iMHtHRrADRaK ^^IIADELPHIAM-^GARO^Hv-OR^EtlHOySE PIAhU \ 



155 



VI^•CA Major Variegata. 



VI]SCA. 



Major Variegata ( Varie- 

 gated Periwinkle). One 

 of the very best plants for 

 vases and for trailing over 

 the edges of window boxes, 

 etc. I^eaves glossy green, 

 broadly margined creamy- 

 white; blue flowers. 15 cts. 

 each; f 1.50 per doz. 



VIOI.ETS. 



Lady Hume Campbell. 



Fine double blue. 



Swanley White. Double, 

 pure white. 



Princess of Wales. A large- 

 flowering single variety, of 

 rich but soft violet blue; 

 much easier to giow than 

 the double sorts, and ama- 

 teurs would do well to con- 

 fine themselves to this va- 

 riety. 



Good young plants, 1 cts. 

 each; $1.00 per doz.; |6.00 

 per 100. 



Verbena Tenera Mahonetti. 

 (Offtred on opposite page.) 



ZEPHYRANTHES. 



(Zephyr Flower, or Fairy Lilies.) 



Beautiful dwarf, bulbous plant, very effective for masses or 

 borders, flowering with great profusion during the summer. 

 They are also suitable for pot culture. 6 bulbs clustered in a 

 6-inch pot in the autumn will give a fine display during the 

 ■winter; 8 inches high. 

 Alba. Pure white. 6 cts. each; 60 cts. per doz.; $4.00 per 



100. 

 Rosea. Large rose-colored. 8 cts. each; 75 cts. per doz.; 



$6.00 per 100. 



ZINNIAS (Youth and Old Age). 



Improved Large-flowering Dwarf. A fine strain of this 

 popular summer-flowering annual, growing about 2 feet high, 

 with large flowers in a great variety of colors. Mixed colors, 

 ready in May and June, 50 els. per doz.; $4.00 per 100. 



DREER'S SPECIAL CATALOGUE OF DAHLIAS. 



While the list of varieties offered on pages 128 to 136 of this 

 book is made up of the very finest, free-flowering sorts of the 

 various types, we have hundreds of other varieties, including 

 the most recent introductions of the World's Dahlia Specialists, 

 which are all described in this Special Catalogue. Copies 

 free on application. 



Miscellaneous Hints and Suggestions for the Amateur Florist. 



Soil for Pot Plants. — Almost all plants that can be grown 

 in the house will do well in any good soil that is not too heavy 

 to allow water to run through it readily. A soil prepared after 

 the following formula will answer all needs: One part ordinary 

 loam; one part leafmold or turfy matter. Mix these together 

 and add enough sharp sand to make the whole so friable that it 

 will fall apart readily after squeezing it in the hand. 



(The "turfy matter," advised as a substitute for leafmold, is 

 obtained by turning over sod and scraping away that portion of 

 it v^hich is full of grass-roots. This gives you a light, spongy 

 soil, rich in vegetable matter, and almost as valuable as genuine 

 leafmold from the woods. ) A sprinkling of bonemeal can be 

 added to give richness, if thought advisable. 



Repotting. — Every pot more than three inches across ought 

 to have something in the way of drainage before filling it with 

 soil. Young plants will require shifting to pots of larger size as 

 their root system develops. In repotting any plant, large or 

 small, disturb the roots as little as possible. Slip it out of its old 

 pot, put it into the new one and fill in about it with fresh soil. 

 Water well after you have the plant in its new pot to settle the 

 soil y«u have added. 



Fertilizers. — Our Peerless Plant Food, Bonemeal or Sheep 

 Manure are thoroughly reliable plant foods, but use whatever 



fertilizer you make choice of with great caution. Don't think 

 that because a little is good a great deal must be better. Never 

 use any fertilizer on a plant that is standing still. Wait until it 

 begins to grow. So long as plants grow well, be content to let 

 well enough alone. 



Watering. — We are often asked to give a rule for watering 

 plants. There can be no hard-and-fast rule because conditions 

 differ so widely; but it is always safe to wait until the surface of 

 the soil has a dry appearance. Then apply enough water to 

 thoroughly saturate all the soil in the pot, after which wait until 

 the surface takes on a dry look again before applying more. 



Insects. — The insect most frequently met with among house- 

 plants is the aphis or green plant-louse. Nikoteen is one of the 

 best weapons to fight this enemy. Keep a supply of it on hand, 

 and make use of it whenever you discover an aphis. Keep water 

 constantly evaporating on stove and register in winter. Do any 

 and everything that will help to keep the atmosphere of the 

 room moist, but depend upon showering as a general treatment. 



Airing Your Plants. — Give the plants in your window 

 fresh air on every pleasant day. Open a door or window at 

 some distance from them, and let the cold air from out of doors 

 mix with the warm air of the room before it reaches them. This 

 is very necessary, especially in winter. 



Please read what we say regarding forwarding of orders of plants on page 114. 



