394 
The Garden Magazine, August, 1923 
after the feathery white flowers commence to open it is really a beautiful 
object. No other kind or vine is more satisfactory in western Kansas. 
—Viola McColm, Bucklin, Kansas. 
Much Bloom with Little Effort 
To the Editors of The Garden Magazine: 
S MR. CHARLES L. BARKER (the Open Column for. June) puts 
in a plea for articles on small simple gardens, perhaps he would be 
interested in a description of a bed about 30 ft. long and 2§ ft. wide with 
which I experimented. 
Having to divide some overgrown clumps of Iris I had a bed of this 
size prepared in August and planted the Iris down the middle. Later 
on I put in 100 Daffodils and 100 Narcissus poeticus in alternating 
clumps of 6 or 8 in front of the Iris. These bloomed freely last spring 
and when they were almost over, the earlier Irises were already in bud. 
The space between the latter and the light wire fence at the back of the 
bed was filled with Gladiolus; Morning-glories covered the fence and 
dwarf Nasturtiums took the place of the spring bulbs, the seeds being 
planted between the bulbs when the latter were in flower. Never 
have I had such continuous abundance of bloom, nor such a variety in 
such a small space and with a minimum amount of work. 
The Gladiolus were wonderfully gav and their effect was not spoiled 
by using stakes. When I found one flopping over 1 tied two of its 
leaves loosely to the wire fence and in some cases trained a Morning- 
glory vine once around a Gladiolus stem then back to the fence, which 
it climbed gaily, not realizing it was being useful as well as ornamental. 
—J. M. C., Rongemont Station, Quebec, Canada. 
Questing for the Breadfruit 
To the Editors of The Garden Magazine: 
HEN reading your magazine to-dav it suddenly occurred to me 
that you might be sufficiently interested in the Breadfruit to 
further an expedition to the South Sea to collect the varieties for study, 
propagation, and dissemination. 
Several years ago 1 worked out a successful method of propagating 
the Breadfruit from root cuttings. My interest in this unique fruit led 
me to further study, and I found that the South Sea archipelagoes 
have numerous varieties, most of which have never been introduced 
into the other parts of the tropics. The greatest number of varieties 
could be gotten together at the least cost in the Marquesas and the 
Society Islands. I estimate that an expedition to these archipelagoes, 
including bringing the plants to Honolulu or Panama, should not cost 
more than $1 5,000. 
If the owner of a yacht on a cruise to the islands took with him an 
explorer to collect the plants, the expense would be very moderate, and 
this arrangement might add much to the pleasure of the cruise to a man 
interested in a project of this kind.—P. J. Wester, Manila, Philippine 
Islands. 
TWO RECENT BOSTON SHOWS -PEONY AND IRIS 
O F COURSE, the brilliant colors and the large sized blossoms of 
the Peonies help in making an imposing display, but in the recent 
Boston Show (Horticultural Hall, June 16-17) the large number of 
blossoms exhibited and their effective and artistic arrangement set 
the pace for other shows to follow. 
The most effective picture of all was a Peony garden staged by T. C. 
Thurlow’s Sons, and which was designed by that veteran florist, James 
Wheeler, who for many years was Manager of the Horticultural 
Society’s exhibitions. Wheeler also arranged the plants, and a most 
artistic arrangement it surely was. The garden occupied about one- 
third of the large hall, directly in front of the main entrance. Along 
the walls were tall Cedars that shut out the bareness and made an 
excellent background for the flowers; and Cedars, flanking a graceful 
arch of trelliswork, were used to screen the garden from the remainder 
of the hall. The white painted arch was, too, in itself, quite effective. 
Inside the enclosure the flowers (in large vases) were arranged in bed-like 
groups with such consummate skill that the colors blended in perfect 
harmony—a result not easily obtained with such strong contrasting 
colors, ranging from the crystal white of Le Cygne and Avalanche, 
to the rich pink of Walter Faxon and Louis Bigot, the delicate pink 
of Therese and Venus, the deep garnet of Cherry Hill and Adolphe 
Rosseau, and the dark blood red of Prince George. Entering through the 
arch, the visitors found the tables on which the competing classes were 
arranged with the same care for color harmony as observed in laying out 
the garden, and beyond these were groups of other flowers—Iris and 
Oriental Poppies and a small group of hardy Roses. 
An interesting amateur exhibit consisted of a parent plant and eight 
of its seedlings, all showing a different color—white and soft pink to 
rich crimson. 
The first prize for both the best twenty and the best ten were won 
by Arthur H. Fewkes. Robert C. Morse won the first prize for the 
best six pinks with Therese and the second prize with Sarah Bernhardt. 
H. F. Chase exhibited a small group of super-excellent blossoms—but 
not being a competitor was awarded Honorable Mention. Mr. Chase 
also won a bronze medal for a display of Iris, and Mrs. Milton F. 
Roberts won a silver medal for a display of Peony seedlings. 
Once more to the front came the veteran E. J. Shavlor whom we, 
his neighbors, look upon as something of a wizard in the production 
of fine Peonies. He was awarded a first class certificate for a bunch 
of seedlings. T. C. Thurlow’s Sons won many prizes, including a silver 
medal for the best display arranged for effect; and T. F. Donahue was 
given a bronze medal for his display. W. B. Fay received Honorable 
Mention. 
T HE annual exhibition of the Massachusetts Iris Society was held 
this year in conjunction with the Rhododendron and Azalea 
exhibits of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, but though these 
exhibits were augmented by several appealing groups of other plants, 
the room was not well filled. 
The Azaleas were represented by a mere handful, while but a few 
years ago the display of these flowers filled half of the room. Those 
that were exhibited were natives and Ghent hybrids, and came from 
the Thurlow Nurseries. Of Rhododendrons there was a better showing 
but they also formed a pitifully small group in comparison with that of 
former years. 
“What is the cause of this small display?” was frequently asked, and 
the answer was always the same—interest in these plants has given 
place to extended interest in others, especially in Iris and Peonies and 
Gladiolus. 
The Iris at this Show were not numerous—there were only two 
exhibitors—but the quality was fine. Mrs. Homer Gage had a large 
display and won for the third year the Hillcrest Gardens silver cup. A 
number of seedlings from Miss Sturtevant’s gardens were much ad¬ 
mired, as were the specimens of her earlier productions. Perhaps the 
chief admiration of the visitors was bestowed on the bright lavenders 
of the stately pallida group, and the pink-lavenders, represented by 
Nancy Orme and Pocahontas. There were three pink Iris in the Show 
—Queen of May, Her Majesty, and Caprice, the latter a small flower of 
dark, rich coloring. A few years ago the Queen of May was the only 
pink Iris, but now there are several though the Queen is still the 
favorite. 
A lecture on the garden history and the cultivation of the Iris was 
delivered by Mr. Robert S. Sturtevant, Secretary of the American 
Society. Mr. Sturtevant recommended the use of lime and bonemeal 
but no manure for the bearded sorts, though he advised that no lime 
be used for the Sibericas. Montague Chamberlain 
-o- 
TNLKE EfiOTE, CjAECDEN NEIGHBORS, IN VILLAgE, EOWN NINE) f/7T 
A Prize of Fifty Dollars (^50) is offered by The Garden Magazine for the best article illustrated with adequate photographs on what 
has been accomplished in some one place as a result of the stimulus of National Garden IVeek. This may he an account of a community 
activity, some individual effort, a public planting, a personal garden, etc. Manuscripts to he submitted any time up to October first, 1923 
