..■■-'y 



SerTBMBKK 22, 1004. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



847 



Beware the First Frost. 



We have such wide climatic differences 

 in this country that frost may be ex- 

 pected in North Dakota perhaps ere this. 

 It may hold off until the middle of No- 

 vember in Maryland and never assail the 

 orange groves of Florida during the 

 whole winter. In the North Atlantic 

 states, northern New York aiid what we 

 call the middle west, we can look pretty 

 surely for a slight frost during the early 

 days of October. No matter how ' * beau- 

 tiful" October may be, and it is a 

 glorious month, generally a frost the first 

 week has ruined our gardens and to the 

 careless florist it has done worse than 

 that; it has ruined many plants that he 

 should have had under glass. From 

 now on for the next three weeks is a 

 hustling time. 



Stevia Serrata« 



That common cheap plant, Stevia ser- 

 rata, is indispensable. Our best cus- 

 tomers ask continually for "that light, 

 feathery flower." They should be lifted 

 and potted into 6-inch or 7-inch pots, 

 but still left outdoors. This plant is in 

 one respect like the cineraria: It will 

 thrive in the greenhouse at a tempera- 

 ture of 40°, yet 2° of frost will curl it 

 up. So have them in a position where 

 they can be protected against a slight 

 early frost and when it is gone they are 

 far better outdoors for another month. 

 The plants are stouter and better in 

 every way outdoors than under glass and, 

 as it is at the holidays when it is in 

 greatest demand, it will ebme too early if 

 given glass protection before the end of 

 October. If your plants have been 

 pinched within three or four weeks no 

 more stopping should be done. 



Azalea Indica* 



Plants that have been summered over 

 and plunged outside we consider nowa- 

 days our best plants for Easter. Just 

 let me mention here that it would seem 

 reasonable to suppose that these plants 

 would be the most available to force for 

 Christmas sales. But it has been proved 

 by numerous growers that they are not. 

 The newly imported plants are the ones 

 to force for Christmas; that is, some 

 varieties. The plants that you have car- 

 ried over in pots during summer should 

 be reserved for Easter. These azaleas 

 will stand about 1° or 2° of frost, but 

 more would hurt them, and as there is 

 no object in keeping them out until dan- 

 ger of frost, get them into the house. 



A light, bright house is not at all nec- 

 essary. A deep cold frame would do 

 them finely until severe weather sets in. 

 They have matured their growth, set 

 their buds and will be about dormant 

 until the buds begin to expand in the 

 spring. So a low temperature is the 

 great essential and, as Easter is very late, 

 a house where you could keep them down 

 to 40° will suit them well during the 

 dark days of winter. I will have some- 

 thing to say about the new importa- 

 tions a week later. 



The bottle brush, Acacia armata and 

 any cool hard-wooded plants that you 

 have had outside need the same treat- 

 ment as the azalea. Th6y want to be 

 cool until it is time to give them heat 

 to bring them into flower. 



Hydrangeas. 



In our locality the hydrangea is by 

 no means as important, an Easter plant 

 as five or six others, nor has it the im- 

 portance our friend Mr. Peterson attaches 

 to it. Yet when well flowered they are 

 very decorative. A few growers plant 

 them -out. The majority of successful 

 growers keep them entirely in pots. 

 Don't be alarmed about a slight frost on 

 them. A light frost ripens the wood and 

 puts them in better condition to submit 

 to two months' rest, which is essential 

 before starting them into growth. If you 

 planfed your young plants out in the 

 spring, you can lift them at once, but 

 they should be left outdoors as long as 

 possible, to mature and ripen the growth. 



Growers of Easter plants of several 

 kinds should be well supplied with cold 

 frames and sash to cover them in case 

 of frost. Azaleas, stevias and these hy- 

 drangeas would be better there until the 

 middle of November and by that time 

 many of your chrysanthemum benches 

 will be thrown out and you then have 

 plenty of room for these plants and 

 others. 



Rambler Roses. 



\ve have induced our very near blood 

 relations to grow some Crimson Ramblers 

 on what I believe is the surest method 

 and several times in my notes they have 

 been referred to. They now have canes 

 seven or eight feet long. The plants have 

 been standing on boards outdoors in the 

 sun for the past three or four weeks. 

