120 Ot)e~3Flower (Brower 
[This department of The Flower Grower is intended to be one of its most helpful and 
valuable features. All questions asked in good faith and which are of general interest will 
have careful attention. The full name and address of the writer must be given, but not 
for publication.] — Editor. 
Planting Gladioli to 
Get Early Bloom. 
To the Editor 
I cut my first Pink Beauty this year June 
28. To date have cut some six or seven 
hundred. Also a few Chicago White so far. 
But I would like to get them earlier. If the 
ground can be prepared in the fall, and a 
few rows planted about March 15th, when 
the season permits, do you think that would 
be safe, in view of the half hardiness of the 
Gladiolus? And would it be well to cover 
the row for a few weeks, with straw or 
other mulch ? I planted this year about 
April 2. I will much appreciate your opin- 
ion. N. W. G. 
Answer: — Early blooming from the 
Gladiolus is difficult to get and the 
weather is almost the whole deciding 
factor. Last fall we had our garden 
plowed rather late, spreading first 
with half rotted manure. This spring 
the garden was again spread with 
manure more thoroughly rotted than 
what was used in the fall. Then the 
garden very deeply harrowed with 
a disc harrow. Our soil is sandy 
and plowed to a depth of ten inches 
which is extraordinarily deep. Fall 
plowing is probably the right thing 
anyway. Then as you suggest, you 
can get right at it and plant as early 
as the frost is out of the ground. One 
year we planted a few bulbs on March 
19th, and that is pretty good for this 
Northern latitude. Usually we cannot 
plant here in Northern New York until 
the first half of April. The strange 
part of it is that these early planted 
corms do not bloom much ahead of 
those planted thirty days or so later; 
probably because the ground is cold 
and very little growth takes place ex- 
cept starting of roots. This starting 
of the roots, however, is an influence 
in giving superior bloom and even 
though these early planted corms do 
not bloom much ahead of the later 
planted ones, they will give finer and 
larger bloom. 
In our opinion you would be perfectly 
safe to plant as soon as the frost is out 
of the ground, as there is comparatively 
little danger of frost hurting the sprouts 
after they get above ground. Think 
we have only had one year here when 
frost damaged Gladiolus sprouts to 
amount to anything, and then not 
enough to seriously hurt the ultimate 
growth of the plants. 
Do not think that you will gain any- 
thing by covering early planted corms 
with straw or other material. 
As a suggestion for securing early 
bloom it might be well for you to try 
sprouting some of the early varieties 
by moistening them slightly then put- 
ting them in a warm place before 
planting. Corms planted with sprouts 
an inch or two long usually bloom two 
or three weeks before those planted in 
dormant condition. 
This year we did not start planting 
until somewhere about the middle of 
April, and our plantings extended up 
to the very first day of July. The most 
of our stock, however, was in the 
ground before June 1st. The first 
bloom is coming on this week (July 16), 
Halley and Goliath, both of which va- 
rieties had long sprouts when planted. 
Pink Beauty did not get into the ground 
until later and are not blooming yet. 
Securing Early Gladi- 
olus Bloom in Kentucky. 
To the Editor 
On March 25th, 1919, 1 planted 300 first size 
bulbs of Pink Beauty, Halley and Chicago White 
and begun to cut blooms by June 15th, all 
bloomed out by July 20th. I am after early 
bloom for next year. I thought I would 
take up these bulbs by Sept. 1st, as nearly 
all the foliage is now dried off, and cure 
these bulbs, then about Nov. 1st, replant 
them and protect them in severe weather by 
an application of manure or leaves. In your 
opinion would I get earlier blooms by this 
method or else wait until next year and 
plant as early as possible ? I know of some 
people in our community who leave their 
bulbs in the soil all year and they have 
early flowers but very small. 
F. D. D. 
Answer: — The suggestion to plant in 
fall in Kentucky might possibly lead to 
earlier bloom than spring planting, 
but the chances are against it and 
there is some danger of the bulbs rot- 
ting in the ground during the winter. 
One year we tried this plan by planting 
in cold frames pretty well protected 
during the winter, but we did not get 
any earlier bloom than when planted 
in the open ground. We would recom- 
mend that you try out the scheme with 
only a few to begin with. It is an un- 
certainty, and even if you have success 
one year the result might not be the 
same the next. The quality of the 
bulbs will have considerable influence 
on the success or failure of the test. 
It is, of course, perfectly proper to 
begin digging the early varieties by 
September 1st in your locality. In fact, 
if you planted as early as March you 
could begin digging early varieties and 
bulblets in August. 
There is no reason for leaving Gladi- 
olus bulbs in the ground during the 
November, 1919 
winter even though they do not freeze, 
as they soon begin to crowd each other, 
and the result is very inferior bulbs, 
besides liability of getting foul with 
grass or weeds. 
Clematis, Foxglove 
and Canterbury Bells. 
To the Editor:— 
“Will you kindly tell me the name of a Clem- 
atis, dwarf growing, and in June has blos- 
soms like the Paniculata ? 
I have some thrifty Foxglove and Canterbury 
Bells grown from seed I planted last year, 
but no blossoms from them, either in shade 
or full sunshine. If I save them over will 
they flower next year ?” 
A. E. B. 
Answer: — The vine in question is 
probably the summer-blooming Clem- 
atis Montana which, though it bears 
a larger flower, resembles the fall- 
blooming Clematis Paniculata. 
Though Canterbury Bells ( Campan- 
ula Medium ) and Foxgloves ( Digitalis ) 
are biennials they sometimes bloom 
the third year. I would therefore ad- 
vise the keeping over of your sturdy 
plants. Both Canterbury Bells and 
Foxgloves, will usually winter safely 
without protection, if the plants are 
not crowded and are in a high, well- 
drained, sandy situation. Should any 
protection from bleak winds seem 
necessary, a light covering of clean 
brush or an open box frame of boards 
will be sufficient. Do not make the 
serious mistake of using leaves which 
keep out the air and foster dampness 
and other conditions that promote the 
growth of a fungus that proves fatal 
to both Canterbury Bells and Fox- 
gloves. 
Bertha Berbert-Hammond. 
Reviving Wilted Blossoms. 
Many lovers of wild flowers have doubt- 
less been annoyed by the apparent impos- 
sibility of getting certain beautiful species 
home in good condition. Among the flowers 
of the eastern States which wilt almost while 
one is plucking them, the dainty little Spring 
Beauty and the gorgeous but bashful Car- 
dinal flower come to mind. 
If one but knows how, one may freely 
gather these and others like them, and take 
them home in the thoroughly disreputable 
condition which they at once effect, with 
calm certainty of being able to restore them 
to their natural beauty. It is merely neces- 
sary to conquer the inevitable instinct to 
place them in cold water, and instead use 
the fluid piping hot, with more or less alco- 
hol added, according to condition of the 
flowers and experience with the various 
species. 
This method of restoration applies equally 
well to cultivated blossoms as to wild flow- 
ers . — Scientific American. 
It may not be generally known that 
the native California species of the Iris 
is difficult to transplant, but such is 
the fact, and those who are interested 
in adding to their collection of Irises, 
will be interested in the advertisement 
of the Dean Iris Gardens in our adver- 
tising columns. They offer Iris seed 
which grows readily and the native 
California Irises may be had not 
only with greater certainty, but more 
cheaply in this way. 
