NOTES FROM THE EDITOR'S GARDENS 



AT LA SALLE-ON-NIAGARA. 



Some of the Newer Gladioluses. — Among many 

 varieties of this popular flower planted last May, were 

 included several of Lemoine's new giant gladioluses, the 

 new hardy Swiss variety Luricensis (the bulbs of the 

 foregoing costing $1.50 apiece), and some of Burbank's 

 strain of seedlings from California. The results of the 

 investment have been quite interesting and marked by 

 some surprises, as well as disappointments. 



Of Lemoine's new giants the one named Comte Horace 

 de Choiseul was of enormous dimensions, as the portrait 

 on the next page drawn to natural size shows. This can 

 better be realized by comparing it with the outline in 

 natural size of a common gladiolus as shown on page 

 675. But while the size of individual blooms is immense, 

 the variety preserves 

 the trait peculiar to 

 many of the Lemoine 

 race, of showing but 

 one o r two blooms 

 open on a spike at one 

 time. However much 

 the single flowers may 

 be admired for size 

 or peculiar coloring, 

 therefore, the spike as 

 a whole makes a weak 

 show as compared 

 with the Gandavensis 

 type. But this is not 

 all. The habit of 

 growth of our subject, 

 again like many of the 

 Lemoines, develops 

 rather a weak and 

 crooked stalk, as indi- 

 cated by the outline 

 engraving of a plant. 

 It required two stakes Giant Lemoine Gladiolus Monsie 

 to fairly support our the Editor's 



specimen, with its 



monstrous flowers. In color this variety, which be- 

 longs to the Nanceianus type, is distinct. The ground 

 is a brilliant red tending to salmon, and delicately tinged 

 and spotted with carmine. The lower'petals are blotch- 

 ed with a distinct shade of crimson, relieved by white 

 and with a strongly contrasting spot of maroon towards 

 the center, as the engraving shows. 



Monsieur Hardy, illustrated on this page, is a large 

 flower of handsome but singular shape, also of the Nan- 

 ceianus type. Its color is purplish scarlet, slightly flecked 

 with crimson scarlet. The lower petals, towards the 

 flower's center, are sharply sprinkled with crimson maroon 



spots, on a creamy yellow ground. It is a more vigorous 

 plant and of better habit than the foregoing. 



Luricensis made a weakly growth and never bloomed. 

 It may be noted that two races of gladioluses have 

 in late years been originated by M. Victor Lemoine of 

 France, namely, Lemoinei and its forms, and Nancei- 

 anus and its forms, to which the first two named above 

 belong. The former of these has been before the 

 public the greater length of time. Its flowers are char- 

 acterized by spots and marks more intense in color than 

 any known to the older G. Gandavensis and G. Brencli- 

 /eyensis types of our gardens. The race owes its origin to 

 hybridizing G . pier pur to-atiraltis with some of the Gan- 

 davensis type and reciprocally. The newer race, G. Nan- 

 ceianus in its various 

 forms, sprang from 

 hybridizing G. Sattn- 

 dersii and G. Ganda- 

 vensis. 



The Burbank seed- 

 lings were received 

 from Luther Bur- 

 bank, Sonoma county, 

 California, an enthu- 

 siastic grower of this 

 flower. These were 

 remarkable for the 

 large size and brilliant 

 colors of the flowers. 

 The arrangement of 

 the blooms in the 

 spikes was in no case 

 up to a high ideal 

 for regularity, but this 

 defect, if it may be 

 s o considered, was 

 largely overbalanced 

 UK Hardy. Drawn life-size on by very great attrac- 

 Grounds. tiveness in other re- 



spects. One beautiful 

 variety, mottled crimson on a pink ground, showed a 

 decided tendency towards doubleness. Of this an en- 

 graving life size, is shown on page 676. 



Suggestion for Autumn Beds. — When September 

 and October arrive, the flower garden is almost devoid of 

 bloom in the hardy section of perennials. There is some 

 exception to this, which leads us to suggest what should 

 prove a very attractive bed of fall flowers for adorning 

 the lawn. Let the bed be circular, and say about eight 

 feet across. The same size in oval or irregular form 

 might be even more satisfactory. Occupy the center 

 with about three plants of the chaste tree ( Vitex Agnus- 



