IRIS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



IRIS. 



towards the base of the petals with rose- 

 pink, whilst the markings are of the deep- 

 est purple, relieved by a crest of gold. 

 Syria. 



I. HISTRIOIDES. One of the most 

 charming of the spring flowering bulbous 

 Irises. Though it has only been in culti- 

 vation a few years, it has proved of easy 

 culture. The flowers are larger than those 

 of any of the group, the falls mottled with 

 white and rich lilac both on the claw and 

 on the broad rounded blade. It is a native 

 of E. Anatolia, and blooms in early March. 



I. IBERICA (Iberian Flag). One of the 

 most singular of Iris. The flowers are 

 large, the standards white, pencilled and 

 spotted with purple or violet, while the 

 falls are veined with dark purple or purple- 

 black on a yellowish ground, with a con- 

 spicuous dark blotch in the centre. The 

 rhizome should not be planted deep, but 

 only just below the surface, as in most cases 

 the roots perish when planted deeply. 

 Coarse river sand should be used, the 

 rhizome being planted completely in it, 

 and by this means it is kept rather dry 

 during the winter. Dry borders or on the 

 rock garden. 



Iris iberica* 



I. JUNCEA (Rush-leaved Flag). A lovely 

 bulbous Iris, graceful in habit and with 

 bright yellow flowers of a delightful 

 fragrance, whilst it can be grown almost 

 as easily as the English Irises. It requires 

 a light, rich, deep soil, and will be all the 

 better if planted where it can be kept 

 fairly dry during winter. Spain. 



I. K^EMPFERI (Japanese Flag). The 

 many varieties in cultivation under this 

 name have sprung from /. Icevigata and 

 /. setosa, and form a fine race of garden 

 plants, whilst every year many beautiful 

 sorts are added, chiefly from Japan, though 

 many seedlings have been raised in this 

 country. The flowers are variable in size 



and colour, some measuring as much as 

 9 and 10 inches across. The varieties of 

 /. setosa differ from those of /. lesvigata in 

 having broader and less-drooping petals, 

 and the three inner petals are often of the 

 same size as the outer, so that the flower 

 is symmetrical. /. Kcempferi will grow in 

 almost any soil, but is best in a good loam, 

 with peat added to it, though this is not 

 so much for nourishment as to retain 

 moisture during the hot and dry summer 

 months, for this Flag likes moisture, and 

 its numerous roots will often go 2 feet 

 deep in search of it. It dislikes shade, 

 preferring a warm sunny position, being 

 especially happy when planted by the 

 margin of a lake, pond, or stream, where 

 cooling conditions obtain, but where the 

 roots or crowns are not submerged. Two- 

 year-old seedling plants of it bloom in 

 June and July, and amongst them will be 

 found an endless variety of colours from 

 white to the richest plum, the deep blues 

 being very rich. In cultivation they pre- 

 fer a generous treatment, rich loam and 

 old manure suiting them. Plant Sep- 

 tember to November and March to early 

 April. When transplanted this moisture- 

 loving Flag does not bloom well until the 

 second season after planting. Division, 

 or seeds, which should be sown as soon as 

 gathered either in pots or in the open 

 ground, they will vegetate in the following 

 spring. 



I. KOLPAKOWSKIANA. An ally of /. 

 reticulata, perfectly hardy and flowering 

 about the same time, and effective in 

 groups. The chief difference from the 

 netted Iris is in the bulb and leaves, which 

 are narrow, linear, deeply channelled on 

 the inner face, with a central band or rib 

 like a Crocus leaf, and pale green without 

 the glaucous tint usual to this group. 

 The falls are deep violet-purple, with a 

 beardless bright yellow keel, from which 

 are purplish branchings, whilst the stan- 

 dards are pale self-lilac with creamy 

 anthers. Turkestan. 



I. KOROLKOWI. Of this the leaves are 

 tall, narrow, and upright, the scape, which 

 is about i foot or so high, bearing two 

 large flowers of delicate shades of grey 

 and brown, and beautifully veined. Warm 

 and dry spots on the rock garden. 



I. LACUSTRIS (Dwarf Lake Iris). A 

 dainty, quite hardy Iris, with beautiful 

 sky-blue flowers in spring and again in 

 the autumn. It belongs to the rhizoma- 

 tose group, is free both in growth and 

 bloom, and succeeds in full sun and in 

 sandy soil. N. America. 



I. LORTETI. In general features it is 

 near to /. Sari, but its wonderful colouring 

 makes it, perhaps, the most beautiful Iris 

 in the world. " In a plant flowered by 

 myself this summer (1893)," writes Prof. 

 Foster, " the falls showed a creamy-yellow 

 ground marked with crimson spots, con- 

 centrated at the centre into a dark crimson 



