About the Lyondel Hybrid 
Delphiniums 
M any STRAINS of delphiniums have been fused to pro- 
duce the Lyondel Hybrids. Choice seedlings of Vanderbilt, 
Blackmore and Langdon, Hewitt, Watkin Samuel, Hoodacre, 
and more recently Reinelt’s superb Pacific Hybrids and Woot- 
ton’s matchless blues have passed through the melting pot. 
The last two strains are still grown extensively, selected rigidly, 
and incorporated into the cream of Lyondels. 
I am a microbiologist by profession, not a plant breeder. 
Most of my time is devoted to the nutrition problems of mic- 
robes and molds; only a few hours a day are left to play with 
flowers. I can produce only a limited amount of seed, espec- 
ially in view of the fact that I insist on making all the crosses 
myself, After all, crossing is not a mere application of the 
pollen of one plant to the stigma of another; it is the reflect- 
ion of the breeder’s personality; his ability to evaluate wisely; 
to select the most likely parents; to visualize in advance the 
results that lie in the future. For this he must have the in- 
stinct that cannot be acquired or purchased. I don’t need 
thousands, or even hundreds of plants to keep me busy, there- 
fore I can afford to choose the parent plants with the greatest 
of care. This is my first advantage. The choicest novelties that 
bloom in my garden for the first time this year, will have 
their progenies blooming in your garden next year, bringing 
to you tomorrow’s delphiniums today. Once the progenies 
prove to be better than their parents, the parents are discarded. 
Thus, the LYONDELS, unhampered by the shortcomings of the 
old, aggressively move forward and upward. This is my second 
advantage. My soil is poor, the climate harsh, and delphinium 
mortality high. The survival of the fittest principle operates 
with ruthless efficiency. This is my third advantage. Not 
being conventional in my methods of breeding, I go adventnr- 
ing and take my customers with me. I like to share with them 
the delightful suspense of looking forward to the birth of new 
and unexpected things. Deliberately I make wide crosses and 
pass them on to my customers without waiting years to fix the 
line. This packs each seed with a delightful, heart-palpitating 
floral adventure. As a result, all kinds of colors and patterns 
reveal themselves before your fascinated eyes. It is this ele- 
ment of surprise that has distinguished the LYONDELS, and 
has endeared them to the excitement- -loving gardeners. And 
that is my fourth advantage. Any way, the results speak louder 
than words: although the LYONDELS are not advertised in mag- 
azines; although thev are not handled and extensively bally- 
hooed by seedsmen and jobhers, the demand for them is greater 
than the supply. and each year many new customers come to 
stay with the old. 
How lo Grow Delphiniums 
Successfully 
The first thing to do is to find out in which zone of delph- 
iniums you are located. There are four of these: the annual, 
the biennial, the short-lived perennial, and the trn° perennial. 
In Florida and certain parts of the South delphiniums are 
strictly annuals, dying off after the first display of bloom. In 
certain other parts of the South they behave as biennials; in 
most parts of Midwest they are biennial or short-lived peren- 
nials, while in North they are true perennials. Once vou de- 
termine your zone, you will know what to expect and spare 
yourself all kinds of disillusionment. Having determined this, 
there remains another important factor: are you located in 
the fall-sowing or spring-sowing zone? Where seasons are 
short and July and August are likely to be warm and dry, 
fall-sowing may be disastrous, and spring should be the time 
to sow the seeds. Therefore you should purchase your seeds 
in the fall, put them in tightly stoppered vials, and keep them 
in the refrigerator. The next spring they wil! germinate just 
as well as if they were freshly harvested. But if your season 
is long enough for the seedlings to grow for at least two 
months before freezing weather arrives, then you may sow 
