10 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Jdnb 22, 1911. 



I SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



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Sowing Late Annuals. 



"Wjhile asters and sweet peas are the 

 two annuals par- .eitcellence for the 

 average country florist, there are quite 

 a number of others which are useful 

 for cutting, a number of them also being 

 excellent in design work. Probably there 

 are some vacant plots of ground 

 where a row or two of these a,nnuals 

 can be sown. Among suitable varieties 

 to sow are: Poppies, of which the Shir- 

 ley is the most beautiful; larkspurs in 

 several colors; lupines, darkiag, -Gypso- 

 phila elegans, candytuft, alyssum, 

 mignonette and schizanthus. 



Cosmps. 



While cosmos will flower well before 

 sharp frost arriVes in the warmer 

 states, in .mor^ northerly sections only 

 the early flowering types are of much 

 use. That beautiful variety. Lady 

 Lenox, in some states does not flower 

 at all before Ijeing cut down. As these 

 cosmos flowers are large and of a lovely 

 pink color, it pays to handle a batch 

 ^ in pots. It is not advisable to dig up 

 plants six or seven feet high in the 

 fall, as is sometimes done, but take 

 cuttings or sow seeds now. Pinch once 

 or twice to keep bushy. Grow in pots 

 plunged outdoors until frost threatens. 

 Then place in a cool house and you will 

 get a fine lot of bloom, which many 

 buyers will prefer to chrysanthemums. 

 These in(|pi^-grown flowers are also of 

 superior e$ze and qualify to outdoor 

 ones and bring a good price in the 

 market. 



Poinsettlas. 



This is the time to propagate a 

 goodly batch of poinsettias. Such as 

 are rooted now will produce bracts a 

 foot or more in diameter and be suit- 

 able either for benching or making up 

 later into large pans. A common error 

 is to leave cuttings too long in the 

 sand after being rooted. "When this 

 is done the roots, which are brittle, 

 are sure to be broken more or less. 

 Pot off just as soon as roots have 

 formed. Keep close and moist for a 

 few days. Then air more freely. If con- 

 venient and suitable greenhouse bench 

 space is not at disposal, spread a coat- 

 ing of coal ashes in a coldframe and 

 grow them there. ''Do not leave cut- 

 tings too long on the plants. Those 

 rubbed off with a heel, which are short 

 and stocky, root the best. If you have 

 a good many cuttings to make, dip 

 them in cold water to prevent wilting. 

 Do the same with any other cuttings 

 which are liable to be lying around for 

 an hour or more. A cutting once badly 

 wilted loses much of its vitality. 



Winter Qeraniums. 



Late rooted geranium cuttings in- 

 tended for winter flowering should be 

 fit to go into 3^4 -inch or 4-inch pots, 

 and stronger -ones into 5-inch pots. 

 Avoid using a rich soil, as it only 

 causes the plants to make a soft, rank 



growth. What is needed is short, firm 

 and stocky shoots. Any manure used 

 should be thoroughly decayed and a 

 dash of fine bone will prove beneficial. 

 Pot firmly and stand on a bench where 

 they can get the full sun. If ben«h 

 space ia at a premium, coldframes will 

 answer just as well. The plants are 

 better if not exposed to the weather. 

 Keep the strong shoots pinched back 

 until September, after which time they 

 may be allowed to grow as they will. 



Oloxinias. 



Gloxinias are among the most beauti- 

 ful and useful of summer-flowering 

 plants and in rooms or on well shaded 

 and protected piazzas last quite a long 

 time in flower. They must have no 

 direct sun, or the fohage will soon bo 

 scorched, but at the same time a too 



Tbe Editor is pleased 

 -wlien a Reader 

 presents his ideas 

 on any subject treated in 



As experience is the best 

 teacher, so do we 

 learn fastest by an 

 eychangre of experiences. 

 Many valuable points 

 are broueht out 

 by discussion. 



