Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-31
THE IRIS.

The iris ccmpetss closely with the
rose as the principal feature OF the
! Spring garden. Rarely may be found
| a garden that does not include at least
one clump of this beautiful flower, and
/ quite rightly so, for the stately spikes
of bloom ere a wonderful asset in the
! outdoor surroundings. Even after the
, blooms are past, the sturdy foliage Is
beautiful all through the Summer, and
! in this respect greatly surpaSses the
tulips and narcissus, whose foliage soon
| yellows and becomes unsightly In its
! last stages. The number of varieties OF
| iris Is astounding-one local grower
states that he has over ZOO named
| sorts in his collections besides many
ceedlings and species. II one considers
ell the species, from Iris pumila with
its dwarf stalks appearing with the mar
cissus to the Japanese iris appearing In
June. the towering period Is quite ex-
tended, SO that 1t is possible to have
show over a long period OF Spring.
However. the average home gardener
prefers to have a varsity Of plants and
uses iris as only one of the members OF
a veried garden family. Hence few
varieties of the so-called German or
pogon iris usually fulfill the require
ments.
II one may be pardoned for criticize
choice OF varieties. Too often new
kinds are simply obtained from
neighbor. with the result that the ma
jor part OF the local iris consists Of
few rather mediocre varieties, perhaps
Honcra bills, Mime. Chereau, Gracchus,
Queen of the May and the like. THESE
are better than. none, but after attend.
ing one Of the shows. such as that
sponsored by the National Capitai
Dahlia and Iris Society, one cannot
help but wish that some OF the inner
new kinds could gain ascendancy.
Progress In iris improvement has been
very rapid in the last decade, and per-
hars 1t is no wonder home gardeners
are little slow in keeping up to date.
Some very fine varieties have besn de-
ye'oped by local breeders-for example,
Simpsons Arlington and Shul's Morn
ing Splendor The varieties possess
great beauty, accompanied by large size
blooms, tall. strong stalks and vigorous
growth.
The iris possesses the faculty OF
rapid propagation and great durability.
A small original outlay and in the
course Of two or three years the gar
dener has stock to give away to friends.
The plants are highly retentive OF life
and do not require any particular care
b.vond reasonable preparation OF the
soil before planting. The thick,
fieshy rootstocks, known as rhizomes,
Ii. practically on the surface OF the
soil so that In planting they shoula be
barely covered with soil. II stable
manure is us-d. it should be buried be-
low the surface and not come directly
in contact with the thick roots.
Sometimes one hears the statement
made that this plant needs no fertilizer.
: which is incorrect. 1t is true that the
iris will withstand neglect better than
many plants, but 1t is certain. II one
desires choice blooms, that the plants
must BE- fed Bone meal Is good
fertilizer for iris, since it becomes avil-
able rather slowly. thus supplying the
needs of the plant over long period.
The period Of four or five weeks follow
ing bloom is a good time for setting out
new varieties.