144 
GARDENING IN THE SOUTHWEST 
Wild 
Varieties 
Iris 
Versicolor 
Wild on 
Atlantic 
Coast 
Kaempferi 
of 
Japanese 
Iris Wild 
in Asia 
but more for the choice places in the rock garden. Although they 
like and require moisture in the Spring months, they must get a 
thorough baking and ripening after their growing season is over. 
Another important group of Iris includes the wild Iris of our 
Atlantic Coast from Labrador almost to Florida and west almost 
to the Rockies, which is Iris versicolor. This is a beautiful species 
for naturalizing along river banks, ponds or swamps. I am not 
able to tell whether it would need water in the Southwest, but it 
does not need it in gardens in our middle or central states. Very 
closely related to versicolor is the Iris of Europe, pseudacorus, the 
species from which the Fleur de Lis has been taken as a patriotic 
emblem. This plant grows wild in many different climates from 
Sweden on the north through England on to the continent and 
down into Spain and Italy. As yet we know very little about its 
different types, nor do we know definitely whether varieties from 
the different sections vary in hardiness. The type commonly grown 
in this country is hardy in our Iris growing states but is not of 
great importance unless grown in masses and given moist condi¬ 
tions. It may need irrigation under the hotter sun of the South¬ 
west to make it grow well and to make the flowers large and the 
stems tall. Its color is a splendid clear yellow. 
A third closely related species is Kaempferi from which the 
famous Japanese Irises have been developed. These are much more 
finicky as to soil and moisture conditions than most Irises. Curi¬ 
ously enough, they can be grown in many different states and 
climates, while in gardens close together they may succeed in one 
garden and fail in another. We do not know how much of this is 
due to soil conditions and how much may be due to weakening of 
plants by insects or plant diseases, but for the section of country 
from Maine to Virginia and west to the Mississippi Valley, it is in 
general better to grow these Irises from seed, if the gardener is not 
sure as to what conditions they need. The seedlings seem to be 
rather more vigorous. Seed taken from a good collection will give 
good colors, although, of course, it is impossible to tell what the 
distribution of the colors will be. 
Distinct from the beardless group, but for convenience treated 
