Siberian Iris Info???

Hi, all! I've never posted on this forum before, so this is fun :) I'm Jacci, BTW. Well, DH had a sweet lady offer us some Siberian Iris divisions from her garden. I have read some things about their general needs tonight, but was wondering if ya'll could tell me about their foliage. The spot I have for them in my yard is just a narrow strip of bed, and they'd be just about the only things planted in it. Will the foliage hold up through the summer? Or does it get tatty and run-down looking after the flowers fade? The site is really sounding perfect for them, but I need to make sure they won't be an eyesore by mid-summer. Thanks so much!!!

Hugs :)

Unlike bearded iris foliage which can get pretty ratty looking, Sib foliage generally stays nice throughout the season. Depending on the specific cultivar, the foliage may stand upright or it may create any degree of fountain effect. It's even attractive after it changes color in the fall, though it is best to cut it down and remove it after it dies for the season.

Laurie

Great!!! That's all I needed to know! :) Thanks so much, Laurie!

Hugs :)

I like the vertical look of Siberians all year round --it makes a good garden accent and is very adaptable.

other than the TB, MDB and JI, the Siberian are my favorite! (guess it depends on which one is bloomint!) ok, i'm an iris addict what can i say!

deb

deb, I think your name says it all.... :)

yepper, i believe it does! ;>) i don't think i could begin to list the different siberian iris i have as well as the japanese. more than just several!

deb

I love my sibs. I have a huge number of blue I believe to be Ceasar's brother that came from my family home in NJ when I moved here 22 years ago. They were about 20-25 years old then. I have divided and divided, spread them out in my yard and given them away. They are a mainstay of our historical society's plant sale table in the spring. I am busy cultivating new varieties. I have whites, and I am looking for rosy or pink shades. I have a beautiful blue called 'Silver Line'. It is a beautiful dark blue with a very fine silver edge. A nice tall plant and large flowers.

Love em, love em, love em!
Martha

OOOHHHH! Sounds very pretty! Keep me in mind when you need to divide again!

Deb

Martha, I'm sort of new to gardening. I put my first garden in last year when I tore out all the ivy ground cover and put in about 200 perinnials. I plan on doing the same thing in the front this year, and I'd like to have a couple select spots for Siberian irises, Japanese Irises, and a couple types of crocosmias. The SI I have in mind are really dark blue, very straight and about 3-4 feet high. I'd like all of the flowers to have that same intense depth of color as the SI and the Lucifer crocosmia. Can you recommend a few SI and JI? I don't know the names of any of them. I've only seen them around town at different times and didn't have the opportunity to ask the homeowners exactly what they were.
thanks, Chad

I know I'm not Martha, but I like Ruffled Velvet as well as Ceasar's Brother.

irisluvr, Any and all information is appreciated. Your name seems to indicate that you know what you're talking about. Are these two flowers the deep blue?
Thanks, Chad

I will try to post a picture of each one so you can see what they look like. The pictures are really close to actual color.
This one is Caesar's Brother

This is Ruffled Velvet

The one I fell in love with last year is Dreaming Spires

This year my favorite is regency belle

oops! let me try that again!

Caesar's Brother and Ruffled Velvet do stand out, even from a distance.

Oh, so beautiful!!! Didn't even know I liked irises :) Even if DH's coworker can't give us the ones I mentioned in the thread-starter post, I think I'll have to buy a few of these sometime relatively soon :)

You gonna be at the RU later this month? I can share a clump of the first two with you if you want.

deb

If I want???? Of course I want :) Those are beautiful! Thank you sooooo much :) Now do you want zucchini bread?? LOL...

WOW! Those are ALL really beautiful. Thank you for the names and the pictures. My front yard is going to be beautiful if I can find any of those. I see what you mean about the Ceasar's Brother and Ruffled Velvet, but then if you look at any of the others those pictures grab you too.
If I wanted a layered look are there shorter SIs too?

Sure! Love Zucchini bread! Have a recipe for chocolate zucchini bread?

Um, no. But I can add chocolate chips :)

There is a shorter blue, named Baby Sister.

I have a recipe for chocolate zucchini bread if you want it. I can e-mail it to you! I love the breads!

Oh, yes :) Could you post it in recipes forum?? Fun :)

will do!

I have Silver Line which is a gorgeous dark blue with a silver edge. It is one of the siberian irises bred by the foremost siberian iris breeder in the country Dr. Currier McEwen of Maine. He died a couple of years back at age 100 and breeding siberians and japanese iris was his lifelong hobby. He was a doctor by trade. One of his most famous sibs is 'Butter and Sugar' which is a white and yellow one. There is a nursery in ME called Eartheart Gardens which was founded to sell his iris varieties. He also wrote a book on the subject of Siberian Iris called, of course, Siberian Iris! It has a few pictures on its website and you can download a PDF catalog. I must make the pilgrimage up to maine this summer for their siberian iris open house. I can't wait. Who knows what I will bring home? Oh, and Ceasar's Brother is a true blue and a time tested iris. Hope this helps.
Martha

mmmmmmmm.....chocolate zucchini bread! YUM! May I have the recipe too please?

irisluvr, the Baby Sister is perfect. I can't believe how much info is available on this site. Just reading other peoples' posts could keep you busy all night. Thank you all for the pictures and info. I'll have to find that book. I'm out of here.

I will post the recipe for chocolate zucchini bread on the recipe forum. will try to do that this evening.

deb

huga and Irisluvr--I just found this thread and am so happy I did--love the pics of your sib. iris! So beautiful and elegant. I have several that I planted last year and haven't yet seen the blooms--so I am getting very excited!

Huga, please let us know how your siberian iris are doing. You will post pics, won't you?

I just had some teeny tiny little purple-y iris (not sibs) bloom today (bought from e-bay last year) so you will have to see them when you come to the RU Saturday...

Happy gardening....t.

Tabasco, I asked the lady from work to hold the irises for me until early fall and she agreed :) So no plants yet! Deb is going to be sending me a few, though, later on so I'll post some pics when I get the first "worthy" ones... maybe not for a year or two!!! LOL....

you bet I will send you some. have a great time this weekend at the RU! your iris will be on their way in a couple of weeks or so.


deb

Thank you so much, sweetie :) Big hug to you!!!