Reticulata Iris - 2024

[Alan McMurtrie]

Warm weather has surprisingly caused the first Reticulata Iris to bloom more than a Month early!

This is 19-DL-1, a 2n=18 hybrid from 05-GQ-1 x Iris halkis, blooming for the very first time.  It is nice to see that halkis' dominance has Not taken over the cross's expression.

[Daniel Baker]

Beautiful Iris Alan! Thank you for sharing.

[Akke]

Another lovely one indeed. And thanks for showing so many on your website.

[Alan McMurtrie]

19-DN-1 opened for the first time.  Sea Breeze was the pod parent, and Purr•fection was the pollen parent





Sea Breeze


Purr•fection

[fermi de Sousa]

Your retic hybrids are brilliant, Alan.
They don't seem to persist in my garden (or pots) perhaps they are missing your cooler climate!
A few are getting into the market here as a big importer is bringing them in and I hope he continues!
cheers
fermi

[Alan McMurtrie]

I recommend replanting in a new spot in the garden every couple of years.

Another thing to try is digging the bulbs just as the leaves are starting to turn brown.  Let the bulbs dry in a well ventilated spot, then store in mesh bags over the Summer and replant in the Fall.  This is something I do with bulbs propagated at a friends farm.    For some reason bulbs left in the ground disappear.  I'll plant Iris sophenensis in a new spot in the garden.  The bulbs will do well there for a number of years, but then start to do poorly.  More some to another spot and you are good there for a couple of years.

Kew uses liquid high K fertilizer (3rd number) for their Junos and Reticulatas that are grown in pots.  That's something I need to try.

In Holland it doesn't always get down below freezing.  Some years the canals freeze.  Many years they don't

Here's 19-DS-1

[Diane Whitehead]

Thank you for showing both parents and the seedling.  It is so interesting to see how colours and patterns combine.

[ashley]

These are such jewels Alan; congratulations
Like Fermi I'm not very successful at keeping them going, although probably for different reasons, so thanks for this advice.

[Akke]

Iris ‘Eye Catcher’

No trick, the flower stalks were also melted together.

The yellow-greenish ones I got didn’t work out unfortunately, but I. species are generally doing well here, digging them up and planting them again in fall.

This part of the Netherlands is a little bit colder, canals freezing more often (at least they used to). Alan, I’m guessing your bulbs are grown in Holland, the western, coastal region (I grew up there, snow was something magical). 

[Alan McMurtrie]

Yes, there is a grower near Den Helder who is growing and selling some of my hybrids.  Unfortunately there are issues...

It is particularly interesting that Eye Catcher often has multiple petals.  This was not case with my original bulbs.  And it doesn't appear to be the case with the tetraploid version (shown here).  Either way, Eye Catcher is beautiful (at least in my eyes it is)


Reticulata Iris 18-CO-1
Should be a triploid [North Star (00-BC-1) x Eye Catcher (98-NP-4) Tetra]



Reticulata Iris 18-EM-2 (slightly damaged by a slug), which has almost no style arm markings


One of my favourites:  09 in 2015   A small bulb was left behind when I replanted the 2009 seedling area with 2015 seed -- hence the "name"
[The idea of creating a light yellow was one of my original goals when I started working with diploid Iris danfordiae]

[Alan McMurtrie]

It was interesting to see the variation in a small population of 11-JO-1

These all come from a single original bulb that was simply vegetatively propagated.

More flowers are still to come up through the soil and bloom

[Alan McMurtrie]

Stoloniferous Iris sisianica is starting to bloom in Toronto, Canada.
It appears to be 2n=20.  I am keen to see whether hybrids have a stoloniferous habit.
The benefit of being stoloniferous is the bulbs move to "fresh" soil







From June 9, 2022

[Jeffnz]

Fantastic colour and markings.