LEGEND 

MYRNA 
MRS MARKS MEMORY 
EW varieties of gladiolus are being introduced with greater rapidity each year. Only 
the very best withstand the test of time. Out of 134 varieties we catalogued in 1940 there 
are only 31 that are still worthy to stand up against present day competition. Each year we 
think that glads have reached the limit of perfection, but new and better ones keep com- 
ing and still continue to come. This year we have dropped 25 that we listed in 1946 but 
have added 34 new ones. In the following paragraphs we will attempt to evaluate the newer 
introductions as well as some of the older varieties. 
W HITE—Leading Lady is fast moving up to the No. 1 place among the whites. It is 
a very beautiful show flower and should be a good commercial. Silver Wings is similar, 
perhaps a little whiter but with us it has not proved to be better than Leading Lady. Silen- 
tium is a good cutter, having a tall wiry stem. The throat marking is less conspicuous than 
that of the famous Margaret Beaton. Annamae is one of the earliest, followed by the reliable 
Snow Princess, both excellent cut flowers. With us Gardenia is also a good commercial 
variety. Pfitzer’s Snowflake and Konynenburg and Mark’s Vrede showed up very good, both 
being large and pure white. Christine was a disappointment. It produced diseased bulbs and 
stock obtained was mixed. 
CREAM—Lady Jane and Winston both have beauty of form, style and color. The form- 
er is enhanced by its yellow lip petal and it is a good cutter. Corona is a grand flower. 
Though it may not be a true cream it is a lovely combination of pastel shades with a rose 
picotee edge. Oriental Pearl greatly strengthens this group. It has vigor, giant size and 
other characteristics that make it a great glad but to me it lacks class. White Gold is also 
a massive cream but believe it also lacks class. 
YELLOW —Spotlight is coming into its own as a very worthwhile glad. Martha Deane 
is one of the newest additions which is rated very high by eastern exhibitors. I would like 
to grow it another year before commenting further. Crinkled Cream to me is one of the 
most beautiful. This really has class. I am very fond of the beautiful clean spikes of Jas- 
mine and would like to see it more widely grown. Another beauty is Gleam and it is the 
heaviest ruffled. Van Gold is one of the earliest and deepest in tone. The older Gold Dust 
is also a fine early commercial. For a later yellow Oregon Gold has its place. 
BUFF and APRICOT—This class is not as strong as some of the others but Amrita, Are- 
thusa and Marimba are all fine varieties. Dr. Whitley appears good, as does the tall rich- 
toned Donna. 
ORANGE and ORANGE SALMON—The huge bold spikes of Aladdin is one to catch 
the eye, though stems on some plants may be a little short. The late flowering Barcarole 
is really quite a flower too. Gratitude is similar to Barcarole but with more tapering spikes 
and is more salmon orange. Orange Gold is well named and is one of the better new ones. 
Further trial will tell. Bittersweet is a very unusual color and hard to describe. It makes 
a nice spike. You may or may not like it. 
PINK—Pinks along with the whites are the most popular colors, especially for artistic 
arrangements. There are perhaps more good pinks than any other color. To me Bengazi 
is one of the most beautiful. I am not sure about its growing habits though, as the foliage 
was streaked and light green the past summer. When Beauty’s Blush gets around it is go- 
ing to be well liked. The color is unusual, being a white overlaid light pink or a soft blush- 


