Iris vartanii

[Oron Peri]

A beautiful Iris.  From your comments on its low altitude location I assume it will be frost tender?

Tony,

It might survive a frost or two, like we had last winter but I dont think it will thrive without long sunny days in winter time...

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Stunning pictures Oron !!!
Gorgeous I. histrio !! 

[arillady]

Thanks Oron for showing us these irises which I had not seen such good photos before.
I better start saving for my visit to Israel in many years time in the bloom season. Then I will really understand the conditions and soils that are required to grow the different Israeli bulbs and plants.

[gote]

I also bougt a few bulbs in those days and they flowered beautifully but I culd not keep them. I also think the strain in question seemed very weak.
Göte

[Alex]

Hi,

I grow 2 different clones of this from different commericial sources, and I don't find them difficult with standard bulb house conditions, a gritty compost and a totally dry Summer, just like my Junos. One flowering bulb has turned into 10 flowering size plus loads of small offsets in I think 4 or 5 years. I'll post a picture in a week or so when the flowers are out.

Alex

Oxford, UK

[maggiepie]

How beautiful they are, and very interesting to see them growing in their natural habitat.

[Alex]

As promised, the first Iris vartanii flowers. They look a bit smaller than those in the wild picture above, perhaps low light (again!) to blame.

Happy New Year.

Alex

 edited by Maggi to resize photo to fit image size to avoid scrolling

 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Very nice Alex !  Love it ! 

[David Nicholson]

Lovely Alex, was it from a UK source please?

[mark smyth]

Just noticed this thread and like everyone else I'm drooling like dog waiting for his dinner 

[Maggi Young]

Just noticed this thread and everyone else I'm drolling like dog waiting for his dinner 

Or even drooling, eh, Mark?





Oooh, errr, just got this message on my monitor......

[Alex]

Yes, this started as one bulb from Westonbirt plants about 5 years ago, flowers are usually a little bigger than this but it has only flowered every second year so far - it does the usual reticulata thing of each bulb forming a few sub-FS bulbs after each flowering, but they only take a year or so to grow on. I am a big fan of Westonbirt plants, they do some really choice stuff and the naming has always been good for me so far...

I also have another clone of vartanii which is just about to flower for the first time - this was bought from a noted online specialist bulb nursery (mark will know which one I'm talking about!) as an alleged FS bulb (a tiny offset in reality) about 3 years ago. I'll post a picture of this too when it opens.

I'm afraid I don't know of any current lists which offer it. But i certainly should have two or three probably just FS bulbs to swap (I'd love a good I. kolpakowskyana) or failing that give away this Summer.

Alex

[mark smyth]

Would you be interested in a wrongly named/supplied kolpakowskyana 

[Alex]

Sorry, meant not quite FS bulbs to swap or give away, if it behaves in the expected manner...

How wrongly named is the K? Is it from our favourite retailer??

Alex

[Alex]

Oh, sorry, I get it!