

14 



The Weekly Roriste* Review. 



October 26, 1911. 



"CANNA LILIES." 



It was Columbus day, one of those 

 perfect afternoons in October when the 

 haze of Indian summer intensifies the 

 color of flower and foliage to a degree 

 that arouses admiration in all. The 

 Chester valley, beautiful at all times, 

 was doubly so that afternoon. The 

 greens and browns that predominated 

 as you climbed the hill beyond West 

 Grove gave way to a mass of rich color- 

 ing, seldom, if ever, seen before. Broad 



sought in this work. Success comes 

 gradually, but when one glances back 

 over the seventeen years of Mr. Wint- 

 zer 's work with the canna his success 

 seems little short of marvelous. As I 

 remember it then a canna was a canna; 

 Indian shot, the gardeners called them, 

 probably on account of the hard seed, 

 that requires twenty-four hours in hot 

 water to secure prompt germination. 

 They were usually red and were grown 

 for the foliage more than for the flower. 



Gtnoas in the Nursery of G>nard & Jones Co., West Grove, Pa. 



expanses of green and bronze foliage, 

 covering acres of ground, were lit by 

 magnificent clusters of large, bright- 

 hued flowers in more colors and shades 

 of color than I have ever seen else- 

 where. The effect was heightened by 

 the colors being planted together, a 

 number in a block, while the blocks 

 are distributed in various parts of the 

 ground, allowing the other crops, most- 

 ly green, such as Japanese barberry, to 

 intervene. I wish I could convey to 

 you an idea of the beauty of the scene; 

 it was like a table decoration, exquisite 

 as to color and arrangement; or, if you 

 are a landscape artist, fancy an effect 

 that you have dreamed of but could 

 ifot achieve for lack of suitable mate- 

 rial or for want of liberality in your 

 customer. 



A nearer view brought out the ex- 

 quisite colors of the varieties more 

 clearly, the softness and richness of 

 the pinks resembling the rose or the 

 orchid. The purity of the whites is a 

 distinct achievement from the hybrid- 

 izer's art. 



At the foot of the slope where the 

 eannas were growing Antoine Wintzer 

 was busily engaged in lifting certain 

 ^ets, mostly seedlings, for hybridizing. 

 You know he pots them and takes them 

 ijndoors, thus insuring a winter crop 

 0f flowers. With the aid of the camel 's- 

 hair brush another set of seedlings is 

 secured by springtime and a season 

 gained in the march of progress. The 

 true hybridizer has a definite aim with 

 6very cross attempted. Vigor, shade 

 of color, size of bloom, one or mofe of 

 a dozen different qualities that combine 

 t(fc .make up th^ modern canna, are 



Compare this with the canna of today: 

 pinks and white, quite as common as 

 the red; yellows stretching through a 

 long line of yellow mingled more or 

 less with red; carmine, crimson, scarlet, 

 to say nothing of the orchid or gla- 

 diolus tj'pe of flowers, or their immensity 

 of size. Can anyone say that the prog- 



ress made in cannas is not wonderful? 

 There were many special features of 

 interest. Here was Minnehaha in per- 

 fect form, the indescribably soft shade 

 of blush pink of the large flowers con- 

 trasting charmingly with broad bronze 

 foliage. There was Mrs. Alfred F. 

 Conard, recognized as the best pink 

 canna today; color, size and freedom of 

 bloom are unsurpassed. Beyond, Olym- 

 pic, a wonderful canna of carmine or 

 orient red coloring that makes it 

 unique. I might go on and on with de- 

 scriptions of varieties of striking beau- 

 ty, but one more will do. It is an in- 

 teresting comparison between Butter- 

 cup, still the standard yellow canna, 

 and Brilliant, a claimant for that honor, 

 of great vigor and remarkable freedom 

 of bloom. There are new cannas com- 

 ing, cannas of promise. Some day they 

 will make their mark. It is my wish 

 to make known the cannas of today. 

 Wherever plants are grown outdoors, 

 for- beauty and effect, these cannas 

 should have their place. Phil. 



WINTEBINQ GEBBEBAS. 



Will you kindly inform me whether 

 gerberas are hardy? Is it safe to leave 

 them out for the winter? Sometimes^ 

 in this New Mexico climate, the tem- 

 perature goes 1 to 5 degrees below 

 zero for a few nights and then it may 

 change and not even freeze for a while. 

 The sun is quite hot and we rarely 

 have cloudy weather. I bought some 

 hybrid gerberas in the spring and some 

 plants are beginning to bloom for the 

 first time. Will it be best to take them 

 up and plant them in benches or pots 

 in the carnation houses? R. V. B. 



These charming annuals, commonly 

 known as the Barberton daisies, are 

 natives of South Africa. The best 

 known variety, G. Jamesoni, named in 

 honor of Dr. Jameson, leader some years 

 ago in the historical raid with which 

 his name is identified, is a native of 

 the Transvaal. While the summera 

 there are hot, as with you, the tem- 

 perature never tails to near zero, as in 

 your state, and while I have known 



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Canna Minnehaha at Entrance to Grounds of Conard & Jones Co. 





