SDB Iris are looking good this year!

Lovlies!

It's been cool and rainy the last couple days so I haven't been out to check, but I think this is the last of my little irises 'first blooms'.

Ulalena

This is my first bloom season for SDBs and I have had 3 bloom so far -- all lovely. I have a few more with buds on them. I check on them constantly -- like young parents do with newborn babies.

cbrandenberg and pollyk,
Yours are very nice. Yours, too Moby.

Great job with the macro c. It really brings out the detail in the pictures.

Thanks Betty, yours are lovely too.

I check mine constantly, too.

It's a whole new world for me. Before I joined Daves Garden, I didn't even know such a thing as median irises existed. I mean, I knew some people had the small irises, but I never knew what a world of beauties there were out there. I think a lot of people still don't, as I really don't see all that many while driving around. Not like TBs, which are everywhere here. I love them too, but what a season extender this little guys are.

This message was edited May 11, 2008 8:57 AM

Jewel Baby has some blooms with 4 and 5 falls and standards each and others with 3. Is that normal for it?

Yes, Jewel Baby sometimes does that here, too. So does Advance Design. Hee Haw used to come up with 2+2 every now and then. Extra or missing flower parts are not all that uncommon in SDBs.

Yes, Polly, I, too, had never heard of or seen median iris before DG and before the Iris Society. When I joined it, I got some by accident at the rhizome sale. I know of no one in my town who grows them except the other Iris Society member. They "make" quickly, though. Literally every one I have blooming was planted at the end of last year. Not every one I planted will bloom this year but nearly half. Tall bearded are much slower to become acclimated here. I will soon be planting them here and there and everywhere. Not that I have any plans to stop adding tall bearded!
I am also having fun experimenting with Louisianas and Arilbreds. So far, though, my siberians and japanese haven't made it. Neither have lilies of the valley. I think there are some things that just don't grow here.

Ahh we always want what we see elsewhere as what we have at home...I know I always do. Several plants in Texas I wanted to find that they are not suited to zone 7 Boo Hoo

BTW Happy Mothers Day to all Mothers.

D

DH's grandmother used to grow dwarf irises, I would guess the old species type before the TB x pumila were developed. He saw a Melrose catalog in the late 60s exclaimed 'they have the little ones' and they have been in our garden ever since. I have spent the day pulling weeds & discarding seedlings but they are both of our favorite type.

Laurie - thanks for that info - I will recheck with local iris society to see if anyone is growing and blooming succesfully - I read on their website that we can grow the SDB's here, of course "grow" would be a "yes"...they don't say anything about "bloom!";

Winters here are colder and colder each year....we had brief snow this past winter and the winter before, many, many nights when people scramble to cover their tender plants because of freezing temps....definately getting colder longer....but if the SDB's need weeks or months of freezing temps I won't be able to supply that!!!!

I could however plant them in my Dad's gardens in Upstate NY - NOW there is some cold weather!!!!

thanks again!
audrey

Audrey, all irises are NOT created equal, so it's likely that there'll be SDBs that bloom well in your area and SDBs that don't. If you have local folks who can successfully bloom SDBs, my suggestion is to ask them for the names of their best performers, then buy those SDBs at your local iris society's rhizome sale this year (assuming your society holds a rz sale each year). That way you'll be getting irises already acclimated to your specific climate.

Or you can do what I do and just keep adding new irises to your beds each year when the weaklings die off and leave you with empty spaces in your garden. ;-)

Laurie

I was walking around looking at my SDBs today, and noticing how nice they looked with the spring shrubs. There are colors to match all the lilacs, and crabapples. And they can take just a little shade, here, so they would be perfect for in front of small trees and shrubs. I remember seeing a picture in White Flower Farms of a white crabapple surrounded by white irises. It was gorgeous, and it must have been an SDB, as the iris was quite small, to have bloomed at the same time.


Laurie, did I ever thank you for getting me started with them? If not, thank you Laurie and Shadowood.

laurie is right. my SDBs are alive and well. But even though I'm in 7a, we had no really cold weather this winter. I had one bloom open on one out of four. So anyone warmer would be SOL on SDBs.

Then again, Sutton's are in zone 9 in CA, and they hybridize a few SDBs and sell quite a few more, so they must get bloom on them. I think it has a lot to do with selection of specific cultivars as well as microclimates within the broader USDA zone ratings.

Polly, you are oh so welcome!!! I'm just glad I have something to offer you in our trades! Lilacs, eh? Any whites or pinks with suckers getting in your way that you'd like to ship off to MN? ;-)

Laurie

gasp, I love that robin's nest; never saw anything like it. Rainbow rim is beautiful too. I'm beginning to look at some of these smaller irises because the wind can really whip around these mountains almost forming a funnel and causing intense wind bursts. My Thorn Bird was loaded but the whole scape came down today. I've got it in a vase.
Please tell me the different sizes: I know what the TBS are but is the next one a little shorter?

