16 



The Florists^ Review 



Sbftbubbb 25, 1918. 



PEEPAEATIONS FOR PLAITOING. 



Seasonable Notes. 



The Dutch bulbs are now being de- 

 livered and in last week's edition of 

 The Review the subject of prepara- 

 tions for planting, compost, storage, 

 etc., were covered, with some notes on 

 varieties and methods of handling tu- 

 lips. The subject^ is continued this 

 week, with notes on narcissi, hyacinths 

 and the less extensively forced bulbous 

 flowers, which are, nevertheless, com- 

 ing into more general use, especially 

 where stock is grown for retailing on 

 the place.> 



Narcissi. 



For pan culture these narcissi cannot 

 be beaten: Golden Spur, Henry Irving, 

 Victoria, Princeps and Empress. The 

 short trumpet narcissi mostly grow too 

 tall. The Polyanthus narcissi, how- 

 ever, as well as the various Poetaz vari- 

 eties, are well adapted for pan culture. 



For cutting. Trumpet Major has a 

 great call as an early yellow. Princeps, 

 while lacking the texture of Trumpet 

 Major, is a cheap variety and is still 

 grown in considerable numbers. Silver 

 Spur is a good bicolor variety and 

 Golden Spur, of course, is the most 

 popular of all the big trumpet varieties 

 for cutting. Emperor makes a noble 

 flower. Victoria is splendid; so is Em- 

 press. In the way of short trumpet 

 sorts, N. poeticus ornatus can be had 

 in flower early. Barri conspicuus, 

 Leedsi Mrs. Langtry and Sir Watkin, 

 the giant Welsh daffodil, are all cheap 

 and popular varieties. Among the 

 sweet-scented jonquils, rugulosus is the 

 best and can be had in flower for 

 Christmas. The Von Sions are far 

 and away the favorites among double 

 narcissi. They seera^ however, to be 

 losing ground compared with the sin- 

 gles. This is not to be wondered at, 

 as the singles are vastly more beautiful. 



Hyacinths. 



HoAv are the mighty fallen! This 

 year for the first time hyacinths have 

 been deposed from their place of honor 

 as first in line in the bulb catalogues. 

 Several prominent bulb dealers have 

 courageously and properly placed tulips, 

 especially late tulips, and narcissi in 

 advance of hyacinths, and certainly 

 this is as i,t should be, for tulips and 

 narcissi are easily the most popular, 

 both under glass and outdoors. Apart, 

 however, from the Roman hyacinths, 

 there is still some place for hyacinths 

 of the Dutch type. The miniature bulbs 

 are good for forcing in flats and are 

 really better for cutting than the 

 spikes of the larger grades of bulbs. 

 For pan culture many use the bedding 

 ^e, and, while these do not give big, 

 J^Jujy spikes, they pay better than the 

 higher priced ones. For pan culture do 

 not trust to any mixture of red, white 

 or blue shades. Colors are pretty sure 



to show a considerable variation. 

 Named kinds only should .be used and 

 a few good single standbys are: Ger- 

 trude, pink; Moreno, rosy pink; Robert 

 Steiger, red; King of the Blues, dark 

 blue; Queen of the Blues, light blue; 

 Baroness Van Thuyll and L 'Innocence, 

 pure white. The yellows carry small 

 spikes and it does not pay to bother 

 with them. Doubles are less desirable 

 than singles. It takes about twelve 

 weeks after potting before hyacinths 

 are well rooted and started, so that 

 they can be forced. Many failures are 

 due to housing too early, in a feverish 

 rush to get some early flowers. 



Ixias and Sparaxis. 



Ixias and sparaxis succeed best grown 

 in 6-inch pans. They should be treated 

 somewhat differently from tulips and 

 narcissi. Keep them in a coldframe 

 until November, but do not cover them 

 with coal ashes, as they soon start to 



ffQjVERY now and then a well- 

 l>9 pleased reader speaks the word 

 which is the means of bnoipng a 

 new advertiser to 



Such faiendly assistance, is tIiorou£;hly 

 appreciated. 