 The boards are important because we 

 don't want them to root through. They 

 have made growth enough. Don 't let 

 them suffer for water. The colder weather 

 and frosts will ripen the wood. Yet 

 there is a time coming, and that's in 

 October, when they want careful watch- 

 ing. If we should get a warm spell with 

 copious rains, the strong eyes on the 

 canes may break into growth, and that's 

 decidedly a pity. I^y them on their 

 sides when rains occur during October. 

 What you want is a gradual ripening, 

 and when November comes there is no 

 longer fear of any eye breaking. 



When zero approaches lay them down 

 in a cold frame and protect with ever- 

 green boughs or shutters. Don't make 

 the mistake of putting these hardy roses 

 to rest with their roots dust dry. Many 

 a hardy plant has been killed by severe 

 freezing, because the roots were dry. 

 Nurserymen like to see their trees 

 and shrubs enter the winter with the soil 

 wet and that's a lesson for us. A dry 

 October and November, and then a sud- 

 den freeze up, is often disastrous to our 

 orchards and ornamental trees and 

 shrubs. And so the moral of all this 

 is, while leafless and at rest these hardy 



roses must be moist at the root if ex- 

 posed to hard frosts. 



Beeonia Lorraine. 



Now is a good time to give these 

 beautiful plants their last shift. Sup- 

 posing they are in 4-inch pots, then give 

 them 6-inch. If in 3-inch a 5-inch will 

 do and that size of plants is in good de- 

 mand. Pans or baskets can be made up 

 later, when plants of a uniform size can 

 be chosen. It is from now on for the 

 next two months that this popular plant 

 makes its most rapid and strongest 

 growth. If grown in a north and south 

 house no more shade is needed and if 

 in an east and west house shade only 

 for a few hours in the middle of the 

 day. 



Any permanent shade you may have 

 during summer should be removed, and 

 that will apply to almost all plants. As 

 far as the strength or influence of the 

 sun's rays at this season, the first of 

 October is about as the sun would edtine 

 on us on March 13 or 14, and who 

 think» of shading so early as that? If 

 I am wrong in this, it's because I am 

 only a one-horse astronomer. 



There is another commercial begonia 

 which I think it will not be far wrong to 

 call B. inearnata grandiflora. It used to 

 be largely grown, and is stiU worth it. 

 for cut flowers in January and Febru- 

 ary, but too often cut when soft and 

 immature. Many have not grown it 

 lately, because it gets diseased with a 

 rust. The cause of that is too much 

 shade in summer and fall. It will do 

 plunged outdoors in the broad sun. If 

 you still grow it, now give it the bright- 

 est bench you can. 



Liftins: Stock Plants. 



There are several important bedding 

 plants that it is a waste of room to 

 propagate now. A few plants lifted 

 and potted will later give you all the 

 cuttings you require for your spring 

 stock. Among tliese are acalyphas of 

 several kinds, ageratum, lobelia, fever- 

 few, the glorious Salvia splendens and 

 others that will lift. I don't say all 

 these should be lifted right away, but as 

 you only want a few of each, they will 

 not be missed from the garden and you 

 won't be all in a fluster on the eve of 

 Jack's first visit. 



Not one inch of your propagating 

 bench should be vacant just now if you 

 are a bedding plant grower and at once 

 should go in large batches of the ivy 

 geraniums, the scented and tricolor var- 

 ieties, the variegated and green vinca 

 (by green I mean what is properly 

 known as Harriaonii and which is quite 

 as valuable for vases and veranda boxes 

 as the variegated), the Abutilon vexil- 

 larium, a few cuttings of lophosj>er- 

 mum, in fact any bedding plants that 

 cannot be lifted easily and of which you 

 want a large quantity. 



Tulips are arriving. If you want to 

 cut some soon after Christmas, get 1,000 

 of such good variety boxed at once. The 

 main crop can wait a few weeks. 



William Scott. 



ROSES. 



Foresight as to Soil. 



Growers who are alive to their best 

 interests will now begin to store their 

 soil and manure for winter and spring 

 requirements. This material is now in 

 the most fit state for storing that we 

 can expect and if the storing is delayed 



