November 2016 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Jupiter]

I'm very excited about my Eriogonums, which I am raising from seed and moving into the crevice garden in dribs an drabs. These are E. ovalifolium and look, one is going to flower!

[Otto Fauser]

Dear Jacquie ,  thank you for posting these photos from my garden . These are the names you could not remember :Daphne  cneorum ,easy and should be in every rock garden .-Epimedium sutchuenense  ,-the herbaceous Paeonia 'Branklyn" (after the garden in Scotland ),and Iris korolkowii 'Brown Beard' belonging to the Regelia section .
4 more from my garden

[Jupiter]

It's my pleasure to share with you all my very first oncocyclus iris bloom. Arilbred hybrid by Jim Kurtz, Dardanus* x iberica elegantissima (Dardanus = I. korolkowii var. concolor x I. iberica). (in doubt) It is absolutely beautiful and I couldn't be happier.

[ashley]

Stunning Jamus, and of course beautifully photographed

[fermi de Sousa]

Stunning iris, Jamus,
and strangely similar to one of Pat Toolan's hybrids: PT0022 Iria mariae x Iris haynei which flowered back in September/October
cheers
fermi

[Cfred72]

That's right Jamus, it is this beautiful Iris

[Jupiter]

You're right, it's not what's on the label! This is concerning... My suspicion was aroused early while it was still in bud. Not very iberica like is it? I have been very careful with my labeling right from the start, so I hope this isn't a mix up with seed... we shall see as more come to flower which is which.

The three (and only three) I have from Pat were seed she donated to the seedex in 2014

Arilbred -(mariae x haynei hyb dark form) x haynei
Arilbred -PT0328 (Aril hybrid x 9847(mariae hyb.) x (susiana hyb. Blue/black veining) x  PT0719 (Princess Maya x Ravid (light))
Arilbred -PT0426 (Tira nurseries seed mix x ?) x (PT0464(Susiana hyb. X (meirav x Samaria light colour))

So it must be one of those. I've never accepted any live plants from Pat as I was determined to start from seed and reduce the risk of virus contamination.

[Jupiter]

I reckon it's this - ASI seedex 2104 - Item 37   OH (mariae x haynei hyb dark form) x haynei   PT, collected in 2013.

The only oncocyclus iris here not embryo cultured by me is a little I. paraxoxa f. paradoxa which Otto gave me. Everything else I generated in the lab.

[Lesley Cox]

Gorgeous iris Jamus but not (as I remember from my mother's garden many years ago), very 'Dardanus'-like either. I forget a lot nowadays but have and have always had a good memory for colour and 'Dardanus' was largely a dull purple, heavily veined over white, a high, domed flower. But whatever this hybrid is, I'd suggest pure onco rather than anything with a regelia in it (korolkowii, for instance).

[Jupiter]

No that's right Lesley... I am blaming the kids at this stage. There no way I could have mixed up labels!    It is absolutely ASI seedex 2104 - Item 37   OH (mariae x haynei hyb dark form) x haynei   PT, collected in 2013

[Peterwg]

Hi Jamus,
     It is exactly like I would expect from Dardanus x elegantissima - provided the plant is not large like an Israeli onco.
     And it IS extremely nice.   And since you have no other pollen, why not try to self pollinate it?    Don't believe everything you read about oncos not being self-fertile - some are, some aren't.  If it is Dardanusxelegantissima, it may be only marginally self fertile, if they have pollen at all.   And can you tell us the colour of the pollen?   Does it have any pollen?   RC x onco often has pale blue or green pollen, oncos are usually white or pale cream.   In any event, well done!

[Jupiter]

Thank you Peter. I'll send you an email when I get a moment. Now you have me doubting my doubting. Should I have more confidence in my labeling? I think so. I'm super careful. I tend to trust Fermi's opinions for the sheer breadth of his knowledge, but here you are with more specialist knowledge and I'm between a rock and a hard place.

[arilnut]

Hi Jamus.  Peter is possibly correct. I had a korolkowii X iberica that looked similar.
But also it shows possible kin to hermona and looks close to straight hermona.

John B

[arilnut]

Jamus, how tall is it?

John B

[Anthony Darby]

Ixia viridiflora, from seed sown July 2015. The background is a bromeliad in another pot.