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188 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



January, 1915 



about four inches long and three inches in 

 diameter at the base. As the seeds begin 

 to ripen, the pepper turns yellow which 

 becomes a glowing orange when the fruit 

 is dead ripe. The flesh is very mild. 



There was of course, the customary run 

 of new beets, savoy cabbages, lettuce, etc., 

 but none of these impressed me as being 

 great improvements over types and varieties 

 already well established in this country. So 

 I concentrated my attention in Germany on 



THE FLORAL SURPRISES FOR 1915 



Alyssum Benthami compactum lutescens* 

 is the rather impressive name of a very 

 attractive new yellow sort of the popular 

 dwarf sweet alyssum. A few yards beyond 

 grew its counterpart in shape and size, 

 but of lilac color — Lilac Queen. Both are 

 of erect growth, with dense panicles of 

 shapely flowers. These two new alyssums 

 will afford a splendid chance to put varia- 

 tion in the color scheme of a border. 



The blackest, and without question, the 

 most beautiful dark colored snapdragon 

 is Antirrhinum majus grandiflorum Othello. 

 Its coloring reminded me very much of that 

 found in Othello sweet pea. While most 

 dark colored snapdragons have a dull, 

 velvety texture, Othello flowers show a deep, 

 silky sheen not found in other sorts. 



While discussing snapdragons, attention 

 was called to the extra large-flowering 

 double yellow and double white snap- 

 dragons introduced a few years ago. My 

 guide expressed great surprise that these 

 glorious new hybrids did not attain greater 

 popularity more rapidly in America than 

 the sales would indicate. The double 

 snapdragons need more advertising! Their 

 flowers are distinctly different from those 

 of the old type. Numerous twisted and 

 twirled petals grow between the upper and 

 lower part of the corolla which makes up 

 the snapdragon flower. In other words we 

 still have the "dragon" but the "snap" has 

 been filled with petals. In a measure, this 

 new type is a freak — but it's a beautiful 

 freak. 



Of course, I found the customary dozen 

 or so of Aster Novelties — some good, some 

 mediocre, and a few that I thought were 

 worthless. Among those that I considered 

 worthy of special notice, a Dark Blue 

 Christmas Tree Aster of the Comet type 

 leads. Then there is a dwarf, white Hohen- 

 zollern Aster, tinted rose, also a very early 

 flowering Deep Scarlet Parisian Aster, 

 which was in full bloom at the end of July. 

 A deep Violet Early Wonder Aster and 

 Noble Asters of Apple Blossom or rose 

 color wind up the list of Aster novelties 

 which I recommend for trial to American 

 home gardeners. 



I have already alluded to a new type of 

 Cyclamen which, for flowers of grotesque 

 beauty, can hardly be surpassed. Cycla- 

 men Persicum giganteum Victoria perfecta is 



This and other names are quoted as they stood, 

 and do not necessarily indicate the name under 

 which the plants will appear in the catalogues when 

 offered to the public. The reader must study the 

 descriptions closely and search by that means. 



the result of a cross between old-fashioned 

 Sunray and the fringed petaled Victoria, 

 and is surely a great improvement over the 

 latter. The foliage is beautifully marked 

 and the tints in the flowers are greatly 

 intensified. The flowers measure 2 to 2j 

 inches across and are supported by long, 

 stiff stems which proudly carry their deli- 

 cate loads well above the foliage. The 

 ground color of the flowers varies. Part of 

 them are of a delicate rose in which case the 

 "eye" and deeply fringed edge of petals 

 is of bright carmine color; other flowers 

 are of lilac rose color, with a contrasting 

 dark crimson eye and edge. 



Walking through the multicolored 

 grounds of one of Erfurt's leading estab- 

 lishments, my eye was caught by a bright 

 patch of golden yellow, which, at first 

 sight, I took for "golden orange daisies" — 

 (Dimor photheca aurantiaca). A closer ex- 

 amination revealed a brand new annual 

 from South Africa — Gazania longiscapa, 

 which, I believe, will prove a real rival to 

 the Golden Orange daisy in this country. 

 Gazania longiscapa has several points in 

 which it outclasses Dimorphotheca — it has 

 more and better foliage; the plants form 

 neat little bushes, a foot across and 6 to 8 

 inches tall; the substantial leaves are of a 

 dark green color on the surface and a white, 

 wooly texture on the reverse side; above 

 these compact plants rise the strikingly 

 beautiful flowers which differ from every- 

 thing else I know. The ground color of the 

 flowers is a bright golden yellow; the centre 

 is a yellow disk, around which, close to the 

 base of the ray florets, runs a brown zone 

 with silvery-white spots. This zone, in turn, 

 is surrounded by a ring of still darker 

 brown color. Each petal bears a brown 

 stripe on the reverse side. 



