MAKE "THE CITY BEAUTIFUL" 39 



USE 



For Planting The usefulness of the Iris is not confined to the 

 home grounds. By reason of its hardiness, fewness of its re- 

 quirements and its suffering but little from dust, smoke or soot, 

 the varieties which retain their foliage throughout the season 

 which are noted ante under "Foliage" and "What to Plant" are 

 ideal plants for factory and depot grounds and public parks; and 

 such of these varieties as bear white flowers are unexcelled for 

 cemetery decoration. For the same reasons, and from the fact 

 that they bloom early in the season, before the schools close, all 

 varieties are especially valuable for embellishing school grounds. 



Road-side planting is coming into favor, and for this purpose 

 there is no better plant than the Iris. Though of ample increase 

 it would never become troublesome. The standard varieties all 

 of them beautiful are so cheap that every land-owner can afford 

 generous planting along his highway frontage. The flowers are 

 so large that their beauty could be clearly seen even from the 

 swiftly moving autos; an abundance of the especially fragrant 

 varieties would scent the air as does the later blooming clover; 

 long stretches of the nearly evergreen varieties would be a most 

 welcome sight to the winter traveler. May the time be not far 

 distant when plans for beautifying the Lincoln Highway, the 

 Indian Head Trail and other like important lines of travel, will 

 include planting the Iris! 



Cut Flowers The flowers are fragile and when fully open do 

 not bear much handling. 



"The sweetest flowers are ever frail and rare." 

 Shelley: Marenghi. 



For house use the flower stems should be taken just as the first 

 buds are about to open, and they will open readily in water and 

 the color will be deeper. As the flowers fade remove them from 

 the stem and shorten the stem and change the water, and the re- 

 maining buds will all open in succession, and a single stem will 

 sometimes furnish flowers for a week or more. 



