286 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 386. 



plenty of manure, with a slight covering- of Pine-needles 

 during the winter. The propagation is by seeds, which 

 may be sown in IMarch under glass, under which practice 

 flowering plants can be had the following summer. Plants 

 so obtained are good for several years, but the time comes 

 when they deteriorate, and they should then be thrown 

 away and new stock should be procured. ClEnothera 

 taraxacifolia very much resembles the CF,. Missouriensis in 

 habit of growth and bears white flowers, which become 

 pink as they fade. The two make good companions in the 

 border. The plant is, however, not so hardy as the Mis- 

 souri Primrose, and to insure success it is well to start new 

 plants every year. Seeds sowed under glass in March will 

 make good blooming plants the following summer. In 

 some gardens both these Primroses propagate themselves 

 by self-sown seeds. 



Spiraea palmata. — This Japanese Spirtea is one of the 

 most effective herbaceous plants in bloom. Its perfect 

 hardiness, without any protection, its good habit, bright- 

 colored flowers and clean foliage make it a desirable plant 

 for any garden. Nevertheless, with all these good quali- 

 ties, we rarely see a first-rate specimen. Some e-xcellent 

 jjlants are now flowering in the Botanic Garden at Cam- 

 bridge, and Mr. Cameron writes that the plants were small 

 when received a few years ago. They were set in a rich 

 soil, where they grew rapidly, and now measure a yard 

 across. The part of the rock-garden where these Spirteas 

 are placed is moist, and they are partially shaded by a 

 large Magnolia acuminata. They will grow three feet high 

 in such a location, or in good open garden-soil where they 

 can find abundant water. In thin dry soils they will at- 

 tain a height of little more than a foot, and much of their 

 effectiveness is lost. They appear well near open water, 

 and they never grow more thriftily and are never seen to 

 better advantage than on the margin of a lake, especially 

 if they can have partial shade. The flowers, which are 

 borne in large corymbose panicles, are bright rosy crim- 

 son in color, and the palmate leaves are six inches across 

 on plants which are well treated. S. palmata is readily 

 increased by division eitlier in spring or fall. 



Cultural Department. 



American Irises. 



AMERICAN IRISES do not seem to have received the 

 attention from cultivators that they deserve. It is doubt- 

 ful if there be at this time a complete collection even of the 

 different species in any one garden, while there are, no doubt, 

 good varieties which have never been cultivated, and prob- 

 ably not even collected for herbariums. Again, there are 

 varieties which have only a local reputation and which have 

 not been generally distributed. I have found a number of 

 varieties of this Ivind ; some of these are not yet flowered here. 

 Some of our Irises are most difficult to establish, and it will 

 task the skill of an eastern grower to flower some of the west 

 coast species, wliich resent removal and naturally are at rest 

 during our summer season. 



We have a trio of beautiful dwarf Irises in I. cristata, I. la- 

 custris and I. verna, of which the first two belong to the 

 crested section, or Evansia of the botanist. Of these, I. cris- 

 tata (I. odorata, Pers.) is the prettiest and usually most amena- 

 ble to cultivation. It increases rapidly if the short creeping 

 rhizomes are planted in moist, light rich earth, tliough, on the 

 contrary, it will grow vigorously on a rockery, where, how- 

 ever, it is likely to be injured during a hard winter. When 

 covered in the spring with its light-mauve colored flowers, 

 nothing could be prettier. I. lacustris has the habit of I. cris- 

 tata and purple flowers with a yellow crest. It grows on the 

 shores of the great lakes, where it is very plentiful. It thrives 

 in cultivation in a moist soil, but is rather shy in showing its 

 flowers. 



Iris verna is a member of the subgenus (Pardanthopsia), of 

 which there are only four species, the others being very rare. 

 It has short creeping root-stalks, narrow, taller leaves, and no 

 crest. Its flowers are dark rich purple, with yellow markings. 

 It is a plant not uniformly happy in gardens, but not a difficult 

 subject. Every one knows tlie common Flag of our eastern 

 states, I. versicolor (I. pictaand I. sativa, Miller), a plant which 



thrives equally well in brackish, marshy, fresh- water swamps, 

 or perfectly dry ground, and may be depended upon to hold 

 its own under very adverse conditions. I have never seen 

 any variations from the type, but Baker notes a variety, I. Vir- 

 ginica (I. caurina, Herb.) and I. placcida, Spach., as forms with 

 some varieties of structure and coloring. I have also no- 

 ticed in foreign catalogues other names as I. versicolor 

 Krameri. It seems to me useful to note synonyms as warn- 

 ings against accumulation of plants whose names in cat- 

 alogues are often so many traps for the unwary. Some deal- 

 ers even offer the same plants under different names at 

 different prices. Our other common Iris, which is often nearly 

 as thickly sown as grass in a meadow, is I. prismatica (I. Vir- 

 ginica. Gray ; I. gracilis, Bigelow ; I. Boltoniana, B. & S.). 

