THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 227 



flowers being stalkless and the tube sborter. It is of vigorous 

 habit, and a large clump covered with soft blue or bluish-white 

 flowers has a handsome appearance. A good shrubbery plant. 



I. cristata. — A pretty dwarf plant, and scarcely hardy enough for 

 cold soils, but quite hardy in a sheltered and dry situation. The 

 flowers are blue variegated with yellow. 



I. fcetidissima. — This is the " Gladwin" of the English woods, a 

 capital shrubbery plant, thriving best in deep rich soil in a shady 

 situation. The flowers are usually of a purple colour, with metallic 

 shades, but they vary considerably even on the same plant. The 

 variegated-leaved variety is an extremely handsome plant for pot 

 culture in the alpine-house. 



I. graminea is a neat grasslike plant, with flowers that present 

 shades of white, purple, and yellow. A good rockery and woodland 

 plant, but not good enough for a first-rate border. 



I. ymmila is the so-called " Crimean Iris ;" a small, neat, fast- 

 spreading, thrifty, and sportive plant, of which there are many distinct 

 varieties. This is good enough for the best herbaceous border, and 

 should have a dry sunny situation. A series of large clumps of 

 distinct colours would contribute in a most pleasing manner to the 

 enrichment of the border in the month of April, and the more dis- 

 tinctive varieties might be employed for edging beds of lilies and 

 other large groups of herbaceous plants. The following ten varieties 

 are all desirable, and constitute an extremely pretty collection : — 

 Pumila vera, atrocoerulea, alba, bicolor, ccerulea, gracilis, intermedia, 

 lutea, pallida, versicolor. 



I. ruthenica. — Small plant with grasslike leaves, the flowers are 

 borne one on each stem, the colour deep purplish-blue. A charming 

 plant for rockwork, and for pot culture in the alpine-house. It 

 requires a light sandy soil and the most perfect drainage. 



I. sibirica is somewhat robust in growth, and when out of flower 

 bears some resemblance to the day-ldy, owing to the narrowness of 

 its leaves. The flowers are blue, overlaid with lines of deep indigo. 

 A good shrubbery plant. 



I. susiana. — This iris grows two feet high, and produces in April 

 flowers of great size, of a fine blue colour, richly netted with dark 

 brown lines. It is a fine garden plant, requiring a warm well- 

 drained soil and sheltered position. It is also worthy of pot culture, 

 and when in flower a noble adornment for the conservatory. 



I. tenax. — A dwarf tough plant, producing very large flowers of a 

 deep purple colour, blotched with white and yellow. Suitable for 

 the rockery. 



I. iberica. — A very dwarf, exceedingly neat plant, with glaucous 

 leaves and gigantic flowers, the upper half of which is snow-white, 

 the lower half most curiously veined with black and brown upon a 

 groundwork of dull yellow. This rare and magnificent iris was 

 admirably presented by Mr. Ware, of Hale .Farm Nurseries, Totten- 

 ham, at a meeting of the Eoyal Horticultural Society in April last 

 year. A remarkable fine rockery and pot plant, requiring a rich 

 light sandy soil and the most perfect drainage. 



I. nudicaulis. — A dwarf, neat, fast-spreading plant, with broadish 



