THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



627 



colour, and the total effect of the flower 

 is very striking and beautiful. 



I. persica (Persian Iris). — This is one 

 of the most charming of the early kinds, 

 and deserves a place wherever the soil is 

 warm and dry. Its flowers, produced from 



Iris persica. 



a tuft of bright green leaves that just peep 

 over the soil, are white, suffused with pale 

 Prussian blue, and blotched with velvety 

 purple. It comes from Persia, and is 

 therefore somewhat tender, but in warm 

 sheltered spots, in light sandy soil, suc- 

 ceeds well enough, and flowers in winter 

 and spring, according to the weather. 



I. Pseudo-acorus {Connnon Water 

 Flag). — Common as is this Flag, every one 

 who has grown it fairly will admit its beauty. 

 Whoever has in his garden a pond or a 

 ditch, or even a thoroughly damp spot, 

 ought to plant this Flag. 



I. pumila {Dzvarf Flag). — The best of 

 the dwarf Flags, for to it we owe the many 

 lovely varieties that create such a rich dis- 

 play of bloom in spring. It grows from 4 

 to 8 in. high, and has deep-violet flowers, 

 unusually large for its size. There are 

 several named varieties, the most attrac- 

 tive being the sky-blue (coerulea), which 

 in early spring forms sheets of bright 

 colour edgings in free soil. 



I. reticulata {Netted Iris). — One of the 

 most beautiful of hardy flowers. While 

 the snow is still on the ground — in January, 

 or even earlier — its leaves begin to shoot, 

 and while these are only a few inches high, 

 the bud opens to the pale wintry sun a 

 beauty of violet and gold. After the 

 flower has faded, the erect narrow leaves 

 grow apace, attaining a height of i ft. or I 



more, and, as in the Crocus, the ripened 

 ovary is m due time thrust upwards from the 

 soil. This little treasure is indeed the Iris 

 companion of the Crocus, and those who 

 have seen large clumps of it growing in 

 some sheltered but sunny spot in the bright 

 and gusty days of February or March, may 

 well wish that its netted bulbs were as plen- 

 tiful as Crocus corms. The plant comes 

 from some parts of the Caucasus and from 

 Palestine, and there are several varieties. 

 Krelagei may be recognised by flowers of 

 a purple or plum colour, with the yellow 

 marking less vivid ; the whole flower is 

 smaller, also less fragrant, in fact is almost 



wholly without scent, and it flowers ten 

 or fourteen days earlier. An exquisite 

 gem is /. r. cyanea., which is very bright in 

 colour, a slaty blue, and dwarf. Sopho- 

 nensis, with red-purple flowers and a bold 

 crest, is a native of Asia Minor, and blooms 

 in early February. /. r. purpurea, a small 

 variety with deep-purple flowers, is pleas- 

 ing. A sunny sheltered spot is, however, 

 advisable, that its tall narrow leaves may, 

 after flowering, be protected from the wind. 

 Sandy soil will do, but it is not particular 

 in this respect. Sometimes, however, it 

 refuses to grow, and in damp places the 

 bulbs rot in summer. Since the flowers 

 come before the leaves grow tall it makes 

 a good pot plant, and a well-grown clump 

 is a charming addition to the Christmas 

 table. Unfortunately /. reticulata refuses 

 to grow at all in some localities through 

 disease. Although this disease may be 

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