226 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



groups, it may be remarked that the rhizomatous are, as a rule, the 

 best fitted for a rough life, while the tuberous kinds require more 

 attention, though none of these latter are to be regarded as pre- 

 senting serious difficulties to the cultivator. When grown in the 

 open ground, all the species and varieties of Iris should be lifted 

 and replanted every three or four years, in fresh and suitable soil of 

 course, and at a depth consistent with their size and habit. The 

 amateur will do well to keep in mind a simple rule respecting the 

 two groups, for it has real practical value. The roots of the rhizo- 

 matous kinds tend upwards in growth, so that though in the first 

 instauce they may be planted a foot or so in depth, yet in two or 

 three years they will rise above the surface ; hence these require 

 periodical replanting, in order to place the roots at a proper depth. 

 The tuberous-rooted kinds tend downwards in growth, and therefore 

 when these are taken up they should be replanted less deep than 

 they were found ; for if allowed to penetrate deeper and deeper of 

 their own free will, they will in time have their roots so far removed 

 from air and sunshine that they will perish outright. 



Fibrous-booted ok Hhizomatous Iris. — Iris Germanica is the 

 best type of this group, and takes rank as a florist's flower. We 

 feel bound to deliver an opinion against it as such, and we would go 

 so far as to say that, although a few clumps are admissible almost 

 anywhere, and are especially charming in a little cottage garden, its 

 proper place is in the front of the shrubbery and other parts of the 

 grounds that are not richly dressed. There are many beautiful and 

 fantastic varieties, numbering fully a hundred in all, but none 

 surpassing in effectiveness the common " blue flag," as it is called. 

 This plant requires a rich deep soil and a sunny situation to attain 

 full development, and those who grow the named varieties should of 

 course appropriate to them a good open border in a retired part of 

 the garden, as far removed from the principal display of flowers as 

 possible. They will, however, do pretty well under the shade of trees, 

 and have no objection to a sheltered nook in the immediate vicinity 

 of water. The following twenty-four varieties cf German Iris com- 

 prise the most distinct and showy, and constitute a good collection 

 for a beginner : — Arquinto, aurora, atroviolacea, Buriensis, chereau, 

 Duchesse de Nemours, Duchess of Sutherland, Edina, elegantissima, 

 Elfrida, Enchantress, Harlequin, Incomparable, Jacquesiana, Lord 

 Grey, marginaia, mirabilis, nigra, optima, Queen of Gipsies, Queen of 

 May, Romeo, Sampson, Sparta. 



I. sambucina differs from the last in its more vigorous growth 

 and the nearly equal size of the segments of its dull purple flowers. 

 A good shrubbery plant. 



I. variegata is closely related to I. Germanica ; the flowers are 

 yellow, netted with brown lines. 



J. lutescens is a neat dwarf plant, which produces but one flower 

 on each stem. The usual colour of the flower is pale yellow netted 

 with violet, but occasional variations occur. This is scarcely hardy 

 enough for cold damp soils, but is quite hardy on dry soils in sunny 

 sheltered situations. 



I. pallida is closely related to the German Iris, but differs in the 



