U26 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



September 20, 1906. 



C. integrifolia blooms early in August; 

 flowers are large and deep blue in color. 

 C. Davidiana carries tubular, bell-shaped 

 flowers of a deep, lavender blue shade in 

 August and September. C. heraclesefolia 

 has flowers a little paler in color than C. 

 Davidiana, but is of very similar habit. 



Incarvillea Dclavayi. 



This comparatively new tuberous-rooted 

 plant quickly jumped into the ranks of 

 a favorite, and any one who has seen it 

 growing and flowering cannot but admit 

 that it is a gem. The large gloxinia-like 

 flowers, which are of a bright rosy color, 

 last remarkably well. The foliage also 

 is handsome. Some growers seem to be 

 able to winter this plant in the open 

 with a protection of leaves. Some of 

 our pknts have come through protected 

 in this way, while others have died. We 

 think the safest plan is to lift and store 

 the roots early in November in boxes 

 of sand or light, sandy loam, and keep 

 in a cool cellar until April. 



Hypericum Mosrrianum. 



This is a splendid herbaceous plant, of 

 a free and graceful habit. It is not 

 considered reliably hardy in the east, 

 north of Philadelphia, but plants have 

 stood out during the last ten winters in 

 New Hampshire and were practically un- 

 hurt. It is a most persistent bloomer, 

 the slender, much branched stems being 

 weighted down with their large, golden 

 yellow flowers, which are two and one- 

 half to three inches in diameter. The 

 numerous prominent yellow stamens and 

 crimson anthers make the flowers very 

 attractive. 



Physostegia Virginiana. 



Physostegia Virginiana, commonly 

 called the false dragon head, and Texas 

 heath, is one of the most beautiful and 

 useful of perennials blooming at mid- 

 summer. A vase of this hardy plant, cut 

 with long stems, is very telling, and few 

 there are who fail to notice it when 

 staged in collections of perennials at the 

 summer shows. The flowers are of a 

 pleasing, soft pink color. P. Virginiana 

 alba has pure white flowers, and P. spc- 

 ciosa delicate pink ones. A few growers 

 have made a specialty of these for mar- 

 ket purposes, and find that they pay 

 well, for many retail florists in the cities 

 are pleased to get hold of a flower which 

 is a good keeper and is a little out of 

 the beaten track of florists' staples. 

 Propagation of either seed or division is 

 easy. Plants can be bought at low rates, 

 and a few dozen plants will be found 

 valuable on either commercial or private 

 estates. 



Cimicifug?. 



Cimicifuga, better known as snake 

 root, is desirable for the hardy garden. 

 Probably the best known variety is the 

 pretty native species, C. racemosa. This 

 grows sometimes to a height of six feet, 

 the flower portion alone being frequently 

 two feet or more in length. The flowers 

 are pure white, and are produced in July 

 and August. C. simplex, still sometimes 

 sold as Actsea Japonica, is a valuable 

 late flowering variety which does not 

 open until September and lasts well into 

 October. Spikes can be cut two and one- 

 half feet long of this variety. Flowers 

 are pure white and last well in water. 

 C. Dahurica, with creamy white flowers, 

 and C. Japonica, pure white, are also 

 desirable varieties. These are all per- 

 fectly hardy, and increase very satis- 

 factorily from year to year. 



Boltonias. 



These are among the finest of all om 

 late summer and fall flowering peren- 

 nials. ioT mass effects in beds they are 

 excellent. As cut flowers they are useful, 

 lasting, as they do', remarkably well. 

 They are well adapted for filling large 

 vases, and should be cut with long stems. 

 We find them useful in design work at a 

 time when suitable material is none too 

 abundant. The pure white B. asteroides 

 and the pink B. latisquama are the best 

 varieti&s to grow. As boltonias attain 

 a height of four to six feet, they need 

 staking to prevent the stems being bent 

 or broken. This should be done before 

 August 1. They increase freely from 

 root division, are perfectly hardy and 

 should be on every florist's place. 



