The Garden Magazine, May, 1924 
211 
pea, or Petunia seed and 
have their garden fun 
watching these germinate 
and grow and produce a 
treasure-trove of blooms. 
T HIS ease of propa¬ 
gation has had the 
effect that the Dahlia is 
the least stabilized of our 
four major (lowers. The 
Peony, though it once 
numbered three thous¬ 
and distinct named va¬ 
rieties, has been cut down 
to less than five hundred 
after a thorough check¬ 
ing and study by special 
committees of the Ameri¬ 
can Peony Society and 
after a definite rating had 
been given each variety 
as the result of two 
symposiums by the So¬ 
ciety in 1919 and 1921. 
It has become so stan¬ 
dardized .that the cata¬ 
logue of any large Peony 
grower is practically a 
duplication of that of 
any other, the only dif¬ 
ference being in the size 
or quality of the roots 
offered and in the prices, 
which are, for all that, 
quite uniform. There is 
practically no Peony grower who does not carry Le Cygne, 
Solange, Therese, Karl Rosenfield, Lady Alexandra Duff, Mar¬ 
tha Bulloch or Richard Ca rvel; while hardly any private garden, 
no matter how modest, is without its Festiva Maxima, M. Jules 
Elie, or Baroness Schroeder. The popular Edulis Superba this 
year celebrates the centenary of its existence. At Peony shows 
the rivalry lies in exhibiting blooms of established varieties that 
will surpass their competitors in perfection of form and color, 
while new varieties are 
given rigid inspection 
and seldom hold the cen¬ 
ter of the stage as is the 
case with new Dahlias. 
The Iris is stabilized in 
a lesser degree, but a 
rating or percentage of 
perfection has been given 
to the more popular va¬ 
rieties, while the Gladi¬ 
olus, though as yet with¬ 
out a rating, has many 
varieties that have stood 
the test of time and 
maintain their popular¬ 
ity undiminished, such 
as Halley, America, 
Schwaben, Baron Joseph 
Hulot, and the hoary 
Brenchleyensis that still 
has many devotees. 
With so many varieties 
coming in, it is difficult 
to predict those that will 
ultimately become the 
Four Hundred of Dahlia- 
dom. Even such a trans¬ 
cendent variety as Mrs. 
I de Ver Warner, which 
three scant seasons since 
was the observed of all 
observers is spoken of as 
“still” deserving a place 
of honor; and Geisha, a 
few years back the most 
popular of all Dahlias, is recommended for the discard by one 
prominent grower. Personally 1 intend to cling to Geisha for 
‘auld acquaintance’ sake. 
Despite the fact that it has thus taken the bit between its 
teeth, the Dahlia is bound to become the most popular of all our 
late summer (lowers, to be the queen of garden queens whether 
located in the three favored regions or in the Middle West as 
unfavorable conditions are better understood and overcome. 
WHITE GLORY 
Pure white Decorative with blooms gracefully carried on good 
stems; comes into flower early and generously (C. Louis Ailing) 
SOME GOOD EVERGREENS THAT ARE ALSO HARDY 
[The following brief notes are based on observations made at Cleveland, Oberlin, Wooster and Gambler 
{central Ohio), with the exception of one or two items secured in Highland Park, Rochester, New York] 
P OPULARITY of the highly colored Colorado Blue Spruces is 
undoubtedly on the wane. These showy trees are compara¬ 
tively short-lived and in their latter stages are often thin and 
scraggy. For those who want the note of color supplied bv 
such a tree, Engelmann’s Spruce is suggested as being a more desirable 
species. Coloration of its foliage is almost equally good, while in other 
respects the tree is superior—longer-lived and holding its limbs more 
tenaciously. If one is determined to possess a Colorado Blue, however, 
purchase the grafted form known as Roster’s Spruce to insure the 
highest coloring. 
The various forms of Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspidata) give promise 
of great value and usefulness as their desirable qualities become better 
known. All of them will endure much drought and shade and they are 
not discolored by our changeable, trying winters. While they are 
rather slow growers and as yet relatively high in price, the Japan Yews 
are adaptable and long-lived—well worthy of attention by all who 
are interested in the finer ornamentals. 
The White or Silver Fir (Abies concolor), from the mountains of 
Colorado, continues to be the finest large ornamental evergreen suitable 
for planting in the East. Bluish tints impart to its foliage beauty and 
charm, while the limbs are retained remarkably well to the ground. 
The White Fir is but a moderately fast grower and lives to a great age. 
For rapid-growing windbreaks and screens the Douglas Spruce, 
native to the Pacific coast, promises to be quite generally cultivated 
in Ohio. This stately, handsome tree has now been grown here for a 
number of years, and each season only adds to its reputation for beauty, 
durability, and rapidity of growth. 
Of the smaller ornamental evergreens, Juniperus Pfitzeriana is un¬ 
doubtedly the most notable of recent acquisitions. Long known in 
arboretums and botanic gardens, it is only within the last few years that 
this splendid thing has been propagated on a large scale. For massing 
with low-growing kinds this Juniper supplies a thick growth of bluish, 
plume-like foliage which makes it indispensable.—W. E. Bontrager, 
Oberlin College, Ohio. 
Gardeners who care for evergreens will find a reliable and illuminating guide 
to the choice and cultivation of these patient trees in “The Cultivated Ever¬ 
greens” (Macmillan) recently published under the able editorship of Prof. 
Bailey.— Ed. 
