2 
COLONIAL GARDENS 
Al*l«l<lllO (Mitsch) ( Picardy x Red Lory ) 
Every gladiolus collection must have one white glad with scarlet blotch. Which variety shall it be? 
Heretofore Madam Mounet-Sully has undoubtedly been the most beautiful sort of this coloring but it is 
rather small and all too frequently makes a short spike. Odalisque, though perhaps slightly less beautiful, 
is a bit larger and stronger but still far from an exhibition glad. At last, however, Picardy — that pro¬ 
genitor of so many fine varieties — has given us a blotched white of true exhibition size. No, the other 
parent is not one of Lemoine’s blotched whites mentioned above but a glad as large as Picardy. At the 
Iowa show where we displayed a fine spike of Ariadne , I offered $25.00 in bulbs to anyone who could guess 
its parentage. I don’t recall that anyone guessed either parent. In fact, Ariadne is about the most curious 
case of gladiolus inheritance I can think of: the other parent is not a white at all but a dark red: Red Lory. 
Since both Picardy and Red Lory have Emile Aubrun as one parent, it is evident that Emile Aubrun carries a 
strong strain of blotched white in its ancestry, which came out in this seedling. Customers may recall 
that that beautiful new giant rose-pink, Maxwelton, comes from the same cross reversed: Red Lory x Picardy. 
When a bulb of Ariadne which the originator had sent us for trial bloomed with such an unusually long, 
stretchy flowerhead in spite of this summer’s drouth, I thought I would like the privilege of introducing 
this sister seedling of Maxwelton and prevailed upon Mr. Mitsch to sell me the entire stock. . . . Ariadne 
is not a snow-white like Mme. Sully but is almost imperceptibly flushed light pink. In fact, Mr. Good¬ 
rich, the well-known hybridizer, who was one of the judges at the Iowa show, referred to it as a glorified 
H. C. Goehl. There is a touch of yellow about the red blotch of this glad. A rather early bloomer with 
us this season. 
Price: Bulbs, any size $5.00; Bulblets $1.00 each. 
Arethusa (c Fischer) ( Brightside x Rosemarie Pfitter) 
A gladiolus of unusually distinguished bearing and the heaviest frilling imaginable. Color is a pale apri¬ 
cot with a light creamy throat. Makes a spike considerably larger than Rosemarie Pfitger and of heavier 
substance. We have had it with seven florets open outdoors. Stems are straight and stiff. An outstand¬ 
ingly beautiful pastel variety of lighter apricot tone than Wasaga and much more heavily frilled. As with 
our other introductions of this season stock is very limited. Like both of its parents, Arethusa is a very 
early bloomer. 
Price: Bulbs, any size $15.00; Bulblets $2.50 each. 
Gloaming (Zimmer) ( Queen of Bremen x Seedling of Henry Fordf 
We had not intended to introduce this glad until next year and hence did not bother to photograph it 
this season. I know of no variety, however, that produces so high a percentage of photographically per¬ 
fect spikes, Gloaming being the very acme of regularity in performance. We have never seen a crooked 
or stubby spike or a misplaced floret. In form it is quite similar to Serenity, though the florets are perhaps 
even rounder. Eight 3 to 4 inch florets are open at one time on stiff wiry stems that are 60 to 66 inches 
tall. Color is a clear silky purple blending to a small creamy throat. An exceptionally vigorous variety 
with very long flowerheads. 
A prominent florist who is well up on his glads said he considered Gloaming the best purple he had ever 
seen. I purchased the stock of this variety partly on the hunch that it might do for the lavenders what 
Apricot Glow did for the pinks: give them a stretchiness of spike now sadly lacking in most glads of this 
color. Gloaming not only has the pep but is the one purple with a light, clean throat — a very important 
hereditary factor. Crossed with whites, light pinks, and lavenders it might well produce some excellent 
new lavenders. A fine cut-flower variety. Very early. 
Price: Bulbs, any size $5.00; Bulblets $1.00 each. 
Serenity (Zimmer) (j Queen of Bremen x Mary Janef 
From the originator of Dream O' Beauty comes this beautiful new creation. Snowy-white, of a beautiful 
waxy texture, blending to a faint tinting of translucent rose-pink at the extreme edges, this glad is one of 
the most exquisite we have ever seen. Briefly, it might be described as a greatly improved Olive Goodrich, 
the florets being about one inch wider, petals heavier and snowier, and the tinting at the edge being even 
more delicate and of a cooler shade of pale rose-pink. It opens up to eight florets at one time. Serenity was 
the outstanding seedling at the Minnesota show this season and one of a group of seedlings awarded a gold 
medal at the 1936 Iowa Show at Ames. A very early bloomer. Stock extremely limited. 
Price: Bulbs, any size $15.00; Bulblets $2.50 each. 
