May 11, 1907 



HORTICULTURE 



621 



THE IRIS. 



(Road Before the Massachusptts Horticul- 

 tural Society by J. Woodward Manning.) 

 While the genera of Iris are confined 

 almost exclusively to the Northern 

 Hemisphere ranging from the Atlas 

 Mountains In northern Africa to a lati- 

 tude of about fifty degrees north, the 

 Iris family is closely represented in 

 the tropics by the moraeas and mari- 

 cas similar in effect but botanically 

 distinct, while crocuses, freesias, 

 tigridias and ixia are familiar genera 

 and serve to represent the family in 

 all parts of the temperate and tropic 

 world. 



The iris, or as popularly known, the 

 fleur de lis, rainbow-flower or poor- 

 man's orchid, etc.. has more than 170 

 described pure species, of which about 

 100 have been cultivated at times by 

 American horticulturists while some- 

 what more than 130 species are grown 

 by English iris fanciers among which, 

 however, a portion fail to combine 

 sufficient distinction, beauty or ease of 

 culture to warrant their extended use. 

 While, however, perhaps less than a 

 hundred species are to be recom- 

 mended for cultivation in American or 

 particularly New England gardens, 

 this is but a fraction of the number of 

 ■ varieties which by selection or cross 

 fertilization have been produced and 

 contribute most advantageously to gar- 

 den ornamentation. 



The question of the best species, 

 their peculiar requirements, if any, 

 their ornamental and color effect, their 

 better varieties and season of bloom 

 are matters of interest to the New 

 England flower lover, because there Is 

 much of neglected beauty in the class 

 from lack of this knowledge and dan- 

 ger of disappointment from a misun- 

 derstanding of the limitations in color 

 range. It is possible, too, to very ma- 

 terially extend the period of bloom aa 

 compared with the usual results at- 

 tained in the flower garden. 



Such irises as figure in horticultural 

 I'Ses are divided into two classes, those 

 of bulbous nature and those with 

 rhizomes, the latter varying in this 

 character from the conspicuous sur- 

 face rhizomes of the very familiar 

 German iris to very narrow, incon- 

 spicuous, subterraneous types of rhi- 

 zomes in which the roots are the more 

 conspicuous. 



The bulbous irises, are most famil- 

 iarly known by the English and Span- 

 ish types, both of which have been 

 very greatly improved by selection. 

 The English Iris (Iris xiphioides), 

 growing to a height of a foot and a 

 half to two feet, bears two to three 

 flowers to a stalk and varies in color 

 from the purest white form of Mont 

 Blanc through shades of lavender, blue 

 and purple, of which Lord Palmerston 

 with deep rich crimson purple falls 

 and purple-claret standards is perhaps 

 the isest of the darker colored varie- 

 ties. Many too are showily striped, 

 flaked and blotched with shades of 

 richer colors than the general tone of 

 the flowers. The Spanish Iris (Iris 

 xiphium) has taller and more con 

 spicuous standards than the last and 

 the markings are more clearly defined 

 on the falls than is the case with the 

 English Iris; possibly the improve- 

 ment by selection has covered a longer 

 period with the Spanish Iris. In any 

 event such variety as the Thunderbolt 

 is very noteworthy in its large com- 

 parative size of flower and grows two 



feet or more high. The flowers are 

 richly colored in bronze with a re- 

 markably broad signal patch of yel- 

 low on each of the falls. The better 

 varieties of this class are Blanche 

 Superba, of purest white, (5olden Cup, 

 a very popular yellow, and Cantab of 

 ultramarine blue with orange blotch 

 and dark blue standards. 



Both English and Spanish Iris are of 

 easy garden culture, planted in au- 

 tumn, the English Iris requiring the 

 greater moisture of the two, the bulbs 

 being planted at a depth of from three 

 to five inches while a mulch is an ad- 

 vantage. There are a few other species 

 of tall growing bulbous Irises, such as 

 Iris Juncea and the rare Boissieri, but 

 they probably are seldom imported 

 and do not compare horticulturally 

 with the selected varieties of the last 

 two species. 



The dwarf bulbous species are most 

 familiarly represented by the Iris 

 recticulata, a native of Palestine, 

 varying somewhat in type but gorgeous 

 in coloring with its brilliant shadings 

 of purple and gold and a delicious vio- 

 let fragrance. Flowering as it does 

 naturally in March our climatic con- 

 ditions require its cultivation in 

 frames to protect the flowers from 

 staining by dampness, though it is 

 hardy and can be used very advan- 

 ta.geously in lockeries or in protected 

 sunny situations within easy access to 

 the house. The Armenian Iris Baker- 

 iana is even earlier, but less showy, 

 though of rich markings of purple and 

 orange in connection with its general 

 blue tone. I. Vartiana is another 

 species from Asia Minor, but more 

 diflicult to manage than the others 

 and more tender. 



