Pudor's glory of Puget Sound strain of double flowering blue and white delphiniums : a little book on the growing, cultivation, propagation / O.M. Pudor.

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Pudor’s “White Glory”

(From a young: plant)

PUDOR’S

Glory of

Puget Sound Strain

of

Double Flowering
Blue and White

DELPHINIUMS

A Little Booklet on the
GROWING

CULTIVATION

PROPOGATION

of these

Beautiful Hardy Flowers
O. M. P U D O R

Iris and Delphinium Grower
and Breeder

PUYALLUP, WASHINGTON, U. S. A*

LIFE SIZED BLOSSOMS OF PUDOR’S
“GLORY” HYBRID-DELPHINIUMS.

( From a Photograph. Put a Silver Dollar over these Blossoms .)

‘WHITE GLORY’ .“BLUE GLORY” “GLORY OF PUGET SOUND

V

PUDOR’S GLORY STRAIN
OF

BLUE AND WHITE DOUBLE FLOWERING DELPHINIUMS

It all started with one superfine, glorious Delphinium among
a lot of seedlings, many years ago. Such a beautiful, rare
thing certainly possessed some real “blue blood’’ and should
not to be lost to a flower loving world.

And what was then a mere hobby, prompted by real love
and admiration for those beautiful, heavenly blue things, has
now developed into a serious study and earnest work, kept
alive by a still deeper love and greater admiration, as the
things grow more beautiful from year to year. Living in
such a glorious country as this Puget Sound country is, and
possessing and developing such a glorious flower as that
Delphinium was, the happy thought struck me that my strain
should be developed and be known as

PUDOR’S GLORY OF PUGET SOUND STRAIN

and “GLORIES” they are and always shall be.

This all happened some 5 or 6 years ago; since that time
I have succeeded by careful and painstaking selection and
hybridizing to improve the original plant by slow steps, year
after year, till I often ask myself the question, where will
the end be? But evolution knows no end. Every succeeding
year gives me new thrills when bloosom time comes around
and I discover two, three, perhaps six better and finer seed-
lings than the year before, among many thousand seedlings,
and I know, that as long as I have the patience and observe
the strict rules of this fascinating work this improvement
will go on and on, as it does, not only with my Delphiniums,
but with Peonies, Roses, Gladioli and Irises.

And what are these simple, but strict rules you might ask?
They are so simple that anyone who loves flowers and has
the patience can follow them: “select, weed out”; in other
words, always keep and breed only from the very best, and
destroy everything inferior, ruthlessly! You know how far the
Spartans carried this, and the result.

I have now growing in my Gardens some five outstanding
superfine named Hybrid Seedlings, besides a number of new
and yet unamed seedlings of great beauty and superiority; of
the former I have been selling a few plants, and a good deal
of seed, which has given the highest satisfaction, and to some
customers I have heard from, some very superior seedlings.
From year to year the older varieties will get more plentiful
and consequently cheaper, and seeds more plentiful, while

5

newer and still more beautiful varieties will not take the place
of the older varieties, but make a new place of their own.
So I mention first, my original “GLORY OF PUGET SOUND”.
A thing of beauty it is, with its beautiful, double glistening
blossoms, the outer row of petals being a beautiful clear
blue, the inner row of petals mauve; a beautiful strong grow-
ing garden variety. I am selling, small, but strong divisions
(not seedlings, or rooted cuttings) of this variety at $1. each,
not more than one plant to a customer, and I might say right
here that early spring is the best time for transplanting them,
the months of March and April being the best; May is too
late, as by that time the plants Vhave made such a vigorous
growth in our mild climate, that they are difficult to send
through the mails.

SEEDS from this variety, a package containing about 200,

50 cents.

“GLORY OF THE VALLEY” named after the beautiful Valley
of the Puyallup River in which I live and these beautiful
flowers originated and have their home. A beautiful color
combination of light blue and silvery mauve; very flori-
ferous with lovely, graceful flower stalks with an unusual
number of lateral spikes or side shoots. When well grown
the individual blossoms are larger than in the Glory of
Puget Sound ; of this variety I can spare a few strong

divisions as $2.50 each

Not more than one to a customer. SEEDS per package
of 50 seeds FIFTY CENTS.