 With its narrow leaves, a foot or more high, and purple flow- 

 ers, this is a species whicli is graceful in habit and effect. 

 Allied to I. versicolor, though a separate species and a distinct 

 garden-plant, is I. Caroliniana, which was discovered a few 

 years since by W. A. Manda in North Carolina. This has 

 somewhat flexulous leaves, very slightly glaucous, brownish 

 spathe valves and light lavender flowers ot fine form. Farther 

 south, on the Atlantic coast, is found another beardless Iris, 

 I. tripetala (orf. tridentataof Pursh). This is interesting to the 

 botanist, as having smaller standards than any of the narrow- 

 leaved kinds of tills section (Apogon). It is an attractive 

 dwarf-growing purple Iris, flowering late in the season. While 

 it is hardy here, it does not seem quite satisfied with our win- 

 ter climate. After worrying most of the collectors on the 

 coast, I succeeded in securing this from Florida. It is a plant 

 in request among Iris fanciers, and scarcely to be had true 

 from the dealers, who confound it with I. Hookeri (or I. tri- 

 petala and I. tridentata, of Hooker), which is a Canadian Iris 

 with the habit of I. versicolor. Another southern Iris is I. 

 fulva (or I. cuprea), with flowers distinct in color from any 

 other species of the family, and of a spreading Morcea-Iike 

 form when open. The form usually in cultivation has flowers 

 of a rather dull coppery brown, but lately Meehaiis^ Monthly 

 figured, in a colored plate, a form with much brighter colora- 

 tion in pinks and browns, so that there are evidently variations 

 of this plant to be found. Beyond the Mississippi to the 

 Rockies, we seem to liave only one species, I. hexagona, 

 though this is found also in tire southern states as far east as 

 Florida. 



No Iris has given me greater pleasure this year than I. hexa- 

 gona, var. La Mance, which was discovered last season in Ben- 

 ton County, Arkansas, and lias been named in honor of Mrs. 

 L. S. La Mance, the discoverer. This is much superior to the 

 type, and has slightly pendulous leaves an inch or more wide 

 and two feet liigli. The stems are spreading, leafy and bear sev- 

 eral two to three flowered spathes. The flowers are large, 

 with standards and falls both spreading and of a ricli blue- 

 purple, shading to white. The styles are light green. The 

 plant in flower is very distinct in haliit and most effective and 

 striking. Besides the type, I have also an unflowered variety 

 with flowers of a lighter hue. A friend in Florida has sent me 

 a native form of I. hexagona, with white flowers. This rarity 

 should be a great gain, white Irises being the quintessence of 

 floral beauty. I. hexagona makes wonderful rhizomes, nearly 

 round, an inch and a half in diameter and sometimes two 

 feet long. Naturally it requires good lateral root-room and 

 good supplies of moisture. Westward again, there is said by 

 Coulter to be only one species in the Rocky Mountain basin, 

 I. Missouriensis (I. Tolmieana). This is a narrow-leaved 

 kind, with light purple flowers, the falls of which are reticu- 

 lated. The flowers are small, but it is a vigorous species and 

 rather attractive. Westward again we find a number of spe- 

 cies and varieties, which, in a gardening point of view, form 

 an interesting group. The list comprises I. tenax, I. tenuis, 

 I. macrosiphon and varieties, I. Hartwegii, I. Douglasiana and 

 varieties (I. Beecheyana, I. Santa Cruz, etc.), I. bracteata, I. 

 longipetala and varieties. 



Iris tenax, a linear-leaved species from Oregon and north- 

 ward, offers no difficulty in cultivation here and flowers regu- 

 larly, without special attention, early in the season. Its rather 

 small light purple flowers are attractive. I. tenuis, figured in 

 Garden and Forest, vol. i., page 7, I have not been able to 

 secure, and shall be glad if some reader in Oregon would 

 favor me with seed. Judging by its habit, it is probably a plant 

 difficult to establish. I. Macrosiphon and I. Hartwegii I am 

 growing from seed, having failed to establish them otherwise, 

 thougli I have been favored with numerous apparently strong 

 plants bv Mr. Purdy and others. I. macrosiphon is said to be 

 very handsome and free-flowered, ranging in color from yel- 

 low through the whites and purples. I\Ir. Purdy has trans- 

 planted tills successfully to his garden on the Coast Range, 



