Let's see those Japanese irises!

Just found this wonderful thread.

Hatsu Kagami

This one had the wrong name since it's obviously not white.

Crested Surf.

Many more to open.

This is my only JI so far. It is an unknown. Pard, do you think it could be Pleasant Earlybird?

I guess it would help if I attached the pic. DUH!

Mendy - doesn't it look somewhat like mine - also without a name?

It looks very much like it, Pirl. The petals on mine don't usually curl under though. They are very flat though.

Pirl-- very nice JIs you have there! I have Hatsu Kagami but it isn't going to bloom this year:( Next year I hope!

mgh- no, that isn't Pleasant Earlybird. PE is a 3 fall JI and yours is 6 falls. It is almost impossible to ID unknown JIs because so many look the same, just like the bearded irises. Where did you get it? If you say Garland Nursery it would have been mislabeled anyway. I have purchased 2 different JIs from them and they were both wrongly labeled.

I hope people with Japanese irises will post more pictures on this thread. I love JIs!

Me, too. So does PollyK. Mendy would love them more and buy more if she had more room, I'm sure.

I am only this year getting a few, but I have really enjoyed looking at all of yours. If any of you want to divide and trade for some named daylilieis, please think of me.
Sandra

I'll take photos tomorrow of some older nameless ones if you want them for a trade. Two are muted lavender and one is purple - maybe two purples but still no names.

Beautiful Japanese iris Pirl! I like that one that was supposed to be white.

I love them all, the 3, 6, 9 and more falls. All the colors. Every time I see a different one I think that's the prettiest one I ever did see. The 3 falls are so graceful, and elegant. The 6, 9 and more falls are just so blowsy and showy. All so pretty. And as Pirl was telling me, the dark purple ones really do show off the others, even if they are not quite as unique.

One of my new ones I can't wait to see is Dino, simply because it supposedly gets 70 inches tall. I've been watering and fertilizing, and manureing (is that a word?) that guy to see if I can get the maximum height out of it.

Seedling by friend who says it will be introduced soon...

93-81-05

Pirl, you have d-mail
Sandra

oooooooooooh! blue and purple AND a white edge!!!!! A grower up north of us? Does it have a branch or two to extend the bloom season? I have yet to get a seedling with a branch:((

Polly-- I *almost * ordered Dino but I just had to cut off my order at some point due to the same problem mgh has (space:))

That seedling is beautiful.

I don't have the space problem. But I don't know if that's a good thing. There are some new ones at Ensata Gardens calling my name.

Yep, Pard.......Space, the final frontier! LOL One of these days, one of these days......

You are right, I didn't even notice that yours has 3 falls and mine has 6.

I have the space still another 6 acres but you can only weed so much by yourself! boo hoo.

D

Denise, sell me some of your property! LOL

Ya know I would. The boys would love the space.

I would more flowers but after awhile you gotta listen to the body sayin to you...HOW and Ya gotta be kidding.

Cass has told me no more for the business and you know I hate to say this so shhhhhhhhhhhhh HE is RIGHT! LOL:)

D

It's so hard to delete any we have on our wish lists! That's generally my major problem ... except for my husband who encourages me to buy more. Then comes the trying to fit them into current gardens.......and weeding. Two of our tallest are due to bloom in just a few days or sooner.

Polly - keep your tall one (much taller than mine) drenching wet all spring. Tons of manure, all the sun you can give it. I know you're familiar with all the requirements but the water part can't be stressed too much, according to all I've read in books and online. When I'm working by any of the JI areas in springtime I just let the water run for 8 hours at a time, on low. We'll see how well it works.

My hubby encourages me too. I have learned never to show him two irises and ask which one I should get. And like your husband, Pirl, mine is a gardener also, and helps a lot in the garden. Not quite so knowledgable about the plants yet, but he can spot a weed a mile away.

I do water the Japanese iris tremendously. Lots of mulch, manure, fertilizer. Dino is new this year, just got it in the spring, so not so much fertilizer, yet. It is going to bloom, but I don't expect much height this year.

What a blessing gardening husbands are! While I don't expect Jack to know the names of the plants I'd bet he knows 90% of the plants.

I rely on planting new JI's, especially, with all the compost possible for the best results.

What I do, is at the end of the season just before the nasty weather of the PNW sets in, I cut the JI down to about 3-4" tall and put about 3-4" of steer manure on them for the weather. The rewards are super blooms come the correct time and less weeds near the iris.

I get my steer manure in bags from Home Depot it is the cheapest they carry. I got this tip from a hybridizer and grower in Washington.

D

Here, on Long Island, Home Depot does not carry the steer manure. How I wish they did.

And, this is ..... what?
We have them in clumps around here. Is it really a Japanse iris, or something else?

Candyce, that's a siberian.

Come on back here to the Northeast forum. We're talking at you, LOL.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/733946/

How about Lowe's or Target....

D

A Siberian, huh? Hmmmm .....

OK, I am going back to the NorthEast forum, and will probably spend my time bouncing back around all of the forums that look interesting to me ... like 'Beginner'!!!!

> Candyce

D - No Lowe's out here and I don't shop at Target. Thanks for the good ideas, though.

When I asked, locally, they said they don't carry it because they have no call for it. How could they have any possible "call" for it when they don't carry it? They do this with so many products that it becomes almost laughable.

They don't carry it here, either. Not in Lowes, or Home Depot, or local farm stores. I really wish I could get it here. Our Targets don't carry that kind of stuff.

Pirl, do you have a co-op or Tractor Supply Company near you?
You might try those for manure.
We have a friend who owns a horse that we are going to get some for the new bed I am making for them.
Is Steer better than horse?? This is the first time I have had any and would like to do it right.
Sandra

The only co-op of which I'm aware is for farmers and it's potatoes and seed crops. No tractor supply stores that I've noticed but then nurseries generally monopolize my eyes.

From all I've heard and read steer manure is the best. Plain old DEODORIZED cow manure, combined with lots of our own compost, has worked so well for us.

This was a great thread with terrific information for JI lovers:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/596815/

Had it been under JI's (if that was even available at the time the thread started) I think we'd have a lot more addicts to them and a lot of us can benefit from reading it again.

Well, all that said, I still managed to lose 3 or 4 from last year's co-op and that many more from a fall '05 order. I do like to recommend to people to try just a couple or few inexpensive ones at first and if they can grow them well then try more.

I lost one from the co-op and still can't figure out why since it was planted in the exact same area as all the others, which are doing so well.