266 
THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
When should the German Iris be transplanted? In 
European gardens where the Summer is on the whole 
cooler than here, these are best divided and trans- 
planted after flowering, that is to say in July; new 
roots and new growth are then made most liberally. 
The same is also true of the Hellebores, the Christ- 
mas and Lenten Rose family. By the way, there are 
few of the nursery firms that try to keep the various 
sections of the German Irises separated. This is per- 
haps just as well, although those who make a close 
study of Irises like to think of the Pallida, Squalens, 
Variegata, Amoena and other groups. Peonies and 
Irises are among the finest of the early Summer flow- 
ers and succeed in every section of the United States. 
We still want finer flowers among the latter, but this 
is where good cultivation materially helps. At the 
same time there are raisers of these that are now get- 
ting bolder and larger blooms. Pallida dalmatica rep- 
resents the ideal, with Mme. Chereau, Queen of May, 
Mrs. H. Darwin, Florentina, Siwas and Falvescens 
among those that every one of us likes to have in any 
collection of these German or "bearded" Irises. In ad- 
dition to these there are the Chamaeiris or dwarf type, 
which are simply miniatures of the bigger ones. They 
flower early and are fine for edgings or for the 
rockery. 
* * * 
Among the hardy plants that I put out this year 
was an old favorite, namely Nepeta Mussini, a gray, 
crinkled leaved, semi-trailing plant of which I think 
there must be two forms, one more compact than the 
other. The latter would undoubtedly be a very fine 
subject for the rockery, but the other would also be 
suitable, as it never attains a greater height than one 
foot and spreads longitudinally, while it flowers the 
whole Summer through. These are in the whorled, 
verticillate form, well known to the family to which 
it belongs, and are of a good blue-lavender color. The 
gray foliage and the color of the flowers give a misty 
blue effect. This plant I have seen used immensely 
well for making broad edges to big formal beds in 
geometrical flower gardens, and most earnestly com- 
mend it to the notice of those who have not so fat- 
grown it. It is a hardy plant, becoming suffruticose, 
and carries through the Winter if covered lightly 
with dry leaves. It is easy to propagate from cut- 
tings, and altogether is a fine plant either in its dwarf 
or laxer growing form. I discovered however, what 
I had read about but never had seen before, namely 
that cats have a particular failing for the leaves and 
stems of this Nepeta. Twice my young daughter 
called my attention to puss eating the plants, but I 
paid no heed until the continued attentions of Mistress 
Puss attracted me to where the plants were, and there 
sure enough were only the skeletons remaining. It 
does not sound very encouraging certainly, but do 
not despair even if some plants grow beautifully less 
— an easy means of protection can be devised. It will 
be interesting to know whether others have suffered 
in this wav. 
* * * 
How about the Beans this year? They have taken 
an unconscionable time to come through the soil ow- 
ing to the colder weather, and in my particular soil, 
which cakes and runs together, they had a struggle 
to break through. Some of those that were helped 
look rather yellow and resentful of man's interference : 
evidently the cotyledons like to come through the soil 
very gradually. 
* # * 
How many of the Gladioli are hardy, and are there 
degrees of hardiness among the varieties? The ques- 
tion is asked because a few corns are throwing up 
their growths here and there in the flower borders in 
places no more protected than where others have died 
out completely. Of course we know that Gladioli 
should be lifted and stored in the Fall, but occasionally 
some get left. Can Mr. Tracy or other of your ex- 
perts give us a list of those that have proved hardiest? 
Sometimes a mistake is made surely, in applying a 
heavy cold mulch of manure to Rose beds, and even 
to hardy borders, before the sun's rays have had time 
to warm the soil. The better plan in the case of Roses 
that have been mulched during the Winter is to re- 
move all the material, whether dry or not, and after 
the pruning, fork over the soil, and when it has be- 
come mellow-warmed, then is the time to apply the 
mulch. Stable manure, which has not the close qual- 
ities of that from the cow stable, never causes any 
damping off, but the heavier cow mulching does have 
that tendency, in the case of some of the more suc- 
culent subjects. 
Some one pointed out the other day a colony of 
double Daffodils, the flowers of which had gone blind, 
and asked why. Of course this could not be answered 
right away without an examination of the bulbs to 
discover whether these were affected in any way with 
basal rot, or to discover the consistency and quality of 
the soil. Daffodils like a moist bottom, but they do 
not like a cold wet bottom of soil, nor they they like 
a soil that is very rich; nor an acidulous soil. The 
only thing to be done with Daffodils that have gone 
blind like that, and it is a more or less common fail- 
ing with bulbs that are naturalized in the grass, is to 
lift them after they have finished their growth in 
Summer, dry them, replanting well apart in soil that 
is seen to be properly drained, and which contains a 
goodly proportion of calcareous matter such as lime 
or old morter rubble, that is, lime from the interstices 
of old buildings. Unfortunately this is somewhat of 
a scarce commodity where frame houses predominate. 
The Rhododendrons are now in bloom. The best po- 
sition for Rhododendrons is in the semi-shade of wood- 
lands, where they are protected from cutting, drying 
and winds in Winter and Spring, and from the morn- 
ing sun ; this latter striking them from the East while 
they are frozen does much harm in Winter and Spring, 
and it is for that reason that a sheltered and partially 
shaded situation should be chosen. In Winter a mulch 
of leaves, dried ferns, hay or straw, or even long 
stable manure should be placed around the roots, and 
over the soil between the plants ; this ensures a sup- 
ply of moisture continually from beneath, an essential 
to their well being. In regard to soil, it should be 
stated that no lime must be present, or be incorpor- 
ated, as this they detest. On limey formations, 
where the Rhododenrons are desired, it is necessary 
to excavate large beds two feet deep, taking away all 
the limey soil, and filling in loam, peat and leaf mould 
in equal proportions and mounding this up, or if this 
isn't done the limey water percolates from the sur- 
rounding ground and gradually kills the Rhododen- 
drons. Dwarf varieties like Rhododendron dahuri- 
cum and amcena, usually called Azalea amoena, are 
good subjects for a rock garden, and there are others 
recently introduced from China that seem to be hardy 
for forcing for the greenhouse. 
