California did not live up to its usual standard, and Spring was long delayed by 
cool rains and foggy weather, so the primroses did not come into full bloom until 
in March. We had 150 thousand seedlings, and I was afraid that the warmer 
weather which usually appears in March would cut the season short, and we 
would not be able to dispose of them in time. However, the cool weather con- 
tinued, and we had the finest primrose season we have ever had. Plants that were 
selected in bloom in late February were still in fine flowering condition in early 
May. The advances in most colors were beyond expectation. The pinks are get- 
ting really pink, and the blues reached a clarity I did not expect a few years ago. 
New patterns began appearing amongst the violet shades, resembling slightly 
the color found only in auriculas, and I feel that, given time, eventually all colors 
and patterns appearing in other primroses are possible to reproduce in the poly- 
anthus group. 
The cool weather continued all through summer, so that both Begonias and 
Delphiniums were delayed and came into full show after the middle of July. 
The Pink Delphiniums which were scheduled to be introduced this year 
had to be withdrawn. Due to foggy weather the plants did not seed, and we have 
no seed for distribution. Besides there appeared much better rosier pink shades, 
which we would like to stabilize and improve before introduction. 
The named series in Delphinium reached a new standard of perfection in 
form and size. The largest flowers appeared amongst Lancelot, Cameliard, King 
Arthur and Black Knight series. The Galahad series are reaching a glistening 
white quality so sought after, and the blue series formed a solid sheet of color 
not approached by anything else. 
Astolat series gave unusual color effect when blooming in mass, and some 
of them in the evening light looked quite red in the young stage. In strong sunlight 
these colors lose a great deal of their charm, but from the enthusiastic letters we 
have been receiving from people who have grown them, I feel that the work of 
years was justified. Do not judge Astolat in strong sunlight. This is a flower of 
the early morning and evening light. 
The Tuberous Begonia show in our greenhouses during June, July and 
August was the finest we have ever had. The weather was extremely favorable, 
cool and foggy most of the summer. By far the greatest advances were made in 
the lighter shades of the ruffled novelties, which are really spectacular begonias. 
The rose form is more difficult to breed, and the percentage of good seedlings is 
always less than in the ruffled forms. The exception in the rose form is the new 
picotee. Although when we started breeding, the picotees were the poorest of the 
double types, they are now amongst the finest. 
A hundred thousand visitors inspected our nursery during the summer. 
Time your visit during early July to catch both our delphinium and tuberous 
begonias at their best. You haven’t really seen what begonias can be until you 
come and see our nursery during the summer. 
We close our greenhouses after Labor Day as the flowers are then past 
their best, and we are very busy with cross pollinating. However, our fields 
reach their peak in August and September, and there will still be plenty for you 
to see if you come later. 
VETTERLE & REINELT 
