October 31, 1912. 



The Florists' Review 



17 



Establishment of L. 



LJ&y, 



le Roy, III. 



overlook the schizanthus. The earliest 

 batch should now be in 4-inch or 5-inch 

 pots and should have had one pinching 

 to keep the plants stocky. Never allow 

 the plants to become potbound while 

 growing on. Always grow as cool and 

 airy as .possible and avoid the use of 

 hydrocyanic acid gas where they are 

 being grown, as the foliage is a little 

 tender and if at all scorched the plants 

 are unsalable. This.is a suitable time 

 to make an additional sowing for early 

 spring flowering. Sow thinly in pans or 

 flats and transplant just as soon as they 

 can be handled. Always grow as near 

 glass as possible, or they will get badly 

 drawn. 



Hydrangeas. 



Keep hydrangeas fully exposed to the 

 sun and only give glass protection to 

 ward off sharp frost. Reduce the water 

 supply gradually to assist in maturing 

 the wood. As we may now get quite 

 sharp frosts at any time, be careful 

 not to expose the hydrangeas to it, espe- 

 cially if the wood and foliage are soft 

 and green. Pot-grown plants always 

 have harder and better matured wood 

 than such as are lifted from the field. 



AT LE BOY IN ILLINOIS. 



The accompanying illustration of the 

 greenhouses and residence of L. L. Fry, 

 of Le Roy, 111., will be considered by 

 many as typical of the old-time florists' 

 establishments. It is in such places as 

 this that men grow plants and flowers 

 as much for the love of the work as for 

 the commercial possibilities tl^t are in 

 it. And if one be not possessied of the 

 spirit of unrest, there is no finer situa- 

 Hon or occupation. 



LILIES FOR FALL FLOWERING. 



In 1913 I should like to grow two 

 benches of Easter lilies and should like 

 to plant them in the beds of my green- 

 house. When must I plant them to 

 have them in bloom for August or Sep- 

 tember? I take my sweet peas out of 

 the be4s June 15. Can I plant the lilies 

 right in or must I wait a week or two? 

 J. G. 



Your lilies would do better grown in 

 pots rathMjilhan benches. The trouble 

 in having tKrd planted out is that they 

 will all come in together, "practically 

 when it is often difficult to ^11 them. 

 If grown in 5-inch or-€4ach:pot8 you 

 can easily retard a part and have them 

 "'ome on in succession. For flowfyi^e 

 in August and September'you must use 



cold storage bulbs and these should be 

 potted or planted not later than the 

 middle of May. June 15 is rather late. 

 If started then they would not be in 

 flower before the latter part of Sep- 

 tember. C. W. 



AOAPANTHUS XTMBELLATUS. 



As Used for Cut Flowers. 



Probably one of the last things that 

 would have occurred to an old-time 

 florist- would be the use of the old 

 African lily, Agapanthus umbellatus, 

 for cutting. When one thinks of this 

 grand old herbaceous plant, it is usu- 

 ally in connection with large tubs or 

 pots standing on a lawn or in a con- 

 servatory, and many will remember the 

 back-breaking job of taking them in 

 for the winter and outside for the 

 summer. 



At the H. N. Gage Co. 's place at 

 Signal Hill, near Long Beach, Cal., 

 about 20,000 of this old plant and its 

 varieties are grown for cutting stnd 

 the large umbels of white or blue flow- 

 ers sell well during July and August. 

 The plant is a native of the Cape of 

 Good Hope and so is perfectly hardy 



in southern California. It is a strong 

 grower and needs rich soil, plenty of 

 water and full exposure to sunlight^ 

 and that is about all. It is of the easi- 

 est possible culture and not at all fas- 

 tidious as to what it is fed on, providedl 

 the larder is always kept well supplied- 

 It has practically no insect enemies. 

 Where the flowers have been tried com- 

 mercially they are always in demand. 

 While it may not pay in the north and 

 east, where fire heat or storage for the 

 bulbs in winter would have to be given,, 

 it surely does pay where it thrives out- 

 doors. 



Some Leading Varieties^ 



There are several varieties of this 

 plant, including the following: A. um- 

 bellatus is the typical form, which has 

 been known to gardeners for over two 

 centuries; the flowers are produced in 

 loose umbels on tall spikes from the 

 center of the young growth and are 

 bright blue in color. A. umbellatus 

 albidus has flowers slightly smaller than 

 those of the type, and pure white. A. 

 umbellatus flore pleno is a double flow- 

 ered form, in which the flowers are blue 

 and last longer than those of the type. 

 Occasionally a white double is seen, 

 but it is rare. A. umbellatus Leicht- 

 linii has more compact spikes and does 

 not grow so tall as the type, but the 

 flowers are a deeper blue; it is a desir- 

 able kind. A. u. maximus is larger in 

 all its parts than the type and also has 

 an albino form. A. u. minor is a dwarf 

 variety, with slender spikes of deep 

 blue flowers. A. u. Mooreanus is also 

 dwarf and of upright habit, while A. u. 

 variegatus is a form with white leaves, 

 streaked with green; an elegant border 

 plant in warm localities. H. R. R. 



Englewood, N. J. — T. W. Lydecker 

 has added a handsome auto delivery ear 

 to use in his business. Mr. Lydecker has 

 this year gone into the pot plant 

 branch, having previously grown only 

 carnations and roses. He has also a 

 fine bench of Bonnaffon mums and a 

 bed of single violets, all of which arfr 

 doing nicely in spite of the warmi 

 weather. 



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Ag^apaathus Umbellatus at Loog Beach, Cal. 



