Showing posts with label historic iris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historic iris. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 04, 2016

Bearded Irises. Third Wave. 5.2.16

Now is the main season for my bearded irises.  More are blooming, in larger numbers, now than in any previous year.  Quite a beautiful flower.  I look at these pictures all year long.  I generally like the old historic irises much better than new modern varieties, but there are exceptions to that rule.  Sans souci, developed in 1854, was one of the main varieties that inspired me to look into older types.  This year, I may dispose of ones that I don't care for.  Some of the others are too vigorous and need more space, and some are just too susceptible to disease and never fail to disappoint.  Some may have just needed to adapt to my garden and climate.  Some, such as Loreley and Monsignor, took off and performed beautifully from the start.

Accent.  1952

 Caprice.  1898.  Fragrant.

Iris flavescens.  1813

Fall Fiesta.  1992.

Flutter-by  1924

Mrs. Horace Darwin.  1888.



Monsignor.   1907.

Monsignor.  1907.

No name.  Immortality X Fall Fiesta.  I crossed, 2012.

Front is Quaker Lady.  1909.

Sans Souci.  1854.




Rosy Wings.  1935
Loreley. 1909.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Bearded irises, second wave of flowers. 4.20.16

Now is the second wave of iris flowers, after the extra earlies. Most of these are historic irises. Most of the irises are yet to bloom, but there are many buds. This looks like the best year ever for them. I almost gave up last year, but this Spring makes the effrort worthwhile.

There was a little basal rot this year, but only a fraction of what I had in the past.  The clumps are much larger and many more flower buds, compared to the past.  They are all mulched with arborist chips - I wonder if that helped?  I've always read that irises should not be mulched, but my thought is arborist chips are very open, and might restrict spread of disease.

Iris beds.  4.20.16

Bearded Iris "Alcazar".  Faint fragrance.  4.20.16

Bearded Iris "Her Majesty".  Introduced 1903.  Strong fragrance.  4.20.16

Bearded Iris "Indian Chief".  Intro 1929.  Strong sweet fragrance.  4.20.16

Unknown, was at Battleground property when we bought it.  No fragrance.  4.20.16

Bearded Iris "Pallida dalmatica".  Introduced in 1500s.  Very strong sweet fragrance.  4.20.16

A rebloom of Eleanor Roosevelt.  Introduced 1933.  Fragrant.  4.20.16

Modern Bearded Iris, unknown variety.  Not fragrant.  4.20.16

I think this one is "Autumn circus".  4.20.16

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

What's blooming? 4.11.16

Most of the apples are finishing blooming. The Prairie Fire Crabapple, now in 3rd leaf, is looking great. Most branches are above deer browsing height. This tree puts on a real show and appears problem free, so far. The earliest bearded irises are blooming. This means, blue colors and smaller size, in my collection. They look the best since planting 4 years ago. The house came with a gigantic lilac bush. It needed some renovation, cutting out old dead trunks and a little thinning. It has responded with a big show this year.

I started carefully collecting pollen from the one pawpaw flower at the pollen shedding stage, and transferring pollen to flowers that appear to be at a receptive stage.  The stigmas are receptive before pollen is shed, and when pollen is shed the stigmas are no longer receptive.  With down-facing flowers on small trees, it's tricky.  The variety "Sunflower" is clearly first, but has flowers at many stages.  I transferred pollen both to earlier stage "Sunflower" flowers, and to earlier stage "NC-1" flowers.
Flowers of "Prairie Fire" Crabapple.  4.11.16

Crabapple "Prairie Fire".  4.11.16

Giant old lilac bush.  4.11.16

Lilac Flowers.  4.11.16

Iris "Eleanor Rooseveldt".  4.11.16

Iris germanica  4.11.16
Pawpaw flower with pollen.  4.11.16

Thursday, September 04, 2014

Moving a few bearded iris clumps. 9.3.14

Transported Iris Clumps.  9.3.14

Immortality, settled into place  9.3.14
 I moved 3 bearded iris clumps to the Battleground beds.  Two replace clumps that were lost this spring.  Immortality - which wasn't immortal, but is a nice white iris - and Accent.

I moved the clumps as intact as possible.  The soil was very dry.  In their locations, somewhat crumbly, not like a brick.

Into bags, then to the new location.

