June, 1919 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



195 



A Tree that Grows Anywhere. — There is some 

 growing thing for every trouble of the planter 

 and if he will only look around a little he will find 

 it. The Golden-barked Willow comes in handy 

 in quite a number of troubles. It will thrive 

 in wet and heavy clay and apparently quite as 

 well on a dry hillside. Here are several instances 

 of what this Willow actually will endure: To 

 provide a screen, I had occasion to plant a row 

 of the Golden-barked Weeping Willow through 

 a low place that was subject to standing water 

 for several weeks every spring when the snow 

 went off. Added to this the manhole just back 



of the Willow row overflowed about once a 

 month with the cleanings from filter beds. Then 

 after the trees had been growing there for a num- 

 ber of years, more than a foot of heavy clay was 

 filled in about them. In spite of all, they have been 

 growing there thriftily for six years now. Two 

 years ago, in the fall, I dug out and transplanted 

 several clumps from this row. The winter follow- 

 ing was very cold, bare of snow and of course 

 extremely dry. As might be expected, since the 

 Willows were never watered, the transplanted 

 clumps killed down to the ground, but the roots 

 retained their full vitality and the canes already 



growing promise to be as effective in a few 

 years as those that were not transplanted. A 

 few of these willows I tried on a hillside where 

 the ground was built up of old cedar paving 

 blocks covered with manure over which a coating 

 of clay perhaps two feet deep was spread. The 

 trees took hold, and in spite of two dry years 

 they are growing nicely. This spring I shall 

 endeavor to achieve the verdure that I so very 

 much want on this hillside and that seems so 

 hard to get, by planting this Golden-barked 

 Weeping Willow all along the bank. — C. L. 

 Meller, Fargo, N. D. 



Irises Blooming In Fall and Winter 



Everblooming Iris. — I note with interest an 

 account of two everblooming Iris in Los Angeles, 

 Calif. Having been a gardener there for some 

 years, I shall take the liberty of expressing my 

 opinion. The two Iris, white and purple, are the 

 common, types of the German Iris grown in 

 many old gardens about Los Angeles. This is 

 the name under which I grew them and under 

 which they are catalogued. As to their ever- 

 blooming habits I can testify, if they are cared 

 for. I remember once at a meeting of the 

 Horticultural Society at Los Angeles that Mr. 

 P. D. Barnhart called attention to their long 

 blooming period. — /. H. Johnson, Washington, 

 D.C. 



Iris Bucharica. — In I. bucharica, belonging 

 to the bulbous group Juno, we have a desirable 

 and easily cared for addition to our spring bloom- 

 ing bulbs. A clump in my garden has flourished, 

 increasing each season with satisfactory rapidity 

 and vigor. It is a native of Bokhara at an al- 

 titude of 5,000 to 6,000 feet and was introduced 

 from there to the gardening world about 1900. 

 The plant is twelve to fifteen inches high, its 

 handsome maize-like foliage clasping the stalk, 

 and it produces in April, from the axils of these 

 leaves, fragrant white blossoms with clear yellow 

 tips to the falls. A well established clump is 

 full of interest and beauty both in foliage and 

 flower. Mr. W. R. Dykes says: "I. bucharica 

 is well worthy a place in any April border of 

 bulbs. If well treated it increases rapidly, so 

 rapidly that the bulbs should be separated every 

 two years." Its position in my garden is a warm 

 and sunny one well enriched and affording a 

 congenial spot for the ripening of its foliage, 

 which it does after the manner of other spring 

 bulbs. With some of the increase I shall this year 

 try a heavier spot in the hope of obtaining "a 

 huge bush two feet high" as reported from Scot- 

 land. Sir Michael Foster in "Bulbous Irises" 

 recommends a rather heavy soil or stiff clay. — 

 Ella Porter McKinney, New Jersey. 



Forcing Iris. — An easily procured winter de- 

 light for Iris lovers and for others is found in 

 forcing the earlier forms of the bearded Iris. 

 They require no placing in the dark, no paper 

 cones to draw them up and the foliage remains 

 fresh and decorative long after the flowers are 

 gone — these three points alone recommending 

 them to amateurs. However, the distinction as 

 a house decoration of a basket of Iris at any time 

 and especially in February, can not be ap- 

 proached by any other flower in the estimation 

 of this Iris lover. No description can do justice 

 to a nine by twelve basket of Iris lutescens, vari- 

 ety Statellae, which gave pleasure for two weeks 

 this winter beginning February 17th. It sent 



up eighteen flower stalks from eight inches to 

 eighteen inches high and some of them. two 

 flowered. More than once there were as many 

 as six and seven creamy white blossoms among 

 and overtopping the lovely foliage. "Why, 

 those are as lovely as Orchids" was the comment 

 of one city visitor at the time the basket was at 

 its best. My personal opinion is that it was far 

 lovelier. In the corners were snuggled the lav- 

 ender and velvet violet of Lord Beaconsfield 

 Pansies. December 26th, clumps at least three 

 years from division were dug and disposed in 

 flats and pans without breaking the clumps apart. 