“THE BLUE GLORY”, a glorious flower, indeed, it is, a double,
clear, all deep blue, and no better name could be given
it. This is an unusual variety, and what blood entered
into it outside of my Glory of Puget Sound Strain,
heavens only knows. This variety is giving me some
unusual and extra fine seedlings, and 2 years ago started
to producing single and double WHITE SPORTS. It was
from this variety that I procured my fine, new white
PU DOR’S WHITE GLORY” two years ago. I have no
plants for sale of the BLUE GLORY, but offer SEEDS at
FIFTY CENTS per package of 50 seeds.

“PUDOR'S LATE GLORY”— This is the finest of all my beauti-
ful “Glory of Puget Sound” seedlings, and the blossoms
are the largest — larger than a silver dollar, and of exqui-
site texture and color; one row of petals being a lovely
sky blue edged with a deeper blue, and the inner petals
rosy mauve. It grows six to seven feet tall, with many
graceful flowering stalks, and is undoubtedly one of the
most exquisite Delphiniums in the world. I named it
the “Late” Glory because it comes first into bloom when

6

other Delphiniums are just going out of bloom, and for
that reason it is a very desirable Delphinium to have in
one’s garden. It has a very peculiar solid root formation.
The plant is vigorous and sturdy as all my seedlings are.
No plants for sale this year. SEEDS per package of 50
seeds at FIFTY CENTS.

THE GLORY OF THE MOUNTAIN, named for MT. TACOMA
(some folks prefer to call it by its foreign name “MT.
RAINIER) that towers only a few miles yonder high
into the heavens above our valley. It is the largest and
handsomest Hybrid I have so far raised ,some of its
flowers being almost 3 inches in diameter, all 2 % inches.
No plants for sale; a few seeds per package of 50 seeds
$1.00.

The seeds offered above are all

PEDIGREED SEEDS

They come from the varieties above described. But I raise
many Hybrids which many visitors to my Gardens think
exceedingly handsome, but which do not come up to my
standard, and consequently are not named. They all have
the pure blood of THE GLORY OF PUGET SOUND in them;
I sell seeds from these at 25 cents a package, containing about
200 seeds, or in wholesale way: 1/16 oz. 65 cents, Vs oz. $1.00,
i/ioz. $1.75, y2 oz. $3.25, and loz. $6.00.

Plants from these varieties in all shades of blue, with
bees of white, black or brown, flowers single and a few double,
all of them seedlings from my named “GLORY OF PUGET
SOUND” Hybrids, but that do -not come up to my highest
standard of perfection — if they did, you couldn’t buy them —
per flowering sized plant 25 cents and 50 cents. $2.50 per doz.
and $5.00 per doz., according to size, or by Express collect
20% off.

PUDOR’S DOUBLE “WHITE GLORY” DELPHINIUM
At last, a pure white, double Delphinium with a strong,
vigorous constitution

All white Delphiniums on the market, and to my knowledge
there is only one named white Hybrid, viz., “Moerheimi”, are
all of very weak constitution and growth, the color is muddy
or greenish white, and the blossoms single and small. I
threw Moerheimi away years ago.

I make no secret of the origin of my white Delphinium
“WHITE GLORY”; two years ago there appeared all of a
sudden among the seedlings from my “BLUE GLORY” (a rich,
clear, deep blue variety) a few pure white Delphiniums; I

7

believe scientists sail such things “Sports”. From the very
outset two plants were immediately singled out as especially
desirable, and the rest were destroyed. These 2 plants made
a rapid vigorous growth from the very beginning. The
foliage is a beautiful light green, very shiny, as if varnished.
Both grew into fine, vigorous plants this year, and developed
a lot of tall, strong blossom stalks; one pure white, large
double blossoms with a light brown bee, the other with a very
light yellow bee. The two plants did not develop a single
bad habit; they bloomed practically all summer, till way into
the Fall, producing blossom stalks at the same time the older
blooming stalks made seeds. Unfortunately the better of the
two — and one is a little better than the other — produced very
few seeds, while the other produced seeds freely.

