IRIS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



IRIS. 611 



densely spotted and striped with dark 

 purple on a gray ground. It should be 

 grown in sunny nooks in the rock-garden, 

 or on sheltered banks or borders, but 

 always in light, warm, or chalky soils. 

 We have seen it flowering well in a bor- 

 der in the Archbishop of Canterbury's 

 garden near Broadstairs, where it is hardy. 

 Asia Minor. Division. 



I. tuberosa (Snakes-head). This is an 

 interesting if quiet-coloured kind, 12 or 13 

 in. high, the flowers small, brownish-green 

 marked with yellow, and a purplish-brown 

 tinge on the upper part. There are 

 usually two tubers. It is not showy 

 enough for every garden, but where ad- 

 mired it may be naturalised in light soil. 

 S. Europe. 



I. variegata is a handsome Flag of the 

 Germanica group, I to 2 ft. high, with 

 large, slightly fragrant flowers, having 

 bright yellow standards and claret-red 

 falls beautifully veined. Similar in aspect 

 is I. aphylla, with deep lilac falls and 

 white standards veined with purple, whilst 

 there are numerous varieties, the colours 

 of which are varied and beautiful. I.lurida 

 and its varieties also come under this group. 



I. xiphioides (English Iris]. This is a 

 beautiful flower, and the many garden 

 varieties are amongst the finest things we 

 have in early summer. 



The English Iris got its popular name 

 in a rather curious way, being sent from 

 its Pyrenean home, where its distribution 

 is limited, to Bristol traders, thence to 

 Holland. The Dutch, supposing it to be 

 a native of our shores, called it the 

 English Iris. The flowers are quite dis- 

 tinct in aspect from those of the Spanish 

 Iris and appear a fortnight or so later. 

 They are broad and display a delightful 

 diversity of colour, from deepest purple 

 to pure white. Among the good varieties 

 are Leon Tolstoi, Mont Blanc, Grande 

 Celeste, King of the Blues, La Charmante, 

 and Vainqueur. There are, of course, 

 many other varieties in which one gets 

 flowers splashed and mottled with various 

 colours. These are not so fine as the bold 

 self kinds, and raisers should think less of 

 them, rather giving us self colours, which 

 are always more effective both in the gar- 

 den and when gathered for the house. 

 There is a curious variety called Thunder- 

 bolt, which is of a dusky dull colour. 



Dr. Wallace, of Colchester, writes as 

 follows : "The English Irises are easily 

 cultivated and well worthy of a place in 

 all gardens. Flowering at the end of 

 June and during July, they come in when 

 most of the other Irises are over, and a 

 bed of their large flowers is beautiful for 



several weeks, their strong spikes mostly 

 carrying two or more flowers, in all shades 

 of white, blue, and reddish-purple, some 

 splashed and streaked, others with clear 

 decided colours, formidable rivals to the 

 Iris Kaempferi, which they closely re- 

 semble in shape and pose of flower, 

 but of dwarfer habit. I find them quite 

 hardy here at Colchester planted out in 

 light soil, with plenty of sand round the 

 bulbs. They increase rapidly, and are 



"The English Iris." 



best taken up and divided about every 

 two years, at the beginning of August 

 when the bulbs are at rest. Starting 

 again into growth early, they should not 

 be planted after the middle of November, 

 otherwise success will be less certain." 



I. Xiphium (Spanish fris).A very 

 beautiful flower, and an old inhabitant of 

 gardens. The prevailing colours are blue, 

 with various shades of purple or violet, 

 yellow, and white. The blue tints of the 

 cultivated seedlings seem to be derived 

 from the typical Spanish plant ; the yellow 

 hues may be traced to the Portuguese 

 variety, sometimes known as I. lusitanica. 



The Spanish Iris must not be water- 

 logged in autumn and winter, preferring 

 R R 2 



