The Weekly Florists' Review. 



Mabch 21, 1012. 



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Marguerites. 



Few plants require a larger supply 

 of water than marguerites. Several 

 waterings daily are necessary to keep 

 them fresh. One good drying out 

 means the loss of many flowers. On the 

 other hand, be careful if you use saucers 

 under your plants not to allow them to 

 become water-logged or the foliage will 

 speedily become golden. There are few 

 better Easter plants than marguerites. 

 It is true they need considerable bench 

 space to do them justice, and watering 

 can never be neglected, but they are 

 easily grown plants, decorative and last 

 exceptionally well in dwelling houses. 

 The new double white marguerite, Mrs. 

 Sander, when it really comes double, is 

 fine. The flowers resemble a good 

 double pyrethrum, but a large propor- 

 tion come single. Personally, however, 

 I think the singles are an improvement 

 on Queen Alexandra and make splendid 

 Easter plants. If it were only possi- 

 ble to grow the yellow varieties as 

 easily, and if they made as symmetrical 

 plants as the white varieties, they 

 would have a great sale. As a rule, 

 however, they do not produce shapely 

 plants and are better adapted for cut- 

 ting than for forcing into salable 

 plants. Any late rooted stock should 

 not be left in the cutting bench or in 

 small pots too long. These will sell 

 well at the bedding out season, and even 

 if all are not sold then they can be 

 planted outdoors and will make fine, 

 bushy plants for lifting in the fall. 



Dutch Bulbs for Easter. 



All the Dutch bulbs should have been 

 housed before this time. Much de- 

 pends upon the weather in forcing this 

 class of stock. It is, of course, better 

 grown in a cool house, as it is then so 

 much more stocky, but with a cold, 

 dark spell, such as not infrequently oc- 

 curs near Easter, some additional heat 

 may be necessary. Many letters have 

 come to hand of late describing bulbs 

 plunged outdoors as doing poorly. The 

 trouble has been that the severe frost 

 has penetrated through coverings which 

 it was imagined would be impervious, 

 with the result that numerous batches 

 have been frozen solid and either de- 

 stroyed altogether or seriously injured. 

 This plunging of bulbs outdoors may 

 answer well when the winter is mild 

 in the northern states, and may do 

 nicely for the warmer states, but when 

 the labor involved is considered, the 

 trouble of digging out the stock in 

 winter and the danger of losing a lot 

 of it from frost, it is a wonder that 

 any up-to-date growers can be found 

 who will persist in carrying out what 

 is largely an obsolete practice. Use a 

 cellar without fire heat for the same 

 bulbs and they will do just as well, 

 can be retarded as late and are always 

 ^et-at-able. 



Easter Lilies. 



March has given us some good sun- 

 shine, with more genial temperatures 



than we sometimes get, and lilies, in 

 common with other plants, have come 

 on quickly of late. Any with flowers 

 opening must be kept quite cool. Those 

 with buds showing white will also want 

 to be held back a little, but those on 

 which the buds are still green are a 

 trifle late and must be hurried. Do not 

 spare the fire heat and moisture on 

 these laggards; 70 to 75 degrees at night 

 is not too warm and the house can be 

 clqsed early in the afternoon and the 

 plants kept well sprayed. This sweat- 

 ing culture will soon open a lot of 

 flowers. Kemove the plants to cooler 

 quarters when, the first two flowers 

 open. Be sure to keep the pollen 

 masses removed, or, when syringing, 

 the flowers will be much discolored. 

 The best plan is to go over the plants 

 once a day and remove the pollen 

 wherever found. 



Made up Lilies. 



There are calls for pans and large 

 pots of Easter lilies containing several 

 stalks each. If these have not yet been 

 made up, now is the time to do it, al- 

 ways selecting stalks carrying buds 

 which will open simultaneously. If 

 plants are tall, they must be staked. 

 In fact, it is not safe to leave any 

 lilies unsupported except the dwarf 

 ones. Always use green painted stakes 

 and do not tie them with white twine 

 or even common raffia if you have green 

 raffia. Don't be afraid to shake the 

 soil off the roots when making up the 

 lilies. Preserve, however, as many 

 roots as you can and be sure to thor- 

 oughlj' soak the soil after potting. 



Bhododendrons. 



Rhododendrons open more rapidily 

 than azaleas and when the trusses have 

 their first flowers open they should be 



given a cool house in which to expand. 

 Discontinue syringing when the flow- 

 ers start to expand and be sure to al- 

 ways give the plants an adequate 

 water supply. For the last few years 

 Pink Pearl and White Pearl have 

 brought fancy prices. They are cer- 

 tainly magnificent varieties and at the 

 high class stores they always sell out 

 quickly. Considering what the plants 

 cost, there is not any too much profit 

 in retailing them at $5 each, while the 

 more everyday sorts can be sold at 

 half this figure. 



Lily of the Valley. 



In the way of small plants, lily of 

 the valley in pots or pans is one of 

 the most popular at Easter. In order 

 to have it in good condition the pips 

 should not be kept in the dark too 

 long. The long, weak, spindling speci- 

 mens almost devoid of foliage none 

 want, but plants plentifully clothed with 

 rich, dark leaves will sell on sight. 

 Give the plants a brisk heat, but near 

 the light, until the flowers are partially 

 expanded. Then place them in a house 

 10 degrees cooler. This will make the 

 foliage and flowers stiflfer and there 

 will not be that wilting which is char- 

 acteristic of the hard forced article. 

 For cutting, the pips can be kept in 

 the dark longer, but always admit more 

 light after the flowers start to open or 

 the foliage will be scant and the flower 

 spikes will not stand up. Under benches 

 is not the proper place to force valley. 

 It may be all right to get the pips 

 over the heating pipes, but either lift 

 them to a lighter position in which 

 to open, or better still, keep them up 

 on a bench, where, while they can be 

 darkened in the early stages of growth, 

 they will have good light when it is 

 really needed. 



A HOUSE OF LILIES. 



The accompanying illustration is pre- 

 pared from a photograph taken March 

 12 at the establishment of Godfrey 

 Aschmann, Philadelphia. The lilies are 

 all of the multiflorum type, especially 

 selected stock. They are perfectly 

 healthy, of good height, and average 

 five flowers to the plant. The house 

 when photographed contained 4,000 

 plants. Phil. 



The Aschmann Family in a Lily House. 