 Underneath and around good potting soil, in 

 which was a liberal mixture of fine bone meal and 

 wood ashes, was pushed and packed; the old 

 foliage was carefully cut away and everything 

 given a good watering. They were then placed 

 in a funny little cold frame greenhouse, in and 

 out of which the enthusiastic owner crawls 

 through a cellar window! This is heated by 

 pipes from the little stove which heats the water 

 for bath and kitchen and we have not found that 

 we have to use more coal on its account. The 

 plants began growth at once and February 3d 

 brought the first bloom on a pan of purple 

 pumila. A seven-inch clump gave fourteen 

 blossoms distributed over a period of three weeks, 

 the foliage growing more and more attractive. 

 February 17th brought Iris lutescens, variety 

 Statellae as described, and the week of February 

 24th brought the fragrant bloom of a yellow 

 pumila. This variety bloomed with such "team 

 work" that it was over within a week, but very 

 lovely while it lasted. Kochii, the dark claret 

 variety, came next in mid March and April 

 5th; from one of its nine stalks, Common Blue 

 Flag opened its first flower. This last was lifted, 

 a frozen clump, February 15th and brought to 

 flower entirely by the aid of a sunny window in 

 the sewing room. An essential to success is 

 that the clumps be at least three years from divi- 

 sion and that they be broken up as little as possi- 

 ble before blooming. They will stand consider- 

 able crowding and can be placed in flats in this 

 way, being cared for until the buds show color, 

 when they may be broken up and disposed in 

 such receptacles as one's taste dictates. If well 

 watered, they stand this treatment very well. 

 While in hud and flower an occasional watering 

 in which sulphate of ammonia is dissolved, at 

 the rate of one third tablespoon to one gallon of 

 water, is helpful. The rhizomes are not at all 

 hurt by forcing and at the spring planting time 

 can be broken up and planted out again. By 

 keeping a small reserve nursery of one's favorite 

 sorts a succession of bloom could easily be main- 

 tained from clumps made right for forcing by 

 being left in the nursery the required three years. 

 I have no experience to record with the taller 

 and later blooming sorts like pallida dalmatica, 



but think, for the amateur, the lower growing 

 and earlier flowering forms are more satisfactory. 

 Last autumn being an exceptional one, the 

 clumps were taken up late. To obviate trouble 

 with frozen ground the clumps should be taken 

 up before freezing weather and stored in a cold- 

 frame or a light cellar without heat, from which 

 they could be easily secured as desired. With 

 a little experience a succession of bloom could 

 be maintained. All the varieties noted were 

 a success, unqualified, and very lovely in their 

 decorative quality, but the queen was Iris 

 lutescens. — Ella Porter McKinney, Madison, N.J. 



I. Albicans and Crimson King. — We notice in 

 the current number of The Garden Magazine 

 "Iris Notes from California," by Mrs. Wilder. 

 No doubt the Irises referred to by her California 

 correspondent, are Albicans and Crimson King. 

 Both of these Irises are quite widely distributed 

 throughout California and are very free bloomers, 

 particularly Crimson King. This variety is 

 very close in color to Kochii and the bearded 

 Nepalensis, but of a slightly different hue, redder 

 than Kochii and not quite as bright as Nepalensis, 

 and from our experience it multiplies more 

 rapidly. Nearly all of the so called "German" 

 group will bloom more than once a year in our 

 climate provided conditions are favorable. 

 They will make a second crop of bloom in the 

 spring although not so heavy as the first crop, 

 and again in the fall. Several, others of the 

 bearded Irises bloom in the fall or winter, pro- 

 vided there is sufficient rainfall and the nights 

 are not too cold. These conditions vary of 

 course in different locations, even within a few 

 miles. Quite a number of the variegatas bloom 

 in the fall or winter to a limited extent: Nibelun- 

 gen and Iris King, for instance, sometimes throw- 

 ing up quite a few flowering stems when there is 

 but little foliage. We have never seen the tall 

 pallidas, such as Albert Victor, pallida dal- 

 matica and others of like character, throw a 

 bloom out of season. Rhein Nixe will bloom 

 in the fall, but none of the plicatas so far as 

 our observation go'es except Fairy, and that under 

 favorable conditions will make quite a crop of 

 bloom in the winter. It may be there is some 

 Albicans in the parentage. Archeveque seems 

 to be a free bloomer also. Most of the dwarf 

 varieties bloom two or three times during the 

 year as do some of the Intermediates. The 

 large bearded I. mesopotamica blooms in March 

 and unguicularis or stylosa blooms continu- 

 ously from fall until spring. Other species also 

 bloom during the winter. So far as we can 

 learn from correspondence witli Iris growers 

 in the East, Albicans and Crimson King do not 

 there behave differently from any of the 

 other varieties. — Mrs. J. Dean, The Dean Iris 

 Gardens, Moneta, Calif. 



