472 FRITZ BAHR'S COMMERCIAL FLORICULTURE 



Growing Phlox suffhutigosa Miss Lingard 



In order to work up a stock of this Phlox, purchase field- 

 grown stock clumps, or lift some of your own stock in October, 

 heel it in in a frame and bring it into a Carnation house temperature 

 about January first. Plant on a bench, and when the young growth 

 is about four inches in height take cuttings with three or four eyes, 

 leaving a couple of eyes on the lower part. These will, in a short time, 

 furnish more cuttings; in fact you can keep on taking cuttings up 

 to the end of April. They will root even without bottom heat and 

 should be planted later on in flats two inches apart. From those 

 first planted the tops can in turn be used for cuttings. 



Plant the young stock out into the field in April and the early 

 propagated plants will give you heavy spikes of flowers in two 

 months and some a little later. The late ones may not flower the 

 first season, but all of them will produce from five to eight heavy 

 spikes the second Summer. Then, although the plants are good for 

 years, it pays to discard them; by propagating a few each Winter 

 you can always have some strong, vigorous stock to cut from. 

 The foUage and habit of this Phlox differ from those of all others. 



The leaves are long, pointed, 

 thick, leathery and glossy 

 green and the time to cut the 

 spikes is when the flowers are 

 only partly open. 



I know there is complaint 

 once in awhile of the flowers 

 dropping, but what of that? 

 AU flowers droop, wilt or drop 

 sooner or later. However, I 

 don't know of a better flower 

 for rush order design work. 

 You don't have to wire the 

 stems for they are stiff enough 

 to go into the moss without 

 toothpicks. Nor is there a 

 more showy plant for the 

 perennial border, nor a hardier 

 one. It will thrive in any 

 sofl and doesn't need a lot 

 of manure. In fact, it is better 

 off without it. But what you 

 do want to look out for is to 

 have enough plants coming 

 along each year , for it is the one- 

 and two-year-old stock that 

 gives you the heavy spikes. 



Fig. 238.— Phlox decussata W. G. Egan. 

 If you wish to retain healthy foliage on 

 hardy Phlox don't overfeed the plants with 

 a lot of manure. They prefer a heavy 

 loam and are at their best the second year 



