OCTOBIjB 6, lOlQ. 



The Weekly Florists" Review* 



16 



W. C. Scovell and His Hydrangea. 



to repopularize them by planting beds 

 of them quite thickly for mass effects 

 at various exhibitions. Where flowers 

 for cutting only are wanted, second size 

 bulbs answer perfectly well, while the 

 miniature size seems to be growing in 

 favor year by year. As a general rule, 

 named kinds are not used, but where 

 some fine spikes are wanted the follow- 

 ing are strictly first-class sorts to grow: 

 Gertrude, pink; Garibaldi, carmine; 

 King of the Blues, dark blue; Queen of 

 the Blues, light blue; Czar Peter, por- 

 celain blue; La Grandesse, pure white; 

 Baroness Van Thuyll, white, primrose 

 eye; City of Haarlem, deep yellow. The 

 foregoing are all single varieties. The 

 doubles are of little value for either 

 forcing or bedding. 



For culture in glasses, select the finest 

 bulbs. Use soft water and place a piece 

 of charcoal in it to keep it fresh. Do 

 not let the water quite touch the bulb 

 at any time. If at any time the water 

 shows signs of stagnation, change it at 

 once. After the bulbs are placed in the 

 glasses, the latter should be stood in a 

 cool, dark and dry place until the roots 

 have pushed to the bottom of the 

 glasses and the tops are grown a couple 

 of inches. Then they can gradually be 

 inured to light. 



Narcissi. 



Both narcissi and tulips are adapt- 

 able to culture both in pans and flats. 

 Many country florists have a consider- 

 able sale for pans of each, and practi- 

 cally all the narcissi do well treated in 

 this way. The big bulbed sorts, like 

 Emperor, Victoria and Empress, need 

 larger pans than the other sorts. They 

 will do in 8-inch size, but 10-inch will 

 serve them much better. There are a 

 few narcissi which no florist can well 

 get along without. Of these Golden 

 Spur ranks high, it being the finest of 

 the large golden yellow trumpet sorts 

 for forcing. Trumpet Major or single 

 Von Sion comes in somewhat earlier. 

 Emperor, with its heavy foliage and im- 

 mense flowers, forces well and makes a 



good successional variety. Victoria, 

 with its clear yellow trumpet and white 

 perianth, is the finest of the bicolor sec- 

 tion. This variety does splendidly in 

 pans, and the stems, being extra stiff, 

 do not fall over, as some kinds are lia- 

 ble to do. Empress is a much better 

 sort than Horsfieldii, but not equal to 

 Victoria. 



In double varieties Von Sion is al- 

 ways in great demand. It is difficult to 

 understand why it is so popular, as the 

 flower is coarse as compared with the 

 singles, but it ships well and withstands 

 rough usage. A much finer double nar- 

 cissus and one rarely seen in the market 

 is the Sulphur or Silver Phoenix, with 

 pale, creamy white, fragrant flowers. 



This cannot be forced as early, howevei;, 

 as the old Von Sion. 



The medium and short trumpet nar- 

 cissi, although mych more graceful than 

 the large trumpet section, have not 

 hitherto attained popularity commer- 

 cially. Sir Watkin, Barri conspicuus, 

 Leedsii Mrs. Langtry, Leedsii Duchess 

 of Brabant, poeticus and poeticus orna- 

 tus are a reliable half dozen to grow. 

 The last named can be had in flower in 

 January. The old poeticus, if kept 

 back, sells finely at Easter. All the 

 narcissi succeed well in flats containing 

 four inches of soil. 



Spanish Irises. 



There are no finer flowers in late wiff- 

 ter and spring than the Spanish irises, 

 and they find a ready sale in all the 

 large flower markets. In addition to 

 their value for forcing, they should be 

 far more planted outdoors, as their har- 

 diness is unquestioned and their low. 

 price places them within everyone's 

 reach. These irises must not be covered 

 with soil or ashes, as with tulips or 

 hyacinths. They want light all the time, 

 and to grow them successfully a maxi- 

 mum night temperature of 50 degrees 

 should not be exceeded. One or two 

 splendid sorts are: Chrysolora and Ca- 

 janus, yellow; Louise, pale blue, charm- 

 ing; Thunderbolt, dark bronze; British 

 Queen, pure white; Leonidas, violet 

 blue. 



Gladioli. 



In addition to the large flowered gladi- 

 oli, such as America, May and Augusta, 

 the smaller flowered nanus and Colvillei 

 sections contain many beautiful varie- 

 ties, which, having small bulbs, can be 

 readily grown and forced in flats, like 

 the Spanish irises. The oldest and best 

 known sort well adaptable for early 

 forcing is Colvillei The Bride. Blush- 

 ing Bride, with crimson blotches, has 

 much greater vigor than The Bride. 

 Probably the finest of all the nanus or 

 cardinalis section is Peach Blossom, of 

 a delicate pink shade. Other desirable 

 varieties are: Mathilde, white, shaded 

 with lavender; General Scott, light rose, 

 red blotches; Ackermanii, salmon, flaked 



How Mr. Scovell Prunes Hydrangea Paniculata. 



