'■iv-:V' I .i| JJH(l,l^"»^:" ■ .7=7"'!V'^^»' .W^"* r ;»7J"TJ'!-»^7- 



taVXHMBSK 2, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



MILTONIA CANDIDA. 



The genus miltonia contains some beau- 

 tiful orchids, the best known being M. 

 vexillaria, Eoezlii, Phalaenopsis and spec- 

 tabilis. M. Candida lacks the superb 

 beautj of M. vexillaria, but is an easily 

 grown, free flowering and useful orchid, 

 worthy a place in every collection. It is 

 comparatively old in cultivation, having 

 been introduced from Brazil as long ago 

 as 1830. The yellow colored sepals and 

 petals are spotted with brown. The lip 

 is white, tinged with rosy pink. Three 

 to seven flowers are carried on each scape. 

 Two narrow, light green leaves are pro- 

 duced on the top of each bulb. This va- 

 riety grows well in rather small pots or 

 pans, in fern fiber and sphagnum. Like 

 other miltonias, they must never be kept 

 dry at the root, or they will suffer. A 

 light position, well up to the glass, suits 

 them, and too dense shade produces dark 

 green foliage at the expense of flowers. 



W. N. Craig. 



ASTERS COMING GREEN. 



Can you tell us what causes our asters 

 to come green? We bought the seed 

 from a good house. We planted the 

 Early Snow, a June flowering variety, 

 and about one-fifth came blind or green. 

 Of Vick'a Early Branching about one- 

 third came blind. Now the Invincible 

 are coming in and four-fifths of them are 

 blind. They were planted outside, in a 

 sandy loam, and a liberal quantity of 

 guano was used. Is the cause in the seed 

 being gathered in a green state, or can 

 you state the reason? 



J. L. O. 



This is a common trouble with asters. 

 Tlite cause is unknown. Seedlings raised 

 outdoors are less susceptible to it than 

 tho^ started under glass, but neither are 

 gether exempt. In the earlier stages 

 of growth there is no perceptible differ- 



Miltonia Candida. 



ence in the appearance of the plants; it 

 does not show until they are nearing the 

 flowering stage. 



Your soil should be all right. Asters 

 like soil that is deeply plowed and well 

 enriched with barnyard manure. They 

 also like a change of soil each year. 



Nothing can be done to check the dis- 

 ease when once it has appeared. We 

 doubt if these diseases are transmitted 

 in the seed ; scientific opinions are rather 

 to the contrary. A curious fact is, that 

 seeds which were with difficulty secured 

 from malformed flowers gtive perfectly 

 healthy plants the following year. We 

 can only advise change of soil and that 

 you start the seeds either in a coldframe 

 or in the open air another season. 



C. W. 



r 



i 



SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



Bouvardias. 



The shortening days and cooler nights 

 indicate the approach of fall, and from 

 this time onward there will be much 

 lifting and potting to be done prior to 

 the arrival of King Frost. Bouvardias 

 are tender plants and, having now made 

 a nice, stocky growth, are in a gooil 

 condition to lift. Endeavor, if possible, 

 to secure a little soil on the roots, as they 

 do not lift and start growth so easily 

 as some other varieties. If they are to 

 be planted in benches, soak them well 

 and shade the glass until they become 

 established. If grown in pots, keep 

 them outdoors for some time yet, shade 

 for a few days, spray frequently and 

 they will soon recover from their shift. 



Bouvardias are easily broken and it 

 will pay to use a stake in the center of 

 each plant, to draw the shoots in to. 

 Of course, the plants may be left out- 

 doors for another month, but better 

 flowers will be had if the lifting is done 

 now, to allow of the plants getting nicely 



established before they flower. That use- 

 ful white bouvardia, Humboldtii, which 

 blooms practically all summer and fall, 

 is now quite useful when choice white 

 flowers are scarce. It is the most robust 

 growing of the family and every florist 

 doing a retail trade should have a bed 

 of it. 



Bougainvilleas. 



Bougainvilleaa intended for Christmas 

 flowering should now have their shoots 

 wellBipened. Keep slightly drier at the 

 rootr and keep under glass, so that the 

 pots will escape drenching rains. Those 

 wanted for Easter blooming can be kept 

 growing for some time longer. We pre- 

 fer to keep them under glass most of the 

 time, but a stay outdoors for the next 

 month will suit them well. What should 

 be avoided are heavy wind and rain 

 storms, which are liable to occur in 

 September. Remember the weather is 

 still warm; therefore be careful not to 

 suddenly withhold water, or you may kill 



the plants altogether. Use the hose on 

 them on bright days. Nearly all plants 

 under glass enjoy sprayings overhead. 



Myosotis. 



While the chief sale for forget-me-nots 

 is in spring, there is a moderate call for 

 them during the winter and a few 

 bunches per week can easily be disposed 

 of Probably you have old plants of a 

 variety you have been growing. If so, 

 put in a batch of cuttings now. They 

 will soon root and they can either have 

 a portion of bench in a cool house or 

 be dotted along the front of benches 

 containing other plants. M, dissitiflora 

 is a good indoor variety, but there are 

 several special strains offered for grow- 

 ing under glass. Seed sown when sug- 

 gested a week or two ago will give nice 

 plants, which, if potted otf singly, can be 

 used for late winter blooming. 



Geraniums. 



Do not be in too much of a rush about 

 taking geranium cuitings. Every year 

 many growers lose a large part of their 

 stock by too early propagation. There 

 is no advantage in starting thus early, 

 especially where plants are wanted for 

 bedding out about Memorial day. Out- 

 door geranium cuttings are now extreme- 

 ly soft and, however great care is taken 

 with them, many are bound to rot if we 

 get a succession of hot days. It is 

 otherwise with cuttings taken from 

 plants grown under glass all the time. 

 These are hardier and the percentage of 

 loss from damping off will be small. 

 September is early enough to propagate 

 geraniums for growers in the northern 

 states and a month later is better in the 

 south. 



Heliotropes. 



A batch, of heliotrope cuttings should 

 now be taken. They root quickly, and if 

 a few are potted along and later trans 

 ferred to a bench, they will give an 

 abundance of cuttings for propagating 

 purposes and also furnish flowers for 

 cutting. Heliotrope flowers are rarely 

 seen in the markets, even in winter, 

 owing to their poor keeping qualities. 

 If the ends of the stems, as soon as cut. 

 are seared with a lighted lamp or dipped 

 in boiling water, they will keep much 

 better. The same treatment applied to 

 poinsettias is also quite effective. 



