Iris reticulata season 2020

[Mini bulb lover]

Iris vartanii does well in pots for me here in Southern Australia (unlike Iris reticulata which doesn't do as well in pots after the first year). It's nice to have an autumn flowering retic! I've frozen some pollen to try crossing with some Iris reticulatas in late winter. I don't know if it will be successful but worth a try.

[fermi de Sousa]

Iris 'Blue Note' was a gift from a friend last year and it's re-blooming this year
cheers
fermi

[Gail]

Iris vartanii (bought from Seeds of Peace) surprised me today, I didn't expect it to flower so soon;

[Steve Garvie]

Jings!
I’ve still to re-pot mine.

[Janis Ruksans]

Here still no real winter started. Weather is cool, dark and wet, but some spring blooming bulbs hurry to come out. Today I visited my greenhouse - I got parcel with some crocus corms to be potted immediately (in surprisingly perfect shape, regardless of very long traveling before reach me) and from distance I was shocked seeing yellow buds on one bed, where reticulata irises were placed. The first idea - wrong label? it could be impossible to place Iris winogradowii between summer-dry loving species. But when I saw label I was even more surprised. In spring 2017 I together with my Czech friend spotted on field with Iris bakeriana in Iran one clump with white flowers. White colour in wild reticulatas is extremely rare occasion - I really know only 3 cases - Alan McMurtries 'White Casucasus' , which is slightly bluish, purest white found by Zhirair Basmajyan in Armenia, and our bakeriana. We split this clump between us, but at planting time they looked so poor, that I had no hope for some living builb. In spring 2018 four very tiny shoots came out with me, but nothing in my friends garden. This autumn I planted 4 still very small bulbs without any hope to see flowers - but now 3 buds came out! Still only in bud - I'm afraid to bring them inside, but may be tomorrow, as some frost coming for one week is broadcasted.

[Alan McMurtrie]

Janis, I would of course one day love to make some crosses with your Iris bakeriana Alba.


I was quite tied up this year and didn't have time to make any posts.
Leopard (12-IO-1) continues to do well (first bloomed in 2017).  Spring 2021 the Dutch bulb grower will get a chance to see several flowers in bloom.




13-FI-3 bloomed for the first time this year.  There's an interesting light yellow on the fall.


13-FW-1 blooming for the first time this year

[Maggi Young]

Coincidentally, there's  an appreciation of  Alan McMurtrie by  Panayoti  Kelaidis  in the  latest  issue  of  International Rock Gardener e-magazine!    https://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2020Dec241608822973IRG_132.pdf

[Diane Whitehead]

Leopard is spectacular!

[Janis Ruksans]

I agree, Leopard I like, but not both others.
My brother some 10 days ago brought in few pots with ordinary reticulata Dutch cultivars and all of them turned good bloomers at Christmas time. They were potted too late according forcing rules and bloomed much earlier than usually supposed.

[Alan McMurtrie]

Orange Delight (09-HT-1) blooming first the first time in Holland at the beginning of March 2020



"09 in 2015" will bloom for the first time in Holland Spring 2021
It was left behind when part of the 2009 seedling area was shifted to make way for 2015 seed



Fireworks (07-BQ-2) is bulking up slowly in Holland

[Janis Ruksans]

I like Orange Delight and Fireworks

[Kathy1987]

I like them all ❤️❤️

[Alan McMurtrie]

14-KV-1, is Stunning to say the least.  I love how the fall blade is yellow, transitioning to white at its edge; without any blue veining on the blade itself.  The dark dots and veins under the style arm are quite striking. It's easy to say "oh it's too small," or "it doesn't have proper standards," but think of what it took to create this hybrid.  Think of what all of the other yellow Reticulatas look like.  There's nothing else like it.  It bloomed for the first time in 2019 (photos taken this year).  It will take another growing season for the small bulbs in Holland to get up to bloom-size.




Tequila Sunrise (09-LE-2) is another incredible break through.  It first bloomed in Toronto in 2016.  The flowers were battered by heavy winds in an open field in Holland.  It is in a lab for conversion to polyploid (e.g. tetraploid; possibly octoploid)




Original photo in Toronto, Canada

[Alan McMurtrie]

Eye Catcher (98-NP-4) continues to be a very good variety.  I look forward to one day introducing the tetraploid version, once we have enough stock.  I of course keep coming up with more wonderful "White with blue accent" varieties (sometimes green accents).  Here are two new nice ones that bloomed for the first time in 2020:

12-DK-1




13-FD-1 which looks quite a bit like Eye Catcher, though clearly the standards are different

[Janis Ruksans]

Yesterday we had some sun and opened flowers of Iris bakeriana Alba from Iran. Made some 30 pictures of this rarity but when started to download them on computer something happens with card and only 2 pictures opened, others disappear due necessity of formatting card. The first case when something such happens with me. Now shocked - will this repeat? And if this would happen in mountains? Today will try repeat, although no sun is expected. Most likely must to look for new card.