Albeit Parrel la, Originator and Grower of Chryspopean and Select Dahlias 
INTERESTING CLIPPING 
THROUGH THE COURTESY 
OF THE SAN DIEGO UNION 
San Diego, Calif. 
The “chryspopean” has made Its 
appearance in the floral world 
bringing with it all the delightful 
curiosity that surrounds a new ahi- 
mal in the circus. 
Its peculiar name is a composite 
of the flowers it resembles, namely 
the chrysanthemum, the poppy and 
the carnation. It is large, three to 
four inches in diameter and growing 
on busy plants two to four feet high. 
Its colors range through pink, rose, 
red and mauve. 
The petals of the chryspopean 
give it much of its striking beauty. 
They vary greatly in form, differing 
from most flowers which have a 
recognized pattern for their petals 
The chryspopean flaunts to the 
breezes silky, satiny ones trimmed 
variously in ruffles, fringes or curls. 
Considering the size of the flower 
*nd its gorgeous .colors, such petals 
arrangements are more than enough 
to make-it stand out in any~eollec- 
tlon of blossoms. 
The geneology of the chryspopean 
has not yet been published. The 
seeds resemble poppies except that 
they are larger. They^re planted in 
the open in either fall or early 
spring in San Diego. Nq transplant¬ 
ing takes place. The sowing is done 
in a two or three inch trench, the 
seeds covered about a quarter of an 
inch and the trelich filled in around 
the seedlings as they grow. 
Since transplanting is not recoto- 
mehded.the seeds are sown in hills. 
That is, half a dozen are. dropped 
at a time at‘points 18 or 24 inches 
apart 
A FEW SUGGESTIONS TO DAHLIA 
LOVERS 
The Dahlia is the “queen of the garden.” 
It is in all its splendor at a time when most 
other flowers are out of bloom. No other 
flower will give as much satisfaction as the 
dahlia. Among many other things it has to 
its advantage an enormous size, a very 
lengthy season and many beautiful blos¬ 
soms. 
Today one can purchase a very fine se¬ 
lection of standard varieties for a mere 
trifle. For that particular reason everyone 
should grow this beautiful flower. Grow 
them wherever you have space. If you lack 
a site for planting, I might suggest grow¬ 
ing the plants in convenient vats or large 
pots and placed around walks, on the lawn, 
on sun-porclies or even on roofs of low 
buildings. 
If anyone intends growing these beautiful 
flowers, he should take advantage of the 
flower shows and numerous dahlia shows 
then personally choose his own varieties. 
The next step is to purchase a few bulbs 
from these varieties and when the season 
for planting presents itself, do so, using the 
technique and care which the flower de¬ 
serves. Bear in mind, however, that any¬ 
thing will grow even if barely kept alive, 
but in order for something to grow to per¬ 
fection, it must have the proper care and 
time spent on it. 
If you purchase a dahlia which was ori¬ 
ginally grown in a different locality and 
your results are not what you expected, try 
growing the same variety the following 
season and you will be surprised at the re¬ 
sults. If, however, after the second at¬ 
tempt the flower has not come up to your 
expectations, I would advise your discard¬ 
ing that particular variety. For that reason, 
my motto for a number of years has been, 
“I grow the best and discard the rest.” 
The dahlia has progressed more in the 
last five years than it has done since it has 
been in existence and will continue to do 
so if the growers will endeavor to produce 
more and better commercial typed flowers. 
Several years ago, seeing a dahlia in a 
florist’s window was more or less a novel¬ 
ty, but today the flower has reached and 
passed the other flowers in popularity. To 
produce a better dahlia will mean an in¬ 
crease in business and a way out of the de¬ 
pression. So let us try for more and better 
dahlias and the future of the dahlia is 
assured. 
ALBERT PARRELLA. 
