Planting 175 



"A shallow trench is dug with a potato fork, and 

 perpendicular on one side. The plants are placed 

 against the perpendicular side, and dirt drawn against 

 them with the hand to hold them in place. The 

 dirt drawn in with the hand is also firmed by striking 

 it with the hand. Then the dirt is raked in with an 

 iron garden rake until the trench is nearly full, and 

 then it is firmed with the foot, but you must firm it 

 against the perpendicular side or the plant will be 

 pushed down too deep. After firming with the foot 

 the balance of the dirt is raked in but not firmed. 

 If clumps of Iris are planted they cannot be planted 

 against the perpendicular side, but a hole has to be 

 dug." (See, under Seed in Chapter IX, this grower's 

 method of planting seedlings.) 



The size of the plants to be used depends upon the 

 effect desired. An Iris clump is illustrated in Fig. IX, 

 page 115. How a clump should be divided for plant- 

 ing to obtain any particular effect, can be made plainer 

 by reference to the illustration of an imaginary clump 

 in the spring (Fig. XLIX). 



Each lobe marked "l" (Fig. XLIX) is of the 

 previous year's growth and then bore leaves; 

 those marked "2" grew a year earlier; "3", two 

 years earlier and "4" three years earlier than 

 "i". The larger of the lobes marked " i ", if 

 planted in spring and very early, may bloom the same 

 spring, and if planted late in spring, or in the fall, they 

 should bloom the following spring, provided, in each 

 instance, they are not separated from lobe "2"; 

 but if separated they will not be likely to bloom 

 except perhaps the largest until the second 



