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The Wccldy Florists' Review. 



JUNB 1, 1911. 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



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Cyclamens. 



The weather is now unusually warm 

 for the season and cyclamens should 

 be placed, as soon as possible, in cold- 

 frames, in which they will grow much 

 better than in the greenhouses. Sashes 

 will not, after this time, be required, 

 except it may be to throw off torren- 

 tial rains, or on exceptionally cool 

 nights. Build a light wooden frame- 

 work which will lift the sashes eight or 

 ten inches above the sashbars, to allow 

 of a free circulation of air from all 

 sides. Do not shade the glass with 

 whitewash, but instead use lath shades, 

 which, while admitting the necessary 

 light, also allow a little sunshine to 

 strike the plants and at the same time 

 keeps them much cooler. Stand the 

 plants on a bed of clean coal ashes 

 and if they are partially plunged, so 

 much the better. On hot days play 

 the hose on the shades two or three 

 days to slightly moisten the leaves and 

 assist in lowering the temperature. 



Cinerarias. 



It is time to sow a batch of cineraria 

 seeds, especially if the plants are want- 

 ed in flower early in the winter. The 

 large-flowered type has a dwarfer habit 

 than the stellata or small-bloomed sec- 

 tion, although they are not so decora- 

 tive. Still, they are the best to grow 

 where neat pot plants are wanted. Sow 

 the seeds in pans of light sandy soil, 

 chiefly leaf-mold. Cover them lightly. 

 After watering, cover the pans with a 

 sheet of glass and lay paper over this. 

 If you have not a cool north house, use 

 a coldframe for the seed pans. Watch 

 them carefully, so that the soil is not 

 allowed to dry out; also avoid anything 

 like a close atmosphere, as the little 

 seedlings will easily damp off during 

 hot weather. 



AntirrMnums. 



Have you remembered to take cut- 

 tings from specially good plants of an- 

 tirrhinums? A careful selection will 

 vastly improve the quality of the spikes, 

 and when extra good strains appear it 

 is well to perpetuate them. Cuttings 

 put in now will root better than they 

 will a month or six weeks hence, when 

 steadily hot weather usually prevails, 

 and when such cool-loving subjects as 

 antirrhinums usually have rather hard 

 cuttings, which never produce so satis- 

 factory plants as do the side shoots 

 rubbed off now. 



Some growers prefer to increase their 

 stock from seed and this, if purchased 

 from a reliable source, comes almost 

 absolutely true to color. Mixtures of 

 seed should never be planted, for no 

 one wants ipixed bunches of antirrhi- 

 nums, and about the only time they can 

 be profitably used would be in bouquet 

 work for Memorial day. The best col- 

 ors are pure white, yellow and bright 

 pink. At the holidays a good scarlet 

 will sell well, but the dark and miscel- 

 laneous shades are little wanted. Sow 



the seed in rows six inches apart in 

 coldframes. Prick off in flats and later 

 pot up if for early planting for flower- 

 ing in late fall. If not wanted for an 

 early crop, plant outdoors in nursery 

 rows, and take cuttings from the best 

 varieties for later planting. Seed can 

 be sown as late as the early part of Au- 

 gust for producing plants to bench after 

 the mums are gone. 



Callas. 



After Memorial day there is little 

 call for callas, and the pots should be 

 gradually dried off and placed outdoors 

 on their sides. We say gradually dry- 

 ing off advisedly, as we do not believe 

 any bulbous rooted plants in full growth 

 should be thrown on their sides and laid 

 down to bake, as is too often done. 

 Plants in benches should be gradually 

 dried off and, when the foliage has 

 ripened off, the tubers can be lifted and 

 stored in dry sand until planting time 

 again arrives. 



If an increase in stock is wanted, 

 plant out young offsets in well manured 

 land and lift in the fall. The new God- 

 frey calla does particularly well treated 

 in this way and it is the finest variety 

 in commerce today. 



