SXFTEMBBB 15, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



.<*^.<»^.<»^.<^^«^.'<^.'<^.<*^'fer»>-fe»>-fer»>^yr»>-fer»>-fer»>-'yr»>-fer#^-'yr»>-gi^ 



I THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



tf^'»^.<i*^.<#^.<»^.'»^<i»^<<^.<»^^4&^-fer»>'fer»>'fer»!)'-yr»>'fer»!)''fer»>'fer»)-^r»)'^yr^: 



i 



THE FLORAL UEN. 



The urn of flowers is one of the de- 

 signs of recognized appropriateness for 

 such an event as the inauguration of a 

 jmblic official, a greeting upon the 

 occasion of the opening of a new busi- 

 ness venture, or for presentation to the 

 champion baseball club or a debutante 

 vaudeville team, but it is not often 

 called for as a funeral design. The 

 accompanying illustration shows a 

 tioral urn ibade for funeral purposes 

 by the Krug Floral Co., Alton, 111. It 

 is noteworthy that in this case the urn 

 itself was not made solid of white car- 

 nations or asters, as is commonly the 

 case, but was made of green, with 

 Kaiserin roses and valley loosely ar- 

 ranged. The handles were of smilax, 

 but plumosus sprays were the green 

 used among the flowers. Of course the 

 urn was represented as filled with Beau- 

 ties, for hardly any other rose will pro- 

 duce the desired effect in so large a 

 piece. Ground of solid white at the 

 bottom of the urn afforded a space for 

 the word "Father" in chenille letters. 



CBOOEED GLADIOLUS STEMS. 



The query of J. J. H., under the head 

 of ' ' Crooked Gladiolus Stems, ' ' on page 

 11 of The Review for September 1, 

 prompts me to offer the opinion that in 

 certain kinds of work the crookedness 

 of the stems may be an advantage 

 rather than an obstacle. For instance, 

 gladioli with crooked stems can be used 

 in vases in such a way that the bunch 

 of flowers appears graceful, which can 

 never be done with the stiff, straight 

 spikes of the standard florists' sorts. 

 I make this suggestion in the hope 

 of bringing out some discussion on the 

 subject. E. S. Miller. 



GLADIOLI AS A WINTER CROP. 



Are gladioli profitable for forcing as 

 a separate winter crop? When can they 

 be gotten into bloom? When should 

 they be planted and what are the best 

 varieties? C. A. S. 



Gladioli are a fairly profitable crop 

 for flowering in late winter and spring. 

 The bulbs of the small flowering varie- 

 ties of the Colvillei and nanus types are 

 procurable in September and should be 

 planted in flats containing four inches 

 of soil. One flat, 4x12x24, will hold fifty 

 to sixty bulbs. The earliest date when 

 any of the small flowered varieties can 

 be satisfactorily and profitably flowered 

 is February. From that date a succes- 

 sion may be had until the end of 

 June. A few suitable small flowering 

 sorts are: Colvillei The Bride and 

 Blushing Bride; in the nanus type, such 

 sorts as Peach Blossom, Numa, Acker- 

 manii, Mathilde, Bose Queen and Pink 

 Perfection. 



Bulbs of the large-flowered gladioli 

 do not usually come to hand before De- 

 cember. They can be had in bloom from 



March until July, or until such time as 

 the outdoor crop comes in season. They 

 succeed well in benches containing five 

 to six inches of soil, and where the 

 night temperature does not exceed 52 

 degrees. Useful varieties for indoor 

 culture are: America, light lavender 

 pink, the most popular of all; Shake- 



up when the tops have died off, stored 

 through the winter and planted out 

 the following spring, and if so, how can 

 they be kept in best condition through 

 the rest period? H. H. 



Lilium auratum is one of the most 

 showy, but at the same time one of 

 the most fickle of lilies. Your experi- 

 ence parallels that of a vast majority 

 of those who grow it outdoors. The 

 reason for its failing after the first year 

 I cannot tell. Given special locations, 

 I have known it to grow and flower well 

 for a number of years. One of these 

 locations is in a rhododendron bed, kept 

 heavily mulched with leaves all the 

 time, the soil below these never becom- 

 ing dry. These conditions are what 

 most lilies like. Our hot, dry climate 

 does not suit them, and as a conse- 



The Floral Urn for FuneraL 



speare, white, suffused carmine rose; 

 Augusta, pure white, anthers blue; 

 Brenchleyensis, bright vermilion scar- 

 let; May, white, marked rosy crimson; 

 Mrs. F. King, light scarlet. C. W. 



OUTDOOR LILIUM AURATUM. 



Kindly inform me as to the outdoor 

 culture of Lilium auratum. The bulbs 

 purchased and planted in the autumn 

 flower satisfactorily the following Au- 

 gust, but after that the flowers are 

 imperfect. Should the bulbs be taken 



quence but few varieties thrive and 

 most of these finally dwindle and 

 vanish. 



Lilium 

 late. 



auratum bulbs arrive quite 

 ., usually about the end of Novem- 

 ber. They must be planted as soon as 

 possible after they arrive. Always avoid 

 the use of fresh manure of any kind in 

 the soil for lilies. If you use any, let 

 it be old and well decayed. Place some 

 sand below and over the bulbs and 

 cover them at least nine inches; a foot 

 is better if you have a soil of fair 