Again, I used unamended soil to replace soil where the prior clumps had died, or were moved out.

Then cleaned out the weeds, cut off dead leaves, watered them in carefully, and sprayed the leaves with neem.

This is the one watering until nature provides.

I think it helps a lot to write the name on a couple of leaves, via sharpie.   Less chance for mix-up.

Now they have copper labels too.

I also moved "Spiced Custard", which is not a historic iris, but I like.  It did not have enough room.  Now it does.


Accent, trimmed, cleaned up, neemed.
These irises from the Vancouver yard did not have any fungal spot at all.  They had less care than  the ones in the Battleground yard, drier and no TLC.  Which supports my contention that over-nurtured the Battleground irises.

Immortality, replanted, cleaned up, and neemed

Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Historic Iris Beds. 9.2.14

Historic - mostly - Iris Beds.  9.1.14

Recovering Iris Plants.  9.1.14

Recovering Iris Plants.  9.1.14
 This is the state of the historic iris beds.  Historic irises, not historic beds.  They have nice growth, coming into fall.  I have sprayed with neem oil weekly.  The neem does not damage the leaves.  I don't know if it helps.  Fungus spot remains on the older leaves.  Expected - fungicide does not heal old spots, it prevents new ones.  I don't mind a few, expected in an organic garden.

Established vs. New Iris Plant.  Honorabile.  9.1.14
I thought I would lose Owyhee Desert - not historic - and Gay Geisha - historic.  Both are growing.  I doubt bloom next year.  Gracchus took a big hit too, and is growing again.  All 3 of these got replacement soil earlier this year, not enriched or amended.

Flavescens is poking along.  This may not be a good variety for this area.  I bought a replacement but the  original regrew.  The replacement is smaller than the original.

Alcazar is growing again.   It's almost as big as it was last year.  I thought it might be near-dead.  I suspect it will need at least another year to get viorous growth.  Assuming the plant disease issues are not a problem.  These also got new, unamended, unenriched, replacement soil.  The same for Shannopen, not shown.  That one, formerly big stout fans, reduced to nothing, but a tiny shoot grew so I kept it.

The final photo shows the difference between 1st year and 2nd year growth, for spring planted rhizomes.  This is sold as Honorabile but may be Sans Souci.  I bought a replacement because the growth last year was so minimal.  Despite the fungal issues with other plants, the overwintered cluster has much bigger leaves and better growth, compared to the rhizome I planted this Spring.  I think this indicates the Spring planted rhizomes, even if they might bloom the first year, are more stressed and take longer to establish, compared to summer - dormant -rhizomes.  This seems more true for the ones that are allowed to bloom the first year - makes sense, but the point of the Spring planting is to get same-year flowers.

New tags for all.  These are copper, which is embossed with ball point pen.  The steel markers with laundry marker faded too fast and will be reused elsewhere.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Bearded Iris Bed Maintenance. 8.10.14

Bearded Iris Raised Beds.  8.10.14

Trying not to over-do TLC for the bearded irises.  It's hard for me to just leave them alone, even if I think they might be better off without me puttering around them.

We are at the hottest day of the year, so far.  Around 95 F

I crushed eggshells and scattered them one the soil surface.   The eggshells provide calcium, which is deficient in my soil.  I think they don't raise pH.  I am guessing, lower pH might slow some fungal growth, so no more lime.  Eggshells might provide a little slow-release nitrogen, and if so that's all they get this time.

Removed more weeds.  Removed the last of the multiplier onions, which were a disappointment due to attracting deer or rabbits to eat them.
Bearded Iris Raised Bed.  8.10.14
Filled in some soil low spots with dry mole hill soil.  They were bone dry to a foot deep, so I did water them.  The watering might not be needed, and could be harmful, but it's hard for me to not-water.

Last week I also sprayed them all with a generous spray of Neem oil, following the manufacturer's recommendations of 2-4 tbsp per gallon.  I used 4tbsp per gallon.  My hope is that will keep any fungal diseases in check.

Will try not to mess with them more, unless there is a long dry stretch.  The Neem can be applied every 2-3 weeks, and it might be helpful to do that.

