June, 19 13 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



299 



/. Florentina, from which orris is 

 made: has French gray flowers 



/. pallida, var. Dalmatica, often con- 

 fused with orris, bolder, stronger growth 



/. lairigata, (or K&mpferi, having the 

 largest flowers of any iris 



Sibirica, a slender plant with grass- 

 like foliage, best in clumps 



/. Gnldenstccdtiana, one of the very 

 latest to flower. Flowers dull yellow 



/. Sibirica, var. orientalzs, has larger 

 flowers than the type, but fades sooner 



A TIME TABLE FOR IRIS FLOWERS 



[Xote: Both the height and the season of bloom will vary a good deal according to 

 soil and situation. Nearly all the dates given are the average of several years' notes 

 taken in the author's garden, which is a little north of New York City.] 



SPECIES AND VARIETY 



Reticulata, var. Kre- 

 lagei* 



Reticulata, var. his- 

 trioides* 



Reticulata* 



Hybrid Crimean. 

 Pumila and vars. 



Chamffiiris and vars. 



Cengialti* 



Germanica vars.*. . . 



Florentina* 



Florentina, var. albi- 

 cans* 



Cristata 



Missouriensis 



Benacensis 



Sambucina* 



Intermediate vars. . . 



Pseudacorus 



Flavescens* 



Spanish* 



a s 



5-6 



0-15 

 4-6 



5-6 



18 



12-20 



18 



18 



3-4 

 12-24 



14 



27 

 16-20 

 24-30 



30 

 18 



SEASON OF 

 BLOOM 



Mid Mar. 



Late Mar. 

 Late Mar. 

 April 

 Early April 

 April 20- 



May 

 Late April 

 and May 

 Early May 

 Mid-May 

 Mid-May 



Mid-May 

 Mid-May 

 Mid-May 

 Mid-May 

 Late May 

 Late May 

 Late May 

 Late May 

 Early June 



SPECIES AND VARIETY 



Pallida and vars.*. . . 



Variegata vars.* 



Longipetala 



Squalens vars 



Amcena and vars. . . . 



Neglecta vars 



Tectorum 



English and vars. . . . 



Orientalis, Blue King 



and Snow Queen. . 



Spuria and vars 



Cypriana vars.* 



BiUiotti* 



Graminea* 



Fulva 



Versicolor 



Monnieri 



Ochroleuca 



Aurea 



Guldenstcedtiana. . . . 

 Japanese 



24-42 



15-30 



18 

 14-28 

 18-30 

 18-24 

 12-18 

 20-24 



24 

 12-36 



36-44 



26 



8-10 



18 

 18-24 



36 



48-72 



18-24 

 36-48 



SEASON OF 

 BLOOil 



Earh- June 

 Earl}- June 

 Early June 

 Early June 

 Early June 

 Early June 

 June 7 

 Early June 



Early June 

 Earlj- June 

 Mid June 

 Mid June 

 Late June 

 Late June 

 Late June 

 Late June 



and July 

 Late June 



and July 

 Late June 



and July 

 July 

 July 



*Those marked thus are fragrant. 



/. sqiiaUns, var. jfacqitesia?ia flower- 

 ing in June, a tawny yellow Germanica 



/. pseudacorus. The yellow 

 flag which seeds freely 



latter. I. tectorum, the Japanese 

 roof iris, and from which the ladies 

 of Japan make an important cos- 

 metic, is to me one of the loveliest 

 of irises. The foliage is slightly 

 glaucous; the flower stalk, about 18 

 inches high, bears several very 

 large, spreading, blue-purple blos- 

 soms curiously blotched or clouded, with a deeper color. A var- 

 iety, rare in its loveliness, is snowy white with a jagged golden crest. 

 Both varieties grow here with the greatest freedom in a slightly 

 raised sunny border, protected on the north and east by a wall. 

 Some writers speak of this plant as not being very amenable, 

 but this is difficult to believe in the face of the manifest well- 

 being of my plants. 



Small I. cristata, a native American, found in parts of Mary- 

 land and southward, is another gem — an inexpensive gem too, 

 for it costs little and appears to thrive anywhere and increase 

 mightily under all sorts of conditions. I began five years ago 

 with fifty little plants, which I imported from Holland, not know- 

 ing that it was a free born American, and it is safe to say that 

 hundreds have been given away, while the soft lavender bloom 

 of this baby iris may still be seen in all parts of my garden. The 



plant grows only four inches high 

 and the spreading blossoms, made 

 brilliant by a conspicuous gold 

 crest, are produced in great pro- 

 fusion. It makes a good edging as 

 it is always tidy and, blooming in 

 early May and June, looks well be- 

 tween clumps of white fringed pinks, 



with orange scarlet geums behind. Further south and in 

 warmer situations it blooms earlier, even at the end of April. 



THE BEARDLESS (APOGON) IRISES 



Many delightful plants are to be found in the beardless section 

 of the rhizomatous irises, and most of these while as easy to grow 

 and as showy as the German irises, are, save for the great Japan 

 iris, rare in gardens. As a rule they are quite different in appear 

 ance from the bearded (Pogoniris) group. The blossoms are more 

 delicately modeled and fighter in effect, the foliage more slender 

 and grass-like, often reflexing gracefully at the tip, and the bunch 

 of slender rootlets goes straight down into the ground instead of 

 creeping along the surface. Many of this section are water- 

 lovers, growing with great luxuriance in damp places, or along 

 the banks of streams and ponds. 



