BERTRAND H. FARR—WYOMISSING NURSERIES CO. 
The chief aim of this booklet is, first, to assist the amateur gardener* 
whose efforts are limited only by the space at his command; and, second, 
to guide the beginner who as yet knows but little about these beautiful 
plants and who would be at a loss to select from the many hundreds of 
varieties noted in Farr’s Hardy Plant Specialties, those varieties of Iris 
best suited to his purpose. 
From my large collection I have selected a comprehensive list, which 
includes some of the most distinct varieties in each of the various classes, 
whose colors are truly magnificent, and whose blooming period covers the 
full season from the earliest to the latest. 
The very dwarf April-flowering Irises must, of course, come first. These 
plants grow from 4 to 6 inches high, and prefer a dry, sunny situation. 
They are peculiarly suitable for edgings, for small groups in the rockery 
or perennial border, or for mass carpet-planting. 
Possibly the very earliest is Pumila caerulea, which is a lovely pale 
azure-blue, and of unusually dwarf habit. Eburna is clear white, w ith 
shadings of cream; under favorable conditions it grows 12 to 15 inches high. 
Among the deep blue Irises of this class Cyanea holds a high place. 
Of the yellow varieties of April-flowering Irises, I would certainly select 
Florida, citron-yellow, shaded with deeper yellow, and Excelsa, whose 
clear yellow standard and falls arc marked with a distinct orange beard. 
Intermediate Irises, or medium dwarf varieties, arc from 10 to 15 inches 
in height. They come into bloom immediately after the very dwarf sorts, 
usually in late April or early May. Ingeborg is a medium dwarf 
member of the family, with large flowers, almost snowy white in their 
purity. 
Wallhalla, a rich combination of lavender standard and wine-red falls, 
makes a marked contrast with the large milky white blooms of Dorothea, 
which are usually slightly tinged with lilac. Helge, another good variety, 
is marked by pearl shadings on a ground of yellow. 
In May the Irises begin to show their coming glories. Most of the 
varieties which bloom in this month throw out flower-stems from 20 to 
24 inches in height; the blooms are larger than those of the earlier varieties, 
and are marked with a distinct beard. \ our collection should by all means 
include Florentina, whose creamy white, fragrant blooms are splendid 
for cutting; Majorcan immense flower with purple-blue standard and dark 
purple falls; Kochii, a rich and handsome claret-purple, and Flavescens, 
which is esteemed for its large, soft yellow, sweet-scented flowers. 
Most of the bearded Irises begin their blooming season in June. Both 
the plants and flower-stems are of medium height, the latter rarely exceed¬ 
ing 24 inches. In the June-flowering varieties we seem to find a wider range 
of color, which varies from the deep rich crimson of Red Cloud (one of 
m\ own seedlings) to the pure white Mrs. H. Darwin, a beautiful and 
free-blooming sort. 
Possibly the title of “finest pure yellow” would be awarded to Aurea, 
but the deep golden yellow blooms of Mrs. Neubronner certainly would 
create some doubt as to the justice of the award. Personal preference would 
again enter in when selecting a variety to represent the blues, for we have 
the pale blue Frederick compared with the deep blue of Atrocaerulea, or 
the brilliant Blue Jay (another of my seedlings) contrasted with the pale 
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