describe it be^ by characterizing it as a poetic- 

 picture — a picture that perhaps inspired BHss 

 Carmen to say in his poem " To an Iris." 



Thou art a golden iris 

 Under a purple wall. 

 Whereon the burning sunlight 

 And greening shadows fall. 



What Summer night's enchantment 

 Took up the garden mould. 

 And with the falling star-dust 

 Refined it to such gold ? 



^ I wish there were more pure pale yellow irises of 

 the type of Flavescens who is one of the bearded 

 group. Rather like Flavescens in effect is ivory- 

 white Innocenza, a beauty not so tall, but ju^t a bit 

 finer and more delicately poetic, with a pure gold 

 crest. Foster's yellow is attracftive, but I should 

 call it more of a deep cream than a yellow. 

 ^ When visiting a famous iris-farm I was much 

 impressed with the pale tones of a group of inter- 

 mediate specimens. They are crosses between the 

 tall bearded species and certain of the Crimean 

 hybrids, but are not so tall, averaging only about 

 eighteen inches and are mo^ adaptable for plant- 

 ing in advance of the taller varieties. I will only tell 

 you of those in shades of cream, pearl, gold, blue, 

 and lavender. Gerda is cream-yellow; Freya, a 

 pearl suffused with violet; Charmant is delicately 

 blue, and is lined with deep blue; Helge is lemon 



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