26 
House & Garden 
THE SUREST FLOWERS FOR THIS SUMMER’S BLOOM 
Bulbs and Tubers that Can Be Planted Now for 
Quick Effects, and What Can Be Done with Them 
F. F. ROCKWELL 
S UMMER flowering bulbs and tubers of 
all kinds offer very important advan¬ 
tages to gardeners who want good garden 
results quickly—particularly to those per¬ 
sons who are not certain that another sum¬ 
mer will find them with their present 
garden and hence do not care to make per¬ 
manent plantings that cannot be easily re¬ 
moved. These advantages are practically 
certain results and sure satisfaction with a 
minimum cost and with minimum care, and 
at the same time an investment that can be 
counted on for the future. 
The summer bulbs are less expensive and 
more lasting than potted or bedding plants; 
they are more certain to succeed, and more 
easily cared for than annuals; they give 
quicker results, and are much more easily 
removed—and if necessary, carted about 
with the family Lares and Penates—than 
the regular hardy perennials. 
While gladioli, dahlias and cannas are 
universally known and grown, there are 
a number of minor summer bulbs which are 
altogether too little appreciated. I would 
particularly urge every flower lover who is 
not familiar with the less known bulbs de¬ 
scribed in this article to try at least two or 
three of them in her garden this year. The 
very fact that they are not universally 
grown lends to them an added interest. 
Dahlias of Today 
It would be hard to decide between 
gladioli and dahlias in the race for popular 
favor. The recent development of each 
has been little short of marvelous. Not only 
new varieties, but distinct new 
types of both have been added 
until sometimes one has to 
pause and wonder where the 
development will stop—if in¬ 
deed there is any stopping 
point! In the limited space 
of this article it is not possible 
to enter into any detailed dis¬ 
cussion of varieties. But a 
word or two concerning the 
different types of both will 
undoubtedly be helpful, par¬ 
ticularly to beginners. Let 
us first consider briefly the 
dahlia of today. 
Every time the gardeners 
think they have the dahlia 
cornered, it “breaks” into a 
new form. With the possible 
exception of the zinnia there 
was never any flower much 
more stiff and inartistic than 
the compact, solid “paper 
flower” show dahlia. It had 
and still has many admirers. 
Like the zinnia, it has its uses. 
But I think that most flower 
lovers will agree that in 
beauty there is no compari¬ 
son between the old dahlia and 
the newer cactus and peony 
flowered types. To be sure, 
the new forms will not suc¬ 
ceed so well under unfavor¬ 
Tuberous rooted begonias are excellent for 
immediate effects. This shows the root 
of one divided for repotting 
A study in canna development. At the 
left, the wild “Costa Rica;" beside it, a 
modern cultivated sort 
able condition of culture as do the old. 
The cactus type is undoubtedly the most 
popular at the present time. The petals in¬ 
stead of being short, stiff and regular as in 
the show and fancy dahlias, are on the con¬ 
trary long and narrow and rather loosely 
bunched. In many varieties they are ex¬ 
tremely narrow, and in some most gro¬ 
tesquely twisted and curled. The term 
cactus, in fact, covers a very wide range of 
recognized flower forms. 
The decorative types range in form from 
the show and fancy dahlias on one hand to 
the cactus on the other, differing from the 
former in having a more open and artistic 
form and from the latter in having wider 
and more regularly placed petals. They are 
a little more sure to produce flowers in sat¬ 
isfactory numbers than the cactus dahlias. 
The peony flowered dahlias are a still 
later development, and seem likely to vie 
with the cactus for general favor in the near 
future. They are semi-double in form, 
borne on long stems, and are especially sat¬ 
isfactory for cut flowers. Still other types 
are: the collerette, semi-double in form with 
an inner circle of broader petals of distinct 
and contrasting colors; the little pompons 
which are smaller still, very graceful and 
beautiful for cutting; the singles which, in 
the case of the “century” variety, reach a 
diameter of 6"; and duplex types which 
usually have two rows of petals with an 
open flat flower. 
The complaint is often heard from those 
who attempt dahlia growing that if the 
plants grow vigorously but few or no flow¬ 
ers are produced. If the fol¬ 
lowing simple don’ts in dahlia 
culture are borne in mind, 
however, success is usually to 
be achieved. 
Dahlia Don’ts 
Don’t plant a whole clump 
of bulbs; a single tuber, or at 
most two, is plenty in one 
place. In dividing the old 
clumps, however, be sure that 
a piece of stem or eye is ob¬ 
tained with each. 
Don’t make the soil too 
rich ; too much manure or fer¬ 
tilizer during the early stages 
of growth tends to produce a 
rank production of wood and 
leaves, but a shortage of flow¬ 
ers. If your soil is naturally 
rich and heavy, incorporate 
with it coal or wood ashes, or 
ordinary sand. 
Don’t let the growing plants 
suffer from lack of water. 
The dahlia is one of the hard¬ 
est drinkers in the garden. 
Don’t let the plants get large 
and then cut them back 
severely to get short, stocky 
branching plants. If these are 
wanted, pinch out the very 
tip of the stalk as soon as six 
or eight leaves have been 
Courtesy of Conard & .Tones 
Cannas are even more vigorous than gladioli, and some vari¬ 
eties reach a height of 6'. They are to be had in almost every 
color except blue 
