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THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



May, 1919 



white) usually found in this type, with a little 

 of their own foliage and perhaps a tew grasses, 

 cannot be surpassed by the choicest of flowers. 

 Ihc plants average 18 inches in height; the foliage 

 forming a tuft-like growth from which arises in 

 great abundance the beautiful flowers on long 

 stiff wirelike stems. The Alpine Poppy, Pap- 

 aver alpinum. is said by some authorities to be a 

 variety of the Iceland Poppy; but it contains 

 a greater range of color, including pink, salmon, 

 white, yellow, orange and intermediate shades. 

 It is a real delight, in foliage and flower much 

 resembling the Iceland Poppy, but it only aver- 

 ages about six inches in height. It is quite at 

 home in the rock garden, though in fact it may 

 be planted in practically any position, with the 

 exception of wet or low-lying places. 



tXDR bright garish showy 

 * effects the Oriental 

 Poppy takes precedence 

 over all the other members 

 of this family. They are 

 true perennials and are per- 

 fectly hardy. The plants 

 average about 3 feet in 

 height, the flowers being 

 cup-shaped and six inches 

 or so in diameter. The 

 type has bright, scarlet 

 flowers with a black spot at 

 the base of each petal. 

 The leaves are long, narrow 

 and much cut, and form a 

 tuft-like growth from the 

 centre 0/ which the flowers 

 are produced on long stiff 

 stems. 



This type has of late 

 years been much improved 

 by selection and crossing 

 with the result that we 



have now Oriental Poppies ranging in color from 

 blush white through shades of salmon-pink to 

 almost deep maroon, and of these the salmons 

 are the greatest favorites. 



Although the Oriental Poppy will succeed in 

 almost any soil, do not slight them by planting 

 in any old out of the way spot of the garden, but 

 give them of your best, both as to position and 

 soil. When they have finished flowering in 

 early summer cut off all old 'flower stems, and 

 after a few weeks' rest give them copious and 

 regular applications of water, when they will 

 make new growth and present you with a second 



harvest of blooms in the fall. The best of the 

 newer varieties of Papaver orientale are Silver 

 Queen, having flowers of medium size, silver 

 white with suffusion of pink; Lady Roscoe the 

 most beautiful shade of orange terra cotta; 

 Mahony, the darkest colored in this family, 

 deep crimson maroon; Marie Studholme, salmon 

 tinged with carmine. This was the first of the 

 new salmon shades to be introduced and is still 

 one of the very best. Mrs. Marsh, rich crimson 

 and scarlet with white blotches. A peculiarity 

 about this striking and showy variety is the fact 

 that the flowers all come self-colored until the 

 plants are thoroughly established, the blotches 

 not appearing until the second or third year after 

 planting. Mrs. Perry, the most lovely shade of 

 orange apricot; Psyche, delicate rose; Queen 



The Shirley Poppy is a seed selection from the Field Poppy, that has no black spot on the petal and comes in a wide 

 range of color combinations in shades of red and pink and white. It suggests possibilities of selection in other plants. 

 Why not start something? 



Alexandra, bright salmon rose with crimson 

 blotch; R. C. Notcutt, palest salmon pink, and 

 one of the most beautiful, the petals being nicely 

 crimped; Perry's White is unique and is really 

 white. 



A S CUT flowers, Poppies despite their 

 ^*- intensive beauty are regarded with less 

 favor than they merit, because they fall apart 

 if carelessly handled. When cutting Poppies 

 for home decoration, choose flowers that are just 

 on the point of opening, and if the cut ends are 

 seared with a lighted taper they will last for 



several days. This applies more particularly 

 to the Iceland, Shirley, and other annual kinds, 

 but when using the Oriental type, immediately 

 after cutting plunge the stems for three minutes 

 in water just off the boiling point, afterward 

 putting them in cold water. By this means they 

 will remain in perfect condition for a week or 

 longer. 



Simplicity of Culture 



*TpHE Poppy is a friendly plant indeed for 

 -*■ seed of the annual varieties may either be 

 sown in the fall or in the early spring, and also 

 at intervals throughout summer to prolong the 

 flowering season. It is best to sow them where 

 they are intended to flower, as they are not 

 readily transplanted. The 

 larger growing members of 

 the Opium family should 

 be thinned out to stand at 

 least one foot apart, and 

 the Shirley Poppies to nine 

 inches apart. Do not 

 permit seed pods to form 

 or the plants very quickly 

 stop blooming. The Ice- 

 land and Alpine Poppies 

 are best treated as bien- 

 nials, sowing the seed in 

 summer, thinning the form- 

 er to 12 inches apart and 

 alpinum to 6 inches apart. 

