Siberian Iris 'Shaker's Prayer'

I saw this iris online and thought it was gorgeous. Unfortunately, the only places I could find it were from the Gardens Alive affiliated...Read More sites. So, I decided I'd have to live without it.

I generally make the great majority of my plant purchases at local garden centers. I prefer to support places that make horticulture a specialty and seem to take better care of their plants. Usually they're more expensive, but they also hire trained professionals, and I believe that's worth paying for.

But, every now and then, I'll see a " bargain" at one of the garden sections of one of the chain stores that I just can't pass up.

Well, wouldn't you know it, I found some Shaker's Prayer irises at Walmart. I couldn't say no. I bought three packs of three rhizomes in sawdust or suchlike. I planted them according to the best advice the web has to offer. I've grown sibiricas before and generally hve been successful.

But the Shakers prayer irises just never came up. And by the time I realized they definitely had not and were not going to grow, I'd lost track of the receipt and so could not ask for a refund.

So, Shaker's Prayer is only available from online merchants with a bad reputation (often accused of passing off an inferior interaction of the product promised), or from a store that seems to allow half of their plant stock to die for lack of water because they can't be bothered to hire the necessary staff.

I'm beginning to wonder if the Shaker's Prayer iris is a hoax.

AGM 2005. According RHS Trial: "... Flowering 23 May to 4 July 2005. Falls delicately veined violet on white, beautiful markings, many ta...Read Morell spikes with 5 flowerson each..."