6 THE BOOK OF THE IRIS 



on a prepared roof, but the present writer is unable to 

 recommend this or any similar situation, unless the Irises 

 are required to serve a special purpose. In China and 

 Japan /. tectorum is cultivated on roofs, by some, it is 

 said to be, for the purpose of warding off pestilence, others 

 say that the object is to strengthen the thatch. Mrs 

 Hugh Fraser, in her book of Japanese Tales, states how 

 Irises in Japan came to be grown on thatched roofs. 



" Once there was a famine in the land and it was 

 forbidden to plant in the ground anything that could 

 not be used as food. The frivolous Irises only supply 

 the powder with which the women whiten their faces, 

 but their little ladyships could not be cheated of that. 

 * Must we look like frights as well as die of hunger ? ' 

 they cried, and so every woman set a tiny plantation of 

 Irises on the roof of her house, and there in most country 

 places they are growing still." 



Some of the Pogoniris group do very well in small 

 depth of soil, and may be used for roof cultivation. 

 Certain kinds are very suitable for marsh and water 

 gardens, and even require the wetness there provided. 

 On moist ground we should have all the best forms of 

 Iris sibirica, the peculiar /. fulva, and the comparatively 

 new /. albopurpurea, while /. lacvigata, if there is no lime 

 or chalk, will probably make the great feature of this 

 now somewhat popular kind of garden. In the water, 

 or near it, our native /. Pseudacorus is exceedingly effective 

 as a " flag"; its bright yellow flowers are valuable for 

 their colour. 



Notwithstanding the fact that Irises may be selected for 

 the conditions already existing in any garden, we still 

 require certain means and conveniences for the enjoy- 

 ment of a collection or selection of the best kinds, and 

 our proper enthusiasm can be satisfied with no less than 

 all the best. Situation and aspect, from this point of 

 view, are distinctly important. Shelter from keen and 