The petals of this Gazania are far more 

 substantial than those of the Orange Daisy 

 and for this reason, it should prove a better 

 cut-flower. The plants prefer a dry, sunny 

 situation and will bloom freely throughout 

 the hottest summer. Easily grown from 

 seed and has I think a great future as a 

 bedding or border plant. 



It was my good fortune to see the orig- 

 inal mother plant of the new snow-white 

 hanging Lobelia in full bloom. Lobelia 

 hybrida pendula Angelina is a wonder — 

 they should have called it Snow Queen. 

 Imagine, a plant with wiry branches, three 

 quarters of a yard long, clothed with deli- 

 cate, light green foliage which, in turn, 

 is almost smothered by hundreds of pure 

 white flowers and you have a fair idea of 

 this new Lobelia. The flowers are about 

 three quarters of an inch in diameter and 

 there were at least five hundred of them on 

 the plant when I photographed it. As a 

 plant for hanging baskets for verandas 

 or for porch boxes this new trailing Lobelia 

 is unique. It is easily grown from seeds 

 and blooms a long time. 



Another new form of Lobelia, I en- 

 countered is Lobelia erinus compacta duplex 

 azurea (one cannot deny the fact that the 

 Germans are very particular in their adher- 

 ence to descriptive nomenclature! But it 



would help the sale of novelties a whole lot 

 sometimes if they chose names that every- 

 body can pronounce, and easily remember. 



Now, this particular new Lobelia happens 

 to be a double flowering form of the very 

 popular dwarf blue bedding Lobelia Em- 

 peror William. 



Those who are fond of that modest and 

 well-liked annual Myosotis or forget-me- 

 not will be pleased to hear about a new 

 sort with strikingly beautiful, golden yellow 

 foliage, Myosotis alpestris Victoria foliis 

 aureis. The plants are of compact, globular 

 growth. The foliage is bright yellow and 

 the large flowers, which are carried well 

 above the leaves, are sky-blue, a beautiful 

 contrast, especially striking when the sun 

 shines on the plants. It should prove a 

 success in those eastern states which enjoy 

 a moist climate and have moist soils. 



Six weeks have been added to the bloom- 

 ing time of pansies out-of-doors by the 

 originator of the new winter-flowering 

 type of Viola tricolor maxima. The plants 

 of this newest type are so hardy that frost 

 never hurts them. The flowers almost 

 appear under the snow. Beginning in 

 February, when the common pansies just 

 form buds, one may look for flowers on 

 these extra early bloomers and these flowers 

 are of really good large size. Though the 

 plants begin to bloom early, they keep it 

 up as long as any pansies. Of course, during 

 the summer, the flowers get smaller. But 

 what they lose in size, they gain in very 

 pronounced and pleasing fragrance. 



Florists and landscape gardeners will 

 welcome this new class of pansies which, 

 so far, contains four colors: golden yellow 

 with dark eye, silvery white with blue 

 eye, light blue self color, and velvety dark 

 blue. Of course, there is a mixture and I 

 believe that it, more than the straight 

 colors, will be appreciated. 



The man who originates a popular name 

 for Viscaria oculata nana compacta (Lychnis) 

 will receive a vote of thanks from flower 

 lovers everywhere. With the introduction 

 of the new dwarf form, many additional 

 avenues of usefulness are opened for 

 viscarias. The compact growth adapts 

 the plants for bedding and borders. The 

 new hybrids now offered present a perfect 

 riot of colors, including all shades of blue 

 and red, with many variations, except 

 yellow. The plants are easily grown from 

 seeds, forming in due time, a perfect pillar, 

 8 to 10 inches high. During the blooming 

 season the foliage is almost completely 

 covered with brilliant flowers, resembling 

 at a distance those of small, single Dianthus 

 in shape. 



One final thought on this subject of 

 novelties, which I am going to advance 

 for the benefit of American as well as 

 European seed growers. In striving after 

 "worth-while" novelties, it would seem 

 quite as important to analyze the possible 

 market for a novelty as to investigate the 

 pedigree of a plant. One cannot but be 

 impressed by the terrible waste of valuable 

 time and effort when looking at hundreds of 

 novelties that never "landed." 