Not having raised any seedlings yet from these parents, I
can not say, until the summer of 1924, just what their offspring
will be like, pure white, or white, tinged with blue, or what;
however, I see no reason, judging from my experience with
Delphiniums, why they should not produce a large per cent
of pure white ones, I believe they will. I will be in a position
to offer a very few seeds from these two plants after July
10th, 1924, IN SEALED PACKAGES CONTAINING 10 SEEDS
FOR FIFTY CENTS. It you should get only one first class
white Delphinium from the 10 seeds you can consider yourself
very fortunate; I wouldn’t sell the tiniest shoot off my parent
plants at any price at the present time and I will have no
plants for sale for two years to come.

As I will sow most of the seeds the coming season myself,
I will part with only a very small amount of seeds, and reserve
the right to return you your money; this is a matter of first
come, first served.

WATKINS SAMUEL’S ENGLISH WREXAM STRAIN

For those American Garden Lovers, who are still of the
opinion that English Delphiniums can not be excelled, I am
offering an opportunity to secure pure seeds from England’s
finest strain. I am so fortunate as to be growing in my
Gardens some dozen or two plants from Mr. Samuel’s named
Hybrids, and will be in a position to offer a very limited num-
ber of seed packages during the coming summer and fall at the
price of 25 cents for 25 seeds assuring you that you will get
the seeds from the best plants only, these seeds being the
same that I sow.

This strain, known in England as the “WREXHAM” strain
is considered the latest word in Delphiniums over there; Mr.
Samuel has spent many years in perfecting his strain, particu-
larly with reference to size of blossoms and height and per-

8

fection of flower stalk. Judging from the few flower stalks
I had this year, the individual blossoms are very large, and
the bee or eye very conspicuous, while in my Glory of Puget
Sound Strain, the bee is very in conspicious, I having suc-
ceeded in some varieties to almost completely breed out the
bee, developing it into flower petals, which to my mind, makes
a much more handsome flower. I too have varieties with a
very pronounced white, black or yellow bee, and you can have
those, if you prefer them.

There will be no plants for sale of the WREXHAM strain
until 1925 and the amount of seeds I can spare this coming
season will be very limited. To repeat, there will be no seeds
in the spring this year (1924) and not until July.

A FEW HINTS ON THE SUCCESSFUL GROWING OF
DELPHINIUMS

To begin with the SEED — start with the BEST regardless
of price; this same advice applies to Pansies, Columbines.
Petunias and a few other flowers. If you will buy cheap
seeds of these flowers at bargain prices at ten cent stores
or in Department Stores, or from irresponsible seed stores,
that simply barter in seeds, buying it from Tom, Dick or
Harry you will never get anywhere, never have that supreme
joy and thrill of growing perfect flowers, the finest things that
can be had. It can’t be done! I paid an English Delphinium
Grower last year $5.00 for a thimble full of his seeds, just
to find out, what his strain is like. It was the best he had.
I paid $10 an ounce this season for a new English strain of
Lupins, said to be the finest and newest strain in the world.
If you are in earnest with your garden and flowers you will
have ‘‘THE BEST AT ANY PRICE”, and you will find out that
it will pay you in the end.

Now, one word of caution, when you sow the seeds, don’t
“BURY” them; you will get a poor stand every time. My
seeds are absolutely fresh; they are carefully hand gathered
when in the right ripening stage, and are carefully kept; I
sow seeds three or four times a year, testing in this way
their germination power, and I always get 80% or more. Fall
sown seeds from Summer seeds will probably show a higher
germination than when kept over until spring. So if your
seeds don’t sprout it’s your fault every time.

