14 
CARL PURDY, UKIAH, CALIFORNIA 
German Irises 
GERMAN IRISES, popularly known as Flag Lilies and Fleur-de-Lis, are hardy 
plants whose value in the garden cannot be overestimated. Easily grown, free flowering, 
drought-resisting, and many of them fine for cut-flowers, they fit into many portions of 
the garden most admirably. If they receive little care or no care, they still respond with 
fine flowers, while, if they are treated as such noble plants should be treated, they are 
simply indescribably beautiful. 
They have been greatly improved and wonderfully varied of late years and I can 
offer everything from little plants a few inches high to giants 4 to 5 feet high, in all 
shades of color. 
Culture. Plant in sun or light shades from August to March; the best time is fall. 
The soil may be light or heavy, sandy or rocky, if fairly well enriched, but the best 
results will be had on a good loam 
with old manure dressing as a winter 
or summer mulch. Lift and divide 
in early fall every three or four 
years. Use only the most vigorous 
sections, pulling the mat of rhi- 
zomes to pieces to get them. Plant 
15 to 20 inches apart. 
Garden Arrangement. The worst 
possible way to use them is as a per- 
manent edging to a mixed border, 
for after flowering they lack interest 
and leave an ugly place. Strong 
clumps, say of six or more, from 3 
to 6 feet from the walk, are good 
and give fine flowering masses in 
season. If they rest every second 
year, gladioli can be alternated and 
do well. 
The best of all plans is to choose 
some bed a little out of the garden 
center and use Irises alone. Such 
a border can be planted with suc- 
cessive groups of different heights 
and flowering seasons and will be a 
thing of beauty for a long period and 
can then be dried off until fall. 
Do not use Japanese Irises with 
German Irises, as the cultural con- 
ditions are different, but the Span- 
ish, English, Oriental, and Sibirica 
varieties will blend admirably in 
such an Iris garden. 
The midwinter-flowering Iris sty- 
losa will blend well in this scheme, as 
it too takes a summer rest, and all 
of our California Irises can be used. 
If some of the rarer late, winter- 
flowering Irises were used, a bed 
would flower from November till 
July. 
German Irises are divided into a 
number of classes. The Amcena, 
May-flowering and Pallida sections 
arc on the opposite page, and the 
remaining sections are treated on 
pages 16 to 20. 
Quality of Stock. My stock of 
German Iris. In the flower the upright petals these is Superfine and cannot be ex- 
are termed the "standards," while the bottom celled. Of course they are divided 
drooping petals are known as "falls." to so-called single crowns, but in 
