134 
GARDENING IN THE SOUTHWEST 
Intermedi¬ 
ates 
Time of 
Bloom 
Great 
Range of 
Choice 
The Best 
White 
Varieties 
origin. For many centuries this delicate, white Florentine* has been 
loved for its beauty of blossom and greatly valued for the perfume 
derived from powdering the dried roots. This Orris-root has been, 
until quite recently, the best artificial violet scent. 
Kochi , a native of Italy, a very lovely dark purple, blooms 
about the same time. This Iris has an added value in that it often 
blooms a second time, at the end of the Iris season. Kochi is the 
forerunner of a large group of what are known as Intermediates . 
Of these the most popular is Rose Unique , one of the late Mr. 
Farr’s creations. It is the earliest of the pinks. Until the last few 
years not many Intermediates were introduced because the breed¬ 
ers of Iris were directing their attention toward creating Tall- 
Bearded varieties. Nympth (a deep yellow), Z ua, whose exquisite 
fragrance and crinkle-paper appearance make it most unique and 
Z wanenburg, with its unusual, mottled coloring, very odd-looking, 
are most desirable. Intermediates are of special value in the garden 
because of their early-blooming period. 
TALL BEARDED IRIS 
April is the height of the Iris season in the Southwest. A great 
adventure is in store for those gardeners who have yet to learn 
the value of the newer Tall Bearded Iris. 
In the last twenty years a host of varieties, some most brilliant, 
others delicate and exquisite as the beloved Orchid, have been 
developed. This has been done with several ideals in view. One 
group of scientists have striven for color, or the combination of 
colors, while another has been occupied with the effort to com¬ 
bine size and durability of blossom with beauty of form. There¬ 
fore, one finds difficulty in making a selection, even from the 
multitude of desirable old ones that have continued to hold their 
place with the newer creations, which are introduced each year, 
each boasting some alluring feature. 
Among the lighter-toned varieties that give the effect of white, 
what could be lovelier than Fairy with its pencilings of blue? Yet 
San Francisco , one of the new plicates, is much more beautiful. 
Purissama has been considered the finest pure white for a number 
