March 28, 1912. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



39 



Easter Cut Flowen Offered in Artistic Pottery and Basket YaM Holders. 



Phloxes are, everything being consid- 

 ered, the hardiest, most floriferous and 

 generally useful of all hardy flowering 

 perennials, and no rural florist can 

 afford to be without them. 



Oardenias. 



Gardenia plants which have not been 

 grown too warm will now be giving 

 a fine spring crop of high-grade flowers. 

 Provided these are in pots, they will 

 be found quite salable Easter plants. 

 Of course, they will not sell as well as 

 rambler roses, lilies, genistas or Dutch 

 bulbous stock, but those who are look- 

 ing for something choice are glad to 

 get them and pay a good price for 

 them. Before sending out any plants, 

 make sure that they are clean and that 

 no clusters of mealy bugs are hanging 

 about them. Where plants are going 

 out of flower and are making new 

 growth, this is an opportune time to 

 take a good batch of cuttings. They 

 root most quickly from heel puttings, 

 but those cut through with a knife will 

 also root freely. Give them a close 

 frame if possible, in a warm, moist 

 house, and a brisk bottom heat. Do not 

 be afraid to keep them well soaked 

 with water and few will fail to root. 



Pmning Hardy Climbers. 



^ho pruning q| iardy climbers can 

 MT^ttef >t any *'li[Hprt^y i|l| H weather 

 in wihter. Ix is us\il!fy lewWHll spring. 

 Where it has not been done it should 

 be taken in hand at once. Clematis 



paniculata should be cut back quite 

 bard; as a result, it will grow more vig- 

 orously and will soon cover any allotted 

 space. Wistarias, begonias, vitis, acti- 

 nidias, aristolochias and others want 

 pruning now. Loniceras, ampelopsis, 

 the climbing hydrangeas and celastrus 

 will not need much pruning, but any 

 dead or dying wood should be removed. 

 Climbing roses can be pruned after 

 other climbers are done. Cut away dead, 

 dying and weak wood only, and shorten 

 back the strong canes a little. Last sea- 

 son 's canes from the base are what we 

 depend on for next summer's bloom. 



Bemoving Winter Protection. 



The winter just closing has been one 

 of unusual severity and the frost has 

 penetrated to a greater depth than has 

 been known for years in many sections. 

 It is yet too early to estimate what 

 damage has been done, but if winter 

 mulching was carefully done it is safe 

 to say that the death roll will be greatly 

 minimized. It is in the late winter and 

 early spring that the greatest damage 

 is done, particularly to plants which 

 were not mulched. Bulb beds, peren- 

 nial borders, etc., will be showing signs 

 of activity, and in some states the win- 

 ter covering is, no doubt, already re- 

 moved, but in the colder states it is al- 

 ways wise to make haste slowly in its 

 removal. March and, to some extent, 

 early April are treacherous; some days 

 will remind us of the tropics and those 

 following of lih%.ft59J4cft., ^14 .t^ |?JRter 



mulch is removed with the first warm 

 days, we usually have cause to regret it. 

 Eather than remove it all, take away a 

 portion at first, leaving sufficient to 

 cover the plants. If this is not done, 

 the plants are liable to sustain consid- 

 erable of a check if they get two or 

 three hard freezings, succeeded, as they 

 usually are, by bright sunshine. As to 

 pansies in the field, it is not yet safe to 

 take off the winter covering. However, 

 if it is in any place packed down heav- 

 ily, loosen it up, but do not leave the 

 plants exposed yet a while. 



Chrysanthemum Cuttings. 



While it is yet much too early to put 

 in chrysanthemum cuttings for single 

 stems, except it may be for exhibition 

 flowers, the present is an opportune 

 time to take a batch of cuttings of such 

 varieties as are needed for pot cul- 

 ture. The average florist does not have 

 much call for large specimen plants, any 

 more than he nowadays has for big 

 blooms, but rooted at this time nice 

 plants can be produced. Be careful 

 to select varieties of a dwarf babit^ 

 as tall kinds are of little use commer- 

 cially. Be sure the colors are decided 

 and do not grow doubles only, as the 

 singles and anemones of the Garza type 

 have many admirers. 



Springfield, Mass.— A. CnSylor is 

 building a greenhouse at 53 Euclid 

 aye^^ue. 



