THE IRISES 
The species Irises offer a wealth of interesting beauty 
for varied uses. All are reasonably hardy. Many Irises will 
blossom surely the year following sowing, in the manner 
of most perennials. Other kinds will take an extra year. 
There is so much variation in this respect, even within 
the species, according to conditions, that I have not at¬ 
tempted to use the “z” symbol. Nothing very difficult about 
any of them, save to those persons of particularly impa¬ 
tient temperament. 
IRIS ARENARIA—ery(l-2)8. Pretty little Iris of early 
spring. Bronze-mahogany buds open to blossoms of yellow 
vividness. Pkt. 15c; 1-16 oz. 40c. # 
IRIS ATROFUSCA—rbdh(l-2)16. Large flowers. A dusky 
ground color of silver to buff is veiled with a netting of 
black-maroon. Palestine. Pkt. 25c. 
IRIS ATROPURPUREA—rbdy(2)10. Rare species from 
Syria and Transjordana. Velvety purple-black, with touch 
of yellow. Pkt. 25c. 
IRIS AURANITICA—A “no data” from Palestine. Seeds 
collected there. 6 seeds for 25c. ^ 
IRIS AUREA—cby(2)42. Splendid rich yellow. A noble 
species. Pkt. 20c. 
IRIS BRACTEATA—rndatsth(2)15. Bright yellow, veined 
mahogany. Pretty. Pkt. 15c. 
IRIS BUCHARICA—ufcry(2)18. Orchid-like flowers of 
satiny yellow, from axils of dwarf “cornstalks.” Pkt. 20c. 
IRIS BULLEYANA—cbh(2)24. Deep lilac standards. 
Creamy yellow falls. Pkt. 20c. 
IRIS CALIFORNIA HYBRIDS—crny(2)20. A fully hardy 
strain that will give many delightful surprises. Wonder¬ 
fully variable color range. Pkt. 10c; % oz. 25c. 
IRIS CAROLINIANA—^rbmth(3)20. Lightly perfumed flow¬ 
ers in variable colorings, palest lilac, through pink and 
mauve, to deep violet. Rarely it is white. Pkt. 15c. 
IRIS CHRYSOFOR—rch(2)24. A race of particularly beau¬ 
tiful and quick-blooming hybrid Irises, producing multi¬ 
tudes of orchid-like flowers in colorings that range from 
sulphur and gold, to rich bronze, from blue-lavender to 
purple velvet. Blooms second season. Pkt. 20c. # 
IRIS CHRYSOGRAPHES—rcy(2)24. Velvety purple, in¬ 
scribed with gold. Pkt. 20c. # 
IRIS CHRYSOPIIYLLA—rsth(2)8. Great orchid-like flow¬ 
ers of creamy primrose, orange-blotched, and with elusive 
pencilings of violet-sepia. Pkt. 15c. 
IRIS CLARKEI—cbh(2)24. Varies from deep blue to crimson 
purple. Pkt. 15c; % oz. 50c. 
IRIS CRIST AT A—ratsth(2)8. Flowers like crumpled silk, 
of palest blue, gold-patched, and with snowy fringed crest. 
Exquisite. Pkt. 20c. # 
IRIS DE VITRY ART SHADES—cbh(2)36. A French strain 
of Bearded Irises, showing pastel tones and delicate shad¬ 
ings ; lilac, fawn, bull', copper bronze, tawny wine, and 
the like, with stormcloud effects. Flowers are usually wavy, 
and spreading in form. They bloom rather late, mostly 
after the other bearded Irises are done. Pkt. 15c; % oz. 
40c; % oz. 75c. # 
IRIS DELAVAYI—cbmy(2448. Rich red-violet. Like a more 
robust I. sibirica. Pkt. 20c; % oz. 40c. 
IRIS DELTA BLEND—cbh(2). The very best of the won¬ 
derful and unique species discovered but a few years ago, 
in the lower Louisiana delta area. They are fully hardy 
in the north, and will thrive in the ordinary garden. The 
blooming begins as the “German” Irises are fading, and 
last until the Japanese Irises are past their prime. The 
blossoms have rather the form of the Japanese Iris. Height 
varies from thirty inches to full seven feet. Some 200 
distinct variations of hue, shade or tone have been re¬ 
corded. They show the clearest of sky blues, then lavender 
to purple, red-violet, lilac or cerise. And there are tawny 
shades, pink tones, old rose, mahogany and ruddy orange, 
with some that are well called red. Many have golden 
crests, and the flowers are of the largest size. If I could 
grow but one class of Irises, it would be this. Big seeds. 
Pkt. of 10 seeds for 25c; 25 for 50c; 100 for $1.50. # 
IRIS DESERTORUM—bdh(2)30. Fine species of the 
“spuria” group. Flowers palest blue, or cream with blue 
shadings. Vigorous. Pkt. 20c. # 
IRIS DOUGLASIANA—crsty(2)20. Splendid flowers, undu¬ 
late margined, that may be mauve, lilac-pink, lavender, 
soft china-blue, or violet. A delightful rock garden species. 
Pkt. 15c ; oz. 40c. 
