Fbbbuabt 23, 1911. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



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Cannas. 



While there is still abundant time in 

 which to start cannas in the colder 

 states, to the south, where the planting 

 season opens earlier, they can now be 

 started. Cut away all decayed or par- 

 tially decayed portions of the roots and 

 leave a single eye to each root on such 

 as are sound, using a strong, sharp 

 knife to do the necessary cutting. It 

 is much better not to place the roots 

 in earth, as is sometimes done, but to 

 utilize a bare piece of bench, over 

 which a bed of sphagnum moss can be 

 placed, and on these the canna roots 

 can be closely laid. A thin scattering 

 of broken dry sphagnum spread over 

 them IS sufficient covering. Do not 

 soak them with water. If the house 

 is close and moist and there is a nice 

 bottom heat below the roots, they will 

 need nothing beyond occasional' light 

 sprayings to start them. Potting up 

 can be done when the shoots are a few 

 inches long and before the roots have 

 become matted together. 



Schizanthus. 



Schizanthus intended for Easter 

 flowering should now be ready to go 

 into 6-inch pots. Use a tolerably rich 

 compost, containing one-third dry cow 

 manure. If grown quite cool, Schizan- 

 thus Wisetonensis needs little staking, 

 a central stake usually being sufficient. 

 If any of the shoots show a tendency 

 to run away, pinch them back. While 

 schizanthus can be flowered in a tem- 

 perature of 50 degrees at night, it will 

 be much dwarfer and stockier if kept 

 in a house where a minimum of 40 to 

 45 degrees is maintained. Grown in 

 this way it will be found to keep splen- 

 didly, either in the hoyise or store, and 

 as it is still something of a novelty 

 at Easter, a nice batch of white or soft 

 pink forms should sell without much 

 effort. The schizanthus has been nick- 

 named the "poor man's orchid" and 

 there certainly is an orchid-like appear- 

 ance to the little flowers, which gives 

 them much of their fascination. 



Shamrocks. 



The time is getting close at hand 

 when shamrocks will be in demand and 

 if still in flats they should be potted off 

 singly or placed several together in small 

 pans, using a rather light soil for them, 

 with considerable sand added. Keep 

 them well watered and near the glass 

 in a cool house; 45 degrees at night is 

 about right. Avoid cold drafts and do 

 not let the foliage be damp at night- 

 fall, for if mildew once makes its ap- 

 pearance the plants will be unsalable. 



Marguerites. 



Kaching 4)f marguerites should have 

 l>een discontinued some time ago, on 

 plants wanted for Easter flowering. 

 They will now be running up to flower 

 and if at all cramped in the pots should 

 receive their final shift. While quite 

 nice marguerites can be flowered in 



6-inch pots, this size of pot needs more 

 attention in watering than 8-inch, which 

 is a good size to flower marguerites in. 

 As they are now making rapid growth, 

 it is necessary to spread out the plants 

 at least once a we^k. Plants coming 

 into flower should be elevated on in- 

 verted pots. Stand a saucer under 

 them to assist in keeping them from 

 wilting. That fine variety. Queen Alex- 

 andra, usually a rather late bloomer, 

 should this year be in excellent shape 

 for Easter. 



Lilacs. 



While it is possible to force lilacs 

 into flower in four or five weeks, it is 

 much better to bring them on more 

 gradually, iu order to have stocky 

 plants, which will stand a little coo! 

 treatment without wilting seriously. 

 Give the plants a temperature of 50 to 

 55 degrees now and, if held in this de- 

 gree of heat, they will flower nicely 

 before April 16 and can if necessary 

 be moved for a few days into a cool 

 house before being sold. Syringe the 

 plants freely and give them the fullest 

 light all the time. It is quite unneces- 

 sary after this date to darken them iu 

 the early stages of growth. As a gen- 



eral rule, white lilacs are most in de- 

 mand at Easter, but those with pink 

 flowers also sell well. The blue and 

 purple shades are less popnlar. Marie 

 Legraye, single white, and Mme. Le- 

 moine, double white, are the best of the 

 whites for forcing. 



Crotons and Dracsnas. 



Advantage should be taken of these 

 February days to do as much potting 

 as possible among the foliage plants, 

 and among these crotons and the col- 

 ored-leaved dracffinas are prominent. In 

 the case of lanky plants, cut the tops 

 off and place them in a warm propa- 

 gating bench. Soak them with water 

 daily and few will fail to root. Or, if 

 preferred, larger plants can be secured 

 by the ringing method, which includes 

 tying a bunch of moss over the cut, or 

 as is often done, slipping on a flower 

 pot from which the bottom has been 

 knocked out, and securing it at the de- 

 sired place. Moss in the pot is better 

 than loam or sand. Keep the moss con- 

 stantly moist and roots will soon strike 

 out, when the tops cau be cut off and 

 when potted kept in a close, moist heat 

 for some time. 



A suitable compost for potting cro- 

 tons and draca>nas in consists of two 

 jjarts fibrous loam, one part leaf-mold, 

 not too much decayed, and one part 

 dried cow manure, old and passed 

 through a half-inch screen, with suffi- 

 cient sand to make the whole porous. 

 Pick away the drainage and as much of 

 the old soil as possible; also loosen the 

 roots down the sides of the ball with a 

 pointed stick. Pot firmly. Water rather 

 sparingly until the roots show signs of 

 activity, but spray the plants over every 

 day. 



SWEET PEAS OUTDOORS. 



How far apart should the rows of 

 sweet peas be in a field? How far apart 

 should the plants be in the rows? How 

 high should the trellis be? Do they 

 need rich ground and plenty of water? 

 What is the cheapest trellis? Is there 

 a large-meshed trellis woven specially 

 for sweet peas? S. J. G. 



The rows should be five to six feet 

 apart. If you have plenty of land it 

 will be better to allow them six feet. 

 This admits of better cultivation. If 

 you start seeds in pots now, three seeds 

 in a 4-inch pot, keeping them in a cold- 

 frame until the middle of April, and 

 then plant out twelve to fifteen inches 

 apart, you will have stronger and 

 earlier flowers than from those sown 

 outdoors. The distance named may 

 seem considerable at first, but you will 

 find the plants will easil^y cover it. 

 When sown in the drills, it is a mistake 

 to leave the young plants thick; three 

 to four inches apart each way will 

 give vou better liauim and spikes than 



ieaving them just as they germinate. 

 Cover the seeds two and one-half inches 

 and do not adopt the plan sometimes 

 recommended in seed catalogues, to 

 cover lightly at first and gradually hill 

 up. This plan often causes many to 

 rot off. 



The ground should be deeply plowed 

 and heavily manured and you can hard- 

 ly overwater the plants, especially dur- 

 ing the flowering season. At this'latter 

 period a mulch of strawy manure, 

 meadow hay or grass is beneficial, help- 

 ing to keep the roots cool and moist. 

 In good ground sweet peas often grow 

 eight to ten feet high and rarely less 

 than six to siven feet. The best sup- 

 port is brush of some kind; birch is 

 excellent if procurable, or some other 

 sprout growth of a deciduous nature. 

 Falling this, coarse-meshed wire netting 

 will do. Let it be not less than seven 

 feet high, and, to prevent bulging, sup- 

 ports should be placed eight feet apart 

 to fasten it to. There is a stiff netting 

 which does not bulge, but it costs con- 

 sideraHy moie than the ordinary va- 

 riety. c.'W. 



"li'i^'^rn. 



