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JutV 18, 1007. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



A House of Carnation Aristocrat in Fine Crop, July 1, 1907. 



rich and fairly sandy and porous. Do 

 not press the soil too firmly about the 

 roots. We have seen men who rammed 

 the soil about them as they would for 

 hard- wooded plants. This is all wronjr 

 and these begonias will quickly resent 

 it. If you have no suitable greenhouse 

 bench, you can grow the plants well 

 until the middle of September in a cold- 

 frame. The glass will need a coating of 

 whitewash, but it should be rather thin, 

 just enough to break the sun 's rays. 



You can still root cuttings, if procur- 

 able. These will make neat little plants 

 in 4-inch pots, or, if kept over, will 

 make splendid specimens another year. 

 Keep all flowers picked off and pinch the 

 tops from the flowering shoots. 



Show Pelargoniums. 



Probably your show pelargoniums 

 have finished blooming for this season 

 and can be stood outdoors and gradu- 

 ally kept drier at the root. Do not with- 

 hold water too suddenly, however, or the 

 plants may suffer. If you need any young 

 stock, take off a quantity of young 

 tops and root them now. Time was 

 when these beautiful pelargoniums were 

 exceedingly popular. There are now 

 much finer varieties than a decade ago, 

 and we predict increased calls for them 

 in coming years. Their ease of culture, 

 gorgeous flowers and persistent bloom- 

 ing qualities should commend them to all 

 purchasers of pot plants. "While they 

 are not suitable for bedding purposes, 

 they will flower for many weeks in a 

 cool greenhouse, dwelling house or on a 

 shaded piazza. 



A few good sorts to grow are: Crim- 

 son King, Mme. Thibaut, Mrs. Sandi- 

 ford, Captain Raikes, Nellie Hayes, J. 

 W. Hayes and J. Douglas. 



As they lose their foliage and the 

 wood becomes harder, lay the plants on 



their sides and withhold water alto- 

 gether for two or three weeks, then 

 prune back quite hard, shake out and re- 

 pot in smaller sized pots. 



Primulas. 



Primulas should now be making ex- 

 cellent growth and will need attention 

 before they become potbound. P. ob- 

 conica is more vigorous in habit than 

 P. Sinensis and should be shifted suc- 

 cessively from 2V(i-inch to 4-inch and 

 later to 6-in(h pots, the latter being a 

 convenient flowering size, but if larger 

 plants are in demand and a fair price 

 can be had for them, give them 8-inch 

 pots. A cool frame or the side bench in 

 a north house will suit primulas during 

 the summer. The advantage in growing 

 them in frames is that a better circula- 

 tion of air is possible and, by removing 

 the sashes on cloudy days and at night, 

 the plants become much stockier. Use 

 care in watering. The Chinese primulas 

 quickly resent sogginess at the root, 

 while lack of water will speedily finish 

 either class. Late sowings should now be 

 ready for potting off. Keep them shaded, 

 carefully watered, lightly sprayed over 

 on warm evenings, and they will make 

 serviceable plants before winter. 



Myosotis. 



Forget-me-nots 6r myosotis arc among 

 the most popular spring flowering plants 

 for florists to handle. Seed of any of 

 the hardy forms may be sown now, 

 either in a cool house or frame, and trans- 

 planted to the open ground when large 

 enough to handle. M. palustris semper- 

 florens is a first-class hardy variety, 

 growing eight inches high. The flowers 

 are blue, with a yellow eye. As there 

 is a possibility of the plants winter- 

 killing in some sections, the young stock 

 should either be given some winter pro- 



tection or, better still, placed in cold- 

 frames, in which they will flower and 

 make excellent selling stock in early 

 spring. 



Pansies. 



Pansies are an important crop with 

 many growers. A number of splendid 

 strains are now offered, including some 

 of those of American growers. The seed 

 would be better not sown until the end 

 of the month or during the first half of 

 August. If placed in the ground now 

 the plants become too big bef^^re au- 

 tumn. The same applies to the sowings 

 of the tufted pansies (Viola cornuta and 

 its forms), in some respects far su- 

 perior to pansies, flowering much more 

 profusely and over a longer period, well 

 worthy increased attention from com- 

 mercial growers. 



Sow antirrhinums now if you want 

 nice plants to bench to follow chrysan- 

 themums. Mignonette can be sown in 

 a cold house in deep benches or solid 

 beds about the end of the month. Seeds 

 of any biennials or perennials can still 

 bo sown. Those from earlier sowings 

 must be pricked out on cool, showery 

 days. 



Propagating. 



Summer is not usually chosen as a 

 time for doing much propagating, but 

 there is no need of the cutting benches 

 being entirely untenanted even now. 

 Good batches of antirrhinums put in 

 now will prove useful if benched to fol- 

 low mums. We have spoken of show 

 pelargoniums, which can also ge in now. 

 Crassula hybrida, pink, and C. coccinea, 

 scarlet, root quickly now. If you have 

 any "nice marguerite cuttings, put them 

 in, also a good lot of hydrangeas. These 

 latter will make nice little stock for 

 next Memorial day. Any of the colored- 