C. W. 



ENGLISH HOLLY. 



Ilex Aquifolium, commonly known as 

 English holly, is one of our popular 

 (.'hristmas plants. The leaves are more 



The English Holly. 



prickly than the American species, Ilex 

 opaea, and the fruit is more freely pro- 

 duced and more attractive. The plants 

 are usually seen in tubs and most of 

 them are imported. When growing wild. 

 Flex Aquifolium forms a tree sometimes 

 forty feet high, with short, spreading 

 branches, and forming a pyramidal head. 

 Aquifolium can be grown further north 

 than almost any variety. In England it 

 is a favorite evergreen, and is used in 

 hedges extensively, although a slow 

 grower for this purpose. It can be 

 pruned and trained readily into 

 any desired shape. Most hollies are 



dioecious, and this important species 

 is no exception; it is necessary 

 to grow a few staminate plants 

 among the pistillate to secure a good 

 crop of fruit. One of the chief values 

 of the hollies is in their showy, highly 

 colored berries, so this matter of getting 

 good fertilization is important. The 

 pistillate plants should always pre- 

 dominate. The accompanying illustra- 

 tion is from a photograph of a plant 

 imported for Christmas sale by a Boston 

 retailer. 



HILL'S NEW HYDRANGEA. 



The Review has received from the E. 

 G. Hill Co., Richmond, Ind., a box of 

 fine heads of bloom of Hydrangea ar- 

 borescens grandiflora alba, recently illus- 

 trated in these columns. The flower 

 heads are big and pure white. Of this 

 novelty Mr. Hill says: 



"We think this hardy American shrub 

 is the finest addition to this class of 

 plants found in many a year. The 

 blooms are of largest size, of pure snow- 

 white color, and the foliage is finely 

 finished, lacking entirely the coarseness 

 found in H. paniculata grandiflora. One 

 of its most valuable characteristics is 

 its coming into bloom just after the 

 passing of all the early spring shrubs, 

 while its long season of bloom, from 

 early June through August, renders it 

 doubly valuable, not only to the florist, 

 but to every owner of a garden. It is 

 perfectly hardy, standing 20 degrees be- 

 low zero. 



"The form of the panicle is much like 

 that of Hydrangea Hortensia. The habit 

 of the plant is excellent. We think it 

 is bound to become the most widely 

 grown and the most useful of all the 

 hydrangeas, and the most valuable shrub 

 found in the American garden, while it 

 is more than probable that the florist 

 will find it a most important addition 

 to his class of plants, both indoors and 

 out. ' ' 



BOSTON. 



The Market 



On Tuesday, September 18, the ther- 

 mometers registered 92 degrees in the 

 shade. Flowers are exceedingly plentiful 

 and trade rather slow. Roses are com- 

 ing of better size. Beauty and Wellesley 

 being especially good. No special change 

 in prices on these. Carnations are much 

 more plentiful, selling at about the same 

 prices, 50 cents to $2 per hundred. A 

 few single violets appeared this week, 

 but are small, of course. They bring 50 

 cents to 75 cents per hundred. Tube- 

 roses sell at 35 cents to 50 cents per 

 dozen stalks. Asters are deteriorating, 

 prices varying from 25 cents to $1.50 

 per hundred. Easter lilies average $1.50 

 per dozen. Gladioli evidently are near 

 the end. Quite a number of Cattleya 

 labiata now are seen in the better stores. 

 A few small chrysanthemums are com- 

 ing in. No change in green stock. 



Qub Meeting. 



The opening fall meeting of the Gar- 

 deners' and Florists' Club attracted a 

 large gathering on September 18, there 

 being 130 present. Reports were heard 

 from the picnic committee and the com- 

 mittee on landscape gardening classes, 

 which will commence in October. Votes 

 of thanks were passed to all donors of 

 prizes for the picnic. The membership 

 list received a substantial addition, no 



