Lookie who's FINALLY able to join in the fun!

Laurie, I had 2 roots in my Fad group bloom pale yellow like the one you are showing. I was about ready to toss the whole clump, then the rest bloomed "Fad". Good thing I waited!

Wanda, thanks for the info. I think one of the other Fads is going to be blooming, and since it's not blooming with the not Fad, there's a good chance it's going to be the real Fad. So, am I correct in assuming that you don't know the true identity of the not Fad?

Three more first-timers opened today, in spite of last night's frost. I took lots of pics of them so that if they get nipped and melted tonight, I'll still have them immortalized on film (or in pixels, as the case may be).

Widow's Veil, SDB, surprised me. I've waited 3 yrs to see this one bloom and honestly wasn't expecting to like it as much as I do. It's adorable with its round, ruffly falls and deep velvet color and texture. Really nice!


This message was edited May 22, 2006 11:30 PM

This one is an interesting color that I'm not quite sure how to describe. To my eye, it looks like a blend of pink and greyed lavender. It's a peaceful, meditative hue, whatever it is.

Alene's New Love, SDB

Smart, SDB, looks like a more modern version of one of my favorite SDBs, Little Episode. Same basic color and pattern, but Smart has wider falls and more balanced form. Time will tell if it can match pace with Little Episode's rampant growth and reliably generous bloom.

Smart, SDB

laurief !
they are some exceptional pictures of gems.
Thank you !~ from across the globe.. for sharing your beautiful photos and journey into the bloom of the iris beds.
my favourite two.
widows viel an dot com.
i have an iris bed,my first one.with a dozen fans.
yet to flower, so your pics have been an inspiration.

Bloomoon,

That looks like it's going to be a lovely bed when it grows up! You must be moving toward your winter season now. Isn't it wonderful how we can enjoy your bloom during the midst of our winter, and you can enjoy ours during yours?

I, too, am very taken with Dot Com and Widow's Veil. Then again, I'm pretty taken with any iris that can actually manage to bloom up here in zone frigid. ;-)

Thank you for your kind words about my iris photos. If you'd like to see several hundred more of them, you can view them on my website at:

http://www.angelfire.com/mn3/shadowood/irislist.html

Enjoy the show!

Laurie

laurie, the "not fad " was identified as "Fad" and mixed in the same bag it with when I got it. It bloomed last fall with my "Baby Blessed" and looked like a close match this spring. what do you think?

Hmm. I don't grow Baby Blessed, so I can't say. I've actually tried BB twice and lost it both times, so if this is it, it must like the new bed I built out in the hayfield last summer. The fact that it fall bloomed for you certainly does point to it being a rebloomer, so BB is a pretty good bet. Looks like I'll have to get my hands on a real BB to try again and see if it matches the not Fad here.

Thanks for the hint!

Laurie

As I said, it bloomed in my Fad clump too & I walked it across the yard to my baby Blessed clump. Matched bloom size & markings & foliage plus fall bloom. This source DID sell me my original "Baby Blessed" clump 4 years ago. Maybe the roots got too close to tell them apart?

That sounds likely, Wanda. Have you asked the original source if they had Fad and Baby Blessed growing side-by-side?

Good idea. I'll try to give him a call later.

A bunch of maidens opened today.

Wacko, SDB

I've been waiting for this one to bloom for several years. It's been a slowpoke, both in terms of increase and bloom. I'm a little disappointed in this first flower. I expected it to be darker with an even brighter beard. Perhaps this one is showing the effects of the grass herbicide I applied several weeks ago. I'll reserve final judgement until I see its later flowers.

Minidragon, SDB

I like the stripey plic pattern on this one, though the form of this first bloom leaves a lot to be desired. The two frosts over the last two nights certainly didn't help it any. Hopefully later flowers will improve.

Forfun, SDB

Such a sweet flower. No frills, no ruffles, no need. Simply lovely just the way she is. She looks like Blue Doll's big sister.

Tinkerbell, SDB


This message was edited May 22, 2006 11:29 PM

This one confused me. It's growing right next to Quicken, and I thought it WAS Quicken. I couldn't figure out why its purple band was wider and all the blooms were larger and taller than Quicken's, though, until I double-checked my maps and markers and discovered that it is actually ...

Petite Edition, SDB

The first IB maiden of the season. A very cheerful and floriferous addition!

Good Day Sunshine, IB

This pretty one is a friend of my friend, Leon's. A much prettier flower than the deformed one she showed me last year on her maiden bloom. Of course not a maiden this year, but I owed it to her to show her looking the way she should.

Kiss Me Quick, SDB

This one took a few years to settle in and got swallowed up by quack grass at the edge of the bed for his trouble. I beat back the grass this year, and he's rewarding me with first bloom. Glad I helped him out!

Voices, SDB

This little charmer popped up between two clumps where nothing else was supposed to be planted. I haven't the slightest clue who he might be or where he came from! I suppose it's possible he might be a bee seedling, but how could I get so lucky? He's way too nice to be an accident. If he is a registered cv, how did he get in my bed in that spot? He's a stranger to me. Does anyone else recognize him?

UPDATE - This iris's true identity has now been found. He is ...

Midnight Mist, SDB


This message was edited May 23, 2006 1:27 PM

Laurie,maybe he was traveling around and decided to drop in where he'd get the most love?

I must admit, I am rather smitten with the little guy. Guess I'll just have to call him Mystery Man until and unless I discover his true identity.

Your little guy looks like it might be 'Priviledged Character'.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/69615/

Thanks, Laura. That does look like a possibility. Funny thing is, last year a very similar SDB opened at the other end of the bed, but I knew that one was a mislabeled iris from a specific trade. The trader wasn't able to verify its correct identity, so I moved it to the unknown bed last summer. That iris, too, looked like it might be Priviledged Character, in fact, it looked more like PC than this new "mystery man". I'll post the pic from last year's mislabeled trade iris below.

I'm hoping you'll be able to send a piece of PC with our trade this year so I can see if either or both of these little mysteries can be identified - assuming I can ever get all three blooming at the same time!

Laurie

Yes, I'm sending you PC this summer. If you grow them side by side you'll probably be able to tell if that's it or not.

HAH! I think I just found out who my newest little mystery man is, though I still have absolutely NO CLUE how he ended up in that location in my bed. This morning when I went out to the bed, there was Midnight Mist blooming a row away and several spaces down from mystery man. Although Midnight Mist's initial bloom is smaller and is blooming with 4+4+4, the two irises opened just a day apart, and the colors and pattern are identical. I do believe mystery is Midnight Mist.

Hmm. I just came up with a possible explanation for his "migration", as well. I don't know why this didn't occur to me earlier. Bambi has been known on more than a few occasions to uproot irises in the beds and drop them randomly around the beds. In fact this spring Amazon Princess has gone AWOL, with only a deep deer track where once she was planted. I expect she'll show up somewhere some day. I just hope I can remember who she is when and if she appears again.

One mystery solved, a whole bed full of unknowns to go ...

Laurie

P.S. Laura, I still think last year's "maybe Priviledged Character" will prove to be PC. I'm very glad you'll be sending it this year.

I know the feeling. 2 years back, Walker the Wonderdog would fetch newly planted iris back to me. It's not bad unless you planted 20 new ones that day! Where did they belong??? I see a stray color popping up here and there in my beds this year...