CINDERELLA 
AMRITA 
Gladiolus. Chatterbox. Review 
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Special Awards ? 
We have never published a complete list of all.our show winnings but we would just like to ( 
point out here some interesting highlights. Over a period of the last 10 years, Croix Farms ( 
have been awarded 18 medals, including 2 gold, 7 silver and 9 bronze. These have been . 
received from the following Gladiolus societies: New England, American, Canadian and Min- ( 
nesota: also the Midwest Glad Show, American Peony Society, Pennsylvania Horticultural Soc., 
Minnesota Horticultural Soc. and Minnesota Peony and Iris Soc. In addition to the medals 
we received 15 silver cups and vases, 4 engraved plaques and countless numbers of ribbons 
given for sweepstakes, championships and special wards We are proud of our show achieve- ( 
ments. Our customers can do likewise if they ant championship stock. ( 
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ing pink. Ethel Cave Cole is apt to be top heavy but nevertheless is a very good glad be- 
cause of its fine color and form. Camrose is the loveliest light pink and opens up a ribbon 
of bloom. It will kink some in hot weather and should be tried as a late cut flower, when 
it is really grand. Florists always take all we can supply, which speaks well for this one. 
Pink Paragon is tall and impressive. The clean cut Jeanie was also tall and fine. We liked Pan- 
dora, Pink Radiance and Mayling, all being good cut flowers. Summer Gal is getting a lot 
of attention but will reserve my comments until another year of blooming. The smaller 

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ARETHUSA 

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BARCAROLE 

CAMELLIA : 
LAVENDER PRINCE 
flowered Cinderella has that smoothness and warmth of color that 1s appealing. Clear coral 
pink Rosy Morn appears to be a good cut flower. 
ROSE—Some of the light rose varieties are very close to pink and difficult to class. ‘lac 
ones we are listing here appear to me to show a slight rose hue, though others may call 
them pink. A true example of this is Rosa Van Lima, a great glad and one of the best cut 
flowers. Tivoli, a new one from Holland, looks very promising. The creamy rose Mag- 
nolia should make a good cutter. General Douglas MacArthur is a large light toned variety 
with which we have not had much experience but it appears to be fine. Rose O’Day is classed 
as lavender but I would call it rose. It is an unusual shade and quite large. Malta should 
prove popular along with Francis M. Irwin as commercial varieties. Getting into the deeper 
shades, the cerise-rose Chamouny with its picotee edge is a beauty. Perhaps the very 
best in its color, though a few short spikes will appear in every planting. 
LAVENDER —Elizabeth The Queen is without a doubt the best in this color and one 
of the best introductions of recent years. Its exquisite color, heavy texture and ruffling 
are combined to make a great glad. Minstrel has the largest florets but has not perfo: med 
too well for us. Crown Orchid and Lavender Prince are both new ones that show much 
promise but I am not sure that I like the color of either. Another year will tell. We still 
like the older Lavender Ruffles. It is not as large as some but a pleasing cut flower. 
SCARLET—Two new ones from Holland, Pfitzer’s Century and Johan Van Konynenburg, 
both are fine additions to this class but will have to grow them another year before com- 
menting further. Intruder is one of the largest and catches the eye. Algonquin in my estt- 
mation is the most artistic among the scarlets and reds. The flashy Beacon and the lus- 
trous Liberator are older but still well liked 
RED—Two very important red glads are Red Charm and Spotlight because of their fine 
habits and commercial characteristics. You can’t go wrong on these. King Click builds an 
impressive spike. The older Rewi Fallu produces giant spikes of a rich deep red but some 
time florets are loosely attached. In the dark red class, the stretchy and magnificent Black 
Opal has been our favorite. Mohawk and Black Panther are both excellent. 
ROSE RED—Burma is the best in this class and without a doubt one of the outstand- 
ing glads. The beautiful heavy ruffling adds to its beauty. The older Leona is still liked 
by many. Fuchsia Belle has not done well for us but others report it to be very fine. 
PURPLE—I still consider King Lear one of the most beautiful. A heavily ruffled, rich- 
toned glad but florets are not too strongly attached. Many consider Purple Supreme the 
best commercial purple. It also has one fault, that is the color will peel in certain weather. 
Lancaster should become popular when better known. The older Mrs. Marks Memory is 
care fine. A very large glad with good growing habits and the color is more of a rose 
purple. 
VIOLET—A trio of “blues” from Holland will no doubt strengthen this weak class. 
Abu Hassan, an improved Pelegrina, has already proved to be a worthy addition. High 
Life appears to be a better Allegro, while Ravel shows improvement on the older Blue 
Beauty. All are highly recommended and well worthy of trial. 


