4 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
Oor. 1, 1903 _ 
titias. Syringe your Roses for aphis, and 
sulphur them for mildew. 
Grasses are always wanted for decora- 
tive purposes. Plant some now, such as the 
Heather Grass (Stipa pennata), Hare’s Tail 
(Lagurus ovatus), Eulalia Japonica, and 
the Himalayan Grass. If cut before seed 
formation they will adorn the best of 
rooms indefinitely. 
We have been supplied with a report of 
a paper upon flowers for cutting, by Peter 
Bisset, of the Washington Florists’ Club, 
published, we think, in “The Florists’ Ex- 
change.” The months mentioned through- 
out the paper correspond with our Septem- 
ber and October, and is interesting, there- 
fore, to our readers at the present time. © 
FLOWERS FOR CUTTING 
OUT OF DOORS. 
(Read by Peter Bisset before the 
Washington, D.C., Florists’ Club). 
Daffodils open the season for outdoor 
cut flowers about the second week in 
March. By planting liberally of the well- 
known forcing varieties we can get a sup- 
ply of very fine flowers for cutting. We 
have cut extra fine blooms from Hors- 
fieldii, Empress, Emperor, and Trumpet 
Major. The earliest to flower are Princeps 
and Golden Spur. 
Daffodils will be followed closely by the 
Jonquils and the Narcissus poeticus in suc- 
cession. I would strongly recommend to 
those who have the ground to spare to 
plant all the bulbs of Daffodils you can. 
The bulbs you have forced in the green- 
houses during the winter can be planted 
out of doors, and the second season after 
planting will flower abundantly, and in a 
few years you will havea fine lot of flower- 
ing bulbs. 
A. little later, about the 18th, we have 
_the Magnolia stellata, sometimes called 
-Halleana, and the first of all the 
Magnolias to flower, giving semi-double 
blooms of white color and delicious 
fragrance. This is a shrubby variety, and 
never grows to the height of the better 
known Magnolia conspicua, but when in 
flower the whole bush is literally covered 
with beautiful star-shaped blossoms. 
Flowering at the same time is the 
Forsythia suspensa, a very satisfactory 
shrub, with its long sprays of lovely yel- 
low flowers; it lends itself to house de- 
coration well, and a large vase of it al- 
ways attracts attention. This is followed 
by Magmolia conspicua, which well repays 
one for the space it occupies. Every 
Spring it is covered with large cup-shaped 
white flowers, and is well worth growing 
for cut bloom. Next come the Hyacinths, 
about the 26th of March, and if planted 
in good season in the-fall, and in good 
soil, they will surprise one who knows 
them only as forced in the greenhouse. 
Flowering at this time, the third week 
in March, we have the Forsythia viridis- 
sima, which, while not quite so effective as 
Forsythia suspensa, flowering a little later, 
lengthens the blooming season very accept- 
ably. This variety.grows more erect, and 
without the drooping habit of suspensa. 
April brings with 1t Tulips in all their 
bright and gorgeous colors. The bulbs 
should be planted in good soil, and as soon 
after the month of October as possible. 
During the first week of April we have 
generally the double flowering cherries, 
and I cannot too strongly recommend this 
class to florists for cut flowers. The best, 
in my judgment, is the pink Japanese, 
Cerasus Sieboldii rubra-pleno, flowers semi-- 
double, white, tinged with red, lasting 
well when cut. The best white is Cerasus 
sinensis flore-pleno, growing to a good-sized 
tree, and while in flower the tree is a mass 
of white blossoms. , 
Flowering with the cherries are the 
double flowering peaches. In Persica vul- 
garis flora alba plena we have a beautiful 
small tree, the branches entirely hidden by 
its white flowers, which are perfectly 
double and last well in water. In Persica 
vulgaris rosea plena, we have the counter- 
part of the white, except in color, which 
is a beautiful rose color, as its name im- 
plies. The same may be said of Persica 
* vulgaris sanguinea plena, which is a beau- 
tiful bright red, and is very fine, almost 
as deep in color as the Crimson. Rambler 
Rose., 3 
Next come the double flowering crab 
apples, wonderful in their wealth of blos- 
soms. The flowers shade from white to 
pink, the two colors making a beautiful 
combination. The Pyrus angustifolia 
(sometimes called Betchel’s rose-flowered 
crab) is one of the very finest of the flower- 
ing crab apples. The tree is of medium 
size, and the flowers are quite fragrant and 
of a beautiful delicate pink color. The 
Pyrus malus spectablis rosea plena is 
ancther crab apple that deserves to be 
more freely planted. The flowers are 
double, rose-colored, and quite fragrant. 
