Pictures from Salem Trip - New Introductions

I think 60.00 but remember if commercial you got to spend money to make money...since I am not that well known as a hybridizer yet, I still must buy 90% of my iris.

D

Actually, Haunted Heart is listed at $50. All of Keith's introductions this year are either $45 or $50 with the exception of RECKLESS ABANDON at $60 and Barry Blyth's new ANOTHER WOMAN at $60. Keith has his Introduction Collections where you can purchase any three for $125, excluding the two listed at $60, any six for $240, and all nine (one each) for $350.00 plus postage, plus this year he has an extra bonus for each $100 ordered (excluding the new introductions) from a fantastic selected list of both their iris. He now has a website, probably keithkeppel.com or something like that, so you can check out all his introductions if anyone is interested. And he sends wonderful rhizomes with extra bonuses and he requests you suggest plants for bonuses!

WOW! thanks so much for sharing those! Beautiful!

Did not look it up...sorry, but whatever the price after seeing it needed for my hybridizing work.

D

I guess so Dee, they are absolutely gorgeous. Even if I had the money to spend, I just couldn't take the chance on loosing one. The weather isn't always nice to new plants. lol But last year a wonderful grower from California sent me 50 of her throw-a-ways, ones to small to sell and others that she had too many of. Over 40 of them survived the harsh winter (63" of snow and high winds), and one even bloomed!

Happy 4th of July everyone!!!

Thank you SO much for the awesome new Iris to be presented, Betja! Every one of them make you smile and shake your head at their beauty.
Sunshiny Day reminded me some of City of Gold but it is more gold all over.

It is interesting to me that the greatest Iris Hybrinizers have the same plague I have of Leaf Spot! It's a small defect in their beauty but worth the extra effort to control.
Sharon

Totally Awesome! Thank you so much for posting all of those beautiful pictures.

Yikes, I don't know how I missed this. Fabulous pictures of fabulous iris. The one in this enture string that I just flipped over is the Ghio pink intro STAR APPEAL. Just breathtaking!!!!

Yep, that's one of the ones I pointed out to you from Superstition -- and Rockytop has it too! Too bad you have no more room...

Actually I just looked and its on my list of sugested bonuses from Rockytop. It was one I was going to buy if I bought from the general listings. So I might get lucky. Its really a drag to have no more room LOL!

Ok.... Mist Arising... Wow... By Jeeves.... WOWIE WOW!!!! ok.. in order to make room for more, I guess I"m going to have to get rid of a few next year..... maybe.........................................

Now you're stuck in my world! For the last two years I have given away plants I really liked -- but I always seem to want to try new stuff, at least for now, so I keep doing this to myself. This year I have over 100 new irises to plant, as well as another 100 that I'm adding another rhizome to. You'd think I'd learn... but this year it's starting to get harder (I'm 65 now -- can't believe it!) and I'm starting to have some back problems and a right knee that probably needs more surgery, so maybe next year I'll slow down a bit. But I just love trying those new introductions -- and all the Barry Blyth irises that Keith Keppel has that look so totally yummy!!!

I can't even begin to immagine haveing to give away one I really like in order to have room to plant a new one. With my daylilies I just have a problem making myself part with anything once I planted it. Yet I have lots and lots of daylilies that when I look at it there is nothing really wrong with it, just doesn't thrill me. Or poor performance as in very low budcound. I do need to change my mindset, get ruthless and start to move out those plants. I know I will want new ones, so need to do it.

However with the iris it seems to be different. I had no problem removing and kicking some out of the garden this year and I didn't even need the room. I just thought not for me when they bloomed and outta here. There were quite afew others that while I was in no hurray to remove them as I had no replacements I knew they would be first tossed if I did need the room. If I look at them and feel the same way after they bloom next year then those will imeddiately start my replacement list. I don't miss the ones already gone and I know I will not miss those just mentioned for replacement.

I am no better than you, I simply can not stop buying. If I stop temporily buying one thing like I was not buying daylilies right now look what happens, I go buy all these iris!

And I am not that young either, 63 and always wonder why I make so much work for myself. But that never stops me from doing whatever garden project I thought up lately.

Rita, I cannot believe your energy! I fuss and putz around all day and seem to hardly get anything accomplished! My excuse is the heat, but I've found that when the deadlines start to seriously loom I do seem to come to life at the last minute, so it's not hopeless yet. But you seem like the energized bunny in comparison! And I have no doubt that when the time comes you will be able to make those tough decisions. I keep track of what I've given to whom, so if I ever want some back I can either purchase another, or look up the person I gave one to if I can't purchase it easily, to see about getting back a rhizome or two. And the same with the daylilies... It's really nice because I always have neighbors, or people from the retirement community where my sister lives who are just waiting for my give-aways. I'm already promised out for this year, in fact!

bETJA: THANKS FOR THE WONDERFUL PHOTOGRAPHY! i REALLY ENJOYED YOUR PICTURES. bob

Wow, is that an orchid? Beautiful, incredible and absolutely perfect! Well, I guess it makes sense, since your username is orchidman1, eh? Thanks much, and I just wish I could go again soon. But reality must set in...

I think with the lack of rain for six weeks and the fact that I had to water the daylilies lots for the first time It really sunk home as to just how many daylily beds I really have. But of course it looks do great in bloom. But I have 600 daylilies and I don't need 600 daylilies. I really would like to cut back some.

This year I was very focused on improving the sucession of blooms here and also adding more of the cottage garden feel by bringing back plants in improved versions that used to be here but died out in all the hardscape projects of the past 3-4 years. I put in yarrows, shasta daiseys, coneflowers, blackeyed susans, hollyhocks and more all used to grow here. Then added more vines, more honeysuckles and way more clematis. Lots of annuals as usual like my zinnias and cosmos that I have each year. I went crazy discovering new to me Luplines and made two lupine areas and one a little lupine garden.

Then last but not least the iris. I first got into TB iris as I wanted something blooming before the daylilies. Part of the sucession of blooms plan. I had tried eary blooming daylilies but the ones that are truely early are just not much. A failure. But boy oh boy were those TB iris a sucess. I got the crazies for them really badly. Really badly LOL!

I could not live without the Iris and Daylilies. Along with Peonies and Clematis and Delphinium and Shasta and Bleeding Hearts and Columbine and and and. Also my Peony Flowered Poppies.

This is the first year I have grown any annual type of poppies. I do have some oriental poppy plants that come back each year. But the bloom period on them is much to brief to please me. 4 days to a week, so no I will not be getting more oriental poppies. Instead I tried some annual poppies. But I didn't even get all the seed I had started. One that did do well for me is the California Poppies. They are really lovely and keep right on blooming even with the heat. So I plan to have those back next year.

Those would probably come back whether you wanted them to or not -- they're wildflowers, go to seed, and multiply like crazy in the right conditions -- which it sounds like you really have!

I have very few things that self sew around here, Sunflowers and 4 o'clocks are two that I can think of off hand that do. Mainly because there isn't any bare soil for them. Everthing that isn't grass is heavily mulched except for the iris beds. But I put in portulacas this year for the first time and neighbors tell me they will self sew and come up next year. Fine by me. And if those California Poppies come up that would be great also. Just to be sure I will start my own again as I like the happy bright blooms on them.