ocean mist - japanese iris

this is a first bloom for me :)

Yum! Tell me, can you find stamens with pollen?

WEll... I dont know...I've never looked :) :)

Well...a....hmmm..... do you think you could..a... well, you know, get a little personal with the private parts and lift up the thingy sticking out and see if there is yellow powderery stuff on the do-jiggy under the thingy...

Disclaimer: I am not an iris pervert! I just get tired of spending good $s on JIs that are pollen sterile! It's not like they tell ya in the catalog descriptions!

:) :)

tomorrow when it dries here... I'll do some investigating :)

Are Japanese iris hardy in zone 5? That one is so pretty and I would love to have different types of iris. Most of what we have now that are doing well are the German bearded ones. Some LA that are doing so so. I need to put more azalea fertilizer on them again. That is what Tazzy said was best for them.

Jap iris will be OK in zone 5. I have Ocean Mist but mine is just breaking the surface....won't flower until late July!

Beautiful. Do any of the Japanese iris rebloom?

Sandy

I just love your Japanese Iris. It's so relaxed and peaceful.

okay..paralindum...if I looked at the right thingy at the right time...LOL... I did NOT see any noticeable pollen...sorry !

Thanks Charlotteda. At one time I had around 20 different varieties of Japanese iris and I could get pollen off of maybe 2 or 3 of them. Makes you wonder how they ever come up with new varieties! The ones that have alot of "frills" in the middle are the worst because the hybridizers somehow convert the anther/stamens into sterile "petaloids".

I really love the JIs too and they are relaxing to look at. I wish their bloom season was longer and they had more blooms per stalk.

If you want to stretch the season a little I found that Good Omen started blooming early and Azure Ruffles started as most of the others were winding down.

I love the look of the JI's. I know some people grow them successfully here in NE. The only one I've tried died. Do they need more water than regular bearded Iris or some kind of special care?

Susan

JIs definitely need more water than the beardeds since they are considered a pond or bog plant. I've also heard that they really like manure which I think beardeds don't because there is too much nitrogen........my memory is a little foggy at 4am, but I think this is right. LOL

If anyone has a few oldies, I would like to try a few for postage or a trade. I have a low spot that I bet they would love.
Teresa in KY

JI's are VERY hard to come by for trade Teresa. I've tried for years and only been able to get a few.. and I had some good stuff to trade to...LOL

I think the most difficult aspect of the JI's is that they love wet feet during the growing season but want it drier when they are dormant...thats harder to accomplish than most iris beds.

Here is a nice pink Japanese called 'Blushing Snowmaiden" that I grow. I love Japanese irises.

Shirley

This one is Royal Robes.

Shirley

Lion King

Beautiful pics! Thanks for sharing. :0)

Oh they are so beautiful !!

Mrs. Speed's Garden is fabulous!

I love blue and yellow together. Royal Robes is stunning. They are all pretty.