10 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



October 14, 1009 



insist on the comparison as to merits 

 paniculata grandiflora will suffer every 

 time — it unquestionably is superior to 

 that variety in many particulars. 



The United States Nursery Co., of 

 Rich, Miss., made a planting of it last 

 fall, and when in bloom last May it was 

 a sight never to be forgotten. Thus it 

 shows that it grows and blooms freely 

 in the warmer climate. 



I might add that immense stocks of 

 this hydrangea are being distributed to 

 the homes of this country without the aid 

 of the nurserymen, wao for some reason 

 have fought shy of this shrub, buying it 

 in dribs and pushing the sale of much 

 less meritorious shrubs. The growing 

 center of this shrub is Springfield, and i 

 have as yet to find any surplus stocks 

 unsold. John M. Good. 



SOIL FOR ROSES. 



I am sending you three rose plants 

 with soil for examination. We have tried 

 for years to grow first-class roses and 

 have bought plants from the best rose 

 growers in the country and still find our 

 plants do not give results. We do not 

 know whether it is the soil or the water, 

 or the care we give them, but we have 

 excellent success with carnations, mums 

 and other varieties of plants, and though 

 we have given our roses the very best of 

 attention and care, they do not send up 

 the shoots or have the color that they 

 should at their best. I am coming to you 

 to find out, if possible, wherein lies the 

 fault. These plants were benched 

 June 20. 



My grower has been here for fifteen 

 years and says they have always had the 

 same trouble, so that I am sure it must 

 be something outside of the care we 

 give them. Will you kindly look into 

 these samples and give me your best 

 judgment in this matter? A. P. A. 



After a careful examination of the soil 

 I am forced to the conclusion that the 

 trouble arises from that. It is too close 

 in substance and when wet it is as plastic 

 as putty. It is also deficient in lime and 

 possesses few of the qualities required in 

 rose soil. This would account for the 

 puny growth and also for the poor tex- 

 ture of the foliage. 



Try to get a loamy soil, with a mix- 

 ture of clay in it, and take as much as 

 possible of the top spit, which contains 

 the fibrous roots of the pasturage. Mix 

 this with cow manure in the proportion 

 of one of manure to four of soil and 

 add a 5-inch potful of bone meal to each 

 cubic yard of compost at time of 

 planting. 



In the meantime stir up the surface of 

 the soil to the depth of one inch, putting 

 on a sprinkling of bone meal before stir- 

 ring. Keep the temperature during day- 

 time minimum 60 degrees, maximum 80 

 degrees, if possible. Night temperature, 

 ,56 to 58 degrees. Syringe twice a day 

 during bright weather and do not at- 

 tempt to feed until the plants begin to 



show vigor. I am, however, confident 

 that until you change your soil you will 

 meet with disappointment. 



Of course there may also be some de- 

 fect in house construction, such as in 

 ventilation, heating, etc., which only a 

 man on the ground could detect. 



ElBES. 



HARDY ROSES. 



Will you please give me a list of roses 

 that would do for outside planting, with- 

 out any protection, in the vicinity of 

 Buffalo, N. Y.? D. R. 



The following dozen hybrid perpetual 

 roses are reliable. They should have 



some earth drawn up to them f 

 tion before the ground freezes, 

 even the hybrid perpetual rose 

 classed as absolutely hardy 

 northern states: General Jacc 

 Mme. Gabriel Luizet, Mrs. Joh" 

 Frau Karl Druschki, Ulrich 

 Baron de Bonstettin, Captain ] 

 Paul Neyron, Prince Camille dt 

 John Hopper, Duke of Edinbu 

 Mme, Victor Verdier. 



'■ Protec. 



-^ one of 

 ■ .<=an b« 



in the 

 :"-niiuot, 

 • Laing 



I ainner! 



■'yward', 



Itohan, 



■ill and 



Among other useful roses, Miu , pi^^ 

 tier (Bourbon) is perfectly hard , as are 

 Harrison's Yellow, Persian Yelli ., Aus- 

 trian Copper and the various 1' iri'ns of 

 rugosa, also all the species roses, such as 

 setigera, Wichuraiana, multiflo/a, r„. 

 biginosa (sweetbrier), lucida, niuuii and 

 blanda. All the hybrid sweetbrii is win 

 be hardy. The everblooming hybrid teas 

 are not fully hardy, but if you jit't and 

 bury them in the soil just belme tlie 

 ground freezes up they will come throuf,'h 

 all right. 



Among reliable climbing rosos are: 

 Crimson Rambler, Dorothy J'orkins, 

 Tausendschon, Lady Gay, Dawson, Hia- 

 watha, Farquhar, Baltimore Belle, Seven 

 Sisters and Queen of the Prairie. Her- 

 mosa and Clothilde Soupert will be 

 found excellent for massing. They 

 should have some protection, however, in 

 winter. C. 



HIBISCUS. 



How long should hibiscus be left with- 

 out dividing? G. H. P. 



Hardy varieties of hibiscus, such as 

 militaris and Moscheutos, should stand 

 a good number of years without dividing. 

 The last half of September and first half 

 of October is a good time to do the work. 

 These varieties are increased easily from 

 seeds, and make good flowering plants 



within a year. 



C. W. 



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i 



SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



Sweet Peas* 



It will be necessary to look carefully 

 after the supports for the earlier sweet 

 pea sowings. A few days' neglect may 

 mean a serious loss to the crop. Visiting 

 a large commercial establishment within 

 the last few days, we noticed that the 

 earliest sweet peas had growths a foot in 

 length, that a pound of seed had been 

 used where an ounce would have amply 

 sufficed and that rows, instead of being 

 four to five feet apart, were not over 

 twelve inches apart. This happened, we 

 were informed, because carnation plant- 

 ing and other more important duties had 

 to be attended to, but that the peas 

 would be got around to shortly. Any 

 plants, if worth growing at all, are 

 surely worth growing well. It is quality 

 which always counts with sweet peas, as 

 with everything else. We mention this 

 as a not exceptional instance of how sweet 

 peas should not be grown. 



Supports should be in position by the 

 time the vines are two or three inches 

 high and before they start to throw out 

 tendrils. If they are allowed to become 



tangled and twisted, the shoots ii;. in 

 many cases spoiled and^ one's t' H|»<?r 

 seriously ruffled at the same time. • '''^ 

 seed has been thickly sown, do i be 

 afraid to thin. Far better have seei. ;igs 

 four to six inches apart than cru Iw' 

 together. The finest sweet peas w-- ^cr 

 saw were grown in the open air a 

 foot apart; almost equally good v 

 ones were six inches apart. The ' 

 they are left, the fewer sprays will 

 three and four flowers and the s: 

 will the stems be. 



Ais the early mums pass out of 1 

 it is a good plan to use at least pi' 

 the space they have occupied for 

 peas. By making a sowing now, ■ 

 crop of flowers early in the new 

 will be assured. There are no betK 

 rieties than Watchung, Florence ^J rf^ 

 and Mont Blanc for whites, and Cm^'Si- 

 mas Pink, pink and white, for this Mow- 

 ing. The lavender and other shades rase 

 a little longer to come in season. 0|i 

 account coddle the peas. They must in^^ 

 rich soil, abundant sunlight and an" '^ ^ 

 a night temperature not exceedm^^ • 



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