Did you ever notice how many hundreds of seedlings will
come up around a mother plant, when seeds drop naturally?
Nothing, but the rains, and dust and winds cover them.
Learn a lesson from nature, do not cover your seeds too
deep! The majority of failures in growing plants from
seeds is caused by covering seeds too deep, or letting

9

the seed bed dry out under a blazing sun, just when the seeds
sprout. SHADE your seed bed with paper or muslin in
frames till the little plants get strong enough.

In our mild climate I always sows the seeds outside; I
make my heaviest sowing in July or August for big flowering
size plants the following summer, and another sowing very
early in the Spring; These latter seedlings will nearly all
bloom the same Fall, and speaking of seedlings blooming
the first time, rarely show seedlings their best character the
first year! Remember that! And also keep in mind that
neither Delphiniums nor Peonies will produce true-to-the-
variety blooms, either in Size, Color or general character, the
year after they have been divided or cut up. Delphiniums
dislike very much being cut up, and it takes them one Spring
season to get over it; the following Fall, with the second crop
of blossom spikes forthcoming, they will have fully recovered.
Soil, manure and weather conditions effect the blossoms
also to a great extent. Delphiniums are heavy feeders, and
like lots of water during blossoming time. So a word of
advice: don't cut up your clumps, except every four or five
years and do it in the Spring; if you insist on doing it in the
Fall in most cases your divisions will be too weak to sur-
vive the winter. English Delphinum growers advise strongly
against late Fall planting; if you can’t plant early in the Fall,
put it off until early Spring, when the ground gets warm.

WATCH OUT FOR SLUGS! These little beasts are very
fond of both Delphinium and Pansy seedlings and can des-
troy them in a few nights; you go out some morning and
there won’t be anything left but little stems — leaves all gone.
Scatter a little slacked lime along the row or lean little
pieces of wood alongside the seed row; the slugs will crawl
under these for protection during the night, and in the morn-
ing you will find them underneath and can kill them. As some
people might overdo the lime appliance, use Bran instead,
which will not hurt the tender seedings. Slugs are fond of
bran, will get stuck up with the flakes, and die.

As soon as your plants are strong enough, either in your
seed bed outside, or in the flats indoors, transplant them
six inches apart in the row, and leave them there till they
have bloomed the first time; you can tell then what you
want permanently in your garden, or what you want to give
or throw away, then after the season is over, plant perman-
ently in their places 2 or 3 feet apart and leave them alone
for 4 or 5 years; they will reward your labor handsomely,
sending forth twice a year, ten to twenty of those magnifi-
cent, blue blossom stalks, a sight never to be forgotten; but
to obtain the finest results you must feed them heavily —

10

either with well rotted manure or with bonemeal, early in the
season. I put mine on late in the Fall, and then fork it in,
in the Spring. Weak manure-water once a week when
the stalks shoot up, will also produce wonderful spikes, and
as I said before, water during dry waeather, and spray the
leaves with cold water to prevent mifdew.

A SECOND CROP OF BLOSSOM STALKS can be obtained
by cutting off the dying first stalks before they go to seed,
but do not cut the whole plant down, leaves and all, as advo-
cated by some growers; it’s wrong, and taxes the vitality of
the whole clump; leave the leaves alone, and cut the faded
blossom stalk only.

Have you ever tried the tall, handsome blossom spikes for
your house decoration in tall, suitable colored vases? Won-
derfully decorative! I supply a large Tacoma hotel every
summer with these 4 to 6 feet long spikes, cut just when the
first lower blossoms begin to open; they use them in tall
vases and baskets in the lobbies, just by themselves, and a
wonderful showing they make.

THE BEST SOIL for Delphiniums is a rich sandy loam;
a stiff clay soil, one especially that gets sour or water-logged
during the winter time, means failure and death to these
plants; if you have such an unsuitable soil for them, make
it suitable by draining it and mixing sand, wood-ashes, leaves
and strawy manure with the soil; the drainage must be
perfect. Delphiniums are very partial to lime, as the IRISES
are and it is a good plan to apply ground lime rock or air
slacked lime to the soil. One reason why they do so well
in England is undoubtedly due to the fact that most of their
soil there is of a chalky nature.

