The Weekly Florists' Review* 



Jolt 11, 1907. 



of ripe seed on your plants which will 

 answer just as well as any you can pur- 

 chase at the seed stores. The seeds 

 soon germinate and if pricked out in 

 the open ground a foot apart, will make 

 splendid plants before fall. 



While moderately hardy, we find it 

 better to give the plants the benefit of 

 a coldframe protection over winter. 



In addition to its value as an outdoor 

 summer flowering plant, C. grandiflora 

 makes a desirable subject for pot cul- 

 ture. For this purpose select a number 

 of the strongest clumps, pot into 6-inch 

 and 8-inch pots in October, keep out- 

 doors until sharp frost sets in, then place 

 in a cold pit. Give the plants a carna- 

 tion-house temperature after the New 

 Year and you will have flowers for Eas- 

 ter; or, if you wish to hold them later, 

 they will be found useful for Memorial 

 day bouquets. The plants require copious 

 supplies of water when in pots, and 

 plenty of feeding. They also need some 

 support before they come into bloom. 



Leptosyne maritima is another plant 

 adapted for pot culture, producing large 

 pale yellow flowers on long stems. Sown 

 in October it will bloom the following 

 spring. This is an annual, while the 

 coreopsis is a perennial but is best 

 treated as a biennial. 



Gunpanu'as. 



Campanulas are beautiful subjects for 

 the hardy border, while one or two 

 varieties make desirable pot plants. 

 Probably C. medium, better known as 

 Canterbury bells, are the most popular. 

 During the last few years these have 

 been on the markets at Easter from a 

 number of wideawake growers and meet 

 with a ready sale. For pot culture the 

 plants should be lifted and potted in 

 October and treated as recommended for 

 coreopsis. If seeds were not sown when 

 recommended in these columns, lose no 

 time in getting them in. 



The single varieties are considered the 

 best for pot culture, although some pre- 

 fer C. calycanthema, the cup and saucer 



open after April and securely staked as 

 the flower stems grow. 



C. persicifolia, with large, blue, eup- 

 shaped flowers, may be sown now. There 

 are several forms of this, including alba, 

 grandiflora and the new pure white semi- 

 double Moerheimi. All are of easy cul- 

 ture and the flowers are good either for 

 design work or for cutting on long 

 stems. All the forms are perfectly hardy. 

 C. Mariesu, the Japanese balloon flower, 

 is a late blooming variety with rich, vio- 

 let flowers, usually in season during 

 August and September. In the way of 

 dwarf campanulas the pretty little C. 

 Carpatica, tlie Carpathian b^llflower, 

 with eredt, blue, bell-shaped flowers, and 

 its white form, should not be omitted. 

 Whether in rock garden or mixed border 

 they are effective, forming large tufts six 

 inches in height. 



' Lychnis. 



These popular and profuse blooming 

 perennials are all of the easiest possible 

 culture and give a succession of bloom 

 from the end of May until September. 

 All may be raised from seeds sown in a 

 shaded frame. They can be propagated 

 also b(y division of the clumps in spring 

 or f all. L.* viscaria splendens, with rosy- 

 scarlet flowers, carried on spikes eighteen 

 inches high, is one of the finest peren- 

 nials grown. The flowers are fine for 

 cutting. L. Flos-cuculi, commonly known 

 as the cuckoo flower and ragged robin, 

 is another excellent variety. There are 

 some fine forms of this with double flow- 

 ers. The plants bloom persistently. L. 

 Sieboldii, with white flowers, and L. ful- 

 gens, scarlet, growing eighteen inches 

 high, are each desirable. The well known 

 L. Chalcedonica, or London pride, with 

 brilliant scarlet heads of bloom, makes 

 an excellent border plant. There is also 

 a pure white variety of this. L. Haageana 

 and its several hybrids show a wide 

 range of color. They all grow easily 

 from seeds and are good for the borders 

 or for cutting. L. diurna flore pleno, 

 double crimson, and L. vespertina flore 



Effect of Hail at the Plant of H. A. Hall, JopUn, Mo. 



variety. Of the several colors, pink, pale 

 blue and white are the most taking. C. 

 pyramidalis, the chimney campanula, is 

 a stately, hardy perennial, good either 

 in the open border or for culture in 

 large pots. For late summer piazza 

 decorations it is fine. We have seen nu- 

 merous plants in 12-inch pots and over, 

 five to six feet high, smothered with 

 bloom. These are usually grown in the 



pleno, double white, bloom all summer 

 and should be given a place in any col- 

 lection of hardy border plants. 



