Iris 'Firmament' by Groschner

The Flower Grower p.6 January, 1921
WAYSIDE RAMBLINGS

IRIS-FIRMAMENT.
The description of my new early Iris Firmament in the registration column in the December FLOWER GROWER is not just the same that was sent in. What I sent was as follows: Registration. Firmament. A larger, brighter and richer Fritjof. But it was not intended by this reference to class Firmament with the intermediates. It Firmament should be classed with the intermediates I should have said so. The history of Firmament and its origination, which appears in my Iris catalogue, should be plain enough. There it is stated "that it was found in a clump of Florentina Alba. It is, therefore, as a sport of Florentine and has all the characteristics of that variety except color. Foliage, length of stem, form of flower, habit of growth, shape and color of roots are all identical. I used Fritjof as a color comparison in order to give people some idea of the coloration of Firmament and there all resemblance ends. Firmament is a larger flower and the blue and purple shades are brighter and of a richer hue and that makes all the difference in the world, not because I say so, but because it is so. I wish to assure all who have purchased Firmament that they have a choice Iris and in my opinion it is the very finest early variety, barring none. I furthermore want to state that I have never had Fritjoj and do not have it now. I have compared blooms of Fimament and Fritjofl both grown in rich soil and both grown in just ordinary soil, and in each case, Firmament was by far the finer of the two.
H. W. GROSCHNER.

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-- BobPries - 2014-08-11