16 



the summer sowing need protection if the winter is severe, and 

 in general the management of the seedlings is more easy in pots 

 than in the open ; a pot can, for instance, be easily preserved and 

 watched for three, four, or even a longer number of years when 

 germination is tardy, whereas it is difficult to keep a seed-patch 

 in the open, or even in a frame, clean of weeds and otherwise 

 preserved for such a length of time. Hence it is, I believe, the 

 best to sow in pots, choosing somewhat deep pots rather than 

 shallow pans, since the roots strike deep. But the young bulbs, 

 after their first year's growth, will thrive better in the open, 

 though they will benefit by protection in winter for one year 

 more. Seedlings of Vartani certainly, and ofHistrio to a large 

 degree, will need protection at all times. 



Before leaving the reticulata group, I must mention a little 



Iris, I. Kolpakowskyana 

 (fig. 12), an inhabitant of 

 Turkestan, named after a 

 Russian general who has 

 done much to further our 

 knowledge of the botany of 

 Central Asia. This is an 

 outlying member of the 

 group, being to a certain 

 extent intermediate between 

 I. reticulata and I. Sisy- 

 rinchium. It has netted 

 coats to the bulb, and the 

 flowers are single and sessile, 

 but in its leaves it resembles 

 I. Sisyrinchium, as indeed it 

 does also the features of the 

 flower. It is a charming 

 little plant, the falls pre- 

 senting a beautiful contrast 

 of rich red-purple and bright 

 FIG. 12. IRIS KOLPAKOWSKYANA. golden yellow ; but for some 



reason or other it is most 



difficult of cultivation in this country ; imported bulbs die for 

 the most part after the first year, and I much fear that it will 

 never become a garden favourite. 



