IRIS 
133 
fans pointing in different directions in order that the effect will 
be of a large clump when blooming. 
Iris should not be divided until they have become matted and 
crowded. Those varieties that multiply rapidly should be separated 
in three years, while others may remain untouched for several 
years. 
It is a mistake to think that one cannot have a desirable collec¬ 
tion of Iris without undue expense, for the price is entirely de¬ 
termined by the abundance of the supply on the market. Some 
varieties multiply very slowly and continue high priced, while 
the new varieties that receive high rating and special awards are 
very expensive for a time. 
Bearded Iris have been subdivided into three classes that follow 
each other as to time of blooming, prolonging the season for many 
months. 
The Iris season opens early in the new year with the Dwarfs that 
can be found in yellow, blue and purple. The Dwarf Iris are so 
called because of shortness of stem (seldom growing more than 
nine inches) rather than size of blossom. The earliest varieties 
have very short stems, but as the season advances, the height 
increases. This class includes Iris pumila, the pseudo-pumila and 
chamaeiris, all of whom grow from creeping rhizomes. 
These early varieties are followed in March by the well-known 
"Blue, and White Flags” of our Grandmothers’ gardens. These have 
been little valued, possibly because they demand so little care, 
though more probably because they bloom so early in the season 
that the prevailing Spring winds often mar their delicate beauty. 
This variety is more fragile than some of the later ones, and they 
are easily bruised. Yet nothing can be more beautiful than a 
large clump of the lovely Blue, whose name is listed as Germanica, 
growing in well-drained, rich garden soil, especially if Jonquils 
or light yellow wall-flowers nestle at their feet. Its companion, the 
White Flag, or Florentina, has long been identified with the Mo¬ 
hammedans who have carried it with them wherever they have 
journeyed, to be used for the ornamentation of their burial places. 
This custom has made it impossible to determine its place of 
Dividing 
Iris 
Need Not 
Be Ex¬ 
pensive 
Season 
of 
Bloom 
Dwarf 
Iris 
Flags 
Blue 
Germanica 
White 
Florentina 