All of the crab apples stand well in a cut 
state, and should be more planted for 
florists’ work, especially for decorations of 
stores or dwellings. 
The second week in April finds Ex- 
ochorda grandiflora in bloom. Beautiful 
as this shrub is in flower, I am sorry to say 
it will not last long enough when cut to 
make it profitable for florists. 
The Japan quince is in all its glory at 
this time, ranging in color from deep red 
to white, lasting well in water. We find 
it very useful, and believe florists would 
find it profitable to grow for cutting. The 
20th of April brings us to the Dogwoods, 
and if you have not already planted the 
pink-flowered variety, be sure to do so 
next fall. And plant plenty of it, as there 
ig a great future for it, both for cut flowers 
and for lawn decoration. 
We find it a fine thing for cutting, last- 
ing well in water, and a branch each of 
the pink with the white make a very 
beautiful combination. In ordering the 
pink-flowered variety be sure to state ex- 
pressly that it is Cornus florida rubra that 
you want. J have known, of quite a num- 
ber of people who sent for the red Dog- 
wood and got instead the red stemmed 
Dogwood Cornus stolonifera, or sanguinea, 
and would not believe the nurseryman had 
sent them what they had ordered. 
Blooming at the same ‘time as the Dog, 
woods we have the Styrax obassia, another 
white flowering small tree from Japan, 
flowering in drooping racemes, about five 
inches long, on the short lateral shoots; 
the flowers are quite fragrant and useful 
for cutting. 
The Lilac is in bloom with us about 
the third week in April, and should be 
largely planted. The plants you have 
forced for winter flowers and did not suc- 
ceed in selling will, if planted out, in a 
few years, make fine, profitable bushes. 
Care must be taken, however, to remove 
all suckers, as the finer Lilacs come grafted 
either on the privet or common Lilac, and 
if the suckers are not removed the stock 
will soon’ outgrow the more desirable 
variety, and your improved plant be lost. 
Varieties we can recommend are: Princess 
Alexandra, pure white and one of the 
finest; Emil Lemoine, rosy Lilac double 
flowers, very large and of fine form; Marie 
Legraye, large panicle, white flowers (this 
also makes a good forcing variety), 
Lovaoriensis, single flowers, silvery pink 
color, panicles erect and very large; Presi- 
dent Grevy, large flowers, double, blue 
color. 1 
Another fine shrub or small tree that 
has not received the attention it deserves 
for this purpose is the Xanthoceras 
sorbifolia, from China. The foliage is 
pinnate, like that of the Mountain Ash. 
The plant flowers in clusters of white 
racemes with a yellow spot in the centre of 
each bloom, which changes to reddish pur- 
ple. It flowers about the third week in 
April, and is a very free bloomer; the 
flowers are of great beauty, and last a long 
time when cut. This would make a very 
desirable plant to force for winter bloom 
as a pot plant, and I am sure there will 
be quite a demand;for it when it becomes 
better known. ; 
The English Hawthorns are all in 
flower at this time, and in Crategus 
oxyacantha coccinea flore pleno Paulii we 
have the very best of the double scarlets, 
and in Cratzegus oxyacantha flore pleno we 
have the finest of the double whites. The 
double are much superior to the singles 
for cutting, although the singles are much 
more fragrant. } : 
The Spireas are in full beauty at this 
time. specially desirable for cutting are 
Spirea Van Houttei, which never fails to 
give plenty of long sprays of beautiful 
flowers, and Spirea Reevesii, also a fine 
shrub, and cutting, though not flowering 
quite as freely as Van Houttei, although 
I consider it handsomer than the latter, 
both in flower and leaf. 4 
The last week of April brings the Snow- 
balls, the first to flower being Viburnum 
opulus sterilis, and it is a beautiful shrub, 
literally laden every spring with large 
balls of white flowers. Closely following 
is the Japanese Viburnum picatum. 
This is considered by most: people the hand- 
somest of all the Snowballs; but to me 
Viburnum opulus sterilis is the finest. 
Its habit of growth is more graceful, and 
its flowers, borne on longer stems, droop 
very prettily, while V. plicatum is very 
stiff and erect in growth and flower, and 
the individual blooms are not as large as 
those of V. opulus. — 
