March, 1919 
£3t)£ .flower (Brower 
23 
GROWTH OF THE SEEDLINGS. 
GROWTH AND MORTALITY IN THE 
TRANSPLANT BED. 
Only one per cent may die the 
first winter. At the end of the 
second 95 per cent should be alive. 
One per cent should flower the 
first year where many kinds of 
crosses are made. Ninety-five per 
cent should blossom the following 
season. 
(To be concluded.) 
The Lure of the Iris. 
Throughout the spring and sum- 
mer months the Iris, in one or 
other of its species, is to be seen 
in the gardens of those who love 
to have the most beautiful of the 
beautiful in their collections— and, 
surely, never was more beauty to 
be found among flowers than in the 
Iris ! 
In Japan, the Iris is greatly valued 
for decorative purposes, and the 
Japanese species, Iris Kcempferi, is 
greatly valued in the United States 
as a late blooming species, and its 
number of varieties, all bearing 
Japanese names, give a period of 
bloom running from the end of 
June until well into August. An- 
other Japanese species, Iris tectorum , in Japan 
is often grown upon the roofs of houses, for 
the purpose of warding off pestilence, some 
say ; others claim that it strengthens the 
thatch used for roofing. Mrs. Fraser, in her 
book, “Japanese Tales,” gives the following 
reason : “ Once there was a famine in the 
land and it was forbidden to plant in the 
ground anything that could not be used as 
food. The frivolous Irises only supply the 
powder with which the women whiten their 
faces, but their little ladyships could not be 
cheated of that. ‘ Must we look like frights 
as well as die of hunger?’ they cried, and so 
every woman set a tiny plantation of Irises 
on the roof of her house, and there in most 
country places they are growing still.” 
The following May after planting, the 
plants should be above ground. By the last 
of June they should be from three to six 
inches tall, according to the cross. By the 
first of August they should be from eight to 
twelve inches. The first time you dig seed- 
ling Iris you will be surprised to find the 
parts under ground do not look like rhizomes. 
They are somewhat globular with the root- 
lets arising from their bases. The rootlets 
are about two-thirds as long as the 
leaves. 
TRANSPLANT GARDEN. 
Make it the same width as the 
seed bed but longer. Prepare in 
the same way. 
TRANSPLANTING THE SEEDLINGS. 
Do this the first week in August. 
Plunge a large mason’s trowel into 
the ground eight inches. Draw the 
blade back, leaving a cavity into 
which drop the seedling, with the 
rootlets hanging ; withdraw the 
trowel allowing the earth to fall 
back on the roots. Firm it with the 
feet, leaving the bulbous part of 
the root two inches below the sur- 
face. Set the seedlings six inches 
apart, in rows with six inches be- 
tween them. 
WATERING. 
When the bed is planted, run 
the sprinkler, if the season is dry, 
until the ground is moist, and will 
hold its form when squeezed in the 
hand. 
The Tall Bearded Irises are most com- 
monly seen in cultivation. These are mainly 
of the German type, Iris Germunica, in its 
many sections. One of the most beautiful 
forms of the type is found in the “ pallida ” 
section, the blooms of which run largely to 
the light blue shades, and are quite fragrant. 
A very handsome variety is Queen oj May, a 
lovely soft rose-lilac, almost pink. It is a 
hybrid, and should belfound in every collec- 
tion. Another splendid hybrid of Iris pallida 
is Mine. Chereau, a white, elegantly frilled 
bucina, a very fragrant variety having the 
odor of the Elder, as its name indicates. 
The Apogon, or Beardless Irises, are next 
in importance to the Bearded type. In this 
group are included all the moisture loving 
kinds, a fact which should be remembered. 
It should also be borne in mind that no Iris, 
with the exception of Pseudacoris, popularly 
accepted as the “Fleur de Lys” of France, 
and Versicolor, our native Water Flag, can 
be successfully grown where water stands 
continually in winter. The varieties in this 
group will grow well in any garden 
where the soil can be kept moist 
through frequent stirring. These 
Irises, like those of the Germanica 
section, all have rhizomatous root- 
stocks. The tectorum, or “Roof 
Iris,” belongs to this section. This 
variety should have slight root pro- 
tection in winter north of New 
York. Fulva is a handsome variety 
throwing rich, coppery, maroon - 
colored flowers toward the end of 
June; it is not a tall grower, its 
height being usually ahout 1^ feet. 
Missouriensis, one of the earliest 
and prettiest, is a profuse bloomer, 
in color lilac with a yellow spot. 
Tectorum, Fulva and Missouriensis 
do best in dry, sunny locations. 
For waterside planting, flower and 
shrubbery borders, may be recom- 
mended Delavayi, a Chinese va- 
riety of recent introduction, grow- 
ing to a height, sometimes, of five 
feet, flowers produced in July, a 
rich ultramarine blue ; Atirea, a 
Himalayan variety, with large, 
handsome flowers of deep yellow 
color, produced in June and July; 
Orientalis gigantea, the Gold-banded 
Iris, flowers ivory white with an 
orange-yellow blotch at the base 
of the falls, produced in June and 
July; Spuria Mrs. A. W. Tait, flow- 
ers soft porcelain-blue, with very 
long, pale blue falls, and a blotch 
of gold at the base, a most lovely 
variety and fine for massing. 
A group of Irises of which one 
often reads but seldom sees is that 
called the Oncocyclus. This is due 
to the fact that the species in the 
group are rather difficult to grow. 
They will insist upon having what 
they need, and resist almost every- 
thing approaching a compromise. If 
one should be fortunate enough to 
succeed with them he will have 
flowers beautiful indeed. The stems 
of the species in this group throw 
one flower only. The most com- 
mon of the group is Iris Susiana, 
the Mourning Iris, and of all the 
varieties it is the least difficult to 
grow. It is grown with success 
in certain parts of Long Island, 
and, no doubt, may be elsewhere. 
— Floral Magazine. 
with a wide border of clear blue. In the 
variegated section, Laurentinus, a bright yel- 
low, with falls yellow, netted purple, is a fine 
sort, as also is Innocenza, standard and falls 
ivory white, crest rich gold, very delicate. 
Delicatissima, in the plicata section, is a 
beautiful white, heavily frilled blue, some- 
what similar to Mme. Chereau but not so 
tall in growth. Flavescens gives us a delicate 
shade of soft yellow, large, fragrant flowers, 
a fine variety for massing ; it is one of the 
best for cut flower purposes. All the others 
named are splendid sorts from a cut flower 
point of view, but the selection would hardly 
be complete without Florentina, a creamy 
white, faintly flushed with lavender, very 
early and delightfully fragrant ; and Sam- 
The Iris articles by Mr. Rol- 
lins have attracted much attention 
among Iris lovers and we are pleased 
to have been able to present this series 
of articles to our readers. There will 
be another installment in the April 
issue which will end the series, but we 
do not expect to stop printing good 
matter about the Iris from time to 
time as it becomes available. The Iris 
works in so beautifully with the Peony 
and the Gladiolus that all three are 
grown in many gardens. Some years 
the Irises are wonderful, and thev 
never fail to give satisfactory bloom 
even in an unfavorable season. 
