Iris and some Irids 2006-2007

[Paul T]

Fermi,

I used to have BGC years ago and loved it.  Lost it at some point but always remember it as such a good colour to it.  Great to see it again.  Most of my louisianna and ensata iris are badly suffering from neglect as they haven't been repotted in quite a few years while I've been ill.  They rarely flower now, but I guess they'll recover one year when I attend to them.

[Ray Mills]

Hi Fermi,
my 'Black Gamecock' has also just starting to flower. I always have trouble trying to take a pic of it (and the other dark forms) as the camera automatically tries to make it bluer. I. nelsonii and I. 'Gerald Darby' are also flowering while I. giganticerulea, I gracilipes and I. graminea -nicely scented- have just finished. Regards Ray.

[Maggi Young]

Hello, Ray, a warm welcome to the Forum. Great to see these lovely Iris.... who could resist them?
I see from your profile you have a nursery... off for a look at your website now!
 Maggi

[David Nicholson]

Welcome to the Forum Ray. Those are cracking pictures of some very lovely Iris. If I lived a bit nearer to you I could become a 'nuisance' visitor to your Nursery.

[Paul T]

Ray,

Welcome!!  I'll be off to check out your website too.  Love that Iris nelsonii.... interesting colour to it.  It is related to Iris sanguinea?  I recall sanguinea flowers are similar shape to that one, although obviously a different colour.  It is one of those species that I used to have a few years ago but unfortunately lost along the way.  Your pic of nelsonii immediately brought it to mind which is why I ask.

Great pics of all of them. 

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Ray,
welcome to the Forum!
Yes, that Iris is a bit difficult to capture but it's stunning in the garden!
Nice to see some of your other iris.
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Hi Ray, a warm welcome from NZ, to the Forum. Good to have another Aussie, but what about US? Come on you NZers, join up and get posting.

[Ray Mills]

Hi and thank you Maggie, David, Paul, Fermi and Lesley for the warm welcome.
The website is still under revision with pics yet to be added for the 'bulbs and perennials' and 'daffodils' pages. I collect iris and odd bulbs and sell plants at local markets and the 'nursery' is just a yard with lots of plants at present. I also experiment with plant photography using a cheap digital camera.
Paul, I have not seen I. sanguinea but the North American species iris site http://facstaff.hsc.unt.edu/rbarton/iris/nani.html states that I. nelsonii might be a hybrid of I. fulva. The flowers are pretty much the same with I. fulva having slightly longer falls.
Fermi, I have been trying a grey background as an experiment -after seeing one of Ian's bulblogs- and it seems to do a bit of good but works better with white or yellow flowers.
Regards Ray.

[Anthony Darby]

Just caught up with this thread. Must find a plant of Gerald Darby! I've never met another Darby by chance. Only relatives at hatches, matches and dispatches,

[Paul T]

Ray,

The sanguinea is rounder in the petals, whereas the fulva and nelsonii are longer, but they were similar enough to remind me of them.

Anthony,

If you can't find a 'Gerald Darby' closer to home I can certainly send you a piece.  Just coming into flower here at the moment, with lovely purple-black stems and dark base to the foliage.

[David Nicholson]

I have managed to loose the label for this Iris flowering today and the old memory isn't what it used to be. Could anyone help with an ID please from these admittedly pretty poor pictures. I can remember that the name of the species begins with 'L' and having looked at the Species Iris Database I would guess that is Iris lazica? As can be seen the slugs like it!

[Lesley Cox]

You're probably right David. Iris lazica is closely related to (or perhaps a subspecies of) I. unguicularis (old I. stylosa) and yes, the slugs like all in that group.

[Paul T]

David,

It looks about right.  The leaves on lazica are much chunkier (broader, a bit thicker) than unguicularis and a brighter green.  The flowers sit well down in the foliage and I find are smaller too..... with the falls curling downwards quuite heavily instead of sitting out more horizontally in the unguics.  Yo could certainly never mistake the two for each other, side by side.

That a help?

[fermi de Sousa]

I don't think that our garden suits the Japanese iris; I'm sure this Iris ensata "Rose Queen" had a bigger flower last year!


At least it has deigned to flower for a second year, we'll see if it repeats next year!
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Well they do like masses of water after all. They do well for me but only at about half what their height should be. Do you have the gorgeous white form of `Rose Queen'? I think it was a sport originally and is called `Snow Queen.'