previous page
- 13 -
next page
| title page |
previous page |
- 13 - |
next page |
My enthusiasm for the culture of the
Iris is due to our President. Some years ago he sent me some of
his seedlings, his intention being that I should raise them as
a sort of understudy to similar plants he was growing in York
for exhibition purposes. It so happened that my plants were not
only ready for exhibition when wanted, but they possessed the
merit of being particularly good. In this way Lord of June and
Asia both made their debut, each receiving Awards of Merit at
the R.H.S. The stems of Asia, if my memory serves me aright, measured
4 ft. 7 in. high.
.....I
make it a practice to divide and transplant my plants into fresh
soil every fourth year, as soon after blooming as possible. I
plant the larger varieties from one and a half to two feet apart,
and as this planting suffices for one year's growth, I destroy
or remove every other plant in the second or third year. In this
way the clumps in the early part of the fourth year are three
to three feet six inches across, and I have counted as many as
twenty to thirty stems to a clump.
.....In
taking up the culture and study of such a genus as the Iris as
a hobby, one is naturally led to investigate its past history.
It would appear that the Iris of 300 years ago was grown more
for its medicinal and perfumery properties than as garden plants.
In Gerarde's Herball, 1633, some thirty varieties are described
or illustrated and these cover the whole field of the then known
genus as grown "in the gardens of London amongst Herbarists
and other lovers of plants." Florence, Dalmatia, Germany,
and Austria each had their Fleure de luce. Iris Susiana or chalcedonica
being credited as the Fleure de luce of Turkey.
.....In
Holland, at this same period and earlier, Irises were raised from
seed in the same way as the Dutch raised Tulips. In the early
part of the l9 th century, when the French horticulturists commenced.
to grow their plants also from seed, it is estimated that a hundred
or more varieties were known and listed. Not, however, in the
preceding centuries nor yet in the last century was hybridization
practised with any methed, and it is only during the last twenty
years that cultivators have adopted hybridization on any scientific
basis. The great strides made in recent years by the introduction
of natural species from Asia Minor marks an entirely new development.
Such varieties as cypriana, Ricardi, mesopotamica, trojana and
Amas offer the hybridizer good strong parents on which to work,
the dominant feature being long broad falls and large standards.
My own personal experience in hybridizing is of too recent a date
to offer any helpfui information on the subject. I make no claim
to have produced anything uncommon. I have tried artificial cross
fertilizing with certain of the Dominion, cypriana and pallida
varieties. The fecundity of the pollen of Dominion as compared
to any other of the hybrids, has astounded me, and whilst I have
been quite successful in fertilizing and raising seedlings from
Dominion on to Neptune, Asia, Alcazar, Boyer, and a white I have
not succeeded in reversing the process.
.....The
new race of hybrids of which Dominion is a result, and introduced
by Mr. A. J. Bliss, will possess particular merit to Iris raisers
in a climate such as ours. It is a plant of exceptional vigour
and will withstand our variable climatic condition better than
varieties of Syrian and Palestinian parentage. My clumps of Dominion
at this season when the buds are not visible are in perfect condition
(far better than the majority of other sorts) the colour of the
foliage is blue-green, taking after Cordelia, one of its grandparents.
The texture of the velvet fall of Dominion is really remarkable;
no looms of Keshan or Genoa ever produced any silk velvet to equal
nature's rich weaving. There is, however, one serious fault in
it, growth; the main stem is sturdy and not high, but the buds
on the lateral branches grow and point inwards towards the stem,
which gives them the appearance of being in the way; it lacks
the tall branching habit of hybrids of pallida and trojana origin
to make it the most perfect Iris of the Germanica variety, in
my judgment, so far produced.
| title page |
previous page |
- 13 - |
next page |