The Garden Magazine, August, 1924 
419 
Ivy makes a good background for plants, or you can cover a 
wooden house with a trellis and grow almost any vine you wish 
except a tropical or one which naturally sheds its leaves in the 
winter. 
Plants should be growing in the benches about September 
first. Until the cold weather comes give them plenty of air 
and water them freely in the morning for the hot September sun 
dries a bench quickly, but do not water in the afternoon nor let 
the night catch them with wet foliage. Plants, like children, 
are better kept well than dosed too late. Watch the Calendulas, 
Mignonette, and Lettuce for a green worm which is just the 
color of the leaves and a voracious feeder. Pick it off and step 
on it, then it will not trouble you later. Toward spring, when 
your plants are large and your playhouse crowded, you may have 
green fly. Fumigate with aphis punk or tobacco dust. 
Remember that each plant is a living thing and apply the 
golden rule. If the weather is dark and cloudy you would not 
want cold water thrown all over you, so in bad weather water 
the soil carefully and do not wet the foliage. Open the ventila¬ 
tor gradually. Don’t throw it all open at once. If a cold draft 
blows on their heads, plants cannot move so they catch cold 
and you wonder why they have mildew and spotted foliage. 
If a bright, clear sun shines in, give them a good watering, foliage 
and all, and do not be afraid to use force. Put your finger over 
the end of the hose and send a strong stream under the foliage to 
clean it. Do this in the morning and if the sun goes under, tap 
the plants with your hand and shake off hanging drops so that 
late afternoon will find dry foliage. If in doubt, think of your 
own physical rules, remember your summer garden and strike a 
balance between the two. 
Therefore, greetings to you, fellow gardener, start your play¬ 
house and may fragrant blossoms reward you! 
SOME “RICH RELATIVES” OF THE POPPY FAMILY 
G. W. KERR 
A Striking Group of Perennials and Annuals in Shades of Yellow, 
Orange, Cream, Rose, and Blue that Merit More Place in Our Gardens 
MATILIJA POPPY (Romneya Coulteri) 
Native to southern California and Mexico this giant white 
Poppy with its beautiful, six-inch, silky blooms also thrives 
in colder sections of the country as, for instance, at 
Rochester, N. Y., where it has flourished for the matter 
of eight or more years (see above.) These plants have 
been protected in winter by a heavy covering of leaves 
jOT true Poppies, yet belonging to the same family, is a 
group of showy flowered plants that have lingered long 
in our gardens, yet even to-day are not exactly common. 
The Welsh Poppy, especially in its double form 
Leconopsis cambrica fl. pi.) has deservedly at¬ 
tracted more attention of late years. The 
plant is of compact, neat habit, 
in height, producing continually 
May till October flowers of a ric 
orange-yellow color in great pro¬ 
fusion. They are almost ball¬ 
like in form, thoroughl; 
double, and average two 
inches in diameter; a dozen 
fully expanded flowers 
often being met with on 
an established plant. A 
partially shaded posi¬ 
tion best suits this first 
cousin to the Poppy. 
The single-flowered 
Welsh Poppy is also 
very showy but the 
flowers are rather 
lighter in color and not 
borne quite so profusely 
or so continuously. Both 
are true perennials and 
easily raised from seed or 
divisions. 
M. Wallichi —with very 
large rich blue flowers without 
any purple shading, succeeding best 
in a cool almost shady part of the 
rock garden where it looks extremely 
handsome—is also worth a trial. M. 
nepalensis should be grown in a similar 
position. Color, delicate golden yellow; 
flowers on tall stems and fully two 
inches across. Meconopsis will not 
endure a hot, dry soil, nor does it even 
like a dry atmosphere. 
The Horned Poppy (Glaucium corniculatum) with rich 
orange-red flowers of large size, is extremely showy during mid¬ 
summer. The plants attain a height of about 18 inches, but of 
rather stragglv growth. They are very free-flowering, the petals 
dropping, however, very quickly, these being fol¬ 
lowed by a long, horn-like seed pod. This is 
more popular than Glaucium luteum 
which has yellow flowers. These are 
best managed as biennials, sowing 
the seed in early summer for 
the following summer’s flower¬ 
ing. They are perfectly hardy 
and if the bed is not unduly 
disturbed, natural self- 
sown seedlings appear in 
great profusion each 
year. 
The California 
Poppy (Eschscholtzia 
californica) with its 
beautifully cut, fern¬ 
like, glaucous foliage, 
even when not in bloom 
is a plant of much 
beauty; but if seed is 
planted early in the 
spring or in the fall this 
delightful annual will 
flower continuously the en¬ 
tire summer until killed by 
frosts. In the West and in 
sections where we have no very 
severe frosts it is a true perennial. 
The original is a brilliant yellow in 
color, but by selection and the exercise 
of great patience on the part of the seed 
grower and specialist, there are now 
quite a number of distinct and beautiful 
colors to be had. Of these Fire Flame is 
perhaps the brightest, the color being an 
intense reddish orange. There are also 
pink varieties; and White Pearl, cream 
