August, 1920 
Ol)e Slower (Brower 
121 
| Odds and Ends 
From the Garden, j 
Some Suggestions about 
the Rock Garden. 
August is my month for extending 
my garden, each year I add new beds 
that will be ready for a new planting of 
Tulips, Irises, Peonies or what not and 
with the September rains I can plant 
and propagate my smaller rock-garden 
material. Now that Quarantine 37 
restricts my purchases of curious bulbs, 
I am restricted to Tulips, Narcissi, and 
Crocus, for the Hyacinths are too 
formal for my needs. 
Even within these narrow limits, 
there are some fascinating tilings for 
the small rock-garden. In such a place 
the big improved Crocuses Mont Blanc, 
the soft china blue Maximilian, or even 
Largest Yellow seem too showy ; but 
among the species I can find as lovely 
color and a greater delicacy. Sieberi is a 
delightful blue and the equally early 
Thomasinianus in light lavender that 
fades to the palest of tints I like near 
the purpled curls of deep-toned Colum- 
bines. Stellaris is a straw yellow, most 
innocuous, the Scotch do not appeal, 
but susianus makes a “Cloth of Gold.’’ 
The true Autumn Crocus does not seem 
to relish the long voyage just at bloom- 
ing time, but flowers are so few in the 
autumn rock-garden that I am con- 
tinually trying new species. The saf- 
fron sativus, speciosus in white and 
lavenders, the rosy lilac pulchellus are 
all attractive and so similar in effect to 
the Colchicum autnmnale which is com- 
monly called the Autumn Crocus that 
they may well take their place. The 
true Crocus has slender leaves which, 
on dying, do not become an eyesore as 
do the Colchicums. 
The Narcissus also offers opportuni- 
ties for broad selection, minor is but a 
dwarf yellow trumpet; triandrus albus 
and calalhinus are delightful, their 
petals so reflexed that the flower re- 
minds one of a Fuchsia and who could 
resist the delicate cyclamineus with its 
long narrow trumpet or bulbocodium 
with its proportionately big flaring 
trumpet and dwarfed perianth. W. P. 
Milner of a sulphur tint and Queen of 
Spain are also for the rock-garden 
while in the garden itself I have the 
clustered small flowers of odorus rulu- 
gulosus for early bloom. Like the poelaz 
and polyanthus groups it is not hardy 
in northern climes but in my warm 
garden they usually do well, and their 
fragrance carries far. The first are 
hybrids between poeticus which is so 
fine for naturalizing in an open meadow 
and the Tazetta group that we call 
polyanthus. The stalks are stiff, there 
is a certain artificial look to the waxy 
flowers but a single stalk even is worth 
admiring. Sunset, soft yellow in con- 
trast with the rich orange cup, Aspasia, 
pure white with yellow, or the similar 
Elvira are perhaps my favorites. 
In the most set part of my garden I 
have the trumpets, Emperor, Glory of 
Leiden, the newer Glory of Sassenheim, 
a bi color, and the wonderful King Al- 
fred, then in the outskirts come masses 
of Barri varieties with shallow cups 
and more graceful habits; Seagull, 
Lucifer, and Firebrand are names to 
conjure with. I must confess to a lik- 
ing for the doubles, the whole Phoenix 
family and the Gardenia, poeticus plenus. 
Then in the very fields are the Poet’s 
Narcissus and who can tell from a dis- 
tance whether I have Cassandra or 
Socrates or just the type. 
In the Tulips, too, I have a hanker- 
ing for smaller things and though I 
can never resist the tea-rose coloring 
of The Fawn or La Reve, I like the 
types both big and little. What could 
be more gorgeous than the immense 
flowers of gesneriana, scarlet with a 
black base, or its variety fulgens a little 
less large but even brighter and with a 
yellow center. The vari colored cen- 
ters of Tulips have been used as a basis 
for classification and I always look into 
a Tulip’s heart. Some time I shall 
have a raised path and below, my Tu- 
lip beds so that the casual passer-by 
may appreciate these inner glories as 
well. Oculis-solis has black with a 
rim of yellow, elegans, yellow alone 
Rosalind, white and pale fawn, rarely 
is their no distinction of color and 
among the garden varieties you will 
find endless combinations from Mar- 
garet with white and palest blue to 
Pliillippe de Commines with deep blue 
blotches margined with white. 
