, ;:-v:;r-. 



July 21, 1004. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



379 



Propagating Alternantheras.'^SIR 



Carpet bedding has largely gone oui- 

 of fashion, but not entirely, and that 

 most useful of all little plants for this 

 purpose, the alternanthera, should be 

 propagated about the ond of the month. 

 I am aware that many lift the plants 

 at the approach of frost, putting them 

 in flats and pulling tliem to pieces in the 

 spring. I like better to put in the cut- 

 tings in summer time. With two inches 

 of sandy soil and the cuttings put in 

 thickly in the flats, they <vill now root 

 like chickweed in any shady place and 

 the flats can be kept out of doors until 

 danger of frost. This little tropical plant 

 winters Avell in these flats if kept on 

 the dry side. You don't want them to 

 grow during the winter and a high tem- 

 perature is not necessary if they are 

 kept dry or only enough water given to 

 keep them from shriveling up, 



Coleus Cuttings. 



This is not a bad timo, either, to take 

 a few dozen cuttings of the varieties of 

 coleus that you msh to grow. The coleus 

 is a victim of the mealy bug and the 

 plants are not worth cleaning. Some 

 varieties, notably the \aluabie yellow 

 Golden Bedder, are also troubled with a 

 rust. By August 1 yoa will, from the 

 plants outside, be able to oret vitjorou.^ 

 cuttings, bugless and rustless, and before 

 cold weather they will be strong young 

 l)lant8 in 4-inch pots and will give you 

 more cuttings, as well as thriving in less 

 heat, than the little puny plants propa- 

 gated late in September. 



Primula Sinensis. 



The Chinese primula does not enjoy 

 the hot weather we are now having and 

 there is no better place for the young 

 plants, the earliest of which may now 

 be in 3-inch pots, than a frame with 

 shaded glass and the sashes raised back 

 and front as described last week for the 

 lilies. There is always danger with plants 

 in a frame that it is "oat of sight, out 

 of mind, ' ' unless it is 'iome man 's spe- 

 cial duty to attend to the frames. If 

 there is any danger of neglect, keep 

 them in tho greenhouse but. while 

 shaded, in a position where they get free 

 ventilation, or thev will -rrow soft and 

 ong leaf stalks. ' These primulas de- 

 light to root into leaf-mold and when vou 

 shift them use a third of it. 



Primula Obconica. 



Primula obconica has been so remark- 

 ably improved in size and coloring that 

 >t has about driven Primula Sinensis to 

 the woods. It was a long time before 

 the many good qualities of P. obconica 

 ^vol•e appreciated, except by a few. For 

 tiiu last few years it has taken its place 

 as one of our most valuable winter bloom- 

 ing plants. If is diffii-ulr to say what, 

 tor an inexpensive i)lant, is more showy 

 and lasting and its season is long. It 

 does a wonderful lot of growing after 

 ool<l weather sets in. A frame is a very 

 good place for tho little plants now, 

 whether in flats or pots, but they don't 

 want as much shade as the Chinese prim- 



roses and on dull days Avould be better 

 fully exposed without any covering. 

 Neither is leaf-mold so essential for the 

 obconica. A good yellow loam, with a 

 fourth of well rotted cow manure, will 

 grow them finely. Don 't forget that 

 obconica is most useful as a cut flower 

 for designs, etc. It is now one of the 

 all-around indispensables. 



Growers* Busy Season. 



It appeals to me, in watching opera- 

 tions, that while this and next month 

 are the very dullest for sales, and almost 

 a shut-up time with th3 store men, it 

 is yet a heavy, laborious time with the 

 grower and the hardest work of the 

 year has to be done in the hottest 

 weather. Benches to be emptied and re- 

 filled for carnations and roses, and per- 

 haps some mums and violets yot, and if 

 this hot spell lasts a few more days we 

 will be busy with the hose. This is 

 not laborious; it should be a pleasure. 

 Our continent is so largo and climate so 

 varied that while we muy be watering 

 asters, a water spout or thunder storm 

 may be flooding some other locality. "We 

 are getting dry and, if J:;ood results arc 

 looked for, water must be applied. 1 

 have, in years gone by, spoken against 

 the abuse of the hose and have not al- 



(reraniums, particularly, need no arti- 

 ficial watering if once Avell established. 

 If the soil in our gardens and fields 

 was trenched two feet Jeep, as the Eu- 

 ropean nurserymen often do, there would 

 bo little need of watering. 



Now, the reverse of these favorable 

 conditions with us is vhat our fields 

 where asters, carnations, stock geraniums, 

 cannas and many other things are planted, 

 have been ploughed only seven or eight 

 inches deep. There are a whole lot of 

 ploughmen who will make the eight 

 inches six inches if you don't watch out. 

 Then many a grower is late in getting 

 out his stock and hot, dry weather sets 

 in before there is a strong root growth. 



Growers of experience, those who have 

 moved from east to west, say that with- 

 out irrigation it would be ipipossible to 

 keep alive, much less grow anything, in 

 Colorado and perhaps other states may 

 be even less favorably supplied with 

 water in the good old summer time. 

 So conditions must be studied in our 

 eastern states. Some seasons there may 

 not be two successive weeks without a 

 copious rain, and again we have all been 

 occasionally two months without a drop. 

 Water is the staple food of plants, but 

 liow to apply it artificially is the gar- 

 deners' knowledge. This sprinkling that 

 you often see done, wetting the soil per- 

 haj)s one inch below the surface, and 

 leaving it baked and caked at that, is 

 nothing but an apology for watering 

 and I truly believe worse than nothing, 

 not a quarter as much good as a hoe- 



ing. 



Sweet Peas. 



Sweet peas have been fine with us 

 and I liope will continue to be, if every 



A Recent Church Decoration by S. J. Galloway, Eaton, Ohio. 



tered my mind, yet " cireismstanccs alter 

 cases', ' ' 



Necessity for Watering. 



For instance, if you got your plants 

 out the veiy earliest opportunity that 

 was safe in the spring, then with such 

 frequent showers as we have had up to 

 now, the roots of the [>lants would be 

 deep down, strong and vigorous and Avith 

 frequent hoeing to ke 'p the surface 

 loose and allow free evaporation and 

 ensuing rise of moisture from below, 

 little need would there be of watering 

 for many of our flower garden plants. 



flower is plucked as soon as developed. 

 When allowed to go to seed your vines 

 will soon stop blooming. Hoe between 

 the rows deeply, then spread three inches 

 of stable manure between tho rows com- 

 pletely covering the ground. Then you 

 can let the hose run for half an hour 

 on one spot and that will be thoroughly 

 watered; with the mulching it will be 

 a long time in drying cut; at least, in 

 the driest of weather, i o watering will 

 be needed for a week, with proper culti- 

 vation. 



Different localities and conditions and 

 conveniences may find different methods 



