470 



HOETICULTUEE 



October 9, 1915 



Tlie Larkspur is among the most beautiful and useful 

 of our hardy perennial plants, and as a material for 

 planting has for some few years been receiving ever 

 increasing attention. Many beautiful hybrids have been 

 raised varying in height and color and affording mater- 

 ial for almost any color or height combination desired, 

 either in the garden border or rockery. 



The cultiire of Delphiniums is simple, in fact more 

 simple tlian many of oui- herbaceous plants. Good cul- 

 tivation of the soil around their roots will be found to 

 be all that is necessary. The plants should not be over- 

 fed, being well satisfied with a good garden soil. A 

 mulch of manure should never be put over or around 

 them as they will merely rot away, or produce inferior 

 flowers. If necessary to mulch in winter a few dry 

 leaves will suit the purpose admirably. 



Propagation of Delphiniums is accomplished best by 

 seed. Of course in some of the hybrid varieties all 

 plants will not come true, but the majority will. Seed 

 should be sown as soon as ripe, for only a small per- 

 centage of seed will germinate after being kept a year. 

 If sown as soon as ready plants will be produced before 

 winter that can be planted out and will flower finely 

 the following summer. (3ther means of propagation are 

 by division or by cuttings of the young shoots in spring 

 or autumn, potted separately and placed in a cold frame. 

 These cuttings will make good plants by spring and will 

 flower at tlie same time as the divisions. This is proba- 

 bly the best and safest way to propagate any particular 

 variety. 



In glancing through nurserymen's catalogues one will 

 see many fine varieties listed, but there are a great many 

 even more beautiful ones which have not as yet found 

 their way into the United States in commercial quanti- 

 ties. The following is a small list of some of the most 

 desirable varieties from the standpoint of the planter, 

 including some of the species which are seldom gi'own 

 in gardens, giving notes as to color, height, etc. This 

 list, as will be seen is far from complete, but I trust 

 may be helpful to some of my readers. 

 Delphinium cashmirianum, pale blue with flowers one to 



two inches across. Ht. 12-18 in. 

 Delphinium nudicaule, red; petals clear yellow, long 

 spurred, a Californian species growing from 10-18 in. 

 high. 

 Delpliinium formosum, the old-fashioned garden Larkspur, 



of which a great many varieties exist. 

 Delphinium belladonna, another old variety with a profu- 

 sion of transparent sky-blue flowers. This species does 

 not often set fertile seed, although I notice some 

 seedsmen offering it and claiming that they have man- 

 aged to procure fertile seeds. 



The following are all hybrids — some of belladonna, 

 some of formosum type, and while a great many of them 

 arc offered in this country they are not procurable in 

 any great quantity. 



Antigone — Bright blue, lilac centre, fine for grouping. 

 Bleu Tendre— Silvery white single flowers flushed very 



light blue and carried on long spilte. Ht. 4-5 ft. 

 King of Delphiniums — Enormous semi-double flowers on 



tall spikes to a height of 5 ft. Deep indigo blue with 



inner petals plum color; large white centre tipped 



purple. 

 Lizzie van Veen — Long spikes and unusually large single 



flowers; Cambridge blue with a white eye. 

 K. T. Caron — Gentian blue with conspicuous white eye; 



semi-double, very large spikes. 



Mme. Violet Geslin — Large round flowers, blue, with lav- 

 ender centre and white eye, semi-double. 

 Polar Star — Ivory white, semi-double on dwarf spikes ol 



branching habit. 

 Mrs. Creighton — Semi-double; Oxford blue, dark plum col- 

 ored centre and brown eye. 

 Queen Wilhelmina — Sky-blue, slightly veined rose, white 



eye. 

 Turquoise — Semi-double; turquoise blue slightly tinged 



rose. 

 Queen of the Blues— Gentian blue; 18 in. 

 Capri — Sky-blue, blooming over long period. 5 ft. 

 Lamartine — Prussian blue, with white eye. 

 Moerheimi — White: from June to frost. 5 ft. 

 Mr. J. S. Brunton — An improved belladonna with larger 

 flowers in great quantity throughout the summer. 3 to 

 4 ft. 

 Persimmon — Sky-blue, of the belladonna type. 

 Mrs. Thompson — Belladonna hybrid; deep blue flowers with 



a brown bell. 

 Christine Kellway — Sky-blue and white eye. 

 Langport Blue — Five feet or more in height; bright blue. 

 Rev. \V. Wilks — Deep purple flushed plum color with promi- 

 nent dark eye; 41,^ ft. 

 Sir George Xewnes — ^Semi-double; cobalt blue, Inner petals 



flushed plum color. iVz ft. 

 Sir Walter Scott — Blue flushed violet with conspicuous 



black centre, 4% ft. 

 Althos — Purple and violet with white centre, 5-6 ft. 

 True-BIue — Perhaps the richest colored of all; strong con- 

 stitution, 5-6 ft. 

 General Baden Powell — Lavender tinted rose, with a brown- 

 ish black eye. 4% ft. 

 James Kellway — Violet blue; white eye. 5-6 ft. 

 Princess Maud — Sky-blue, veined rose, with white eye. 



Semi-double. 5% ft. 

 Sir Trevor Lawrence — Sky-blue with inner petals flushed 



rose pink, white eye. 6 ft. 

 Rev. E. Lascelles — Of recent introduction. Violet-blue with 



white eye. 

 Statuaire Rude — Soft lavender with slight flush of rose. 



Semi-double and very large. 

 Carmen — A veritable giant, 8 ft in height. Gentian-blue 



flushed rose in centre, black eye. 

 E. Augustus Bowles — 6 ft. brilliant blue with large dark 



centre. 

 Mona — Massive spikes, gentian-blue and heliotrope with 



white eye. 

 Perfection — Flowers large rose-mauve on massive spikes. 



6 ft. 

 Progression — Semi-double with bright yellow centre. 

 Queen Mary — Azure with white and yellow centres, 

 Rozenlust — Rosy mauve, double. 

 Ustane — Double, circular flowers of rosy mauve with dark 



eye. 

 Duke of Connaught — Single flowers, 3 in. across, crimson 



purple with white centre, on 6 ft. stems. 

 Geneva — Branching stems; single; light blue with bright 



eye. 

 Julia — Cornflower blue and rose. 



Lizzie — Branching spikes on five foot stems; single, sky- 

 blue with cream centre. 

 Masterpiece — Gentian-blue and rose purple with white eeIl^ 



tre. 

 Nellie — Sky-blue and white. 

 Portia — Cornflower blue flushed rose with black centre. A 



tall single variety. 

 Queen of the Lilacs — Lilac with white eye, on tall stems. 



Single. 

 Nulli Secundus — White, new and rare. Bold spikes on 6 

 ft. stems. Flowers white except for dark eye. 



-^j^(<yHAJ^ -^ 



Jamaica Plain, Mass, 



