&URCH 19. 1008. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Bed of Gtnnas Bordered by Salvia Bonfire. 



«asy to sell, and on this account it will 

 not pay to neglect them at this stage of 

 their growth, 



Easter Stock. 



It will be exactly a month to Easter 

 when these notes appear in print. March 

 has so far riot been specially ungenial 

 and plants have come along satisfac- 

 torily. A warm March is often followed 

 by a cold April, as in 1903, and it is well 

 not to trust too much to the increasing 

 solar heat and lengthening days. A week 

 of dark, dull weather may upset all our 

 calculations if we do. 



Lilies should now have the first buds 

 commencing to droop. Those with buds 

 all erect should be hurried a little. Bet- 

 ter have the flowers open a few days be- 

 fore being needed, as they can be held 

 back nicely in a cold house with plenty 

 of ventilation and the glass shaded. 

 Azaleas, if they show color a week 

 hence, will be timely. So will genistas, 

 rhododendrons and kalmias. Lilacs grown 

 warm should not show flowers until April. 

 It is better to grow these fairly cool, 

 as foliage comes better and flowers have 

 more substance. Marguerites in pots, 

 both yellow and white, should be open- 

 ing freely now. These can be retarded 

 a long time in a cold house. 



Azalea mollis need not have any flow- 

 ers expanding until two weeks, before the 

 date on which they are wanted, and 

 pyrus,^ prunus, cydonias and staphyleas 

 must not be allowed to open too early, 

 as they do not last long when in flow- 

 er. Acacia, particularly A. armata, is 

 better not too fully expanded. When 

 a few of the little, yellow, round flowers 

 become brown, they spoil the appearance 

 of a plant and there is little time to pick 

 them over in Easter week. Astilbes 

 should have the spikes pushing above 

 the foliage. Allow grandiflora and astil- 

 boides ten days more time than the com- 

 mon Japonica. Hydrangeas must now 

 have their flower heads coloring and will 

 be better grown cooler until Easter. A 

 house with the glass well shaded, plenty 

 of ventilation in pleasant weather and 

 end doors open, should be reserved for 

 plants as they come into flower. Do 

 not on any consideration permit the work 

 of months to be rendered futile by al- 

 lowing your plants to dry out. Remem- 



ber they must be well watered now, if 

 they are to do you credit and bring in 

 the necessary dollars. 



Lily of the Valley. 



Pans of lily of the valley, if well foii- 

 aged, are usually in demand at Easter. 

 Specialists in its culture need not be told 

 how to grow it, for they have special 

 houses, with, plenty of bottom heat and 

 every convenience. The small country 

 florist, who may only handle a little on 

 such occasions as Easter, can easily con- 

 trive a place to force it in. Either stand 

 it directly over the hot water pipes on 

 boards, or, better still, in a case with a 

 glass top, which can be shaded and dark- 

 ened to draw up the flower stalks and 

 gradually given more light to induce leaf 

 growth. Four weeks before Easter is 

 early enough to start in this way. Plant 

 in pots, pans or flats, as wanted. Re- 

 member the pips make no roots while 

 being forced, and it matters not to them 

 what sort of earth they are planted in. 

 Sand is just as good as loam, and is 

 usually preferred by large growers. Val- 

 ley with a bottom heat of 70 to 75 de- 

 grees and top heat 10 degrees lower will 

 be in flower in three weeks. If placed 

 directly on a light bench in a carnation 

 house temperature at once, in full light, 

 the flowers will expand before Easter; 

 nice, stocky flower spikes and heavy foli- 

 age, but shorter than the stock grown in 

 cases. Still, it is liked by many buyers. 



Brief Reminders. 



Do not be in too great a rush to re- 

 move winter protection from your hardy 

 plants. Better take away a little of the 

 coarser material only. We may yet have 

 some very cold, biting winds. 



Dutch bulbs must be retarded as much 

 as possible. The end of the month is 

 quite early enough to place these in a 

 frame or cool greenhouse. 



Keep your schizanthus for Easter 

 pinched until March 20 and see that some 

 stakes are used to keep the plants erect. 

 Grow cool and airy. 



Your calceolarias will need shade now. 

 They cannot stand the full sun's rays. 

 Forty-five degrees at night is ample heat 

 for them. 



A sowing of Cobsea scandens; Ipomcea 

 grandiflora alba, or moonflower; kudzu 



vine; maurandia, and Kenilworth ivy, or 

 Linaria Cymbalaria, should now be made. 

 The two last named are useful for hang- 

 ing baskets and vases. 



if you have any call for everlasting 

 flowers, make a sowing of helichrysum, 

 the best variety. The rhodanthes are ex- 

 tremely pretty, with pink and white flow- 

 ers; so are ammobiums and aerocliniums. 



Root a good batch of antirrhinum cut- 

 tings from your very best plants. Set 

 out in nursery rows in May. These will 

 give you plenty of early cuttings for an- 

 other season. 



There is yet ampler time to root an 

 abundance of coleus^ alternanthera, 

 achyranthes and similar foliage plants. 

 Your early batches will now give you 

 plenty of nice tops. 



How are your lilies for Memorial dayf 

 These should show buds not later than 

 May 1. Spirteas need not be started yet. 



A QUESTION ON TAXATION. 



Will some one please say, through the 

 columns of the Review, whether or not 

 a city council in the state of Nebraska 

 can pass an ordinance compelling a flo- 

 rist to pay an occupation tax for the 

 purpose of disposing of his product? I 

 also wish to know if a florist is any more 

 subject to pay a tax than would be a 

 farmer who owns and farms a place 

 within the city limits. The only differ- 

 ence I can see is the mode of cultivation, 



L. M. Best. 



PLUMOSUS AS A HOUSE PLANT. 



I have had quite a few of my custom- 

 ers complain of Asparagus plumosus 

 turning brown and the needles falling. 

 These plants were kept in the living 

 room, with temperatures ranging from 

 60 to 70 degrees, some receiving no sun, 

 others partial shade. Can you tell what 

 caused the trouble, and if there is a 

 remedy for it! F. J. 



The most probable reason is that the 

 plants have been allowed to become too 

 dry at the root. If the plants were 

 standing in saucers of water, this would 

 also be accountable for the trouble. 

 Usually Asparagus plumosus makes a 

 very desirable house plant. As the fronds 

 become old they will naturally turn 



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