Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-05-24


for more than four or five years.
Since it only takes few years for
the beds to become crowded, most
gardeners plan to dig and reset
their iris in well-enriched beds
whenever they become too thick for
good growth. This period varies
for the different varieties. Some
like Sequoiah grow very rapidly,
while others such as San Francisco
and Ethelwynn Dubuar are slow to
increase. In general, the period av-
erages from four to five years.
This resetting problem is the most
aggravating thing about iris growing.
Just when the plants are making
their finest display it is time to dig
them again. The year following
transplanting bloom is rather slim
unless large divisions are planted
and the work is done very early in
the season-right after Towering.
If the rhizomes are set in thor
oughly revoked soil and the soil Is
deeply dug and pulverized, the iris
should make strong growth and
produce good flowers for several
years. However, iris respond to good
care and if the soil is enriched with
compost and well-rotted manure
finer bloom may be expected. 1t is
we'll to put this food in shallow
trench covering with or 4 inches
of clean soil in which the rhizomes
are placed. BY taking the simple
precaution Of keeping all manure
and moisture holding materials
away from the rhizomes one may
anticipate very little trouble from
the rots which attack the feshy
stems Crhizomes).
One other factor has an important
bearing on the success or failure OF
Iris beds. That is drainage. Iris
seldom thrive for long in heavy wet
soils. If drainage is poor do not
hesitate to plant your iris on a
slight ridge so that the rhizome Is
protected from excessive moisture.
The tall-bearded iris, the kind
most commonly grown, are well
adapted to home culture. They
thrive in full sun in soils ranging
from the heavy clays to those that
are quite sandy Ordinarily the
acidity or alkalinity of the soil has
very little to do with their vigor
and health. However, the leaf spot
seems to bother more on acid soils
than it does on sweet soils. The best
way to aviod this disease is to re-
frain from buying it or letting
any one give 1t to you.
The one pest that seems to be
universal is the iris borer. BY itself
the injury is not so great, but soft
rot usually follows its activities and
hence all gardeners should strive to
keep their paintings free. Careful
digging and cleaning is the only way
to mop it up if once established.
However, it is possible to watch for
and kill the worms soon after they
hatch and before they have gone
far enough to do any damage. The
newly Matched worms eating their
way down through the leaf sheath
leave a telltale mark where enter
ing the sheath. BY observing those
places where he has entered the
worm may be crushed by gripping
the leaf near the base between the
first finger and thumb. Press firmly
and pull upward
Where the borer has entered the
rhizome and set up housekeeping,
the only way to remove 1t Is to break
the rhiZome apart. After cutting
out and trimming the rhizomes
they should be dipped in busting
sulphur or in bordeaux solution and
allowed to dry in the sun for a few
days.
When resetting old iris or planting
new ones, it is the accepted practice
to cut the leaves back half or
more.
The culture of iris is comparatively
simple. Keep the weeds out and
stir the soil. Deep hoeing Is in
furious as the iris roots are rather
shallow and are easily injured.
Few growers fertilize their iris as
the commercial plant foods produce
soft sappy growth that may fall
prev to disease. Bone meal is the
most commonly used plant food and
should be incorporated in the beds
at planting time.
There are a number of types of
iris that are well suited to garden
culture. The tall bearded is almost
universally planted. There are
thousands of varieties available
ranging from pure white through
the yellows to tan and brown, from
pink to red, from pale lavender to
a midnight blue and with combina-
lions of every sort. They are SUM-
loving, tall-growing, and free-flower-
ing. They are splendid as cut
flowers.
The early Towering dwarfs are
often used as edging plants in the
garden. There are not as many
varieties nor as wide range in
colors, but they are fully as useful
as their taller relatives. The inter-
mediates-in height, season of bloom
and garden usage, are not often
planted, although they should be.
They help to prolong the Towering
season and, are just as good for cut
flowers as the taller-growing rela-
tives and can be used very effectively
in the small garden.
These three groups are the most
widely planted, and constitute the
major divisions of the bearded irises.
There are many other iris. The
sibirian (sibirica), Japanese lori
entalis), dubious (reticulata), eng
lish, Dutch and SPANISH, vesper
(dichotoma), Japanese roof ttec-
torum), yellow water (pseudocorus),
Woods tcristata), etc, are the most
common. Several others including
the Louisiana group are grown In
local gardens.