Jdnh 6, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



A Peony Dccoratton by "W. J. Smyth, Chicago. 



there was nothing in the whole lot she 

 thought so much of as the flowers. You 

 will hear from me a year from now if 

 nothing happens.' " 



THE PEONY DECORATION. 



This is the peony season and the ac- 

 companying illustration of a peony 

 wedding will be of special interest. The 

 circumstances which surrounded the ex- 

 ecution of this order were chronicled at 

 the time of its execution, when W. J. 

 Smyth and his force were sent from 

 Chicago with, a special train to decorate 

 the Catholic church at Mackinac Island, 

 Mich., for the wedding of one of the 

 daughters of one of the Cudahys, the 

 Chicago packers. Mr. Smyth took from 

 Chicago everything required for the job, 

 which was one of the most elaborate of 

 the season. Peonies were used in prob- 

 ably greater number than in any other 

 wedding decoration since the peony at- 

 tained its present popularity, and it 

 may safely be said that there is no 

 flower now so extensively used for June 

 weddings as is the peony. Any mis- 

 fortune which may have overtaken the 

 peony crops this year will be of serious 

 importance to the trade. The season is 

 late, but the weddings jsltb not, and the 

 call for peonies is insistent. 



The Cudahy wedding picture also 

 shows how lavishly Mr. Smyth used 

 ribbon. Considerable quantities of As- 

 paragus plumosus strings were employed 

 and a somewhat novel feature is the 

 use of evergreen boughs. 



GiRARD, O. — William Gerke welcomed 

 a baby daughter to his home June 1. 



NEPHROLEPIS SIEBRECHTII. 



Siebrecht & Son, New Rochelle, N. Y., 

 have a sport from the Pierson fern to 

 which they have given the name Sie- 

 brechtii. Describing it, they say: 

 "This is a sport in which the plumy 

 peculiarity of the original form is even 

 more distinctly developed than in the 

 original; the side pinnae being again 

 subdivided and standing at right angles 

 to the direction of the midrib, making 

 both sides of the frond equally beautiful, 

 while, at the same time, the plant is of 

 much more compact habit, growing only 

 one-half as tall, but with the fronds 

 nearly twice as wide, making it a much 

 more desirable plant for all purposes." 



PELARGONIUMS. 



Kindly describe the treatment pelar- 

 gonium geraniums should receive after 

 they are through flowering. My gera- 

 niums are in 5-inch pots and are in 

 flower at present. T. D. 



We presume that the show pelargo- 

 niums, commonly called Lady Washing- 

 ton geraniums, are referred to. After 

 the flowering season is over, stand the 

 plants outdoors and gradually withhold 

 water. Our plants are laid on their 

 sides and kept quite dry during August. 

 Toward the end of that month they are 

 shaken out of the "pots, all soil removed, 

 tops cut back quite severely and the 

 eiwis of the longest roots also removed. 

 They are then potted in as small pots 

 as they can be conveniently squeezed 

 into. Presuming your plants are now 



in 5-inch or 6-inch pots, they should go 

 into 4-inch. Give a good soaking of 

 water after potting, then keep a little 

 dry until growth commences, after which 

 time a gradually increasing supply may 

 be given. 



The plants prefer a cool and airy 

 house, and 45 degrees at night is warm 

 enough in winter. Cuttings taken off 

 and inserted in sand early in August will 

 make fine stock in 6-inch or 7-inch pots 

 the following season. Be sure to shift 

 the plants before they can become pot- 

 bound. C. W. 



SMILAX AND ASPARAGUS. 



Smilax and Asparagus plumosus are 

 about the first crops to go in, and for 

 these there are no benches to build. Both 

 of them should go right into the solid 

 ground. This is particularly true of as- 

 paragus. 



If the soil of the surface of the green- 

 house is not suitable, all you have to 

 do is to put up a plank 2x8 inches, 

 held in place by some pieces of 

 1-inch pipe, and then fill in with soil 

 that is one-fourth cow manure. Don't 

 put boards or any other material at thcj^jj^ 

 bottom of the bed. As the asparagus wfll 

 do in the same soil for three or fotir 

 years, with an annual top-dressing, it 

 should have a bed at least eight inches 

 deep, and if it were twelve inches deep, 

 none the worse. 



The smilax pays best when planted 

 annually and, therefore, six inches of 

 soil will grow it well for one year. To 

 get the best returns from smilax it 



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