IRISES FOR THE ROCK-GARDEN AND THE WATERSIDE. 451 



IRISES FOR THE ROCK-GARDEN AND THE WATERSIDE. 



By Eleonoea Armitage. 



[A large number of beautiful oil and water-colour paintings of Irises by Miss Cecilia 

 Armitage were exhibited. Some of these are reproduced here, but they only give a 

 partial idea of the beauty of the originals. The following abbreviations are used in 

 the description at the foot of most of the Illustrations, which are all strictly copyright : — 

 F = falls ; S = standards ; St. = styles ; fl. = flower ; nat. size = natural size ; 

 red. = reduced. Actual size of flowers is given in inches : — e.g. 4x3 = 4 inches long, 

 3 inches broad. — Ed.] 



I must ask your indulgence at the outset, if, during the notes which 

 follow, an Iris enthusiast may seem to speak in too high praise of the 

 members of this genus. It may readily be granted that they are not all 

 equally beautiful, but most of them have grace of form and pure rich 

 colouring, while many are of transcendent loveliness. 



The species and varieties of Iris are indeed numerous, and they are 

 greatly diversified in habit, ranging from gems of three inches in height 

 to stately forms reaching five and six feet. They are adapted to many 

 differing habitats — the open border, the rock-garden, the warm shelter of a 

 wall, and the water-garden. They have an exceedingly long range of 

 flowering, extending as it does from December to August. They show 

 much diversity in the form of the flowers, and many species are fragrant. 

 They exhibit a wonderful variety of colouring, many exquisite combina- 

 tions of tints and much varied detail in the surface markings. All these 

 qualities combine to make this genus of unique attraction to the amateur 

 whose gardening is restricted to the cultivation of hardy plants. Irises 

 form our earliest winter bulb-garden, Irises abound in our spring garden, 

 Irises riot in our May garden, Irises flower with the Roses in our June 

 garden, Irises people our July water-garden. 



When one looks around on gardens otherwise well furnished, where a 

 hundred species of Irises might easily be grown, and one sees the genus 

 represented by two or three, or possibly half a dozen, one asks why this is, 

 and tries to find the answer. Putting aside ignorance of species, which 

 can readily be turned into knowledge by the diligent study of the best 

 plant lists, the answer seems to be contained in the fact that Irises, 

 though hardy, agree with most other plants in requiring careful 

 cultivation. 



Now the many species of Iris require many different forms of care, 

 and everyone has not the leisure or the inclination to discover these by 

 the slow yet sure process of personal experience. It is therefore with 

 the hope of helping some would-be Iris-grower that these notes have been 

 put together. 



As the genus is far too large to be treated of at one time, two very 

 distinct sections only will now be discussed, namely Bulbous Irises for 

 the Rock- Garden, and Some Rhizomatous Species for the Water- Garden. 



