12 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 3, 1898. 
Spanish Irises. 
done blooming. The leaves are much broader than 
those of the last-named, and rest in the ground till 
spring. The falls are very broad, more or less wavy 
at the margins and fall over with a graceful, easy 
sweep. The original or wild type has rich blue 
flowers, and we have occasionally seen large clumps 
of it in old-fashioned gardens producing a gorgeous 
and glorious effect when in bloom. The improved 
or newer varieties vary from blue of various shades 
to purple, equally diversified, and from those diverge 
into red, more or less pure, and to white. The 
English Iris may be flowered in pots, but the best 
effects are produced by planting in beds in the open 
for summer flowering. They may be allowed to 
remain permanently in suitable positions. 
MARIPOSA LILIES. 
Other names are applied to this genus of Lilia:eous 
plants from California, such as Butterfly Tulips; and 
while they are allied both to Lilies and Tulips, they 
bear the strongest superficial resemblance to the 
latter, at least so far as the typical group of Calo- 
chortus is concerned. They have erect flowers like 
Tulips, but the observant reader will notice that the 
three outer segments are small, and generally more 
or less of a greenish hue. The Cyclobothra section 
of ihe genus has drooping, globular flowers with all 
of the segments more or less highly coloured, and the 
inner ones hollowed in the middle so as to form a 
wide open-mouthed cavity or sac. The accompany¬ 
ing illustration shows a bunch of several varieties of 
the more typical Calochortus flowers belonging to the 
same group as C. venustus. The natural size of the 
flowers is several times as large as those of the illus¬ 
tration, so that their bright or delicate colours, 
and the wonderful beard and blotches of the inner 
segments give to this class of flowers a unique and 
striking appearance. The Calochorti should be 
planted in light, sandy and well drained soil in a 
sheltered and sunny position, such as may readily be 
found in most gardens. The Cyclobothras should be 
planted chiefly in leaf mould. 
-— ■. »— - 
ALSTROEMERIA AURANTIACA. 
The rich orange flowers of this species (see illustra¬ 
tion) are wonderfully enhanced by the striped and 
spotted character of the two upper and inner seg¬ 
ments, the stripes being scarlet or carmine on a 
yellow ground. The species is perfectly hardy and 
one of the most handsome of the whole genus. The 
underground tuberous rhizomes are very much in¬ 
clined to run or ramble away from the central or 
original stool, and for that reason they are olten 
planted in large pots and sunk in the ground to 
restrict them within the allotted area, but while that 
is the case in well-kept and orderly borders, or any¬ 
where else where the space at command is limited, 
it would be highly advantageous to make up a bed 
or large patch where the roots or rhizomes could 
ramble at some freedom, and cover a considerable 
area. The effect would be striking, and the grower 
would be able to cut and come again in order to fill 
his flower basket. The illustrations of the English 
and Spanish Irises, the Calochorti and Alstroemeria 
were placed at our service by Messrs. Barr & Sons, 
12 and 13, King Street, Covent Garden. 
-- 
MONTBRETIAS. 
Within the last few years a race of plants has 
taken its place in gardens, and their beauty and 
gracefulness, particularly for cut flower purposes, 
are generally acknowledged. We refer to the plants 
popularly known as Montbretias, which the botanists 
refer to the genera Tritonia and Crocosmia. Two 
species only are concerned in the parentage of the 
whole race, their hardiness recommending them for 
this purpose. These two are Tritonia Pottsii 
(better known under the name of Montbretia) and 
Crocosmia aurea. The former has rather narrowly 
funnel-shaped flowers of a brilliant orange scarlet; 
while the latter has golden-yellow flowers of much 
larger size, with a more expanded lamina. If the 
botanists are right, then the progeny consists of 
bigeneric hybrids, the first one of which was 
variously named Montbretia crocosmiaeflora and 
Tritonia crocosmiflora. The first name has stuck 
to it in gardens and nurseries, and most of the gar¬ 
den forms are classed as varieties of it. 
Both the parents are natives of South Africa and 
have proved remarkably hardy in this country. 
They are still cherished for their particular beauty. 
There is now a large-flowered form in cultivation 
named Montbretia Pottsii grandiflora with red and 
yellow flowers. Another variety is Tritonia aurea 
maculata, a form with a large crimson blotch on 
each of the segments. 
The garden hybrids are mostly mentioned under 
the name of Montbretias, but some are imported 
from the Continent under the name of Crocosmia ; 
but whichever name is used the hardy forms all belong 
to the two species above mentioned. One of the 
finest of them is Etoile de Feu, a large and glowing 
vermilion flower. Imperialis is a large golden-yellow 
one, to which a First-class Certificate has been given 
by the R.H.S. The orange-red flowers of Transcen¬ 
dent are also large and showy. Talisman is a late 
variety with rich vermilion flowers shaded with 
orange, and is valuable for prolonging the season. 
Pluie d'Or is a rich apricot-orange variety shaded 
with golden-yellow, and is a vigorous grower, attain¬ 
ing a height of 2^ ft. The long stems and slender 
branches of these Montbretias render them invalu¬ 
able for cut flower purposes either by themselves or 
in mixture with other subjects. Showy also is 
Bouquet Parfait, which has deep yellow flowers, 
shaded with vermilion. A light colour is supplied 
by Sulphurea, the name expressing the hue. Should 
English Irises. 
a dwarf habit be a desideratum, then Soleil Coucbant 
might be added to the rest; its golden-yellow flowers 
are freely produced. 
We believe the race is still further capable of con¬ 
siderable improvement, so that fine as the varieties 
are it is to be hoped that the development of the 
race is still advancing. The names of the varieties 
indicate that they originated upon the Continent; 
but surely our growers at home will be able to sur¬ 
pass those already in cultivation. 
Any good garden soil will suit, but particularly if 
light, friable, fairly rich and well drained. The latter 
condition will guard against a water laden soil in 
winter, when the corms are at rest. During long- 
continued drought a good watering now and again 
would help the vigour of the stems greatly ; but as 
far as we have seen they stand the drought 
admirably. Those whose soil is very heavy and 
liable to bake in summer could improve it by remov¬ 
ing 18 in. of it, and filling up the bed with old pot¬ 
ting soil, leaf mould, and a fair proportion of sand, 
provided the other material does not contain 
sufficient. Before filling up the bed, the subsoil 
should be well loosened up. Montbretias will well 
repay this trouble; but in gardens that have long 
bsen cultivated and the soil improved by the 
ordinary routine of culture, this extra labour will 
seldom be necessary. 
Mariposa Lilies. 
Alstroemeria aurantiaca. 
