'Ghe Iris Garden 
"Fie, fie, indeed! How wanton and perverse! 
Grow only flowers?—as well write only verse!" 
Opus Seven 
by Silvia Townsend Warner. 
Greetings 1934 
After a most unusual winter and a still more difficult spring the un¬ 
daunted irises are shooting up buds to perform their usual miracle. It is 
pleasant to think that plants from my garden are now greeting many of you 
with bloom in your gardens. 
My Iris Code 
There has been much talk of an iris code but nothing has been done. This 
is a disappointment to me for I feel that a code with the open price agreement is 
essential to honest business methods. 
However, here is my own code as it concerns customers. I try to list only 
those varieties that I can conscientiously recommend. As my growing experi¬ 
ence is limited to one locality, of course I make mistakes. What is impossible 
here may be very fine on the West Coast or in New England or vice versa. 
I price them as low as I can considering the amount of stock I have growing. I 
make mistakes here, too, but the customer does not suffer for it for his money 
is cheerfully refunded in case a variety is sold out. Substitutions are only made 
when requested. I ship the best plants and keep the inferior ones for another 
year’s growing. If a customer is not pleased with the plants or their condition, 
he may return them on receipt and his money is immediately returned. 
California in February 
It was my privilege to see the early iris bloom in California this year. 
I saw wonderful seedlings in the gardens of Mr. White, Prof. Essig and Prof. 
Mitchell as well as in several fine commercial collections. I saw also Mr. 
Reibold’s noteworthy collection of species and Dr. Williams’ beardless collection. 
Having San Gabriel and Purissima in mind I had a prejudice that any 
February bloomers there would not be hardy here. But I saw such undoubtedly 
hardy varieties as Sir Michael, Duke of Bedford and Indian Chief in full winter 
bloom. Prof. Essig remarked that the tendency to irregular bloom was now 
owing to Dominion rather than Mesopotamia blood. It is possible that this 
latent (here) irregularity will be valuable to any hybridizer working with fall 
bloomers. 
Best Wishes 
This is the one occasion when I may address you all so I take the oppor¬ 
tunity to wish you much bloom and garden happiness. 
4 
DOROTHY STONER 
Phone Overland 57 F 12 
■/ Page 2 /. 
The Iris Garden 
Overland Park, Kansas 
