^52 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Februahy 9, 1905. 



flowers its bright green foliage makes it 

 very attractive. 



Henry Wild, head gardener on the A. 

 W. Blake estate furnishes the following 

 notes in regard to the specimen figured: 



"The schizophragma is, as near as I 

 can learn, some twenty-five years old, 

 or at least it has been planted about 

 that time here. It was for some years 

 growing on an oak, but has done much 

 better since it was planted under an 

 American walnut with a south exposure. 

 It is thirty-four feet in height and flow- 

 ers freely each year without any special 

 treatment. The soil is a good yellow 

 loam, manured the same as the rest of 

 our lawn, except for an additional top 

 dressing of bone and wood ashes during 

 showery weather in May. It has never 

 had any protection whatever during my 

 stay here, eight years. A few years 

 ago I cut back the leaders in July to 

 get a more bushy growth, and it has 

 flowered more freely since that time. I 

 attributei the free flowering to the fact 

 that the nut tree with us is one of the 

 first to shed its leaves, which gives the 

 summer growth of the hydrangaa a much 

 better chance to become well ripened 

 and has, no doubt, a beneficial result in 

 hardening the wood to stand the winter. 

 Our lowest temperature here was 13 de- 

 grees below zero in 1904." 



Here in North Easton we have a large 

 plant also growing on a nut tree with 

 a cold northern exposure. It had always 

 bloomed freely until last summer, when 

 it produced very few flowers, some of 

 the shoots being also killed back. It, 

 however, made excellent growth during 

 the summer. Last winter was abnormal- 

 ly cold here, on forty occasions the ther- 

 mometer falling to zero or below, our 

 lowest being 30 degrees below zero. Any 

 plant which will withstand such a winter 

 may fairly be described as reliably 

 bardy. W. N. Craig. 



THE BEST SWEET PEAS. 



The majority of the seed lists con- 

 tain so many varieties of these most 

 popular of all flowering annuals, that to 

 the uninitiated it is a little bewildering 

 to know what to order. We notice that 

 Henry Eckford, the well known English 

 specialist, gives notice in his present 

 season's catalogue that he intends to 

 discard quite a number of sorts next 

 year and that he only lists certain kinds 

 flow because some people still ask for 

 them. We hope Mr. Eckford 's lead will 

 be generally followed and that lists will 

 be severely pruned another season. 



While a laree collection is interesting 

 to some private growers, the average 

 trade producer needs one or two sorts 

 onlv <Jf a few decided colors. For early 

 forcing purposes there are only two te- 

 llable sorts, Mont Blanc and Burpee's 

 Earliest of All. For sowing after De- 

 cember almost any sort will succeed. 

 The varieties we will mention are more 

 particularly for outdoor culture and are 

 the results of careful trials each year. 



In whites, Mont Blanc is still worthv 

 of being retained as an early bloomer. 

 If restricted to one variety, we would, 

 however, grow Dorothy Eckford, which 

 is a distinct advance on Blanche Bur- 

 pee. We consider this the finest white 

 yet produced. Burpee's White Wonder 

 is a fine variety. The flowers are con- 

 siderably smaller than those of Dorothy 

 Eckford, but are carried four to seven 

 on a stem. In primrose or pale yellow 

 shades, Hon. Mrs. E. Kenyon, of a love- 



ly primrose color, is decidedly the best, 

 being larger and better all around than 

 Mrs. Eckford. 



In light shades of pink, Countess of 

 Lathom, of a cream tint, shaded with 

 soft flesh pink in the center, is the 

 best, Lovely being its nearest competi- 

 tor. In deeper shades of pink there is 

 nothing equal to Prima Donna. It will 

 give three and four flowers per stalk, 

 while Katherine Tracy gives but two. 

 and much stronger stalks, too. In the 

 popular orange or salmon pink shades, 

 MJss Wilmott is superior to both Gor- 

 geous and Lady Mary Currie, having 

 larger flowers borne on stronger stems. 

 This color is very popular in all the mar- 

 kets. Under, artificial light on a dining 

 table it is superb. 



In rose shades, Lord Eoseberry and 

 Prince of "Wales are both good, the for- , 

 mer being rather the better. It has 

 flowers of a rosy carmine color. In 

 scarlets, King Edward VII is easily the 

 leader. It is unfortunate that Scarlet 

 Gem bums so badly, for it comes nearer 

 to a true scarlet than any sort yet in- 

 troduced. We hope a sun-proof selec- 

 tion from it may be obtained. While 

 King Edward VII is a trifle paler than 

 Salopian, it has larger flowers and 

 much longer and stronger stems. 



Lavender blue shades are very popu- 

 lar. Here Lady Grisel Hamilton stands 

 at the top of its color, although many 

 growers still handle Countess of Radnor. 

 Deep blues are not in much request. Navy 

 Blue and Captain of the Blues are the 

 best. In maroon shades, Duke of Suth- 

 erland is good. Among the variegated 

 varieties, Blanche Ferry is still far the 

 most popular and seems to be every- 

 body's sweet pea. Mrs. Joseph Cham- 

 berlain and Bamona are also desirable. 



