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12 



The Florists' Review 



JuLV 10. 1918. 



kinds, sow seeds and you will have a 

 great variety. 



For a Shady Location. 



Fuchsias are now more in demand 

 than they >yere some years ago and they 

 make fine bedding plants for a shady 

 situation. They can readily be grown 

 from cuttings, which should be taken 

 quite early in the spring and potted 

 along just as fast as they need the 

 room. 



Geraniums are about the b6st selling 

 bedding plants grown and I think the 

 program committee should get a paper 

 on them from some of the Lancaster 

 geranium growers. 



Lantanas are among the showiest of 

 bedding plants, making a great amount 

 of growth and producing a fine lot of 

 flowers. They now sell freely and at 

 average prices. Since they are not 

 hard to grow, I should think they might 

 profitably be pushed more than they 

 are. Use the dwarf kinds. Take cut- 

 tings of the tender shoots early in 

 spring and pot along as heeded. 



There is always some demand for 

 that dainty plant, the lobelia. The com- 

 pacta varieties are the ones to select. 

 They are easily grown from seed, sown 

 in early spring, and are potted along 

 as needed. 



The Children's Favorite. 



When I think of pansies I can almost 

 see the faces that ' seem to look at us 

 out of the blossoms. I believe that if 

 the children had a vote as to which is 

 their favorite flower, the majority 

 would vote for the pansy and it seems 

 to be a general favorite among grown 

 people also. There are many strains 

 and I think it pays to get the best of 

 the giants. The seed is planted at dif- 

 ferent times, according to the purpose 

 for which the plants are to be used. 

 I always plant mine about the middle 

 or last part of July, in good garden soil 

 — not too rich, however, or it will bring 

 the plants along too fast and they will 

 get too long and straggly. The plants 

 are ready for sale or for transplanting 

 in September, when they can be planted 

 in coldframes or out in the field, where 

 they nearly always winter successfully. 

 If you want them early, use the cold- 

 frame. The plants of the bedding type 

 are satisfactory when used in a mass 

 for beds, but are of no account as single 

 plants. 



In petunias the single sorts are the 

 best that can be had for bedding. They 

 are good sellers when in bloom and are 

 easily grown from seed. It is well to 

 have a good variety. Solid colors sell 

 best, but you also need some variegated 

 ones. The double petunias make nice 

 bedding plants, but do not sell for that 

 purpose as well as the single ones. I 

 would recommend growing the double 

 ones from cuttings. Booted cuttings 

 are cheap if you do not care to carry 

 the old stock over. 



Salvias in Three Heights. 



As to the salvia or scarlet sage, the 

 many Varieties of this useful plant seem 

 to confuse one, but they can be sifted 

 down to three kinds, which will include 

 Zurich for a dwarf sort. Bonfire or 

 Clara Bedman for a semi-dwarf and 

 splendens, the tall kind. Every florist 

 who does any retail business needs 



these. They can be grown cheaply from 

 seed and develop into plants quickly, 

 allowing you to offer a nice plant at a 

 reasonable price. 



Of coutse you handle verbenas. 

 There are no plants that can make a 

 finer bed than these and none that can 

 be grown more cheaply. Hence they 

 can be planted in large quantities and 

 also by people who cannot afford many 

 plants. The cheapest way to grow 

 them is from seed, but you should buy 

 the mammoth strain and in separate 

 colors. They soon grow into salable 

 plants. 



The vinca or Madagascar periwinkle, 

 I think, should be better known, as it 

 blooms so freely as to be literally cov- 

 ered with flowers. It delights in the 

 hot sun and grows about two feet high. 

 Grow the three colors. Sow seed early 

 in the new year, keep the plants potted 

 along as needed and you will have nice 

 plants to offer. These plants can also 

 be recommended for cutting purposes, 

 as all the flower buds open in water. 



It Pays to Qet the Best. 



Antirrhinums, or snaps as we call 

 them for short, are highly satisfactory 

 bedding plants, making a fine display. 

 In purchasing antirrhinum seeds, or al- 

 most any other seeds, it pays to get the 

 best strain that can be had. The solid 

 colors sell the best. Plant seed early 

 and keep the plants potted along and 



injVERY now and then a weQ- 

 I^Sl pleased reader speaks the word 

 which i» the means of bringing a 

 new advertiser to 



eVWSr 



Such friendly assistance is thoroughly 

 appreciated. 



