.11 I. V 1, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



u 



section will withstand the hottest sun 

 Avith (Oiiiparativc impunity, but tiicre are 

 quite a number of French and i;n<;lish 

 varieties which will scald to some e.xtent 

 under ylass in summer. Jt is better to 

 keep the jilants inside, esjiecially when 

 the hot. muggy August diiys come along, 

 as these start blight on tin; foliage if the 

 plants are outdoors, and it S|)reads with 

 alarming rapudity. Do not allow the 

 plants to become starved in the pots 

 before giving them a shift. Keep the 

 tops pinched and remove all llower 

 trusses. 



Sweet Peas. 



Sweet p(^as now are an all-thcyear- 

 around llorists' llower and the institution 

 of a sweet pea society should do much to 

 still further ])opularize them. The wealth 

 of beautiful new varieties suitable for 

 outdoor culturi', constantly being intro- 

 ducetl, 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 a<lvances 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, contlitions prevail, to produce 

 outdoor sweet peas at all approaching 

 the greeidiouse ones in quality. They 

 are, however, an indispensable tlower for 

 the Louiitry tlorist to retail in summer 

 antl without them we would be poorly 

 off, 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 nudching 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 

 liot w;i\e. Keep Howers picked olf close- 

 ly. Kemove all seed pods and weetls 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 fr(M]uently between tlic rows 

 to hold the moisture in the ground. 



THE MRS. LAWRENCE GERANIUM 



IFarry ,J. C^uick, of Baltimore, Md., is 

 convinced by experience that the Mrs, 

 Lawrence geranium is undoubtedly one 

 of the best bloomers on the market. The 

 photograph wiii(di is here reproduced 

 shows a house of this variety which was 

 grown by ,Mr, (^uick for J, Bolgiano & 

 Hon. To this firm ]\Ir, Quick has sold 

 over L'n.noi.) 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 higii, drained 

 location? Also', are they a sjit isfactory 

 flo\\t>r for greenhouse cultuic.' How high 

 do thev grow .' .1. M. B. 



Spiiuish iris ou low, moist ground will 

 rot in winter. On well drained land, 

 wheie water does not stand, flwy are just 

 as hardy as tulips or narcissi and the 

 current impression that they are not 

 adapted f(U- outdoor culture is utterly er- 

 roneous. We give our bulbs a light coat- 

 ing of leaves after th(! 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 ;ind of tlu- easiest possible cul 

 ture. 



For outdoor culture defer planting until 



Hydrangea Arborescens Alba Grandif lora. 



Just before tlu' grournl freezes. For 

 greenhouse culture place in flats as soon 

 as the bulbs arrive. .\ flat 4x12x24 will 

 hold seventy-five to Km bulbs. Place on 

 the floor ot a cool pit until well started. 

 Then remove to a co(d greiMdunise, kept 

 at 45 degrees at night. Uy 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 .Tune 

 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 desirjible succession, jd:int 

 som(> of the Liiglish irises, which want 

 simihir ti'eatmeTit. These are now, ,Tune 

 2S, just coining into flower with us. 



W. X. ('KAKi. 



ASPARAGUS SPRENGERI. 



I have Asparagus Sprengeri in (i-incli 

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

 Would it be advisable to i>lant these, say 

 in 10-incli wire baskets, and hang them 

 up in the houses for cut s|)rays next win 

 ter, or would it be better to plant young 

 plants that 1 have now in 3-inch "pots .? 

 It seems :i waste to throw awav the 

 large plants. E, F.' II. 



I would advise you to plant young 

 jdants of .Asparagus Sprengeri out of 

 o imdi or ;!>^.-inch i)ots. Set two plants 



in :i llinch wire basket. 'I'liis will prove 

 more satisfactory than to plant one in a 

 Kt-inch basket. .\i.HKHT F. Ami.inm;. 



NEW FORCING PLANT. 



Tiie European horticultural press has 

 been printing many favorable comments 

 (HI Hydrangea arborescens alba grandi- 

 llora, of whi(di the accompanying illus- 

 tration is presented. This plant was 

 raised by IL den Ouden & Son, at Bos- 

 koop, Holland^and in the last few years 

 they have been btisy working up stock 

 of it by pot culture in the usual Boskoop 

 manner. They consider that the plant 

 will jirove .-m important ac(|uisition for 

 the forcing plant trade. Tiie plant illus- 

 trated was forced by them last winter 

 and produ<'ei| fit'ty-four full-grown white 

 llowers. On e.-icli branch there were 

 eight buds, all of which jiroduced fully 

 develofied flowers. Wliile Hydrangea 

 arborescens alba grandillora is expected 

 to prove most valualile as a pot ]dant 

 for forcing, it will also be of value for 

 garden work, as it has lieen found to 

 stand the most severe winters in Hol- 

 land. 



The Review sends Scott's Florists' 

 Manual postpaid for .$5. 



I'll (;knk. Ohk. — W. (). Ileckert is bull. I 

 ing a range of greeidionses tor tlie 

 Misses Ida and Harriett Patterson, two 

 of wliitdi are coinplete(| an(i ;ire l)eing 

 l)lante(l. The houses .are to be run on a 

 connnercial scale. 



