WAKE ROBIN FARM, HOME, PENNSYLVANIA 
Iris, Wild Blue; Larger Blue Flag; Fleur de Lis (Iris versicolor). Bog plant by choice, 
standing in water, but, happily for gardeners, adapts readily to drier ground. Height 
here is 20 to 30 inches. Purple flowers of regal beauty, this Wild Iris was chosen 
by Louis VII of France as the royal emblem, from which comes the name “Flower 
of Louis” (contracted in French to Fleur de Lis). Spreads by the root, rather 
rapidly, soon yielding desirable massed effect, from a modest beginning. Blooms 
all through June, sun or shade. 25c each. 
Hawkweed; Rattlesnake Weed; Poor Robin’s Plaintain (Hieracitum venosum). For sheer, 
startling, varied loveliness, this member of the Hawkweed group of the Composite 
Family is unsurpassed. Purple-veined light-green leaves close to ground stop you 
in your tracks. The insouciant grace of the slender, forking, clustered stems, 
topped with flowers like dandelions opening progressively all summer (June to 
September), holds your interest again and again. Once thought a specific for snake 
bite, as if the rattlesnake leaves were the authority! Serene and undemanding, it 
grows in poor soil, dry woods and thickets, open sandy places. 35¢ each. 
Jack in the Pulpit; Indian Turnip (Arisema triphyllum). 
Green flower! Pale green if too exposed, the hood of 
the pulpit has white, brown and purple stripes in moist 
shade. Jack is the pollen rod within, under his canopy, 
and resting on the flower base, which becomes the tight 
clump of bright red berries in the fall. The berries 
germinate readily, taking several years to mature. Easy 
to establish in wet soil and shade. The bulb is bitter 
and poisonous to eat until boiled, when it is allegedly 
nutritious. Indians ate bulb and berries. Bulb has been 
cooked in Ireland. Jacks are fertilized by little gnats. 
Plant singly with ferns for best display. 25¢ each; 
($2.50 for 12. 
Joe Pye Weed; Trumpet Weed; Queen of the Meadow 
(Eupatorium purpureum). For bog borders and meadow 
massing, 3 to 7 feet tall, full-leafed in rich deep green, JACK IN THE PULPIT 
topped with spreading, dense, flower clusters, soft laven- 
der (‘crushed raspberry”) in color. Herald of autumn, it connects summer and 
fall, blooming in August and September. Easily grown in any low damp ground. 
Named for Joe Pye, an Indian who used it to cure typhus fever. The little tubular 
blossoms are considered trumpet-shaped. A good natured, lumbering giant, it 
towers over most wild flora and is best arranged with tallish companions, such as 
boneset, helenium, sunflowers and other wet-soil plants. 30c each. 

Lady’s Slipper, Pink; Moccasin Flower (Cypripedium acaule). The pink shoe of this 
Orchid rises about a foot on a slender stem, from two broad base leaves, in May 
and June. Found in well drained soil, as on hummocks and knolls, in moderate 
shade, near boulders and mosses. With some acidity in the soil, it grows vigorously 
in crumbling logs, deep woods, stony soil or tiny rock ledges. It has a way of 
hiding in underbrush. The Indian moccasin shape of the flower pouch is uncommonly 
well named. Transplants need watering until established, with good drainage. 
30c each. 
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