The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



July 25, 1007. 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



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Freesias. 



If you want an early batch of f reesias 

 for Christmas or New Year, the bulbs 

 should be started not later than the first 

 week in August. Home-grown bulbs are 

 as good as any you can buy, provided 

 that when the spikes are cut they are not 

 taken off close to the ground and that 

 after flowering the bulbs are not thrown 

 under the bench and neglected until 

 needed again. There are a variety of 

 methods of culture. One is to plant in 

 benches, sometimes between other crops. 

 "We cannot recommend this plan, as much 

 better spikes can be produced in flats, 

 pans or pots, when they are well cared 

 for, and the benches can be planted more 

 profitably to other crops. 



Freesias like a fairly rich compost of 

 well-rotted turf, dried cow manure and 

 sand, with the addition of a little fine 

 charcoal and soot. Chemical fertilizers 

 are better left alone when mixing up the 

 compost. Flats four to five inches deep 

 and of any desired length and width are 

 suitable. One 15x30 will hold seventy- 

 five to 100 bulbs. Pans eight, ten and 

 twelve inches in diameter will grow extra 

 fine freesias, while nice stock may be had 

 by planting eight to ten bulbs in a 6-inch 

 pot. 



Freesias, after being boxed or potted, 

 should be well watered and placed in a 

 cool pit or frame covered with cloth or 

 boards to keep out the sun. Covering 

 the soil with moss or some other mulch- 

 ing until growth starts is also helpful. 

 Not much water is needed until shoots 

 appear. Freesias shouhl always have a 

 position well up to the light. Shelves in 

 carnation houses are especially good. 

 They need an abundant supply of water 

 and plenty of liquid stimulant when the 

 flats or pots are well filled with roots. It 

 is best to start batches at intervals of a 

 month until the end of October. Freesia 

 refracta alba is the best sort. Fischer's 

 Purity is an extra fine variety, well liked 

 by all who have grown it. 



Gypsophila Paniculata. 



The well-known baby's breath, as the 

 plant is commonly known, is one of the 

 most useful of hardy summer flowers and 

 is of great value in design and bouquet 

 work. For any who are still without it, 

 we would advise the planting of some 

 roots during September or October. Or, 

 if seeds are started now, it is not yet too 

 late to produce plants of flowering size 

 by another summer. Of the several va- 

 rieties of gypsophila, G. paniculata is 

 the best. A double form is now fairly 

 plentiful and is better than the single 

 type for cut flower work. It will pay 

 every wideawake florist to buy a few 

 roots of this, one of the best novelties 

 among hardy plants introduced of late 

 years. 



Perennial Phloxes. 



These popular hardy herbaceous plants 

 are now beginning to make a goodly 

 showing. Their ease of culture and prac- 

 tical freedom from the diseases and 



pests afflicting flowering plants in gen- 

 eral, and their wide color variations, 

 make them indispensable in the hardy 

 flower garden. To the commercial grow- 

 er they may not appeal so much as to 

 private gardeners, for they are not 

 classed as a shipping flower and retail 

 storekeepers consider them of no value 

 except for window decoration. However, 

 the white, pale pink and lavender blue 

 shades come in very nicely in funeral 

 work and many a florist in the hot 

 months is mighty glad to turn to his 

 phlox bed for material. Phloxes are well 

 adapted for cutting. Arranged in a good 

 bulk of water, they last well and are 

 splendid for room decoration. 



Like all herbaceous perennials, they 

 prefer deeply dug and well manured 

 ground. Roots can be divided in Sep- 

 tember, or cuttings of soft wood taken in 

 fall and wintered in a frame will furnish 

 fine flower heads the following season. 

 Young plants produce much handsomer 

 trusses than old clumps and it will pay 

 to propagate a few each year. 



Palms and Ferns. 



The sun has shone with intense power 

 the last two weeks and care must be 

 taken that an adequate amount of shad- 



ing is on the glass where palms and ferns 

 are growing, or sun-burning ofi the leaves 

 and fronds may easily result. Both root 

 and leaf growth is rapid now^ with the 

 necessarily high temperatures prevailing 

 in the houses. Plants well rooted should 

 receive regular doses of soot and manure 

 water. The soot keeps the foliage a dark 

 color and also helps to drive worms out 

 of the soil. 



Where small ferns and palms are be- 

 coming potbound they should be potted 

 without delay. There is ample time for 

 them to make a lot of growth before win- 

 ter. If your houses are crowded with 

 foliage plants and frames are standing 

 empty, place a number of your palms, 

 ferns or other foliage stock in them for 

 a couple of months, taking care to shade 

 the glass well. They will make even bet- 

 ter and sturdier growth there than in the 

 houses. In watering the ferns avoid wet- 

 ting the fronds any more than you can 

 help. 



Brief Reminders. 



Have you ordered all bulbs needed for 

 next fall? Supplies of some varieties 

 are already exhausted and no time should 

 be lost in ordering what will be needed. 

 The columns of the Review have con- 

 tained some tempting offers of these of 

 late. 



Do not allow too many growths to re- 

 main on yout dahlias. One good shoot 

 to each plant is better than a dozen weak 

 ones. 



Sweet peas and asters will appreciate 

 soakings of water if the weather is hot 

 and dry. Let it be done thoroughly or 

 not at all, and be sure to hoe the ground 

 well the following day. 



Cut any seed pods away from hybrid 



The Phlox as a Cot Flower. 



