A Summer With Some of the New Gladioli 
bab TRUMBULL 
NOTES MADE BY AN ENTHUSIAST FROM ACTUAL EXPERIENCES IN 1915—A “POOR MAN’S” BULB THAT, FROM 
A SMALL OUTLAY, WILL GIVE AMAZING RESULTS ALL SUMMER 
AVING grown Gladioli for many 
years past I thought I was fairly 
well acquainted with them, yet 
never had they afforded me such 
keen delight as during the past season. 
Partly because never before had I 
grown so many of the new and rare 
sorts; partly because the summer of 
1915 was exceptionally favorable to the 
highest development of the flowers. 
When in their prime, with the flowers 
before me I made notes of the charac- 
teristics of some of the most attractive. 
These are as follows: 
The earliest to flower was Pink 
Beauty. At first I was disappointed in 
the medium sized flower, the color, 
peachblow pink with a heavily marked 
crimson blotch, was lovely. Later when 
I saw a vase of the brilliantly colored 
long spikes I had to admit they had a 
beauty all their own and well deserved 
the praise bestowed on them. They are - 
sturdy growers and good multipliers. 
Halley was the next earliest, begin- 
ning to open its large salmon pink flow- 
ers when Pink Beauty was in its prime. 
I fell in love with this soft-toned flower 
from the very first, with its creamy 
blotch on the two lower petals through 
which runs a narrow stripe of bright 
red. This sort increases rapidly. 
Among the very best of the new sorts 
I would place Panama, a seedling of 
America. The flower is very large, the 
color a bright rich pink similar to the 
Hybrid Tea Rose Caroline Testout. It 
is a very strong grower, one dozen bulbs 
giving me twenty-four flower spikes and 
the same number of large bulbs in the 
fall and dozens of baby bulblets. 
Mrs. Frank Pendleton is another 
flower which cannot be too highly 
lauded. It is a large flower, beautifully 
set on a strong straight stalk. The pet- 
als are pinkish white overlaid and 
shaded with the sweetest shade of rose 
pink. Each of the three lower petals 
has a large blotch of strawberry red 
with a stripe of darker color through 
the centre. The general effect is showy 
and brilliant. A satisfactory variety in 
every respect. 
Desdemona is a flower for the artist. 
The petals are a dull soft pink shading 
much deeper toward the edges and 
tips of petals. One half of the three 
lower petals is creamy white with dark 
blotch and penciling and shading of 
violet in throat. The anthers are pink 
on top, lavender on the underside. An 
exquisitely beautiful flower of real art 
shading. Will not harmonize with pink 
or red; combines fairly well with the 
peachy tint of Glory, but is most beau- 
tiful with Niagara. 
Pride of Goshen is one of the largest 
flowers, well placed on unusually strong 
tall stems. The color is dainty pink, 
shaded deeper toward the edge of the 
petals; bright carmine blotch on two 
lower petals and in throat. The flower 
is daintily ruffled which adds much to 
its beauty. 
Wild Rose is just what its name im- 
plies, a wild rose pink with a touch of 
carmine in the throat. A very satisfy- 
ing variety. 
Empress of India is one of the darkest 
shades of red; the buds before opening 
are black. I did not care particularly 
for this sort, but— 
War. I do not know how to describe 
this variety; it stands so straight and 
tall. The flower stems when cut measure 
more than three feet in length. The 
large, well opened flower is deep blood 
red. It is almost impossible to imagine 
the imposing appearance of a large vase 
of these stately beauties. 
Among the yellows and creams are 
Schwaben, Niagara, Dawn and Dora 
Kraiz. 
Schwaben is one of the largest giant 
flowered clear yellow varieties, with 
small brown spot in the throat. The 
buds are greenish yellow. One of the 
most satisfactory. 
Niagara is an immense wide open 
flower of soft yellow tinged with pink 
on some of the blooms. It is a strong 
grower and a great multiplier. 
Dawn is among the rarely beautiful 
Gladioli; very large, slightly ruffled 
cream with the softest penciling of pink 
on edge of petals. <A flower to love. 
If one grows the Gladiolus for cut 
flowers it is impossible to have too many 
whites. I have found the following to 
be entirely satisfactory. 
