Scorpiris (Juno's) Iris 2008

[arillady]

I'd just like to add that my clump of Iris planifolia has two more blooms. From early June till now. It certainly has a long flowering period.

[Maggi Young]

I'd just like to add that my clump of Iris planifolia has two more blooms. From early June till now. It certainly has a long flowering period.

A good example to counter the complaint that Irises have too short a season, Pat!

[Lesley Cox]

I can't BELIEVE such a complaint. It is possible to have irises in flower for 10 or even 11 months of the year. Much longer than roses, dahlias, crocus, daffodils, galanthus and almost anything else. So there

[Joakim B]

Lesley the complaint might be that the same plant generally does not flower for a long time so having a huge group of one plant might not be that fun.
That is offcourse why one should have mixed plantings, either by other irises or other plants.
Winter blooming plants tend to last longer than summer blooming plants unless the bad weather hits them.

I bet You knew this already but this is one more reason to plant more irises rather than less
(says the egg to the hen)
Kind regards
Joakim

[Lesley Cox]

Yes Joakim, I did realize that, but I judge a genus in its entirety rather than a single example of it. After all, one crocus doesn't flower for long either, or one narcissus.

Not only can one have irises almost all year round, they can be of ANY colour from black to white, including greys, browns and all kinds of subtle combinations; every height from 3-4 cms up to a metre or more; in many different shapes and textures; for hot, dry, cold, wet positions etc etc etc. All of which makes Iris my favourite of all genera.

[Hans A.]

I am still looking for a late summer flowering iris species - when I remeber well the Iris relative Dietes bicolor were the only one which flowered in this time for me.
A "flowering longtime record" got one Iris paradoxa this year - first flower opened in November  - last in June with a main season in march and april - oncoflowers of one single plant in a period of 6 months!. For me still unbelievable...
This should be impossible with Junos, to have a Junoclump flowering for over one month is spectacular - Congartulations Pat.

[Joakim B]

Lesley I totally agree and must add that the foliage can be dramatic if it has other things around with less foliage but with flower. The problem if people only have one big bunch of bearded iris with nothing more it can be a bit boring. (It is easily fixed though)

Hans I am surprised that there are not more repeat blooming irises here in Portugal. I am thinking on the bearded ones. The ones they grow here are earlier than many and should have "time" for a second bloom. Weather being perfect for them. The typical here are pure white and pure "black" both nicely fragered. (Sorry that I spoke of bearded here but I thought it was of relevance to the lack of late bloomers

I do not know how it is Spain.

Kind regards
Joakim

[Paul T]

Lesley,

And once they get a true red someone will have a goldmine.  The only missing colour in beardeds at least, but they're getting closer and closer. I know, purists would hate it etc, but it is still interesting to see how they gradually work their way around to something that doesn't occur naturally. 

Hans,

That sounds like an amazingly long time for any iris.  Was the weather unusual, which extended the season by constantly reshooting or re-triggering buds?

And pleased to report that both my junos have shoots just above the ground now.  Yeah!!!!!!!!!  Courtesy of Marcus Harvery's wonderful catalogues of course.  This time I hope I can keep them growing too!!! 

[Lesley Cox]

As Joakim says Hans, there are the "remontant" or re-blooming tall beared forms now which flower in  late summer through autumn. They come in more and more colours each year. I have a very pretty soft pinky-apricot form. Then the rather large and vigourous "Louisianas" will usually give flowers in late summer. My climate is too summer dry for them to flourish. I get masses of foliage but few flower stems. But they're spectacular when they're happy. Nothing can compare though, with reticulatas, junos and oncos.

[Lesley Cox]

Paul, I read somewhere that the genes for primary red and primary blue are missing from Iris, so I guess that if there comes a true red, we'll know someone has been doing a little GM on the sly. For my part I can live without it. The current reds are close enough.

[Hans A.]

Thanks Lesley - perhaps I should prepare a small Lousiana - swamp here -  larger Beared Iris would not fit in my small garden which is mainly occupied by reticulatas, junos and oncos.

[Paul T]

Hans,

I wouldn't call Louisiannas "small", in fact I'm certain that they would spread to cover ground much quicker than a bearded iris.  Much later flowers, different form to them, and can live in swamp conditions, but not much smaller in height, and probably wider.  I grow mine in pots in an artificial pond, but because I haven't repotted them in years they rarely flower.  To me, they need more physical space than a bearded iris because they tend to travel further.  Very, very nice flowers though.  A mass in full flower is spectacular.

lesley,

I'm surprised that primary blue isn't represented in iris.  There are mid blues that are real blue, to me far closer to blue than the reds I've seen (although they're probably older reds) are close to red, if you know what I mean.

[Hans A.]

Paul - you are certainly right - Lousiana Iris are not small  - I just thought about a small atrifical swamp for them (but I have no space  left at all  )
I have no explication for the large flowering period of this Iris paradoxa - sometimes I think there are no rules for Oncos- most are completly dormant - some start to show new shoots and other are still (!) completly green, why ever.
In difference all the Junos are dormant.

[Lesley Cox]

Paul, if you look at a great many blue irises, I think the closest to true, primary blue would be I. histrioides and even that, is not "true" (as in Gentiana verna) blue.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

I know what you mean.  I was just meaning that a lot of the pale blues really are blue, with little or no purple/mauve influence.  They aren't true cobalt or true deep blue, but they are a real blue to my eye at least.  To me they're much closer than any of the supposed red's I've seen, which all have a big pink influence in them to my eye.

Even the good old Iris retic 'Harmony' is pretty pure in the blue department.  I hadn't been thinking about the little-uns when I wrote, more thinking of the beardeds.  Certainly some of the smaller ones are purer in the darker blue colour ranges, that is for sure.