I look around my poor sleeping beds and see that alot of iris have "invaded" my gardens in the past few years: Siberian, Tall Bearded, Dwarfs, Louisana, Intermediate.The darn things are all over the place! I've tried to thin them down by sending them elsewhere, but MORE just keep arriving via the postman. How will I ever find room for them all?
Do you really need that garage ?
What? They will grow in the garage? Do I need to knock holes in the roof for rain & sun?
Have iris invaded my gardens? YES, but then you knew that didn't you! I was never a real 'fan' of iris til a few years ago when DH asked if I could put some in the garden, (sly man,, he had a bunch in the back of the truck!)
I agreed to please him and guess what. Those little buggers worked their way into my heart and now I'm the one going to iris sites and farms and yes iris are invading my gardens.
I have several immigrants from Cedar Rapids! Can't hardly wait for spring to see 'Firebreather' bloom. I'm particularily attracted to 'bite your bu__ ' orange iris!
Yes! For orange with a kick, you can't beat Firebreather!
This week while shopping I drove by the Southern KY Iris Society's beds just to see what was blooming. They had a few reblooming ones. Yellow, White, Purple and Lavender. I may contact our President and see if she would sell them to me while blooming. :) In May most are only $3.00.
I want to add more historicals. I'm hoping y'all will post your blooms in spring so I can "bribe" you to trade with me! Names are not as important to me as old form & colors.
That's a lovely photo Wanda! :-) I don't grow many older iris - but the ones I do - - seem to be healthier and more disease resistant than many of the newer varieties. I can understand your desire for more of these historic beauties.
I like the huge blooms with droopy falls and the speckles of color on them. I find they are strong bloomers & can live thru all the weather Iowa throws at them. What's not to like?
I wish you could see this Color Carnival in person---Outstanding!
Wanda do you have the regular purple and yellow historics? I can send you a bunch of those. Dauntless is an oldie too.
Wanda, I wish I could see all of your Historic iris in person. Some of the hybridizing efforts I go to - - is to use some of the older varities to increase the vigor and health of today's irises.
Here is one Historic called "Tropical Butterfly" that I used this year. I hope to get some great seedlings from it.
Bluegrass: I have several golds, yellows, whites, purples in my Historiccollection. I'm looking for the striped, spotted & multicolor now.
Margie--Love your Tropical Butterfly! I can't wait to see mine bloom too--Tazzy gave it to me at the Round Up.
I have been consciously seeking Historic Iris for the past couple of years. I have plenty of all the modern & space age to trade. I want something different & strong--the Historics fit the bill. I guess if they've lasted this long, they must be tough!
Talk about an oldie: Florentina dating from the 1500s. It amuses me to think that Queen Elizabeth I could have had these in her garden.
Wanda most of my iris are old ones without names came from my Dad's garden etc.. Would be glad to trade some in the spring.
This one doubled this year. Does this happen often? A first in my garden!
very tall brown.
hooked--I haven't seen a polypetal like that on any of my iris--WOW! What are you feeding those babies? frogs have 4 legs in your neighborhood too? LOL
Love your "brown" one --I think I smell a trade!!!! Got a favorite color?
whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa i lost all my iris photos when the puter crashed!!! this is the only one i have
whhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnn
Wanda I used a complete mix in my iris and daylilies beds. A local family here makes! I think my plants like it!! Have plenty of the brown, I'm sure we can trade. Remind me, okay! More unnamed!
Love your orange one!
dwarf unnamed.
Very pretty iris, keep those pictures comming. It sure helps with winter (and it's only just begun)!
Hooked--I'm storing photos. I have plenty of named modern beauties looking for new homes. Trading is so much fun!
Dori--I sympathize with you! I lost all my summer scans when our computer crashed recently--my only backup was from early JUNE. Waaahhh! Have you triued downloading any of your pics stored on the database or in old threads?
BURN YOUR BACKUPS, everyone!
Danceaway--waited 3 years for these tiny ebay roots to produce!
Wanda, do you have a name for that last one? I bought some ebay iris too, hope they don't take 3 years to bloom!
Wanda, I can hardly wait for spring! I would love to trade. If you see any you'd like, make a note and remind me in the Spring!
I must get Tropical Butterfly and I love the tall brown. When i moved here there were lots of pale yellows and small brown falls and gold yellow standards. I went to Isle D'Orleans an island in the St. Laurence next to Quebec City and so the very same combo as at my house. Could you use these for your collection, Wanda.
I don't seem to have closeups (neglected again!). The yellows are larger than the gold & brown. Here's more of the yellow.
I also have whites. Margie, I think it's great that you are using historics for hybridizing. I often end up being wooed by the historics cause they're always there! I spread this white all around this year for that reason.
Mary E--That one is Danceaway. Lousy pic--but Walker the Wonderdog broke the scape before I had a chance to photo it again. Awfully little roots on this group I bought. Most ebay roots bloom next spring--but not always the color I wanted!
Chinese Empress--hard to capture the color on this one. Sis in Law Julierock went nuts over it twice when she saw it in my bed. Had to give her a piece or my brother would have hit me over the head... (not really!)
Here is another Historic. This one was introduced in 1939. It's named - Demi-Deuil. This is it's first year for me - - I hope it'll do OK. It didn't get very tall. Sometimes an iris will take a year or two before it catches on, or acclimates to it's new climate.
Boojum - I have found that crossing irises with at least one vigorous older variety DOES bring about healthier plants that will also increase more quickly. The trick is to hope one of those seedlings turn out to be unique, with good form, nice branching, and an improvement over what currently exists.
Oh my goodness, that's just beautiful! I've got to try to get one of those!
Wow Margie! That's beautiful.
Superstition Iris carries it. That is where I got mine. There are 3 books of photos of historics on this webpage. They are not open for business right now, but should be come spring.
http://community.webshots.com/user/rickt103/1
Oops - - there are actually 5 books of Historic photos on that webpage.
I just found my gold and brown and checked if I had labeled it right and I did. It's 'Honorabile' (Lemon, 1840) which makes sense since the house was built in 1850. Check it out at the website above.
I think my white is Kashmir white.
Kashmir White is Foster,1912. Still not sure of the yellows. I have no close ups.
You all are making me want, so went to Lowes and bought 10 bulbs at 1/2 off. LOL
Good for you! What did you get? Bulbs are gone in my area, too late to plant once the ground freezes so they only offer them until about mid Nov. I often wish for a longer growing/planting season.
Radiant Apogee (yellow/white), Prissy Miss (pink), Batik Purple/white) and Dover Beach (blue/white).
Hopr they make it as they were really dry.
I bought a Batik this fall, hope it had time to make some roots before the ground got too cold. The picture looked like a real show stopper, so even if I have to wait a year it will be worth it.
Wanda, i think i got a prehistoric one in my garden. Don't know it's name, i got it out of my mothers garden and probably she from her's again.
Margie, i am still in shock about your Demi-Deuil. Do you have ever seeds from it?
I think if you cross it with that tropical butterfly, you'll get likely pattern's in a hole scale of color in between them.
John, looks like a very fine historic iris! Is it a Tall bearded (TB)or Minature tall bearded?(MTB) Depends mostly on size of bloom and when it blooms. I love the dog-eared historics--such rich color & so TOUGH!
