^.'ViTrn^.^r": 



FBBBUABT 28, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists* Review. 



108f 



Sundry Remindcn. 



Cuttings of marguerites put in now 

 and grown along in pots will make fine 

 plants for flowering next Christmas. 



Achimines, fancy-leaved caladiums, 

 gesneras and tuberous-rooted begonias 

 intended for culture indoors can be 

 started now. Give them a light compost, 

 water sparingly until growth appears and 

 pot off before they crowd one another. 



Memorial day is about three months 

 away, but if you need hydrangeas at that 

 time they should be started right away, 

 Astilbes also should be potted and placed 

 under the benches of any cool house or 

 stood on a shed floor. They will make 

 roots at once. 



Such seedlings as asters, verbenas, 

 stocks, etc., should not be kept in a warm 

 house after they are well above ground 

 or they soon become leggy. Keep them 

 on a shelf well up to the glass. 



DENDROBIUM X CYBELE. 



Dendrobium x Cybele is one of the 

 most beautiful and free-flowering of the 

 many dendrobium hybrids. It is one of 

 Veitch's seedlings, the result of a cross 

 between D. Finalayanum and the well- 

 known D. nobile. There is considerable 

 confusion among the dendrobium hy- 

 brids, each hybridizer persisting in giv- 

 ing distinctive names to seedlings pro- 

 duced from the same parentage. Thus 

 there are D. Aurora and D. Xanthocen- 

 trum, each raised by Sir Trevor Law- 

 rence from the same cross. 



Like all the deciduous dendrobes, this 

 variety succeeds well in a basket of fern 

 fiber and sphagnum moss. Baskets 

 should be as small as possible and the 

 plants through the growing season need 

 good light with but little shade, a moist 

 atmosphere and plenty of heat, gradu- 

 ally reducing the water supplies as 

 growth ^is being completed and ripening 

 up the bulbs well in a cooler and sunny 

 house. W. N. C. 



A NEW RACE OF DAHLIAS. 



The Peony-flowered Variety, 



For many years dahlias have received 

 a large share of public favor, and every 

 season has seen new arrivals to swell the 

 already large ranks of named varieties. 

 Advance has b^en especially noticeable in 

 the cactud section, which has probably 

 reached tjie high-water mark of popu- 

 larity. The wondrous display of coloring 

 in this class, together with their correct 

 form, pointed petals, and graceful habit, 

 has given them the predominant position 

 in the great dahlia family. The last few 

 years has seen the decline of the large 

 show and fancy dahlias, and even the 

 popularity of the singles and the ever 

 useful pompons has been greatly lessened. 

 The older type of decorative dahlias is 

 seldom seen now, for the all-conquering 

 cactus varieties have taken the place 

 which once it so proudly held. 



And now the boasted supremacy of the 

 cactus group is at last threatened, and it 

 has to meet a rival which has thrown 

 form and symmetry to the winds, and 

 has entered the lists clothed in nature's 

 own freedom-loving style. To some of 

 us, nature lovers as we are, this break 

 is an especially pleasing one, for the new 

 type of dahlia which has arisen can best 

 be described as peony-flowered, for the 

 varieties possess the irregular, loosely- 

 arranged petals and the large golden 

 center which we usually associate with 

 peonies. Many of the petals are de- 



Dendrobium x Cybele. 



lightfully curled, and the elegant forms, 

 and the disproportionate size of many of 

 them, give one the pleasing idea of a 

 natural artistry produced by breaking 

 away from rigid and stereotyped designs. 

 These quaint and lovely flowers wertf 

 introduced by a Dutch firm, Copyn & Son, 

 of Groenekan, who have exhibited them 

 at Bosendaal, Paris, Dusseldorf, etc., 

 and have been the recipients of many 

 medals and certificates which testify to 

 the Continental appreciation of the new 

 section. The horticultural press of 

 France, Germany and Holland seems to 

 have been captivated by the beauty of 

 the newcomers. Needless to say, the 

 flowers are large, and the coloring of the 

 varieties named is good, and perhaps a 

 brief description may be of value. 



Duke Henry, soft dark red, loosely 

 formed, and produced on long stems. 



Dr. K. W. van Gorkom, a lovely vari- 

 ety, the white petals being softly shaded 

 with rose. 



Baron G. de Grancy, fine, long- 

 stemmed, with a double row of creamy- 

 white petals. 



Glory of Baarn, an exquisite soft pink, 

 fine flowers well above the foliage. 



Queen Wilhelmina, a lovely flower, pure 

 white, well arranged, and very floriferous. 



Hollandia, deep rose, well recom- 

 mended, fine for cutting. 



Paul Kruger, white striped red, with 

 three rows of elegant petals, on long 

 stems. 



King Leopold, a glorious soft yellow 

 shaded with cream. 



Pius X., soft yellow, freely striped 

 with salmon; the flowers are light and 

 graceful, very free. 



Germania, wine-crimson, which some- 

 times is shaded with yellow; it is very 

 effective. 



Solfatara, carmine-red with a rich yel- 

 low center. 



Queen Emma, a grand acquisition, 

 large and floriferous; the color soft 

 salmon and lilac. 



Garibaldi, a rich dark scarlet, which 

 is grand when arrayed with the daintier 

 colors of some of the preceding. 



This exhausts the list at present, but I 

 understand the raisers have other good 

 things in store, and if the new peony- 

 flowered dahlias come up to expectations, 

 they should find a place in many of our 

 English gardens. — Gardeners' Magazine. 



NARQSSI AND FUNKIAS. 



Kindly give me what information you 

 can as to growing Narcissus poeticus and 

 Funkia coerulea alba from seed. Does 

 the seed germinate readily and how long 

 will it require to bring them to bloom- 

 ing age? What is the proper method of 

 handling the seedlings! J. M. G. 



Raising narcissi from seed is a slow 

 process and does not pay, except it may 

 be in the raising of new varieties. Seed 

 should be sown in flats of sandy loam in 

 a cool greenhouse as soon as ripe and 

 be transplanted either into frames or 

 prepared beds in the open ground in 

 spring. The little seedlings will only 

 need one or two inches of space between 

 them. They will need lifting when the 

 foliage dies down and replanting in the 

 fall. As it takes three to four years, 

 and often much longer, to flower these 

 seedlings, there is no profit commer- 

 cially in attempting it unless, as previ- 

 ously stated, new hybrids are to be 

 raised. 



Narcissis poeticus produces offsets so 

 freely that it can be increased rapidly in 

 this way and, being so inexpensive, we 

 do not think it would be profitable to 

 attempt to raise it from seed. 



While the various funkias, such as 



