GARDEN FLOWERS. 2O9 



let, in July; North America; 1826. /. picta (painted); half- 

 hardy biennial ; 3 feet ; flowers scarlet, blotched white, in July ; 

 Carolina ; 1 726. 



Iresine. [Amarantaceae.] A very fine dark-foliaged 

 plant, more hardy than Coleus and brighter than Perilla, 

 very useful for summer bedding, and easily propagated by 

 cuttings. As a decorative plant it has no rival. Achyran- 

 thes of French florists. 



/. Hef'bstii (Herbst's) ; soft -wooded shrub ; i foot ; not yet 

 flowered in cultivation ; Peru and La Plata ; 1863. 



Iris. Flower de Luce. [Iridaceae.] Beautiful hardy per- 

 ennials, of very simple culture. They prefer a loamy soil 

 somevv^hat moist, and thrive best when not too frequently 

 disturbed, as they then spread into good-sized patches, and 

 produce a greater abundance of flowers. They are propa- 

 gated without the least difficulty by dividing the plants. 

 There are one or two bulbous-rooted species, /. Xipkium and 

 Xiphioides^ the latter commonly called English, and the for- 

 mer Spanish Iris, the varieties of which are extensively cul- 

 tivated as florists' flowers. The varieties of color among 

 these bulbous kinds is very great, including white, yellow, 

 blue, purple, and many indescribable tints. These should be 

 planted a foot apart, in a rich bed of loam, dung, and sand, 

 and should be removed only once in two years ; the trans- 

 planting taking place in September. They are increased by 

 offsets. 



/. atncena (pleasing) ; hardy perennial ; i foot ; flowers white 

 and purple, in June ; Europe; 1821. I. cristata {crested) ; har- 

 dy perennial ; 3 inches ; flowers pale-blue, in May ; North Amer- 

 ica ; 1756. /. Florentina (Florentine) ; hardy perennial ; 2 feet ; 

 flowers white, in May; south of Europe; 1596. /. GeriJianica 

 (German) ; hardy perennial ; 2 feet ; flowers dark-blue, in May ; 

 Germany; 1573. /. lutescens (yellowish); hardy perennial; 6 

 inches; flowers yellow, in May; Germany; 1748. /. notha 

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