Good penmanship, spelling and 

 grammar, though desirable, ""are not 

 necessary. Write as you would talk 

 when doing your best. 



WE SHAIX BE GLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM TOU 



dense shade will make the flower spikes 

 weak, so that the flowers will not stand 

 up erect. It is also unnecessary to 

 grow them in a high temperature. At 

 this season any ordinary greenhouse 

 will be suitable. Keep water off the 

 foliage as much as possible and ele- 

 vate the best plants on inverted pots. 

 Spring-sown seedlings will flower well 

 in 5-inch pots. Give them a light but 

 moderately rich soil, and do not pot 

 firmly. In order to get good tubers for 

 another season it is an excellent plan 

 to plant out a number of seedlings in 

 coldframes. Make the soil light but 

 rich, adding a good proportion of sand. 

 Keep some air on all the time and 

 shade the sashes. Planted out in this 

 way the plants will make a really sur- 



prising growth and produce foliage and 

 flowers much finer than can be had in 

 pots. They will also make tubers 

 double the size of the pot-grown 

 ones. These plants can be gradually 

 rested, lifted and stored in flats in 

 time to utilize the frames for winter 



crops. 



Rambler Boses. 



Any rambler roses which are being 

 grown in pots should now be plunged 

 in the open aif, as the liability to mil- 

 dew is much greater. If they are kept 

 under glass, the shoots they are pro- 

 ducing should not be allowed to ramble 

 over the ground, but should be tied up 

 to stout stakes. Treated thus the 

 wood will become much better ripened 

 and more suitable for early forcing. 

 In the case of field-grown stock it will 

 be noticed that the pink ramblers make 

 a large number of shoots, far more 

 than can be left on when grown in 

 pots. It is a good plan to cut out 

 all the weaker ones, leaving four to 

 six to each plant. 



Crotona. 



At this season, when the propi'grxt- 

 ing bench is little used, is a good time 

 to increase the stock of crotons. Given 

 heat and moisture, with the necessary 

 shade, every cutting should root. 

 Plants which have grown somewhat 

 tall and leggy can also be readily 

 propagated by means of ringing, in 

 the same way as the common rubber 

 plant, Picus elastica, is increased. All 

 that is necessary is to partly cut 

 through the stem below a leaf joint, 

 ^ush a toothpick in to keep the cut 

 open, then tie a bunch of sphagnum or 

 other moss around the cut and keep 

 it constantly moist. In a warm, damp 

 atmosphere the moss will soon be a 

 mass of roots, when the tops can be 

 cut off and potted. In this way excel- 

 lent plants can be had in a short time^ 

 with foliage right down to the pota. 



Crotons and all other foliage plants 

 will econ become full of mealy bug 

 and scale if the hose is not freely 

 used among them at this season. Plenty 

 of water properly directed from the 

 hose will, however, take care of any 

 of these pests. A spray nozzle is neces- 

 sary, one which can be used below the 

 leaves, and this being at command 

 there is no excuse for mealy bug being 

 found on them. 



Seasonable Repairs. 



Throwing out carnations and other 

 crops will now occupy considerable 

 time. Now, while the houses are 

 empty, is the time to attend to any 

 necessary painting and glazing; then 

 repairing or rebuilding benches should 

 be attended to without delay. Any 

 changes in the piping and heating are 

 best made during July and August, as 

 where roses are grown it pays to use a 

 little steam up until the end of June, 

 and the nights by the middle of Sep- 

 tember get so cool that a little arti- 

 ficial heat on damp days and cold 

 nights is necessary to keep mildew in 

 check. Has the annual coal supply 

 been contracted fort Prices art? 

 lower than they will be in the fall 

 and dealers are glad to fill up the cel- 

 lars in the hot months, when teaming 

 would otherwise be at its low ebb. 



Manistee, Mich.— J. T. Harrell, of 

 Winchester, Ind., has bought the Engel- 

 man place here. 



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