($ualttij (gariipita 
has attracted more attention each year although 
it has been introduced for several years. 
Of the deeper and bronzy red blends, Dr. 
Loomis’ Shirvan is outstanding in its sumptuous 
richness and glowing and outstanding beauty in 
a garden clump. The blazing splendor of a drift 
of this iris at once commands the eye. It com¬ 
mands all the richness of the Dominion race with 
glowing coloring. 
Dr. Ayres’ stately Persia is another iris that 
has made its way without gx-eat blare of trumpets 
to a place of pre-eminence in any iris list. Its 
deep velvety falls and handsomely contrasting 
blue and buff toned standards on tall and ideally 
branched stalks always command admiration. It 
belongs in all fine iris gardens. 
There have been remarkable strides during 
the last two years in the blue class, particularly 
the blue seifs. Mr. Grinter’s Blue Triumph ad¬ 
mired by all visitors last year under number, 
Grinter’s No. 25-31, and Missouri are the top 
rankers in the light and medium blue tones. They 
will be wanted by everyone to fill the blue note 
in the garden. They possess all the fine qualities 
of first class ii-ises and present a distinct advance 
in a color range which had been at a standstill. 
They also have the desired heavy substance. Prof. 
Essig has also some magnificent new things in 
this class some of which we shall show in our 
gardens this year. 
The least progress in the entire color range 
of the iris has been made in the pink section. Pink 
Satin has caused more discussion, perhaps, than 
any other iris. In 1928 we went to Omaha to 
inspect a highly praised new strain of pinks. They 
were tall, of fine size, well branched and the 
closest approach to true pink we had yet seen. We 
selected the seedling that we and the hybridizer 
agreed was the best one of the lot, there being a 
number of them. 
In 1932 Pink Satin was rated at 79. In 1933, 
four years after it had been introduced, sixteen 
judges of the American Iris Society gave it a rat¬ 
ing of 87. We did not turn in a rating. This we 
consider a remarkable showing inasmuch as there 
have been tremendous strides in all other colors 
since Pink Satin first appeared. Now, six years 
after we first saw Pink Satin in bloom, we believe 
and confidently say that it is the best pink we 
have yet seen. It has stood the competition of all 
pinks introduced since its advent with no reason 
for applying any discounts to it. 
In the dark bicolors, Blue Velvet and Black 
Wings lead for depth, purity and all other good 
qualities that a first class iris should have. Blue 
Velvet’s glorious blue tones repeat each year to 
the delight of visitors to our gai’dens. Black 
Wings, darkly beautiful, yet has sufficient glow 
to its deep coloring never to appear somber. It 
.■ ■ - =■<>•• 
is one of the really great irises and will long 
remain so. 
Two seifs of outstanding value should be hei’e 
noted. One is Magenta of a distinct coloring, a 
beautiful red purple and not, as its name would 
indicate the magenta of the color chart. It makes 
a magnificent clump in the garden, is of vigorous 
growth and a free bloomer. 
The other is Violet Crown from the garden of 
Chancellor Kii’kland of Vanderbilt University. 
Dr. Kirkland has given us the finest violet self yet 
produced. It is not well enough known but is 
bound to earn recognition as the finest of its color 
with acquaintance. It combines fine form, good 
branching and heavy substance with vigor of 
growth and floriferousness. The larger the clump 
the more admired this iris will be. It stands alone 
among the violet seifs of medium depth. 
We do not list irises in our catalog that we 
regard merely as impi'ovements or slightly differ¬ 
ent editions of other irises. It is altogether too 
frequent and too careless a habit among iris crit¬ 
ics to toss a fine iris into undeserved secondary 
importance by describing it as an improved some¬ 
thing else. 
One of the really great irises of today and 
one likely to remain so has not had the distribu¬ 
tion it deseiwes except among those who know 
their ii-ises so well that they will not be deceived 
by description. This is Morning Glory, one of the 
finest varieties we have ever grown and one of 
Dr. Kirkland’s lxiost outstanding productions. It 
has been described all over the country as an im¬ 
proved Morning Splendor. This ruined the repu¬ 
tation of Morning Glory. It does not closely re¬ 
semble Moi'ning Splendor and is entirely distinct. 
It is an ii’is that should be in every collection that 
pertains to first class irises, a superlatively fine 
thing. 
There has been much discussion as to the 
prices of iris and as to whether it is worthwhile 
to pay the pi-ice for a new introduction. We be¬ 
lieve that it is. The gardener should be able to 
grow them so that the natural increase of the 
plant will keep pace with the drop in price and 
he will always have his money’s worth, no matter 
what the original cost. The idea, of course, in 
buying a single root of a new iris is, in due course 
of time, to have a big clump or mass of it and it 
has been our experience through plain figuring 
that the clump, when the oi'iginal plant has suffi¬ 
ciently increased to produce one, contains many 
more than enough roots of commercially salable 
size, to equal the retail pi-ice if you were to buy 
sufficient roots outright to grow a clump for 
quick effect. 
A good iris is always a good investment be¬ 
cause no matter how troublous the times, it regu¬ 
larly pays dividends of beauty and satisfaction. 
MRS. DOUGLAS PATTISON. 
PAGE SIX 
