MAY 2. 1907. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



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Aquatics. 



,0 of the most delightful features of 

 parks, public gardens and of many 

 ,tc estates are the ponds of nym- 

 s, nelumbiums and other aquatic 

 IS. Commercially they are not as 

 1 grown as they might be, but many 

 ilo) ..-ts are asked advice as to their treat- 

 mi ' and not infrequently take contracts 

 to i'lant ponds with them. It will soon 

 be time to set out the hardier nymphaeas. 

 Wo have now a wonderful variety of 

 th'^so beautiful aquatic flowers, due in 

 larye measure to the painstaking labors 

 of M. Marliac, the French hybridist, who 

 by crossing the common English water 

 lily, N. odorata, with the Cape Cod pink 

 pond lily, N. odorata rosea, and the Flor- 

 ida variety, N. flava, has given us a won- 

 derful range of colors in this regal plant. 

 Tonds or pools for the culture of 

 aquatics are often artificial, in which 

 case walls of masonry or concrete and 

 a bottom of concrete or clay puddled to 

 a depth of six or eight inches, are neces- 

 sary. The action of severe frost is lia- 

 ble to cause cracks in these artificial 

 pools, which it may be necessary each 

 spring to repair. The water should be 

 from two to three feet deep and for 

 compost a mixture of two-thirds pasture 

 sod and one-third rotted cow manure is 

 suitable. In some cases boxes four feet 

 square and a foot deep are used to hold 

 this compost, which should carry most 

 varieties two years, although some culti- 



vators prefer to plant annually. If pos- 

 sible, prepare the compost some time be- 

 fore it is needed and cover with a layer 

 of two inches of coarse sand after plant- 

 ing. 



It would be well to bear in mind that 

 under natural conditions nymphaeas grow 

 in full sunshine and they should not, 

 therefore, be planted near overhanging 

 trees. It should also be remembered 

 that in their natural state they have rich, 

 alluvial mud in abundance and their food 

 must not be stinted. In many of the 

 concrete creations on expensive estates 

 there is an objection to having the water 

 clouded. The idea is to sit and watch 

 the gambols of the carp or pickerel in 

 tho pellucid water, but aquatics need 

 more than clear water to thrive in and 

 if an abundance of rich soil is not pro- 

 vided, poor plants will be the result. 

 Do not set the plants too closely. They 

 should be allowed fifty to seventy-five 

 square feet of space each. 



The Best Nymphaeas. 



The hardy varieties of nymphaea can 

 be planted early in May. We notice that 

 those in our ponds are already growing 

 quite a little in spite of the cold, back- 

 ward spring. Here are a few of the 

 best hardy varieties, which can be left 

 out over winter if the roots are at a 

 sufl5cient depth to be clear of freezing: 

 N. odorata, pure white; N. odorata rosea, 

 pink, commonly called the Cape Cod pond 

 lily; N. odorata sulphurea, yellow; N. 



Marliacea chromatella, yellow; N. Mar- 

 liacea rosea, pink; N. Marliacea albida, 

 white ; N. tuberosa, white, a luxuriant 

 grower, needs more space than other va- 

 rieties; N. Laydekeri rosea, rosy pink, 

 and N. Eobinsoniana, another hybrid of 

 M. Latour-Marliac, color yellow, overlaid 

 with reddish purple. 



A few of the best tender sorts to plant 

 are: N. Zanzibariensis, dark blue; N. 

 pulcherrima, light blue; N. dentata and 

 N. dentata magnifica, pure white; N. 

 Devoniensis, red; N. rubra-rosea, red; 

 N. Capensis, sky blue; N. Zanzibariensis 

 rosea, rosy pink; N. Mrs. C. W. Ward, 

 rosy pink, and N. O'Marana, reddish 

 pink. As some of the tender varieties 

 are night bloomers only, in purchasing a 

 selection it should be stated whether 

 night or day blooming sorts are wanted. 

 Tender varieties should not be set out 

 until the first week in June, when the 

 water has become well warmed, and must 

 be stored in winter in a tank of moder- 

 ately warm water. 



Nelumbiums. 



The nelumbiums, or lotuses, are noble 

 aquatic plants, but are better grown in 

 a separate pond from the nymphaeas, as 

 they grow so much more luxuriantly and 

 throw their foliage and flowers a con- 

 siderable height above the water. They 

 should be planted about the middle of 

 May, certainly not later than June 10. 

 They require a good bed of rich mud 

 and, while they may not grow very fast 

 nor bloom much the first year, they will 

 increase rapidly and flower freely in 

 succeeding years. The nelumbiums are 

 all perfectly hardy in our northern 

 states. A few good varieties are: N. 

 speciosum, Egyptian lotus, rose; N. 

 Pekinensis rubrum, .rosy carmine; N. 

 luteum, yellow; N. album grandiflorum, 

 white, and N. kermesina, pink. 



Other Aquatics. 



A few good aquatics to use in addi- 



Pond of Hardy Aquatics at Lincoln Park, Chicago. 



