The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Max 25, 1905. 



the last illustration shows clearly. A 

 few clusters are placed up among the 

 wheat heads, their stems following the 

 direction toward the tie of the sheaf. 

 Some are peeping out, only partly visi- 

 ble, and others are closely grouped 

 down toward the center of the sheaf. 

 But all, one way or another, radiate 

 from the wheat tie as a center, except 

 those on the lower left corner of the 

 panel and the two erect groups, one 

 above another, to the right of the lower 

 sheaf. It can readily be seen that these 

 take their source, from the background 

 and not from the centers of any of the 

 sheaves. This is the intention. To- 

 gether with the fern leaves, these latter 



patches of valley are a part of the 

 background. The adiantums are 

 stemmed long, two or three to a pick, 

 and inserted under the sheaves so as 

 to cover the sphagnum. They are 

 sprayed out freely all over the panel. 

 Two good sized groups are thrust into 

 the left sheaf so as to give the impres- 

 sion of having been cut and bound 

 with it. 



With the severe lines formed by the 

 wheat being tied into formal shape, it 

 is advisable to give the flowers and 

 green all the freedom possible. Strive 

 to attain the happy medium in the fin- 

 ished piece of a decisive character 

 softened with natural touches. G. B. 



Geraniums for Stock. 



You may be given hints of important 

 work just now, yet the all-absorbing mat- 

 ter 'for the next three weeks will be get- 

 ting out your' orders. The extremely 

 dull and cold May has kept our custom- 

 ers quiet. They are in no hurry this 

 spring, but wheti it does come warm 

 there will be a dreadful rush. 



If not already done, you should spare 

 help to plant out your own stock for 

 future propnuT* n. There are many 

 things 01 \vhi< i: > few small plants will 

 suffice oven if not put out until the 

 Fourth of July, but with the most im- 

 portant of all summer bedding plants, 

 the geranium, this will not do. If you 

 expect a big lot of healthy cuttings in 

 September or October you must plant out 

 healthj% vinjorous plants now and give 

 them plenty of room. Geraniums are 

 usually planted about one foot apart. At 

 this distance they make a mass of leaf 

 and bloom, but the growth is too much 

 drawn up to be strong and on your own 

 place for stock they are better at least 

 eighteen inches apart; and get them 

 growing well. 



More than once we have seen some ex- 

 cellent variety sell entirely out. This 

 is bad management. If they had been 

 in the ground, with flowers and buds 

 picked off, you jvould have been all right 

 for the future. 



Some Standard Sorts. 

 It is not every year we get a new 

 geranium that completely fills all re- 

 quirements. Possibly some varieties do 

 better than others in certain localities. 

 There are many splendid kinds, but it is 

 not advisable to grow many. It only 

 makes extra work keeping them labeled 

 and where two or three varieties are al- 

 most identical, choose one and let the 

 others go. A fine flower of peculiar 

 shade of color is of -no value if the plant 

 is not a healthy grower. Semi-doubles 

 are almost entirely used for bedding. 

 Among familiar varieties that cannot be 

 beaten are S. A. Nutt, crimson; Al- 

 phonse Ricard, orange scarlet; .Mme. 

 Barney, pink; Beaute Poitevine, salmon: 

 A. H. Trego, bright scarlet, very large; 

 John Doyle, vermilion scarlet ; Jean 

 Viand, light pink; Mrs. Frances Perkins, 

 brijjht clear pink; Fiancee, wliite. 



Telegraph is a single cerise scarlet of 

 great vigor, free flowering and said to be 

 a great acquisition. Gloire de France is 

 such a pretty flower it should be grown, 

 even if it is not the best of bedders, al- 

 most white with bright salmon center. 

 There is one large salmon single indis- 

 pensable for bedding, Mrs. E. G. Hill. 



Try Some Novelties. 



If your trade is selling on the market, 

 or retailing a few of a kind mostly, then 

 a greater variety is desired and many 

 beautiful kinds can be grown. It costs 



but a trifle to try a half dozen of a few 

 new varieties; In fact, it is the proper 

 way to improve your collection. We 

 once knew fifty zonal geraniums by their 

 leaf and habit without seeing the flower, 

 but as our business now is almost entire- 

 ly filling flower beds and we are only 

 asked for scarlet, or pink, or salmon, 

 this number of varieties is no longer nec- 

 essary. Yet what a pleasure it is, or 

 should be, to buy half a dozen new kinds 

 and watch their growth and opening 

 flowers with the expectation that they 

 will be all that Messrs. Slip & Cutting's 

 catalogue pictured them. Of the many 

 things that have been written and quoted 

 about the late Joe Jefferson, one that is 

 a compliment to our calling and most 

 pleasant to relate is a letter to an old 

 friend. He said: "The saddest feature 

 of old age is the absence of expectation, 

 and that is why I have become an en- 

 thusiastic gardener, for gardening is all 

 expectation." 



Silver-Leaved Geraniums. 



Of late the bronze-leaved geraniums 

 have very much dropped in favor, but the 

 silver-leaved Mountain of Snow and the 

 compact little Mme. Salleroi are largely 

 used. Get some out before you have only 

 scrubs left. We do not make as much 

 of the iv\'-leaved section as they do in 

 Europe. They grow very fast when hot 

 weather comes and soon cease to flower, 

 but where their roots are more confined, 

 as in vases, vei'anda or window boxes 

 and also in 5-inch or 6-inch pots, they 

 are beautiful plants and in no section 

 has there been such wonderful improve- 

 ment. Plant out at once a good stock 

 of your standard kinds, as well as a ievr 



A Sheaf of Wheat with Valley and Adiantum. 



