Evening journal., 1907-03-29
EASTER BLOOMS
OF RARE BEAUTY
Figure More Larg Ely Than
Ever as Gifts This Joyous
Season
MARKETS LIKE GARDENS

No other holiday Is so intimate
iy connected with flower as Easter.
and although it comes early this year
this does not seem to have affected
the floral display for whr.h Wilmington
is noted. For more than week the VIM
dows OF the different florist shops
would make a confirmed ascctic turn to
look again and the markets are a ver-
stable bower Of bloom Long centuries
before the Christian Era the necessity
OF a spring flower festival was felt by
humanity. just because the return OF
spring was such a joyous occasion that
day must be set apart FOR rich and II
poor to enjoy IL alike Afterward the
return of the flowers IN the spring was
used to syirbolze the Resurrection.
Each year the exchange Of flowers as !
gifts becomes more popular, and now. /
/ persons can he seen homeward bound /
with the gay blossoms pecping from |
/ their tissue-pape wrappings on mar /
\ ket days the scene Is suggestive OF the
/ fete days of the Old World. on the
/ outskirts Of the market the gardeners
who own greenhouses have brought
/ their blossoms 20 tempt the passerahy.
with the sun streaming down on them
the flowers seem to nod and heckon as
one passes. and the said and sober
ctizen. worn out with the rains and
5 winds and SHOWS OF winter, stops and
looks and IS conquered. generally going
{ away with one or more nosegays and
perhaps a potted plant.
There are pansies. violets, roses, car-
nations. jonquils and daffodils among
the cut flowers, and in pots one can
ind Easter and Gala lily. pansies, ger
. aniums, azaleas, primrose, spireas.
4 lilacs. tulips, hyacinths jonquils lilies
@ OF the valley. begonias and many other
varieties The prices are cheap, al
though n is possible that they may ad-
!. vance a trihe. An Easter lily with
n three blossoms and a couple Of buds
T. brought so cents yesterday, and one
- could get a charming pot OF hyacinths
3 or tulips for 25 cents.
p; More potted flowers are given away
\ than I'm former years. and one Of the
; most charming offerings is what is
known as the florists spirea, the best
n forms being the Ccmpacta and the
M Gladstone. OF course. The flower par
excellence is the lily because IT has
been associated for .he longest time
, with Easter. and there are many per-
- sons who would give no other flower;
? although as "a cut flower for milady 10
wear on the Easter parade the violet
y bids fair to renlainin high favor Mex
l. in the list Ct favorites, perhaps, should
N be mentioned the azalea. These are be-
n ing shown in profusion and the mos
] sTf nd Nrt
y aud jardinieres are being used TO en-
b, hance their beauty, A near relative o
c the azalea. the rhododendron, is als'
4 much forced for Easter The flower
Il are borne IN great roundish, cluster.
TX five or six inches in diameter and n
d color they vary from white % red anl
purple Both the azaleas and tn
ihododcndron VIII remain in good con.
: dition for at least two weeks after the,
are purchased.
How to keep the flowers which on'
receives as gifts is much Of a problem
to many. because they have been growi
in the humid atmosphere Of the hot
house and are mostly kept I'm dr.!
living room Much OF this difficult!
may be overcome by placing a bowl o
water in every room Most Of the Gu
flowers win last from four days 10
week II the flowers were grown In al
cool a place as possible and were cu
I'm the early morning when they wer
fun Of sap. The first thing to do Wit
cut flowers when they are received is Z
nut them in water but not the vas
In which they are finally 10 be arrans
cd. Place them IN a pail or other recep
tacle deep enough TO emerse the entir
fs-a L hour
before they are arranged in vases. Pu
them back IN the pail every night an
in the morning cut a quarter of a
inch from the end Of the stem, as tn
ends are apt to become clogged, thu
reducing the amount OF water as
so;'bed.
Zach potten plant requires its ow
snacifc treatment, and one should tax
some pains to fiud out the requirement
Of those which are received. The prim
rose likes light. but not much SUM- am
ahe azalea should be kept in ligh
window. When the latter plant
through towering the seed pots, whic
commence. to form, should be picke
or and n Il Is not entirely symmet
rical it should be pruned- AS soon a
the summer comes the pot shouldb
plunged IN the edfth III 'F's ""~
il viii receive sun IN the morning an
evening. but will be protected some
what AT noontime. Watering once
week with a wtak liquid fertilizer wi
encourage 4 larger growth. In the IA
remove the plant to light cool piac
whore there is no frost Ca cellar WIN
dow viii do) and in January u ca
10 brought out and forced for Easte
blooming next year. The spireas an
lules mentioned are hardly out Of door
ana these may be planted i'm a fe
S,,erixs where they will bloom nes
spring.
should be remembered that eoa' 50
and Illuminating gas are aeafy fo