March l.'8, 1912. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



39 



Easter Cut Flowers Offered in Artistic Pottery and Basket Vase Holders. 



Phloxes are, ever\ tliiii>; beiiijf consid- 

 ered, the hardiest, most floriferous and 

 generally useful of all hardy flowering 

 perennials, and no rural florist can 

 afford to be without them. 



Gardenias. 



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, tliey will 

 be found quite salable Easter plants. 

 Of course, tliey 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 j)lants, 

 make sure tiiat they arc clean and that 

 no clusters of mealy bugs are hanging 

 about them. \Vhere 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 cuttings, 

 but those cut tiirough 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. 



Pnming Hardy Climbers. 



The pruning of hardy climbets can 

 be done at any time during mild weather 

 in winter. It is usually left until spring. 

 Where it has not been done it should 

 be taken in hand at once. Clematis 



paniculata should be (-ut back quite 

 hard; 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. T.onieeras, 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. 



Eemoving Winter Protection. 



The winter just closing lias been one 

 of unusual severity and the frost has 

 ])en('trated to a greater dejjtli than has 

 lieen known for years in many sections. 

 It is yet too early to estimate wiiat 

 damage has been done, but if winter 

 mulching was carefully done it is safe 

 to say tliat 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 mulehed. 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 tropica and those 

 following of the arctics. If the winter 



mulch is removed with the first warm 

 days, we usually have cause to regret it. 

 Rather than remove it all, take away .-i 

 portion at first, leaving sulIicifMit to 

 cover the i)lants. If this is not done, 

 the jilants are liable to sustain consid- 

 erable of a check if they get two or 

 three iiard freezings, succeeded, as they 

 usually are, by bright sunshine. As to 

 p.-insies in the field, it is not yet safe to 

 take off tlie winter covering. However, 

 if it is in any place packed down heav 

 ily. loosen it up, l)iit do not leave \hv 

 phnits cxposrd yet a wliile. 



Chrysanthemum Cuttings. 



While it is yet much too early to put 

 in chrysanthenium cuttings for single 

 stems, excej)t it may be for exhibition 

 llowcrs, the present is an opportune 

 time to take a batch of cuttings of such 

 varieties as arc needed for pot cul- 

 ture. The average florist does not have 

 much call for large specimen plants, any 

 uiore 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 habit, 

 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 manv admirers. 



Springfield, Mass.— A. G. Taylor is 

 building a greenhouse at 5.3 Kuclid 

 avenue. 



