

16 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



Mabch 10, 1910. 



ifldj^nnt 



the patienlllmtifttl pursuits of out aims 

 for the best effects. 



To sum up: A careful study of the 

 situation soon convinces us that the home- 

 grown hardy perennials rank first in re- 

 sistance. They should, in a general way, 

 form the nucleus of northern outdoor 

 planting, with the more tender flowering 

 bulbs, bedding (plants and annuals as 

 seconds. Many of the hardy perennials 

 appear in no way out of place when, in 

 a natural, ihformal style, mixed in 

 among our wooded landscapes. They are 

 equally effective in the formal gardens, 

 and they give our plantings from the 



start a much desired stabilil7^^1im&^ at 

 no time should be underestimated. *■ 



We find ourselves near the threshold of 

 a new growing season. Spon«« latge con- 

 tingent of the wealthy fljetropolitan 

 population will return to their cottages 

 amid our ever-verdant spruce and pine 

 woods, to enjoy the invigorating northern 

 summer. Let us not forget that the last 

 and highest mission of northern outdoor 

 floriculture is to aid in strengthening the 

 ties of attachment and in binding the 

 bands of love for our home country and 

 her beautiful North. 



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SUGGESTIONS 



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Antirrhinums. 



Keep antirrhinum plants which are 

 flowering carefully disbudded, to throw 

 all possible strength into the flowers 

 themselves. There are probably one or 

 two extra fine varieties which may seem 

 worth perpetuating. Carefully mark 

 these and get a batch of cuttings from 

 each. Feed flowering plants with liquid 

 manure once in ten days and keep strong 

 shoots tied up, for, once twisted, they 

 are quite unsalable. If there are any 

 bare pieces of bench now, it is a ' good 

 time to set out some seedlings or rooted 

 cuttings of snapdragons to fill up the 

 gaps. They will render a good account 

 of themselves for Memorial day. 



Chrysanthemums. 



It is yet much too early to propagate 

 any chrysanthemums for single stems, 

 other than for exhibition purposes. The 

 stems attain a height beyond the con- 

 fines of the old-style commercial house, 

 and present-day prices hardly warrant 

 early planting, as the demand for the 

 largest possible blooms is not what it used 

 to be. It is a good plan, however, to 

 propagate all varieties of which the stock 

 may be limited and which promise to 

 * * pay for their board, ' ' to use a common 

 phrase. A good way with any of these 

 mums is to take them as soon as rooted 

 nicely, plant rather thinly in flats con- 

 taining four inches of soil and water spar- 

 ingly at first. Pinch out the tops and 

 you will get a nice crop of cuttings for 

 propagating just when you need them. 

 It is still a far too common practice to 

 stand pots of mums on the paths, or even 

 under the benches, for the winter. It is 

 impossible to get decent cuttings in this 

 way. Far better throw away your stock 

 plants and buy fresh each year if you 

 cannot take proper care of them. 



Sweet Peas. 



Extremely rapid now is the growth on 

 the sweet peas and, with the lengthening 

 days and increasing solar heat, the stems 

 are coming of splendid length and the 

 flowers open fast. The early batches, 

 which have done service since October, are 

 now getting poor and it will not pay to 

 carry them any longer. Pull them out 

 and give your Easter stock a better 

 chance, and when that is gone bedding 



plants or Memorial day stock will call 

 for room. 



Answering inquiries as to whether it 

 would be wise to put a little shade on the 

 sweet peas, our answer would be 

 "Don't." The peas will only be injured 

 by it. Manure water occasionally, a top- 

 dressing of fine bone or sheep manure 

 and close attention to strings for holding 



Advertisements must be 

 in the Review office by 

 5 p. m., March 15th, to 

 be in time. 



Special Easter Number 

 Next Week 



Advertisers should not delay send= 

 ing "copy" for strong, seasonable 

 offers of stock. 



the vines erect, are now requisites. Do 

 not run up tlie temperature in order to 

 get a heavy Easter pick. You will only 

 damage the plants, and remember that 

 sweet peas are now salable the year 

 around. 



It will soon be time to sow the out- 

 door crop ; in fact, to the south of us they 

 probably are already in the ground. It is 



usually about the first part of April be-^l' 

 fore the ^ound is in a thawed and dried- 

 out condition fit for their reception in 

 our northern states. It is a good plan to 

 sow a generous batch in 4-inch pots, 

 using three or four seeds in a pot. Stand 

 these in a coldframe, in preference to 

 even a cold greenhouse, and keep them 

 there until the middle or end of April, 

 when they can be planted out, allowing 

 a foot between each pot. Try this plan 

 and note how much stronger stems and 

 finer flowers you get than from outside- 

 sown seed, which comes up thickly and 

 which you never have the courage to 

 thin. 



Allamandas. 



It is time to start allamandas into 

 growth. The climbers should have had 

 their wood well ripened and be cut 

 back. The boxes, tubs or pots should also 

 receive a generous surface dressing, after 

 the removal of some of the old soil. 

 Spray freely until they break, but apply 

 water sparingly at the roots. An over- 

 plus is liable to kill the plants, par- 

 ticularly if they were retubbed. That 

 useful pot variety, Williamsi, is specially 

 valuable in the hot summer months, and 

 where there is a demand for choice 

 flowering plants at that season, it should 

 be grown, by all means. It likes a 

 tropical temperature to start it, but will 

 thrive beautifully in an ordinary green- 

 house from June to September. 



Gardenias. 



Gardenias will now be giving a heavy 

 spring crop. They sell quite satisfac- 

 torily this season, in spite of the competi- 

 tion from large quantities of the artificial 

 article, which, however, are too perfect in 

 form and pure in color to deceive any 

 connoisseur. Mealy bug is beginning to 

 make more rapid headway now, but a 

 judicious use of the spray nozzle will 

 easily keep it in check. 



Plants, as they pass out of flower, will 

 furnish a nice lot of propagating wood, 

 and, if an insufficient stock was put in 

 sand earlier in the year, now is the time 

 to make up any deficiency. Some people 

 find gardenias difficult to root. As a mat- 

 ter of fact, there is hardly any plant 

 more easy of propagation. Keep them 

 hot and well shaded, and the sand con- 

 stantly saturated, and not one per cent 

 will fail to root. 



Vegetable Seeds. 



As a side-line many country florists find 

 a considerable demand for vegetable 

 plants in spring. These often are put up 

 in small flats, which are sold at so much 

 each. A dozen tomatoes, two dozen let- 

 tuces or cabbage plants, which can be 

 easily carried away by the purchaser, will 

 suffice for a flat. Lettuces, cabbages and 

 tomatoes should be sown now, celery a 

 month hence, also peppers and eggplants. 

 Use light and moderately rich soil in the 

 flats to produce good plants. 



Hydrangeas. 



Less hydrangeas than usual will be 

 flowered for Easter this year. They are 

 not the most popular of Easter plants, 

 selling much better for Memorial day. 

 Unless the flower heads are now showing 

 some color, they are going to be too 

 late. We dislike forcing these plants in 

 the last stages of growth, as they wilt so 

 badly when taken to cool quarters. Few 

 flowering plants take more water than 

 hydrangeas. A drying out means loss of 

 foliage and sometimes of the flower 

 heads also. For any plants showing pale 

 foliage, some soot water or a weak dose 