DISEASES. The unsightly Mildew is undoubtedly caused
by dry and hot weather — (water plentifully, both the plant
and the foliage) and also from shade — plant delphiniums in
the sun. Of the dreaded Eastern Delphinium disease I know
nothing; so called “black leaf” can probably be prevented or
cured by spraying with a lime-sulphur solution and by mixing
plenty of lime in your soil; this will also cure mildew. I have
found that my “GLORY OF PUGET SOUND” strain is practi-
cally mildew proof.

THE SECRET OF GROWING THE FINEST SPECIMENS

As I said before, start with the best seeds your money can
buy from a grower or a firm who make a specialty of growing
and breeding Delphiniums. When your seedlings come into
bloom, watch the stalks; throw away all with ill shaped or
“club” ended stalks, with poor blossoms or ugly colors; let

11

your stalks be of perfect spiral shape, like a church steeple,
with blossoms not too closely set around the stalk, let them
be airy and graceful with plenty of long side shoots or
laterals. Now comes the most important thing to observe,
and that only a very few experts realize and practise; if you
want to grow the finest Delphiniums from your best original
seedlings, plant all your finest, specimens, or whatever your
ideal is of a fine Delphinium, together in one spot, or in
one bed, or one row, and keep all inferior sorts a long ways
away. Delphiniums are pollinized continually by bumble-bees
and humming birds, flitting from flower to flower, and stalk
to stalk; they cross-fertilize the blossoms that will later on
produce your seeds. It stands to reason that if you have only
the very choicest specimens in your bed or border, the pollen
carried by the bees or birds from flower to flower is only
“Choice” pollen, while if you grow mediocre or poor speci-
mens, or varieties subject to mildew in the same bed, the
blossoms of which are also visited by these same bees and
birds, this poor pollen is carried to, and mixed with the pollen
from your choice plants, and as a result you will get a lot
of poor varieties in your next generation; you will be going
backwards, instead of improving your strain. It is ever
thus in nature. Here is one reason, why you should “hitch
your wagon to a star!”

So again, always weed out your poor seedlings unmerci-
fully, if you can not burn them up, give them away, only don’t
do it ;the world is already so full of “poor specimens” of dif-
ferent kinds. BE ONLY SATISFIED WITH THE BEST!
And then, when you once have started with a good strain, keep
it pure; don’t mix it with another strain, you are likely to
go back!

PU DOR’S GLORY OF PUGET SOUND STRAIN, A GOOD
STRAIN “TO HAVE AND TO HOLD”

I had an interesting letter from a professional flower
grower back in Springfield, Mo., just a few days ago, here
it is:

Springfield, Mo., Oct. 27th, 1923. “Last year I purchased
one of your ‘Glory of Puget Sound’ Delphiniums, and a package
of seed. Just as the plant was showing buds I was forced to
move, and in order to save it from neglect I dug it up and
moved it to my new home. In spite of such treatment it
made a wonderful showing and all who saw it expressed their
interest in what it would have done if undisturbed.

“The seedlings which were planted late, were not moved,
but on returning to the old place late in the season, I was
surprised to find them blooming almost as freely as the older
plant.

12

“Now that I have made a business of my ‘hobby’, I wish
to give my customers the advantage of plants from healthy
stock such as yours, so please send me your wholesale price
list.” I. M.

HOW TO PERPETUATE A CERTAIN SPECIMEN

Since only a certain small percentage of a given number of
seeds from one mother plant produce seedling plants alike to
the mother plant, and you wish to increase the number of
a specially fine plant you own, there are only two certain
ways to accomplish this, none is from seeds! Every 3 or
4 years divide the clump into 4 to 6 division^. In fact all

clumps should be divided every 4 or 5 years, even so they

resent being cut up. These divisions will always produce the
same flower as the original plant. Or, if this is not fast
enough for you, you can make cuttings from the specimen
plant, being careful to get a portion of the root stock, and
inserting these cuttings in clean sand in a cold frame, pre-
ferably over a mild heat. You can not make cuttings from

the flower stalks that will root, like one makes rose cuttings.

