My first Katherine Hodgekin just opened Iris spring season 2015 - i came home at dusk, so the colors are a bit strange, but I'm still very happy with her...
My I. Bucharica is also breaking through the ground, but of course it will take some time for them to bloom...
Wow! Fantastic Color Bloom! The Contrast Between the Pale Blue and Bronze Colored Ones is Awesome!
That is beautiful.
Lovely blue colors and with the orange so striking. Thanks for posting.
First bloom of 2015 looks like Crimson King. The color is great but the form was a little sloppy. Very fragrant and 16". Got this one from asking people for starts here in Apple Valley. This picture shows two blooming on the same stalk.
The yellow is a noid and bloomed just a few days after the purple on March 7th. Kashmir white is also in bloom with Gold Trimmings up next.
Wow, your area is obviously far ahead of central Europe - it will be over a month till we get a chance on those rhizome-Iris types. We're strictly limited on bulbs right now - I saw beautiful I.Reticulata in front of my working place yesterday, and my I. Bucharica is happily growing but still will take weeks.
pmmGarak-We've had warm weather here in So. Calif. and spring has arrived 1 month earlier. My lupines, Dutch iris, freesias, daffodils, and Calif. poppies are all in bloom. I came back from a friends house on Feb 20th and was totally blown over when I saw some bearded iris in bloom in someone's yard. It was Mauna Loa. Then I drove around in that same area where the homes are older looking to see what else was blooming so early and found and asked for several starts that were blooming. And some that weren't blooming. I've got to stop doing that because I'm running out of space to plant them! I've wanted Spring to get here so badly that it happened one month early! Here is my friend's Mauna Loa.
Kool..here is my MAUNA LOA 1926 By Berry of California we found it being neglected in a circle of weeds way out in the countryside at a place called Irish potato road here in between Salisbury and Concord, North Carolina. The people who were living on the farm property were a couple only about 20 years old that had told us they just moved in, and they had there hands full with small children running around and could care less about the iris and told us to dig what we want so we dug a clump of about 3 large fan division size. It is now the Tallest Historic we grow on the property topping out at 58" tall!
first 2 pics Blooming in our back yard up against our grill. The last 2 pics before we rescued them, just incase if we stopped, and they wouldnt part with some, we could document them.
Mauna Loa looks like one I'll have to add ! it's a real "looker" !!
Arlyn.. I had 3 big fans but lost two over the winter I have one huge blooming size fan and two small fans left that were attached to Mother Rhizome..i'll send You the Large Blooming Size fan for a fan Of Folkwang or Asia..or Look in My Garden Journal and See if There is Something Else You Want For a Folkwang and Asia fan.. even smaller ones id be content with.. im not picky..have a love of heirloom talls and rose and orchid pinks. Sandra
We just got home today from our "wintering" on the Gulf Coast, so this week I'll be checking beds for 'heaving", rot, etc., and when things start actually growing, I'll 'mail" you with what I might have....pretty sure on the Folkwang, but Asia was just planted 2 years ago (and seems to be a slow increaser!), so I'm not sure about how much increase there is on it. Thanks for the offer, and i'll get back to you!!................Arlyn
Awesome.. Its Yours for the Folkwang..ill reserve it for You...when You can get outside when its warmer and more growth send me a pm and let me know if anything else You want on my trade list. Sandra.
I think this is Cemetery White, someone will know!-- and the yellow is Golden Cataract. These both bloomed with Crimson King so they are Very Early bloomers. My Kashmir White looks just like this white, so I think there is a mix up.
After 3 long days of rain, I nearly missed my first Iris Bucharica. unfortunately, this one already lost a few buds to slugs...
Great pics, all! Thanks for sharing! Still waiting here in IA. We're having a very dry spring, which the irises seem to appreciate. They are all growing like gangbusters.
My first: A mini dwarf that reblooms. Not sure of ID. Several other buds are up. Today I'm going to count my irises. I have between 100-200 clumps. I expect many new blooms this year, known and unknown. Most I planted in 2013 that have not yet bloomed. Some of the 2014 newbies are on track to bloom, some were disturbed over winter and will need a little TLC this summer to get on track.
There's nothing that says "Spring !" like the first iris blossom ! It's a nice one ,too ! I'm surprised that you are that far "behind', there ! We are "zoned" the same, and not all that far away from each other, as the crow flies....my MDB's have been blooming for several weeks, and the SDB's are starting, now. I would say that 'spring" is about 2 weeks 'earlier" than normal, here.
Crowrita1, lucky you! We are on right on schedule. The majority of my blooms start well after May 1.
I counted 295 clumps! Expect lots of photos from me, friends!
