Reticulate Iris 2010

[Maggi Young]

Hmm, not so much a "monster mash" as a "Muscovy mush" ....

[Armin]

Gail, Maggi,
animals seem instictive to know which is the nicest and rarest species to sit on and to make a convienient rest
Sometimes we could have cried, do you agree?

[Maggi Young]

nicest and rarest species to sit on and to make a convienient rest

Sadly this is true.... in the same way as they know the ones to eat which will upset us the most.....

[Hristo]

Armin.
Tom cats here like to 'spray' the Helianthemum, not the nicest smell in the flower garden!

[indigo]

   sadly have to agree on the animals, the spaniel across the road destroyed my Santolina a few years ago, I had been very proud of that plant too    My current dog doesn't mind what she stands or pees on, the crocus had a watering the other day.

Gail, thanks for your help, I'd been swithering between Harmony, Pixie and Joyce from the montage posted earlier.  On further investigation, you're right, Pixie seems most likely as the others are described as sky blue.  Mine I would describe as very deep royal blue/ navy going towards purple but of course all our perceptions can be different.  For the moment I'll go with Pixie

I have investigated and only that one bulb is still alive, the others have rotted and are now in the compost.  I've filled the pot to the brim with compost and will plant deeper next week.  Perhaps it will survive till next year...  Thanks for your help  

[Armin]

Armin.
Tom cats here like to 'spray' the Helianthemum, not the nicest smell in the flower garden!

The only help is a lavish water splash washing off the bad smell Afterwards spray a dog smell (Keep off Spray)

[Hristo]

Good advice Armin, a generous splash of water on the plant or over the cat?

[Armin]

Chris, I leave this up to you!
Both might be most effective. 

[Alex]

Iris winogradowii from Janis.

Alex

[Gail]

Gail, Maggi,
animals seem instictive to know which is the nicest and rarest species to sit on and to make a convienient rest
Sometimes we could have cried, do you agree?

It is mostly the local rodent population that make me want to cry - they have eaten so many of my bulbs and as you say tend to choose the expensive ones first.  The ducks actually don't do that much damage (chickens are worse because they always want to scratch things up) but anyway Bendicks is such a lovely character that I would forgive him anything!

[Gail]

Iris winogradowii from Janis.

Alex

Lovely Alex.  I thought the mice had eaten mine but noticed one flower starting to open today.

[Hristo]

Gail,
We had massive problems here with voles and mice eating bulbs over the winter. We re-made our bulb beds - a layer of chuckies, gritsand and limestone chipping impregnated loam, topped with an inch layer of crushed limestone, the bulbs love it but the mice and voles hate digging into it, problem solved!

[cohan]

Just found this website today,
you probably know it already but there are some mouth watering hybrids on there:

http://www.reticulatas.com/

some of them are sold by Janis.

interested to see that--he's in canada!

[Hristo]

Hi Cohan,
Yes, Alan is Iris reticulata central. To my knowledge he has the most comprehensive breeding programme in the world! We got 1000 seeds from him several years ago and are looking forward to the flowers in a few years time! The range of colours is mind numbing! I love the russet browns and orange types, the green ones too, ok, all of them!

[Michael J Campbell]

Iris,? bought in a garden centre as,

 Iris reticulata Harmony.