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Author Topic: three nice little Iris species (well, maybe four)  (Read 7882 times)

Sinchets

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Re: three nice little Iris species (well, maybe four)
« Reply #15 on: January 03, 2010, 11:58:01 AM »
They were about 30cm tall, Paul.
Simon
Balkan Rare Plant Nursery
Stara Planina, Bulgaria. Altitude 482m.
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TheOnionMan

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Re: three nice little Iris species (well, maybe four)
« Reply #16 on: January 03, 2010, 03:30:19 PM »
I second the praise on Iris aphylla, such rich color and nice bold white beards.  I've seen it on seed lists, and can assume it too is color variable. 

And David, your potted suaveolens is most impressive, excellent color and flower form. Do you know what your source is for your plants?

No one commented yet on the Iris cristata cultivar.  Here in North Eastern USA they are very easy and ornamental plants.  I'm curious to know how this species, and its cultivars, do in other parts of the globe. Are slugs much of a problem.  Where I am, slugs are not much of a problem in general, although I had a large clump of I. cristata 'Navy Blue Gem' in a new rather wooded part of the yard, where the Iris was decimated from ongoing slug attacks, so I eventually moved what was left to a new location.

I uploaded a few more pictures of I. cristata.  Two more views of I. cristata 'Dick Redfield' to supplement the one initially posted, a remarkable form with 6 falls and intense coloration, no other quite like it.  In one view at early anthesis, the edges of the falls are still involute or rolled, making the flowers temporarily look starry.  Third photo is of an unnamed form of I. cristata, this one grown in full sun (although photographed on a cloudy day), where this "woodlander" grows and flowers happily in full hot sun; Epimediums will do the same if you give them a chance (grow in full sun).

Next are two views of I. cristata 'Shenandoah Sky', an excellent selection for it's true blue flowers. Here it is growing under Stewartia psuedocamellia, the tree's impenetrable root mass preventing much from growing underneath, but the Iris grows well just rooting into the pine mulch layer on top.  The white signal spots are particularly pronounced in this selection.

The last one is I. cristata 'Edgar Anderson', one of the "giant" forms with much larger and more vigorous growth, taller stems, and beautiful large flowers of soft blue, diffuse signal spots, and lovely ruffling.

Mark McDonough
Massachusetts, USA (near the New Hampshire border)
USDA Zone 5
antennaria at aol.com

daveyp1970

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Re: three nice little Iris species (well, maybe four)
« Reply #17 on: January 03, 2010, 04:03:51 PM »
Mark i must admit my ignorance even though a lovely iris i did not no there was so much varation, i know there is an alba form but is there plant in the middle very light blues bordering white.
I do remember picking a cristata up once at a nursey but it was a scraggy awfull thing so i left it,this will change now,thats a must plant.
My garden will be a homage to this forum in the end because every plant i have in it will associated with a forum member(iris cristata=Mark,iris decora=David ect)no bad thing though
tuxford
Nottinghamshire

TheOnionMan

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Re: three nice little Iris species (well, maybe four)
« Reply #18 on: January 03, 2010, 04:55:38 PM »
Mark i must admit my ignorance even though a lovely iris i did not no there was so much varation, i know there is an alba form but is there plant in the middle very light blues bordering white.

In the US there are many many selected forms, some were named long ago and perhaps lost to antiquity, but as many as a dozen and a half forms are still very much in circulation.  So far as light blue ones, there's the very old cultivar 'McDonald" described as "flowers very pale blue, shading to lavender, crests yellow-orange, signal patch white bordered with darker lavender".
Photo link: http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/Iris/Iris_cristata_McDonald0001_JL.jpg

Another pale blue one going around is 'Powder Blue Giant', a form found in Kentucky (SE USA).  Darrell Probst sells it for $6, rather inexpensive.  I have it but no photos yet.  One named 'Vein Mountain' is also described as pale blue, take a look at this link (place drool bucket up to chin now):  http://www.nichegardens.com/catalog/item.php?id=1524&PHPSESSID=096902199686689aad01bb3667a9a3a6

John Lonsdale's Edgewood Gardens website has some excellent photos showing some cristata selections:
http://www.edgewoodgardens.net/Plants_album/The%20Plants%20-%20%20Complete%20Collection/Iridaceae/Iris/Subgen%20Limniris%20Sect%20Lophiris/I.%20cristata/index.html

And not all "alba" forms are created equal, a relatively new one available in some mail-order nurseries is Iris cristata 'Tennessee White' (when page loads, click on the image).
http://www.waysidegardens.com/gardening/PD/44866/

The great thing about the species, even if you find a scrappy looking one in a plant sale someplace, once in the garden in a place to its liking, they'll make beautiful mats of foliage and bountiful display of flowers.
Mark McDonough
Massachusetts, USA (near the New Hampshire border)
USDA Zone 5
antennaria at aol.com

David Nicholson

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Re: three nice little Iris species (well, maybe four)
« Reply #19 on: January 03, 2010, 08:14:08 PM »

.......And David, your potted suaveolens is most impressive, excellent color and flower form. Do you know what your source is for your plants?

No one commented yet on the Iris cristata cultivar...........................................

Mark, my Iris suaveolens is around four years old and was bought as a small potted division from a tiny local nursery close to my home, Pounsley Plants  http://www.pounsleyplants.com/

I really like your Iris cristata cultivars. Funnily enough to date I have steered clear of "evansias" thinking that they were a bit "miffie" but I must give them a try.
David Nicholson
in Devon, UK  Zone 9b
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Lori S.

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Re: three nice little Iris species (well, maybe four)
« Reply #20 on: January 03, 2010, 11:18:57 PM »
No one commented yet on the Iris cristata cultivar.  Here in North Eastern USA they are very easy and ornamental plants.  I'm curious to know how this species, and its cultivars, do in other parts of the globe. Are slugs much of a problem. 
I haven't found I. cristata to be hardy in these zone 3 conditions, after a few tries, which is disappointing since I 've corresponded with people who grow it easily in zone 4.
Lori
Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Zone 3
-30 C to +30 C (rarely!); elevation ~1130m; annual precipitation ~40 cm

Paul T

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Re: three nice little Iris species (well, maybe four)
« Reply #21 on: January 04, 2010, 12:14:53 AM »
Simon,

Nice size too then.  Big enough to see, but not to get in the way.  Very nice.  8)

Mark,

The Iris cristata are glorious.  Never seen any of the named varieties here in Aus.  I have a basic small blue and used to have a slightly larger white until I lost it one particularly bad summer.  Never seen it again to replace it either unfortunately.  Do your clones ever set seed?  It would be interesting to see what the seedlings of those were like.  I rather like the one with the 6 falls, it gives it a totally different look.  The darker colours are great too.

Thanks for showing us your pics everyone. 8)
Cheers.

Paul T.
Canberra, Australia.
Min winter temp -8 or -9°C. Max summer temp 40°C. Thankfully, maybe once or twice a year only.

PDJ

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Re: three nice little Iris species (well, maybe four)
« Reply #22 on: January 05, 2010, 10:00:08 PM »
Thank you for posting pictures of cristata especially I. cristata 'Edgar Anderson' as I have just made an order for cristata seed from S.I.G.N.A. including 'Edgar Anderson' unfortunately open-pollinated.  Just hope my cristata will look as good as yours.
Paul




West Midlands, England, UK

 


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