156 



Gardening for Amateurs 



flowering season extends over fully nine 

 months of the year, from November to July. 

 In such a varied group of plants it is not 

 surprising to find that different methods of 

 cultivation are necessary. Some kinds thrive 

 in the bog garden, while for others an excess 

 of moisture, particularly in winter, proves 

 fatal. Some delight in deep, rather heavy 

 loam, while others refuse to grow unless the 

 soil is light and sandy. In dealing with the 

 different sections it will be necessary to 

 refer briefly to these points ; the chief thing 

 to say now is that fresh manure should not 

 be dug in the ground previous to planting 

 Irises. Old manure, such as that from a 

 spent hot-bed or mushroom bed is the most 

 satisfactory to use. Incorporate also leaf- 

 mould, road grit, wood ashes, and old mortar 

 rubble before planting in heavy ground. 

 Flag Irises are suitable for many positions 

 in the garden, for beds and shrubbery borders, 

 the waterside, bog garden and rockery, and 

 flower borders ; most of them delight in 

 sunny positions. The stronger- growing kinds 

 benefit by an annual dressing of basic slag 

 or superphosphate early in the year. 



The best time to transplant Irises is soon 

 after flowering, but for various reasons this 

 is not always possible, the work being more 

 often done during September and October. 

 The rhizomes or creeping stems must not 

 be buried deeply, only a thin layer of soil, 

 not more than a couple of inches, or even 

 less for the dwarf varieties, is placed over 

 them. 



The rhizomatous Irises divide naturally 

 into two sections, the bearded and the beard- 

 less kinds. In each group the number of 

 sorts is very large, and here it will be 

 possible only to give limited selections. 



Tall Bearded Flag Irises. Iris germanica 

 and varieties are by far the most popular 

 of the TaU Bearded Flag Irises. They 

 flower in May and early June, and vary 

 from 1| to 3 feet or rather more in height. 

 The plants thrive in most garden soils, and 

 though preferring a sunny spot are often 

 seen doing well in half-shady spots. August 

 is a good time to replant these Irises. In 

 June the large, brilliantly coloured flowers 

 and sword-like leaves are scarcely surpassed 

 in attractiveness by any other flower in the 

 garden. There is only one regret, namely, 



that the flowering season is soon over, there 

 being no succession of bloom, as with many 

 hardy perennials. The flowers of the typical 

 I. germanica are blue and purple. Other 

 varieties are albicans, white ; aurea ,* yellow ; 

 Bridesmaid, pale lavender and white ; Dr. 

 Bernice, coppery-purple, netted orange ; 

 flavescens, pale yellow, fragrant ; Garibaldii, 

 pale yellow and bronze ; Gracchus, lemon, 

 deeper netting ; Madame Chereau, white, 

 netted pale blue ; Mrs. H. Darwin, white, 

 violet and orange ; Mrs. Neubronner, golden 

 yellow ; Mrs. Reuthe, pale blue ; pallida, 

 pale blue and lavender, very fragrant ; 

 dalmatica, pale and dark lavender, fragrant ; 

 Tineae, large pale blue, tall-growing, fragrant ; 

 Queen of May, rosy-lilac ; Ulysses, golden- 

 yellow ; Victorine, blue, blotched lilac and 

 white. Cypriana, 3 feet high, has beautiful, 

 fragrant, lavender-coloured flowers during 

 June and July. 



Dwarf Bearded Flag Irises. These are a 

 most beautiful early-flowering race, suitable 

 for planting in groups in sunny borders, 

 and, in the case of the pumila section, 

 which are only about 6 inches high, as 

 an edging to beds and borders. These 

 dwarf Irises should also find a place in the 

 rock garden. The flowering season is from 

 March to May. The best time to plant the 

 roots is in late summer and early autumn. 

 They thrive in a loamy soil, in which plenty 

 of mortar rubble and wood ashes is mixed. 

 A dozen useful varieties of these dwarf Flags 

 are : pumila caerulea, sky blue ; p. alba, 

 white ; Count Andrassy, azure blue, darker 

 falls ; lutea maculata, primrose and brown ; 

 Chamoeiris, deep violet, C. alba, white, 

 sulphur falls, C. lutea grandiflora, yellow, 

 C. italica, purple ; Olbiensis alba, white and 

 sulphur ; Olbiensis grandiflora, violet-purple ; 

 biflora purpurea, rich purple; and biflora, 

 purple, rich yellow beard or falls. 



Beardless Flag Irises. The best time, as 

 a general rule, to plant the Irises under 

 this heading is in early autumn ; it may be 

 done as late as March, but at this date 

 special attention must be given to watering 

 during dry weather in summer. I. graminea, 

 1 foot, blue and purple, June and July; 

 I. Missouriensis, 2 feet, pale blue, yellow 

 blotch, May and June. I. orientalis, 4 feet, 

 white and yellow ; useful varieties of this 



