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Flower Talks.
[Note.] —Letters or MSS. for this Department
(put for no other) should be addressed to Mrs.
Imogene E. Johnson, Box 168, Los Gatos, Cal.
Fob Woman’s Wobk.
THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS.
BY M. M. E. M.
Flowers too have language; and If mortals oflly
Had senses half so fine and keen as they,
Aud listened closely, they would hear their
secrets,
And know full surely what the flowers say.
For flowers are thoughts from Heaven; God spoke
them softly
And breathed them into Earth’s receptive breast,
And there they lie, until the time appointed,
When each shall voice a living message blest.
And though we do not rightly understand them,
And oftentimes their meaning read amiss,
God knows full well our human limitations,
And will not hold us to account for this.
MONTHLY CHAT.
HAVE said something in a pre
vious number oi Woman’s Work
about experimenting with seeds.
, It is a very interesting thing to do.
One day last March I planted a
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few seeds from a Jacqueminot rose. It
was not a premeditated planting, but in
going about the garden one morning, I
found a large hep on a Jacqueminot bush,
and when I attempted to pick it, it fell
into my hand, proving that it was quite
ripe. Carelessly pulling it open, I saw a
number of fresh, plump looking seeds.
The thought came to me that I might
?lant them; so, going to a box of sand that
keep for the rooting of cuttings, I pushed
the seeds about half an inch into the
damp sand, and left them, supposing that
it would take months for them to germi
nate, but was much astonished to find
them coming up about ten days later.
Five or six came up, but, through care
lessness, only three grew. Set in the
open ground, they thrived, and on the
20th. of August—less than five months
from the time of planting—one of the tiny
bushes (?) not over three inches high, bore
a blossom. As we can never tell what the
roses of grown bushes will be like, from
those on young ones, I cannot be sure
what the rose will really be. It was half
double, color of its parent, and very sweet
scented. It may be identical with the
Jacqueminot, cr it may not, but it was a
great curiosity, as well as an interesting
occurrence, to have a seedling rose of four
and a half months old to bloom: it is said
to take from one to two years, as a general
thing. The one that bloomed is much
smaller than one of the others; no two of
the three look alike, and perhaps they may
not bloom alike.
• • » * *
I hope every one, who can, will plant
bulbs this fall, if they have not already
a large variety—and even then, add
something new. October is the time to
set bulbs for spring blooming, where the
climate will allow, or to pot them where
they must be kept in the house, or for
forcing in any location. Bulbs are such
a satisfaction if successfully grown.
There are the lilies to begin with, the old
fashioned Candidum and the Tiger, both
quite hardy, and remaining out of doors as
far north as Cleveland, at least. Then, for
forcing, there are many varieties, all quite
satisfactory as pot plants for the living
room; of especial interest are Harrisii and
Auratum. Hyacinths are lovely if forced
in the house. They may be grown either
in water glasses, or in earth. I prefer the
latter, as it gives sturdier blooms and does
not exhaust the root as the water culture
does.
If Hyacinthe, or other bulbs, are allowed
to grow as long as they will after bloom
ing, the bulbs usually remain good. Cut
ting down the leaves either kills them, or
so weakens them as to render them use
less. If the earth is kept damp, and the
bulbs allowed to grow as long as they can
—until the leaves begin to turn yellow
then dried oft, with the pots laid on their
sides and kept dry until growing time
again, the bulbs usually will also bloom the
next year, or the second one anyway.
The China lilies do better in water than
earth, grow rapidly, and bloom profusely
in about six weeks, but then they are of
no further use in a cold climate; in a warm
one, where there is no winter to freeze
them, they may be put in the ground, and
in from two to three years will bloom, and
keep right on blooming every year, out of
doors. There are a number of different
sorts brought over from China every fall.
The bulbs are immense, often being one
large bulb—of three or four inches in
diameter—in the centre, with smaller ones
on two sides of it, arranged like the chest
nuts in a burr, the whole clump being
fourteen to sixteen inches in circumference
They will throw up a number of blossom
stalks, and often produce sixty or seventy
separate flowers. There are white ones
and yellow ones, both double and single,
and white with a yellow cup.
A bed of Tulips, or a border of Crocus,
are most lovely things on a bright spring
day. Daffodils are a pleasure, and
Ranunculus, and Anemones, make such a
pretty display, with their gay blooms
nodding on their slender stems.
Bulbs forced in the house should be
put into small pots or tins: I had rather
grow them in tins, because tins, although
they do not give so aristocratic an air
to the plant, shelf or stand, hold the mois
ture better than pots. Cocoa or condensed
milk cans are a nice size for Hyacinths. Fill
the dishes with a mixture of good soil and
sand, with a little hen manure, (barnyard
manure is apt to breed worms.) The potr
or cans should be clean, ana the earth
ought to be baked before filling the
pots, to kill any insects, worms or eggs.
Hyacinths may be set with the tip just
under the earth. Lilies, or anything
growing a tall flower-stalk, should be set
a little deeper. Wet the earth after plant
ing the bulbs, set away in a dark closet, or
box, and let the heat be moderate. Watch
the pots, and do not let them get dry,
keeping the earth just a little moist.
