MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 57 
Xeranthemum 
Zinnia elegans “Picotte’’ 
Zinnia elegans, violet 
Zinnia elegans, curled 
DELPHINIUMS 
As permanent subjects in the hardy flower garden few 
plants are more worthy of special mention than the del- 
phiniums. For producing a striking display over a long sea- 
son they are quite unique, attracting attention by their state- 
liness as well as their variety of blue shades which run the 
gamut of all known blues from deep reddish purple to a 
delicate azure almost indistinguishable from white. In ad- 
dition, their hardiness and adaptability make them highly 
desirable for greater use in our gardens and borders. Under 
our climatic conditions, however, delphiniums seldom equal 
in size, loveliness of tone, and continuity of bloom those 
grown in cooler climates of greater degrees of humidity. 
Many parts of the world have contributed to our wealth 
of delphiniums. They have come from Siberia, Formosa, 
Caucasus, China, California, Rocky Mountains, etc., while 
numerous hybrids have ge aoe in England and France 
through the painstaking efforts of Kelway and Lemoine. 
The old strains have been improved almost beyond recog- 
nition from the narrow-petaled flowers crowded together to 
fie. 9 eacaacies columnar spikes of the present-day 
ybrids. 
CULTURE 
In order to alleviate the trying effects of our hot climate 
upon the cool-loving plants special attention should be given 
to soil requirements. A well-drained, cool, rich soil should 
be provided with an abundant supply of moisture during dry 
weather, especially in the prior to flowering. After 
flowering the plants may be cut down to the ground and 
mulched with well-rotted manure. This treatment will serve 
the threefold purpose of providing coolness, conserving 
moisture, and furnishing a second crop of bloom early in the 
fall. Although exceedingly cea Iphiniums are bene- 
fited by a protective light mulch of well-rotted manure 
laced about the crowns after the first proesng ol the ground. 
e mulch should be spaded in early in the spring, thus 
supplying the essential erent During winter months 
vt dace are often attacked by slugs, with disastrous re- 
sults, and as a precautionary measure 2 or 3 inches of soil 
may be removed from the crowns and replaced by very fine 
