24 
COLONIAL GARDENS 
The Twenty'five Best Cut Flower Varieties 
W RITTEN in answer to the question: “If you were going to grow 10,000 bulbs of not more than 25 varieties for sale 
as cut flowers either to florists or at a roadside stand, which varieties would you recommend and what quantity 
of each?” 
There are other good cut flower varieties besides those in this list, but these twenty-five we should call the top-notchers 
on the basis of our own experience. We have based our choice on vigor, freedom from crooking, ease of cutting, dependa¬ 
bility year after year, beauty, size, and earliness (though some smaller varieties and some late ones are desirable). Though 
some varieties perform differently in different soils and climates, this list will be of value in emphasizing the varieties gen¬ 
erally possessing the greatest practical value. Extreme earliness, distinctiveness of color and the popularity of certain 
colors are important factors in determining the proportion of each variety to be planted. 
ALL SHADES OF PINK (3000 bulbs). 
1. Picardy (1000 bulbs). Midseason. Apricot-salmon; a lavish beauty. Most popular glad in 
America. 
2. Sweetheart (600 bulbs). Very early. Charming waxy white with pink edges; frilled. The 
successor to Mrs. Dr. Norton. Forces wonderfully. 
3. Heritage (400 bulbs). Midseason-late. A cooler and slightly deeper shade of pink than Pi¬ 
cardy. A great favorite on account of its beautiful color and giant size, but so large that 400 
would suffice. 
4. Margaret Fulton (400 bulbs). Early. Rich solid salmon color with round, clean-cut florets. 
Nearly a month earlier than Picardy. 
5. Mildred Louise (300 bulbs). Midseason. Fine apricot-salmon; tall. You might like more of 
this: it is practically interchangeable with Picardy. 
6. Debonair or Mrs. Sisson (300 bulbs). Midseason. Both are light pink self-colors. Either is 
fine, but Debonair is the taller. 
ALL SHADES OF RED (1600 bulbs). 
7. Dr. C. Hoeg (500 bulbs). Early midseason. This glossy, velvety maroon is tremendously pop¬ 
ular as a cut flower, being demanded by every garden visitor. The richest and most dependable 
dark glad. Important as the darkest flower in this list. 
8. Dr. Bennett (200 bulbs). Midseason. Fine old standard scarlet; very reliable. 
9. Aflame (200 bulbs). Midseason. Extra tall scarlet that cuts beautifully. 
10. Dream O’ Beauty (400 bulbs). Midseason. Giant rose-red or deep cerise; grows 5p2 feet tall 
with heavy foliage. Garden visitors always spot this as a favorite. A color that takes. 
11. Commander Koehl (300 bulbs). Midseason-late. Rich true red of giant size. Much admired. 
ORANGE AND YELLOW (1500 Bulbs). 
12. Brightside (400 bulbs). Very early. Richest canary yellow and apricot with tips of bitter¬ 
sweet orange. Substance as heavy as Solveig’s. Will not crook in 100° weather. Easily our 
most beautiful light orange. 
13. Spirit of St. Louis or La Paloma (200 bulbs). Both a solid orange color except for throat. 
The first is earlier and crooks less but has a rather dull color. 
14. Jonquil or Golden Poppy (300 bulbs). Early-midseason. Our two deepest yellows: Golden 
Poppy is the deeper and has larger florets, but Jonquil opens more at one time. 
15. Golden Goddess or Golden Dream (300 bulbs). Medium yellow. The former may even¬ 
tually supplant Golden Dream. 
16. Golden Chimes or Ruffled Gold (300 bulbs). Light yellow. The former is the larger, but 
the latter excels in ruffling. 
WHITE AND PALE COLORS (2100 bulbs). 
17. Maid of Orleans (800 bulbs). Early-midseason. White with cream throat. The best white 
cut-flower gladiolus. 
18. Lotus (800 bulbs). Early-midseason. Creamy pink and white. Colors as dainty as the tints 
on iridescent china. Cuts 100%. 
19. Duna (300 bulbs). Early-midseason. Delicate flesh color. Fine for decorative work. 
20. Bleeding Heart (200 bulbs). Midseason. Pale pink blotched scarlet. You will need a few 
blotched glads for variety. 