But all these are large and with the 
smaller perennials and wildings I de- 
mand Tulips in scale. The delicate 
Lady Tulip, clusiana has not been ob- 
tainable from its native haunts since 
the beginning of the war and has not 
proved permanent with me but the 
starry flowered ones that open in the 
sun are even lovelier. Pulchella is deep 
rosy mauve ; dasystemon, yellow and 
white ; persica, clear yellow, and Kauf 
manniana in carmine and white and 
yellow shades. The persica of the 
trade is probably not a Tulip at all but 
Baeometra Columnellaris from South 
Africa, but like the true Tulips it opens 
wide its flowers to the sun and as each 
bulb is many flowered makes a fine 
low mass. None of these are much 
over six inches in height. 
The Dideri varieties, Marjoletti, Bil- 
lietiana, and the English sylvestris are 
taller growers but have more pointed 
slender petals than our usual garden 
favorites. 
Only two Hyacinths appeal to me, 
amethystinus from Spain and azureus 
from Asia Minor, so unhyacinth-like 
are they that one would mistake them 
for a Muscari, they have the same 
slender spikes, even lovelier color and 
the first blooms late in May. If I am 
not mistaken I have seen the variety 
amphibolis listed as a Grape Hyacinth 
and learned to love it under that name. 
They are perhaps not quite as sturdy 
in growth as our old friends but under 
existing conditions we are much lim- 
ited in our choice. 
Perhaps our quarantine will prove a 
blessing in disguise, we who have 
longed for odds and ends of strange 
bulbs will be led into new paths, come 
into an appreciation not only of the 
samples I have mentioned herein but 
of some of our native things as well. 
For some of us there are Brodiaes and 
wild onions, the weird Calochorli, and 
for all of us Trilliums, Dogs Tooth 
Violets, Camassias, uvularias, and many 
more. I wonder how many of you 
know them in all their vagaries, have 
carpets of Maianthemum, nodding 
groups of Solomon’s Seal, bold lumps 
of Veratrum, or dense clusters of the 
Star of Bethlehem. If not here is your 
opportunity to delve into the mysteries 
of our native flora. 
Some months back I spoke of the 
yellow Foxglove in a rather hopeless 
tone, but the god of gardens has aided 
me and now they are lovely, towering 
spires of palest gold outlined against 
the green of the slope beyond with not 
afar the white and lavender bells of 
the peach leaved Bellflower, equally 
aspiring and equally in silhouette. 
They are chance sown seedlings but 
have given my rocky slope an unusual 
charm at this season. 
R. S. Barre. 
The Poor Man’s Orchids. 
Fanciers of Iris and of Gladioli are bo'h 
putting forth the claim that their own hobby 
is the “ poor man’s orchid.” But there is 
glory enough in either one so that no quar- 
reling should be indulged in and every 
garden should contain a goodly number of 
each of these popular and easily grown 
plants. 
Now is the time to plant Iris, for they are 
now most nearly dormant. Every year marks 
the originating of new and important hybrids 
and at no time in the world’s history have 
Iris been so glorious as now. Even ten years 
ago there was not nearly such a fine range 
of color and form as seen in all good col- 
lections today. And only in recent years 
has the Iris been sufficiently appreciated to 
enable specialists to develop Irisgardens that 
handle no other plants. Now the country 
at large has many great special Iris nurseries 
and California has her share. A very ex- 
tensive collection is grown in a commercial 
field between Los Angeles and the sea. One 
fact has been demonstrated in California and 
that is that many Iris will stand very dry 
treatment and poor soil and yield magnif 
icently in flowers. In very rich soils some 
Iris get sick and die. 
The Gladiolus, that other poor man's 
orchid, will not endure drouth but must have 
a fair water supply and a rich soil if good 
flowers are to be produced. But they have 
larger and showier flower spikes than Iris and 
the colors are second to no flowers of the gar- 
den. Specialists have carried Gladioli to an 
even higher standard than they have the Iris 
and it really seems as if the end of improve- 
ment has been reached. The bulbs may be 
planted from November to July and will pro- 
duce good flowers with ordinary care. The 
one best month for planting is no doubt Janu- 
ary and nearly all California bulbs are planted 
within a month on either side of the first 
one. Commercial flower growers hold a 
great number in cold storage for late sum- 
mer planting and the results have been all 
that was expected, for Gladiolus bulbs are 
good keepers. If kept in a cool, dry place 
they may even be kept over a season with- 
out planting and still produce vigorous 
growth the next year.— Ernest Braunton 
in California Cultivator. 
Shasta Daisies are recommended as 
specimen plants in shrubbery. They 
furnish excellent cut flowers and are 
perfectly hardy. 
