RAISING NEW IRISES FROM SEED 



WILLIS E. FRYER 



FASCINATING gamble, this raising of new varieties 

 from seed — one plays a gigantic game of "grab-bag" 

 with Nature and sometimes pulls a prize worth having. 

 Beardless and Bearded (both Dwarf and Tall), Japan, 

 and Siberian Irises have grown up from seed in my garden. Of 

 literally thousands of seedlings of the Siberian, but one has been 

 given a name — True Blue. Though there is not much variation 

 in the Dwarf Bearded, three have been named and others show 

 promise of being worthy. The Beardless are similar to the 

 Siberian in that they show very slight differences indeed; the 

 seedlings, however, sometimes have foliage of erect habit four 

 to five feet in height, a characteristic which renders them, I find, 

 quite ornamental. Some wonderful varieties of the Japan Iris 

 have developed from seed, but as these are less dependable in 

 Minnesota than the others, I have never named one. 



As there seems more chance for variation in the Tall Bearded 

 than among other species, my efforts will be focussed in future up- 

 on them. In a plot containing more than two thousand seedlings 

 scarcely any two come just alike. Only six have been named. 



Tall Bearded Iris does not seed freely, however; and from many 

 named varieties I have never been able to gather a single seed. 

 For this reason I save seed as it forms on my own plants with 

 miserly care, going over the beds every day as soon as seed be- 

 gins to ripen. Much will be lost by the bursting of the seed-pod 

 if allowed to get too ripe; also the seed will shrivel instead of 

 being nice and plump as when gathered at just the right time. 

 As soon as gathered, clean, and place in moist sand. 



Plant seed in the late fall ; it has not yet become dry and germ- 

 inates well. I have planted it as gathered with good success, but 

 prefer keeping it in moist sand until autumn. Some growers 

 wait until spring, but it seems to me that by then the seed is 

 inclined to harden and not germinate so well. 



Do not disturb your seed-bed the second year! I often have 

 a better stand than the first year, and have had seed germinate 

 the third. If seedlings are left in the seed-bed until they bloom, 

 plant them at least five or six inches apart in the rows. If all 

 grow, even this will be too close and there will be difficulty in 

 keeping varieties separate. 



A feasible method is to draw a hoe through the soil making a 

 slight depression (not over an inch deep), the width of the hoe. 

 Sow seed thickly in this depression and cover from one-half to 

 one inch deep. Firm the soil with the foot and rake over very 

 lightly. Any good mellow soil will do for the seed bed, just the 

 same as would be used for any good vegetable or flower garden; 

 if lightened a little it will be a help. 



The following July transplant seedlings one foot apart in rows 

 about three feet apart; there is then no danger of getting plants 

 mixed. A large percentage will bloom the first season after 

 transplanting, and all the second season; the last can then 

 be marked and moved to a new bed in July; the others de- 

 stroyed ! 



Do not be in a hurry to name new Irises and select only a few 

 of your very best. The naming of poor varieties is altogether 

 too common, and a practice to be discouraged. 



SOME IRIS COMBINATIONS FOR COLOR EFFECT 



B. Y. MORRISON 



SUGGESTIONS for recurring clumps through a long bed. 

 Varieties marked with an asterisk (*) should be set toward 

 the front of the bed. 



I. Red-purple through white to blue-purple: 



Archeveque*, red-purple bicolor 

 Mary, red-purple bicolor 

 Edouard Michel, deep red or wine 

 Rose Unique*, lighter red-purple self 

 Caprice*, lighter red-purple self 

 Mrs. Alan Gray*, lavender pink 

 Her Majesty, clearer pink 

 Anne Leslie*, white and dahlia- 

 carmine bicolor 

 Eleanor, pale mallow-pink 



II. From red-bronze through yellows into the "iridescent" 



colors : 



Innocenza or La Neige, white 

 Celeste' whitish blue 

 Pallida dalmatica, gray lavender 

 Juniata, blue lavender 

 Oriflamme*, blue lavender bicolor 

 Rhein Nixe, white and violet bicolor 

 Monsignor, blue purple bicolor 

 Perfection, deep purple bicolor 

 Sybil*, clear pink bicolor 



Iris King, dull gold and mahogany 

 Fro, gold and chestnut 

 Mrs. Neubrunner*, orange-yellow 

 Shelford Yellow, orange-yellow 

 Aurea*, clear yellow 



Afterglow, yellow to lavender-buff 

 Quaker Lady, yellow to blue 

 Eldorado*, yellow to blue, deeper 

 Alcazar, red-lavender flushed yellow 



Suggestions for planting in groups : 



Prosper Laugier, deep rosy bronze 

 Dr. Berenice, similar but less rosy 



Dawn*, sulphur 

 Innocenza*, white 



i. Dawn, pale sulphur 



Perfection, purple bicolor 



2. Fro, gold and chestnut 



Iris King, dull gold and mahogany 



3. Alcazar, red-lavender flushed yel- 



low 

 Nirvana, slightly pinkish lavender 



4. Eleanor, mallow-pink 

 Mrs. H. Darwin, white 

 Victorine, white and pansy-purple 



5. Mars (G and K), pale yellow and 



pink 

 Princess Victoria Louise, ditto 

 but deeper 



6. Mother of Pearl, pinkish pale 



lavender 

 Nine Wells, purple bicolor 



7. Archeveque, red-violet 



Anne Leslie, white and dahlia- 

 carmine 



8. Quaker Lady, iridescent yellow 



to blue 

 Baronet, blue 

 Celeste, pale whitish blue 



9. Carthusian, deep lavender 



Afterglow, yellow to lavender 

 buff 



10. Monsignor, red-purple 

 Rhein Nixe, white and red-violet 



PLANT more Gladiolus in June! Three plantings at in- 

 tervals of two weeks will assure succession of bloom till 

 fall comes. Site: in full sunshine. Soil: any will do, but 

 preferably rich sandy loam. Region: anywhere, everywhere. 

 Feeding: good potato or general fertilizer; ordinary organic 

 manures, rotted; do not let fresh manure touch bulb; later 



cultivate in pulverized sheep manure, etc., if necessary. 

 Depth etc: 4 to 6 inches deep according to soil, the lesser in 

 heavy; bulbs 4 to 6 inches apart (right side up); if in rows 18 

 inches or more apart. Then cultivate, cultivate, cultivate, 

 never letting crust form on soil. Watch for August Garden 

 Magazine for "All About Gladiolus." 



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