Headliner Glads for 1951 
Glad fans generally want to know three things about 
a variety which they have not yet had a chance to try 
out for themselves: 1. How beautiful is it? 2. How 
valuable is it as a cut-flower? (i.e., how does it rate 
in performance?) and 3. How large is it? 
The generally adopted 500, 400, 300, 200, 100 size- 
classification, explained on page 27, accurately de- 
scribes the floret size. To assist in respect to beauty 
and cut-flower value, we devised the following rating 
system and inaugurated it two years ago as an ex- 
periment. Customer-reaction has been so favorable that 
we plan to continue it. In preparing the ratings, I 
have again sent out questionnaires to a number of 
persons of my acquaintance whom I feel to be among 
the best glad judges in the country, including both 
fanciers and growers. Also, as in previous years, I 
have refrained from rating my own varieties, leaving 
it to the friends with whom I consulted to do this for 
me. 
Because glads often vary in performance from place 
to place and from year to year, especially when not 
acclimated, I want it to be clear that I am not present- 
ing these ratings in a dogmatic spirit. Others are fully 
as much entitled to their opinions of varieties as we 
are. However, I think that these ratings, based in 
most cases on rather extensive growing experience and 
representing a consensus (and not solely my own 
opinion) will give a pretty good average picture of the 
merit of each variety and thus prove helpful to our 
customers. 
KEY 
moderately beautiful 
x beautiful 
x * very beautiful 
*& * * supremely beautiful 
4 + 4 
suitable for home garden only 
good local cut-flower 
very good cut-flower type 
e e excellent commercial type 
*_* * (378) (K. & M, 
Abu Hassan >> 1946) (80 days) If 
you have a good memory for childhood reading, you 
may recall that Abu Hassan was a merchant of ancient 
Bagdad, who, having expressed a wish to be caliph in 
the hearing of the disguised Haroun-al-Raschid, was 
smuggled into the palace while asleep and persuaded 
for a day that he was caliph. There is certainly a bit 
of Arabian Nights’ magic about this glossy deep blue- 
violet flower! For a glad to be the color of a velvety 
blue-violet petunia seems quite unreal. Very few 
glads have ever been bred in this color. We can think 
of only two previous ones which were outstanding in 
their day: Pelegrina (Pfitzer, 1933) and Baron Hulot 
(Lemoine, 1899). When a friend visited the famous 
Pfitzer nursery at Stuttgart a few years ago, he found 
a long row of Baron Hulot still being grown in the 
hybridizing area. This is undoubtedly the source of the 
famous line of Pfitzer blues. Abu Hassan is one of the 
best! (L 2-.25; 10-1.00) (M 10-.50) 
(S 10-.25) (Blbts. Pkg. .25) 
ww & (423) (Toon, 1943) (85 
All Glory * @ See epinkeds pe, Ube 
Victorie) You will find few Australian or New Zea- 
land glads in our list, though we would be happy to 
include them if they seemed to merit it. Given the 
same culture in our test garden as American varieties, 
the alleged 8-, 10-, or 12-inch florets of Antipodean 
originations just fail to show up, while deficiencies of 
form and color are too often evident. In All Glory, 
however, we have a glad from “down under” which 
meets with our approval and was quite popular with 
garden visitors. Color is a rich salmon-scarlet with a 
purplish blotch. Sounds a bit disharmonious, but the 
heavy substance, extra-round florets and even ruffling 
make a very attractive ensemble. Pictured on pages 
8 and 32. (L 1-.25; 10-2.00) (M 10-1.50) 
(S 10-1.00) (Blbts. 10-.25) 
A. L. Stephen 22 (433) (Winsor, 
1942) (85 days) 
(Alpheus seedling x Picardy) We have finally built 
up a small stock of this clean-cut blotched salmon, 
pictured on page 41. Something of a “forgotten glad”, 
this looks to us like one of the best of the Picardy 
seedlings. (L 1-.25; 10-2.00) 
* * * (416) (Fischer, 1937) (65 
Arethusa e e e days) (Brightside x 
Rosemarie Pfitzer) Prof. E. F. Palmer has pointed out 
that good glad seedlings come from only about 5% of 
the parents available. Here is a glad which comes 
from two very successful parents and which is a very 
successful parent itself! (See Gene, Gratitude, Retta 
Jo.) Good old Arethusa produces those tall, formal, 
heavily frilled, buff-colored spikes year after year with 
no sign of diminishing vitality. So early it is rarely 
seen at shows. A truly worth-while glad which has 
remained on our best-seller list for 14 years. 
(L 2-.20; 10-.80) (M 10-.40) 
(S 10-.25) (Blbts. Pkg. .20) 
Aristos *—* (476) (Holland) (70 days) 
This glad deserves a place in 
our picture of the orchid-throated glads on page 20, 
but it was not in bloom at the right time. The over- 
all color of Aristos is a clean, clear, pale violet-blue, 
on which is imposed, on the lip petal, a bold, velvety, 
pansy-purple blotch as large as a quarter. The effect 
is very arresting and dramatic. The flowerhead is only 
of average length, but the novel coloring makes Aristos 
a “must.” (L 1-.50; 10-4.00) (M 1-.35; 10-3.00) 
(S 1-.25; 10-2.00) (Blbts. 8-.25; 100-2.00) 
kkk (400) (Kuhn, 1949) (75 
Athene e @ e e days) (Wenonah X (Can- 
berra x Spray of Gold)) I don’t know that I have 
ever previously listed a glad which I have not per- 
sonally grown, but several friends, in whose judgment 
I have the greatest confidence, have recommended this 
spire-like white with uniform enthusiasm. With them 
it has opened up to ten plain-petalled florets in the 
field. Elegant carriage and marked vigor make it both 
an exhibition and a commercial type. 
CL 1-2.00) (M 1-1.50) (S 1-.75) 
(Blbts. 1-.20; 10-1.50) 
x *k * *& «(410) (R. Pruitt, 1948) 
Aureole eee (80 days) If I could 
grow only three yellows, I would not hesitate in my 
choice: they would be Gold, Little Gold, and Aureole. 
Of the three, Aureole is the most beautiful in form but 
the lightest in color. We cut simply magnificent spikes 
of Aureole last summer. The engraver’s art on pages 
8 and 41 falls far short of doing justice to this stun- 
ningly beautiful flower. If you like ruffling, intensely 
ruffled, round-floreted Aureole is sure to be one of 
your top favorites. Its light yellow tone is very beau- 
Lan gige = 
