CULTIVATION OF IRISES 89 



growth is active in the summer. Blue-purple is provided 

 by the wild European spuria and also by some hybrids, 

 raised by Foster, between Monnieri and spuria, which are 

 in commerce under the names of Dorothy Foster, &c. 



Many other Irises might be recommended for the 

 herbaceous border, as, for instance, the grassy-leaved 

 /. ruthenica, which, when its best form is doing well, literally 

 hides its foliage beneath its close-set flowers, or the dwarf 

 pale, grey-blue form of /. setosa, which probably comes 

 from Labrador. Both of these would make excellent 

 edgings, and should certainly be tried as soon as they 

 become somewhat more common in our gardens than 

 they are at present. The same temporary disability attaches 

 to /. bucharica, a Juno species well worthy of a prominent 

 place in any early April bulb border. If well treated, it 

 increases fast so fast that the bulbs should be lifted and 

 separated at least every two years, or they will begin to 

 deteriorate from sheer lack of nourishment. 



The plants mentioned in this chapter are not intended 

 to form an exhaustive list, but merely to act as suggestions 

 for a more extensive use of Irises in our borders. 



CHAPTER XIV 



THE CULTIVATION AND PROPAGATION 

 OF IRISES 



RHIZOMATOUS Irises have suffered much from the very fact 

 that their hold on life is tenacious. Many of them will 



