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12 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Decbmbbb 30, 1909. 



I SEASONABLE 



l-^^^^ SUGGESTIONS 



Hybrid Pespetual Roses. 



Hybrid perpetual rose plants which 

 were potted in late fall and which are 

 still standing outdoors, but with the 

 pots well protected, should now be 

 housed and started in a temperature of 

 40 degrees at night if they are wanted 

 for Easter. It is not necessary to prune 

 them at once. A wait of a few days will 

 show more distinctly where the dormant 

 eyes are. It is better to prune down 

 pretty closely; snipping off the tops re- 

 sults in an early crop of short-stemmed 

 flowers. Hard pruning causes the plants 

 to break strongly. The demand for this 

 class of roses is not what it was nor 

 what it should be. The rambler types 

 have, unfortunately, filled the stage so 

 completely that little thought has been 

 given to the many beautiful hybrid per- 

 petuals. 



Spray the plants occasionally until 

 they break, then let them have 5 degrees 

 more heat. They do not require or 

 relish hard forcing at any time and it is 

 better to flower them in a night tem- 

 perature of 50 degrees rather than a 

 higher one, as the flowers then have more 

 substance and are of much better color. 



Cyclamens. 



Christmas trade will probably have 

 disposed of a large proportion of the 

 cyclamens. There is always a fair call 

 for them later in the season, and any 

 plants left unsold should be given a 

 bench in a rather cool house; 45 degrees 

 at night is quite warm enough. Grown 

 thus, they will be much stockier than 

 when kept warmer. The young plants 

 for flowering next winter must never be 

 neglected. They should now be estab- 

 lishing themselves in small pots. Or, if 

 they are grown in flats, which is an ex- 

 cellent way to grow them in the early 

 stages, they should be transferred to 3- 

 inch pots before they become too 

 crowded. Scratch over the surface soil 

 from time to time and keep them 

 warmer than suggested for the older 

 plants; 52 to 55 degrees at night will 

 suit them nicely. 



Aftilbes. 



The astilbes, or spiraeas as they are 

 still usually called, which came to hand 

 a few weeks ago, should now be potted. 

 It is a little early to start plants for 

 Easter flowering, but the clumps will 

 speedily push numerous roots into the 

 pots, and we have always found that 

 these early potted clumps gave the best 

 results. Stand the pots under a stage 

 m a cool greenhouse if you are short 

 of space in shed and cellar for them. 

 As a rule, eight weeks in an average 

 night temperature of 60 degrees will 

 flower these spiraeas, all but Queen Alex- 

 andra. This latter kind must be started 

 right away if desired at Easter. 



Tulips. 



While a few La Heine and Due van 

 Thol tulips appeared for Christmas, 1909, 



the stems were short, as usual. After 

 Christmas such varieties as La Eeine, 

 Cottage Maid, Keizerskroon, Vermilion 

 Brilliant and Proserpine may be started 

 with every prospect of success. Let 

 them have a warm house — 70 degrees at 

 night and 85 degrees during the middle 

 of the day. Keep the pans or flats well 

 darkened until the shoots of hyacinths, 

 tulips and narcissi are several inches 

 long, then inure to stronger light. Un- 

 like lily of the valley, tulips are far bet- 

 ter without bottom heat. The soil must 

 be kept moist. When the growth of the 

 bulbs is well started, apply liquid cow 

 manure once a week. The tulips are 

 much more likely to be short-stemmed, 

 if not started warm and dark, than the 

 narcissi. The latter can be placed below 

 or along the sides of benches, where they 

 will come along nicely. 



Marguerites. 



Old marguerite plants, which were car- 

 ried over summer in pots, will now be 

 blooming freely, and at this time, when 

 flowers are at their scarcest, they prove 

 acceptable. Let the pots stand over a 

 bench from which some crop, such as 

 mums, has been cut. They will speedily 

 root through and show increased vigor. 

 If planted directly into the bench, they 

 are liable to make too much growth at 



the expense of flowers. Keep plants in 

 tended for Easter flowering potted an 

 spread out. Discontinue pinching aftc 

 this time, or you will make them too lati 

 Marguerites are gross feeders and ca; 

 hardly be overwatered. Liquid and chen 

 ical food, alternated, once a weiek wi^ 

 keep them vigorous. 



Dahlias. 



If there will be any bed or bene', 

 which has sufficient head-room and yoii 

 care to try the experiment of growing 

 dahlias for spring flowering, you should 

 now start some of the tubers in a tem 

 perature of 60 to 65 degrees. Dampen 

 them but little, or they are liable to de 

 cay. When started into growth divide 

 the stools, leaving one strong shoot to n 

 plant. These can be planted in rows 

 twenty- four inches apart, allowing eight 

 een inches between the plants. An aver 

 age "night temperature of 50 degrees is 

 about right. The cactus, decorative and 

 single dahlias are better for forcing than 

 the shows, fancies and pompons. The 

 former types also sell better as cut 

 flowers. 



Azakas. 



Any left-over azaleas from Christmas 

 should be taken care of. Pick off the 

 flowers and any seed pods which may 

 have formed. Let the plants grow in a 

 moderately warm house for a few weeks. 

 They can be planted outdoors about the 

 last of May and will give you a far 

 heavier crop of flowers than any of the 

 newly imported stock, if kept well 

 syringed during the warm months. Plant.« 

 for Easter flowering can be kept cool for 

 some time yet. See that none are al- 

 lowed to become dry at the root. There 

 is some demand for azaleas right through 

 the winter and it will pay to start a few 

 plants from time to time to satisfy any 

 local demand. 



Nick ZweifeL 



(President Milwaukee Florists' Club.) 



