Reticulate Iris 2009

[Hristo]

Paul,
Super looking reticulatas, wingradowii alba is a stunner!

[Regelian]

A very early bloomer, aquired this Autumn from Nijssen, Iris hyrcana.  It is currently frozen in its pot!  The foto is too blue and I did try to doctor it a bit, but I can't seem to get the purple right. It is much deeper. Use your imagination, please.

[David Nicholson]

Jamie, here's my Iris hyrcana from January this year. Is this closer to the colour of yours?

[Lesley Cox]

Regardless of colour, it is still a beauty, and beautifully grown here - I mean here in the thread, not here in NZ. I don't think it is in NZ. I've seen half a dozen different photos in assorted books and bulletins, of Iris hyrcana and I think every one was different in colour from the others. It seems very difficult to get the shade of blue/purple right.

[Regelian]

David,

mine is still a bit more purple.  It is a small flower, about 2.5"/6cm max.  Quite cute.

Lesley,

I've seen clones that were much deeper toned than mine, but none that I would have called blue.  In any colour, they are lovely little things.

Jamie

[Paul T]

Very, very nice.  And so very early.  Beautiful.

[Janis Ruksans]

Jamie, here's my Iris hyrcana from January this year. Is this closer to the colour of yours?

Iris hyrcana (RSZ-8706) was collected by our team in 1987 in Talish mountains (then soviet Azerbaijan). It turned the earliest of all reticulatas, often blooming through snow together with earliest spring crocuses. Flower color mostly is bright blue, very rarely very light blue, even more rarely slightly lilac shaded. It don't hybridise with I. reticulata due difference in blooming time. I. hyrcana is at very end of blooming when reticulatas start and it is the most easy of all reticulatas for growing outside in conditions of Latvia. I allways regarded it is separate species (not as form of I. reticulata)
Janis