Iris I.D.

There are several of these in the batch of NOID's from WisdomWarrior...any idea who this one is? They're flowering here in late Feb. (zone 8b/9a) and are maybe 18" to 24" tall.

Probably this one...

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/331236/

Totally Agree with Kwanjin. Heres the Links for the two kinds. the WILD GERMANICA that only get 18-24 inches which Yours appears to be. and the Domesticated kind that gets 36-38 inches called GERMANICA VULGARIS 'GRANDMOTHERS BLUE FLAG'.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/189284 Wild collected in Italy 1600s
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/199003/ Grandmother's Blue Flag Iris Germanica



This message was edited Mar 4, 2014 6:01 PM

Thank you for taking time to weigh in with this--that pretty much looks like what I have!
Especially the first photo in this link... http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/199003/

heres a pic of some of Germanica about 22'' growing in a circle at an old abandoned farm site near Salisbury, NC on Old Concord-Salisbury Road. Even with some weeds and a stump coming up in this old neglected bed. they are still breathtaking and for the most part keeping the weeds at bay themselves for probably the last 50 years! after the white cemetery iris 'albicans' blooms which is always the first iris to bloom here. this germanica is a close second, as another extremely early bloomer, probably the first of the purples to bloom.

This message was edited Mar 5, 2014 8:00 PM

Isn't it incredible how tough and beautiful they are? I think I have some of the white cemetery iris, too...having moved so many times since they last bloomed, I'm not sure. The hubs promises this is, if not a forever home, at least a twenty year home, so maybe I'll get to see them bloom! Thanks again for the help.

I have a bunch of NOID's I want to name this and next year...but I'll work to get them i.d.'d myself before asking questions!

Ask away on any question. Someone here will have you answers.

I have Grandmothers Blue Flag given to me by another DGer. Both yours and mine are simple, elegant and beautiful.

Kwanjin, I totally Agree with You that the old fashioned simple and elegant form iris are the most special and spectactular. I have been trying to add all of the old fashioned iris I can to plantfiles, and recently came across an historic iris list of a Breeder from Provo, Utah named Tell Muhlestein. He apparantly created hundreds of Irises from the mid 1930's to the late 1970's but their are only about 45 or so still know to exist. http://irisparadise.com/Iris/Seiten/historscheZuechter/USA/Muhlestein.htm bluebirdhaven in CA has about 15-20 varieties i see. I only have one I got as an extra from Mathew's iris garden, late last Fall, called Flamingo Bay from 1953.Found an old address and info for Muhlestein in the 1949 AIS checklist and it says his place of breeding/address was 691 East 8th St. Provo, Utah. Looks like your only about 45 minutes from that area. That would be great to maybe drive down their in blooming season and see if their are alot of old irises blooming in that area and surrounding neighboorhoods. maybe you could rediscover and save alot of old cultivars that were his that have ben lost. Sandra

What a great idea. Thanks for the tip and addy. I have time to go check it out this year. I'm going to start a new bed in front that could use some new irises.

For anyone that is interested their is an all White Version Germanica Grandmothers Blue flag..called Germanica Alba..it is currently available from Iris City Gardens in Tennessee. I ordered 2 fans of it from them last year and I am hoping it blooms to compare it to a variation of cemeteray iris albicans I have that is a little later blooming, and a little less floppy standards, that I suspect is Germanica Alba. If the ones I had are also Germanica Alba I have plenty of it to trade or for postage. or the link for it at Iris City Gardens is available at the DG entry for Germanica Alba below.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/204547/