Another class of bulbous species are 

 known under the name o"f Juno Irises, 

 natives of the Caucasus. Afghanistan 

 and Northern India. They have com- 

 paratively large bulbs and require 

 well drained situations and a thorough 

 sun baking in summer to insure their 

 continuance and future flowering. 

 They have generally leafy stems with 

 several flowers closely set to the stalk 

 and combine all the ranges of coloring 

 in the family. They closely follow the 

 last group in their flowering period, 

 hut their inadaptability for cutting 

 and the peculiar cultural conditions 

 they demand without particular in- 

 crease in their color range fails to 

 promise much for their culture in 

 American gardens except to the fan- 

 cier. Of them I. Rosenbachiana, Sind- 

 jarensis and Assyrica are perhaps the 

 best. 



Of rhizomatous irises the bugbear 

 class is that of the Onocyclus group, 

 generally known as Cushion Irises. The 

 most familiar species is the Mourn- 

 ing Iris or Iris susiana. All have very 

 broad petals, and among them are the 

 most remarkable forms in coloring. 

 Many of the flowers are most delicate- 

 ly veined and reticulated generally 

 with a darker color on a light back- 

 ground, and were they of easier 

 growth they could not fail to be popu- 

 lar in every garden. They are from 

 Persia, Armenia and Afghanistan and 

 naturally require hard sun baking 

 after their short blooming season. 

 They can hardly be called hardy, and 

 in any event require such special cul- 

 tural attention that they cannot be 

 recommended. The wonderfully full 

 flowers with their peculiar markings 

 such as shown in I. paradoxa, Iberica 



and the so-called (Prince of Irises) I. 

 Gates! makes them particularly inter- 

 esting and tantalizing. 



Closely allied to the Oncocyclus 

 group is another popularly known as 

 the Regelia section, in which the pet- 

 als are narrower and the plants are 

 hardier and considerably more easily 

 cultivated, but of even greater impor- 

 tance is the fact that they hybridize 

 freely with the Oncocyclus group and 

 the progeny are comparatively easily 

 cultivated, increase rapidly and are of 

 prolific blooming quality. Mr. C. G. 

 van Tubergen, Jr., of Haarlem, Hol- 

 land, has been largely responsible for 

 this group of so-called Regelio-Cyclus 

 Irises, obtaining them by crossing Iris 

 Korolkowii and its varieties; I. Leicht- 

 lini, I. Sara and I. Suwarowi with va- 

 rious species of the Oncocyclus group. 

 Such resulting progeny as Psyche, lav- 

 ender beautifully striped with rich pur- 

 ple with darker toned falls, Charon, 

 rich coppery purple with deep purple 

 markings and Iphigenia intermediate 

 in its color range show something of 

 the result, while the shape of the 

 flowers is a happy medium between the 

 two groups. 



Probably this group has not been 

 extensively cultivated in this country 

 as yet, and we will look forward with 

 deep interest to the results. 



{To te cotttitiueii.) 



HORTICULTURE'S REPRESENTA- 

 TIVES. 



The following named gentlemen 

 represent this paper in their various 

 local districts, and are authorized to 

 accept subscriptions, advertisements 

 and news items: 



BUFFALO, N. Y.— E. C. Brucker, 385-87 



Elllcott St. 

 CLEVELAND. OHIO— A. L. Hutcblns, 2220 



East 74th St. 

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St. 

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East 3d St. 

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15th St. 

 INDIANAPOLIS, IND.— George B. Wle- 



gand. 1610 N. Illinois St. 

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Cherokee Rd. 

 MONTREAL.— William Cooper, 338 St. 



James St. 

 NEWPORT, R. I.— David Mcintosh, Ledge 



Road. 

 PHILADELPHIA. PA.— George C. Wat- 

 sou, DobsoD Bldg., 9th and Market Sts. 

 PITTSBURG, PA.— James Hntehlnson, 



corner Dunmoyle and S. Negley Ares. 

 TWIN CITIES— John A. May, 163 Igle- 



hart St., St. Paul, Minn. 

 TOLEDO. OHIO— J. L. Schiller, 929 Pronty 



Ave. 



BUSINESS CHANGES. 



Guuther Bros, have removed to their 

 new wholesale store on West 28th 

 street. New York city. 



The Mountain Park Greenhouse is 

 the name under which H. W. Girton 

 of Ridgeway. Pa., will do business 

 hereafter at 132 Main street. He has 

 purchased the stock of W. S. Smathers. 



Rene Brower, formerly of the firm of 

 W. H. Brower's Sons. New York city, 

 has opened a retail florist business in 

 the Coogan Building, where are locat- 

 ed the flower market and a number of 

 wholesale firms. 



You'll find something worth reading 

 on every page of this paper. 



