208 
The Garden Magazine, May, 1923 
Golden-rod, Pitcher-plants and a few others to decorate the borders, 
while just back of these, Japanese Iris, Castor Bean, Elephant’s Ear, 
etc., helped out the tropical effect I was seeking. 
My Water-lilies, tender Nymphaeas this time, came about the middle 
of June, a Frank Trelease, a pulcherrima and a Panama-Pacific—and 
were at once planted, the former in one tub, and the two latter in the 
other. The Trelease soon died, but in a few weeks the other two began 
putting forth new leaves which grew ever larger and larger. 
By July 27 the pulcherrima was in bloom, and soon after the Panama- 
Pacific; both continuing without interruption, so that at no time until 
the pond was drained in October did it lack flowers, and this despite 
the fact that the season was very cool and rainy with almost continuous 
fogs during June and July. Furthermore, the pond leaked more or 
less, due to too thin cement coating and carelessness in properly pud¬ 
dling the clay, so that a small stream of cold water from the garden 
hose was turned into it several times a week, although care was taken 
to run it in only on sunny days. 
A very severe frost in early September when the thermometer fell to 
22 0 did not kill the Lilies. On cold fall evenings they were coverd 
with a thin cloth stretched across the pond a foot above the surface. 
The Lilies were planted in § loam and ^ cow manure, and dried blood 
fertilizer was put into the pond once a week during the flowering season. 
The leaves measured 13 inches long, the flowers up to 7 inches diameter 
and were of a marvellous oriental fragrance. Last fall I have added 
another pond 12 x 20 ft. connecting with this, and have placed concrete 
boxes for the Lilies in place of the wooden tubs, which will warp and 
leak in the bottom after a time. 
I find this water feature the most fascinating part of all my garden, 
and from early spring when the Daffodils and Narcissus cast their 
shadows on the pool until the gorgeous Lily leaves turn red with frost, 
it is marvellously beautiful in almost hourly changes, Besides its own 
interesting life with the burnished goldfish (in early June, 12 small gold¬ 
fish were put in and in October about 125 were taken out) lurking under 
the big Lily leaves, it mirrors the climbing Nasturtiums, tall Larkspur, 
waving Lilacs, and even the birds and white summer clouds far over¬ 
head.— Frank A. Brown, Machiasport, Maine. 
Making Your Flower Show More Attractive 
To the Editors of The Garden Magazine: 
OW that the amateur flower shows of last season are well behind, 
may one who has taken part as exhibitor in some and as judge in 
others, call attention to a few points which are in need of remedy? 
In the first place, how many shows have been arranged with any 
thought of a beautiful general scheme? Usually the show is held in 
a public hall where no attempt has been made to conceal its bare 
white walls. Rows on rows of bottled specimens are placed on tables 
covered with glaring white. Is it not as simple to cover the tables 
with nature’s green? It costs no more than white. Cedar boughs in 
summer, or autumn leaves in the later months, may bank the walls. 
Vases cost no more than bottles now-a-days, but if bottles must be 
used, it is possible to conceal them with crepe paper. The usual entry 
card, some 5x8 inches, often larger than the exhibit itself, can be made 
as cheaply in half the size, of a soft dull brown or green. At once the 
glaring aspect is relieved, and we have a picture pleasing and restful. 
The management of the average amateur flower show leaves much 
to be desired. 
A set of rules, clearly expressed, should be strictly adhered to. 
There is no other way to avoid confusion. The chairman should 
select sub-chairmen who are made thoroughly familiar with the 
duties of their committees. After drawing up the schedule well 
in advance, a committee of first importance should keep the entry 
books and judges’ lists. A sub-committee should assist exhibitors in 
staging their entries correctly. Many annual flowers are placed in 
classes for perennials—many Decorative Dahlias, for instance, are 
placed in classes for Hybrid Cactus. Vases containing as many as 
eleven blooms have been placed in classes arranged for vases of six. 
If the show lasts for more than one day, this committee should see to 
it that vases are refilled with water and the flowers freshened up. 
Judges should have the utmost consideration. They are usually busy 
men and women who generously give of their valuable time. When 
they are asked to commence judging at a certain hour, the committee 
in charge should see to it that all entries are in place by that time 
and that tardy arrivals are disqualified. When there are many classes 
and many entries there may be more than one set of judges. At the 
Short Hills show this year we had four pairs of judges under the leader¬ 
ship of a most able man who settled all questions which might arise. 