Lily Lehman, large, white flushed 
pink. The flowers of Reine De L’ Anjou 
are nearly pure white, with slight crim- 
son markings in throat. The plant is a 
strong grower, often producing three 
flower spikes. Much like the old va- 
riety Augusta. One will make no mis- 
take in growing large quantities of Gil 
Blas. Flowers are large, pure white, 
with lemon shading, and just a touch of 
carmine in the throat. 
Peace is no longer a new variety, but 
it is such an exceptionally large fine 
sort I cannot omit it from my list of 
best whites. The flowers are arranged 
on an extra tall strong stem. The bulbs 
multiply rapidly, which is certainly an 
added attraction. 
Rochester is one of the most exquis- 
itely beautiful white flowers in exist- 
ence. Mere words cannot do justice to 
the beauty of this pure white, daintily 
ruffled creation, without spot or touch 
of color. Even the anthers are pure 
white. It is a satisfactory variety from 
all standpoints. It is not as large as 
Peace, and the effect of a vase of these 
beauties is dainty rather than imposing. 
And now come the blues: Baron 
Hulot is an old sort which I have grown 
for years with increasing pleasure. The 
color is rich indigo blue and I prefer it 
to any of the blues I have seen. The 
bulb is strong and increases rapidly. 
Viola and Senator Volland are almost 
identical. The flower is not quite as 
large as Baron Hulot, and of a lighter 
color, more of a mauve blue with a 
blotch of garnet zoned with yellow in 
the throat. All these varieties are re- 
232 
liable growers. The three sorts com- 
bine well with some of the soft yellow 
and white varieties. 
Bademea is a flower for the collector 
only; to me it was a disappointment. 
I had heard so much about the beauty of 
the flower, and it is beautiful all right, 
but it is not a strong grower; the new 
bulb made was small—and not a single 
baby bulblet! I would not advise the 
tyro to buy Badenia for it is expensive 
and fifty bulbs of America, Halley or 
Mrs. Francis King may be had for the 
price of one Badenia, and each of the 
above is a better flower of its kind. 
One of the finest things about the 
Gladiolus is, you do not need to have a 
California gold mine to obtain a fine col- 
lection; you have only to wait a year or 
two and the finest varieties multiply so 
rapidly that the price of a few bulbs is 
soon within reach; or if, like myself, 
you can’t wait, you may buy at least one 
bulb each, of several rare sorts. By 
leaving them in the ground as late as 
possible in the fall the little bulblets 
which form around the new corm, will 
be much larger than if the bulb had 
been lifted at the first frost. : 
I lift the bulb carefully, remove, and 
plant the tiny bulblets at once in a box 
of dry soil. The box is labeled and 
stored in the cellar until early spring 
when it is brought up, watered, and 
placed in a warm light room to com- 
mence growth. In this way the little 
bulblets gain several weeks over tiose 
planted in the garden. Of course the 
boxes are set out of doors later. A few 
of the larger of these bulblets in the 
boxes always bloom the first season, all 
of them the second. 
When I have more of the bulblets 
than I can care for in boxes they are 
stored during the winter in dry sand; 
in the spring they are peeled and planted 
in the garden. This matter of peeling 
the bulblets is important as then they 
come up very quickly, while those not 
so treated are late to start, and many 
of them never grow at all. In this way 
I quickly acquire a collection of choice 
varieties at slight cost. If every ama- 
teur who reads this page will invest in 
some of the new varieties of Gladiolus, 
when they come into lovely bloom, will 
I am sure, vow never to forego such a 
summer of pleasure again. 
Of all our summer and autumn bloom- 
ing bulbs, the Gladiolus I think has most 
claims to the consideration of the lover 
of flowers. The plant is neat, thrifty 
and attractive, the blossoms are large, 
brilliant and stately and freely pro- 
duced. The colors embrace the loveliest 
tints imaginable. It is also most en- 
during, a spike cut when the first flow- 
ers have opened, and placed in water in 
the house, will keep in fine condition 
for at least two weeks, opening out its 
upper blossoms to the last bud. Added 
to its many other attributes is the fact 
that it occupies but small space in the 
garden—several hundred may be grown 
in the space of a dozen Dahlias. 
