Iris and some Irids 2006-2007

[fermi de Sousa]

It's the start of the "Dutch" iris season here! And as usually I've lost the lables on most of them but I'll post a few pics anyway!
First, the most common blue in the garden, possibly "Prof. Blaauw"?,


Another blue with slightly purple standards,which I think it's "Duchy Blue"


A plain white with a shade of mauve to it,


And finally a clump of a white with yellow falls, which could be "Apollo"


cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Here's the Dutch iris "Bronze Queen".


Not the most stunning colour, but at least heading towards brown!
cheers
fermi

[David Nicholson]

Fermi, glad to see there is another fan of Dutch Iris. Aren't they such good value for money?

[Maggi Young]

Aren't they such good value for money?

says David......

Well, no, not here in our garden, they never do well! And I can only think of one or two gardens within a two mile radius where there are any decent clumps... I think our soil is too acid for them to be happy

[fermi de Sousa]

Well, Maggi, I'd stick to the Erythroniums then!
The pacific Coast hybrids are in bloom though we only have a few - must get some more!
here's "Big Money" - in triplicate.






And a Dutch Iris of my own raising from the old yellow "Golden harvest"


cheers
fermi

[David Nicholson]

During August I made myself a new little bed for growing Dutch Irises with a nice gritty, limey soil. In early September I planted it up using a packet of bulbs with mixed colours from the garden centre. They must have liked the bed because most of them are already showing a good couple of inches of growth. This worries me a bit because surely they will have had insufficient time yet to get some good roots down and this could affect their flowering.

Am I right to be concerned and is there anything I could do to help?

[Lesley Cox]

David I don't think you should be worried. September (for you) would be late enough to plant Dutch irises and they were probably "rearin' to go." If there are 2 inches of top growth I'd bet there will be at least that much underneath as well, probably more. You could give them a liquid feed when the leaves are a little further on and if you have a dry spell, you could make sure they are well watered but otherwise, I'd just sit back, wait then enjoy. In any case, this year's flowers will already be inside the bulbs, even before you planted them.

[David Nicholson]

Thanks Lesley, you have set my mind at rest.

[fermi de Sousa]

Herte's a pic of Dutch Iris "Golden Harvest" which is the parent of my poor seedling. I think I prefer the parent! However another seedling has better form and when it's in flower I hope I get a chance to post its pic here.
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

As promised, here's a pic of the sister seedling to my earlier posting: it has a more refined form than its sister or "Golden Harvest"

And in the Rock garden one of the clumps of "Thunderbolt" has started to open, though a bot paler than they should be I think.


cheers
fermi

[Paul T]

Taking a break from dutch iris......



This is Iris laevigata ssp colchestrensis which is one of the water irises.  Striking markings and a good grower.  The assorted water irises are only just starting here.

[Lesley Cox]

Taking a break from dutch iris......



This is Iris laevigata ssp colchestrensis which is one of the water irises.  Striking markings and a good grower.  The assorted water irises are only just starting here.

In general I like the Japanese water-loving irises very much, even the big floppy ones but having seen this of Paul's I can only be grateful that mine (from NZIS seed) died before it flowered

[Joakim B]

Paul that one is lovely very "strong" to say the least hope to see more 
Fermi and David I also hope to see some more dutch especially at my place but not that many survived
Luckely there are more in the store
Joakim

[Paul T]

Joakim,

Glad you liked it.  Here's another water iris...



This is an Iris pseudacorus hybrid called Phil Edinger I think.  I'm assuming it is a hybrid as so much more brown in it, but could be a darker species selection like a number of others I guess.  As you can see from the photo we've actually had a little rain here overnight (a whole 2.5mm, which is 5 times what they got in southern Canberra).  Not much, but has wet the ground surface for a half a mm. 

Enjoy.

[Lesley Cox]

This is almost certainly a selection but some way towards a whole new breed of irises from Japan and which are called "Eye Shadow Irises." for their lovely markings at the hafts. They are all based on Iris pseudacorus and first appeared in 1962 then again in 1971. The other parents are various cultivars of Iris ensata (the Japanese iris, as we know it). Unfortunately the crosses are wide and from diploid parents so are all sterile. I'd love to be able to import some from Japan but anything with I. pseudacorus is strictly prohibited as that species is a major weed in some NZ waterways.