The Garden Magazine, March, 1924 
55 
ZINNIA GOLDEN PHEASANT 
A wonderful (lower of the Giant Picotee type, rich orange with maroon 
tips, rising on a stiff strong stem high above the foliage and meas¬ 
uring 7 or more inches in diameter (see accompanying description) 
spoon-shaped petals spread themselves like a fan. As the pistil is 
only half an inch long at this stage and the anthers are so far away from 
it, perhaps the stamens are thus held imprisoned in order that self- 
pollination may be accomplished before the flower opens, though un¬ 
doubtedly humming-birds and bees cross-pollinate it to some extent. 
These stamens probably suggested to the unpoetic genius who 
christened this flower the legs of the arachnoid insect that, however 
wonderful the web she weaves, is regarded by most peoplewith aversion. 
In the page of “sentimental philology” which the editors of the Stan¬ 
dard Dictionary say may be “amusing if not instructive” the meaning 
attached to the Spiderflower is said to be “Not so bad as 1 seem.” 
Perhaps the originator of this sentiment had in mind the handicap of 
the ugly name—at any rate, 1 suggest that it is time this odd and 
really beautiful flower was relieved of such a handicap. Why not use 
the botanical name Cleome (cle-oh’me), which is easy to pronounce 
and euphonious? 
I started the seeds in a box in the spring and set the small plants 
out in May in fairly rich garden soil 15 to 18 inches apart where they 
get the sun about two thirds of the day. To these three things—good 
soil, plenty of room, and sufficient sunlight—I attribute the fact that 
my plants have been so much better than I expected. Almost every 
gardener can command these requisites, and if they are provided, 1 
predict that indifference will give way to admiration. 
Cleome is a native of the tropics, but is found growing wild as an 
escape from cultivation in many places as far north as southern New 
York. As each plant will produce thousands of seeds, it is not strange 
that volunteers have been followed by permanent residents.— Bernard 
H. Lane, Washington, D. C. 
for home plantings, either for borders, for groups, or for more elabo¬ 
rate effects still, in any garden design. The quality of these beauties 
is soon recognized and one may easily arrange to have them bloom¬ 
ing from early summer till very late, since they are quite as hardy, 
and quite as simply and readily grown as the old varieties of Zin¬ 
nia. As cut flowers they will brighten the library with their rich 
coloring many days after frost cuts them down out-of-doors for they 
are very lasting indeed. 
1 planted mine outside just as early as the weather would permit, 
and they came popping up presently—strong, sturdy, dignified, and 
beautiful, they seemed to laugh at the weather, of whatever kind, con¬ 
tinuing to flower through October. Though, naturally, the choicest, 
largest blossoms presented themselves early in August—of a rich deep 
orange, with clear, warm maroon tips—the delight of all who saw 
them and a dependable source of pleasure to me. They certainly 
have a bright future, for methinks, when better known still, they 
will almost, if not altogether depose the time-honored stand-bys 
known to our grandmothers as “Youth and Old Age.”— Gertrude 
Shockey, Georgetown, Ohio. 
“Not so Bad as I Seem” 
To the Editors of The Garden Magazine: 
T HE Giant Spiderplant (Cleome spinosa), sometimes called Spider- 
flower, is an old-time annual that seems to be not very highly re¬ 
garded, perhaps in part because of its repulsive common name. The 
usual descriptions say that it grows to about 3! feet, but my plants are 7 
and 8 feet tall, began to bloom in July, and bid fair to keep it up until 
frost. At the tip of each stalk is a cluster of odd-looking flowers showing 
three colors—the swelling buds and the just opened petals a deep pink 
(Ridgway’s “mallow purple”), the petals that are a day or so old a 
lighter hue (“mallow pink”), and the still older petals snow-white. 
This cycle of change lasts only two or three days for the individual 
flower, but the cluster always has some flowers in each stage, and the 
three colors together give an indescribably fresh and lively effect. The 
buds keep appearing in succession, apparently from an inexhaustible 
source, at the tip of the stalk, which pushes itself up and up as the 
season advances, until on the 8-foot plants the flower cluster at the top 
is 3 feet or more above the oldest seed-pod on the same stalk. Al¬ 
though so tall, the stalks are sturdy and have stood without staking 
through several fierce downpours. Besides the main stalk each plant 
has a number of side branches, and each of these has its terminal 
flower cluster. 
The most striking peculiarity of the flowers consists of the six long 
threadlike stamens, w'hich extend far beyond the petals. As the 
slender bud begins to expand, these stamens, their anther ends held 
tight by the folded petals, gradually bulge out like the curve on a letter 
b, until finally the bud relaxes, the pink stamens suddenly one by one 
snap out free and stretch in all directions, and above them the four 
SPIDERFLOWER (Cleome spinosa) 
An oldentime annual of considerable interest that has suffered the handi¬ 
cap of a somewhat repulsive name. This photograph (taken July 25th, 
1923) shows transplanted volunteer plants 4-5 ft. high which continue 
to bloom till frost and probably grow to 8 ft. or more. Garden of Mr. 
Bernard H. Lane, Washington, D. C. (See also page 43 of this issue) 