 In some soils they live for 

 several years, but best 

 results are had from them 

 as biennials. 



The Oriental Poppy may 

 be treated similarly to the 

 preceding, but the plants 

 will require more room 

 and they may be trans- 

 planted with impunity unless the weather 

 should be very . dry. In propagating fine 

 improved varieties or seedlings of special 

 merit, the plants may either be divided or 

 extra stock may quickly be made by root 

 cuttings. For the latter method lift the plants 

 any time after they have finished flowering, 

 when some of the largest roots may be taken 

 and cut into one-inch lengths laying them hor- 

 izontally in sand one inch deep. These pieces 

 if kept moist will within a short time make a 

 nice plant ready for transplanting in the early 

 fall. 



Two Tips from Commercial Growers 



THIS is the approved method of the com- 

 mercial cauliflower growers of Long Island 

 where the crop is the best in America: 

 Sow the seed in a seed bed not later than 

 the 20th of May. Most of the farmers choose 

 a piece of grass ground for a seed bed. They 

 work it up early and put the fertilizer in. I be- 

 lieve very fine manure or a moderate dressing of 

 chicken manure is good, and then keep it culti- 

 vated or harrowed once a week or ten days until 

 it is time to sow the seed. The same treatment 

 should be given the soil where the cauliflower 

 are to mature. Plow it in April or the very first 

 of May and broadcast the fertilizer. They use 

 here about a ton to the acre of high ^rade fer- 

 tilizer. About the 10th of July is a good time 

 to set the plants and if it is very hot or dry set 

 them in the afternoon and puddle them in. After 

 they take hold use the hoe and cultivator every 

 week until the plants have attained a good size. 

 I hese implements should not be used after the 

 plants get to the point where the ground is well 

 rilled with roots. Cauliflower does not do so 

 well in a very wet season. When the young 

 plant has to struggle along at first is when it 



gets a good hold, for the roots go down into the 

 soil looking for moisture. When the season is 

 wet the roots do not go down and consequently 

 the plant does not make as good a growth. 

 Of course the same method applies to a smaller 

 plot under cultivation. Plenty of well rotted 

 manure on the land the fall before helps very much 

 indeed, especially in view of the shortage of 

 potash. Cauliflower ground will stand all the 

 tilling that a man can give it and the more work 

 is done on it before the plants are set the better 

 it is for the crop. When the heads begin to show 

 and get about as large as a cup it is time to tie 

 the leaves up so that the sun will not burn the 

 head. — Linnaeus Allen, Cutchogue, L. I. 



How to Raise Hyacinth Bulbs. — Hyacinth 

 bulbs may be multiplied very rapidly by fol- 

 lowing the Dutch plan. Any one may secure 

 quantities of small bulbs in this way and these 

 can be grown on in a year or two to flowering size. 

 The blossoms will be small compared with the 

 exhibition forms but they are graceful and of high 

 value for cut blooms. The idea is on the follow- 

 ing lines. After the parent bulb has flowered in 



the spring, and its foliage has died away, it should 

 be ripened for a few weeks in a dry warm place. 

 Strong sunshine on the bulb is to be avoided. 

 Now take the bulb, and with the point of the pen- 

 knife, cut out its base in this way: Hold the 

 point of the knife turned upward and inward 

 and turn it right round the inside of the bulb in 

 the shape of a cone, taking care not to cut the 

 central shoot if you wish to keep the original 

 flower stem. The upper portion will form a con- 

 cave exactly fitting the lower or convex part. 

 The separated base will, if planted in light soil 

 start to grow in the fall and is often not much 

 the worse for the removal of the upper portion. 

 To return to the top part of the bulb. This 

 should be placed on a sunny shelf or window 

 ledge and covered with a few inches of dry sand. 

 It is best to have the top part uppermost. In 

 four or five weeks' time it will be found that this 

 buried portion of the bulb is simply crowded 

 with youngsters. When these are about as big 

 as hazel nuts they may be removed and grown 

 on in the usual manner. These little bulbs often 

 throw flower spikes during the second year. — 

 S. Leonard Bastin, Bournemouth, England. 