You can read descriptions of the various types and classes of irises here:

http://www.irises.org/classification.htm

So pretty, all of them!

I'm wondering which Iris nursery is most active in hybridizing and marketing these little beauties? Is it Sutton's, then?

Is there a nursery in colder climates that offers a wide range of these? (I am leary about purchasing from a 'CA/warm zone' nursery, but maybe it's not an issue?

And I've heard good things about 'Superstition Iris Growers', but is it correct that they don't have a website?

Hermit Medlar's Walk (www.hmwalk.com) and Chapman's out of Canada (www.chapmaniris.com) are cool weather hybriders/retail, although I've never ordered directly from either company but have heard good things about both.

However, my newest fave is Mid-America and they have loads of median irises. Nearly 90% of those I order from MA last year are blooming and so far none are mismarked.

Roni

Here's Zooboomafoo from MAG -- Black, 2007 Intro.

Laurie's Shadowood is in my opinion, the best for median irises for the north. If they are hardy for Laurie, they will be for you.

http://lfrazer.com/iris/catinfo.html

Superstition does not have a sales webpage, they do have a picture webpage.

http://community.webshots.com/user/rickt103

As far as hybridizing, I like Mid America

http://www.mid-americagarden.com/

But for hardiness, and value, you can't beat Lauries Shadowood.

I love the new SDBs that Mid-America is producing (particularly in terms of flower form), though I never buy new intros because they're just too pricey for my pocketbook. Same holds true for the SDBs I see coming from Chuck Chapman and Barry Blythe, but they appeal to me primarily because of their wonderful new colors and patterns.

Laurie

There are lots and lots of nurseries that hybridize. You can find links to most of them at the bottom of the page at the American Iris Society Links Page. You can order iris from lots of parts of the US. It isn't a bad idea to buy them in places that have a climate similar to your own. That said, most of mine come from California and Oregon and perform beautifully for me and I couldn't have a more opposite climate! Check out:

http://www.irises.org/links.htm

Mid-America has the back numbers at lower prices--the price goes down as there are more plants than brand new. Hermit Medlars Walk has many New England plants, the rhizomes are smaller than any west coast ones which are irrigated. M-A has heavier shipping so costs up, but you can't beat the colors. Brand new are of great interest to judges & hybridizers, but general gardeners don't care. I recommend 'Cat's Eye' (Black) or 'Chubby Cheeks' plicata, which I'm sure other locations carry.

Am trying out mid America for the first time because my gift certificate for winning the Maine Iris Society cat 6 part of the photo contest is from there. So far I like their friendly emails and notification of recieving my order right away. Love their cataloge all color photos and lots of info. High priced iris though. Hope they will be in great condition when I recieve the order.

Ordered Wiggle MDB and Fires of Fiji SDB the rest are TB's like Elizabethan Age, Tropical Passion, Infrared and AB's like Domingo and Seraph's Jewel.

I will be going to Maine Iris Society Median Show May 24 th to see the Paul Black and T. Johnson new creations, not to mention the wonderful historics and the regular show June 14th. The $1.00 sale will be on the 14th so I can look for different kinds to try there. I picked up Cat's Eye, Toy Boat, Voices, Snickers, Honey Mist, Toots, Regards, Vavoom, Tweety Bird, Hustle, Grapsicle, Time of Grapes, Helmsman, Jesse Lee, Bees Knees, Jewel Baby, Honey Mist, Snow Season and Yearlingto name a few for $1.00 each. Bought 27 SDB's and IB's both years so I now have a few. Some died and most did quite well. That is one sale I can not resist and there are quite a few mid America irises in the sales and auctions because the bonus door prizes, of which my husband won, Paul Black, Spice Lord, come from mid America as does the gift certs.

Mom's doorprize was Dirigo Pink Milestone which comes from our own Maine member, John White. Me I won no door prize but feel like I did for they will be wonderful additions to my garden this year.

Laurie, will have to look you up for some Just a Croc, Dark Crystal and some more MDB's. Only Blue Doll and Aurora Sea do I have that made it to bloom. Will be needing advice on some others different colors of course. When I have extras and you want to try them let me know and will be sending some your way.

Julianna

If you get your SDBs at the $l sale, they are already acclimated to ME. They are from members gardens so you know they will grow. get Warren Hazelton's advice on MDBs for the area. He grows a lot of them.Mid-American has the higher prices, but they come in as if they are 2 or 3yr. plants. So you get a lot of bang for the buck.

