JULV lo, 1900. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



n 



Odontogtossum Pulchellum Majus. 



lubbed ol' food, but to nllow free circiilu- 

 lioii of ;rir. When piilliii<r weeds, .-ilways 

 '>(' particular to yet tlio root. 



Ceo. S. O.siiuiix. 



JAPANESE IRIS. 



Iris Kteiiijiferi is little kno\Mi as a 

 market cut llower. the iiorfjcons llowers 

 being somewhat tieetin^f. P.iiiiches of 

 these and other seasonable jierennials are 

 excellent for store decoration at tiiis sea- 

 son, and if named will often lead cus- 

 tomers to place firder^ for them for fall 

 plantintr. 



'J'iie popular supposition tliat this iris 



mu.st ha\e th jifc of a poiul or 



stream so that its roots <j;o into water 

 oefore it can be satisfactorily flowered 

 is utterly ei'roueous. in the growing 

 season it loves ti> be uuiist at the root, 

 ■ ifter which time it sliould be kept much 

 driei'. If in wet jircuind in winter, the 

 chances are that the roots will all rot. 

 For these reasons it shou!<l be planted 

 uliere water will nut stand. 



By clioosinp a deep soil, ii:iturally 

 moist, spliMidid dapauese iiis lan be 

 thrown in an ordinary garden. If p(>r- 

 chancc weather conditions are dry near 

 llowcring time, a soaking with the hose 

 or sprinkler will insure au excellent crop 

 of flowers. About every visitor is 

 .harmed witli this iri.s and wants to 

 plant it. The la>t of August and through 

 September is the best time for this work. 

 i''ou can assure your customrrs that 

 while a sunken bed, \\hi(di can be floo<led 

 in summer and drained in winter, is ideal, 

 it is not necessary to go to any such ex- 

 pense to have fine Japanese iris. 



POTBOUND SPRENGERI. 



I have been a reader of the Review 

 for many years, and have been greatly 

 benefited by reading in its columns ar- 

 ticles that have been written by growers 

 of general stock or by specialists. In 

 this way, indeed, I have gained most of 



my knoTvledge as a ilower and plant 

 grower. Of course I ha\e gained some- 

 thing by practical experience, and I Vie- 

 lieve that if a florist gains anything in 

 this way that is of any degree of value 

 he ought to give his fellow florists the 

 benefit of it. 



(Questions have been .asked .several 

 times in regard to growing Asparagus 

 Sprengeri, ami especially as to what 

 ouglit to be done with the old plants after 

 they become potbouml. One answer has 

 been. "Throw them out and plant small 

 jilanfs. " 



Tlii!!; is \\\\;\\ jirotujits me to gixe my 



experience with old plants and to describe 

 my treatment of them. If the plants are 

 in S inch or lOinch pots, or whatever 

 ,size they are in, I take them out of the 

 ])ots. take a sharp knife and cut all the 

 tubers away by cutting square across 

 them. I fdl the pot with good, ri(di soil 

 to a depth that will fill the space occu- 

 pied b\- the tubers, ])utting the clump 

 linck in the same size of pot. Try this, 

 and I think you will never throw away 

 old clumps of Asparagus Sprengeri. It 

 will give you fiimr sprays than you ever 

 gut liiim \(iuug plants, and nu)re of them. 



S. M. Wyatt. 



DENDROBIUMS. 



Dendrobium nobile, in cultivation since 

 1S37, still remains the most popular 

 deudrobe in geneial culture. At the 

 season whil(> the new growths are being 

 made, a brisk, moist atnmsphere suits 

 them. They like a little house, where 

 they can be sprayed over and the ven- 

 tilators closed about the middle of the 

 afternoon. D. Wardianum, D. formosum 

 giganteuin and I). I'hahrnopsis Schrccder- 

 ianum make, with D. nobile, the best 

 florists' quartette of this useful and 

 easily grown genus. Basket or pan cul- 



ture suits all dendrobes and they flower 

 all the better if they are kept in rather 

 small receptacles, which more readily dry 

 out later in the season, when the ripen- 

 ing perio<l arrives. Dendrol)es want to 

 be abundantly watered now and re\cl in 

 a close, moist atmosphere. 



ODONTOGLOSSUM PULCHELLUM. 



While the majority of odontoglossums 

 are ditlicult to handle in America, owing 

 to iiur hot sununers, there are one or two 

 \arielies. such as citrosmum and pulchel- 

 lum, which succeed well. O. pulchellum 



