THE IRIS 149 



a white fringe along it, and the spots of purple as 

 they reach the gold turn to pale brown, then merge 

 in the yellow. Seen through a magnifying-glass the 

 work on the fall is infinitely beautiful, and one 

 appreciates the actual texture of the bloom. Each 

 petal then appears like a piece of frosted silver 

 whereon the pigments have been laid in trans- 

 parent washes. The flower is fragrant, and I 

 think excites more enthusiasm than any iris I show 

 to friends. 



To see fimbriata in full loveliness one must go 

 abroad. On the Italian Riviera it is a grand feature 

 of the gardens, and I remember a bank in full flower 

 where a thousand spikes and perhaps four thousand 

 blossoms scented the sunshine of a March forenoon 

 in Genoa. It is a precious sight in a formal garden 

 sprawling along some marble-edged bed. I have 

 indeed seen nothing more splendid in connection 

 with architectural details. One is reminded at Genoa 

 of what Landor says : " We Englishmen talk of 

 planting a garden, the modern Italians and ancient 

 Romans talk of building one." But surely perfection 

 lies in combining the two theories : in building the 

 garden first and planting it afterwards. 



So far I can only admire Iris Milesii in my own 

 garden for its immense bright green foliage and 

 vigorous habit, but I recently visited the flower 

 at Kew, where it does grandly in the open border, 

 and found it a stately thing with plum-purple falls, a 

 slight yellow crest, and handsome standards of a 

 colour somewhat paler than the rest of the flower. 



