Top Notch Introductions {1952} 
ALBESCA (Cl. 300) (Seedling 43003) (Rosewings x Picardy) x (Eliz. the 
Queen) (Armstrong) Silver Medal Award G. G. C. Trial Grounds 
Pure sparkling white without marks, beautifully ruffled, and with a hint of palest 
oe ap i throat. Makes nice spikes up to 56 inches tall with 22 inch flower heads 
of 18-20 buds. 
Seven well-placed and firmly attached 4 inch or better florets open at a time with 
’ 6 more showing color. All buds open well in water to the very top and it also opens 
well when cut in tight bud. Excellent propagator, bulblets grow thriftily and the bulbs 
are disease resistant and keep well. 
Albesca is not a huge elephant type but has charm and distinction that cannot be 
measured by size. It should be a prizewinner in its section and will be sought after 
by discerning florists whose customers demand quality. It is a splendid basket glad 
where its gracefulness, another quality difficult to measure, fills the eye of the beholder. 
Its immaculately chaste color, delicate ruffling and finely fashioned formation makes 
Albesca a thing of beauty and a joy forever. 
GATINEAU (Cl. 422) (Seedling 43094) (Picardy x Orange Gold) (Palmer) 
Gold Medal Award Gladiolus Growers Test Gardens scoring 88 in 1949 and 
87 in 1950 
Gatineau is a lively orange salmon color with a light yellow throat. It forms strong, 
straight spikes on 5 ft. plants. Opens 7-8 unusually well-placed and firmly attached florets 
4% inches to 5 inches in size with as many as 8 buds in color. It is an early and 
vigorous grower blooming in 80 days. Good propagator and makes healthy bulbs that 
keep extremely well and growth from bulblets is uniform and vigorous. 
You will like Gatineau for its ability to produce big husky spikes even under ad- 
verse conditions and as an early cut flower, it is in a class by itself. Please note that 
this variety as well as Pennant was awarded medals in the Trial Grounds of which 
there are five in all from Fredericton, New Brunswick on the east to British Colum- 
bia on the west. 
PENNANT (Cl. 440) (Seedling 41054) (Greta Garbo x Eliz. the Queen) 
(Palmer) Gold Medal Award Gladiolus Growers Test Gardens scoring 90.8 
in 1949 and 92 in 1950 
Pennant is a light soft pink absolutely unmarked and unflecked, a cool compelling 
color especially attractive under artificial light and perfectly combining with almost 
any other color, thus enhancing its value. 
The plants are strong and stiff and always straight. Florets are 5 inches across, 
wide open and slightly waved and 10 or more open at once, out of a total of 20 buds 
with almost all the rest in color. It is one of those rare varieties where just about 100% 
of the spikes are suitable for cut flower purposes or for exhibition use as the spikes 
are like “peas in a pod” in uniformity. 
Pennant strongly resembles Evangeline, its full sister seedling, but is very regular in 
placement. Propagation is good and bulblet germination excellent, 90-95 days to bloom. 
SPRITE (Cl. 322) (Seedling 43294) (Palmer) 
~ 
Scored 83 in the Gladiolus Growers Test Garden in 1950 
Sprite is a bright yellow orange, deeply ruffled and of heavy texture. It is the first 
in an intermediate type of gladiolus on which Prof. E. Frank Palmer has been work- 
ing for some years which stress beauty in color and form and in a size which suits 
most decorations. 
The distinctive florets are about 4 inches in diameter, wide open, regularly placed on 
straight spikes of medium height. 7-8 florets open out of a total of 17 buds, extremely 
well attached. Sprite has already attracted Toronto florists to it as a unique and use- 
ful decorative variety in medium size. 
Makes fine bulbs that clean easily and lots of bulblets that grow well. 85-90 days 
to bloom. 
(See Over) 
