This section is from the book "The Gardener's Monthly And Horticulturist V29", by Thomas Meehan. See also: Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long.
It is said that Citrus trifoliata either has, or is likely to stand hardy in any ordinary winter south of New York. The fruit is not very good, but improvements may come from it.
A new spruce, apparently allied to the oriental spruce, but with much shorter cones, - the cones, indeed, like our black spruce - has been described under this name by Prof. Pancic. It grows in the north of Europe and Asia.
The Royal Gardens at Kew have from 170 to 180 persons in continuous employ. The annual cost for the whole maintenance of the establishment is $100,000.
Roses occasionally produce branches with striped flowers. When these are cut off and rooted the character continues with more or less permanence. But often they revert to the original self color, and the purchaser, making no allowance for this, believes he has been imposed on. Still, rose dealers have to risk this sometimes. Messrs. Paul & Son, of England, have now a striped one they call Pride of Reigate. It is a sport from the Countess of Oxford, and so far seems to hold its own.
Under the name of Astilbe this is now common in florists' cut-flower work. Astilbe is a genus of the Saxifrage family, and though this plant is very nearly a saxifrageaceous plant, it is truly a rosaceous plant, and a Spiraea. It has also been known as Hoteia Japonica. Besides its value for forcing as a cut-flower, it is an admirable herbaceous plant for the open border.
In an essay before the Scottish Horticultural Association, Mr. McKenzie, a noted hot-house builder, said that during the past ten years, $100,-ooo worth of buildings had been put up by professional builders, to say nothing of the great number of houses built by people by the aid of the local carpenters and gardeners.
These should be cut in the bud. They will then give pleasure for a long time. If cut just as they are opening the petals soon fall.
This plant recently introduced from the Himalayas to the gardens of Europe, is said to have stems 3 feet in height.
A German paper says that those florists who want the best effect from their work, use different roses for night than for day decoration. Some roses, fine by day, have an ineffably shabby look as evening flowers; others improve under shade.
In spite of the continuous change of fashion in flowers,, the pretty white Deutzia gracilis holds its own as a winter forced flower for cutting, with florists. It is not regarded as very profitable, but somehow it cannot well be replaced.
 
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