The Garden Magazine, September, 1921 



33 



ain't no such thing!" Almost equally splendid are the giant 

 trumpets, Van Wavern's Giant and Olympia. 



During last spring I gathered as many as five hun- 

 dred of these at a time, and carried them in great baskets to 

 friends in town, where, my eccentricities being well known and 

 tolerated, only the beauty of the flowers excited comment. Who, 

 indeed, would remark a middle-aged man when sandwiched 

 between baskets of giant trumpets? 



Are the White Trumpets a cultivated taste, 1 wonder. 

 At any rate they do not provoke the exclamations which in- 

 variably greet the giants. To me, Mme. de Graaff, with a milk- 

 white perianth and lemon yellow trumpet which quickly fades to 

 ivory, approaches perfection, although Melisande, a fine and 

 rather expensive novelty without the modest drooping effect of 

 Mme. de Graaff, and with a trumpet exquisitely reflexed, is 

 even lovelier. Alice Knights, Mrs. Thompson, Loveliness and 

 William Goldring, the fragile appearing " Swan's-neck Daffodil," 

 with gracefully pendent flowers, are also very satisfactory, as is 

 William Milner, a tiny dwarf variety. 



The double sorts remind one of old-time gardens; there are the 

 Golden Phoenix, or " Butter and Eggs," the Orange Phoenix, 

 sometimes known as " Eggs and Bacon," 

 and the Silver Phoenix, known to our 

 forefathers as "Codlins and Cream." 

 Though not so attractive as the single 

 kinds, they are very distinct and charm- 

 ing. A newer sort, Argent, is an im- 

 provement over these. The old Van 

 Sion, whose rich yellow petals soon take 

 on a decidedly greenish tinge in this 

 climate, is a fixture in all farmhouse 

 gardens and much loved by the children. 



According to the classification adopted 

 by the Royal Horticultural Society, Nar- 

 cissus havingcups that measure less than 

 one third of the length of the perianth 

 segments (or "petals"), are known as 

 Barrii; those with cups measuring from 

 one third to nearly equal the length of 

 the perianth segments are designated 

 Incomparabilis; and those of the shallow- 

 cupped Narcissus having a white peri- 

 anth and a cup of white, cream or 

 primrose, as Leedsii. The Poeticus 

 Narcissus have a snowy white perianth 

 and a flattened cup bordered with scar- 

 let or crimson. Jonquils (and it is well 

 to remember this, as no name among 

 flowers is more often wrongly applied) 

 are comparatively small flowers, usually 

 in clusters of three or four on a stem, 

 golden yellow, very fragrant with round 

 leaves. The above are the more im- 

 portant classes, although there are the 

 Triandrus Hybrids, Cyclamineus Hy- 

 brids, etc. 



Among the Leedsii none holds for me 

 a more potent charm than Evangeline, 

 a large waxy white flower with a cup of 

 citron yellow; it has a delicious perfume 

 and lasts for a long time in water. 



Mrs. Langtry and White Lady, both 

 Leedsii forms, which have cups fading 

 almost to pure white, may be planted 

 in quantities, as they are inexpensive. 

 I have large numbers naturalized in 

 the orchard, where they multiply and 

 flower ungrudgingly. They are splendid 

 for cutting and equally satisfactory 

 growing. 



Homespun, a rather new Incompara- 



bilis, is a robust-looking yellow, bright as a sunbeam and won- 

 derful in form and substance; it has a large cup of the same 

 tint and its color is particularly glowing. It lasts well when cut. 



Another favorite of mine is the Bicolor trumpet Vanille, not 

 the least of whose attractions is a delightful, vanilla-like odor. 

 1 am fond, too, of Apricot, a Bicolor Trumpet, whose yellow 

 trumpet changes to a fascinating pinkish-apricot; it, also, is 

 faintly scented. 



Sir Watkin, a yellow Incomparabilis, known vulgarly as the 

 Big Welshman and Giant Chalice Flower, is an old and ex- 

 cellent variety for naturalizing and bears a large flower. 



Bullfinch, a newer Barrii, with a milk-white perianth and 

 large, shallow yellow cup; Duchess of Westminster, an exquisite 

 Leedsii, almost pure white in color; and Maggie May, another 

 Leedsii with an unusually deep cup and almond-shaped petals 

 and not at all like what its queer, out-of-date name might sug- 

 gest, are all splendidly worth while. 



Firebrand, a Barrii, and Will Scarlett, an Incomparabilis, 

 are two of the most strikingly handsome of the red-cupped sorts. 

 Firebrand has creamy perianth segments and a cup of deep 

 orange-scarlet. It does not bloom very freely for me, but the 



HYBRIDIZED IMPROVEMENTS 



NARCISSUS 



Circlet (upper right), Masterpiece (upper left), and Queen of the North (below), are a 

 distinguished trio. Circlet is a Barrii with white perianth and flat chrome-yellow eye. 

 Masterpiece (also a white-petalled Barrii) has a crinkled, orange-red cup. Queen of the 

 North (Leedsii) has a fluted cup of pale primrose-yellow and large, glistening white petals 



