Iris and some Irids 2009

[arillady]

David a spray bottle with water and on the longest setting is a bit kinder than a rifle. I use it on a desexed male cat which can annoy me at times.

[arillady]

Or chicken wire over the area - I know it doesn't look all that good but until things grow more it is a deterrent

[Paul T]

David,

Here, I think we can borrow a humane cat trap from the RSCPA and trap the offending cat and take it to the pound.  The cat is not harmed at all but the owner has to pay to get it back out again.  After a couple of these I would imagine that the owner would start to think about whether to let their cat loose or not.  Personally, I think that cats should be confined to the owners backyard just like a dog has to be.  You can build cat pens etc to keep them confined and still give them plenty of space to roam around a bit.  The amount of damage that cats do to wildlife is horrendous, and then of course there are the ones that go feral and live wild.  A LOT of damage has been done to the Australian native wildlife by domestic cats out hunting from their homes, or going feral.  I like cats a lot, as I like most dog breeds (hey, I just like animals in general, I'm a bleeding heart  ) but they should be confined and desexed like dogs are required to be, particularly as they come and dig and leave their deposits in our gardens all the time (and boy do they stink!  )

Good luck with finding a humane way to deal with yours.

[Paul T]

David,

Pat is right with the wire, ugly as it is.  I find also that a good coarse mulch will help too, as the cats don't use that for their latrine facilities.  Initially after planting the mulch is not a problem around the iris fans..... but after a few weeks once the roots are re-established you need to pull the mulch well back from the rhizomes.  It might at least help a little to keep the cats off?

[Lvandelft]

Yesterday I made a short visit to the Connoisseur Collection where I saw a beautiful Iris, which
was acquired in August 2008.
Just the naming of it made me puzzle a bit.
Either it comes from a country where the sky is just as blue as this flower  , or the breeder gave
the name after a long night with many wodka's 

[fermi de Sousa]

Perhaps it was raised in New Zealand  - the land of the long white cloud? 
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Or perhaps he had the wrong iris beside the name?

[arisaema]

Colour blindness seems common among Iris hybridizers, the one below is a sibirica-hybrid named 'Blue Butterflies'

[Paul T]

At least it is closer to blue than that latifolia! 

[olegKon]

Can anybody help identify this iris. I received it as I.attica, but have douts. The flower is much alike blue I.lutescence, but the size is twice as small. The second picture shows both. Thanks.

[Lvandelft]

Those who gave their comments will have understand that I was teasing a bit yesterday.
It was more to show that little  mistakes are very easy happening, which again shows that
no supplier can guarantee that he only supplies flawless.
Despite the wrong name or plant I find these Iris latifolia very beautiful!

Today I could photograph another new  purchase from the same supplier.
This one is at least true deep blue like the description in the catalogue says.

Iris latifolia Dark Waves  [J.Ruk. 2008]

[Paul T]

Luit,

I really like the form of that one.  Good, broad petals with great substance.  Rarely ever see the latifolias here.

[David Nicholson]

Here's my Iris reichenbachii grown from seed received from the SRGC  2007/8 Seed Ex. under number 2094 and sown on 14 January 2008. Looks very pretty too, but only one germination from seven seeds sown (most probably my fault and not that of the seeds!). Bit late flowering though isn't it?

[Rafa]

congratulations David, very nice and healthy plant 

[Paul T]

David,

That is amazingly quick from seed to flowering.  If you're only talking 18 months I wouldn't be discounting the possibility of more seeds still germinating.  I've found irises can be very sporadic in their germination times.