Nerines. 



The nerines, or Guernsey lilies, as they 

 are popularly called, will now have com- 

 pleted their growth and as soon as the 

 foliage turns yellow they can be laid on 

 their sides on a hot, sunny bank out- 

 doors, or, as some specialists prefer, use 



cold sashes filted top and bottom to 

 cover them. These beautiful and showy 

 fall flowering bulbs will not flower well 

 unless they receive a thorough baking 

 through the summer months. They should 

 have absolutely no moistiire whatever 

 until the flower spikes begin to push, 

 which is usually during September. 



Show Felargoniums. 



As the plants pass out of flower the 

 show pelargoniums can be stood out of 

 doors in full sunshine. Do not at once 

 start to keep them dry. A gradual ripen- 

 ing is what they need. In two or three 

 weeks, as the growth hardens, lay them 

 on their sides for a rest. Do not, how- 

 ever, keep them too dusty-dry, but play 

 the hose on them occasionally during hot 

 days. 



This is not the best time to take cut- 

 tings. An abundance will be obtainable 

 at the time the plants are restarted and 

 pruned back. A short selection of de- 

 sirable varieties is: Countess of Crewe, 

 Crimson King, Mme. Thibaut, Lady Car- 

 rington, Alice M. Love, Dr. Masters, 

 Gloriosa and Beauty of Oxton. These 

 pelargoniums are usually in fine flower 

 for Memorial day. 



Summer Lilies. 



The demand for lilies in summer is 

 light as compared with the colder months. 

 People tire of the omnipresent longi- 

 florums, and speciosum album and ru- 

 brum provide a welcome change. The 

 earliest bulbs potted in late November 

 are now coming into flower and should 

 have a cool house, well shaded. Pick the 

 pollen masses away each day to keep 

 the flowers clean. See that later plants 

 are securely staked, as the plants grow 

 much taller under glass than outdoors. 

 Do not omit fumigation. Once green 

 fly gets a good foothold it will deform 

 or ruin a great part of the flowers. 

 Lilium auratum, owing to its pronounced 

 odor, is a less popular market variety 

 than speciosum. When pot grown it is, 

 however, useful for standing on piazzas, 

 the scent being too powerful in rooms. 



GERANIUM SEEDLINGS. 



The enclosed geranium blooms are 

 from three of our seedlings; number- 

 ing from dark to light, they are Nos. 

 3, 4 and 5. We have grown them for 

 three years and find them well estab- 

 lished in color and foliage and profuse 

 bloomers. They are of a dwarf, stocky 

 habit; the flowerets extend well above 

 the foliage; the color is lasting and 

 good. Are there any plants of this 

 kind or color on the market? If so, 

 please let us know the names of them. 

 We feel that these are worthy plants 

 and, should there not be any stock like 

 them on the market, we shall offer 

 them for sale. H. B. B. 



The flowers were quite withered when 

 received, nothing damp being tied at 

 the bottoms of the stalks. However, 

 one or two buds have since opened 



in water, which gives an idea of their 

 color and character. These are each 

 good singles, but I would not like to 

 say that they are distinct from vari- 

 eties now in commerce, although they 

 are slightly different from any I am 

 acquainted with. There are, however, 

 hundreds of sorts unknown to even 

 geranium specialists. The dark-colored 

 variety, No. 3, closely resembles Hall 

 Caine. It is not so good a shade for 

 bedding as Jacquerie or Paul Crampel. 

 The medium shade. No. 4, is like Scar- 

 amouche, a comparatively new French 

 sort, and I admire its color greatly. 

 The light variety comes close to Ian 

 Maclaren and is an attractive shade. 

 Try these out for bedding and, if they 

 stand the test, the two lighter ones, 

 Nos. 4 and 5, should prove valuable. 

 I should like to see a truss of each 

 again, but not until cooler weather 

 comes. 0. W. 



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