CULTIVATION OF BEARDED IRISES 



It should be unnecessary to point out 

 what must by now be generally an 

 accepted fact, namely, that these Irises 

 are essentially sun-lovers. Further- 

 more, that they should be planted in 

 positions where good drainage exists, 

 and should not be expected to give the 

 best flowering results when placed in 

 dense herbaceous borders where the 

 sun can seldom penetrate to the rhiz- 

 omes. If they can be grown in a sunny 

 border by themselves so much the bet- 

 ter; if not, then let them at least have 

 a position in the front of the herba- 

 ceous border. They are not particular 

 as to soil, and are far better not top- 

 dressed with patent manures, bone- 

 meal, etc. The use of lime is often 

 quoted as being essential, and is often 

 very much overdone in consequence. 



I have always found that a dressing 

 of ground limestone dug into the Iris 

 border at the first planting supplies all 

 that is needed in this respect, and is, 

 moreover, practically everlasting, in 

 that it dissolves very slowly indeed, 

 and therefore cannot be given in ex- 

 cess. 



Another important factor in the cul- 

 tivation of these Irises is the trans- 

 planting. Opinions vary as to the best 

 time for this operation, but I am in- 

 clined to think, after trying all times, 

 that it makes little difference to the 

 next year's blooming whenever it is 

 done, provided that the ground is in 



By G. L. PiLKINGTOX, 



Hon. Sec. of the Iris Society 

 of Enyland. 



good order for the work, and that it is 

 not left until too late in the autumn. 



Late-planted Irises seldom get a hold 

 before the real winter sets in and are, 

 in consequence, often "heaved"' out of 

 the soil by frosts, and make a poor 

 show the following summer. There is 

 no rule for dividing and transplanting 

 Irises, such as "every third year," as is 

 often stated. 



The condition of the plant must de- 

 cide this. Some of the more rampant 

 growers should be divided and trans- 

 planted every other year, and if this is 

 done it will be found that they rarely 

 suffer from rhizome rot. The vigorous 

 growers, if allowed to remain undis- 

 turbed for a period as long as three 

 years, make such a dense clump that 

 the sunlight cannot penetrate, with the 

 result that not only do they bloom 

 sparsely, but often they are attacked 

 by disease in the form of rhizome rot. 

 This is particularly so in the case of 

 Irises of the "Dominion" race. 



A liberal use of superphosphate of 

 lime, which can be incorpoiated in the 

 soil wliilst replanting the divisions, 

 does much to ward off the attacks of 

 this disease. ""Dioubtful" rhizomes of 

 varieties which are too valuable to 

 throw away should have all the soil 

 removed from them, be dipped in a 

 mauve solution of permanganate of 

 potash, and then left in a dry, airy 



place for a month or six weeks before 

 transplanting. 



If they are going to rot they will do 

 so in spite of all these precautions. If 

 they survive they can l)e replanted 

 with every prospect of success. 



Owing to the vagaries of our weather 

 I frequently have Irises on my hands 

 waiting for suitable weather and soil 

 conditions to replant them for a month 

 or more at a time, and though the 

 rhizomes dry up entirely and the 

 leaves die down considerably I have 

 never found that the plant suffers in 

 the least. Root-action goes on whilst 

 the rhizome is in the dry state, and 

 the plant goes ahead very quickly as 

 soon as it is replanted. I would far 

 rather adopt this principle than "heel 

 in" the plants pending replanting, 

 which generally results in the break- 

 ing off of new fibrous roots which the 

 plant has made during the period of 

 waiting. 



One other point about planting. The 

 rhizomes should not be planted deep, 

 but should be placed just below the 

 level of the soil surface and the roots 

 spread out to insure firm planting and 

 room for expansion. The rhizome will 

 soon work to the surface again, but if 

 planted on the surface in the first in- 

 stance it is not so easy to get the plant 

 firm in the ground, which is essen- 

 tial. — "Gardeniiui Illustrated." 



