Are some irises just harder to grow - opinions please.

After many years of growing bearded irises of many sizes, I am wondering if there are some, especially TB's, that are just not as "hardy" or disease resistant than others. Do the iris borers have favorites that they pick??? Are any just "rotters" and not easy to keep going?

I have some that are many years old. for example, I have a clump of Shah Jehan that I brought from my parents house, and they had it since we moved there in the mid 1960's. There are others that I've received in trades, purchased, been given, etc that last a few years and then are just gone. Sometimes, whole large clumps have just disappeared.

All the iris are planted exactly the same, in amended soil with the tuber exposed so they don't rot. We do mulch, but not over the top of the tubers. I can have one plant die, while the one next to it lives on and thrives. I have lost some of the most interesting or prettiest ones after just a couple of years:
Gnus Flash
Grape Snakez
Polish Princess - Sorry Mitt but she's gone!
High Blue Sky
Blue Skirt Waltz
Lemon Pop - Gorgeous in a large clump and now it's all gone

These SDB's are very slow to grow - two years and still just a couple of fans and no flowers:
Wood's Apricot
Leopard Print

Then others increase to the point where I have to trade/give them away because the clumps are just too big!
I grow hundreds of daylilies as well and have noticed through the years that some of the fancier, newer varieties are extremely slow to increase. I may have started with 2 fans and after 3 years, I still have 2 or 3 fans. I am wondering if some irises are like this, especially fancier varieties.

Please share your experiences with me.
Linda

Yeah, I'd say your general statement is true...some iris do WAY better than others, at least in my garden. That's not to say that in Nebraska, or Oregon, or where ever, that these same cultivars "don't do well". The area of the country they are grown in means a lot, I think, and all areas have some that just don't cut it, but when sent via a trade ,to someplace else...they do great! It's often been said that "those old-fashioned ones always do well", and ,the ones that have survived until now, DO real good! All the ones that were "miffy' growers, or prone to rot, or whatever....died out years ago, leaving the "hardiest of the bunch" still growing happily along. I generally try a cultivar twice...if the first planting doesn't make it, for whatever reason, I'll probably try it again. But if the "second go" doesn't do any better, I figure the iris either doesn't like Me, or my climate, and move on to something else!....Arlyn

After all, the irises are developed over a continent with different local climates or in different countries so their genetic make up is not the same. Irises developed where the genes for ruffles etc would work, may not have genes which work other places. I order TBs for our iris club member auction & read the pedigrees when I can to help select good growers. So many are hybridized, the information gets away from me, but I do my best.

You both are making me feel better. There was a point when I was upset if I lost any flower and could not find a reason. Now, I either try it again or just give up and move on.

I was at a web site last night where the top 100 irises were rated from year to year. I looked up some of the flowers that I was unfamiliar with and many were just gorgeous. What I was wondering was if they took into account, not only the beauty of the flower, but also the growing habit, and if the plant was a good grower/increaser.

I forgot to mention that I'm trying to get Sweet Musette established here. 6 rhizomes have already died and I have one really healthy one and one that's coming along. I received two in a trade late last spring or in early summer. Neither survived to the fall, both rotting. Then I got 3 in a trade in the fall, sent one to a friend in San Francisco - hers bloomed this spring, by the way. Planted two and only one survived the winter - one rotted away. A friend sent me three as a surprise and they came VERY late in the fall, too late really to plant out but I did anyway. Only one of those made it through our awful winter and I planted it next to the survivor from earlier in the fall. Keeping my fingers crossed that I can keep these two going and hopefully see flowers next year. If they don't make it, I give up on this one. These were planted in various places, by the way, and not in the same spot.

Even siblings are different. Look at Starship Enterprise & Lightshine. SE has the more spectacular flower, but Lightshine seems to be the tougher grower. Did you check out the parents of Sweet Musette? Might give you a clue.

"Drinks after Sunset" is one that I have tried several times; this spring it has totally rotted away in a bed of last years new plantings. The only one!

It does from a different climate in Australia after all.

True; but hope springs eternal!

irisMA, I will do some research on Sweet Musette and see what I can find out. If I can't keep it here, I'll look for a replacement that looks like SM. I was at the Schreiner's site and saw one that looked similar. There are probably even more that look like SM out there.

I have a local friend who is an avid gardener, knowledgeable too, and she was only able to keep Starship Enterprise a couple of years. I remember that she never saw it bloom and was disappointed. Maybe we need to start a thread "If you can't grow this one, try this one" since they look similar but are easier to grow!

Linda

by the way: Keystone Pagan Moon still has a couple flowers left.

I lost some irises over this winter but not one daylily. I too have trouble keeping Starship Enterprise. I am beginning to think that not all irises are hardy in every zone. I give some favorites 2 chances. After that I give up on them.

Below is a photo of my first seedling to bloom this year. Parents are World Premier x Cerf Colante. There are 3 other siblings all different that bloomed last year.

1] seedling
2] World Premier, pod parent
3] Cerf Colante, pollen parent

Very nice seedling Lilly

Send me some more pictures of your seedlings

Good to see your 'northern' seedlings. We need to have more cold weather crosses.

There have been many irises that didn't "make it" in my garden. But this is probably for a variety of reasons that do not necessarily apply forever. Try it again if you really like it. I gradually have learned more about growing irises over the years, and am delighted to have big beautiful clumps of some that I had almost given up on.

There are always many surprises.

Your #3 seedling is spectacular, the colors are so vivid.

I have been steering clear of Barry Blythes, from Australia. I do have one survivor of his, Glamour Pants, which I love. Knock on wood...

I guess I shouldn't feel badly then. I ran through around $700 worth of iris from Schreiners over three years. I tried everything in terms of soil, placement, winter coverage (or not). Some survived the winter bloomed then never returned. Some survived, bloomed beautifully and then produced huge fans, then died the next winter. I have some bearded that I buy locally that seem to survive and thrive here. Not especially tall but beautiful nonetheless. I have decided that having some even if they are not my choice of color (choice is very limited) beats not having any at all. I am convinced that some are simply bred for hardy and some are too 'boutique' to survive in much other than the climate in which they were bred. Hybridized??

Good to read and will keep going with what I have. Daylilies are in the same category. Only a few have survived and bloom from year to year. I treat them like gold. Stella d'Oro is one that is a faithful bloomer, but hardly on a par with some of the more exotic gorgeous colors.

Try the intermediate sized irises (IB). they have a dash of the SDBs so might be more hardy. Schreiners has a few of those or try Mid America for a larger choice.

Thanks. I will take a look