8 The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



Febbuaby 13, 1908. 



agates better from soft-wood cuttings 

 than the other varieties, but is also eas- 

 ily increased from portions of roots. 



Gardenias. 



Gardenias benched in early summer 

 will be yielding a nice crop of flowers 

 now, if soil and other conditions are 

 right. If there is some bottom heat, all 

 the better. The plants seem to appre- 

 ciate some warmth at the roots in win- 

 ter, and where it can be afforded there 

 is less likelihood of the soil becoming 

 stagnant, with consequent yellowing of 

 the foliage. The soil must not be kept 

 too moist, or many flower buds will drop. 

 Let the compost dry out tolerably well 

 and then soak thoroughly. It will be 

 better to guard against liquid foods at 

 this season, but some soot or nitrate of 

 soda, the latter in weak doses, may be 

 given to darken the foliage. Use a 

 sprayer on the plants once in four or 

 five days, to keep the foliage clean and 

 mealy bug in check. 



Plants in pots do well in some plung- 

 ing material, and if they can get a little 

 bottom heat, an the better. Cuttings will 

 root freely now in a warm propagating 

 bed. Keep them well watered until 

 rooted. 



Jerusalem Cherries. 



Jerusalem cherries, or Solanum Capsi- 

 castrum, to use tho botanical name, are 

 useful and inexpensively grown berried 



week in May, in nursery rows, allowing 

 eighteen inches between the plants and 

 two to three feet between the rows. 



Petunias. 



If you carried over any old plants of 

 double petunias, you can probably get 

 some nice cuttings from these now, which 

 will root freely in a night temperature 

 of 55 to 60 degrees and can be grown 

 along into nice little plants for early 

 summer sales. Petunias, both double 

 and single, make excellent pot plants and 

 it is rather surprising to find them so 

 little grown for this purpose. They are 

 perhaps the most persistent flowering of 

 all garden annuals, and in addition to 

 their value for bedding purposes and pot 

 plants, are invaluable for window and 

 piazza boxes and vases. It is a trifle 

 early to make a sowing of these for use 

 about Memorial day, as once started they 

 grow very fast. The end of February is 

 a seasonable date to get in a good batch 

 of seed. There are now some fine strains 

 of petunias. The * ruffled Calif ornians 

 have mammoth flowers and a wide range 

 of colors. Double seed is offered, but 

 can only be expected to produce occa- 

 sional plants carrying double flowers. 

 Propagation by cuttings is necessary to 

 perpetuate these. 



Coleus and Altemanthera. 



While heavy firing is the rule and 

 there is an ample supply of bottom heat 



Fred Burki* 



(The New President of the Pittsburjr and Allegheny Florists" and Gardeners' Club.) 



subjects for early winter and Christmas 

 trade. If you want a lot of fine, bushy 

 plants, sow the seed now in pans or flats. 

 Mice are fond of it ; therefore, if you 

 have any around, keep a cat in the house 

 or they will surely make short work of 

 your seeds. The proper treatment for 

 these solanums is to pot off when large 

 enough to handle. Gradually harden off 

 and plant outdoors about the second 



is the time to work up a good stock of 

 coleus and altemanthera. Get rid of the 

 old mealy bug decorated plants. You 

 can get all the future cuttings you are 

 likely to need from your young plants, 

 which will soon furnish plenty of tops. 

 While there is a diminished use for these 

 colored-leaf subjects, they are of such 

 easy culture as bedding plants that it is 

 always well to carry a stock of them. 



The altemanthera is a necessity if you 

 have any carpet bedding to do. 



Geraniums. 



Do not allow your little bedding gera- 

 niums to become too much potbouud. 

 Give them a shift into 3-ineh or 3 14 -inch 

 pots and spread them out a little. Con- 

 tinue to put in cuttings from any old 

 plants you carried over. It will not be 

 long before you can get a nice lot of tops 

 from your little plants. Insert these 

 singly in 2-inch pots, containing sandy 

 loam. In a sand bed many will rot off". 

 In pots you should not lose over five per 

 cent if you care for their wants reli- 

 giously. 



Bougainvillea Sanderiana. 



There has been a fair demand for 

 Bougainvillea Sanderiana in the large 

 markets for a few years. While the 

 color is not exactly an Easter one, it has 

 beeii found that it sells well at that holi- 

 day. Plants which were well ripened by 

 exposure to sunshine last fall, and which 

 have been kept cool and rather dry dur- 

 ing the winter, may now be started in a 

 warm, moist house. Avoid much root 

 disturbance; a top dressing ought to suf- 

 fice. Syringe freely, but do not over- 

 water until the plants break freely. A 

 night temperature of 60 degrees will suf- 

 fice. Bougainvilleas, if kept dry while 

 in bloom, have surprising lasting prop- 

 erties. They are best propagated in 

 April or May, from half ripened wood, 

 although fully matured shoots can also 

 be used for the same purpose. 



Salvia Splendens. 



Many growers continue to carry over 

 stock plants of Salvia splendens. These 

 plants take up room which might be 

 utilized more prefitably. We have al- 

 ways failed to see any particular advan- 

 take in rooting cuttings of this salvia. 

 The plants are less vigorous than seed- 

 lings. They may bloom a little earlier, 

 but that is no special advantage, as the 

 value of S. splendens lies in its fall- 

 flowering properties. It is much too 

 early to sow seeds yet, unless they are 

 wanted two to three feet high at bed- 

 ding-out time. The end of March will 

 give plants big enough for the most fas- 

 tidious. Where the cutting method of 

 propagation is preferred, it would be 

 well to insert a batch in the sand. Tops 

 can be taken from these later. 



Easter Shrubs. 



While it is still a little early to start 

 forcing any Easter shrubs, it would be 

 well to have all potted up where this 

 operation has been neglected and have 

 them ready to house at any time. This 

 applies to Azalea mollis, Staphylea Col- 

 chica, lilacs, prunus, pyrus, rhododen- 

 drons, Crataegus and others of the gen- 

 eral line of lorcing shrubs. Genistas 

 started now in a cool house will come 

 along in season, as will Azalea Indica. 

 If the latter promises to be late, it will 

 be easy to do a little forcing near Easter. 



Dutdi Hyacinths. 



There is no special advantage in forc- 

 ing pots and pans of Dutch hyacinths 

 into flower very early. They always sell 

 better toward spring. Of course, if you 

 want these for Easter, it is much too 

 early to house them, but probably you 

 may have a retail trade calling for a few 

 pans each week. In this case, as the 

 shoots should now be well advanced and 

 the plants well rooted, bring a few into 

 heat weekly. If they are not sprouted 

 three inches, better place them in the 



