May, 1919 
NAMING NEW PLANT FAVORITES. 
In giving scientific names to plants, 
the botanist occasionally attempts to 
honor some famous scientist by asso- 
ciating his name with a newly discov- 
ered plant, and the less scientific plant 
breeder, not understanding the game, 
follows a somewhat questionable ex- 
ample by attaching to his creations the 
names of a large number of nonenti- 
ties. When old man Jones finds a 
Gladiolus with a yellow streak on a 
purple petal among his seedlings, it 
doubtless gratifies the family pride to 
name the plant Mary Ann Jones 
but it also adds another horrible ex- 
ample to the already too long list of 
misnamed plants. It is to be regretted 
that musical names are not always 
selected for beautiful flowers. There 
are many terms which embody poetical 
suggestions relative to form, size, 
color, time of flowering, and the like 
that are available, one would think, 
to every person capable of breeding a 
plant worth naming. Then why the 
head gardener or the amateur of inde- 
pendent means should select such 
atrocious names for his plants as he 
does is beyond finding out. There are 
many feminine names that are not only 
musical but also suggestive of attrac- 
tive qualities and beauty but when it 
comes to the writer’s garden he care- 
fully draws the line at Mrs. John Henry 
Smith and refuses to have any such 
commonplace ladies in his flower beds. 
It may be said in conclusion that the 
writer does not presume to criticise 
any of the estimable ladies and gentle- 
men whose names lend variety if not 
euphony to the catalogues. He is at- 
tempting to point out the fact that 
such naming is merely an exhibition of 
bad taste which might become less 
frequent if namers would exercise some 
thought before selecting a name for 
their next rare specimen. 
Zed Ampersand. 
LATE BLOOMING IRISES. 
I have tested Lurida and, while it is 
a rare color, it is rather small and too 
weak to be profitable. If it has any 
late blooming qualities they have never 
been noticed. 
Some varieties of the dwarf bearded 
Iris will bloom in the fall, but at that 
time we have so many other flowers to 
bccupy our attention that they gener- 
ally pass unnoticed. 
Willis E. Fryer. 
aspedistra. 
I was much interested in the article 
on the culture of the Aspedistra in the 
February number. I have two of those 
plants, one of which bloomed recently 
and both its flower and manner of 
blooming were unusual and interesting. 
I feel sure that 1 shall enjoy them much 
more for having my attention called 
to their culture and traits through The 
Flower Grower. 
Mrs. A. H. Austin. 
Slower <&roW£t 
Dividing Perennials in the Spring. 
Many of the perennials must be divided 
annually if they are to give the best results 
as otherwise the clump or mass becomes too 
dense and full of old useless growth, with 
dead stalks in the center. These in time 
become hollow. 
The Hardy Asters, for example, are most 
satisfactory when taken up and separated 
every season, and the best time to do this 
work is early in the spring. They come 
apart very easily and should be replanted 
in rich soil. The popularity of the Hardy 
Asters has grown rapidly of late, and it is 
easy to make a fine display in a few years 
from a very small beginning. 
Another late blooming perennial which 
needs the same treatment is the Helenium, 
the great flower heads of which soon begin 
to diminish in size if frequent separation of 
the roots is neglected. It is important to 
have newly enriched ground for them, as 
they are heavy feeders, and they prefer a 
sunny position. Boltonias are in the same 
class and should never be left longer than 
two years without a division of the roots, an 
annual separation being better. 
An annual division of the Achillea is also 
advisable, not so much because the old plants 
die out as because great numbers of new 
plants spring up from white, thread-like 
runners and quickly come to occupy more 
space than is alloted to them. This also 
applies to the Bocconia or Plume Poppy, 
which becomes a nuisance unless most of 
the new plants are dug out in the spring, to 
be set elsewhere or thrown away. 
The now popular Shasta Daisy needs divi- 
sion every two years, as it makes exceedingly 
rapid growth. Young plants of this variety 
of Chrysanthemum should not be allowed to 
bloom very freely the first year. Once in 
three years is often enough to divide Pyre- 
thrum Uliginosum, which is another form of 
Chrysanthemum. 
