Iris and some Irids 2010

[PeterT]

Congratulations David,
 I found a couple of section nepalensis in flower this morning too, one I grew from seed of a plant a lady I work for bought at Crug, the other came from Ron McBeth, Ive got some seedlings labeld decora, They look like they are at least section nepalensis, and I have another plant which was sold to me as Iris gionocarpa, well gionocarpa is not a nepalensis Iris but the plant I bought is  , I'll picture it when it flowers.Ive not worked out if these are correctly named, They are supposed to be first cousins to junos, Would be interesting to freeze some pollen and see if it would take  
Lesley does the name Iris hartwegii australis rin

Nothing leaps immediately to mind Peter. I like it very much. Almost like a hybrid between a PC and something else altogether - if that were possible.

g any bells
congratulations Pat, keep the predators off the precious junos

[PeterT]

my two look the same as each other David, but yours is obviously different, short leaves at flowering, less white on the falls...

[Regelian]

A few seedlings from ensata.  Simple and soft.

Plus  the first Louisianas of the season.

Joie de Vivre
Nutcote
Queen Jeanne

[PeterT]

Terrific Jamie, I wish I had a bigger garden. How much water / food do you give them?
a couple of pseudoacorus here, ? enfant prodige, and two other water Iris, not sure what but there should be one called gerald D'arby somewhere - they all got dropped in the pond when I moved here, so I'd be glad of any definate names

[Lesley Cox]

I know the name hartwegii Peter but the few seeds I had of it never germinated. Just off hand I would havwe said it would be quite a bit shorter than your purple. Not unlike innominata in fact, but I've not seen an actual plant that I knew was true.

Your barbatula is quite a bit taller than mine in the stem (see below.) Even when it is in seed, the pods are right at ground level. Got a prize in the AGS Online show with this one a couple of years ago.

[Lesley Cox]

That lower one had 15 flowers open on the day of the picture, just before Christmas.

Peter, your Corydalis seed arrived yesterday. Thanks so much. It looks great and no MAF hassles. I'll sow it today.

Pleased your decora seed came up to expectations David.

[PeterT]

I know the name hartwegii Peter but the few seeds I had of it never germinated. Just off hand I would havwe said it would be quite a bit shorter than your purple. Not unlike innominata in fact, but I've not seen an actual plant that I knew was true.

Your barbatula is quite a bit taller than mine in the stem (see below.) Even when it is in seed, the pods are right at ground level. Got a prize in the AGS Online show with this one a couple of years ago.

Glad the seed arrived

your picture is beautifull Lesley, The barbatula seed had nothing else to polinate it, the pods were nestled in the ground, does yours originate with the Crug collection?

[Lesley Cox]

My barbatula was bought from a local (NZ) nursery maybe 10 years ago. I don't know the source before that but it was possibly from seed from one of the collections. I have just the one clone and have divided it several times for plants to sell when my nursery was going strong. so it has never been cross-pollinated and nor has it been hand-pollinated, just whatever insects are around I guess. If there is seed this coming summer (Jan-Feb) I'll send some to you.

[PeterT]

Thanks Lesley

[David Nicholson]

I have a batch of seedlings of Iris barbatula growing away strongly in the greenhouse. They were sown in April 2009 from seed Lesley kindly sent me. May even get a flower on one of them this year.

As far as Iris goniocarpa is concerned I'm flummoxed about mine. I bought it last year, around early August, and it had a couple of straggly green shoots about 3" long. I potted it up and gave it a drop of water every so often and it kept the short straggly growth and quite frankly it hasn't changed. Where am I going wrong?

[David Nicholson]

As far as Iris goniocarpa is concerned I'm flummoxed about mine. I bought it last year, around early August, and it had a couple of straggly green shoots about 3" long. I potted it up and gave it a drop of water every so often and it kept the short straggly growth and quite frankly it hasn't changed. Where am I going wrong?

Nobody going to put me right on Iris goniocarpa

[Regelian]

David,

I have some seed just sprouting of what I hope is this species.  I am planning on treating it like my arils, that is to say an open, sandy-gravel toplayer of soil over a mineral-rich clay-sand mix, with almost no organics.

Also, something I am trying with my aril bed; I have taken a 10K piece to potting clay and placed it into a vat of water, where it has turned to a slip at the bottom of the container.  I stir the water to get a slurry and use this to water my gravel beds.  The idea is to give a mineral rich water as a fertilizer, rather than a commercial type.  Hopefully, I will notice improvements in the next season.  Until now, the iris all seem to like it and I think this allows a bit more water retention at the roots, when there is water available.  I find many iris do not want a completely dry rest, rather the rhizome dry and the roots still having some moisture available.

[Roma]

Peter T,  I don't know enough irises to guess at names for yours.  I do know none of them are 'Gerald Darby'.  The dark stems and buds are very distinctive.

[Lesley Cox]

The one time I was able to try seed of I. goniocarpa it turned out to be I. bulleyana.

[Regelian]

The one time I was able to try seed of I. goniocarpa it turned out to be I. bulleyana.

Lesley,

from this years exchange I had seed of I. darwasica, but no aril on the seed!  I am growing it with ease and I suspect it is a type of siberica, but won't know for a couple of years.  Such are exchanges.