GROWING BULBOUS IRIS IN MASSACHUSETTS 



A good many years 

 ago de/alers were in the 

 habit of offering bulbs 

 of Spanish Iris at very 

 low prices, often as 

 low as fifteen or twen- 

 ty cents a hundred. At 

 that time I was accus- 

 tomed to buy a few 

 hundred each year and 

 plant them in the cutting garden. They 

 were fairly hardy and in most cases 

 would last for several years. 



Then a few years ago I happened to 

 be in England in .July and saw the' 

 English Irises in blossom. Naturally 

 I was completely captivated by them 

 for they are wonderfully beautiful. As 

 soon as I came home I wrote to one of 

 the leading Iris specialists in the 

 northeastern states, and asked him if 

 he could supply me with the bulbs of 

 the English Iris. His reply was that 

 they did not carry them in stock nor 

 recommend them to their clients as 

 they were not entirely hardy and they 

 did not like to supply their customers 

 with anything which would prove a 

 disappointment. Now, while this an- 

 swer is entirely correct from the stand- 

 point of the nurseryman, it did not 

 completely satisfy me: so 1 went ahead 

 and got bulbs of English, Dutch, and 

 Spanish Iris and have been grou-ing 

 them ever since xcith the utmost satis- 

 faction.' 



By Frank A. Waugh 



Let it be said at once that the dis- 

 tinctions between Spanish, English, 

 and Dutch Iris, are rather uncertain. 

 For general garden purposes they may 

 lie all lumped together as Bulbous Iris. 

 These are apparently not the same 

 ones, however, mentioned by Mr. Wood 

 in Floioer Groirer for .January 1933, 

 page 18, but on the whole I think they 

 will prove quite as satisfactory as those 

 he mentions, to the average gardener. 



There are very few nurseries in the 

 Eastern states which carry any stock 

 of these varieties, though some of the 

 bulb importers will supply Spanish 

 varieties especially. The best source 

 of supply which I have found is the 

 Pacific Northwest. From that section 

 we get larger, stronger, better bulbs 

 than we have ever secured from any 

 other source. 



These bulbs come to us in late sum- 

 mer and are immediately planted in 

 rows in the open garden, much as 

 onion sets would be planted. They re- 

 quire no special care. They should be 

 put out as soon as received which will 

 be the latter part of September or 

 some time in October; the earlier the 

 bettei'. In nearly all cases they will 

 make some fall growth, often as much 

 as five or six inches of green shoot 

 showing above the ground when win- 

 ter arrives. However, they do not seem 

 to suffer any serious consequences 

 from the freezing of these fall sprouts. 



As a rule we put on evergi-een 

 ijoughs after the soil is thoroughly 

 frozen; these are simply to hold the 

 snow on as late as possible in the 

 spring. No other protection is given. 

 So far as I know ive have never lost a 

 bulb by winter freezing! 



Some growers recommend that the 

 bulbs be taken up after flowering late 

 in July, dried out thoroughly, and re- 

 planted in September. We have done 

 this several times with entire success. 

 We have also left bulbs out year after 

 year with no appreciable deterioration. 



Some varieties increase in our gar- 

 den, others hold their own, while some 

 of them run out after a few years. 



All of these varieties are extremely 

 beautiful in flower. In fact they are 

 one of the most striking plants in any 

 garden. They are often compared with 

 Orchids, and this is suggestive. Colors 

 are mostly blue, white, and yellow. 

 They are remarkably fine for cutting. 

 Stems are tall, 12 to 30 inches, with 

 good lines. The flowers last well in 

 water. 



According to my observation, not 

 fully verified l)y experiment, the im- 

 portant requirements are clean, well- 

 drained soil, with nearly full sunshine, 

 but with protection from severe winds. 

 It seems a pity that such beautiful 

 plants as the Bulbous Irises should be 

 neglected through a general misunder- 

 standing of their cultural require- 

 ments. — "Flower Grower." 



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