Mabch 22, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists^ Revie 



120J 



Gloxinias. 



The first short story the writer ever 

 penned for a floricultural paper was on 

 the gloxinia, and I can't improve on it. 

 Start the bulbs in 3-inch pots in a night 

 temperature of 55 degrees to 60 degrees. 

 After the first watering very little is 

 needed till the leaves start. "When the 

 leaves extend to the edge of the pot 

 or a little more, shift int(^the flowering 

 pot, a 5-inch or 6-inch. Pur a few crocks 

 in the pot and cover them with a piece 

 of wood or green moss, not sphagnum ; 

 it rots too quickly. You cannot put 

 any greenhorn or fossil at shifting 

 gloxinias or many of their leaves will 

 be broken. The leaves should never be 

 wet if you can avoid it and if you do 

 wet them facility should be given for 

 them to quickly dry oflf, and perhaps 

 that is why the best we ever raised 

 were elevated on inverted 6-inch pots 

 and plenty of room allowed between 

 each plant. They want water when they 

 need it. A gardener knows what that 

 means. They should be moderately 

 moist. If allowed to get very dry the 

 blossoms will wilt and shrivel and, like 

 grandfather's clock, never go again. 



Stevia Serrata. 



The few old plants of sweet stevia 

 you cut down after New Year's should 

 l)e covered with cuttings. Put them in 

 the sand. This rank growing plant is 

 of easiest culture. All you need is some 

 nice little plants in 3-inch pots by the 

 first of June for planting out in the 

 field in a not too rich but light soil. 



Gypsophila Paniculata. 



I. cannot let you make the mistake of 

 not having a few dozen plants of Gypso- 

 phila paniculata (baby's breath) on 

 your place. You can sow the seeds at 

 once and have plants that will flower 

 freely this summer, or if you don't suc- 

 t-eed with seeds, buy a few dozen plants. 

 It is one of the best rock-work plants, 

 but grows freely in any ordinary .garden 

 soil. It adds grace and lightness to any 

 bouquet or design and is the savior of 

 many otherwise crude formal piece and 

 stiff bunch of flowers. It is to a summer 

 bouquet just what our Stevia serrata is 

 to formal -flowers in winter. Our most 

 refined ladies ask for this delicate and 

 refined baby's breath. 



Seeds to Sow. 



Here are some of the seeds that should 

 be sown now or a few days later: Tro- 

 pKolum for baskets and veranda boxes; 

 thunbergia for baskets; ten weeks' 

 stocks, balsams, zinnia, celosia, several 

 kinds: linaria and maurandia. Pyre- 

 thrum Golden Feather, and cobsea. Sow 

 eobsea in a flat of light sandy soil, and 

 unless you know the proper end to in- 

 sert into the soil it will be all right to 

 push the seed about two-thirds its breadth 

 in the soil on edge. Do not sow it flat 

 as you would most all seeds. No covering 

 of soil is needed. William Scott. 



SIGN ^EM. 



The Beview is always glad to answer 

 queries, especially on topics not of every- 

 day discussion. But those who send 

 queries must sign their names to receive 

 attention. Just at this time a great 

 many ask, ' * How far developed should 

 my lilies be?" and forget to add their 

 signature. If the question is not of 

 general interest reply is made by mail 

 if a stamp is sent. 



A THANKFUL WINTER BLOOMER 



Henry Schmidt, Union Hill, N. J., is 

 a large grower uf Primula ohcoiiica, 

 and says he finds it "a very thankful 

 winter bloomer." The specimen illus- 

 trated certainly looks wholesome. Al- 

 though Bailey, in his Cyclopedia of 

 American Horticulture, in commenting 

 on Primula obconica, renarks tiiat it 

 ' * is very easily grown, ' ' the degree of 

 its thankfulness, as with aioro difficult 

 subjects, largely depends upon the qual- 

 ity of the culture given. Mr. Schmidt 

 uses the variety P. olicoiiica grandifiora 

 compacta, and the plant illustrated is 

 growing in a 6-inch azalea pan. Grandi- 

 fiora, of course, produces larger flowers 

 than the type, and Mr. Schmidt says 

 that he finds the compact form to he 

 preferred. He makes seed sowings at 

 intervals, beginning in April, to have a 

 continuous supply of stock. 



EASTER PLANTS. 



[A paper by David liUUisdeii, read befort- the 

 Florists' and Gardeners' Club of Boston, March 

 20, 1906.] 



There is something mysterious at tiio 

 approach of the Easter festival that in- 

 spires us with zeal and ambition. The 

 very plants themselves seem to herald 

 the approach of Easter. The lily, the 

 queen of Easter fiowers, appears to wear 

 a whiter gown than at other seasons of 

 the year, as Dame Nature smiles and 

 adds beauty and coloring to all flowers; 

 from the glorious rose to the humble 

 little violet, all share in gladdening the 

 hearts of some during Eastertide. It 

 also imbues mankind with new hopes 

 and ambition, and a spirit of generosity 

 is prevalent on all sides, not only in the 

 homes of the wealthy, but also in the 

 humble abodes of the cottagers. Each 

 shares in trying to make someone happy 

 on that glad day by sending a box of 

 flowers or a plant with Easter greetings, 

 also, from time immemorial it has been 

 customary to decorate our churches witii 

 Easter plants and flowers, and tlic very 

 plants and flowers themselves extend to 

 all an Easter greeting and .seem to s:iy. 



"The cold weather and snows are now 

 over, the happy si)ringtirae is at hand. ' ' 

 Also, thousands make the first visit of 

 the season to the cenieteries to adorn 

 the graves of tiieir loved ones with 

 flowers. I could speak in this strain for 

 a length ot time, but it is somewhat 

 diverting from my text; yet feel I could 

 not let the opportunity ])aHS without mak- 

 ing a few remarks regarding the Easter 

 festival. 



I do not purpose tonight to enter into 

 minute details as to the culture of the 

 Easter i)lants, as time would not permit 

 me to do so but will try and treat eacli 

 subject as briefly as possible. 



Lily Ranks First. 



First and foremost ranks the lily. 

 Picture yourselves wliat Easter would be 

 without the lily! Each year sees more 

 lilies grown than the ])revious year, and 

 every year sees the lily more in evidence. 

 Our lily bulbs we receive during the fall 

 months from Japan and the Bermudas, 

 liilium longiflorum and types. They are 

 then [xitted up. Some growers pot them 

 immediately into their flowering pots, 

 which is considered a saving of labor, 

 while others pot the bulbs into 4-inch or 

 5-inch pots, to be repotted later, wheM._ 

 well rooted and active growth has conk 

 menced, the soil used being a good, 

 heavy, fibrous loam with a liberal dress 

 ing of well decomposed manure, with 

 the addition of a little sand to keep the 

 soil open. They are then placed in a 

 cold frame covered with about threi 

 inches of loam, the surface of the soil 

 previously having been covered with a 

 layer of sand or jushes. After watering 

 in order that when taken out of the 

 frame the covering loam will not adhere 

 to the pots, they are next covered witii 

 leaves, old straw, or anything available, 

 and shutters plac^ed o\er them until from 

 the middle to the end of December, when 

 they are taken out and ])laced in a house 

 temperature of about (JO degrees nights. 

 By that tinu' tliey should l)e well rooted 

 and should have commenced to show 

 signs ot growth. The grower who pots 

 liis l)ultis in their tiowerini' iiots at first 



