222 YARD AND GARDEN 



son, and it can not be considered hardy. 

 However, when brought into bloom, its large 

 gray flowers closely veined with black, odd 

 as well as beautiful, amply reward the culti- 

 vator for his trouble. Usually it is best to 

 lift the plant in the fall and store it through 

 the winter, as dahlias or cannas are stored. 

 Still, in some few instances, it can be brought to 

 bloom without this annual disturbance by 

 plentifully covering it in winter, and in spring 

 removing the litter gradually as the season ad- 

 vances. Success with it is ample reward, and, 

 as it can be had for fifteen cents, failure would 

 not be altogether a financial disaster. 



But when the iris offers so many varieties, 

 all of the easiest cultivation, why regret that 

 the Oncocyclus group brings confusion to our 

 efforts! Consider a moment the possibilities 

 the iris presents. Usually, when we mention 

 the name, we picture in our minds only the 

 "German" iris; it is so comnion in our gar- 

 dens, and it was so common in the gardens of 

 our grandfathers and of their fathers, that we 

 have lost sight of its value and its beauty, and, 

 at the same time, have come to consider it as 

 alone representative of the family. Nothing 

 could be more absurd. One might, if one 



