40 
“IRIS AS WE BLOOMED THEM AND AS WE 
LIKED THEM.”’ This is the title of our little pamphlet 
which we issue during the winter. It gives a survey of the 
different iris we noted on our visits throughout the country 
and in our garden. This is a personal report of our impres- 
sions, observations, likes and dislikes. We give a critical, 
comparative evaluation of the new iris, an interesting chap- 
ter on what the originators are doing and an interesting 
peek into the future. We print this in limited numbers for 
our customers. Your request at the time you send in your 
order will assure you a copy if you desire one. 
LITTLE GIANTS — a group of iris which are not the 
largest iris but whose general excellence is so meritorious 
they are constantly singled out as the jewels of the garden. 
Here are some varieties of this group: Priscilla, Mary E. 
Nicholls, Coritica, Narain, Black Forest, Amigo, Spindrift, 
Mandalay, Bright Melody,. Radiant, Garden Glory, Tobacco 
Road, Jasper Agate and Elsa Sass. These iris have quality 
and originality written all over them. 
THE GIANTS — the largest iris. A selection of the 
greatest sized flowers would include Alba Superba, Blue 
Shimmer, Wasatch, William A. Setchell, Violet Symphony, 
China Maid, Inspiration, Elmohr, Garden Magic or Red 
Valor, Casa Morena, Ming Yellow, Klondyke Gold and 
Golden Eagle. These along with the new Golden Russet give 
us a company of leviathans indeed. 
A GARDENER WITH LIMITED SPACE who is lim- 
ited in the number of new iris he can add might be interested 
in a list of 10 to 20 iris from which to make a choice. Such 
a list of iris obviously is a matter of taste. It would not be 
hard to make up two or three lists each distinct and of in- 
trinsic value. Here is one interesting list of consider: Snow 
Carnival, Blue Shimmer, Firecracker, Great Lakes, one of 
the very blacks . . . Black Forest, Sable or rich Lothario, 
Dreamcastle, Pink Cameo, Inspiration, Mulberry Rose, El- 
mohr, Display or Garden Glory, Brown Thrasher, Sunset 
Serenade, Misty Gold, Ola Kala. If a longer list is desired 
consider what colors you prefer and study over our 100 
Best recommendations and our color maps. In the same 
manner the finer iris of any price may be studied and se- 
lected. To be eligible for the 100 Best class we expect an 
iris to be a reasonably good performer and tried out at least 
a few years to see if there are any defects. 
DISCARDS. We constantly study our iris list and dis- 
card varieties when finer developments are available. The 
discards we eliminate are the doubtful kinds that fail to 
score high in individuality or are superceded by some new 
developments. We purchase as many as 100 new kinds 
each year for test. Many never find their way into our 
catalog pages because we believe we already have something 
better in our listing. There are a few old iris of great quality 
which we will continue to grow as long as their merit is so 
evident. Such great iris as Gudrun, Frieda Mohr, Los An- 
geles, Gloriole, Winneshiek, Violet Crown. 
IRIS WHOSE SUBSTANCE RESISTS WIND, RAIN 
AND SUN. Modern iris are giving us varieties of good 
substance. Weare interested to hear from different observers 
throughout the country which iris in their garden are ex- 
ceptional in withstanding the elements and which are 
notoriously weak. We earnestly solicit your comments as 
to which iris ‘‘stand up” particularly well. If a compre- 
hensive enough report can be gathered we would be glad 
to publish the findings. 
THIS AND THAT. On page 26 we are happy to publish 
Mr. Hallberg’s interesting color study. Does this feature 
interest you? If so let us know. We would like to gather 
together some interesting garden pictures which feature the 
combination of iris with other flowers, perennials, bulbs and 
shrubs. If you have a particularly interesting planting tell 
us about it. If we have enough people that volunteer infor- 
mation we are confident we will have an interesting report 
next year. 
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE? Yes, this is an innova- 
tion. What particular phase of iris culture would you like 
discussed? We are grateful for the interesting suggestions 
you have written in. Several of the features we have been 
able to develop and present through your liberality in shar- 
ing your garden experiences. 
IRIS ORIGINS. The interesting creation and evolution 
of our garden flowers is an adventure story in itself. The 
iris we enjoy in our garden today trace their lineage back 
into the dawn of history. From the limestone ledges of the 
rugged Yugoslavian country we have one of our sources of 
garden iris. Native to these parts is the species pallida, the 
tall blue iris. Nearby on the plains of Hungary grew the 
species variegata, the yellow and brown. Inevitably these 
two species were hybridized both naturally and by our 
early enterprising plantsmen. In fact the diligent hybridi- 
zation of these plants continued apace until the turn of the 
20th century. About this time the outstanding iris special- 
ists in France and England began to obtain new species of 
iris from the Near East . . . Asia Minor, the Mesopota- 
mian valley and the Islands surrounding this Near East 
area. It is significant that these new, larger flowers with 
more blooms per stem brought a new day in iris history. 
The constant development and infusion of this new blood 
was heralded by the varieties Ambassadeur, Mme. Gaudichau, 
Dominion and Lent A. Williamson. They were the Elmohrs 
of this period. Improvement and refinement of these new 
blood lines is still going on. Now the breeders stand at a 
new threshold. The latent possibilities in using iris from 
other branches of the iris family, as, for instance, the use 
of Oncocyclus group of plants exemplified by Wm. Mohr 
are very great. Very little has been done employing the 
characters the dwarf iris possess. These are but two of the 
generally unexplored possibilities. 
THE AMERICAN IRIS SOCIETY is offering a new 
book entitled IRISES with information on species, culture 
and varietal review. It will be ready in the Fall. Paper 
binding $1.50, permanent binding $2.50. For new members 
in the American Iris Society book and membership for one 
year for $3.50. Address H. R. Watkins, Secretary, 821 
Washington Loan & Trust Bldg., Washington, D. C. 
