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Mav 16, 1912. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



27 



tures are less pleasing than solid colors 

 and, if u^ed at all, it should be on the 

 piazza rather than in the windows. On 

 the piazza a wide assortment of plants 

 may be used, especially where broken 

 from direct sun. Many palms, nephro- 

 iepis, crotons, draca;nas, fancy-leaved 

 ■caladiums and other plants of a some- 

 what tropical nature can be utilized, 

 while Asparagus Sprenfeeri, vincas, ivy 

 geraniums, petunias, verbenas and other 

 drooping plants are good for hanging 

 over the edges. Heliotropes, scented 

 geraniums and lemon verbenas are good 

 to add for their, perfume. Keep the 

 variegated subjects by themselves and 

 they will look better. If an occasional 

 croton, dracsena, acalypha or fancy- 

 leaved ealadium is sandwiched in among 

 green plants they lose their individ- 

 uality and completely spoil the whole 

 effect, but these same plants kept by 

 themselves are in good taste, though 

 hardly so pleasing or satisfying as those 

 ■carrying green foliage, which always 

 looks more cooling in hot weather. 



It has always seemed that retail flo- 

 rists in far too many cases depend too 

 much on the cut flower end of the busi- 

 ness. There would seem to be a won- 

 . <lerful chance for development for many 

 if they would take up the window a'nd 

 j)iazza box proposition. Get a few boxes 

 of suitable size and fill one or two as 

 •samples. Send notices to your regular 

 Vustomers that you arc entering this new 

 lino. If your notice is neatly printed 

 and can contain a cut of a properly 

 planted box, or a house adorned with 

 •such, the notice will have more force 

 and be more likely to bring results. Be 

 prepared to give prices on boxes both 

 <>mpty and filled, and also on filling any 

 .which your prospective customers may 

 liave at home. Figure out the cost of 

 •fompost, boxes, plants, labor and cart- 

 age and allow yourself a fair margin 

 of profit. If you can only get one store 

 or prominent residence the first season, 

 the work, if tastefully done, will be a 

 splendid testimonial for you and will, 

 no doubt, considerably increase your 

 business the next year. I have in mind 

 one florist, a grower, who, from a small 

 beginning with half a dozen boxes in 

 1907, filled over 350 last year, and he 

 already has booked orders for 400 for 

 the present year. This shows what can 

 lie done in this branch of floriculture, 

 Avhich is still in its comparative in- 

 fancy. 



It should be remembered that this 

 box filling is not like the Memorial day 

 liiisiness, all crowded into a few days, 

 but it now spreads oVer a number of 

 Avoeks, in some cases running well into 

 July. Then there are some customers 

 wlio on their piazzas will want a change 

 of plants, utilizing hydrangeas, fuchsias, 

 tiilierous begonias, allamandas and lili- 

 uiiis, such as speciosum and auratum, as 

 they come in season. "Work of this na- 

 ture helps to tide over the dullest part 

 of the year and is surely worthy of the 

 ■encouragement of every florist. Don't 

 bo satisfied to stay in the same old rut. 

 Trogress is the order of the day. Be in 

 tlio front ranks of the procession rather 

 than lag in the rear. 



HIPPEASTRUM PROCERUM. 



The picture here presented, showing 

 the rare Ilippeastrum procerum (Linn.), 

 also known as Amaryllis Eayneri, was 

 made from a photograph taken by the 

 writer in the Mexican house of the 

 Hoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, 

 rol'iuary 10, 1912. M. Binot, who 



Hippeastrum Procerum. 



died recently in Brazil, sent the first 

 bulb from Brazil to France and flow- 

 ered it for the first time under culti- 

 vation, so far as is known, in the year 

 1863. Dr. Rayner, of Uxbridge, Eng- 

 land, flowered it in November, 1870, 

 and it was then named, after him, 

 Amaryllis Eayneri. 



This stately plant is remarkable for 

 the broad, sickle-shaped, buff-edged 

 leaves and the large size of the flow- 

 ers, which measure five inches in diam- 

 eter across the tips of the segments. 

 The color of the flowers varies greatly, 

 ranging from a pale purple to a pur- 

 plish lilac or delicate mauve blue, and 

 has been known to be a deep purple. 

 In the throat, which is white, it more 

 closely resembles a crinum than a hip- 

 peastrum or amaryllis, as the long, 

 fleshy neck is characteristic of crinums. 



There has been much discussion at 

 Kew as to its being a hippeastrum and 

 some still argue that it is not, owing 

 to its refusing to take the pollen of 

 other hippeastrums. Many attempts 

 have been made to cross H. procerum 

 with other hippeastrums, but thus far 

 these efforts have been of no avail. 



This plant is rarely seen in flower, 

 as only freshly imported plants flower. 

 In the photograph it is seen growing 

 in company with aloes, opuntias, etc., 

 and in the foreground is an orchid, 

 Coelogyne cristata. 



It is also grown in the succulent 

 house at Kew, but does not flourish as 

 in the temperate or Mexican house, as 



it delights in a moist atmosphere and 

 a temperature of 60 degrees. 



H. W. Endres. 



OTAKSAS NOT FLOWERING. 



Two months or more ago I bought 

 some Hydrangea Otaksa out of 6-inch 

 pots. Some of them have buds, others 

 are blooming nicely, but about half of 

 them do not show any signs of buds. 

 I treated them all alike. I gave thetn 

 occasional applications of liquid ma- 

 nure, and at all times plenty of water. 

 Can you offer some explanation as to 

 why some should have bloomed so well, 

 while others with excellent foliage and 

 in apparently good health do not show 

 even a suggestion of a bud? W. B. 



Probably the wood on the hydrangeas 

 which are not flowering had been killed 

 back, and while they would of course 

 break freely below the frozen portion, 

 the growths would in most cases be 

 blind. As a certain proportion of your 

 plants are flowering and your treatment 

 of all has been quite correct, it seems 

 reasonable to conclude that the flower 

 buds were destroyed before you re- 

 ceived them. C. W. 



Springfield, Mo. — The Summerfield 

 Floral Co. had the contract for replant- 

 ing the lawn in front of the Frisco office 

 building, on North Jefferson street. The 

 lawn is kept in model condition and is 

 one of the beauty spots of the city. 



