September, 1!)1G 
T HE (; A R D E N M A G A Z I N E 
oo 
dalmatica has beautiful clear pale blue- 
lavender standards with slightly darker falls 
and is fragrant. Some growers have a way of 
substituting some other pallida forms for this 
one, but the true dalmatica may be also dis- 
tinguished by a distinct sparkle on the stan- 
dards, in full sunlight. I. pallida Juniata 
shows her close relationship to dalmatica, but 
is somewhat darker in tone, and carries her 
flowers on longer stems. These two gray-blue 
lavenders planted with the pale primrose 
species, I. flavescens, delight the eye; and if 
some of the nameless hybrid Aquilegias com- 
bining these two shades, be added, the result 
is quite perfect. I. pallida dalmatica is charm- 
ing if given a place near the pale pink Wiegela. 
Of the pinkish lavenders, or mauves, in the 
Pallidas, there are four, making a graduated 
shading in this tone: first, the lovely Queen 
of May; then Her Majesty, slightly deeper; 
Trautlieb, a white ground delicately veined 
with mauve; and Madame Pacquette, a deep 
rosy purple. The names given here, and in the 
subsequent groups, are typical rather than 
selective. For the modern up to date intro- 
ductions it will be desirable to consult the cat- 
alogues of the specialists. 
(2) The Variegata sub-section I cannot 
like, but for those who fancy brilliant yellows 
i they are valuable. The standards of the var- 
iegatas are invariably yellow, and the falls 
veined with brownish red, giving at a distance 
a solid effect. Aureae is a brilliant chrome 
yellow, of pure color without veinings. 
, Maori King is considered, by many persons, 
I the most brilliant of these yellow-crowned 
I Irises; the flowers have velvety brownish crim- 
i son falls, and bright yellow standards, and are 
of course most striking in appearance. Iris 
! King is a glorified form of this and Mad. 
j Neubent is perhaps the best all yellow Iris we 
I have. 
(3) In the Amoena sub-section the flowers 
: have white standards and falls of various 
j colors. The falls of Mrs. H. Darwin have a 
network of fine lavender lines at the base, and I 
!| find it one of the most beautiful; Donna Maria 
1 is another lovely white tinged with lavender, 
j (4) d o the Squalens sub-section, belong all 
|| the Irises with ashen violet, almost trans- 
S parent standards, and bronze or coppery falls. 
In the garden they look rather like some 
il colored fabric which had been left too long in 
strong sunlight; but when used for house ar- 
rangement they are beautiful, against a neutral 
tinted wall. An artist has suggested that if 
planted against the pale green of a newly 
leaved Japanese Maple, the effect should be 
very nice. Philadelphus makes a harmonious 
I background for these Squalens Irises. 
' (5) fhe Neglectas are of various shades of 
lavender and purple. Black Prince, a very 
dark velvety purple is beautiful, but seems 
difficult to establish; Othello, a tall and lovely 
1 flower, has blue lavender standards, and dark 
velvety purple falls. The pretty ones in this 
section are indeed legion. 
Tucked away in coi ners of a rockery, the dwarf Irises are 
perhaps most effective 
What a well established root of German Iris may be reason- 
ably expected to do if given a fair chance to grow 
(6) The flowers in the Plicata or Aphilla 
sub-section, have color applied to their white 
petals as if they had been embroidered with 
what those-who-sew would call the long-and- 
short stitch. Madame Chereau is perhaps 
the best known, and best loved of this lot, with 
her beautiful blue lavender “stitched” edges. 
The enchanting 
Mourning Iris be- 
longs to a group dif- 
ficult to grow. It 
has one flower to a 
stalk. Color taupe 
gray, with veins of 
madder brown 
All these so-called German Irises are hardy, 
almost to the point of being “fool proof,” but 
they have a few preferences: to be planted in 
moist, undrained soil is quite fatal; if planted 
in the shade they will manage to keep alive, 
but will flower most sparingly, if at all. All of 
this branch of the family like a well drained, 
sunny home where the rhizomes, or root stocks, 
can bake thoroughly after the blooming season. 
In planting, the rhizomes should be only just 
covered with earth. , Unless very well-rotted 
manure can be had, bonemeal is the best 
fertilizer; in no case should fresh organic 
manure be used. All Irises prefer to be left 
undisturbed, but they increase so rapidly that 
if, after a year or two, you wish to use 
your increase for new beds, do not hesitate to 
separate. In separating, pull the roots apart, 
do not cut them with a spade. .'August or early 
September, while the plant is resting, is the 
best time for moving or separating; but prop- 
agation can be done by cutting the growing 
eye (with a piece of root attached) immediately 
after flowering. 
If edging or carpeting plants are allowed 
to crowd into the Iris clumps, the blossoms will 
be poor the following year. Directly after the 
flowering period the leaves should not be 
trimmed, or cut away; but in the autumn, after 
they have turned brown they may be cut, for 
if left they retain moisture, which tends to rot 
the roots', or else make a happy resting place 
for slugs. 
Irises look happiest if planted in longish, 
natural looking groups, with a delicate green 
or open background. I tried German Iris 
alone, in a stone-edged, stone-walled border; 
with the result that the poor dears looked like 
prisoners in a cell. Miss Jekyll, in one of her 
charming books, suggests a planting of Irises 
with Lupines, which arrangement should be 
ever so nice. Dr. Wilhelm Miller speaks 
of the coarser foliaged flowers, such as the 
Irises, as giving a “masculine” effect; and 
suggests a generous use of the plants of a 
delicate, or feathery character, the “fem- 
inine,” with the coarser ones, to produce a 
thoroughly happy and harmonious arrange- 
ment. 
I find that by planting English Irises be- 
tween the earlier-blooming ones, I ha\ e a nice 
succession crop of flowers from 
the same space. Gladiolus are 
also a good “filler” with Irises. 
In the garden of a friend, poet’s 
Narcissus gives early bloom between 
German Irises, and the joining of 
these two is thoroughly consistent, 
since they both like a well-drained, 
sunny situation, and the Ins leaves 
soon cover the ripening Narcissus 
foliage. 
Here endeth the great Germanica family, 
but before we pass on to the .‘\pogons, I want 
to mention two other beautiful Pogoniris — or 
Iris bearing a beard on the falls: Amas, the 
exquisite tall, purple flower, which was first 
sent from Amas, .\sia Minor, to Sir Michael 
Foster in England; and albicans, the pure white 
form of the Elorentine Iris, variously known 
also as Madonna, Princess of \\ ales; it is a 
beautiful flower with unusually long falls, and 
no collection should be without it. 
IRISES FOR SUMMER BLOOM 
The Irises which carry us on into the summer 
in the garden, are beardless Irises; they have 
more grass-like foliage, and like moisture bet- 
ter than the others. Our native blue Water- 
Flag, I. versicolor, starts to bloom while the 
Germanicas are at their height; it thrives in 
marshy places, and does not e\ en object to wet 
feet over the winter — a rare quality among 
Irises. 
