12 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



December 30, 1909. 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



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Hybrid Perpetual Roses. 



Hybrid perpetual rose i)lants uhich 

 were })otted in late fall and which are 

 still staiidintj outdoors, but with the 

 pots well protected, should uow be 

 iioused and started in a temperature of 

 40 degrees at nijjht if they are wanted 

 for Easter. It is not neces.'^ary to prune 

 I hem at once. A wait of a few days will 

 siiow more distinctly where the dormant 

 ryes are. ]t is better to prune down 

 pretty closidy ; ^nippiuL; olf the tojis re- 

 sults in an I'arly crop of short -stemnu'd 

 llowers. Ilaril ])runing causes the plant.s 

 to break strongly. The demand for this 

 (dass 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 hyljiid pcr- 

 ])etuals. 



Spray the plants occa.sionally until 

 ihey break, then let tiicm have 5 degrees 

 MU)re heat. They do not require or 

 relisli hard forcing at any time and it is 

 better to flower them in a night tem- 

 |ieiature of 5U degrees rather than a 

 ingher otic .-is the flowers then have more 

 sidtstancf .-md r.re of much better color. 



Cyclamens, 



* liii.^tiii.-i.- trade will ]>robably have 

 disposed (if ;i ];irge jiroportion of the 

 cyclamens. Theie is ;ihvays a fair call 

 for tliem later in the season, and any 

 plants left uiisnld should ln' given a 

 iietudi in a rather cool house; -lo degrees 

 at night i< (juite warm enough. Grown 

 thus, they will be much stockier than 

 when kept warmer. The young plants 

 tor flowering next winter must never be 

 neglected. They should now be estab- 

 lishing themselves in small pots. Or, if 

 I hey are grown in flat.s, which is an ex- 

 cellent way to grow them in the early 

 -tages, they should be transferred to 3- 

 inch pots before they become too 

 crowded. Scratch over the surface soil 

 I'rom time to time and keep them 

 wiirmer than suggested for the older 

 plants; 52 to .");" degrees at night will 

 >iiit tliciii lucely. 



Astilbes. 



The ■■istillic-. Ill- spiraeas .-i.-^ they are 

 still tisually c;illcd. whiidi came to' hand 

 :i few weeks .-i^d. sjicmld ikiw 1k' putted. 

 It is a little early t(. start plants for 

 Kaster tlowering. but the (dumps will 

 speedily juish tnimenius r(jots into the 

 pots, and we ha\ e always f(uind that 

 these early j)(>tte<l clumps gave the best 

 residts. St.-iiid the pots under a stage 

 in ;i onm greenhouse if you are short 

 nf s|iace in shed and cellar for them. 

 As a rule, eight weeks in an average 

 iMght temperature of GO degrees will 

 llower these .spiraeas, all but Queen Alex- 

 andra. This latter kind must be started 

 light away if desired at Easter. 



Tulips. 



While a few La Reine and Due van 

 Thol tulips appeared for Christinas, 100(», 



the stems were short, as usual. After 

 Christmas .such varieties as La Eeine, 

 Cottage INIaid. Keizerskroon, Vermilion 

 Brilliant and Proserpine may be started 

 with every jirospect of success. Let 

 them have a warm house — 70 degrees ;it 

 night and >."i degrees during the middle 

 of the ilay. Keej) the j)ans or flats well 

 darkened until the shoots of hyacinths, 

 tulips and narcissi are several inches 

 long, then inure to stronger light. T'n- 

 like lily of the valley, tulijis are far lu't- 

 ter without l»ottom heat. The soil must 

 be kept moist. When the growth of the 

 bulbs is well started, ajjply liquid cow 

 manure once a week. 'hie tulips arc 

 much more likely to be short stemmed, 

 if not started warm and dark, than the 

 narcissi. The latter can be ]»laced bcdow 

 or along the sides of beiudies, where they 

 will come along nicely. 



Marguerites. 



Old marguerite plants, whiidi weic car- 

 ried over summer in pots, will now l)e 

 blooming freely, and at this lime, when 

 flowers are at their scarcest, they ])rovo 

 acceptable. Let the pots stand over a 

 bench from which stune crop, such as 

 mums, has been cut. They will speedily 

 root through and show increa.>-'ed vigor. 

 If planted directly into the bench, they 

 are liable to make too nuieh growth at 



the expense of flowers. Keep plants i 

 tended for Easter flowering potted a 

 spread out. Discontinue pinching aft 

 this time, or you will make them too hn 

 Marguerites are gross feeders and c 

 hardly be over watered. Liquid and chi" 

 ical food, alternated, once a week w 

 keep them vigorous. 



Dahlias. 



If there will be any bed or beii' 

 which has sufiieient head-room and v 

 care to try the experiment of grow in 

 dahlias for spring flowering, you shoi; 

 now start some of the tubers in a tei 

 perature of CO to 65 degrees. Damp' 

 them but little, or they arc liable to d 

 cay. When started into growth divi 

 the stools, leaving one strong shoot to 

 plant. These can be planted in vov 

 twenty-four inches apart, allowing eigli 

 i>on inches between the plants. An av( . 

 age night temperature of 50 degrees i 

 about right. The cactus, decorative an 

 single dahlias are better for forcing tli.i: 

 the shows, fancies and pompons. Tl 

 former types also sell better as ci. 

 (lowers. 



Azaleas. 



Any left-over azaleas from Christ in:- 

 should be taken care of. Pick ofl" the 

 tlowers and any seed pods which m;^ 

 have formed. Let the plants grow in 

 moderately warm house for a few week- 

 They can be planted outdoors about tii' 

 last of May and will give you a fir 

 heavier crop of flowers than any of Ih' 

 newly imported stock, if kept we! 

 syringed during the warm months. Plani- 

 for Easter flowering can be kept cool I" 

 sonu' lime yet. See that none are ;i 

 lowed to become dry at the root. TIk !■ 

 is some demand for azaleas right throui;! 

 the winter and it will pay to start a i'rv 

 jdants from time to time to satisfy an^ 

 local donuind. 



Nick Zweifel. 



(President Milwaukee Florists' Cliii' 



