vi RIVERSIDE LETTERS 45 



flower, and kindly make allowance for the 

 enthusiasm of a gardener, who has been 

 struggling for six years with Nature, when at 

 length his efforts are crowned with success. 



All the irises are lovely, but this one far 

 surpasses all others that I know, in the mys- 

 terious glamour that it inspires when seen by 

 any one for the first time. The little Iris 

 tuberosa, or snake's-head iris, approaches 

 /. Susiana, in my opinion, perhaps nearer 

 than any other in fascinating interest. This 

 iris has been beautifully described by E. V. B. 

 in her delightful book Days and flours in a 

 Garden ; it is, like the mourning iris, sombre 

 in tint, a mixture of olive, brown, velvety 

 black, gold and green, that is exceedingly 

 harmonious, the foliage is long and narrow, 

 the small blooms are at first wrapt up so tightly 

 that they hardly show, and the flower itself 

 is so small that to see its quaint beauty one 

 has either to stoop clown or pick the bloom. 



This iris is hardy enough ; if the spring is 

 fairly mild, and the curious little bulbs are 