Give us the name of anyone from 

 whom you are buyin^t not an adver- 

 tiser, ^e especially wish to interest 

 those sdling articles of florist's use 

 not at present advertised. 



FLORISTS' PUBLISHING CO. 

 530-60 Caxton Bldg. Chicago 



grow. Place them in a cool house, 

 well up to the light; 45 degrees at night 

 is ample. Be careful not to overwater, 

 or many will rot off just above the 

 bulb. Give good drainage and a light 

 but moderately rich compost. I have 

 found a little leaf-mold, not too much 

 decayed, to their liking. Ixia rosea 

 plena Wonder and I. craterioides major 

 are fine varieties. 



Tritonias and Babianas. 



Babianas are pretty spring-blooming 

 bulbous plants. They have dark green, 

 hairy foliage and somewhat resemble 

 sparaxis. They embrace a wide range 

 of colors, running through delicate 

 lavender and pink to rose and crimson. 

 Tritonias are prized by the up-to-dale 

 retailers, especially the variety crocata, 



which gives beautiful shades of orange 

 and scarlet. Eight bulbs are sufficient 

 in a 6-inQ}) pan, and they should not be 

 covered fo a depth of over an inch. 



i 



Spanish Iris. 



Spianish iris is practically the only 

 iris frrown in any quantity for forcing, 

 and It is not a bulb which will tolerate 

 much heat. Flats five inches deep suit 

 this iris. Do nbt cover the soil at all, 

 as the tops will appear in a compara- 

 tively short time. Keep them outdoors, 

 but be prepared to protect them from 

 dren/ehing rains, until November; then 

 store them in a well lighted coldframe 

 or pit. House the earliest batch about 

 the middle of December. A night tem- 

 perature of 45 to 48 degrees is suffi- 

 cient; never give over 50 degrees at 

 night, or the plants will be ruined. The 

 earliest housed iris will not flower be- 

 fore the middle of March, but succes- 

 sional batches will take considerably 

 less time. A flat 24 x 12 will hold sixty 

 to seventy bulbs. Cover them two inches 

 deep. Splendid varieties are: Blanche 

 Fleur, white; Chrysolora, yellow; Louise, 

 pale blue; Count of Nassau, dark blue. 

 The Spanish iris is inexpensive and, if 

 properly grown, will pay better than 

 any other Dutch bulb. Empty benches 

 in any cool house are also suitable for 

 its culture. 



Gladioli. 



The early-flowering gladioli have come 

 much to the front of late years. These are 

 nearly all forms of Gladiolus nanus 

 and can be flowered from March 20 

 until July by bringing them along in 

 batches. They want similar treatment 

 to the iris, but they do not commence 

 to grow so quickly. They are among 

 the most beautiful and useful of bulbs 

 for cutting. A few first-class sorts are: 

 Colvillei The Bride, pure white; Blush- 

 ing Bride, white with crimson blotches, 

 a fine market sort; Peach Blossom, well 

 described by its color, the best of the 

 whole group; Salmon Queen, salmon 

 orange, and Ackermanni, salmon red. 



Anemones and Banunculi. 



Anemones and ranunculi may be 

 grown in pans, but do better in flats 

 or benches. Some of the best I have 

 ever seen were in violet houses. Grow 

 ers sometimes wonder what they can 

 get to fill up benches in cool houses; 

 besides, violets may go off and in 

 anemones and ranunculi we have good 

 crops with which to fill up any gaps. 

 Cover the roots to the depth of about 

 an inch and plant fairly thick. If in 

 pans, eight bulbs will be sufficient for a 

 6-inch pan, and fifteen for an 8-inch 

 pan. Anemone fulgens, brilliant scar- 

 let, black center, is splendid; so is 

 Anemone coronaria The Bride, pure 

 white. There are also other colors of 

 coronaria. The St. Brigid type, with 