Most of the other perennials do well if 
divided once in three years, but some should 
be allowed to go much longer. There is no 
reason for dividing the Dictamnus or Gas 
Plant at all, as it will live longer than the 
average gardener if left alone. The bleed- 
ing Heart improves for many years without 
division. Many people think that this is 
true of the Lily-of-the-Valley, which is a 
mistake. This favorite flower should he 
divided every three or four years if it is to 
be kept free flowering. 
The Larkspurs go well for four years with- 
out being disturbed and then the work of 
separation must be done carefully, for each 
division must be left with a good crown and 
plenty of root fibers. The work is best done 
with a sharp knife after the earth has been 
washed from the roots, and when replanted 
the crown should be two inches under 
ground. 
Very early flowering perennials like the 
Doronicum, or Leopard’s Bane, are best 
divided after they have flowered, in order 
that blooming may not be interfered with. 
Plants that have heavy root stalks, difficult 
to separate, should not be divided too 
severely, or flowering will be seriously in- 
terfered with. This applies especially to 
Larkspur. When the roots are easily pulled 
apart, making many distinct plants, the 
division may be made more freely. 
Generally speaking “dividing” perennials 
is absolutely simple : just chop through the 
mass with a spade.— E. I. Farrington in 
Garden Magazine. 
A more extended and complete 
description of Gladiolus Pink Perfec- 
tion illustrated on our front cover 
page this month may be found in the 
December, 1915, issue of The Modern 
Gladiolus Grower. 
47 
The Glad Philosopher’s 
M usings. 
Of course you will never forget when 
as a child you visited at grandmother’s 
home, and how, with a huge slice of 
her home-made bread spread gener- 
ously with butter and honey held in 
your chubby fist, you followed her out 
to her garden anl watched her at work 
caring for her flowers. 
And when you bought that country 
place you planned to have an old- 
fashioned garden just like grandmoth- 
er’s used to be. You were delighted to 
find, when consulting the seedsmen’s 
catalogues, that all the old-time favor- 
ites were still to be had ; and as you 
eagerly made out the orders and wrote 
the checks, your memory was all the 
while conjuring up a beautiful mental 
picture of grandmother’s wonderful 
garden of the long ago. 
In due course of time your old-time 
garden was completed. No expense 
had been spared and no detail was 
lacking. Austrian Yellow and Cabbage 
roses and purple lilacs had been planted 
at the boundaries; red "pineys,” four- 
o’clocks, hollyhocks and sunflowers 
were in abundant evidence, as were all 
the other favorites of grandmother’s 
garden, such as love-in-a-mist, mourn- 
ing bride and love-lies-a-bleeding. Bal- 
sams, zinnias and marigolds flourished 
in their beds and you had not even 
overlooked the clove-pinks nor the 
English primroses. But notwithstand- 
ing the thoroughness of your plan and 
the completeness of the detail, you 
were impressed with the feeling that 
somehow your garden lacked the charm 
of grandmother’s, and it failed accord- 
ingly to satisfy your expectations. 
No, it was not altogether because 
grandmother was not there to grace 
your replica that it lacked the charm 
of her garden. There is another rea- 
son, and a logical one it is too, why it 
failed to bring the satisfaction you had 
expected. Don’t you realize that every- 
thing in these days is different from 
what it used to be when we were 
young ? The bread served on our silver 
trays does not taste nearly as sweet as 
the bread grandmother used to bake, 
and the bees do not make as luscious 
honey now as they did when you and I 
were children ; and so, isn’t it reason- 
able to suppose that the same kinds of 
flowers do not bloom as gorgeously 
beautiful nowadays as they did long 
years ago in grandmother’s garden ? 
The Glad Philosopher. 
Continuous advertising pays the best. 
This fact has been demonstrated many 
times over, but many growers of flower 
stocks are slow in grasping the idea. 
One’s name should be kept before the 
flower loving public at all times 
whether it is the selling season or not. 
Get acquainted and keep acquainted 
should be the motto. 
