Scorpiris (Juno's) Iris 2008

[Lesley Cox]

And as we all know Paul, blue, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. There are thousands of shades of every colour I guess, even white and black! We all need a wide and imaginative/creative vocabulary too. Otherwise we become that person who, asked if she grows irises, says "yes, I have the yelllow one."

[Maggi Young]

Otherwise we become that person who, asked if she grows irises, says "yes, I have the yelllow one."

Yup, I have the yellow one, too!!

[Lesley Cox]

Probably the blue one as well Maggi. 

[arillady]

Back to the clump of Iris planifolia: a grey blue flower appeared yesterday - so this clump has had a flower on and off since early June. Have not photographed it yet.

[Jim McKenney]

I am still looking for a late summer flowering iris species -

Hans, have you considered Iris dichotoma? Here in USDA zone 7 Maryland, USA, it does not begin to bloom until August; in fact, it is still in bloom today, or will be in about fifteen minutes local time. The flowers do not open until about 4 P.M. here and remain open into the evening - but are gone the following morning.

I've attached two images; the one which shows the entire above ground part of the plant is not quite in sharp focus, but will give you a good idea of how it grows. Also, I forgot to change the exposure setting from incandescent light for this outdoor photo, so the color is falsely skewed to blue. The image of the flower itself shows the true color.

This species is quick and easy from seed. The plant reaches about 60 cm in height with individual flowers about 5 cm in diameter.

[Lesley Cox]

I take it from your comments Jim that Iris dichotoma sets plenty of seed? Is some likely to make its way to the seed list of SRGC and AGS? This is an iris I don't know at all but your pictures are beautiful. Perhaps it's not frequently seen because would-be growers are discouraged by the late-in-the-day blooming. But it would be nice in a clump near that little spot on the verandah where one has one's evening G and T.

[Jim McKenney]

I take it from your comments Jim that Iris dichotoma sets plenty of seed? Is some likely to make its way to the seed list of SRGC and AGS?

Leslie, the clump I have now is evidently a clone and has not set seed in recent years.

I have some seed in the refrigerator (not freezer) from a few seasons ago. I checked my seed index and discovered that it had never been recorded, but I'm sure it's there somewhere. If I can find it I'll be glad to share it.

[Lesley Cox]

That's would be great Jim. I'm sure several people would be interested. It almost looks like something else - Tigridia/Moraea/Gynandiris etc. I see Mathew puts it in a separate monotypical genus, Pardanthopsis which he says is more closely related to Belamcanda than Iris. Whatever, I think it's beautiful.

[Jim McKenney]

It almost looks like something else - Tigridia/Moraea/Gynandiris etc. I see Mathew puts it in a separate monotypical genus, Pardanthopsis which he says is more closely related to Belamcanda than Iris.

Views of the limits of the genus Iris vary of course, but in the old days it was indeed often called Pardanthopsis dichotoma. More modern works place it in Iris. And here is something interesting from a nomenclatural point of view. How many of you know the plants sometimes called "candy lilies" which began to become widely available several decades ago? At the time, they were announced as "bi-generic hybrids" of Pardanthopsis dichotoma and Belamcanda chinensis. The nothogenus xPardancanda was coined for this hybrid group with the nothospecific epithet norrisii, thus xPardancanda norrisii. 

Since then, as mentioned above, Pardanthopsis is now Iris dichotoma and - surprise - Belamcanda is now Iris domestica.  So the candy lilies are no longer bi-generic hybrids.

And what should we call then now: Iris x norrisii?

Whatever we call them, they are well worth growing. Old seed lists from the early part of the last century listed pink and white forms of Iris dichotoma. I wonder if these still exist?

[Lesley Cox]

 And here is something interesting from a nomenclatural point of view. How many of you know the plants sometimes called "candy lilies" which began to become widely available several decades ago? At the time, they were announced as "bi-generic hybrids" of Pardanthopsis dichotoma and Belamcanda chinensis. The nothogenus xPardancanda was coined for this hybrid group with the nothospecific epithet norrisii, thus xPardancanda norrisii. 

Whatever we call them, they are well worth growing. Old seed lists from the early part of the last century listed pink and white forms of Iris dichotoma. I wonder if these still exist?

I've never heard of these. I find Belamcanda chinensis gets its foliage frosted here.

[David Nicholson]

Apart from a few Iris bucharica that I grow outside in pots (although I may put a couple in the garden this year!) I don't have a lot of experience with Junos. A local chap, I have recently made contact with, has  a friend who grows a few species and he  has offered me a couple of bulbs (don't know what species yet apart from the fact that they will not be I. bucharica) but I am assuming they will be more difficult and probably best grown under glass. I have read that they are best in deep clay pots. Would the experts agree, and what size pot would be best please?

At the same time if anyone knows how to make an 8' x 6' aluminium greenhouse double the size without (a) it costing money and (b) it taking up more space than it currently takes up, then I would be glad to know that as well

[Maggi Young]

For iris a pot about 5 to six inches across the top by about ten inches deep is good...( suppose that is 13 to 15 cms by 25cms deep) .... if you can find them... we have some old ones in nice terracotta... bit hard to post to Devon though, you'll need to come visiting....though why I would welcome you when you've called me a strawberry tart, I can't imagine.... my hair is dark auburn, anyway, I've never been a strawberry blonde 

[ranunculus]

At the same time if anyone knows how to make an 8' x 6' aluminium greenhouse double the size without (a) it costing money and (b) it taking up more space than it currently takes up, then I would be glad to know that as well

Dig down David ... dig down!

[David Nicholson]

For iris a pot about 5 to six inches across the top by about ten inches deep is good...( suppose that is 13 to 15 cms by 25cms deep) .... if you can find them... we have some old ones in nice terracotta... bit hard to post to Devon though, you'll need to come visiting....though why I would welcome you when you've called me a strawberry tart, I can't imagine.... my hair is dark auburn, anyway, I've never been a strawberry blonde 

Moi! Noooooooooooo

Thanks for the info.

[David Nicholson]

Cliff, since Maureen doesn't read the Forum I can safely say I would be prepared to pay for a larger greenhouse (for a Yorkshireman that's a serious admission to make!) but the problem is space. I garden on the steep south escarpment of Dartmoor, (and have had one leg surgically shortened so I can walk on the level) and a few years ago, when I was a bit younger and fitter than I am now, I undertook a mammoth terracing job, where I used more skips than Paul's kangeroos, in order to create a flat space to have a greenhouse at all. Also, and more to the point, the next nearest approximation to a level site is the place where Maureen has her washing line, and you know how particular women are over things like washing lines