When lilies put up an inch *bove the
ground, bring to the light, and keep moist
until the flower buds appear; then water
well, increasing the moisture until just
ready to bloom; then drench them, as they
drink agreat deal of water at the blooming
stage. Treat Hyacinths the same way, ex
cept that they should not be brought to
the light until the buds appear and show
a good piece of stem below the buds; if
they are brought out earlier, they will of
ten blossom before they are entirely out of
the ground. I think where people fail in
forcing bulbs, it is usually in not watching
the state of moisture in the pots closely
enough, because, if once during the weeks
of growth the soil about the bulb becomes
dry, the buds will blast—and that is the
end of the bulb, for that year at least.
Freesia Relracta Alba is a most satis
factory bulb for the winter window-garden.
The bulbs are not larger than the tip of a
little finger, but they grow vigorously,
and throw up wiry stems of nine or ten
inches, which bear from five to seven
charming, lily-shaped blooms, creamy
white, with yellow splashes in the throat.
Half a dozen of the bulbs in a four-inch
pot make a nice little bit of bloom; kept
growing as I have directed above, there
will be found a large increase of bulbs
when dried off. Nothing can be more
pleasing than a lot of Freesias. If several
lots are planted at different times they
will furnish blooms for a long period, and
their subtile odor will permeate tne room
like incense, through the long, dreary
weeks of winter.
Tritelliums also are little bulbs, that,
clustered into pots, make bright bits for
the window, and furnish a succession of
little starry blossoms for a long time.
Geraniums furnish very acceptable
plants for the window, either in cold cli
mates or the warmer ones. But to have
them satisfactory, judgment should be used
in their selection. There is as great a
difference in the habits of different varie
ties of Geraniums as possible. Some are
very robust growers, and will make a
growth of twelve or fifteen feet, where
they can live out of doors all the year
round; then there are others that always
remain small; these latter are called dwarf
growers, and are the ones best adapted
for house culture. Some bloom more
freely than others, and again, the free
WOMAN’S WORK.
bloomers should be selected for indoors.
Whether young or old plants should be
selected for winter, is a much disputed
point; some find their best success with
young plants, others withold ones. Some
thing, of course, depends upon the place
one has in which to keep them, and the
best way to settle the question is to try
both and see which proves the more suc
cessful.
The old plants intended for such use
should be kept pinched back during the
summer, and all buds removed as soon as
they appear. Keep the plants out doors as
long as possible, re-not, bring into the
house, keep in a sunny window with a
moderate supply of water, wash off once a
week—not wetting the blooms—and they
will flourish. If young plants are wanted,
set slips during July or August, in small
pots, and re-pot when brought in by the
fire, giving a little larger pot, but not dis
turbing the roots; about a four-inch pot is
large enough. If given too much root
room, they will grow to foliage, and de
velop little or no bloom. With these, as
with all other house-plants, give water
daily. After the temperature of the day
is established in the room, take a pitcher
of water—soft water is always best, if it
is be to be had—and put in enough hot
water to make it tepid; cold water chills the
roots and retards the growth. Then go
all around the plants, giving more or less
water, where needed; some will not need
it every morning, others will need some
twice a day. When in bloom, all plants
require more water than at other times.
Once a week put a teaspoonful of common
washing ammonia, or a few drops of the
double strength such as may be had of the
druggists, into the water used; and, with
a little stick, stir the top of the earth fre
quently; this will usually insure healthy
growth and plenty of bloom.
But the real secret of success with flow
ers, after all, lies in the love one has for
them, and the natural “gumption” of the
grower. I find that where one has the
real love for flowers, and cares for them in
an intelligent way, they succeed; and
where people like to grow flowers simply
for the show they make, and because oth
ers do, they do not succeed, because they
do not make pets of them.
*****
You may think that you cannot have
any plants because you have no good
window anywhere except in the kitchen.
That is the very best window to keep
plants in. The steam from washing and
cooking is a food that plants enjoy.
Plants will fairly revel in an east or
south kitchen window. The finest house
plants I ever saw, and bearing a wonder
ful amount of bloom, were in a south win
dow of a kitchen, in the cold state of
Minnesota.
Now is the time to bring forward the
Smilax, and, after re-potting, water and
set in a place where it gets sun for a part
of the day. It may be made to climb, run
along the edge of the plant stand, or to
droop from a hanging basket. A hanging
basket with an erect foliage plant of bright
color, and smilax drooping from the edge,
is a pretty thing.
EDELWEISS.
The Alpine Rival of the Orient
Orange Blossom. The National
Flower of Switzerland.
Modest and pure in color, it lives above
the snow-line, among the Alps. When
well grown it is six or eight inches in
height, having very woolly, oblong leaves,
and inconspicuous flowers which are sur
rounded by a star-shaped circle of bi all,
densely woolly leaves.
The word, Edelweiss, in English is
“noble white.” Its botanical nan e is
Gnaphalium Leontopodium.
Gnapbalium is the Greek for “cott-m” or
“wool,” given to it on account of the soft,
white, cottony coating on the leaves, flow
ers and stems.
Leontopodium is Latin for leon, a lion,
pous, a foot, from a fancy that the flowers
resemble a lion’s foot.
Carefully pressed specimens, when hand
somely mounted, are associated with plate
and jewelry for bridal gifts.
Those wishing to restore the pressed
flowers to their natural habit, can steam
them, or lay them in damp clothstill they
become flexible, after which the leaves are
picked into position and held there by
pins, until they become dry and set.
For trimmings on bridal dresses both
the fresh cut and dried flowers are used,
either alone or in combination with orange
blossoms. They are also made up into
bouquets and bridal wreaths. H. E. T.
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