Bearded Iris 2007 to 2009

[Joakim B]

Since there now is an iris page I hope to see even more iris than before. Thanks for the hard work of moving the irises around untill they finally ended up here. A solution I think is great.  Maggi

Here are some iris from all over central Portugal. It will be in two parts
I presume all but the one I comment extra are iris germanica. Please correct if that is not the case.
First part.
I start in the garden with a purpur iris with a nice straight up right spike. That is often a lack with the Portuguese purpur irisis.
Then some irises from our summerhouse at Condexia (Conimbriga). More Pictures from there will be in Travels in Central Portugal.
Starting with a small iris that does not seem to be an iris germanica and had foliage more like iris sibirica side and top view. Please can someone identify it I am not even sure it is a bearded iris and unfortunally the pics are not so good 
Then there is dark purpur outside the garden.
Then there are white ones outside the garden.
Then a nice bunch of white with water around.
There is then a plantation of iris in a unformal part of the garden with white and purpur iris.
They where often of this purpur to light purpur type.
The more formal garden has then a few iris gardens and here is one and the close up of a plant.

[Joakim B]

More pictures and places
Here is the water garden with a closer view
Then there is a white one outside our garden chapell and a picture of the chapell   
Then we went to a small park /viewpoint in Coimba "penedo da saudade" where student engrave there get togethers after 25 or 50 years or so. There was a plant with the foliage of a normal bearded iris but with much smaller floweres almost the size of trictys (toad lilly). It grew close to a pond and was most likely also farely wet Full frontal and close up.
 We then where hungry and since our son was sleeping we vent to macdonalds and there drive through. The parking space had nice irises. Extra nice since we saw similar yellow ones for the first tme in Coimbra but could not take any pics.
They smelled wonder full.
Pic of 2 yellow
Finally a purpup one
That is all for now bu there will be more in a travel report from central Portugal that will appear soon.

Hope You like the different gardens
Joakim

[Maggi Young]

Enjoying this very much, Joakim. I think your first unkown iris is a form of I. unguicularis and the second, with the wider leaves, is an Iris japonica type, but someone will know exactly, i am just saying a broad type, I am not good with Iris names!

[David Nicholson]

I'm confused with Iris pages! Can we not have just one page, pretty please!!!!!!!!


Yours sincerely,

Confused of Devon (ex Huddersfield)

[mark smyth]

David I would think only tall, medium and dwarf bearded would be in there and everything else goes in to Iris.

[Maggi Young]

I'm confused with Iris pages! Can we not have just one page, pretty please!!!!!!!!

Well, no, you can't! I tried the one page apprroach, and started by putting that page in the BULB section, since the earliest Iris are mostly bulbs.... then the rhizomatous ones wanted space, then this that and the other, so now there is an Iris section and the Iris growers can sort it out for themselves!!

I'm not about to go sorting them out.... the Iris growers can do that or complain as they wish!!

You just stick with me and we can be confused together... and I'll eat your unwanted cake decorations as a bonus!!

[David Nicholson]

OK

[Andrew]

I'll ask Mr Admin if we can have an Iris section under specific genera and we'll move all the Irises there!

Thank you Maggi for the new Iris section .

I eventually found it and noticed Mark had started a new topic but I had not received a New Topic notification. Then the penny dropped, as a new board I needed to click 'Notify' for the board.

I expect everybody else has worked this out already but if you have not, you might miss something if you like to read everything !

[Darren]

Couple of little beardies to add: the blue Iris babadagica, and Iris attica from a JJA collection.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Lovely I. babadagica Darren - definitely one to look out for.

[Darren]

It is lovely isn't it? I recall seeing a picture in a bulletin years ago and was delighted to find one for sale by a nurseryman at a show. I think it is listed by Janis Ruksans this year, at a very reasonable price too.  How come I can remember stuff like this? I can't remember what I did yesterday (which might be some use)!

[David Nicholson]

It is lovely isn't it? I recall seeing a picture in a bulletin years ago and was delighted to find one for sale by a nurseryman at a show. I think it is listed by Janis Ruksans this year, at a very reasonable price too.  How come I can remember stuff like this? I can't remember what I did yesterday (which might be some use)!

Darren, It gets worse as you get older!! Lovely plants those. Since no-one has been forthcoming with advice to me on how best to grow the Iris suaveolens that I have just bought I wonder if you would help please? My original question was whether to grow it in a pot or to plant it out. I have a nice gritty little pocket in a new raised bed I have just made.

[Darren]

Hi David,
               I actually started to write a reply to your query yesterday but lost it before I could post it! I can only tell you how I grow it. I keep mine in a plastic pot under glass along with my bulbs etc. I see no reason why it should not thrive in a bulb frame or raised bed so long as it gets a bit of a rest in summer. If your winters are wet then some protection might help it too. Beware slugs & snails - ours seem greatly attracted to bearded Iris during winter.
In pots: 50:50 John Innes 3 and chippings (I'm currently using up a pile of old road chippings!). Repotted yearly in august. As with the garden bearded Iris, this is also the time to divide if you wish, and I usually trim the roots and leaves back by half before replanting too. Watering is enough to keep the compost just moist from repotting time until february. More water is given during active growth and flowering, through to about the end of May when I ease off on water again as the plants do become a bit tired in the summer heat and need a dryish rest to 'ripen' the new growth ready for flowering next year, though not arid as with bulbs. I use the Young feeding technique - just a dash of potash powder on the pot to be watered in during april.
The necessity for division depends on species, clone and your personal preference - I've seen show pots made up of dozens of divisions planted together to avoid bare patches due to old rhizomes. My suaveolens has never been divided as it is a form with very short internodes and there is not much 'dead' rhizome. My I.attica is the opposite and tends to spread untidily so needs division yearly.
             Hope this helps!

Darren.

[David Nicholson]

Darren, very helpful indeed and thanks for taking the time to send me that advice. I have potted up my plant today and will grow it under glass.

[Andrew]

More Iris in the AGS North Midland Show at Chesterfield, Reply #22, try this link :-

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=424.15