When we moved into this house in 2011, the only landscaping was four burning bushes, several big, round yews, a bed of rhubarb, and a chaotically crowded border of Kwanso daylilies. I can say that I have increased the botanical diversity by about a thousand-fold. Hit many fundraising plant sales, nursery not-quite-dead bargains, accepted several clumps of "Grandma's-thinning-her-perennial-beds," some e-bay noID lots, and some truly gracious trades from the DG iris lovers. Feeling lucky myself!
1. Baboon Bottom
2. Aardvark Antickz
3. Immortality
4. Woodland Rose
Gorgeous!
New today! All dwarves.
violet plicata, the one that smells like a rose, noID gorgeous mauve and lilac, looks like a ruffly bronze will be next, what neat-o rosy buds!
Looking very nice !!!
The plicata is almost certainly Stitch Witch. Smell the Roses is the second. That bitone looks a lot like Elephant Footprint. I'll check for fragrance. And the 4th might be Tantara. I bought a few rhizomes of that, but haven't seen them bloom yet.
I've noticed that the "blues' are very, very "washed out", or "light" this spring, here....here's My version of Smell The Roses, from a few hours ago
Still gorgeous!
I'ts about peak season here in NC and i can tell You Arlyn's assumptions of paler and washed out as well as lighter blooms is correct i think for 2015 also i would add skimpy stalks and poor bud count..to much rain i think in most zones so nothing bulked up with thick incredible hardiness or massive prolific blooms..oh well..not every year can be the best year or year of the iris ..i think last year 2014 was the year of the Iris..it was Spectactular..dont give up it's early yet.. things might pick up with Mid Late and VL bloomers.. like a finale or fireworks display..Heres: ICY BLUE, FATHER RIGNEY, INDIAN HILLS, PEACHERINO, PHALANX :-)
THE RED DOUGLAS, GREAT LAKES, GAY GEISHA, WYOMISSING, MEMPHIS BELLE :-)
JULIA MARLOWE, DOGROSE, POTAWATOMI, SUNOL, GUDRUN :-)
'Dogrose' 1930 never ceases to Amaze Us..one of the best Iris we grow..it has 48" tall scapes Incredible Perfume fragrance and is basically a pink form pallida..it was created by Miss Violet Insole of Wales..which is the Land of Merlin and no parentage listed for it's creation during registration..so maybe it's magic :-) i never have enough of it to plant it all the places i want to. 'Memphis Belle' 1950 was a new one to open this year that came for Iris City Gardens in Nasheville..we didn't think we would like it as usually go for yellow horns not orange ones..but this has such a Spectactular, Haunting, as well as Classy Presence in the garden..just a really Special one for 2015. :-)
Hers another New 2015 one to bloom with Orange horns we Love 'TANGERINE CARNIVAL' 1957 by Lloyd Austin of California..and another shot of MEMPHIS BELLE 1950 by Pierce after an early afternoon Spring NC rain shower.
Really, really nice !! A great bunch of "oldies but goodies"
Wow! Loving your historics, themikesmom. Has that ?Peacherino I sent you bloomed yet? I'm curious. Going back through my old invoices I found Ask Alma, which resembles that a little, but I would love to know for sure.
Here are today's blooms:
Forever Blue, Being Busy, Elephant Footprint, and either What Again or Blueberry Tart (pretty sure I purchased both).
Here's a few from today: Autumn Orange Earth And Sky Reddy Set Red At Last
Stunning! I'm so happy it's iris season.
I see several of the IB's and even a few TB's starting to "shoot stalks", so "IRIS TIME IS HERE!!!
Awesome Shots Gypsy and Arlyn..i think i like 'Elephant Footprints' and 'Red At Last' the Best. Pretty Unique Cultivar's...i love the Slender form ones and great color contrast ones the best. Here's a New one for 2015 'BELVI QUEEN' 1975 By Jensen. i bought it because it is supposed to be a 100% Reliable Rebloomer and it has that Cinnamon Fall Color Quality even though i usually dont like Plicatas this one is Amazing. I also agree with You that 'Ask Alma' is a better match.. as 'Peacherino' confirmed from Mary at from BlueBird just bloomed and it has smaller paler blooms than your image of the possible one and Early bloomtime as yours is more of a late bloomer right?. i think 'Ask Alma' is a perfect pick.. but measure the height as 'Ask Alma' is an IB.
Good info about the peachy one, thank you. I'm pretty sure it bloomed late. I think I still have a small clump of it, little baby fan broke off when I dug it for you.
Belvi Queen is gorgeous. Your photos do it more justice than any catalog photo I have seen. I would have expected more of a tan or bronze color, but this is practically apricot. :)
Heres 'PEACHERINO' By Dolman 1952..it opens true orchid pale pink and gets peachier and more apricot and lighter as the bloom ages and starts to decline as well as from further back it becomes truer peach and less pink at a distance. :)
Beautiful Irises. No special varieteies here but I'm always happy to see them blooming.
