Reticulate Iris 2009

[mark smyth]

My bulbs of 'Clairette' are rotten. I had a wee look because they weren't up.

[David Nicholson]

Don't say that, I haven't seen mine yet

[art600]

Here's my Iris bakeriana today.

Can you remember where you bought the bulb?  The flowers are so elegant, and so unlike the 'garden' reticulate irises - I grow a lot of these and really like them, but the species are so much better.

Brilliant photo 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

I agree with Art on this one Anthony - would also like to know where it came from.
Thanks

[Hans A.]

Anthony, I just can second this - brilliant photo of a really elegant and beautiful plant!

Here also the first of the Reticulates is in flower - Iris histrio, which was a gift of a friend, and who is also member of this great forum. 

[David Nicholson]

My bulbs of 'Clairette' are rotten. I had a wee look because they weren't up.

Here's a pic of what my Iris reticulata 'Clairette' looked like on 29 January last year in my bulb bed and by comparison what that patch in the bulb bed looks like today. The green bits aren't shoots by the way, just loose leaves fallen from a nearby shrub. Is Clairette known to be 'miffy' or can I just put it down to all the wet we had in last years 'Summer'? I have to say that although there are shoots on my other pockets containing reticulate Irises I doubt if there is going to be much of a display this year

[Luc Gilgemyn]

mmmmm... your topdressing has changed colour David...
I must admit that I have also killed a lot of Retic's trying to grow them in the open out here...
I don't consider them as easy in our climate.. 

Can't tell yet what the result will be this year, as nothing is showing so far but this can hardly be a surprise after the hard frosts we had for 3 weeks or so.

Will keep you posted.

[David Nicholson]

Yes, it has Luc. The pink, a limestone gravel, was on special offer at the builders merchants I use for all my sand and gravel and as the retics like a bit of lime I couldn't miss a bargain.

All the books seem to say that the various Iris reticulata forms need a warm dry Summer rest to do well and they certainly didn't get that last year. It's a bit disappointing really since I constructed my bulb bed particularly for them. Maybe I should go back to growing them in pots?

[David Nicholson]

Here's one in a pot grown under my plastic covered frame. Iris hyrcana, this one from Dirk. Thank you Dirk.

 

[Anthony Darby]

Here's my Iris bakeriana today.

Can you remember where you bought the bulb?  The flowers are so elegant, and so unlike the 'garden' reticulate irises - I grow a lot of these and really like them, but the species are so much better.

Brilliant photo 

I will have to check, but I think it was a generous gift?

[Maggi Young]

All the books seem to say that the various Iris reticulata forms need a warm dry Summer rest to do well and they certainly didn't get that last year. It's a bit disappointing really since I constructed my bulb bed particularly for them. Maybe I should go back to growing them in pots?

What about trying ( when you have re-stocked the losses  ) to give the bulb bed a bit of a cover through the summer... in the same way as  many of us use a cover over some beds to protect from the worst of winter wet, you can do the same thing in summer. 

[Anthony Darby]

I follow  a secret squirrel method for kolpakowskyana: usual gritty mix of JI3 and alpine grit plus crushed oyster shell in a small terracotta pot placed inside another the same size which is sunk into the plunge in the bulb house.

[mark smyth]

Please forgive me for tagging a question in to this thread

Is Iris unguicularis cretensis easy to flower? I was looking for any sign of buds on mine today but there was nothing to see

[David Nicholson]

What about trying ( when you have re-stocked the losses  ) to give the bulb bed a bit of a cover through the summer... in the same way as  many of us use a cover over some beds to protect from the worst of winter wet, you can do the same thing in summer. 

Mmmm. Possible I suppose, but not an easy site to cover, pictured below before I planted it up. What would you use-polythene sheeting just weighted down with stones-I'm open to suggestions.

[Maggi Young]

Not so easy to rig something for that, David, but perhaps an adaptation of the polycarbonate covers Ian uses (over his stock bed plunge of Erythronium - while the're in flower to help pollination) would be workable? Doesn't need to be so high for your prupose, I reckon....