Reticulate Iris - 2014

[Brian Ellis]

Wouldn't it be great if it was stable in all four forms

[Alan McMurtrie]

The question is how hard should I push to get it introduced.  03-AQ-1 is about 42mm tip-to-tip (tip of one fall to the tip of another).  Creating a tetraploid might make it 50mm, which should be an acceptable size.  For large-scale commercial sales, growers want large flowers.

The amazing thing is how orange the flowers are...  when they first open. 

A grower rejected Orange Glow presumably because it was small.  The diploid form is only 45mm.  Time will tell how large the tetraploid and octaploid versions are.

I believe in 05-HW-1, which starts out 46mm, but "shrinks" to 40mm because the falls curl a bit as the flower ages.  Hopefully the tetraploid will start off closer to 60mm and "shrink" to just under 55mm.  Time will tell.

[mark smyth]

Here's a composite picture showing how 03-AQ-1 changes over time.

I expect the average person might like it.

very desirable

[Brian Ellis]

The question is how hard should I push to get it introduced.  03-AQ-1 is about 42mm tip-to-tip (tip of one fall to the tip of another).  Creating a tetraploid might make it 50mm, which should be an acceptable size.  For large-scale commercial sales, growers want large flowers.

The amazing thing is how orange the flowers are...  when they first open. 

A grower rejected Orange Glow presumably because it was small.  The diploid form is only 45mm.  Time will tell how large the tetraploid and octaploid versions are.

I believe in 05-HW-1, which starts out 46mm, but "shrinks" to 40mm because the falls curl a bit as the flower ages.  Hopefully the tetraploid will start off closer to 60mm and "shrink" to just under 55mm.  Time will tell.

A tertraploid with the orange colouring - even if it fades after a few days would perhaps satisfy the growers?

[fermi de Sousa]

We nearly missed this one (the slugs didn't )
Alan's Iris s x d 'Sea Green'
 
cheers'fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Iris 'Violet Beauty' is a new addition and looked pretty good this morning.
The first iris 'George' opened as well,
cheers
fermi

[Jupiter]

Alan, thanks for showing us these hybrids. I love them, particularly the one you call 03-AQ-1. What a gorgeous subtle thing... this is something I can see myself getting to once the kids are grown up a bit.

[Otto Fauser]

I have been growing Iris ret. 'Michael' since the 1970,s but it seems to have disappeared from commercial lists . Would some one know its history : did it originate in Holland and who bred it ? Is it pre World War 2 ?

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Otto,
Franz Hadacek posted a pic of Iris histrioides 'Michael' on the Forum on 12-02-08 http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=1194.180
But it doesn't look like the one you posted.

Here's 'Edward' in a raised bed in our garden,
cheers
fermi

[Otto Fauser]

Thanks Fermi ,  but Franz's Iris is a form of histrioides  , where as mine is a form of reticulate . I wonder if it could have been raised by van Eeden who did a lot of hybridising in Holland in the 1960,s .

[Lvandelft]

I have been growing Iris ret. 'Michael' since the 1970,s but it seems to have disappeared from commercial lists . Would some one know its history : did it originate in Holland and who bred it ? Is it pre World War 2 ?

Hello Otto,
 Iris reticulata Michael was indeed registered by the KAVB in 1973 by van Eeden
The colour description was:
Standards dauphin's violet (CC 90A), falls plum purple (CC 79C), veined bronze-green, blotch ivory white, spotted purple.
I believe this cultivar is no longer in culture here in the Netherlands.

[fermi de Sousa]

I got this one this year as 'J S Dijt' which seems to match pics on the interweb but it looks paler than I remember it when I grew it a dozen years ago. Another case of things in the past looking better?
cheers
fermi

[Otto Fauser]

Thank you Luit for confirming that Iris reticulata  'Michael' is indeed a 'baby' of van Eeden .Despite being an old variety I still think it has a place in gardens 'Pity it is not grown any more in Holland or perhaps anywhere else . Fortunately it still grows happily in my garden .

[udo]

So early as never before during the last years,
Iris vartanii from Israel.

[Yann]

Dirk i'm surprise you grow this species in a compost made of turf (seeing photo make me thinking of klassman or brill mix).
Anyway superb specie of reticulata.