12 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



April 29, 1909. 



old decayed iimuure or partly rotted 

 leaves to keep the roots cool and moist 

 will be found beneficial. Have you ever 

 noticed bow much more vigorously lihea 

 will grow in a bed constantly mulched 

 with leaves than where the Burt\<ce soil 

 is exposed to the sun? All lilies, with 

 the possible exception of candidum, are 

 benefited by a mulch during the growing 

 season. Candidum makes a circle of leaves 

 on the surface of the ground, and any 

 mulch applied to it must be light, or tlie 

 leaves will be covered, which will cause 

 decay. 



Marguerites. 



The white and pink forms of Mar- 

 guerite Queen Alexandra are useful for 

 Memorial day. The house containing 

 these will now' need shading, to hold back 

 the plants. The yellow varieties are all 

 good sellers, and bring profitable prices 

 at the same holiday. If grown in pots, 

 an abundant water supply will be neces- 

 sary. If the plants can be stood on a 

 bed and allowed to root through, they 

 will be much improved. 



Cuttings rooted earlier in the spring 

 and intended for flowering next winter 

 must not be allowed to become potbound. 

 Keep all flower buds removed. The plants 

 will show a persistency in wanting to 

 bloom in preference to making growths, 

 and cuttings taken now, while they will 

 root, are not desirable. It will be neces- 

 sary to wait until the early days of au- 

 tumn before suitable propagating wood is 

 found. After flowering, be sure to re- 

 tain a few plants of each variety of mar- 

 guerite, cut them back and plant out- 

 doors when danger of frost is gone. 



The pink form of Marguerite Queen 

 Alexandra promises to make a desirable 

 pot plant, and should be useful at both 

 Easter and Memorial day. 



Gloxinias. 



Seedlings of gloxinia must be trans- 

 ferred to flats as soon as of sufficient «ize 



These will make useful flowering plants 

 in late summer. 



Early started gloxinias are now flower- 

 ing ami, as these when well flowered are 

 very salable, care should be taken to 

 avoid wetting the foliage. Leaves with 

 sunburns disfigure plants so that they 

 cannot be sold. Gloxinia flowers, while 

 not considered of much trade value, work 

 very nicely in floral designs, and for 

 choice bouquets at Memorial day are 

 splendid. The plants like a house with a 

 temperature of 60 degrees at night. 



Bedding Geraniums. 



Any j)inching out of flower spikes on 

 your geraniums should now be discontin- 

 ued, if you want plants in nice bloom for 

 bedding out time. It is an advantage at 

 selling time to have a flower open on as 

 many plants as possible, for have you no- 

 ticed how your customers will always 

 want such, even if the plants are half the 

 size of those without flowers? Be sure 

 the plants are not too crowded. If given 

 necessary space, they will easily be worth 

 oU cents i)er dozen more at retail. Some 

 may be showing foliage of a pale color 

 and not be making satisfactory growth. 

 Probable causes are too poor compost and 

 not sufficiently firm potting. Use weak 

 doses of nitrate of soda or sulphate of 

 ammonia at intervals of four or five days. 

 One ounce of the chemical to five gallons 

 of water is strong enough. 



Pick oft" decaying foliage and flowers, 

 and as the weather is now much warmer 

 an increased water supply will be neces- 

 sary. Always plan to have foliage dry 

 at nightfall. Plants will do well in closely 

 built frames, but may require covering on 

 occasional cold nights. We are never sure 

 of settled weather until the end of May 

 in the northern states. 



Tuberous Begonias. 



Except it may be in specially favored 

 spots near the ocean, tuberous begonias 

 cannot be classed as satisfactory bedding 



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Goldfish Pool on Grounds of W. E. Dwxght, Oak Park, IH. 



to conveniently handle, using a compost 

 of leaf-mold, sand and a small propor- 

 tion of loam. Keep them shaded in a 

 warm, moist house. Our earliest seed- 

 lings have just been potted off* singly. 



plants. In some parts of Maine, Nova 

 Scotia and the Canadian provinces they 

 stand the sun well and bloom even more 

 satisfactorily than geraniums, but as a 

 rule the intense summer heat is too much 



for them. This is to be regretted, for 

 where they will succeed, as in the British 

 Isles, they are incomparably superior to 

 zonal geraniums, withstanding heavy rain 

 storms far better and flowering until cut 

 down by frost. 



Whete partial shade can be given them, 

 such as on the north side of a building 

 or with high overhanging branches, they 

 succeed well, especially if a mulching is 

 given and an occasional soaking with the 

 hose afforded. It is time now to start 

 the tubers for bedding. They will be 

 starting to grow as it is and, if placed 

 in flats of sand and leaf-mold, will be 

 fit to pot in a few days. It is an ad- 

 vantage to have a few with flowers on at 

 bedding out time. Your customers can 

 then better see what beautiful subjects 

 they are. 



Plants started a month ago should 

 have some blooms open by the end of 

 May. Begonias do not like much heat 

 and should be grown 10 degrees cooler 

 than gloxinias. A compost of turfy 

 loam, decayed cow manure and sand suits 

 them. For vases and piazza boxes par- 

 tially shaded, tuberous begonias will be 

 found persistent bloomers. 



Asparagus Seedlings. 



Seedlings of Asparagus plumosus nanus 

 and A. Sprengeri should be potted off' 

 now before' they become crowded and 

 drawn. A compost of sandy loam with a 

 little leaf -mold suits them. Give them a 

 stand on a sunny bench, pot to pot, and 

 they Avill grow fast. The night tempera- 

 ture should not be less than 55 degrees at 

 this season for them. If you are short 

 of A. Sprengeri and have some ripe ber- 

 ries, sow these at once. They can be 

 grown along into useful little stock be- 

 fore Christmas. If you have no seed, it 

 can be purchased reasonably. There 

 never seems to be much of a surplus of 

 this plant. 



Primulas. 



The earliest sown batch of primulas 

 should now be ready for a shift into 2^4- 

 inch pots. Give them a lightly shaded 

 shelf in a cool, light house, or a bench 

 well up to the light. A suitable soil for 

 the early potting should consist of two- 

 thirds leaf-mold, one-third loam and a 

 good dash of sand. A coldframe is the 

 ideal place in which to grow these during 

 summer, but bedding and other plants 

 will fill them for at least another month. 



Cattleyas. 



The increasing power of the sun will 

 necessitate some additional shading, es- 

 pecially on the south side of the houses. 

 It is unwise to shade heavily at any time. 

 Cattleyas grown under such conditions are 

 green and soft, presenting a beautiful, 

 healthy appearance. These usually, how- 

 ever, fail to flower as freely as those ex- 

 posed to strong light. A little more 

 water can now be afforded C. Trianse and 

 C. labiata, which are rooting freely. Early 

 summer varieties, such as Mendellii, Skin- 

 neri and Mossiae, are now coming in sea- 

 son and those in bloom should be placed 

 where they can get a little more shade 

 and have a rather lower temperature. 

 Early in the afternoon of hot days a 

 light syringing will benefit cattleyas. 

 Avoid it on dull days. A temperature of 

 60 to 65 degrees at night, with a rise of 

 10 degrees in the daytime, will suit the 

 general run of cattleyas. On warm 

 nights a little air can be left on all night 

 with advantage. 



EicHMOND, Me. — L. B. Dingley has 

 sold his business to Fred L. Billings. 



