

 the Blues, King of the Blues, Gertrude, 

 Grand Maitre and City of Haarlem are 

 noted. Some are in pans containing sev- 

 erals bulbs, while many are grown 

 singly in 5-inch and 6-inch pots. 



Haxd-Wooded Subjects. 



Hard-wooded plants are going to be 

 less numerous than when we had an 

 earlier Easter. There will stilf be some 

 nice Erica melanthera and arborea, as 

 well as smaller plants of the long-tubed 

 varieties. 



Bougainvilleas are not usually classed 

 as hard-wooded, but may fairly come 

 in this category and some nice plants of 

 Sanderiana are seen. 



Genistas are, as usual, fairly abun- 

 dant. While pretty, they are not so 

 satisfactory to handle as many other 

 plants, as the flowers drop in a few 

 days in either store or home. 



There are finer acacias than there 

 were a year ago, with that easily grown 

 variety, armata, or paradoxa, in the 

 lead. A few Boronia elatior and megas- 

 tigma complete the offerings in this line 

 of plants. Some of these plants are 

 only handled by one or two specialists. 

 They are not cheap subjects and will 

 never be so, and for that reason they 

 appeal to certain buyers. 



Cinerarias and Calceolarias. 



Late cinerarias make useful Easter 

 plants and a good many are seen this 

 year. The dwarf stellata and cactus 

 strains are particularly good. Calceo- 

 larias of the large-flowered herbaceous 

 type are already in good condition. 

 Like cinerarias, they should have cool 

 treatment, and the direst sun must not 

 strike them. While rather brittle 

 plants, they carry large, gaudy, vari- 

 colored and curious flowers, which ap- 

 peal to many, and I predict a good sale 

 for them this year. 



Then, the greenhouse annuals are of 

 easy culture, provided they are given 

 cool conditions and aphis is kept in sub- 

 jection. In the home, no matter how 

 clean they may be when sold, they soon 

 l)econie alive with aphis. Do not han- 

 dle plants of either cinerarias or cal- 

 ceolarias unless you are sure they are 

 free of aphis. Nothing disgusts a pur- 

 chaser more than to find swarms of 

 green aphis on plants within forty- 

 eight hours after she has received them. 



Some Everyday Plants. 



Among everyday plants which al- 

 ways meet with a good sale at Easter 

 are heliotropes in standard and dwarf 

 forms, especially the former. Zonal ge- 

 raniums, nicely flowered pink and scar- 

 let varieties, will sell in moderate quan- 

 tities, not, of course, as they will near 

 Memorial day. 



Spirseas, o"r astilbes, cannot be im- 

 ported now and are far less in evidence 

 at Easter than formerly. Queen Alex- 

 andra, Peach Blossom," Gladstone and 

 the newer hybrids are specially fine, 



