CATALOGUE OF THE YOKOHAMA NURSERY Co., Lru. (1909). 21 



IRIS TECTORUn. 



'"F^ilE tourist in Japan nuist often wonder at the ridge of green flag leaves, surmounting 

 ^ most of the straw thatched cottages which prevails in the country villages and if 

 perchance his travels are made end of April or IMay, a great mass of l)eautiful blue (lowers 

 will meet his eyes rising from this rich green foliage, this is Iris Tectorum and if his curiosity 

 leads him to enquire the reason of a flower garden on the ridge of a cottage roof he will 

 find it is rather economic than asthetic, all thatched roofs must have a ridge of some kind to 

 throw off the water and as our people generally cast about to find something in a nature to 

 answer their purpose, they found in early time that the close growing and twining character 

 of this Iris formed a compact water resisting protection and used it on their cottages and as 

 high winds prevail in Japan, to prevent the plants from being torn off, they used length of 

 split bamboos tied into the thatch and this arrangement usually lasts till the roof 

 rethatched, a little later in the season it is no uncommon thing in some parts to see Lilium 

 Elegans and even Hemerocallis assorted with this fine Iris. Visitors to our Nursery tell us 

 that in Great Britain and Ireland there are many cottages with thatched roofs and the 

 same visitors inform us that this Iris is seldom seen in gardens, w^e therefore suggest the 

 experiment of growing it as we do. The climate of south and west of Ireland should suit 

 Iris Tectorum on roof tops and the same informants tell us that Sempervivum Tectorum 

 is common on thatched roofs in Scotland, perhaps even there the Iris might do on the 

 roof tops of the cottages as it is very hardy. The Isle of Wight be a good place to 

 experiment with this plant. This Iris should be left undisturbed. There is a story told of 

 a woman who went to a Shinto Priest to enquire how she could give a blue tint to her black- 

 hair and he told her to get the colour from the flower which neither grew on heaven nor on 

 earth and she tried the Iris flower from her cottage roof and attained her object. 



Iris tectorum per 100, $5 00. 



CAHELLIA JAPONICA. 



T X 7E have a large collection of these striking Japanese flowering plants. Good varieties 

 ^ " are increased by grafting as it is very difficult to obtain these trees from seeds and 

 wild varieties produce only single flowers. 



RARE VARIETY : - 



Camellia Japonica Grandiflora, pure white semi-double showing large yellow centre as the 

 flower expands. Its enormous sized bud just before opening, looks like the bud 

 of Magnolia grandiflora and when fully opened the flower really attains to the 

 size of 6 to 7 inches across (see photo) — each .75c ; per 10, $6.00. 



Camellia Japonica, our good assorted collection, double, semidouble and single pot grown 

 with buds — height: 1^-2 ft. ; per 10, $2.50; per 100, $20.00. 



Price in U. S. Gold. 



