WILD ROSE IRIS GARDEN 
The two main pests of German Iris are borer and rot, the rot usually 
getting in after borers have injured the roots. Borers hatch from 
eggs laid by a little moth on the leaves. The tiny borer bores into 
the leaf near the top and eats its way leisurely downward until it 
is fully grown by the time it reaches the rhizome. If you watch 
for it, you can head it off by squeezing or cutting off and destroying 
the leaf. 
The Remedy + 
Make raised beds or ridges, so water cannot stand around the plants, 
plant very shallow—the top of the rhizome should be at the surface 
of the ground. Next, if rot should develop, scrape the soil from 
around the rhizome, clean out the rotted parts, sprinkle with pow¬ 
dered sulphur, let the sun shine on the rhizome and you will soon 
be rid of rot. 
A light covering of straw or coarse hay put on after the ground 
freezes will help to carry your plants safely through the winter. 
Color Explanation and 
Abbreviations 
A “self” is an Iris whose standards and falls are of practically the 
same color. 
A “bicolor” is an Iris whose standards differ in color from the falls. 
A “plicata” is an Iris whose petals are sanded, veined or otherwise 
marked with a color darker than the ground color. 
A “variegata” is an Iris with standards of yellow, gold or orange 
and falls heavily veined a darker color or completely of a darker 
color. 
An “amoena” is an Iris with white standards and colored falls, 
sometimes veined or margined white. 
In the descriptions, S. and F. have been used as abbreviations for 
standards and falls. 
The following abbreviations used in noting awards refer to different 
societies: A. I. S., American Iris Society; B. I. S., British Iris So¬ 
ciety ; M. H. S., Massachusetts Horticultural Society; R. H. S., Royal 
Horticultural Society, England; S. N. H. F., Societe Nationale 
d’Horticulture de France. 
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