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The Florists' Review 



35 





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Looking Through the Section at Howard & Smith's Greenhouses Where 15)000 Cinerarias Are Grcwn for Seed. 



grown Jind tried out tin- splendid im- 

 proved strains of florists' flowers whit'h 

 frequently liave been referred to in the 

 columns of The Review. Among the 

 principal varieties and kinds are the 

 (California giant asters, zinnias, stocks, 

 calendulas, columbines, delphiniums 

 and a magnificent selection of Celosia 

 l)yraniidalis. One and all are the finest 

 i(f their kind procurable and the result 

 (if long and tireless work by the firm's 

 expert men. Here also are immense 

 beds of German irises, gladioli in sea- 

 son, liipjMiastrums, delphiniuins, ger- 

 beras and a host of others grown for 

 the catalogue trade. 



Home Nursery at Montebello. 



The home nursery is situated at Mon- 

 tebello and comprises forty acres, about 

 half of which is covered with liith 

 houses, greenhouses and other buildings. 

 Here all the principal jiaeking and ship- 

 ping are done and here also are grown 

 the various collections of such things 

 as dahlias, chrysanthemums, geraniums, 

 pelargoniums, phloxes, cannas, helio- 

 tropes and the hundred and one kinds 

 that go to the making of a first-class 

 nursery. Shrubs and nursery stock, too, 

 are here in immcHse numbers and all 

 sizes, from small stock in 2-inch pots to 

 finished plants in the nursery rows. 

 Two other great specialties of the firm 

 are tuberous-rooted begonias and cin- 

 erarias. It i.s not necessary here to 

 dwell on the latter. They are too well 

 known and, unfortunately, their season 

 is not now or when the flower show vis 

 iters arrive. 



The nursery is bisected by a fine ave- 

 nue of Cocoa plumosa, the plants having 

 I'cached specimen and fruiting size. 

 Xorth aad a little west Mr. Howard has 

 his residence, which stands on an emi- 

 nence overlooking the Pacific slope. All 

 in all, this is a wonderful business and 

 reflects tke greatest credit on F. H. 



Howard, his brothers and the large stafl' 

 of "co-workers," as F. H. Howard in- 

 sists on calling them. H. K. K. 



WINTERING VINCAS. 



I ha>e some field-rooted layers of vin- 

 cas, which I want to store in a dormant 

 l)lacc until February. I understand 

 that these can be stored without artifi- 

 cial heat, as in a cellar or building 

 where the temperature is equable. Our 

 greenhouse is not started until the 

 spring season, l^ast year we tried stor 

 ing in the greenhouse, placing the \ineas 

 on the north side of the bench and cov- 

 ering them with leaves and carpets. But 

 I think that we smothered them. Would 

 a dark building serve best? Will they 

 stand a freezing teni])erature, so long as 

 they stay frozen f Or would you sug- 

 gest the cellar or coldframes.' 



L. E. S.— Mich. 



It is ])r<'sunied that you refer to Vinca 

 major, which is largely used commer- 

 cially as a hanging plant for window 

 boxes, vases, etc., and not V. minor, the 

 common periwinkle or creeping myrtle, 

 as it is also called. The last named plant 

 is used a great deal in covering graves 

 and it succeeds well on sloping banks 

 aiicl under trees where grass will not 

 succeed. V. major, of which the varie- 

 gated form is more used than the green, 

 is a more tender plant than V. minor, 

 and should have a cool greenhouse tcni- 

 |)erature over winter. Seeing you do not 

 have this, it would be advisable to carry 

 them over in a light, but heated cellar. 

 Failing this, it would be well to plant 

 them on a bench in your unheated 

 greenhouse. A little frost will not harm 

 them, but before the temperature gets 

 too low, give them a covering of per- 

 fectly dry leaves. Do not lay any carpet 

 or anything heavy on the leaves. The 

 plants need air and the covering must 



lie light \\\u\ dry. If you cannot get dry 

 leaves, use hay or even straw. Do not 

 press it down or make it too thick. 

 With such a covering the vincas should 

 go through the winter in fairly good 

 shai)e. (J. W. 



TROUBLE WITH TUBEROSES. 



We have sent a tuberos.' stalk under 

 sej)arate cover. You will notice that 

 the stalk is badly diseaseil. Will you 

 advise as to what the disease is? Will 

 it affect the future culture of the bulbs? 



S. F. C— Mo. 



This blight is not at all unusual on 

 tuberoses. It is usually due to ul^culiar 

 climatic conditions. There is no remedy 

 that you could apply to counteract it. 

 The blighting of tlu! flowers does not 

 appear, however, to aftect the bulbs at 

 :»11. C. W. 



TO ROOT VINCAS. 



What is the best season and the best 

 method of rooting vinca vines? 



W. H. S.— O. 



If you refer to the variegated or 

 gr<'en form of vinca major grown under 

 glass for use in window boxes, vases, 

 etc., you can root it at any time be- 

 tween now and next June. The hot sum- 

 mer months form the only jieriod when 

 the rooting may fail. Rooted now 

 and planted out in the field next season, 

 you will get heavy jilants. Even if 

 carried along in pots, the jilants will 

 be of serviceal)le size next May, if 

 rooted now, using young, soft shoots. 

 Older wood cut in lengths will also 

 root, but it takes longer. Vinca minor, 

 or myrtle, roots freely in a cool propa- 

 gating bench any time from October 

 to March, either soft or mature wood 

 cuttings beings used. 0. W. 



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