Z A N T ’ S 
BLUE 
RIBBON 
DAHLIAS 
1939 Garden Notes by J. J. 
Just memories now but pleasant ones to bring up these 
cold nights when winter winds are howling. We, like all you 
garden enthuslastists, are dreaming and planning our 
1940 garden, waiting for the various Honor Rolls to be 
published, than trying to decide which to buy. It's fun 
and certainly is a gamble with so many new ones being 
put out. 
Last year's Honor Roll had a wonderful lot of Dahlias that 
made good everywhere, with us Everybody's Favorite was 
tops, both with Mrs. Zant and myself and the majority 
of our visitors. Next was San Francisco, not much to 
choose between them, both Pinks, and such large blooms 
and long stems. Premiers Winsome was not far behind. In 
Reds it was Burch Foraker by a long way, bushes 7 ft. 
tall, 3 to 4 ft. in diameter, and way up out of the husky 
foliage those 12-Inch Flame red flowers, it's a 100% 
Dahlia with us. If you want lots of bloom try Red Sun¬ 
set — it covers Itself with lO-Inch flowers. Murphy's Mas¬ 
terpiece, as always, was a favorite. 
In the orange or fall colors my favorites were Dean Ander¬ 
son and Gladys Sandford, stand-outs in any planting and 
still scarce. Carl G. Dahl is another grand variety, so 
husky a grower and wonderful root maker I am sure it will 
grow to perfection anywhere. Monarch of the East is in 
the same class. What monster blooms, not one or two 
blooms but 6 to 10 on each bush. Golden Beauty, what a 
grower, like Burch Foraker in all but color. 
In Bi-Colors we had three everyone fell for. Dream 
Beauty, Lois Walcher, the sensation of the shows in 1938, 
and George Relyea, an orange tipped white with longer 
stems and much taller growth than either of the others 
but not well known as yet. 
I like Bi-Colors and here were three good ones. Glamour 
was the best purple or near purple we have seen since 
Hunt's Velvet Wonder was put out. It's hard to believe 
the size of blooms we had. Monster Best describes it on 
a stem stiff as a ramrod. Thelma Cain, Rita Wells, Hill¬ 
side Gold and Sunset were all good, but in their first 
year with us did not do as well as the others mentioned. 
We had a number of New Miniatures and Pom Poms 
that were extra fine and they were more popular than 
ever, and we had them in quantity, filling every vase 
in the house for-three months. What other flower can 
give you blooms In size from one-inch to twelve or more 
Inches, and the more you cut, the more they produce. 
The Rose may be Queen, but the Dahlia is certainly King 
of Fall Flowers. May you have your share of these new 
ones in your 1940 garden and if you will give our stock 
a trial we know you will have a garden show next fall 
you can be proud of. 
Yours for Dahlias 
in Every Garden, 
JOHN J.ZANT. 
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