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JULY 1, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



H 



section will withstand the hottest sun 

 with comparative impunity, but there are 

 quite a number of French and English 

 varieties which will scald to some extent 

 under glass in summer. It is better to 

 keep the plants inside, especially when 

 the hot, muggy August days come alon^, 

 as these start blight on the foliage if the 

 plants are outdoors, and it spreads with 

 alarming rapidity. Do not allow the 

 plants to become starved in the pots 

 before giving them a shift. Keep the 

 tops pinched and remove all flower 

 trusses. 



Sweet Peas. 



Sweet peas now are an all-the-year- 

 around florists' flower and the institution 

 of a sweet pea society should do much to 

 still further popularize them. The wealth 

 of beautiful new varieties suitable for 

 outdoor culture, constantly being intro- 

 duced, makes it incumbent on every up- 

 to-date grower to try one or two of the 

 novelties each season. All of these may 

 not be advances over existing varieties, 

 but a steady improvement is noticeable 

 each year. It is not possible, except in 

 a few specially favored spots, where ideal 

 climatic concfitions prevail, to produce 

 outdoor sweet peas at all approaching 

 the greenhouse ones in quality. They 

 are, however, an indispensable flower for 

 the country florist to retail in summer 

 and without them we would be poorly 

 oflf, indeed. 



The outdoor crop is now in full bloom 

 and to keep the plants in good growing 

 condition as long as possible should be 

 every grower's aim. If mulching was 

 applied as recommended some time ago, 

 it will be found a great help to the 

 plants. Note the difference between 

 mulched and unmulched rows during a 

 hot wave. Keep flowers picked off close- 

 ly. Kemove all seed pods and weeds com- 

 ing up among the plants. If water is 

 needed, use the sprinkler and soak thor- 

 oughly. If your plants are not mulched, 

 stir the soil frequently between the rows 

 to hold the moisture in the ground. 



THE MRS. LAWRENCE GERANIUM 



H^rry J. Quick, of Baltimore, Md., is 

 convinced by experience that the Mrs. 

 Lawrence geranium is undoubtedly one 

 of the best bloomers on the market. The 

 photograph which is here reproduced 

 shows a house of this variety which was 

 grown by Mr. Quick for J. Bolgiano & 

 Son. To this firm Mr. Quick has sold 

 over 20,000 geraniums during the present 

 season. 



SPANISH IRIS. 



Can you give me any information con- 

 cerning the culture of Spanish iris, 

 whether they will grow in a low, moist 

 soil, or do they prefer a high, drained 

 location? Also, are they a satisfactory 

 flower for greenhouse culture? How high 

 do they grow f J. M. B. 



Spanish iris on low, moist ground will 

 rot in winter. On well drained land, 

 where water does not stand, they are just 

 as hardy as tulips or narcissi and the 

 current impression that they are not 

 adapted for outdoor culture is utterly er- 

 roneous. "We give our bulbs a light coat- 

 ing of leaves after the ground freezes 

 and have never known any of the bulbs 

 to rot or winter-kill. It is surprising 

 that more of these splendid irises are not 

 grown commercially. They are inex- 

 pensive and of the easiest possible cul- 

 ture. 



For outdoor culture defer planting until 



Hydranjfea Arborescens Alba Grandif lora. 



just before the ground freezes. For 

 greenhouse culture place in flats as soon 

 as the bulbs arrive. A flat 4x12x24 will 

 hold seventy-five to 100 bulbs. Place on 

 the floor of a cool pit until well started. 

 Then remove to a cool greenhouse, kept 

 at 45 degrees at night. By starting some 

 early and retarding others, it is easy to 

 have a succession from March until June. 

 The outdoor crop with us, in southeastern 

 Massachusetts, was at its best about June 

 20. Some varieties, such as Chrysolora, 

 Louise and Mont Blanc, grow eighteen to 

 twenty-four inches high. Cajanus, a fine 

 deep yellow, grows over three feet out- 

 doors. All have excellent stems and they 

 are the finest of all the iris family for 

 cutting. As a desirable succession, plant 

 some of the English irises, which want 

 similar treatment. These are now, June 

 28, just coming into flower with us. 



W. N. Craig. 



ASPARAGUS SPRENGERI. 



I have Asparagus Sprengeri in 6-inch 

 and 7-inch pots, last year's seedlings. 

 Would it be advisable to plant these, say 

 in 10-inch wire baskets, and hang them 

 up in the houses for cut sprays next win- 

 ter, or would it be better to plant young 

 plants that I have now in 3-inch pots! 

 It seems a waste to throw away the 

 large plants. E. F. H. 



I would advise you to plant young 

 plants of Asparagus Sprengeri out of 

 3-inch or 314 -inch pots. Set two plants 



in a 14-inch wire basket. This will prove 

 more satisfactory than to plant one in a 

 10-inch basket. Albert F. Amling. 



NEW FORCING PLANT. 



The European horticultural press has 

 been printing many favorable comments 

 on Hydrangea arborescens alba grandi- 

 flora, of which the accompanying illus- 

 tration is presented. This plant was 

 raised by H. den Ouden & Son, at Bos- 

 koop, Holland, and in the last few years 

 they have been busy working up stock 

 of it by pot culture in the usual Boskoop 

 manner. They consider that the plant 

 will prove an important acquisition for 

 the forcing plant trade. The plant illus- 

 trated was forced by them last winter 

 and produced fifty-four full-grown white 

 flowers. On each branch there were 

 eight buds, all of which produced fully 

 developed flowers. While Hydrangea 

 arborescens alba grandiflora is expected 

 to prove most valuable as a pot plant 

 for forcing, it will also be of value for 

 garden work, as it has been found to 

 stand the most severe winters in Hol- 

 land. 



The Eeview sends Scott's Florists' 

 Manual postpaid for $5. 



Eugene, Ore. — W. O. Heckert is build- 

 ing a range of greenhouses for the 

 Misses Ida and Harriett Patterson, two 

 of which are completed and are being 

 planted. The houses are to be run on a 

 commercial scale. 