Hanly Lilies. 



The popular Madonna lily, or L. candi- 

 dum, is^now in season. We cut the spikes 

 when the first flowers open and place 

 in a cold room, where they expand fully 

 as well as on the plants and keep much 



better. Care is taken to pick off the 

 heads of pollen daily, to keep the blooms 

 clean. It is a pity that this is necessary, 

 for we think the pollen masses add much 

 to the flower's beauty. 



L. auratum has spikes well advanced 

 and some flowers will be open in a few 

 days. These, like all hardy lilies, have 

 been well mulched with old manure to 

 assist in keeping the roots cool and 

 moist. As the flowers are heavy, the 

 stems are now staked up to keep them 

 intact. This lily has rather a powerful 

 odor for Toom decoration, but stood on 

 the piazza iu large vases it is quite effec- 

 tive. 



L. speciosum and its varieties are of 

 great value later in the season. The 

 first buds are showing on some spikes. 

 These generally do without supporting, 

 but in the case of extra fine stalks it will 

 pay to support them. 



L. Henryi is the strongest and most 

 satisfactory lily grown. Its freedom 

 from disease is one great advantage. The 

 stems are now of good length and had 

 better be supported. 



The various forms of L. elegans have 

 just passed out of bloom, but L. longi- 

 florum, fall planted, will soon be in 

 bloom. The stalks of this are sufficient- 

 ly stout to render staking unnecessary, 

 L. superbum and L. tigrinum, the well- 

 known tiger Uly, have stems of consider- 

 able length now and will give a wealth 

 of flowers later. When they grow five 

 to seven feet in height, as some of ours 

 do, staking is necessary. Each of these 

 is fine for cutting, and for decorating the 

 store window in late summer they are ex- 

 cellent. 



L. Brownii, with its big, trumpet flow- 

 ers on moderately slender stems, should 

 be tied up at once or the flowers will 

 lie on the ground. 



L. excelsum and L. Batmanniae, two 

 lovely varieties, will also be the better 

 for some support. 



While some of these lilies are not 

 grown much commercially, all are valu- 

 able and, given a suitable location where 

 they can have some shade and be kept 

 well mulched at the root, will prove use- 

 ful, especially to the florist with a re- 

 tail trade. 



Brief Reminders. 



Keep putting in poinsettia cuttings. 

 Be sure to pot off those rooted before 

 they get hard in the sand. Cuttings in- 

 serted for a month or more yet will make 

 nice stock for pans. 



Some pelargonium cuttings taken now 

 will give you splendid plants for flower- 

 ing next April and May. Do not over- 

 water them. 



Buy some pansy seed to sow in July. 

 The best is cheapest. Also secure packets, 

 of the tufted pansies, Viola cornuta. 

 These latter are pretty and extremely 

 floriferous. 



Keep genistas pinched or clipped t» 

 keep them shapely and pinch the tops out 

 of any of the Indian azaleas which are 

 growing strongly. 



Do not forget your old stock plants of 

 marguerites. Plant them out in the field,, 

 so that you can get a good batch of cut- 

 tings later. 



Keep down the black aphis on mums by 

 spraying or fumigating. Give light doses 

 of smoke, for the foliage burns readily 

 these hot nights. 



Prune back spirteas, viburnums, dier- 

 villas, syringas and other flowering 

 shrubs as the flowers fade. Any newly 

 planted stock which is growing feebly 

 will need a severe pruning. 



_A_.,.M« ' 



hiuiSti,^ 



