Daily Republican., 1883-10-09
TUESDAY. OCTOBER .. 1853.
Winter Flowers.

clusion that the season for outdoor
flowers is practically over, and though
there may still be a few last roses of
summer left blooming, there is nothing
certain left to cheer us with the excep.
ton of the hardy chrysanthemum. This
pretty flower seems purposely to have
withheld parade of its beauty until
all the other varieties had exhausted
their beauty and sweetness upon the
summer and balmy autumn air. 1t
comes now as the lone possessur of the
field of flowers, and while the gera-
mum, verbena, scarlet sage, ageratum
and sweet alyssum bow their heads and
wither in the morning frosts, it seems to
say: "Cheer up, for am still with you.
There Is an important work now for
the lovers of flowers to perform. These
blooming beauties that have cheered us
through the summer should not be left
to perish now that their mission in the
open air is over. By little care many
Of them may be saved to smile and
bloom another year The ANNALS Of
course we cannot save, but we can sup
ply ourselves with a plentiful supply of
seed with which to make an early start
in the ,pring Every variety should be
carefully picked, dried and put away
in small glass walls.
The more hardy varieties of flowers
can be saved 10y taking them up, plant
ing them in boxes in rich, sandy soil,
and setting them away in cellar that
is not too cold. Large geraniuns, es.
pecial,y that are not wanted for slip
ping, can be saved in this way. Anoth-
er plan is to take them up, clean the
dirt from the roots, tie the latter up in
folds of paper and hang them to the
cellar joist. Coleas, verbenas, dian
thus, ageratum, heliotrope and sweet
allyssum can be saved in the same way.
OF course we cannot save all our flow
srs, and however much we may regret
to let them die in the winter blast,
many OF them must be abandoned.
Don't forget though to move your tubs
and kegs in which your barclaanaS,
house ivy and smilax are planted into
the cellar misunderstanding the plants.
30 much for preserving your flowers
hut how about those that you want to
bloom in the house during the winter
In the first place there is no use in
making the attempt to have blooming
flowers in the winter unless you have
room approaching moderate tempera-
ture. Flower plants cannot live, let
alone bloom, If. room varying from
fifteen degrees at night to seventy de-
grees through the day. Some effort
should be made to approximate an
even temperature, not under forty de.
grees nor over seventy. In such room
hardy flowers that have been slipped in
season may he expected to bloom.
But the best winter boomers are the
bulb flowers, the leading being the hya-
cinLh, followed by the tulip, crocus,
snow drop, nartiSsus, jonluils, ane-
mOnes aud iXias. These bulbs if plant
ed in boxes or pots even now Or during
this month can be forced into bloom BY
Christmas and by succession of plant
ing they can be brought Into bloom all
through the winter.
There is nothing that is more pleas
ing sight than to watch strong hya-
Clnth gradually erect its beautiful
spikes of fragrant -bellshaped flowers.
The gradual unfolding ola Due Won
Thol tulip from small green pod,
until it blinks and laughs in your face
with petals all complete and of the
richest colors imaginable, is sight that
rxcites a household with pleasureable
emotions. There Is very little trouble
CONNECTED with raising bulb flowers.
They are not SO particular about the
weather and Temperature Of a room
like other tiowers-in fact they rather
prefer cold room to one that is Il little
too warm. The raising of bulb flowers
in the house is but in its infancy vet,
and considering tie great desire to have
hQTcrs In winter it is strange that more
attention has not been given to bulb
flower raising. The expense is real y
not as great as the raising Of other flow
ers, and there is a certainty of having
flowers from bulbs that does not attach
TO the raising otother flowers.