26 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



Max 16, 1912. 



found invaluable for Memorial day and 

 these should now have the spike well 

 advanced. They open rapidlv in hot 

 weather, but if in flats, which is the 

 best way to {{row them, it is easy to 

 move th^m to cooler quarters. 



BEGONIA MBS. HEAL. 



The popularity of (iloire de Lorraine 

 and the several varieties of the same 

 class, which Tecently have come to the 

 fore has stimulated interest in the win- 

 ter-flowering race of begonias produced 

 in Europe by crossing T?. Socotrana with 

 the tuberous begonias. Of these the one 

 'which has given the greatest promise is 

 • Mrs. Heal, liamed for the wife of the 

 raiser, .T. Heal, hybridist for J. Veitch 

 & Sons. It ,is bright carmine and re- 

 cently some exceptidnally fine plants 

 have been seen at various places in 

 England, showing its valne in the dark 

 'season of the year. The -jilant illus- 

 trated was grown by a private gaf- 

 /derier. It was one foot nine inches 

 high, two feet four inches wide, and 

 carried 184 fully expanded blooms at 

 the time the photograph was taken. 

 The grower thus describes his culture, 

 writing in the Gardeners' Magazine: 



' ' The plants were raised from cut- 

 tings struck in April, 1911, placed in 

 a temperature of 60 to 65 degrees, with 

 a little bottom heat. When nicely 

 rooted they were potted and kept in 

 the same temperature until well estab- 

 lished, M'hen they were placed in a 

 slightly lower temperature, and potted 

 as soon as acclimatized. When the but- 

 side temperature became considerably 

 higher the plants were placed in a close 

 pit, and when w^ll rooted in their new 

 pots the batch was placed for two 

 months (July ami August) In a cool 

 pit, aiid shaded through the middle of 

 the <Vay. In September, when the 

 nights grew cool, a little artificial heat 

 was given, just sufficient to warm the 

 pipes. When frosts were imminent, the 

 begonias were moved to an intermedi- 

 ate house, and potted again, using a 

 mixture of two-thirds peat and fibrous 

 loam, and one-third sand. The good 

 results achieved are, I think, due to 

 the niainten^ice of as even a temper- 

 ature as possible, and freedom from 

 draughts. Great care must be exercised 

 to avoid overwatering, and at all times 

 the plants must be kept quite free from 

 insect pests." 



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II SEASONABLE 



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^ ^ SUGGESTIONS jf 



— " ~"~'- — ■■ • " 





Filling Cemetery Vases. 



Many country florists do a large busi- 

 ness in annually filling, watering and 

 caring for cemetery vases through the 

 season. There is such a tremendous 

 rush of work, which always piles up 

 around Memorial day, that it is neces- 

 sary to get these filled a little in ad- 

 vance of that day, and if room can be 

 found for them in a cool greenhouse, so 

 that they can become a little estab- 

 lished, they will make a far better 

 showing. 



Many customers object, and rightly, 

 to the miscellaneous mixtures usually 

 ])almed off on them when they ask to 

 have a vase filled. Usually they are 

 far better if planted with one solid 

 color of geraniums, either scarlet or 

 crimson, pink or white, and if some 

 drooping plant is wanted, use green 

 rather than variegated vinca, German 

 ivy, English ivy or even one of the ivy- 

 leaved geraniums of the same shade of 

 color. 



It need hardly be said that soil for 

 these vases should bo rich. Plenty of 

 cow manure and some fine bone added 

 to well decayed fibrous loam makes a 

 compost which will support plants well. 



Old geranium plants will make a bet- 

 ter immediate effect than young ones 

 and will bloom with greater freedom. 

 Where large sized Abases are used, at 

 cemeterv entrances, for instance, one 

 plant of large size must be used in each 

 for this purpose. In addition to the 

 ever, useful Draca-na indivisa, such 

 palms as Latania Horbonica or one of 

 the phonnixes can lie used. These will, 

 of course, be of a darker color where 

 they get shade from overhanging trees, 

 but they will stand full exposure. For 

 iron vases mucii exposed, anil whpe a 

 lot of water would jiaturally be needed, 

 Agave Americana or its variegated 



form, if of sufficient size, are suitable, 

 withstanding as they do long dry spells 

 without showing the least ill effect. 

 They, however, apprecmte a soaking of 

 water twice a week in the hottest 

 weather. 



Piazza and Window Boxes. 



It is encouraging to note the in- 

 creased use of piazza and window boxes. 



especially in the large cities. We are 

 still in the kindergarten stage with 

 these when compared with European 

 countries, particularly Great Britain, 

 and there is a wonderful chance here 

 for development. Ea,ch year finds peo- 

 ple who grow tired of- one or two small 

 beds on their lawns and who prefer to 

 concentrate their efforts on the piazza 

 or windows. The latter entails more 

 labor in watering than the beds, but 

 they are in l^etter taste than mahy of 

 the beds seen and add pieturesqu^ness 

 and beauty to m^ny a home. With 

 stone or brick housed, window boxes are 

 Always possible. With wooden ones, it 

 is best to concentrate any planting of 

 this nature on the piazza. Don't make 

 the commofi mistake of havipg the 

 boxes too small. Eight inches ih depth 

 is better than six, and, if plants of 

 considerable size are to be used, the 

 width should be ten inches. For win- 

 dows the width and height may, have to 

 vary, but the depth should never be less 

 than six inches if the plants' are to 

 carry iii good condition all summer, and, 

 of course, good drainage and a generous 

 compost are necessities- 



On piazzas earthenware boxes are 

 possible, but in windows they are out of 

 the question. Those made of cypress 

 })ainted green are most in evidence, but. 

 the color of the paint may have to vary 

 to correspond with the other ttir^mings 

 on the" house. Boxes painted a light 

 color will show off scarlet geraniums 

 and any of the. green drooping plants to 

 excellent advantage, but they show soil 

 stains and other dirt worse than* those 

 given a darker paint. Boxes should 

 not be too long, heavV and clumsy, for 

 they are always, where possible, better 

 filled 6n the ground rather than in the 

 windows. 



Stock for Window Boxes. 



No flowering plants are quite equal 

 to geraniums for window boxes, and if 

 the boxes are all of one color on a 

 house thev are in better taste. Mix- 



Crimson-FIowered Beg[onia Mrs. J. Heal. 



