Color Hlote on (Blafctolt 
MRS. FRANCIS KING, Garden Club of Michigan 
That which has seemed too good to be true is true! I have found 
an August flower in color almost the counterpart of the delicious tulip 
Le Reve (Hobbema, Sarah Bernhardt). This is the fine Gladiolus 
Prince of India, a rare dusky pink, so beautiful and so unusual that 
one can hardly believe it on first sight a member of any familiar flower 
tribe. The several tones found in it are, according to Ridgway's chart, 
alizarine pink, old rose and Eugenia red ; markings on lower petals, 
spectrum red; Repertoire des Couleurs, flower all tones of 177, lower 
markings 121-3. 
Mr. Isaac Hendrickson tells me that far from being a novelty, 
this gladiolus was introduced as a seedling by John Lewis Childs some 
ten or twelve years ago. Gladiolus Variabilis might be called a first 
cousin of Prince of India. Its description as to color is: Ridgway, 
petals La France pink touched at points by Rosolane purple; French 
chart, petals 1 79-4, tips of petals 1 75-3. In my notebook I find the 
following: "Variabilis, most lovely in soft color, almost as interesting 
as Prince of India; a remarkable combination of lavender and the 
pink of Gladiolus Panama." 
Gladiolus Florence (Ridgway, Amaranth pink, French chart 
181-1) is very fine grown below the pale mauve physostegia. Wild Rose 
(Ridgway, Hermosa pink; French chart 153, all shades) has a lovelier 
soft pink tone than any wild rose of my acquaintance and is extremely 
good in combination with veronica longi folia subsessilis. Attraction 
(Ridgway, rose red, French chart 156-3, with white markings and 
some cream-white in the throat) deserves a better name than it pos- 
sesses. The flower is of a wonderful vivid rose color and very telling 
in general effect. 
From Michell of Philadelphia a year ago came a collection of 
gladioli for trial in tones of purple, violet and lavender. These were 
unhestitatingly called by the firm "blue." After two years' trial of 
them I unhesitatingly announce that I can find no trace of pure blue 
in any one of them. 
Among those singled out after trial for use in color combinations 
are Saphir, Colibri, Phoebus, Abyssinie, Satellite and Nuage. Ba- 
denia is becoming well known through the frequency of its exhibition — 
it is certainly a wondrous subject for the garden with its large flowers 
of true lavender. The list above may be useful for those who need a 
foil of rich purple hues for their flower masses. 
Niagara, Panama and Mrs. Frank Pendleton, Jr., have lately had 
such a vogue that it hardly seems necessary to mention them. They 
are, however, indispensables ; the primrose-colored Niagara so lovely 
above zinnias of a pastel pink or against mauve-pink cosmos or the 
pale physostegia; Panama highly successful in effect rising from blue 
