Berry Beautiful Irises!

Let me see, in our tour of favorive colors, what have we missed? How about those deep berry colors ...

Persian Berry TB

I never remeber the color of Beaux Arts until it blooms & whops me over the head!

One of my old velvety favorites: Camelot Rose!

Rose Princess is big & bold and out there....

Wanda, do you have ANY idea how many different Iris you have? Or have you totally lost count! They are so gorgeous!

My database says 298--but there are a few clumps of un named historics out there too. I grow Tall Beardeds, Dwarfs, Intermediate & Border Beardeds. I have Sibs & LAs too, but Beardeds are my first love. All of them are mixed in with my daylilies & other perenials for continous garden color.

Gorgeous colors of iris, Wanda. Really catch your eye.

Maxine

Wanda,
How long have you been growing Iris? I have never seen such beautiful colors. I never knew Iris came in so many different colors.LOL. I am so glad I suscribed to this site. I went from lavender/purple iris to all colors. I can't wait till spring to see all the different colors you and others on this site have added to my Iris row.
tHANKS A BUNCH
Winnie

Must....have...Camelot Rose......I have been eyeing it for sometime but it definitely goes on the wishlist in my database. I just got Persian Berry this year. Happy me!

Maybe 'Starship Enterprise' could fit here...it has a berry rim on the falls....

How about an SDB...'Cimmaron Rose'...

Delerious should be a bit darker than this photo. I just couldn't seem to catch it at the right time of day.

Winnie, Lauire has many more iris than me. I've been growing them since Grandma came to live with us in 1957, brought her iris and showed me how to care for them.

Mulled Wine is another color I have trouble capturing. Definitely a wine color--and berries make wine, right?

Wanda,
I was born in 1957. LOL

Wanda you amaze me with all your plants. BTW thanks for the pictures you included with the free iris. 1957 was a very good year, Winnie born, 1957 chevy made it's debut and Grandma came to live with Wanda and brought her Iris.
Wanda I bet you can recall all that good time in the garden with her. I have a Rose of Sharon that came from my MIL's yard after she died and it was given to her by my mother after Bobbie and I got married. I used to cut around that thing when I was growing up. Well somewhere around 1957. My mom used to remind me every time I went out not to cut it with the mower. It's not the same one but seedlins that grew.

Wanda--I am loving all of your iris threads...so pretty and colorful---and those streaked iris on the other thread are really intriguing---they're beginning to 'call' to me, too!

Thanks for posting all the pics. t.

Well, I just got doen scanning my spring iris pics into my computer. I rolled right into daylily season & got behind. I'm also trimming, thinning, adding & subtracting iris now in my garden--the pics help me alot in my planning. Besides, why should I be the only obsessed one around here?

Rose Caprice is too dark to be a pink--I think it qualifies as a "berry' color. Very ruffled too!

Here's one I purchased this year directly from Barry Blyth. It's actually blooming in my garden today because it doesn't know which season it is. 'Romantic Gentleman'

Oh Wanda, your sucha great gardener!!!!!!!!!! :) Just beautiful. In 1957 I was in another demension!! :) Sometimes I still am :)

Susan

flower- 'Romantic Gentleman' is an incredible iris. What colors! This one is going on my wishlist for next year.

Texas~

I ordered this one directly from Australia, although I've seen in blooming in a couple of american gardens. Keith Keppel offered it in his 2004 catalog, but not his 2005 catalog. Mid-America may be offering it in 2006. Joe Ghio (Bay View) had it listed this year for $18, but is sold out. Just some info so you'll know where to look if you want to purchase it next year.

It is beautifully ruffled, nicely branched and has a noticeable, sweet scent to it. An all-around nice iris to have!

flower- Thanks for all of the info. I will make note to begin my search early and order it as soon as I find it next year. Doesn't surprise me it sold out!

Isn't it almost spring yet? I mean in Australia. Shouldn't we be hearing from those down under about dwarf irises soon? Okay patient I'm not, I know it's the middle of their winter but come on! HEHEHE.

Barry Blyth's catalog is always a bright spot to me in the middle of winter!

Okay, here's a question... If you had an iris sent from the southern hemisphere, what would it do when it was time to grow here and it was expecting dormancy??

Susan

I'm not sure yet because mine's just now blooming out of season. I've heard that they just keep increasing and that it takes a year or two for them to completely adjust.

Rose Princess bloomed my first year, then sat a couple of springs.
This year it got serious--very velvety qnd deep trim!

I'm fairly certain this is LORILEE but someone correct me if I'm wrong as I've never seen a picture of this yet. It's a beaut!

I didn't want to start a new thread to ask a question and I hope that is okay, since the experts are obviously right here! :)

Okay, If i plant a new Iris right now and after it grows and blooms next year, I decide that I want to move it within my own garden, do I need to wait until late summer and cut it back again, or can I move the entire plant after bloom? Will the leaves just flop over if it is not cut back? I have an Amaryllis that is doing that.


Thanks

Susan

I've even moved them while they were in bloom so I could remember what they were. Don't think it would hurt anything to move the whole clump after bloom. If the leaves flop you could cut back, or just stake if necessary. I think you only need to cut the leaves back when you are dividing and reducing the rhizomes etc. And the best way to send iris thru the mail is when they are in their dry period...Just my opinion, I'm not an expert...

soul~

What gives me the best results when moving irises is when I wait at least 4 weeks after bloom. Irises increase directly after bloom time, so if you move them too soon, you may not get good increase for the following year.

I often cut my leaves back, but not always. If the leaves remain upright and look healthy, then I don't cut them because they will produce energy for the rhizome. If they wilt and look unhealthy or have leaf spot, I usually cut them back to within 4-6 inches of the rhizome.

As with any plant, if you leave dirt around the roots so as to not disturb them as much, there will be less stress to the plant. However, irises are notoriously tough, so if you can't do that, it's not really a problem.

Great!! Thanks!!

Susan

Does anyone have Swingtown? It's a dark berry color and I would love to see a picture.... I want to buy it to put in my circle garden, with all kinds of peach and apricot plants.

Yum. Peaches, Apricots and Berries.

Ivy -- Sounds like a great fruit salad.

Susan -- I've even moved mine during bloom (if the clump is small and you get the who clod of dirt surrounding it) with no ill effects. But usually, I wait until after bloom then move as intact as possible and water well after moving to keep leaves from wilting and to help the dirt settle in around the roots. If during the next day or two I notice wilting, I cut the leaves back to the point of flop. Doesn't seem to harm my plants any. Also makes it easier on me to get ready for planting season.

Roni

Chatterbox is a white Intermediate with a deep berry plicata. Nice!

This message was edited Aug 24, 2005 7:30 AM

Rosemary's Dream is a Minature Tall Bearded. Shorter, tough, multiplies like crazy & offers a whole bouquet of smaller blooms for several weeks each summer!

Liason has that rich berry color I like on the falls and the soft pink above.

Dauntless is an old friend in my garden with it's rich velvety blooms.

your flowers are so pretty