IRIS DICHOTOMA WHITE WINGS — Blossoms typically 
white with yellow centers, but some will be creamy, others 
will show faint lavender suffusions, and a certain percentage 
of reversions to violet must be expected. Pkt. 25c. # 
IRIS DlCHOTOMA—♦ebh(4)50. August or Vesper Iris. In 
bloom from late July to early September. Perfumed flow¬ 
ers in tall branching sprays. Coloring highly variable, 
typically cool, translucent lavender with mahogany mark¬ 
ings, but in a row of seedlings at our Old Orchard Seed 
Gardens last August, we found more than twenty varia¬ 
tions on this chromatic theme, cream to violet purple, with 
markings of buff-lemon, orange, copper, brown, mahogany 
and tyrian. Seed sown in early spring while soil is cool, 
will germinate quickly and strongly. Quite usually a fair 
proportion of the young plants will give bloom the first 
summer. No other Iris approaches this speed. For interest¬ 
ing effects, plant with Belamcanda, also easily grown from 
seed. Pkt. 15c; % oz. 40c; % oz. 75c. # 
IRIS DWARF HYBRIDS—erby( 1-2) 12. Hybrids chiefly of 
Iris pumila and I. chamaeiris. Flowers of full “German” 
Iris size and form, but dwarf plants, and coming many 
weeks earlier. Extraordinary range and brilliance of color¬ 
ing. Anyone who tries them, will surely be pleased with 
the high average excellence of the seedlings. Pkt. 15c; % 
oz. 35c; % oz. 60c; 1 oz. $2.00. # 
IRIS ENSATA—ebdh(2)28. Sword Iris. Attractive lilac, 
purple or white flowers, veiled by fountains of decorative 
graceful foliage. Roots deeply and widely. One would 
need dynamite to dig it. That’s probably why it is so 
drought-resistant. Just the Iris for semi-arid regions. Easiest 
culture. Pkt. 10c; ^ oz. 35c; 1 oz. $1.25. # 
IRIS FLAVISSIMA—See Iris arenaria. 
IRIS FOLIOSA—by(2) 16. Massive flowers of lavender-blue, 
amid foliage fountains. Pkt. 20c. 
IRIS FONTANESI—ufrdy(l)20. Light blue, with gold- 
banded falls. From Barbary. Pkt. 25c. 
IRIS FORRESTI—crmy(2)18. Dainty flowers of clear lemon, 
or brown netted. Sibirica type. Pkt. 20c. 
IRIS FULVA—cbmy(2)30. Copper Iris. Open airy flowers 
in a shade that lies between new copper and bronze, deep¬ 
ening to brown velvet toward the center. Illustrated, page 
18. Pkt. 15c. 
IRIS GIANT HYBRIDS—cbh (2). Seeds saved from fine 
named varieties of the tall bearded “German” Irises. Ought 
to be great things from this. Pkt. 10c; % oz. 40c. # 
IRIS GIGANTICOERULEA—cby(2)50. The Great Blue 
Delta Iris, likely the largest and most showy Iris of the 
Western Hemisphere. Flowers always of great size, but 
length of stem is variable, for there would seem to be two 
intermingled strains of the species, one low, one high. The 
color is purest coerulean blue, with tiny yellow crest, and 
a bit of white veining at base of falls. Pkt. of 12 seeds for 
25c; 30 seeds for 50c; 100 seeds for $1.40. 
IRIS GLADWYN (Iris foetidissima)—rbgsty(2)20. Flowers 
usually blue-tawny, or rarely, lemon with brown veinings. 
Seeds of a brilliant scarlet showiness, the pods splitting 
when ripe. Pods often dried for winter bouquets. A fine 
thing, despite the discouraging specific name given it by 
Linnaeus. Must be he disliked roast beef, for that is just 
the savory odor of the crushed foliage. A sniff of it would 
be clarion-call to any valiant trencher-man. Pkt. 15c. # 
IRIS GRACILIPES—rhtsty(2)9. Exquisite fragile blossoms 
of sky-blue, orange marked. A fairy among Irises. Of 
full garden hardiness in cool soil and light shade, but will 
make an extraordinary pretty pot plant if one so desires. 
Pkt. 25c. 
IRIS GRAMINEA—ecrh(2)20. The falls are blue on white, 
standards wine-stained, the fragrance that of ripe apri¬ 
cots. Pkt. 15c; % oz. 40c. 
IRIS HALOPHILA—erbh(2)24. Creamy yellow flowers, 
oddly formed, striped and stained gray-purple. A hardy 
Persian species. Pkt. 15c; % oz. 40c. 
IRIS HAURANENSIS—rbdy(l)16. A sombre beauty in the 
cushion group. Big flowers of dusky purple, with darker 
netting, and patched with glossy black. Syria, Palestine, 
and particularly, limestone ledges of the Lebanon. Pkt. 20c. 
IRIS HAYNEI—rbdh(l)20. Rare Palestine species. Huge 
flowers, netted and dotted violet-black over ground color 
of gray tawniness. Unique. Pkt. 25c. 
IRIS HEXAGONA-—bmty(3)20. Enormous flowers, very or¬ 
chid-like, of an attractive lavender-shaded violet. Blooms 
as Japanese Irises end. 6 seeds for 26c. 
IRIS HISTRIOIDES—ury(l)8. An Asia Minor bulb Iris of 
earliest spring. Big flowers of brilliant blue, marked 
white, with yellow ridge. Pkt. 20c. 
IRIS HYACINTHINA—erbdh(2)20. Foliage fountains; but¬ 
terfly flowers of delicious, diaphanous blue. They have 
been called “sapphire daffodils.” From west China and 
Thibet. Endures drought. Pkt. 15c; % oz. 40c. 
IRIS HYBRID A INTERMEDIA—rbh(l-2)18. A group of 
hybrid bearded Irises with flowers of “German Iris” size 
and form, but a few days earlier, and on dwarfer plants. 
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