28 
February, 1920 
Slower (Brower 
The Iris For Florists. 
BY WILLIAM A. PETERSON in The Florists’ Review. 
T HE FORMERLY used term of German 
Iris was never correct, as it included 
many forms not botanically called 
“germanica.” The French name of 
“fleur-de-lis” is familiar to all. 
The English, Spanish, Siberian and Japan- 
ese Iris are, for a variety of reasons, elimi- 
nated from this discussion, as are all dwarf 
sorts which have stems too short for cut 
flower purposes. 
SHIPPING SEASON. 
There is hardly anything grown that can 
be moved with as little regard to season as 
the Iris. In the spring if a short plant is 
standing behind tall ones, move it forward 
any time, even when flowering, and it will go 
on the same as ever. 
When moving Iris, cut back the foliage to 
a height of four inches, as well as remove 
most of the fibrous roots. If the leaves are 
not thus trimmed when boxed for shipment, 
the plants require more space and may be 
injured by heating in transit. 
The regular shipping season is after Au- 
gust 20, and until the leaf stalks are not over 
four inches in height in the spring, barring 
when the ground is frozen. In latter years 
much local transplanting of Iris is done two 
weeks after they are through blooming in 
June. 
To demonstrate the tenacity of life of an 
Iris root, I have cut all the foliage off a 
rhizome, together with all the fibrous roots, 
about July 1 and placed this tulip-like root 
on a shelf in the house, without any mois- 
ture, and planted it outdoors two months 
later and it bloomed the following season. 
Anyone can divide the rhizomes, as the 
heart roots are called, leaving one tuft of 
leaves to each section of root. To obtain 
the greatest number of divisions, the plants 
should be lifted every two 
years. If one is short of land, 
they can remain undisturbed 
for many years, but do not 
multiply so rapidly. 
PLANT IN WELL DRAINED SOIL. 
Plant in rows two and a half 
feet apart by ten inches be- 
tween plants down the row. 
Never set them more than one 
and a half inches deep in the 
ground. Though considered 
an aquatic, they do best in a 
well drained location. 
When a blooming stalk is 
cut and developed in the house 
all the buds, often nine in 
number, will open in succes- 
sion even if it takes ten days 
to do so, provided the water is 
frequently changed and the 
stems shortened. The with- 
ered blooms must be snapped 
off before they begin to curl. 
The local trade florists who 
cultivate anything outdoors 
can do no better than to grow 
Iris. There are always some 
varieties at their best on Me- 
morial Day. 
They are dependable peren- 
nial bloomers, come earlier 
than most annuals, increase 
rapidly, require but little wa- 
ter, thrive even in partial shade 
and poor soil and never need 
covering in winter. 
No other flower has so many 
combinations of color, espe- 
cially of the delicate and unu- 
sual shades, and the name of 
rainbow flower is most fitting. 
They are absolutely hardy, as beautiful in 
form, texture and coloring as any orchid, 
and many are delightfully fragrant. 
TABULATING VARIETIES. 
The varieties of recent introduction so far 
surpass the old sorts that a modern list of 
best varieties is largely made of new names. 
In tabulating the desirable varieties of tall 
bearded Iris, it seemed unwise to try to edu- 
cate the public up to a botanical classifica- 
tion, because it was often found to be totally 
at variance with the usual grouping by color. 
For instance, we find botanically deep pur- 
ples, like Kochii and germanica, lined up with 
neglectas like Archeveque, Monsignor and 
Black Prince, and pallidas like Caprice and 
Edouard Michel. 
Two things were dominant in making the 
division by color. First, the decided shades, 
like purple, violet, yellow and white were 
separated. Second, so many desirable yel- 
lows and smoke or bronze sorts appeared 
that all not really yellow were put together 
in a class as bronze. The same condition 
prevailed among the violets ; so we rather 
arbitrarily divided them into blue violet and 
pink violet. Finally came those not included 
with the others, having a white ground vari- 
ously mottled or penciled, which for want of 
a better name, we called “frilled.” The uni- 
versally known Madame Chereau belongs to 
this class. 
When the standard or erect petals vary 
from the falls, or lower petals, the bloom is 
classified by the standards. This makes 
seven distinct groups as to color. 
Next to consider is time of blooming, to 
obtain a well distributed list covering repre- 
sentatives of striking individuality over the 
greatest range of time. 
No other Flower combines so many colors as the Iris. 
MAKING A MASTER LIST. 
As in our study of the Peony, we have 
made a master list of Irises. Here are first 
installed the absolutely unassailable varieties, 
then others are temporarily put into their re- 
spective sections until they finally demonstrate 
their fitness to remain or are superseded by 
similar, but more desirable sorts. A consensus 
of those studying together, assisted by the 
judgment of the large number of discrimina- 
ting buyers who make their selections in the 
field, determines the most valuable. A test 
of five years is given to assure ample oppor- 
tunity for full development. The annual 
record also includes the constitutional traits, 
and these share in settling which are to be 
carried. 
Not more than seven kinds are wanted in 
a section, and less are preferable, to keep 
the maximum within fifty varieties. A pref- 
erence is given to those whose standards and 
falls are of a general similar shade, as when 
massed they best carry out a decorative color 
scheme, though some representatives of two- 
color effects, like Rhein Nixe and Walhalla, 
are retained. 
HOW SELECTIONS ARE MADE. 
This program works out as follows: Take 
Iris Cordelia, a choice rich purple of the same 
shade and effect as Monsignor ; when they 
are blooming side by side people always pre- 
fer Monsignor. We, therefore, after grow- 
ing Cordelia for five years, sold out our com- 
plete stock. 
Albert Victor and other forms of pallidas 
are too similar to the stalwart Dalmaticas 
and are not needed. 
In my travels I have visited Goos & Koen- 
emann in Germany, the originators of Iris 
Koenig, which is truly the king of Irises, and 
no longer carry its paternal 
parent, Maori King, which has 
such a short stem. They have 
sent out too many yellow and 
brown combinations for our 
list, but Loreley is a gem and 
the fastest multiplier on my 
place. Varieties like these 
have put SansSouci and Ossian 
out of the running. On ac- 
count of its short stem and 
slow propagating, we prefer 
the sturdy Rhein Nixe to Clio. 
The list of frilled sorts is 
culled from thirty different 
forms, all pleasing but not es- 
sential. 
Upon growing Parc de Neu- 
illy and Crepuscle side by side 
for years, so little difference 
was found that the freer 
bloomer was retained. 
For lack of constitution, in 
our climate, the following 
desirable sorts have been 
dropped : Neglecta Black 
Prince, Oiiflamme, Tamerlane, 
Diane and Ingeborg. 
A delicate pastel shade like 
Cherubim soon bleaches in the 
field to white and gives way to 
Mrs. Alan Gray as a more en- 
during pink. Nuie d'Orage, 
the storm cloud from France, 
though true to its striking 
name, under another appella- 
tion would be passed unnoticed 
as a neutral in the search of 
prospects for the hall of fame. 
THE MASTER LIST. 
The following classification 
represents my study up to 
