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38 



The Florists' Review 



MAncH 18, 1915. 



have seen them for several years. Do 

 not get the hybrid perpetuals too much 

 open; one or two buds just showing 

 color nicely is better than having full- 

 blown flowers. It will require some 

 nice calculating and moving of the 

 plants to have them just right. 



Dutch Bulbous Plants. 



Dutch bulbous plants are important 

 for the grower or retailer who has many 

 customers of moderate means. Hya- 

 cinths, tulips and narcissi come along 

 quickly if we get sunny weather, and 

 they should, if possible, be opened in 

 a cool house and never subjected to 

 any real forcing. Keep the plants near 

 the glass, air freely, water abundantly, 

 and, if you are growing the right varie- 

 ties, few will need any supports. 

 Murillo tulips are always favorites. Of 

 the single sorts. Flamingo, Pink Beauty 

 and the old Cottage Maid sell well. 

 Whites and scarlets are not good sell- 

 ers. Golden Spur sells better than any 

 other narcissus; it stands up much bet- 

 ter than the Double Von Sion, with its 

 heavier and coarser flowers. Pink and 

 white hyacinths are good sellers; blues 

 and reds only moderately so. Be sure 

 to keep the tulips out of the sun as 

 they expand. Laying sheets of paper 

 over the pans will prevent them from 

 blowing wide open. If you are grow- 

 ing bulbs in flats, try the plan of mak- 

 ing up some mixed pans containing 

 tulips, hyacinths and daffodils, and, if 

 you chance to have them, add a few 



crocuses or scillas. Cover the surface 

 with sheet moss after watering well. 

 You will find these mixed pans will ap- 

 peal to many, as they are so suggestive 

 of spring. 



Hard-Wooded Plants. 



All the hard-wooded plants, such as 

 ericas, acacias, camellias, azaleas, 

 boronias, etc., will stand cool treat- 

 ment and may be placed where an oc- 

 casional draft will strike them. They 

 cannot be sold at anything like low 

 prices, unless it may be the small aza- 

 leas, and, for that reason, many will 

 pass them by. Be particular to tell all 

 who are buying these plants, espe- 

 cially azaleas, ericas and acacias, that 

 they have fine, hair-like roots, and 

 that one thorough drying out will prac- 

 tically ruin them. It is difficult to 

 explain to customers how to water 

 plants. Usually one soaking a day suf- 

 fices for the average house plant, but 

 marguerites, spiraeas, etc., should have 

 two waterings, as they are thirsty sub- 

 jects. 



Forced Deciduous Shrubs. 



Included in the class of forced de- 

 ciduous shrubs are forsythias, mag- 

 nolias and wistarias, which are climb- 

 ers but considerably grown as Easter 

 pot plants; prunus, lilacs, malus, 

 deutzias, viburnums, etc. For store 

 trade these are better if they have only 

 a few blooms open. They expand 

 quickly in a store, and customers pre- 



The Crimson Rambler Still has its Friends. 



fer them and get more benefit fioai 

 them if they can get them before tlKiy 

 have many flowers opened. 8iuj;ie 

 plants elevated here and there in the 

 store, in order to show their true i i. 

 dividuality, will produce a pleasing . f- 

 feet. Of course, the mass effect la 

 more generally seen, but many of tie 

 best retailers have comparatively few- 

 plants in their windows and stores, bit 

 have a large reserve supply witliin 

 easy access. Keep all these deciduous 

 shrubs well watered; even then thiy 

 may wilt if they have had hard f orcinj^'. 



Marguerites, Spiraeas and Genistas. 



Marguerites, spiraeas and genistas 

 can all be profitably sold at compara- 

 tively low prices. The old Paris daisv 

 still makes the best pot plant amonfj 

 marguerites; the newer Mrs. Sander 

 never grows so shapely. Of the 

 spiraeas, or astilbes, Gladstone has prac- 

 tically usurped the field of the good 

 old Japonica, while Queen Alexandra, 

 Pink Pearl and the new Arendsi hy- 

 brids, in shades of pink and lavender 

 chiefly, make beautiful pot plants and 

 are going to be among our finest Easter 

 plants in a few years. Genistas are 

 fine sellers. They are not good house 

 plants and are usually worthless within 

 a week, but their rich golden flowers 

 make them sell. Genistas, in common 

 with spiraeas and marguerites, must 

 have copious supplies of water. 



French Hydrangeas. 



The old H. Otaksa always proved a 

 good Memorial day seller, but never 

 caught on for Easter. It is otherwise 

 with the new French hydrangeas. They 

 can be flowered easily for even an 

 early Easter. They come in a consid- 

 erable variety of colors and are going 

 to cut an important figure this year. 

 No one can go far wrong in having a 

 good stock of these on hand. They are 

 less tough than H. Otaksa, but are also 

 less coarse. 



Miscellaneous Easter Plants. 



Each of the following has been noted 

 with growers of Easter plants this sea- 

 son and all are good: Mignonette, 

 schizanthus, cinerarias, cyclamens. 

 Primula malacoides and obconica. Pelar- 

 gonium Easter Greeting, zonale pelar- 

 goniums, English primroses, wallflow- 

 ers, forget-me-nots, petunias, antir 

 rhinums, amaryllis, imantophyllums and 

 metrosideros, so that there is ample 

 variety for anyone, and we have not 

 mentioned bougainvilleas, orchids and 

 many fine foliaged plants and ferns a.^ 

 all. 



BULBOUS FLOWEBS FOE EASTER. 



I put my tulips in flats Novembe; 

 8, in a temperature of 40 degrees, wher.' 

 they remained until January 15. The; 

 then were frozen up in a temperatun 

 of 26 degrees until February 22, whei 

 they were put in a cellar at 60 degree; 

 of even heat, with dim light. I put .'. 

 few flats in the furnace room in a tern 

 perature of 66 to 68 degrees. Thi^ 

 seemed to bring the plants along toe 

 fast, so I put them in a room with the 

 temperature at • 60 degrees. Will this 

 bring the flowers for Easter f I have 

 tried Dutch hyacinths in both place? 

 and it looks as if 66 degrees would bo 

 required to bring them along. Do you 

 think that is necessary t I should like 

 to have all of them bloom from March 

 26 to 29. 



Can I take potted lilies out of the 



