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IhtARCH 16, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists* Review* 



93: 



MISCELLANEOUS 

 SEASONABLE HINTS. 



:!'j1K 



The Easter Worries. 



Many florists will be losing sleep about 

 this time, pondering over the question: 

 "Are my lilies about right, or are they 

 late?" "My azaleas are too early; what 

 shall I do with them?" There are some 

 crops that only years of experience can 

 teach you how to manage, to regulate so 

 finely that ninety per cent will be per- 

 fection in Easter week, because it is 

 not a fixed date and that great florists' 

 harvest may arrive in arctic weather one 

 year and the next year be accompanied 

 by the "busy bee at every opening flow- 

 er." If not observant, we forget. 



Time to Force Bulbs. 



Some eighteen or twenty years ago 

 Easter was as late as April 24. Our 

 tulips, narcissi and hyacinths were sadly 

 too early, we being new at the bulb 

 business. We failed to notice that the 

 following year was almost a month ear- 

 lier. The principal impression on our 

 mind was the loss of the previous year, 

 and we allowed only two weeks for the 

 tulips, etc. The weather was dark, 

 stormy and cold and we had to resort to 

 high pressure forcing and then only 

 "reached the wire by a scant nose." 



Now, for this very late Easter two 

 weeks would have been just right and 

 for a very early Easter the four weeks 

 in a cool house would not have been so 

 far off the mark. However, there is lit- 

 tle excuse for being wrong with the bulbs 

 or valley, or even with the deciduous 

 shrubs, such as lilac and Azalea mollis, 

 but it is different with azaleas, lilies or 

 hybrid roses. 



I have taken a walk around, listened 

 reverently and contemplated profoundly, 

 examined the indelible lines scored on 

 the grey matter which is called memory 

 and if the conclusion of all this will be 

 a help to any beginner we shall be well 

 pleased. Weather may upset our calcu- 

 lation slightly. Remember that the di- 

 rect rays of the sun have a powerful in- 

 fluence, more, I think, than heat, in ex- 

 panding the petals of many flowers. By 

 the time you read these lines Easter Sun- 

 day will be five weeks away. 



Azalea Indica. 



The great majority of azaleas will be 

 more likely to be too early than too late. 

 Without going into the names of the 

 many varieties, the buds will show you 

 plainly what condition they are in. If 

 the buds are showing any signs of swel- 

 ling, then they should be kept in a cool, 

 shady house and retarded all you can, for 

 once the buds loosen up to start, two 

 weeka in a light house at 50 to 55 de- 

 grees at night will bring them into full 

 flower. If a little earlier than above 

 described, the buds oven showing color, 

 you could keep them back in a, deep cold 

 frame, shaded from the sun, with venti- 

 lation whenever possible, but thoroughly 

 protected from frost. We flnd our cus- 

 tomers prefer an azalea that is in not 

 quite full bloom. They like to see many 

 buds to open. If you have some azaleas 



showing not the slightest sign of mov- 

 ing, and this we noticed recently with 

 summered-over Bernard Andre, and its 

 variety, alba, then get them into sun- 

 light and a night temperature of 55 de- 

 grees. These plants that you have grown 

 during the past summer are never as 

 precocious in flowering as last fall's im- 

 portations. 



Azalea Mollis. 



Azalea mollis is a very different plant. 

 These have been wintered in a cold 

 frame and perhaps been frozen for 

 weeks. Allow four weeks in a night tem- 

 perature of 50 to 55 degrees and they 

 will be a mass of bloom. They can yet 

 be bought from large importers and 

 brought in for Easter. Inexpensive and 

 beautiful plants they are, and if not in 

 a limestone district you can truthfully 

 tell your customer that this azalea is a 

 hardy flowering shrub. 



Lilacs. 



The lilac, if well flowered and com- 

 pact, is now a favorite Easter plant 

 and no sweet flower is more uni- 

 versally known and liked than the lilac. 

 Allow four weeks in 50 degrees at 

 night. This is another plant that is pre* 

 ferred when there are trusses of flowers 

 not fully out. 



Rhododendron. 



