Febbuary 25, 1915. 



The Florists^ Review 



19 



spiraea Van Houttei, Probably the Most Widely Planted Flowering Shrub Qrown in the United States. 



IS IT YOUE FAVORITE SPIE^A? 



Perhaps the people of your neighbor- 

 hood may sometime have engaged in a 

 voting contest to decide which was the 

 most beautiful or most popular young 

 lady in town. If that form of amuse- 

 ment were to be varied by deciding in 

 like manner which is the chief 

 favorite among the hardy, outdoor 

 spiraeas, for which spiraea would you 

 cast your ballot? Would not Spiraea 

 Van Houttei, familiarly known as Van 

 Houtte's spiraea and frequently as the 

 bridal wreath, have an excellent chance 

 of receiving the majority of votes f 

 Most of the nurserymen have already 

 voted for it publicly by stating in their 

 catalogues that "it is the grandest of 

 all spiraeas and one of the best of all 

 shrubs," "the most satisfactory shrub 

 in cultivation," or something to that 

 ettoct. And a big, dignified, conserva- 

 tive horticultural cyclopedia asserts 

 that Van Houttei "is one of the most 

 beautiful, or perhaps the most beauti- 

 ful, of the early-blooming spiraeas." 

 Thousands of owners of homes, also, 

 throughout the country have alreA^y 

 expresaed their preference on the mh- 

 ,iect by planting the Van Houtte spiraea 

 in some conspicuous place near their 

 front door, as did the citizen of Roches- 

 ter, N. Y., whose residence is partly 

 shown in the accompanying illustration. 



Many readers may question the right 

 of Spiraea Van Houttei to be called the 



bridal wreath, since that highly com- 

 plimentary nickname has long been held 

 almost undisputedly by another pretty 

 member of the spiraea family, S. pruni- 

 folia flore pleno. In many localities, 

 however, especially in the western 

 states, the tendency seems to be to 

 transfer the name to Van Houtte's 

 spiraea. In some carefully edited cata- 

 logues, S. Van Houttei now is listed as 

 the bridal wreath, while the prunifolia 

 variety is referred to as the double- 

 flowered bridal wreath. 



Among the most evident reasons for 

 the special popularity of Spiraea Van 

 Houttei are its beautiful foliage, its 

 neat, symmetrical habit of growth and 

 its lavish abundance of beautiful white 

 flowers, under the weight of which the 

 slender branches droop gracefully, as if 

 bending beneath a covering of snow. 

 Its gracefulness of form is so natural 

 and so persistent that little or no prun- 

 ing is needed to keep the shrub in per- 

 fect shape. It is appropriate, too, for a 

 great variety of positions on the home 

 grounds, since it is neat enough and 

 compact enough to suit the narrow 

 spaces around the porch and doorway, 

 and yet, if allowed free scope for de- 

 velopment, may grow to a height of 

 five feet or more. As an ornamental 

 hedge plant it is excellent. 



The shrubby spiraeas, in general, suc- 

 ceed in almost any moderately moist 

 soil. They are easily propagated by 

 means of cuttings. 



1 Mauch Chunk, Pa.— Paul NiehoflP has 

 opened a store at 36 Broadway, where 

 h^ will retail the products of his green- 

 houses. 



CMckasha, Okla. — Bitsche Bros., who 

 deal in seeds and poultry supplies as 

 well as bulbs and plants, have remod- 

 eled their store and expect to double 

 their business this year. A new post- 

 office building next door has just been 

 completed and will draw people to their 

 entrance. 



El Paso, Tex.— The Wright Nursery 

 & Floral Co., recently organized, has 

 opened a downtown office at 305 North 

 Stanton street. J. M. B. Wright, the 

 head of the concern, has been in the 

 nursery business here for some time 

 and will take charge of this branch of 

 the company's work; John Thornhill 

 will have charge of the cut flower and 

 decorating lines. The greenhouses and 

 nursery are at 2131 Commerce street. 



Moorhead, Minn. — If the consent of 

 the Northern Pacific Railway Co. can 

 be obtained, the city will erect a 

 greenhouse on the land now known as 

 Stoddard park. In the deed by which 

 title to the property passed to the 

 city the railroad stipulated that it was 

 to be used for park purposes only. 

 The plan is that the proprietor of the 

 greenhouse take care of the park. 

 Though it is not definitely known, it 

 is thought W. R. Briggs will be the 

 proprietor. 



