Irises

This guide to the beautiful iris makes clear distinctions between the many types of iris and gives the information gardeners need to provide the best conditions for those they covet. Superb photographs provide inspiration for both novice and expert gardeners. Written for North American gardeners, the expert text is concise and informative, including interesting anecdotes about the long history of the genus and advice on:

• planting, cultivation and propagation
• using irises in garden design
• bearded irises
• bulbous irises
• beardless irises
• Pacific Coast or Californian irises
• Louisiana irises
• Japanese irises
• Siberian irises
• Rocky Mountain irises
• Juno irises
• water-loving irises
• Evansia (or crested) irises
• picking and caring for blooms
• pests and diseases.

With over 95 beautiful full color photographs, a selection of more than 120 plants is recommended by the authors. A glossary, a bibliography, and mail-order sources are valuable features of the book.

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Focusing on irises, a flowering perennial plant, in the home garden, this comprehensive guide includes the practical info on the history, cultivation, garden design, and growing more than 120 varieties. All illustrated with 95 full color photos.

This slim but information and photograph filled volume was written with the home gardener in mind. There is very little use of technical jargon and there is a glossary that explains the terms that are used. Pamela McGeorge states in her introduction, "This book is for the home gardener who has been seduced by the beauty of the flower of the rainbow goddess, and who want s to learn more about the individual plants, about their history and how to grow them." Irises is an excellent introduction to the world of irises.Pamela McGeorge is a freelance writer and was an editor of New Zealand Gardener magazine for several years. Alison Nicoll is a commercial bearded iris grower and a member of the American Iris Society. She is also a member and senior judge of the New Zealand Iris Society. Russell McGeorge is a photographer specializing in garden photography and landscapes.The opening chapter on the history and outline of the genus does a good job of describing the genus. The diagrams are clearly marked and easy to comprehend. The chapter on bearded irises gives background information on the culture and care of the plants. The explanation on how and when to divide them along with the accompanying photographs are excellent. Culture, blooming, and flower characteristics are listed for the various types of plants.The chapter on landscaping with irises has hints for using them in boarders, in bogs or water, in containers, or in rock gardens. A short chapter follows this on how to pick and pack the flowers for travel. The concluding chapter on pests and diseases gives very basic information on leaf spot, bacterial diseases rust, rhizome rot, viral diseases, and pests. The sources section is a list of twenty-five commercial iris growers with their contact information. The bibliography has citations for eleven books and then lists just the names of some booklets, catalogs and bulletins without any contact information. That lack of detail is the only drawback to this very well written book. The index is by common and scientific name.Very reasonably priced, this title is recommended for public libraries, academic libraries with horticulture programs, and weekend gardeners. Other titles to consider are Karen Glasgow's Irises: A Practical Gardening Guide (Timber Press, 1997) and Barbara Perry Lawton's Magic of Irises (Fulcrum Publishing, 1998).Reviewer: Amy L. Paster, Associate Librarian, Pennsylvania State University Life Sciences Library, alp@psulias.psu.edu Copyright 2001 E-Streams Reviews