The rhododendron is like Azalea Indi- 

 ca, not all inclined to flower at the same 

 season. Plants that show any inclina- 

 tion to open their petals must be re- 

 tarded, the same as you would do with 

 the forward azaleas. Those with buds 

 that are tight and dormant, as they were 

 in midwinter, should be put in a house 

 at 55 degrees at night and given daily 

 spraying until the color shows. Spray- 

 ing causes humidity, not only immedi- 

 ately on the leaves and buds, but in the 

 atmosphere, and you have only to no- 

 tice the effect of a shower in April or 

 May on our hardy shrubs and trees to 

 realize the magical change that occurs. 



Lilies. 



We are sure to get a few personal in- 

 quiries about now. In fact, they are ar- 

 riving already, with a postage stamp en- 

 closed, asking "how big should the lily 

 buds be?" Although stamps come 

 handy we cannot undertake to answer 

 so many letters. In a batch of a thou- 

 sand lilies, however good and pure the 

 stock may be, you are not going to get 

 them all into flower in the same heat at 

 the same date. In lact, their flowering 

 time may spread over two months. This 

 occurs in our experience more of late 

 with the Harrisii than with Japanese 

 bulbs and with these scarcely forced at 

 all, say for Decoration day, ninety per 

 cent may be had in flower in the same 

 week, as we have seen occur. 



The forced bulbs will not do this, so 

 while some plants may be just right, oth- 

 ers will be late, while others are or 

 would be too early. Eemember this. You 

 cannot take a lily from a night tempera- 

 ture of 60 degrees and remove it to a 



temperature of 40 degrees when the buds 

 are only half developed. They seem to 

 get a chill ahd at once stand still. If 

 much too early, don't attempt to re- 

 tard. Idlies are always useful. You can 

 reduce the temperature 7 or 8 degrees 

 with the early ones without harm, and 

 let them come along at that and once 

 the buds are turning white (not before) 

 they will expand in a very cool house 

 and keep a long time. 



With lilies the public look for them 

 well out. As most of them are used for 

 church decorations, it is best they should 

 be all well developed to make a good 

 showing. The Japan multiflorum is with 

 us rather early, the black-stemmed gi- 

 ganteum a little late. These lilies, after 

 the buds are visible, will endure strong 

 forcing and can be rushed into flower in 

 a few weeks. I would say, after care- 

 ful thought, that if all the buds are 

 plainly visible five weeks before Easter 

 they would be all right in a night tem- 

 perature of 55 degrees. If later, then 

 more forcing must be done. If very late 

 do not force at all. 



Spiraea. 



Spiraea Japonica and its improved va- 

 rieties should be showing spikes, and if 

 so will not want over 55 degrees. Do not 

 neglect to place these plants in saucers. 

 If you grow a thousand it is little ex- 

 pense and saucers are always useful. 

 Keep an inch of weak liquid manure in 

 the saucers and these spiraeas will absorb 

 and digest it and "flourish like a green 

 bay tree. ' ' The difference in foliage and 

 flower over those starved for the want 

 of "that air liquid nourishment which I 

 requires," as Mrs. Sarah Gamp re- 

 marked, is wonderful. 



Acacia Armata. 



Fine plants of acacia sell well. It is 

 beautiful in its thousands of little 

 globular blossoms and unique in its glos- 

 sy green foliage. Easter ia rather late 

 for it, unless it has been wintered very 

 cool. We have been troubled with many 

 of the flowers turning brown, which is 

 decay. A cool, dry atmosphere will pre- 

 vent this and the flowers hang on a long 

 time. 



The Genista. 



The cytisus or genista is another yel- 

 low blossom and quite attractive as a 

 neat, compact plant. An early Easter 

 suits its season better. All you can do 

 is to keep it very cool. We used to sell 

 many of them, but they received a bad 

 but true character. They quickly drop 

 the flowers and foliage in a living room. 



The Bougainvillea. 



The Bougainvillea Sanderii is an aris- 

 tocratic plant and should command a 

 good price. Although a plant of the 

 tropics, it does very well now, and when 

 in flower, at 50 to 55 degrees. If the 

 bracts, which to the customer are the 

 flower, are about coloring, they will be 

 all right, because the bracts hang on for- 

 ever. 



Rambler Roses. 



And now we come to a very important 

 Easter favorite, the Eambler roses, not 

 only the popular Crimson Rambler but 

 Dorothy Perkins, the, beautiful pink, and 

 Farquhar. They are all about the same in 

 -time of flowering under glass. If never 

 subjected to a night temperature of over 

 55 degrees they are far superior to those 

 forced out in 65 degrees, deeper green, 

 more robust foliage and far superior in 