Give us the name of anyone from 

 whom you are buying* not an adver- 

 tiser. We especially wish to interest 

 those selling articles of florist's use 

 not at present advertised. 



FLORISTS* PUBLISHING CO. 

 530-60 Caxton Bldg. Chicago 



you will find they are good sellers, espe- 

 cially if you can get blooms on them. 



A florist would hardly call his stock 

 of bedding plants complete without 

 asters in the leading varieties. The 

 demand does not' extend over a great 

 variety of colors, but nearly all calls 

 are for shell-pink, white, crimson and 

 purple. 



Sweet alyssum can be sold in small 

 quantities for borders around beds and 

 boxes. It pays to have some on hand. 

 Sowing the seed is the best and cheap- 

 est way to get them. 



Chrysanthemums as Bedders. 



Chrysanthemums sell, of course, but 

 do not sell the greenhouse sorts for bed- 

 ding, except Golden Glow and Smith's 

 Advance. These two are satisfactory; 

 the others come into bloom too late and 



can not give satisfaction. Sell the 

 hardy kinds, which can be grown read- 

 ily from divisions or cuttings in spring, 

 after growth starts. If you do not oare 

 to put the cuttings in the sand, pot 

 them up in sandy soil and nearly all of 

 them will root. 



Dahlias are in demand for bedding 

 and can be sold as dry bulbs or started 

 and potted. If you are short on some 

 good ones, start them early and take 

 the young shoots off with a heel as they 

 come; nearly all of them will root and 

 will roon make good plants in pots. 



Heliotropes are among the most satis- 

 factory of bedding plants, on account of 

 their perfume, and are sold in good 

 numbers. Being easy to grow, they 

 soon become Large enough to sell freely. 

 The dark blue is the best color, but you 

 will also have some calls for white. 



Hardy Bedding Plants. 



In hardy bedding plants I can only 

 name a few. Nearly all kinds listed in 

 the leading catalogues have value, but 

 those that I shall mention are among 

 the best. All can be grown from seed 

 except Anemone Japonica, which is 

 grown easily from root cuttings and 

 divisions and certainly is among the 

 satisfactory hardy bedding plants. I 

 should like to call your attention to Be- 

 gonia Evansiana, called hardy begonia 

 — and it is hardy. It really does not 

 need any cover and it increases in 

 beauty year after year. Get a couple 

 of plants and save the bulblets which 

 come on the plant and you will soon 

 have a nice stock. It is one of the 

 hardy plants that are worth while. 

 Plant it in shade. Among the hardy 

 bedders may also be mentioned Alyssun 

 saxatile, aquilegia or columbine in vari- 

 ety, Arabis alpina, bellis or English 

 daisy, coreopsis, gaillardias, wallflowers, | 

 hollyhocks, hardy phlox, English prim- 

 roses, sweet-williams, and many, many | 

 others. The soil can be any good pot- 

 ting soil. 



TOMATOES. 



The benches in the house in which 1 

 grew roses last year are minus sides. ] 

 but are still standing in good conditioD 

 and I want to know about growing to- 

 matoes on them. There are four I 

 benches. The benches on the east and 

 west sides of the house are four feeM 

 across, and the center benches eight | 

 feet. The house runs north and south. 

 The east and west benches stand two I 

 feet from the sides of the house, on 

 which are return steam pipes. All the 

 benches are eighteen inches from the 

 ground. There is plenty of head room 

 over the center benches: The side 

 benches are four to eight feet from the 

 roof. I can put on sides of any heigh' | 

 necessary. Would you recommend W' 

 taining the benches and planting obi 

 themf All houses must be cleared, re-| 

 gardless of crop, March 1, 1914, for to- 

 mato seed flats. I cannot find Lister 8 1 

 Prolific listed with any seedsman. Per- 

 haps C. W. would kindly assist me. 



I would certainly advise retaining th« 

 benches and putting sides on them. Thcj 

 tomatoes will do vastly better on tiieff 

 than on the ground in midwinter. ^"H 

 will find that four or five inches of soil 

 will give you much better results thaM 

 a foot of soil. Get the compost '^^H 

 matted with roots and then feed ■wi*''| 

 topdressings and you are all right. 



I find Lister 's Prolific is listed by ^ 



