2be mational nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERYSTOCK 
The National Nurseryman Publishing Co., Incorporated 
Vol. XXVIII HATBORO, PENNA. JANUARY 1920 No. 1 
The Nurseryman and The Florist 
N THE old country the trades or professions as 
indicated by the terms Nurserymen and 
Florists are almost synonymous, especially 
when applied to those who grow rather than 
those who handle cut flowers in the stores. The old 
country florist is considered a nurseryman who special¬ 
izes in flowering plants and cut flowers. 
In the United States the florist business developed en¬ 
tirely independent of the nursery business, and classed 
as a whole, they have very little in common with each 
other. 
Until quarantine 37 went into effect the florists of this 
country depended very largely upon the nurserymen 
growers of Europe for their material. Now the supply 
is shut off, is the American nurseryman going to make 
an effort to grow and supply their needs? 
There is a host of plants the American nurseryman 
can grow, in fact, does already grow them, but not in a 
way that is necessary to supply the requirement of the 
American florist trade. Will the nurseryman lay him¬ 
self out to properly grow and supply this material ? There 
is a tremendous field awaiting development, or will he 
leave it to the florist trade to supplant him in his own 
field. 
From now on the florist trade will be investigating 
every source from which to draw material to fill up the 
vacuum caused by the stoppage of imports. Many plants, 
hitherto ignored by the florists will be experimented 
with, to find out their possibilities as interior decorative 
subjects and to furnish material for cutting at Christmas 
and Easter. 
Nurserymen growers of ornamental nursery stock 
should be the natural source of supply, if they care to 
measure up to the opportunity. It will not necessarily 
mean they must begin to grow exactly th§ same stock 
that has hitherto been imported. 
Some of the things that come to mind may be found 
listed in almost any nurseryman’s catalogue and which 
are forced and brought into flower by the florist are 
Deutzia gracilis, Deutzia Lemoinei, Astilbe Japonica and 
other sorts, Lilacs, Azalea mollis Forsythias, Dicentra 
spectabilis, Hydrangea horlensia, Otaksa and varieties, 
Azalea amoena, A. llano de Giri, A. ledifolia and num¬ 
erous other early flowering shrubs and herbaceous plants 
to say nothing of the bulbous plants, such as some of the 
Liliums and Narcissus. 
While many nurserymen grow and sell the above men¬ 
tioned plants, it is very few who grow and handle them 
in a way that would satisfy the greenhouse man who has 
to bring them into saleable condition. 
Plants to be of value to the florist, who wants to force 
them must be a finished product, shapely, well grown, 
well budded or wooded to become a thing of beauty in a 
few weeks, such as the Dutchmen used to send over be¬ 
fore the authorities in Washington had bad dreams. In 
fact the signs all indicate American ornamental horticul¬ 
ture will have to develop along its own lines, even if we 
could imitate the standardized and stereotyped products 
of the European nurseryman, it would be kind of un- 
American to do so. 
Nature is so prodigal with her raw material in the 
United States, the horticulturists of the country will fall 
far short of its reputation for enterprise, ability and orig¬ 
inality, if it does not take a leading place in growing or¬ 
namentals as well as other lines of endeavor. 
Few of us think and work along original lines, unless 
we are forced to. Quaranitne 37 may turn out the needed 
spur to accomplishment. In surveying the field of raw 
material suitable for florists purposes, the evergreens 
suggest big possibilities. Take the Junipers, Thuyas, 
Retinisporas that are in such variety and are very adapt¬ 
able for interior decorative use if grown for that purpose. 
To fit them for florist’s use it is only necessary to grow 
them in pots. I do not mean grow them in the field and 
then dig them up and put them in a pot or tub, that is a 
process undeserving of the term of skilled practice, but 
grow them from the cutting graft or seedling up, so that 
when they are ready for the market, there is a well 
shaped top with a nicely proportioned root system, such 
as is seen in well grown, potted plants. 
The Japanese have shown how it is possible to grow an 
evergreen in a pot for a century or more, and produce an 
aged tree in perfect minature. American effort is more 
likely to have perfection of proportion along with youth 
and the younger the better, providing beauty is not sac¬ 
rificed. In addition to the coniferous evergreens there are 
others as well as the Box and Bay trees that are amen¬ 
able to pot culture. 
The Ligu strum Japonica, L. lucidum, L. Amurense are 
only waiting for some good growers to take hold of them 
and demonstrate what fine subjects they are for florist’s 
use. 
Leucothaea Catesbaei, Ilex Crenata also have possi¬ 
bilities as potted plants, in fact, if th enurseryman wants 
to cater to the needs of the florist he has a large variety to 
draw from and can go far ahead ol the European nur¬ 
seryman in furnishing material lor florist’s decorative 
work. 
