Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women - Wise Acres Yearbook (Ambler, PA)

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School o] Horticulture esting. England preferred a perfectly round flat bloom, size being second in importance, and the colors clear and brilliant, either one solid color or only two. And by continual selection they did produce practically circular flowers. Fortunately for those at the present time who prefer their pansies ruffled, fluted and in all colors, the French, the Belgians and the Germans chose everything that was attractive both in color and in form. In time England and Scotland accepted these, also, for the monotony of the too symmetrically round flat pansies finally wearied the people. As a result, by the latter part of the nineteenth century there were several types and the colors were most varied, for they included the original colors, yellow, white, blue and purple as well as pink, red, rose, orange, salmon, mahogany, blended and mixed in the most beautiful and fantastic manner. Today there is scarcely any color or shade, with the exception of green, which is not represented in some variety. Some are of one solid color with only a few pencilings of a dark purple or a lighter blue, the solid color being white, yellow, red, violet, blue, brown or black while others are a combination of several colors. The colors most difficult for the pansy breeder to obtain are pure red and pure blue. There are now some fairly good blue pansies but very few clear fiery reds or blood-reds. However many do not consider the latter a disappointment for there is a decided clash between the red, henna or bronze pansies and the purple and deeper blue ones. These modern improved pansies are the result of constant selection and of the best methods of cultivation. It is not necessary to cross-polli-nate by artificial means as the bees make every cross imaginable. Therefore when new varieties are desired careful selection is made from seedlings and the plants chosen for seed breeding are isolated, in this case to prevent further crossing with other varieties. These, however, are not offered to the public until they have been subjected to rigorous testing for years in the gardens of the originator. Our pansies usually run in strains rather than in definite varieties for Americans seem to prefer a mixture. In Europe more named varieties are offered. Most of our best strains are of European origin for our breeders send abroad for everything good or new, test them out in their experimental fields and from these choose the best and develop strains of their own, selling them, then, under their own name. The chief points of merit in the modern high-bred pansy are size, brilliancy and arrangement of coloring. Seed should be bought each year from seedsmen, for in the hands of the amateur pansies quickly degenerate. The seed of the best strains is necessarily expensive for these high-bred pansies require a great deal of extra care in the growing, and the finer the strain, the fewer seed produced. The tufted pansies or violas had an entirely different origin from the ordinary garden pansy. Here the originators deliberately strove for

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WILD PANSY and CULTIVATED PANSY OF 1830 Prow “Pansies, Violas and Violets” By William Cuthbcrtson This improvement began in England and therefore this country is usually considered to be the home of the garden pansy. Two people became interested in this modest flower at about the same time, Lady Mary Bennett (later Lady Monk) and Lord Gambier, the former in 1810, the latter in 1813 or 1815. Soon their gardeners, Mr. Richardson and Mr. Thomson, respectively, became exceedingly interested, saved everything of merit from their own gardens, obtained new colors wherever they could, planted the seed of only the most beautiful and grew them in special soil. In a short time, due to this continual selection, and to the cross pollination brought about by insects, each garden contained a good collection. Others began to raise pansies. As they responded almost magically to garden treatment, they gained rapidly in favor. By 1835 there were four hundred named varieties on sale in England. In fact, so much of a favorite did the pansy become that it ranked with the rose itself, even, for popularity. Both distinguished amateurs and talented nurserymen devoted themselves to the cultivation of the pansy and gained surprising success. The English horticultural societies encouraged this competition by offering prizes for the finest flowers. Every nobleman, every owner of an estate wished to have his own special collection of pansies, and the. nurserymen, who were well rewarded, did everything they could to keep alive this interest of the public by constantly producing new varieties. In the middle of the thirties the price for new and good varieties was five shillings a plant and for especially excellent ones a much higher price was obtained. Ten pounds was offered for one seedling and refused. One of the largest private collections belonged to a Mr. W. Sydenham and contained in 1898 two million plants. This popularity increased to such an extent that several pansy, and pansy-and-viola societies were organized both in England and in Scotland. Two of these are still in existence today. The development of the flower in different countries is very inter- £f 30

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Wise-Acres •♦4il ' - = Sf their ideal by crossing Viola cornuta of the Pyrenees with the garden pansies of their day. The resulting type was more perennial in character, often more tufted in habit, had smaller flowers and were generally more fragrant than the common pansy. If in this cross Viola cornuta is the mother, the resulting plants have more of the characteristics of this parent, that is are more perennial, more tufted in habit, and the flowers are long and narrow; if, on the other hand, the female parent is the garden pansy the offspring are straggling in their method of growth and the flowers are small round pansies. The name ‘‘viola” is really the name for a whole genus, and from species in this genus all pansies and violas have developed. It is a question as to why “viola” was made the name of merely a section, but the term remains. At first there was much discussion over the matter, for many preferred the title of “tufted pansies” but it was finally decided this would not do for often the plants are as straggling as any of the varities of the ordinary pansy. At present both terms are used. Viola cornuta was introduced from Spain into the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in 1776, but for nearly ninety years it remained in English gardens without having its peculiar merits discovered, and this too in spite of the fact that it was a color, pale mauve, wanted for a long time in their gardens. Credit for first bringing violas into prominence as a decorative bedding plant belongs to Mr. John Wills who first grew them in 1862, and to Mr. James Grieve, of Edinburgh, who began their cultivation about 1863. Many became interested and originated numerous varieties, among these being Mr. William Cuthbertson, now of Dobbie and Company, who also wrote a very worth-while book on “Pansies, Violas and Violets.” This book gives some delightful colored illustrations of violas, a few of which are a solid color without even a trace of any pencilings. Violas are so much more lovable than their large cousins, the pansies, that it is a pity we do not grow more of them in this country. There are several varieties whose dainty clear colors are most useful here and there among the edging plants of the perennial borders, tucked in odd corners of the rock garden, or for ground cover with the spring bulbs. Two very splendid violas originated in our neighboring state, New Jersey. Mr. T. A. Weston, one of the editors of the Florists’ Exchange, found one as a chance seedling among his violas in 1921. At first he thought it was just a G. Wermig but the next season he recognized its distinct individuality and began propagating from every bit of it. He named it Jersey Gem, although one firm in London sells it as Blue Gem. The plants form neat masses of glossy dark green foliage and bloom freely all through our hot summers. Since the flowers are more like large violets, a violet blue in color, and fragrant, they are often used by the florists in their place, especially where large quantities are needed. m 32