Evening star., 1936-04-11
BY J. w. WELLINGTON.

n of the Department of Agricul-
~ ture, speaking before the
4 n Woodbridge Garden Club Mon
day evening, there is sufficient varia-
tion in the narciSsus group that home
gardeners may have blooms for nearly
two months, extending from the early
yellow trumpets to the extremely late
poets Considerable confusion exists
In the Technology of the narcissus,
but Mr.. Morrison added that one can
always be right by calling any of the
varieties or forms narcissus. Daffo-
dis are commonly interpreted as the
long trumpet kinds so we'll known to
all gardeners. and jonquils as the
small yellow types which bear three
or four fragrant flowers on each stalk
and have onion-like foliage There is
at the present time great activity in
Europe and the United States in the
breeding of new varieties, and Mr..
Morrison was optimistic in prophesy-
Ing the development of entirely new
types. Looking backward, it is only
about century since intensive inter-
est began in the improvement of the
narcissus. although the flower was
grown in its natural form in ancient
gardens.
Culture Of the narciSSus, one gathers
from Mr.. Morrisons talk, consists
primarily in the careful preparation
OF the soil. Too often bulbs are set
directly on the stiff subsoil and, since
all root growth takes place from the
lower surface of the bulb, the roots are
badly restricted. 1t was advised that
trS"sheS of a foot or so in depth should
"a C:g and, on the bottom, there
should be placed rotted manure or
bone meal and this covered with good
top SOIL The bulb should never actu-
ally touch the fertilizer, but the roots
may penetrate the material with i'm
punity. Depth of planting is roughly.
two and one-half times the height of
the bulb itself. Shallow planting tends
to formation of many new bulbs
whereas very deep planting restricts
propagation. When properly planted,
the bulbs are in a position to yield
the gardener choice flowers for sew
eral years.
Mr.. Morrison showed coIored slides
of many varieties and pointed out how
they naturally group into classes,
Tor example, the long trumpets, the
Leedsii, the Barrii, the poets, the
poetaz. For the beginner who is
anxious to develope an attractive
narciSSus collection, Mr. Morrison rec
commended visiting gardens of friends
who had already become narcissus
fans and also attending the garden
club shows.
Many wonderfully attractive flowers
were shown on the lantern slides,
among them Beersheba, a pure white
trumpet variety, and Fortune Crest.
a pure white flower with a very short
cup Of deep tomato red. The tendency
at present seems to be toward the
creation of the short cupped varieties
With pure white or cream colored
petals and brilliantly colored short
cups. Because the narcissus rests
during our long hot dry Summer
periods, it is unusually Well-adapted
to this area. Its native home was,
according to Mr.. Morrison. along the
north shores Of the Mediterranean
Basin and upward into the adjacent
mountains.
A Long Season Garden.
ONE OF the problems that home
gardeners face is to select a range
OF Towering plants that will cover the
entire season from the daffodils to
the late chrysanthemums. Too MANY
OF the perennials come with a rush
In May and then are gone for an
other II months. Summer months are
particularly difficult in this area be-
cause Of the shortage of adaptable
species, the heat and the frequent
occurrence of drought. 1t is in this
Summer period that the ANIMALS
prove salvation, the zinnias, mari
colds, petunias and the like. There
was a time when the gladiolus was a
very reliable flower, but it cannot be
classe6 so now until the thrips menace
Is removed. There is some evidence
that gladiolus varieties differ in their
susceptibility to thrips and one plant
breeder of note is optimistic that
varieties can be developed which will
be relatively immune to the insect.
A species that deserves consideration
Is the hemerocallis or day lily. Most
of us recall the old-fashioned orange
day lilies which bloomed in July or
August.
Garden Notes,
THE University of Maryland is Offer
ing home gardeners of this area
an opportunity to attend without
charge a two-day garden school in
the Horticultural Building April 21
and %. According to Prof. w. r.
Ballard, extension horticulturist, the
program will include discussions of
azaleas, woody plant materials of
landscape value, lawns, landscaping
the home grounds, garden lilies, soil,
fertilizers and wild flowers. Flower
arrangement from both the American
I'll