Excellent advice. Thank you so much.

Yes, I looked at the Iris Society links and checked out a few of them that I thought were good prospects for the little iris. Will continue to look through them. I thought perhaps there was one seller that stood out from the rest in the short area. I have purchased from a few of them before, too, and I know Mid-America is a very good source. And of course, Shadow wood is a favorite of mine, as well.

I don't want the newest iris, either, but I do want ones that suit my garden scheme and grow well here. I've tried about 50 short iris and haven't had a whole lot of success with having them survive the winters--maybe it's too wet, or maybe the critters get them. Although there are several cultivars that grow like gangbusters! And they are very pretty. Right now I need some white or ivory or bi-colors in the violet/white/lemon yellow color schemes with nice sized blooms.

white/lemon bicolor 'With Castanets'. white/violet 'Boo', plicata 'Chubby cheeks' can't think of any more off the top of my heard, but they will come to me when I'm away from the computer.

Thanks for the advice irisMA.Who is Warren Hazelton? Is he from around Maine, Mass area? Willing to learn more about MDB's for am not very well aquainted with them.

Laurie is a HIPS friend, Historical Iris Preservation Soiciety, who introduced that iris form to me and I tried a couple out, Blue Doll is an historic, Aurora Sea is a modern, and like them so I want to try more of course. Seems her climate is a bit like mine only I am wetter with clay soil so I am in the process of adding sand to make it breathable and drainable. Lost a few things I would not have last year because I had not gotten the sand in before July.

This year is different, the sand is mostly in place and I am doing Aril breds as an experiment, which to my surprise quite a few are going to bloom this year, both histoics and moderns.

Julianna

Found last years pic of Boo SDB by L. Markham another historic.

Julianna,

I used to lose a huge number of irises to rot in my horribly compacted, suffocating clay ... until I started planting them on raised windrows. Now I not only heavily amend my clay every time I rework a bed, but I also rake the soil into raised rows on top of which I plant the irises. The vastly improved drainage pretty much eliminated the clay-induced rot (didn't do much about the weather-induced rot, unfortunately), AND the raised windrows also helped divert animal traffic between the planted rows so that the soil around the rhizomes didn't get trampled and compacted.

Sand will help your clay, but you also need to add lots of organic material. The best thing you can do, however, is to raise your planting rows or plant your irises on top of dirt mounds if you put them in mixed perennial borders.

Laurie

and when adding sand to clay, add LOTS or you'll get brick. LOL

That's it! It's got to be Boo I keep seeing and loving! Have never seen it labeled!

Mainer--Warren is a MIS member, grower & judge who lives in Norway ME. You should see him at the median show--ask for him. Tell him Lucy sent you.

Thank you all for helping me the soil problem. The brick was in my wooden raised beds last year after the previous years rains.

Thank you Lucy for directing me to Warren. Will search him out and I will be taking pics at both shows. I need to attend the grooming class to learn how to enter an iris into a show. Hope to try to do that in the June 14th show just for the experience.

Here is a bare bones view of my maltese cross border. I have several wooden borders and a hill that I am placing iris in. This is just one of the borders which hold iris, daylilies, lilium and other perennials mixed.
Julianna

You are off to a great start, Mainer. What a lovely landscape you have. I look forward to seeing this Maltese Cross bed later this year and in another year. I imagine it will be glorious against those tall trees.

Interesting set up pattern of beds.

Cliche

Ooh -- Cliche is georgeous. I love the deeply saturated color.

Here is Pirate's Patch, one of my first to bloom. First flower was frozen.

I had some first flower buds frozen, too, Betty.

Pirates Patch is lovely. Your soil looks nice and healthy. I garden on sand, so it's amend, amend, amend.

I have found another plus for the medians. Deadheading those shorties is a really great exercise for the midsection.

Love the blue of cliche. Pirate's Patch sounds like an early bloomer like Smell The Roses is for me in that shade.

Yes the borders were not wooden to start with but my Mom got inventive and thinking about the ease of weeding, mowing and taking pictures while not being able bodied. One can sit and weed from any direction arms length. The Triangles and back border have cement in the middle to stand in or set statues on without stepping on soil.

Usually works great for the rains happen and it drains well. On hot times with no rain we do have to water but the artesian well takes care of that and me of course. Normally there is a birdbath in the center of the cross.

Here is a pic with some irises in it .

Lovely,

And how nice for your Mom to be able to sit and weed, etc. I would appreciate that about now.

Beautiful garden, Mainer, and not just the irises. I believe I see lovely peonies and poppies as well. Lovely.

oh yummy yumm yum on Cliche!