The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



April 14, 1910. 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



Nephrolepis. 



After Easter the prices of carnations 

 rule comparatively low and there are 

 usually certain benches which it will 

 pay to pull out to make room for some 

 crop for Memorial day. At this busy 

 season, when work of every kind crowds 

 us, it is difficult to care properly for 

 every crop, as we would wish. Among 

 those which are liable to be forgotten 

 are the nephrolepis. We will want a 

 lot of them in the fall and must not 

 forget to /get plants under way now. 

 A side Dfeich is an ideal place for them. 

 Mix some well rotted manure in the old 

 carnation soil, if you decide to use it 

 for the ferns. New compost would be 

 better, but many prefer to utilize the 

 old soil. Young plants from pots and 

 runners can alike be planted here. 



Use a hanging curtain of cheesecloth 

 along the path side of the bench to fur- 

 nish shade and exclude air. Soak well 

 after planting; after that give frequent 

 gentle sprayings. As the plants become 

 established and grow apace, a mulch of 

 old and well-rotted manure will keep the 

 soil cooler and moister. The glass should, 

 of course, be shaded, but not heavily. 

 The old Boston fern, N. exaltata Bos- 

 toniensis, retains its lead over all the 

 newer introductions and is still as popu- 

 lar as ever as a house plant. N. Whit- 

 mani seems to come more true than any 

 of the sportSk Amerpohlii is coming to 

 the front, while elegantissima has many 

 friends. Barrowsii and Scottii will soon 

 be included among the "has beens. " 



Shading. 



Shading is a necessary evil. We can- 

 not well do without it during the sum- 

 mer months, if we wish to have pre- 

 sentable plants. Palm bouses have 

 received shade before this time, as also 

 have ferns in variety. Naphtha and 

 white lead makes an easily-applied and 

 inexpensive shading. For large houses 

 it pays to cover the glass with one of 

 the sprayers used for Bordeaux mixture 

 or for general spraying purposes. On 

 smaller houses a long-handled brush an- 

 swers well. About all flowering plants, 

 including carnations, are now benefited 

 by a little shade. Do uot, however, put 

 a dense shade op any house, merely 

 because we chance to get a few early 

 hot days. We may get spells of dark, 

 damp weather, when all possible light 

 through the glass will be needed. 



Show Pelargoniums. 



The earlier show pelargoniums are 

 now flowering. They are easily dam- 

 aged by an overplus of heat or sunshine. 

 Give the glass over them some shade and 

 do not play the hose among the flowers, 

 « as it will speedily cause damping of 

 both foliage and flowers. Show pelar- 

 goniums revel in a cool house; 45 de- 

 grees at night is high enough, and at 

 40 degrees they would be more at home 

 than at 60 degrees. Look out for green 

 aphis. Heavy smokings from tobacco 



stems will cause all expanded flowers to 

 drop to pieces. Mild fumigations once 

 a week will keep the plant lice in 

 check. Feed the plants liberally when- 

 ever the pots are y^ell matted with 

 roots. Do not attempt any propagation 

 of show pelargoniums. Wait until early 

 July, or until the blooming season is 

 practically ended, and then take some 

 cuttings; or wait until the plants are 

 dried oflP, and when pruning back, pre- 

 paratory to resting them, plenty of suit- 

 table wood can be had. 



Primulas. 



The earliest pricked oif seedlings of 

 primulas are now growing nicely in flats 

 and will be all right there two or three 

 weeks longer. Never allow these seed- 

 lings to crowd one another unduly before 

 transplanting. A light bench or shelf, 

 with a minimum of 48 to 50 degrees, is 

 all right for primulas. It would be far 

 better to have it cooler than warmer. It 

 is not yet too late to sow seeds of P. 

 Kewensis, stellata and obconica. These 

 late sown seedlings will not develop into 

 specimen sized plants, but will make nice 

 little stock for 5-inch pots, or for mak- 

 ing up into pans. Within a month all 

 the primulas will do vastly better in a 

 coldframe, in which a few inches of warm 

 manure was firmly tramped and a bed of 

 fine cinders placed over it. Seed will, 

 germinate best in a warm, moist house, 

 but the flats or pans should be moved to 

 cooler quarters soon after the seedlings 

 have germinated. 



Memorial Day G-ops. 



Ten weeks' stocks come in useful at 

 Memorial day. They are not ordinarily 

 good sellers, but on May 30 almost any 

 flower can be disposed of. Those which 

 were recently benched should be along in 

 good season if given a light house, with 

 a minimum temperature of 48 to 50 de- 



grees at night. Have the surface soil 

 scratched occasionally. A certain propor- 

 tion are sure to come single. It is best 

 to pull these out as soon as they show 

 themselves, as they are of little vsJue for 

 cutting. 



Double feverfew is grown a good deal 

 for Memorial day, and when it comes in 

 season it proves invaluable for using in 

 mixed bouquets. It is a somewhat coarse 

 flower and its odor is not specially invit- 

 ing, but purchasers can. get a nice bunch 

 for a quarter and it is generally in big 

 demand. As it is a strong rooting sub- 

 ject, benches in which it is getting well 

 established should have some liquid 

 manure. A top-dressing of cow or sheep 

 manure will also prove beneficial. A tem- 

 perature similar to that for ten weeks ^ 

 stocks suits it. -^^ 



Spiraea Japonica in pots, ■* boxes or 

 benches is another useful crop for the 

 coming holiday. Plants should now be 

 nicely started. They will stand hard forc- 

 ing if necessary and can hardly be oVer- 

 watered. Do not overlook the new pink 

 variety, QUeen Alexandra. The color is 

 just what you will need. Its price is now 

 becoming quite reasonable and it should 

 prove a popular florists' plant. Be sure 

 to fumigate very lightly where spiraeas 

 are growing. 



In the case of lilies intended for 

 Memorial day, if the buds show early in 

 May they will be all right. It is easy to 

 give them a little extra heat if they seem 

 rather late. L. longiflorum giganteum is 

 the most useful type for late flowering. 



Gladioli, with their large, showy spikes 

 of flowers, are always a welcome Me- 

 morial day asset. As we are likely to 

 have some pretty hot weather in May, 

 which may send them along faster than 

 could be wished, it is best to cut them 

 as soon as the flrst flowers open and place 

 them in a cold room. The flowers will 

 open just as well as on the plant and will 

 last better. 



Sowing Hardy Annuals. 



Some of the hardier annuals that are 

 suitable for cutting should now be sown 

 outdoors. We like to get these in by the 

 middle of April, before the ground be- 

 comes too dry and warm, as they then do 

 much better. Among the more useful of 

 these annuals are: Mignonette, lupines, 

 larkspurs in a variety of colors, poppies 

 in variety, of which the Shirley is • the 

 most desirable; Leptosyne maritima, 

 Gaillardia picta Lorenziana, Centaurea 



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