Iris and some Irids 2006-2007

[udo]

two new flowers after view days with frost
Iris histrioides `Michaels Angel`
Iris reticulata from Iran

[David Nicholson]

Dirk, sweet little things.

[John Forrest]

Dirk, the Iranian Iris is beautifully marked.

[David Shaw]

The first pic was posted whilst playing. Try again properly.
A couple of weeks ago I complained about the washed colouring of Katherine Hodgkin, this is a later flower and I can't complain.
The picture was taken at the weekend, one flower. Now, Wednesday the whole clump is in flower but the weather is dull and damp. Will try a new picture later.

[Paddy Tobin]

David,
As with your clump of Iris 'Katherine Hodgkin' mine are becoming a little congested. This year when the flowers opened they were too close and were covering each other. Do you lift and divide? And, if so, when?

Paddy

[David Shaw]

Paddy
This was our first attempt at a picture on the forum - thanks to Carol who figured it out. I see that the picture is still too big but I think we have found how to correct that for next time.

The Katherine Hodgkins have only just become congested. If we do thin them out this year I would expect to do it immediatly before the leaves disapear so that we can still find them.

[Maggi Young]

Hi, Paddy, Iris such as Katharine Hodgkin can very quickly become overcrowed to the extent that one cannot appreciate the individual beauty of the flowers. Also, the overlapping petals get stuck together when wet by rain and can rot: it is thus a good idea to lift and divide them about every three years, and spread them out a bit.They look better and it keeps them healthier. After flowering the leaves can extend to a fair old height, given how neat the flowers are, leaves up to fifteen to eighteen inches  (approx. 36 to 45 cms) are common. When the leaves begin to discolour and flop, that would be the time to lift and split them.

[David Shaw]

Oh dear,
We obtained some Iris winogradowii from the small bulb exchange in 2003 and have been carefully growing them on since. This is the first year that they have flowered and I was a little concerned about the blueish tinge to the buds at the weekend. They have now started to open and they are - Katherine Hodgkin.
Never mind, even though I was looking forward to a clump of winogradowii these are also a lovely iris.

[Lesley Cox]

God - or the SRGC Goddess - forgive me for disagreeing with the spouse of the Bulb Despot, but I would not recommend lifting reticulate irises (`Katharine Hodgkin') while there is any green on the leaves at all. Mark their place David and lift them when dormant. So long as the leaves are showing some colour, there is still active root growth and that, combined with the leaf growth and the ability to photosynthesize, is a strong factor which will govern next year's flowering.  Those long, coarse leaves aren't the prettiest but they have an important function and should be protected and encouraged as long as possible.

Likewise, when dormant, the bulbils (rice grain bulbs) will fall away easily and can be planted or potted elsewhere to make a new colony. They are still attached when there is root growth and can be damaged if separated. If NOT taken away, they won't grow on unless the parent bulb is damaged or destroyed. They will just quietly fade away and be wasted.

Also please note - The lady spelt her name with an a not an e. Katharine.

[Maggi Young]

Our way works for us, Lesley. Perhaps because most of them are in those lattice pond baskets and the growth has pretty much stopped when we do it.
And, please, unless we're laying down Forum law never worry about disagreeing with either the fat lady or the bulb despot.  The bulb despot is  the bulb despotbecause he of his constant insistence that everyone grow bulbs, bulbs and yet more bulbs, not because he tells people HOW THEY should grow bulbs, because he only says " this is how I do it, if you have a way that works for you, stick with it" , he is a despot because he nags that they SHOULD BE GROWING bulbs! For a  real despot, he has too sweet  a nature ..... mostly!

[Maggi Young]

I think I once made the KathArine not KathErine point long ago in the old Forum, but everywhere I see it nowadays it seems to be shown E, including the plant finder book, so I thought I was wrong again so went along with the E. If I'm wrong again, now, I'm sorry... good grief, I've said that a lot today.
Yeah, I know, I am wrong again.......
And when I think of it, if growing in a pond basket, it is easier to find them when they are dormant, so that's even better... maybe that's why ours are IN the baskets!!??!!
Now, where is that bottle of hairdressers'  peroxide?

[David Shaw]

Lesely
Thanks for the observations.
I will try and remember KathArine and amend my labels. I did not know this before.

[Lesley Cox]

Don't go overboard Maggi. You don't want to become what my late brother referred to as a "suicide blond." (Dyed by her own hand.)

You're very welcome David. I should apologise to you for being so very picky picky, an irritating trait as Roger frequently tells me. (Not that he hasn't plenty!)

[gote]

I have been busy with other things so I might have missed a lot but...
I was once told by a Dutch bulb specialist that Dutch Irises need a high temperature rest in order to develop flowers. At that time they kept the bulbs at thirty degrees for some time and then at lower temperatures. They were then sent out to the Scandinavian market to be planted as Gladiolii.
I tried and it worked very well. They flowered and I got nice fat bulbs at the end of the vegetation period but since I did not know, I did not give them the high temperature and they refused to flower a second time. They always froze to death if left in the soil and I had no thirty degree heating chamber so I gave up on them.
This is, I think, part explanation why the luck with them varies so much. Some of us have high soil temperatures in late summer some have not.

PS: I tried to write a ring for 'degrees' by using the Alt key plusthe numeric pad. This immediately collapsed the Forum with my half finished entry.

Belated but happy new year to everybody!   

[Maggi Young]

Nice to have you back, Göte . It would indeed be difficult for most of us to acheive the 30  degree heat treatment. It is fascinating the "tricks" the commercial growers have for their business, is it not?