Of all the Iris I've planted around the house, I must say I really
like this one, but managed only to have a few.
Love it!
Is there a proper term for two colored Iris? My mother seems to be
searching for one that, if I'm not mistaken, is the opposite - with purple
on top and white on the bottom.
I wish Iris season were longer. Sigh.
KM
Bicolor is the term used for an iris that has two different colors - one color on the standards and a different color on the falls.
However, when the standards are white and the falls are a darker color (as in your photo), the color pattern is referred to as an amoena. The color your mother prefers (dark standards and white falls) is called a reverse amoena - also casually called a "dark top".
For example, an iris with white standards and yellow falls would be a yellow amoena. An iris with blue standards and white falls would be a reverse blue amoena (blue dark top).
Laurie
Oooh, thank you so much! I will definitely do more homework and
will follow your posts around to learn.
Thank you!
I thought this was a neglecta??
Hey--I have this iris, too. Been looking for the name of it for ages. Got it from an elderly cousin in the 80's and hers filled an entire bed even back then, so she must have ordered it in the 60's or so. I know it is a named iris as she orderd it from a catalogue but didn't keep the info. It has a yellow beard, unlike the well-known Gay Parasol. Multiplies wonderfully and seems to love East Texas. Have many to trade if anyone is interested.
I have just been labeling it "Vera Avis Neglecta", since I got it from my cousin Vera Avis. Now I wonder if I misunderstood the term "neglecta". Anyway, any info on it's real name would be much appreciated.
Neglecta is a subset of bitone. Bitone is when the standards and falls are two different shades of the same color, such as light and dark yellow. When a bitone is in shades of blue or purple, it is called a neglecta.
One or both of your irises may be Helen Collingwood, a very popular and widely grown historic tall bearded. It's close enough to make it worthwhile to buy a known Helen Collingwood to grow side by side with your irises to see if they match.
Laurie
I have one too, from a gardner that did alot of heirloom roses and iris'. Would be good to know the name.
Thanks, Laurie!! I will cerrtainly check out Helen Collinsworth. Great to get a new lead.
It makes such an impressive clump. Here it is with Boogie Man and Protocol.
Great to get a clearer understanding of bitone and neglecta, Laurie. Thanks for the clarification. Here's a new one I got last year that was most impresssive as a first year bloomer--and it's a late one, too. This is Comedian.
LOL! It's only going to be a good lead if you spell the name correctly. It's 'Helen Collingwood". ;-)
Laurie
*hehehe* bet I would have noticed when it wasn't in the Plant Files!! Thanks!
Yep--it sure looks like that is the iris, Laurie! The Plantfiles pics do look like mine. I just saw the link to your iris for sale, but haven't had time to see what all you have as yet. Do you have historics--esp. Helen Collingwood in paticular now that I think that's the one I have beds of? .
I'm afraid I lost Helen Collingwood last year (along with about 200 other iris cultivars) in the most climatically challenging year I've ever experienced here (for the plants, anyway). But it shouldn't be difficult to find HC from another historic iris seller. Try Superstition; they have an unexcelled reputation for selling accurately identified historic irises.
Laurie
I ordered from Superstition last year, and got only about 1/2 the historics I ordered. They apologized and said they had a record sales year for historics. In the catalogue this year it said to order early due to the heavy sales of historics last year. (They did substitute other wonderful historics, as I requested them to do, so this is not a complaint, by any means.)
They do have Helen. I would suggest ordering now.
