Later Blooming Bearded Irises. 5.23.19

Bearded Iris "Beverly Sills".  5.23.19

Historic Bearded Iris "Mrs. George Darwin".  5.23.19

 Now we are getting to the later blooming irises.  Soon, it will be back to home orchard and kitchen garden, which I've been working on.

With heavy and frequent rains, and chillier temperatures, many of the irises are more bedraggled.  Some of the tallest fell over ("Red Dirt Road" and "Play To Win").  These might benefit from support next year.

None of the pink ones look that great.  This is "Beverly Sills", one of the most promoted and awarded.  It's possible it needs another year, or a more favorable season.

Of the historic irises in the woodlot border, "Mrs. George Darwin" bloomed.  One fall was knocked off by rain, but the identification is obvious, and it is one that I bought from "Old House Gardens" a number of years ago.   According to the Historic Iris Preservation Society,  "Mrs. George Darwin" was developed in 1895 by Sir Michael Foster.  It's a small iris, and one thing is shows is how far irisarians have come in developing larger, more colorful, sturdier, more ruffled cultivars.  Still, it's nice there in the border.  From Wikipedia, George Darwin was the second son and fifth child of Charles Darwin, and was an astronomer and barrister.    Too bad, the iris that honors Maud Darwin doesn't even include her name!  She was Lady Martha Haskins "Maud" du Puy Darwin, an American Socialite who campaigned for women police officers, bore 5 children, and apparently lived the upper crust British life for the times.

The tall bearded "Edith Wolford" is a replacement for one I had earlier and lost.  Maybe it's still among those that did not bloom yet, after moving to better locations from the woodlot?  I don't know.  This has deeper color than previously.  Since this soil was amended with wood ashes over the Winter, and organic slow release bloom food in early Spring, the growth conditions may be responsible.  I've noted that others are also richer in color, larger, and more substance, than in the past (Immortality and the dark blue one that might be Blue Knight).   Who was Edith Wolford?  I don't know.  I found obituaries for four different Edith Wolfords, and a school named for someone with that name, but I don't know who the iris was named for.  If I pick an "Iris of the Day" from today's selections, it would be "Edith Wolford".

Tall Bearded Iris "Edith Wolford".  5.23.19

Tall Bearded Iris "American Classic".  5.23.19

 Now to "American Classic" and the unknown iris that I thought was "American Classic" but is not.  Like "Edith", this has more color and more substantial petals than I recall, which may be due to the gardening  conditions.  Both were planted last summer, and may need more time to establish to become taller and make more flowers, but this is a very good start.  The other, now unidentified variety, is in the general class of "blue plicatas", which describes the white background and blue edges, but there are many such cultivars.  So far I have not found one exactly like this one.  The closest so far is "Blue Shimmer", via Historic Iris Preservation Society, developed in about 1942.  But I'm not sure that is correct.

Tall Bearded Iris, Unknown Name ("No-ID").  Blue Shimmer?  5.23.19