Oncos 2012

[arillady]

Lovely strong clump Peter.
You are talking about iris that you imported years ago from the ASI plant sale???
 Do you have to wait for them to die down before you can cover them again? Rain in summer I am thinking.
I am having to give the arils a spray with Confidor nearly every week as the red legged mites are still around. Come on heat and sun!
I will have to get my son to spray them while I am away.
Took some photos this afternoon but need to download them yet. Will post some tomorrow.

[Peterwg]

Today there has been another I. Haynei bloom.   It has survived wild windy conditions.   Sadly,
however, the picture I posted of "Urmiensis" (15/8/2012) cannot have been Urmiensis, despite the
inscription on the seed envelope.   The shape is not right, the colour is not right, and now I
have had two siblings flower and they could not possibly be Urmiensis, as the pictures show.
They have a shape more reminiscent of Haynei or atropurpurea.   Maybe they are Urmiensis hybrids?

Fred - local "rose food" is about 8:3:9 NPK granulated fertiliser.   Curiously, it is reported to represent a potential mercury hazard in eastern Australia, but not in Western Australia!

[Peterwg]

This week Iris Haynei has made yet another visit - this one the most purple this year.   This plant was embryo cultured in March 2011, so it is only 19 months old.   The seed (thanks David Shahak) was 25 years old at the time of embryo culture.
Another visitor was an exquisite hybrid (Gatesii X Lortetti) by  aril grower emeritus Ian Mitchell from Melbourne.   Many, many thanks, Ian.

[BULBISSIME]

Well done again Peter !

[fermi de Sousa]

This is the hybrid which I got from Pat Toolan last year,
Iris kirkwoodiae x atropurpurea (seed from H.M.)
Only one flower spike but appears nice and strong.

cheers
fermi

[Peterwg]

Nicely grown Fermi.   

[arillady]

Peter you have grown some stunners. Fermi glad you had a flower this year. It has been so busy since I returned from my trip to London, Samos, Ikaria and the New Forest region of England I haven't had a chance to post any photos but I will.

[arillady]

Iris paradoxa ssp paradoxa x Iris kirkwoodii
and a closeup
61.Princess Maya x Ravid (light) 1995 seed from DS - note the red signal
I also like this orange signal in a rhizome that somehow got mixed with Iris atropurpurea rhizomes when dug.
57. ST89-26 (susitype) x korolkowii brown and green this does not increase at all well but at least it is alive.
When a few of the 2004 crosses were flowering together.
We have had some really strong winds this afternoon so many are nearly horizontal (that is what is left after the main flowering)

[Tom Waters]

Great photos, Pat! Paradoxa hybrids have a special fascination for me.

[Peterwg]

Great photos Pat.   Nice, nice plants.
Some of the flowers from the end of my season.   First was a very nice
plant received as I. Gatesi, and maybe it is, maybe it isn't. 
There were two seedlings  from seed labelled "almost gatesii", both very nice.
Then a seedling from 1986 seed from another of my heros,
John Holden, Ht43 X Samariae.  It just goes to show how long aril seed
maintain their viability if stored correctly.
Finally, two paradoxas from seed collected near Vanadzor, Armenia.
Hope you like them as much as I did.

[BULBISSIME]

very very nice flowers and pictures Peter.
Not easy to tell if your I. gatesii is really pure species... but looks close to...

[Oron Peri]

Peter,
I agree with Fred, first is probably not gatesii, looks to me to have lortetii/samariae blood, while  'gatesii 1' shows characteristics closer to gatesii.

[arillady]

Wonderful photos Peter of such well grown plants. Are your arils dying down yet?

[Hans A.]

Superb grown plants Fermi, Peter and Pat!
Here still about 4 month to wait for the first flower.
Agree with Fred and Oron concerning Iris gatesii.

[Peterwg]

Thank you all for your comments.  My experience with gatesii is very limited - I once flowered the gatesii cultivar "Hand of God" which the Near Gatesii-2 closely resembled.
Pat, my plants are drying off rapidly.  I will cover all but RCs, paradoxa and gatesii lines in the next week or two.  Once the pods split, I think it is time for them to enjoy their summer rest.
Can't wait for northern hemisphere spring!