214 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



September, 1907 



early and free bloomers and as hardy as 

 rocks. You must watch their aptitude 

 to grow out all round and into every- 

 thing; in fact they tend to make rings 

 by exhausting themselves in the middle 

 and flourishing at their outside edges. 

 This is avoided by cutting out the free 

 edges and returning them to the centre 

 if necessary, and by keeping the centre 

 enriched with well-rotted horse manure. 

 Sweet WilUams are beautiful spring 

 perennials, but require a front place 

 when associated with say Oriental pop- 

 pies, . scarlet lychnis and larkspurs. In 

 fact, you can make a beautiful border 

 by growing larkspurs further back, the 

 dark blues behind and the light blues a 

 little forward ; then tiger-lilies and scar- 

 let lychnis occupy a middle place; in 

 front of these, place Oriental poppies 

 and columbines ; while in the front row 

 Sweet Williams and Iceland poppies will 

 intermingle with dianthus, pinks and 

 pansies. 



SHOULD PLANTS BE CROWDED? 



One word about overcrowding your 

 plants. An old-timer walked round my 

 garden last summer when I happened to 

 be out, and while appreciative of Na- 

 ture's generous show of bloom there, he 

 offered the legitimate criticism that I 

 had overcrowded many of the plants. 

 He did not know, however, that the 

 overcrowding was partly deliberate. 

 Unless a prairie garden is completely 

 protected on the north and west sides — ■ 

 as, by the way, nearly every farm garden 

 should and can be — that arch-fiend, a 

 strong wind, will break down all un- 

 supported plants. My garden is much 

 afflicted by west winds, which swirl 

 round the house and do more damage 

 than any frost. I find it better, therefore, 

 to be a little on the crowded side as a 

 rule rather than to be horticulturally 

 correct. Also last year I was experi- 

 menting with new plants, with whose 

 habits I was unfamiliar, and so the 

 crowding was partly involuntary. It 

 is correct, however, to thin out your 

 perennials so as to give them plenty of 

 room unless they are very dwarf, or un- 

 less their habit is to grow in masses. 

 Thus arabis and Iceland poppy grow in 

 close masses, but larkspurs and peonies 

 need lots of room. 



PLANT ACCORDING TO NATURE 



Another point to make is this: Plant 

 your perennials according to the nature 

 of their natural habitat. The foxglove, 

 for instance, grows in the wild state 

 amongst thick shrubs and bushes, or tall 

 plants. Plant the cultivated foxglove 

 amongst your ornamental shrubs. You 

 will then be surprised how well it will do 

 and how fine it will look. The tall 

 flower spike blooms from below upwards 

 and looks scraggy if grown in an open 

 spot, as the lower flowers fade and die 

 away. But if grown singly or in clumps 

 amongst bushes and other perennials 



it will be particularly fine and effective. 

 One final word must be said about 

 those tall background perennials, the 

 larkspur, the monkshood and the golden 

 glow. Of the various blues sported by 

 the larkspur, I commend the light blue 

 for earliness and delicacy, but the dark, 

 deep blue with a white eye is the hand- 

 somest of the dark blues. Have them 

 well back in your border. The monks- 

 hood is not so tall, but it consorts well 

 with tiger-liUes, the French-grey of the 

 one contrasting pleasingly with the 



orange-red of the other. As a late free- 

 bloomer the golden glow is invaluable, 

 and being very hardy is a good peren- 

 nial, but needs to be kept in bounds both 

 as to roots and stems. Tie the growing 

 stems to a stake six feet high in the early 

 summer or the winds will break it down. 

 If it is placed amid ornamental shrubs, 

 these latter will hide the rather scraggy 

 withered lower half of the stems in the 

 late summer. Moreover, a background 

 of green trees or bushes will give an extra 

 charm to the yellow of its golden glow. 



TKe Gladiolus and Its Development 



TO appreciate the advancement that 

 has been made in the development 

 and cultivation of the gladiolus 

 within recent years, one should visit 

 the trial ground of Mr. H. H. Groff, 

 Simcoe, Ontario. Varieties, unknown 



One of Mr. Groff 's New Gladioli, No. 218 



to the outside world, are there in in- 

 numerable quantities and striking mag- 

 nificence. From the natural wild type 

 to the world-famed Groff creations is 

 a long step, but it has been bridged 

 and crowned with success by years of 

 hard work and many disappointments. 

 Those who desire size can see corms 

 that measure six inches in diameter, and 

 bloom spikes that are six feet in height, 

 with flowers that measure five and a 

 half inches in diameter. Colors are 

 there in endless variety. Almost any 

 shade, tint, or marking that one could 

 imagine is to be found. It would seem 

 that existing gladiolus color charts are 

 of little use, as they do not embody 

 all the colors in Mr. Groff 's collection. 



SOME NEW VARIETIES 



Two new varieties in scarlet, named 

 Dominion and Empire, were observed 



by a representative of the The Canadian 

 Horticulturist. Their appearance 

 would indicate that they will win 

 popularity. Their size, rich color and 

 sturdy growth will make them favorites. 

 Another variety. La Luna, as its name 

 implies, reminds one of the moon when 

 rising, as the creamy petals gradually 

 deepen into a rich yellow, and a red 

 blotch in the centre completes the 

 illusion. Blue Jay also gets its name 

 from its appearance, as at first glance 

 it resembles the bird of that name. 

 Evolution is a beautiful shade of pink; 

 its stems have a graceful drooping 

 habit which, when placed in a vase, 

 produce a pleasing effect. 



There are hundreds of kinds of gladi- 

 olus at Groff's that are unnamed. 

 New kinds are not given names unless 

 they possess exceptional merit. Several 

 years of repeated trials often pass 

 before a new variety is pronounced 

 worthy of a name and a place among 

 the higher grades. 



THE WORK is inspiring 



The work of improving the gladiolus 

 was undertaken by Mr. Groff merely 

 as a hobby. So enthusiastic has he 

 become since the start, that now, dur- 

 ing the season, he works from daylight 

 until dark. Much work is necessary 

 during the blooming season. Every 

 morning at daybreak, clothed in rubber 

 boots and apron, Mr. Groff can be 

 found at work, determining the results 

 of hybridizations of years before. The 

 fascination of witnessing the birth of 

 a new variety is so interesting that it is 

 not surprising to find Mr. Groff so 

 enthusiastic and earnest in his work. 



In the work of originating a new 

 variety, system prevails as thoroughly 

 as it does in the after operations of 

 cultivation and selection. When Mr. 

 Groff enters the field for this work, he 

 straps around his waist a leather belt, 

 to which are fastened pouches con- 

 taining labels of different kinds, books 

 for registering new numbers as they 

 are conferred on new kinds that are 

 worthy, and for recording descrip- 

 tions, knives, pencils, tweezers, and soon. 



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