If restricted to one variety of each 

 decided color we would select: White, 

 Dorothy Eckford; primrose, Hon. Mrs. 

 E. Kenyon; light pink. Countess of La- 

 thom; deep pink, Prima Donna; sal- 

 mon pink, Miss Wilmott; rose, Lord 

 Eoseberry; scarlet, King Edward VII; 

 lavender blue, Lady Grisel Hamilton: 

 deep blue, Nayy Blue; maroon, Duke of 

 Sutherland. 



Some very promising novelties are be- 

 ing introduced this season. Of these 

 Countess Spencer, with some of its se- 

 lected seedlings, and Gladys Unwin 

 promise to be desirable acquisitions. 



W. N. Craig. 



MASSACHUSETTS GARDENERS. 



E. A. Qark, Jamaica Plain. 



William A. Eiggs, on the E. A. 

 Clark estate, Jamaica Plain, is a well 

 known exhibitor at the Boston shows. 

 His chrysanthemums have been espec- 

 ially good. Of these he grows all the 

 newest and best exhibition sorts. A 

 bttch of bushy little plants in 5-inch 

 pots on a shelf will develop into ex- 

 hibition specimens later. Cuttings are 

 already in the sand or potted off, of 

 many to be grown as single stems next 

 season. In carnations Enchantress easily 

 takes the lead. Flamingo will be dropped, 

 proving too shy. Queen as a white 

 v.ill be displaced by White Lawson or 

 Lady Bountiful. Lawson as a dark pink 

 is producing better than Nelson Fisher. 



A division of Bride and Maid roses 

 looks very well. One of Beauties was 

 off crop at the time of our visit but had 

 been yielding well. Some extra fine 

 specimens of Begonia Gloire de Lorraine 



and cyclamens were noted, also extra 

 good plants of Erica melantbera and aca- 

 cias in variety. Cyclamens were seriously 

 affected by the mite, but a batch of 

 Primula stellata was fine. The grapery 

 had not yet been started. One divisioo 

 is devoted to orchids, mostly cattleyas. 



Laxz Anderson, Jamaica Plain. 



One of the finest of the new places 

 near Boston is that of Larz Anderson, 

 Jamaica Plain, where Duncan Finlayson 

 presides. There has been no stint of 

 money in laying out this seventy-five- 

 acre estate. The Italian garden is prob- 

 ably the finest in America and from 

 spring to fall contains a succession of 

 beautiful floral effects. The green- 

 houses are quite numerous and were 

 built by the Lord & Burnham Co. three 

 years ago. The rose divisions are de- 

 voted to Brides and Maids, with some 

 Morgan and Mrs. Oliver Ames on the 

 front benches. 



In carnations, Fair Maid is found the 

 most prolific of all. Queen will be 

 dropped for White Lawson, which is 

 well liked. Lawson still does well, al- 

 though a fair percentage of burst flowers 

 are seen. Flamingo is not free enough 

 to be worth retaining. 



A fine lot of Gardenia florida free 

 from the "yellows" were flowering 

 freely when I saw them. Azaleas, Prim- 

 ula obconica, cyclamens and other plants 

 are grown in quantity. Lilium ckndidum 

 is well liked and largely grown. 



A nice collection of orchids is already 

 secured. Some fine Dendrobium Ward- 

 ianum were in bloom and some extra 

 good Dendrobium mobile would soon 

 succeed them. Coelogynes and Cattleya 

 Triana? were also in season. Three divi- 

 sions are devoted to grapes and one to 

 nectarines. A large and finely built 

 pit is used for storing bay trees, Irish 

 yews and other evergreens used in the 

 Italian garden. Another pit is used for 

 azaleas and bulbous stock. Numerous 

 cold frames are filled with violets, daisies 

 and other spring flowering stock for 

 the Italian garden. Mr. Finlayson is 

 a first-class practitioner and has every- 

 thing in fine shape. 



Joseph H. White, Brookline. 



Brookline, the wealthiest town in 

 America and a suburb of Boston, is 

 thickly dotted with fine private estates. 

 One of the most interesting is that of 

 Joseph H. White, where James Wheeler 

 has charge. The principal range of 

 houses here is a little over 300 feet in 

 length, there being other smaller houses. 

 A fine, roomy palm house contains a 

 collection of clean and well-grown 

 specimens. In roses, Bride, Maid and 

 Wootton are handled. These were clean 

 and vigorous. Enchantress loomed over 

 all others in the carnation house. Flam- 

 ingo and Nelson Fisher are not free 

 enough. Mrs. Patten looked well and 

 showed several distinct sports. In the 

 violet house a small batch of a distinct 

 ntw variety was noted. It is more free 

 flowering than Princess of Wales, with 

 stronger stems and rounder flowers. The 

 foliage is more prostrate and hairv than 

 in Princess. This variety will be grown 

 in quantity next season. Divisions de- 

 voted to peaches and graneS were still 

 dormant. W. N. Craig. 



As long as I remain in the business 

 I must have the Review; it is the best 

 paper for the trade. — ^S. B. Ritter, Port 

 Eoyal, S. C. 



