16 
CARL SALBACH 
1936 
DAHLIAS 
Dahlias are the most colorful of all flowers in the garden and for indoor 
decoration. They are also most satisfactory because a single bulb will pro¬ 
duce blooms continuously for almost six months, thus giving hundreds of 
blooms for a very small expenditure. 
We have been continuously on the lookout for good “keeping” dahlias, 
and while our dahlias all last well, we have tested them, and found quite a 
number to last much longer than the ordinary dahlia. These we have labeled 
as “Best Keepers.” 
NEW DAHLIAS 
Large, of perfect form, splendid keeper, floriferous, long strong stems— 
these are some of the attributes that lead us to qualify Lavender Lady as a 
coming dahlia, both for the show table and for cutting. It is our only large 
dahlia introduction for the year, but we consider it a most worthy achieve¬ 
ment. 
In the popular miniature class, we have secured exclusive introductory 
rights for a real find—Gail Taylor. A large dahlia as outstanding in its class 
as Gail Taylor among miniatures would be cheap at $25.00 per tuber. 
A number of other dahlias of recent introduction also deserve special 
mention. Frank Serpa and Dr. Aurelia Reinhardt, both introduced by us 
last year, have both done even better than we had expected. Serpa has won 
prize after prize, the latest report at the date of this writing being first as 
best flower in the show at Seattle, Washington. Dr. Reinhardt, as we pre¬ 
dicted, has merited special commendation as a fine variety for cutting. 
Angelo Rossi, second only to Frank Serpa as a prize winner here in Cali¬ 
fornia, has kept up its reputation, winning and helping to win many more 
blue ribbons. 
Lord of Autumn, which has taken the East by storm, has done excep¬ 
tionally in this, its first year with us. Jerome Kern and Sanhican’s Cameo 
are two splendid new Eastern dahlias, and Satan, Kaweah, and Air Mail 
from the Pacific Coast have been showing up in the best of style. 
Two more, Grace Houston and Oriental Beauty, are unusually fine. 
Neither has had the benefit of large “blasts” of publicity, but the form and 
color of both is superb. 
CLASSIFICATIONS 
In order to establish a definite classification of dahlias, the American Dahlia Society has 
recently divided dahlias into a number of newly defined types. 
Decoratives are “fully double” with generally broad petals. The two types of decorative 
dahlias are: the FORMAL DECORATIVE which, as the name indicates, is regular in the 
arrangement of the petals, with the outer petals generally flat, and the inner ones cupped; 
and the INFORMAL DECORATIVE which is somewhat irregular in arrangement, with the 
petals generally long and somewhat twisted. 
CACTUS dahlias are “fully double” with funnel-shaped petals, which give the flower a 
chrysanthemum-like appearance. SEMI-CACTUS are half-way between the cactus and the 
informal decorative types. 
Abbreviations—F. D.—Formal Decorative; I. D.—Informal Decorative; C—Cactus; 
S. C.—Semi-Cactus. The pompon, miniature and single dahlias are not included in 
this general list, but are described on page 21. 