This method was most successful; the judging was quickly done, and the 
show opened promptly with every award attached to its exhibit card. 
Even an amateur show should have a publicity committee to see 
that the show is brought to the attention of the public—both for its 
own success as well as the pleasure of others. It is important also 
that if a list of awards is published, this committee should see to it 
that the list is correct. 
Of course conditions vary with localities, and one set of rules and 
arrangements cannot do for all. However, I am sure that all garden 
clubs and other groups of flower lovers would be grateful if you would 
publish in your valuable paper some sound advice on the business of 
running a flower show so that the average management need not 
emerge from the confusion panting and exhausted.— Mrs. Charles 
H. Stout, Short Hills, N. J. 
St. Brigid Anemones from Seed 
To the Editors o/The Garden Magazine: 
T WAS with considerable surprise that I read in a note by Julian 
Hinckley in the October magazine that Anemone coronaria seed will 
not germinate. “Of course you know,” Mr. Hinckley tossed it off 
lightly. Of course I don’t know anything of the kind! Quite the 
contrary, as I have raised numerous batches of St. Brigid Anemones 
from seed during the last fifteen or twenty years. In fact I prefer 
raising them from seed as I find the growth and bloom better. 
The St. Brigid is merely a selected strain of Anemone coronaria 
developed in Ireland. There are other strains such as Caen, etc., all 
A. coronaria, and all needing the same treatment. At their best I 
have had bloom 4 inches across and the general run of them from 25 to 
3 inches in diameter. Some years ago The Garden Magazine printed 
a photograph of seedlings blooming in a flat which I sent to the editor. 
The seed of the Anemone, like that of a great many members of the 
Crow-foot family, is slow in germination. It germinates in a month 
or possibly a little less but don’t expect a full crop to come up any 
quicker than a month. The seed looks like a chunk of dirty cotton 
batting and in this wool the seeds are embedded. It is difficult to 
sow them thinly and the best way to separate the mass, partially at 
least, is to rub the wool briskly between the hands with dry sand. 
Even then the plants will come up in little clumps. 1 am told it is 
best to sow thinly enough so they may be allowed to bloom where they 
stand but I have always transplanted mine without difficulty. 
I sow the seed in May in ordinary garden soil (mine is sandy), cover¬ 
ing about a quarter of an inch. A cloth is laid over the earth in the 
box to keep it just moist, not wet. At the end of a month the seed¬ 
lings are well up. It is no trick at all, 1 find, to get from 50 to 100 
plants from a fifteen cent packet of seed. 
The Poppy-anemones are coldframe plants. That is the only way 
to try to grow them in the northern half of the country except perhaps 
in favored sections on the Pacific coast. I transplant them either 
directly into the coldframe or into flats to set in the frame and they 
grow until November. As soon as freezing weather sets in, 1 fill the 
frame with leaves and put on the sash, removing the mulch in early 
March as a rule and then the Anemones shortly start sending up their 
blooming stalks and continue until June. 
As soon as they die down I take up the tubers as, if left in the ground, 
they start growth too early in the fall. They are replanted in the frame 
in November. The tubers are so long lived that they can be kept 
over until spring and planted out as soon as the frost is out of the 
ground. In fact they can be planted almost any month in the year 
but the bloom is never as fine during the warmer months and somehow 
seems out of place. They want rich soil but not fresh manure. They 
need plenty of moisture.— Sherman R. Duffy, Chicago, III. 
—Is Mr. Hinckley correct in saying seeds of Anemone coronaria rarely 
germinate? I found no difficulty in germinating imported seed last 
year both in the open and in a coldframe; the difficulty came, however, 
in making the seedlings grow. I blame the soil, because various 
seedlings are apt to stand still with me when I keep them in flats. I 
carried over my seedlings in the cellar this last winter. The St. Brigid 
Anemone certainly is a selection of A. coronaria—an Irish strain—and 
is remarkable for its varied coloring and size. Doubtless in the Puget 
Sound region this strain does as well as at Seaskill, Ireland, where it 
was evolved.—T. A. W., New Jersey. 
Correction: —It is regretted that an error should have been made 
in the credit for the design of the H. W. Croft garden on page 101 in 
the April Garden Magazine. The part of the garden shown in the 
picture was designed by Mr. James Greenleaf, whereas Mrs. Shipman’s 
work was carried out on another part of the property. 
