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The Florists' Review 



JuNB 6, 1918. 



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^ SUGGESTIONS J 



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Bedding Out. 



For some time bedding out will oc- 

 cupy considerable of the time of the 

 average country florist. Much of this 

 work is already done in some sections, 

 but north of New York a good deal is 

 not completed until the middle of June. 

 In fact, it is better to defer the plant- 

 ing out of such tender subjects as 

 coleus, alternantheras, acalyphas, achy- 

 ranthes, Salvia splendens, Vinca rosea 

 and other tender subjects until some- 

 thing approaching warm, settled weather 

 arrives, for even if the plants are not 

 exposed to actual freezing they may 

 get a chill which will severely cripple 

 them, and frosts are not uncommon 

 north of New York in the first week of 

 June. 



Geraniums continue the leaders among 

 bedding plants, and no other plant ap- 

 proaches them in popularity. The plant- 

 ing of these should be completed as soon 

 as possible. It is an advantage to have 

 a spell of cool, moist weather in which 

 to set these and other bedding stock 

 out, as it gives the plants a nice start 

 and there is less danger of the roots 

 being dried out. It is of supreme im- 

 portance to have the roots of all bed- 

 ding plants — or, for that matter, all 

 plants — moist when set out. Never 

 mind how damp the soil is; be sure the 

 balls of all plants are moist before they 

 go into the open ground. 



As the stocks of bedding plants be- 

 come thinned out, take advantage of 

 any spare time to get the batches left 

 over bunched up so as not to spread 

 over a needlessly large bench space. 

 This simplifies watering and is a decided 

 advantage when it comes to filling late 

 orders. Be quite sure that in the zeal 

 to fill all your customers' orders you 

 have not allowed your own stock plants 

 to be encroached upon. It pays to re- 

 serve strong plants for stock purposes, 

 and these should be planted out at the 

 earliest possible moment if they are not 

 yet in the ground. 



Bouvardias. 



If bouvardias have not yet been 

 planted out, they can now safely go 

 into the field. Give them rich soil and 

 an open, sunny exposure, and pinch back 

 any shoots which have a runaway ten- 

 dency. Bouvardias will make a much 

 stronger growth if planted out than in 

 pots, but if some of that beautiful, 

 sweet-scented, pure white variety, 

 Humboldtii, which is always appre- 

 ciated in the flower markets, is wanted 

 in flower as early as August, some of 

 the plants can be kept in pots, which 

 should be plunged to their brims in 

 coal ashes and kept well supplied with 

 water, liquid manure being applied as 

 the pots become filled with roots. 



Foinsettias. 



A good crop of cuttings should now 

 be obtainable on the poinsettias, and 

 these should be rubbed off with a heel 

 and placed in the propagating bench as 

 soon as of sufficient length. Cut the 



leaves off either entir^y or in part; 

 there is then less liability of their damp- 

 ing. Many people find trouble in root- 

 ing poinsettias. Given porous sand, 

 good drainage below it and a tolerably 

 close atmosphere, they should propagate 

 easily. On dark, damp days no water 

 may be needed; on clear days a good 

 soaking is necessary. Protect from sun 

 and air currents and, even if you have 

 no bottom heat, nearly all the cuttings 

 will root. 



Primulas. 



The early sown batches of Primula 

 obconica, Kewensis and Sinensis should 

 now be ready to go into 3-inch pots. 

 Use a light, fairly rich compost for 

 them, but do not add any chemical fer- 

 tilizer to it. Keep them in a cool house, 

 shielded from direct sunshine. About 

 the middle of June move them into a 

 coldframe, where they can be partly 

 plunged in a bed of coal ashes. They 

 will grow much stockier there in the 



summer months than in a greenhouse. 

 Late sowings that are intended to pro- 

 duce plants for early spring or even 

 Easter trade should be transplanted as 

 soon as they can be handled, in flats 

 containing equal parts of loam and leaf- 

 mold, with some sand added. In the 

 case of the new P. malacoides, it is not 

 yet too late to sow seeds and get nice 

 plants in 6-inch pots next winter. Early 

 sowings of this variety are not to be 

 recommended. The plant is a strong 

 grower, and large plants are much more 

 liable to damp off than small ones. 



Propagating Ficus Elastica. 



Summer is the time par excellence 

 for rooting tops of Ficus elastica by 

 the so-called ringing process, which sim- 

 ply consists of cutting the stem partly 

 through, at any desired length, prefera- 

 bly below a leaf. Stick a couple of 

 toothpicks or any small pieces of wood 

 into the incision to keep it open. Then 

 bind sphagnum moss tightly over, above 

 and below the cut made. Keep it con- 

 stantly moist, and to ensure this keep 

 the stock plants in a warm, moist and 

 shaded house, where they can be freely 

 syringed. Just as soon as roots are 

 seen peeping through the moss, cut the 

 tops off and pot them. Crotons, dra- 

 ceenas, dieffenbachias and other species 

 of ficus are among those which can be 

 readily propagated in this way, espe- 

 cially during the summer months. 



SOME SEASONABLE NOTES. 



The season for peonies in some sec- 

 tions will already have passed before 

 these notes appear in print. In other 

 localities the plants will be in bloom, 

 while in still others the opening of the 

 flowers will be eagerly looked for. Be 

 careful not to cut too many long- 

 stemmed flowers. If sufficient foliage 

 is not left on each flowering stem when 

 the flowers are cut, the plants will 

 flower but poorly the next year. If you 

 want to prove the accuracy of this, cut 

 all the flowers from any clump with 

 long stems and carefully note the effect 

 on the plant the next year. It pays to 

 disbud peonies where fine flowers are 

 wanted, but late flowers often are 

 needed, and in such cases it is best to 

 pinch out the terminal bud and leave 

 two at the side to mature. The flowers 

 will not be so large as those produced 

 from the central bud, but will be later, 

 which is sometimes a decided ad- 

 vantage. 



Queries are still common on how to 

 clean ants from peonies. Some aver 

 that the ants are eating the flower buds. 

 This is all nonsense. The ants do not 

 eat either buds or foliage of peonies. 



Though they are often seen on the buds, 

 they are not there for the purpose of 

 eating them, but rather to suck the 

 exudations found outside the buds and 

 not infrequently to make prisoners of 

 any green aphis found there. Ants are 

 sometimes a nuisance, but all this talk 

 about their damaging peonies is an 

 absurdity. 



As the peonies flower, take note of 

 and mark all that are specially good 

 and of attractive colors. As a rule white, 

 pink and rose are the favorite colors, 

 in the order mentioned. Except it may 

 be for Memorial day trade, the red 

 and crimson shades are not in much re- 

 quest. If you have varieties which no 

 one wants, get rid of them and get 

 sorts which have some commercial 

 value. There are plenty of good varie- 

 ties obtainable, and there is no excuse 

 for growing antiquated sorts. It is 

 well to order any peonies you need 

 while they are in flower, and remem- 

 ber that they should be planted early, 

 September being probably the best 

 month in the year for this work. 



The peony is still gaining rapidly in 

 importance as a cutflower, particularly 

 for Memorial day. 



