Pacific Coast Iris

[Regelian]

I am always surprised how well these seedling do in my wet, cool garden, as many of the plants (actually all!) I brought back from the UK didn't like it at all.  Selection and simply being more modern crosses may be the reason.

[Regelian]

A couple more.

You will note that the first seedling has an interesting turqouise on the falls.  The colour is not sunfast and changes literally hourly.  Purples and brown-reds are more sunfast.

[GordonT]

Jamie, that is a wonderful collection of Pacific Coast Iris!

There may be one or two more people here in Nova Scotia making an attempt to grow these gems, but all the plants here come from seed. Many people have trouble with them because of their difficulty to transplant. Timing is everything- since they develop new roots beginning with the onset of rainy season in late autumn.  We have no local sources for seed but the Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris runs a welcome seed exchange for folks like me.

Several species are proving to be extremely hardy here. Iris innominata, and  a hybrid between it and Iris tenax have been growing unprotected in the landscape here for three years now (during winter of 2014-2015 our temperature dropped to -25C, with daytime highs of -18C). More go into the garden this year.

[Lesley Cox]

Yes, the general opinion about lifting, moving or dividing PCs is to do so when they are beginning to make new, white roots. I moved a few to a new bit of garden in February (still high summer here and a very dry one at that) and they really didn't like that for a couple of months but in the last few weeks although we've had a very warm autumn, we've also had recent rain and they are looking or beginning to look much happier. I wish I could say they same for the lower forms within the Spuria group which I moved at the same time. They are losing a lot of foliage even though they don't usually do so, so my fingers are well crossed.

[Regelian]

Gordon,  thanks for the kind words and, yes, my seed all came from the SPCNI.  I've been a member for some years, now, as it is the best source for seed and infos.  I have not managed to keep innominata or douglasiana for more than a year or two, tenax and thompsonii ( blue innominata previously) do pretty well.  Also, I have seedlings involving hartwegii ssp australis which do very well. Surprise-surprise! Hope to bloom the first next Spring.  I'm definitely going to try innominata, again, as lower than -17°C is unknown in my area, and that it extremely cold for us.

Lesley, as you say, most are waiting for the new root growth for transpanting and division.  I have not found this to be true in my garden.  Why, I'm not sure, but I imagine it has to do with 1) the wetter, cooler conditions I have and 2) hybrid vigour.  I have very few species and they tend to stay put, while the seedlings I transplant and divide as required.  I only do this during the wetter and cooler months, more for myself, as I prefer gardening when it is cooler.  Our Summer is rarely over 28°C, more around 22°-24°, except August, where the night temps are quite high, as well.

I have tried a couple dozen different crossed from the SPCNI seed-ex and about half do well, while the other half barely germinate or over-winter.  Natural selection!  I am seed-raising some 40 chromosome sibericas for calsib crosses, which may bring more hardiness.  I'll have to do some conversions to follow-up, as they tend to be largely sterile.

j.

[johnralphcarpenter]

PCI hybrids in the garden.

[fermi de Sousa]

A dark purple PCI raised from seed - I think these came from Diane W in Canada originally,
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

More of the seedling PCI in flower, including a white;
Close-up of the white PCI seedling;
A named cultivar from Heidi Blythe, possibly 'Sahara Sunset';
'Big Money'
cheers
fermi

[GordonT]

Nice group of Iris Fermi! The white one looks a lot like the cultivar Iris douglasiana 'Canyon Snow'. A few more plants went into the landscape for trial here- just before the first frosts of autumn arrived.

[fermi de Sousa]

Thanks, Gordon,
Is that a cultivar you have in Canada? As these were grown from seed from Diane, it's quite possible.
BTW the link to your blog no longer works for us, have you updated it?
cheers
fermi

[GordonT]

Fermi, from what I understand, Canyon Snow is an older cultivar of Iris douglasiana. More information about it can be found here http://www.sbbg.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/sbbg_intro_iris%20_canyon_snow'.pdf

I have two open pollinated seedlings of Canyon Snow in the garden now. My first attempt with this plant failed due to someone other than me treating a horsetail invasion with herbicide. The plants had survived the winter, but they were killed when rain washed some of the herbicide from the target horsetail into the Iris root zone. Of course, the Horsetail survived... and we abandoned that location for a garden.

Thank you for reminding me to take down any links to the blog. We've taken it down, as life here has been in a bit of an uproar for more than a year. Nothing like getting a puppy, and doing a total home renovation on a 200 year old house, while re-thinking work options to make things a bit unsettled.

I still have a few Pacific iris species and hybrids to get out of pots and into the landscape. I am debating the wisdom of doing it now, since we are experiencing nightly frosts. Iris munzii may or may not survive in our landscape at all, but the seed I got from the SPCNI  exchange the other year, germinated with abandon! I hope it survives. Iris chrysophylla ought to do well.

Here are a few in our garden, from earlier this year:

1 A hybrid- (Iris innominata x Iris tenax) x unknown PCI. One wonders if there really is any innominata in this at all!
2 Iris 'Harland Hand' x unknown PCI. We nearly lost this to winter kill two years ago. Thankfully it is recovering, and should be back to blooming size next year
3 Two seedlings of Iris innominata. The smaller one was coddled too long in the greenhouse

[vanozzi]

Hi, just 4 of the darker PC iris seedlings flowering this season.The first one is in bud, then fully open.