tJECRMBER 12. 1912. 



The Florists^ Review 



31 



Good Sellers Amons; tfie Trifles of Christmas Sto:k That Add Largely to the Profits. 



that is required is to shift into some 

 attractive receptacle. In the illustra- 

 tion the plant at the right was in a 

 copper jar with brass hoops. The plant 

 in the center was in one of the Jap- 

 anese baskets, of which there are so 

 many quaint and inexpensive forms, 

 while the plant at the left simply has 

 been shifted to an oddity in flower 

 pots. The leading retail flower store 

 in which these were shown last Christ- 

 mas found them excellent sellers at $7 

 each. 



CARE OF CHBISTMAS PLANTS. 



Azaleas. 



There are few more popular Christ- 

 mas plants than azaleas, the bright- 

 colored sorts, such as Hexe and Mme. 

 Petrick selling particularly well, al- 

 though other colors also sell moderately 

 well. Of course all of the stock wanted 

 for the holidays will have been in 

 heat for some time, and if a few 

 flowers are now expanded and the bulk 

 of the buds showing color they are in 

 just the right condition. Any which 

 are at all backward must have plenty 

 of heat; 65 degrees at night is not too 

 much. Spray them freely. This hard 

 forcing will cause the plants to make 

 growths ahead of the flowers, and these 

 young shoots should be rubbed off, as 

 they check the development of the 

 flower buds. Remove plants nicely in 

 flower into a cooler house, but do not 

 let the change be too sudden, so as to 

 cause wilting. Be sure to have a good 

 stock of small plants on their own roots 

 in pots and pans. The red varieties 

 are in big demand each year. 



Camellias. 



It is pleasing to note a coming in 

 again of that one time popular flower, 

 the camellia. Of course when compared 

 with other hard-wooded plants, such as 

 azaleas, ericas and acacias, their sale is 

 not large, but there is no mistaking the 

 fact that they are growing in favor, 

 perhaps not so much commercially as 

 on the large private estates. I have in 

 mind quite a few of these where con- 

 siderable space is given to them. 



Camellia plants carrying two or three 

 flowers are quite salable at the holidays. 

 If plants have hard, green buds, which 

 have not yet started to swell, they can- 

 not be flowered on time. These plants 

 will not stand forcing like azaleas. It 



will only cause the buds to drop. About 

 the only time they relish much heat 

 and moisture is while making their 

 growth. By all means grow camellias 

 fairly cool, not exceeding 50 degrees 

 at night at this season. 



Poinsettias. 



The brilliant scarlet poinsettias are 

 among the greatest sellers at Christ- 

 mas. Owing to a fall of exceptional 

 warmth, nearly all growers report their 

 plants as flowering two to three weeks 



earlier than usual, but it is fairly easy 

 to hold them a week or twp in good con- 

 dition, even with the bracts well ex- 

 panded. They should not be put in a 

 really cool house, or results will be 

 disastrous, but they will stand 50 de- 

 grees at night and not lose any foliage 

 if carefully watered. If the foliage is 

 still dark green on the plants you are 

 fortunate. Such stock, ev^n if the 

 bracts are not large, will sell well. 

 It pays from .now on to pay special 

 attention to watering and not to sub- 



The Christinas Tree as a Table Ornament. 