ONE FINAL WORD

As intimated before, Delphinium seeds do not come true to
the mother plant (Columbines are the same). Only a small
percentage of the seedlings will be like the parent. A double
plant will produce some single ones, one with a black bee
will produce seedlings with white and brown bees and vice
versa; you will get many shades of blue color, but if your
seeds came from an extra fine strain, you will certainly get a
lot of some extra fine hybrid seedlings, the finest you ever
owned. So when you buy a package of my “BLUE GLORY”
seeds, that actually was produced by one of my “BLUE
GLORY” plants, don’t expect for a minute that you will get
a lot of true “Blue Glory” seedlings, for you will not and never
will; you will get a few, — and possibly and probably a few,
perhaps only one, might be very superior to my Blue Glory,
and therein lies the great fascination of growing Delphiniums
from seeds. One thing you may be sure of, you will
get the same pedigreed seeds from the same named Hybrids
that I sow and experiment with; what more can you ask?
Of course, there are a few new varieties, the seeds of which,
I would not sell at any price; new improved seedlings, yet
unamed; you will learn more of those in another season.

LUPINS

I am taking an almost equal interest in the new modern
Lupin, which I consider is destined to become a very popular
garden flower, a close rival of the Delphinium. For a number

13

of years I have grown a very satisfactory garden lupin, of a
beautiful pink color, my “PINK BEAUTY”. It has been
greatly admired by all who have seen it grow in my Gardens,
and I have sold many specimens, and much seed. A 3
or 4 year old clump, with its twenty to 40 tall pink flower
stalks is a wonderful addition to any garden. I am selling
the plants, strong blooming size at 35 and 50 cents per clump,
according to size, post paid, or a dozen at the price of ten,
and the seeds at 25 cents per package.

Luipn seed does not germinate very quickly, nor very
uniformly; some will lie in the soil from Fall until the follow-
ing Spring. Plants grow and increase very rapidly, and
the Lupin is hardy anywhere. It prefers a rather light, poor
soil — not too rich.

In the last few years English Hybridizers have succeeded
in raising some wonderful new hybrids, of colors never
dreamed of before. At great expense, as the price of seeds go,
I have secured direct from these English Breeders, some seeds
from their new hybrids, and in another season hope to be in
a position to offer some of these varieties for sale. In the
meantime, I am offering a limited amount of this imported
seed for sale, but with no guarantee as to its germinating
power. The seed I have sown the past Fall, has germinated
very well, for imported seeds.

1st. DOWNER’S LUPIN. Exclusively composed of Lupinus
polyphyllus ; this is the most expensive of all, but plants
raised from the same will prove far ahead of any other
varieties yet placed on the market. The delightful soft
shades of color are particularly attractive and pleasing. The
colors contain cream, white, pale-pink, deep-pink, red, lavender,
purple, salmon and picotee, forms in blue and plum, blue and
white, pink and white, rose and white, etc. Packet contains
50 seeds. 50 cents.

2nd. ELLIOTT’S SWEET-SCENTED LUPINS, are a very
remarkable break, comprising a wide range of color, and
delicious fragrance. The colors range through white, mauve,
blue, purple, crimson, pink, and soft yellow. He received
the Royal Horticultural Society’s Reward of Merit, a high
honor. Seeds per packet of 50 seeds. 50 cents.

THE REGAL LUPIN — a new strain raised by Harkness,
contain many shades of exquisite colors. Seeds per packet
of 50 seeds, 50 cents.

In another season, I will be in a position to sell the
seeds of these different strains at half price, but until I can
raise them myself I have to ask above prices.

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Don’t Forget America’s
Garden Week in 1924

April 20th to 26th. Plant a perennial flower,
or a friendly tree, or at least, celebrate by sowing
some worth-while flower seeds; it is just the right
time for sowing Delphinium, Lupin and Columbine
seeds, all flowers that you can’t do very well
without.

O. M. PUDOR

Iris and Delphinium Grower and Breeder
PUYALLUP, WASH. U. S. A.

“In the Valley of the Mountain”