The “Blue Jay" variety 
THE JAPANESE IRIS 
Hr CLARENCE M. WEED 
O F the many plants that have recently 
received unusual attention from Amer- 
can flower-growers none have been more 
royally deserving than the Japanese Iris. 
To the beauty-loving people of Japan the 
Iris has long been a source of 
delight, as with each passing sea¬ 
son it yielded its loveliness to the 
admiring eyes of the populace 
that thronged the gardens de¬ 
voted especially to its culture. 
With us the plant as vet is chiefly 
utilized on the larger estates 
where the landscape artists have 
learned to appreciate its great 
decorative value, but it should 
be much more generally grown 
by amateurs and in home gardens 
than it now is. 
Every important flowering 
plant has certain characteristics 
upon which its claim to human 
regard is based. Its beauty may 
lie in the grace of its foliage, the 
form and color of its flowers, the 
attractiveness of its ripened fruit, 
or in a combination of all these 
features. In the Japanese Iris 
the linear lines of leaf and stem 
The “Gold Band” variety 
are very decorative, but the blossom is the 
thing that catches and holds the eye. In 
the horizontal platform of the expanded 
petals nature has given us some of the most 
beautiful color-tints to be found in all the 
world. Cerulean blues, royal 
purples, brilliant yellows, and 
glowing whites are the favorite 
colors in these displays, colors 
which in one variety may stand 
alone while in another they may 
exist in wonderful combinations 
that compel admiration from the 
most indifferent beholder. 
There are many different varie¬ 
ties of these Irises, from among 
which the plant-lover may select 
his favorite. They vary greatly 
in form and in color. To my 
mind one of the most beautiful 
is the splendid variety Gold 
Band—a magnificent blossom of 
snowy whiteness with a large 
golden marking near the base of 
each of the broad petals. Blue 
Jay is an azure blue flower veined 
with white, while Bluebird is 
more fully blue. Zenobia is a 
curious combination of lavender 
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