My arilbreds are coming back!

Of course, many of you already knew this and I had been told about it, but was I surprised to see several arilbreds. sending up new green shoots in the past week or two! I had been told that they die back and you think they are dead and then they pop up and surprise you, but I was sure mine were totally dead. I hadn't watered them enough in the spring, I thought, and they died.
Well 4 of my arilbreds, are sending up new leaves right now, to my utter amazement! Tauris and Mohr Pretender and one, that I have lost the tag for. The miracle is that I hadn't dumped them out of their pots and used the pots for something else.
This year has been a real year of discover for me about arilbreds. I am not attempting arils yet.
How about the rest of you, are your arilbreds starting to grow?

A bit--however we are used to this--even Zwanenburg is trying to appear--Have to check plants of a seedling which had been growing for us in CO. We HAD lost that one before some were sent back.

By CO do you mean Colorado? Did you once live in Colorado?

Another thing I learned about arilbreds this year is that it is okay to water most of them just the way one does the other bearded iris. At first I thought I should never water them because they might rot. Then, after they "died", I decided I hadn't watered them enough.

Thanks to Anita Moran, I learned you can just put them in the beds with the other iris and they will do fine. I have been doing that ever since. Very cool.

This message was edited Sep 3, 2008 3:22 PM

Congrats.... each year I'm sure I've lost most of mine and then they all start popping up. Mine will start later this month. Lady Mohr never died back this year.

Yes CO--seedling was visiting--we have never lived there.

What a relief. I think they are the most beautiful flowers, but I was sure I had killed most of them. The articles I read about killing them with water were about Arils and I didn't distinguish arils and arilbreds until I went to the Ariltrek in Albuquerque this year. Now, I understand that arilbreds are usually much tougher than arils.

How exciting.

I haven't tried any arilbreds yet, but some of my LAs do that, and it always surprises me when I see them again. After three years, I'm still surprised.

The Lady Mohr I got from Neil is still hanging in there with some green on it. Just looking a mite bit stressed but over all pretty good:) I've got her in a small container sitting on my patio window ledge a bit under the eaves so the pot didn't get drenched when it rained.

I have about 60 arilbreds. I do have to plant them a bit different in my climate 5b. I plant them a bit below soil level to protect them from extremes, but they do well and they are BEAUTIFUL !!!! Here is Genetic Artist.

Genetic Artist is gorgeous. I don't have it yet, but maybe next year -- if I am creative in finding more growing space. I bought a lot more arilbreds this year than I might have because I thought I had killed a good many of mine. Now they are coming back so I probably have close to 40 once all the orders arrive -- I am still waiting on the last one. But I do hope to acquire Genetic Artist before to long. I wouldn't mind having some of Caroline Chacon's arilbreds either -- like Holy Moly Plum.

Genetic Artist is on my WL--so unique and beautiful! Great photo also!

I've been wanting Dardanus for quite some time. I think it was the first aril type that I had ever seen and I fell in love with all those lines on it:) Anyone know of a good source for that one?

Thanks pajaritomt! Now you know I have to go look at Holy Moly Plum and the others from Caroline Chacon:LOL:

Dardanus: Breck carried it in their catalog 5 or 6 years ago. There is an
online reference to it from Breck but I would not order from them this late
in the season. You would be planting in the snow by the time it arrives.

Try
The Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery
2115 Talent Ave.
Talent, OR 97540
ph (541) 535-7103
$9.00

They have online shopping apparently.

Thanks! I've learned from everyone here and GW that most of those widely distributed catalog companies with their $25 off coupons are not the best way to go.
Thanks you for finding the information for The Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery. I really appreciate it.

I find when looking at collections, there are often one or two which don't like our climate. Seems best to look at plant by plant. If starting out try & find someone else who grows iris in your area & talk to them. Sometimes the catalog people will know if they have shipped to your region.

I have ordered a few items from Brecks. Asiatic and oriental lillies. Specialty
tulips. No problem whatsoever with quality. Problem is always with the broker
promising shipping dates. Same one handles Spring Hill and a couple more
vendors. I ordered irises from SH for mid August delivery and it was closer
to early October before they came. Will not make that mistake again. Next
order will be from Schreiners.

IrisMA, I hadn't thought about that. Thanks. I grow TB's and got an arilbred from NeilTR in an iris swap which did very well for me. He's in the south too. What I want to do is rush out and buy a big chunk of my WL arils but I'm trying to go slow and just pick up one or two more for now. Good money, time and emotion saving advice!!

OGR, that was the main problem I had heard about from Brecks--very late shipping to the point of being a waste of money. I've noticed that most places that are broker supplied rather than grown on site have issues with the shipping delays.

This message was edited Sep 6, 2008 1:51 PM

I have seen it around, it may have been at Malevils Iris Gardens.

Try & find sources who are mainly iris dealers, maybe through AIS. If you public library or local iris society has copies of the AIS Bulletin there are lists of dealers in the commercial section. the older plants are resonably priced & much better quality than a place like brecks or even local garden centers, although you can try the latter & not have to pay shipping.

I saw Dardanus this summer at the Ariltrek in Albuquerque. It is very lovely. I have attached my amateurish picture of it. I don't have it yet. But here is the name of an iris seller who might very well have it. She has quite a substantial printed iris catalog that you can request, but no website. I recommend you call or email her to see if she will sell you a rhizome or two of Dardanus. She is a very nice person and operates a very good aril business.

* Arils of Paradise
Dolores Bates
5580 Angel Dr.
Paradise, CA 95969
yardsailer@peoplepc.com

The Aril Society International, well worth joining I might add, has a web page devoted to nurseries that sell iris. Some are on the internet, and I don't think they sell Dardanus because I didn't find it in a web search. Others, some of which do not have a website, could also sell it. Check this page of the ASI for their names:

http://www.arilsociety.org/index.pl?Nurseries

The aril growers tend to know one another and tend to be more devoted to arils and arilbreds than to making money. (unlike Brecks) I am pretty sure this picture was taken in the garden of Pete McGrath, an aril hybridizer from Albuquerque. He will sell iris, though he doesn't have a business for that purpose. You could probably find him in an online telephone book ( Anywho) and telephone him and ask him if he would sell you one. He tells me he does sell iris on occasion. But I would start with Arils of Paradise. I am sure a Dardanus can be had, though I am not sure if you can get them this late in the year. Still, I just received an order today, so it isn't impossible!

For buying arils, here are my favorites -- Aril Society International ( has an annual plant sale for members only by mail. Membership is something like $10). Other places I have ordered from are : Superstition ( good arilbreds and big selection), Aitkens, Mid-America, Andiris and Willow Bend. Malevil is probably very good, and has a big selection -- and they do arilbred hybridizing -- I just haven't tried them . But they have an excellent reputation. I suspect Schreiners would be good as well, but I don't think they have very many. And of course, all the ones on the ASI nurseries webpage.

Just had to include another arilbred. This one is Refiner's Fire by Pete McGrath. I am pretty sure he would sell you one, but I bought mine at Superstition which is not shipping any more iris this year.

I did a web search and found Iris Dardanus for $7 at Odyssey Bulbs in Massachusetts for $7. They also have a good rating in Garden Watchdog. Worth a try. Apparently they were showcased on Martha Stewart!

http://www.odysseybulbs.com/index.html

Thanks so much! Refiner's Fire is gorgeous! The colors on arils are always so exotic looking:lol:
Really appreciate all the information. I joined a lily society and I can see a couple of iris societies in my future:lol:

These flower societies are a lot of fun. I have been considering joining the Rose society.