JAPANESE IRISES

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1064, 30 August 1930, Page 28

JAPANESE IRISES

THE ORCHIDS OF THE EAST 'l‘here is a charm about Japanese irises that appeals to most people who have a. taste for pleasing colour harmonies. Nothing is more pleasing than a. bold group of irises, well grown, and in full bloom. The Japanese themselves place the iris in their gardening scheme of things, and to think of a Japanese garden is to think of the iris in large drifts beside pools. Pools are typical features ot’ a Japanese garden, and have no doubt caused the mistaken idea in the Eastern mind that the iris must be grown near water to-flourish. But this is a. mistake that is begin ning to fade. Grown in the flower border like any other perennial, they do extremely well. “'herever you have a spot in the herbaceous border you do not know how to fill, plant 3. Japanese iris. You cannot go wrong, their warm colours will blend with anything. WHEN TO PLANT—PIant as soon no growth compences in the spring,

and again after flowering, say in NO- - As the roots are then. active the divisions quickly take hold of their new home. and never look back. But if the plants are set out, as is so often recommended, in the autumn. then they are going to remain in their new quarters inactive for some months, and will quite probably rot. SOIL—The soil should be such as will never bake hard. Any good rich loam will grow them to perfection, it' well enriched with manure. lrises like a lot of feeding, particularly just before flowering time. In summer they like plenty of moisture, but in winter should be kept. more or less dry. MULCHING.—-ln the summer the plants will benefit from a. mulching with stable or cow manure, the latter for preference. This will serve two purposes. to keep the roots cool, and to supply nourishment for the plants. l'LAN’I‘lNG.—Set the roots out 18in apart. and see that the crown is below the ground level. say about Zin. DRAINAGE~The drainage of the beds should be perfect, for though the irises like a fair amount. of water when growing, they don't. like “wet feet." You should see that all the garden beds are well drained, as many of the failures of a garden are to be traced to this. The Japanese irises are perennial, and when established should be al< lowed to grow, and come up year after year in the same place. They dislike very much being disturbed, and after moving will sometimes refuse to grow for some little time.