20 
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 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 shade 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 vigor- 
ous sections, pulling the mat of 
rhizomes to pieces to get them. 
Plant 15 to 20 inches apart. 
Garden Arrangement. The worst 
possible way to use them is as a 
permanent 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 flower- 
ing masses in season. If they are 
reset 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 
Spanish, English, Oriental, and 
Sibirica varieties will blend ad- 
mirably in such an Iris garden. 
The midwinter-flowering Iris 
stylosa 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 
and May-flowering sections are on 
the opposite page, and the remain- 
ing sections are treated on pages 
22 to 25. 
Quality of Stock. My stock of 
these is superfine and cannot be ex- 
celled. Of course they are divided 
to so-called single crowns, but in 
many cases there are two or three 
strong crowns of most vigorous 
quality connected. They are always 
taken fresh from the ground and 
shipped in moist sphagnum moss so 
In the flower the upright petals are termed the 
"standards," while the bottom drooping petals are 
known as "falls." 
