▲VGUST 6, 1008. 



The Weekly Florists^ Re view. 



Pickiog Asters at Ross E. Zander's, SoudenhuxZr Pa* 



coal and loam make a good compost. Let 

 half of the whole mixture be leaf-mold 

 and do not pot too firmly. Keep tops 

 pinched and flowers removed for some 

 time yet, 



Poinsettias. 



Early rooted cuttings of poinsettias 

 should be benched by this time. Be care- 

 ful not to ov^rwater. Any sogginess at 

 the root will cause a loss of foliage. 

 Keep the house well ventilated night and 

 day to keep the plants as stocky as pos- 

 sible, and there is no need for any shad- 

 ing on the glass. 



It is now time to make up the early 

 pans, which can be 8-inch or 10-inch in 

 size. Work some little plants of nephrol- 

 epis, Cyperus alternifolius, or any other 

 cheaply grown foliage plants between the 

 poinsettias. These will cover up any 

 nakedness of stem and materially add to 

 the selling value of the pans. Grow these 

 pans cool for some time. For another 

 month or six weeks a frame will grow 

 them better than a greenhouse. 



The last lot of cuttings should now go 

 into the propagating bench. These will 

 make up into nice, serviceable little pans 

 for Christmas sales. On no account leave 

 the cuttings long in the benches after 

 they are rooted. Once they become hard 

 they are of little value. 



Bouvardias. 

 It yet is too early to lift bouvardias, 

 but they should be looked over once a 

 week and leading shoots pinched. If al- 

 ^ lowed to grow ad libitum high winds will 

 break them down badly. The early-flow- 

 ering, white, sweet-scented variety, Hum- 

 boldtii corymbiflor^ comes in useful now 

 in bouquet or design work, at a season 

 when choice flowers are quite scarce. By 

 letting a portion of the plants bloom now 

 and keeping others pinched, a long suc- 

 cession of flowers may be had from this 

 finest of all bouvardias. It would pay 



commercial growers to try this variety, 

 especially where there is a good home 

 trade. It may be had in bloom from 

 early August until frost in the open and, 

 if lifted and given a warm house, it will 

 bloom much longer. 



Herbaceous Calceolarias. 



It is useless sowing seed of the large- 

 flowering herbaceous section of calceola- 

 rias before this time. During intense 

 heat, the seedlings will damp off. As 

 florists' flowers they are less useful than 

 the rugosa section, but their large, showy, 

 spotted blooms will attract many cus- 

 tomers. Like cinerarias, they are head- 

 quarters for green aphis if any are to 

 be found, and want at all times to be 

 grown cool. Anything just clear of freez- 

 ing in winter will suit them, 40 degrees 

 at night being better for them than 50 

 degrees. 



Iri sowing the seed let the compost be 

 largely leaf -mold, powdered charcoal and 

 sand. Make the surface smooth and 

 water before scattering in the little 

 seeds. Drop a little fine sand over the 

 seeds. Lay a sheet of glass over it, 

 then cover with newspaper to exclude 

 light. A cool north house or frame is 

 suitable for the seeds. Be sure not to 

 allow the soil to become dry and remove 

 the paper as soon as the seedlings ap- 

 pear. Sun must not be allowed to strike 

 the little plants or they will quickly 

 perish. 



Sweet Peas. 



If sweet peas are desired late in Oc- 

 tober, and especially for Thanksgiving 

 trade, the seeds should now be sown. 

 Some growers find diflSculty in germinat- 

 ing the seeds during hot weather, and 

 the percentage of failures is usually 

 heavier than during the cooler months. 

 The seeds may be sown either in flats of 

 sand and transplanted from these into the 

 beds or benches where they are to flower, 



or, better still, be sown two or three 

 seeds together in 2^-inch or 3-inch pots. 

 The latter method entails more labor, but 

 unless a large quantity is to be grown it 

 is preferable to the sand system. Of 

 course, the seed may also be sown directly 

 in the benches where they are to grow, 

 but the transplanting method will be 

 found the safest. The little plants do 

 not need to be nearer than two to two 

 and a half inches apart in the rows. 



Several good forcing varieties are now 

 offered. The most popular are Earliest 

 of All and Christmas Pink, pink and 

 white; Florence Denzer, Mont Blanc and 

 Watchung, pure white. Mr. Zvolanek has 

 raised a number of other fine winter va- 

 rieties. These can be had in shades of 

 lavender, pink and red. 



If you have facilities for doing it, 

 sterilize the soil where your sweet peas 

 are to be grown. It will well repay you 

 for the labor involved. 



Hydrangeas. 



Early rooted cuttings of hydrangeas 

 should now be in 4-inch pots and, if given 

 a shift into 6-inch pots within the next 

 fortnight, will make splendid plants for 

 forcing another season. Keep them out- 

 doors in full sun and let them have 

 abundant supplies of water. 



If you have omitted the insertion of 

 cuttings there is still time to root a 

 batch. These can be grown into nice 

 little 4-inch pot plants before fall. It is 

 yet rather early to dig up and pot any 

 left-over stock you planted outdoors. 

 Wait until the end of the month before 

 doing this. 



Marguerites* 



It is difficult, if not impossible, to se- 

 cure any cuttings of marguerites during 

 the summer months which are not of 

 flowering wood. As the cooler nights 

 come on the old stock plants grow with 

 increased vigor. Prune back one or two 