No more plants between iris clumps, except a few Sempervivum, which tolerate dry, heat, neglect, and do not spread much at all.  There is a grape cutting and genetic dwarf peach seedling in one bed, those will come out this fall.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Bearded Iris Progress Report. 7.19.14

Historic Bearded Iris Raised Bed #2

Historic Bearded Iris Raised Bed #1
I really messed up the historic iris beds last year.  I gave them lots of TLC, compost, lime, coffee grounds, eggshells, and a small nitrogen boost.  Growth was lush and thick.  They looked great going into winter.

Then this Spring, they grew lush again, then were hit with multiple waves of bacterial rot.  Clump after clump was affected, with some losing almost all of the leaf fans, some losing a few.  A few were lost entirely.  Some have one tiny shoot remaining.

Meanwhile, the irises I planted in the fence-row, and in borders by the house, were entirely neglected and had no bacterial rot.  They bloomed reasonably well.

Realizing the TLC was the problem, but not knowing what aspect of TLC, I left the historic iris raised beds alone for the rest of Spring and early summer.

Meanwhile, this Spring I received an order of several varieties from Old House Gardens, and this week a partial order from Schreiner's.  I would not have ordered them, had I known the bacterial rot would be so challenging, but those orders were from some time back.

Today I weeded and culled Historic Bearded Iris Bed #2.  Culls:  All but one cluster of Cherry Garden.  That variety did survive the epidemic, but blooms too early, in the rain, which destroys many of the flowers.  The bloom time is short.  I still like it, very pretty, so kept one cluster.   I culled Romeo, which may be mislabeled, was ugly, bloomed only in Fall for 2 years, when the flowers are made even uglier by the rains.  Some varieties came through the epidemic like champions - Loreley, Sunny Disposition, and some fans of Los Coyotes.  The new rhizomes of Owyhee Desert and Gay Geisha barely survived, but have some small baby shoots.  The rest were in between.  From the areas where I removed rhizomes, or where there was no longer a cluster, I dug out the soil, replacing with powderized mole hill soil, without supplement or compost.  I planted the replacement Gingersnap  from Schreiners, where the prior one died.  I planted Mrs. George Darwin, Dauntless, and Crimson King where others were removed, in the replacement soil.  Dauntless has a suspicious area, may have bacterial rot.  Will try anyway.  I removed the weeds and all of the sedum, so there would not be plants shading the rhizomes.    I watered them in.  Debated doing that.  The summer days are hot, sunny, and dry.  I hope that means no further epidemic, and the watering helps them establish.  But no other TLC.

I pulled just enough weeds from bed #3 to plant the new variety "June Krauss".  That is also in un-enriched replacement soil.

I pulled some weeds and removed clusters of Chinese Chives from Historic Iris Bed #1. I liked the Chinese Chives there but they take too much room.  I dug out the first row, including the tiny remaining sprout of Shannopin and small sprouts of Flavescens and Alcazar.  I replaced the soil with unimproved soil, and replanted those 3 plants.  They may not have enough growth to bloom next year.  If they produce enough for growth the following year, that will make me happy.  I removed a few more weeds, watered the rest lightly because the soil is too hard to get the weeds out, and watered in the replanted irises.

I don't want to lose the Alcazar.  I hope it survives.

The Chinese chives are sitting in the shade.  They need a new location.  They are seedlings from my parents' yard, so I don't want to lose them.





Thursday, May 15, 2014

Bearded Irises, Better Photos. 5.15.14

Alcazar  1910
 I think Alcazar is generally larger.  This is the first year.  I'm surprised it bloomed at all.

Bumblebee Deelite 1985
 In 2012 I dug out the overgrown bundle of Bumblebee Deelite and replanted at various locations around the Battleground yard.  There were too many rhizomes, so I planted left-overs in the fence row.  They look nice there.

Caprice 1898
 While planting Tomato plants 2 beds over, I smelled the fragrance of Caprice wafting in the wind.  The writers are right, it's like Grape Koolaid.  But better.
Red Hawk  1995
 This is an excellent depiction.   The  color is richer than most photos.
Edith Wolford 1986
 The Walking Onions add a nice appearance to Edith Wolford bearded iris.
Mislabeled Pink Fragrant
 This was sold as Whole Cloth, which is blue and white.  Whatever it is, the fragrance is very sweet and floral.  The downside, it is less vigorous and more disease susceptible compared to some of the others.

Bearded Iris Bed.  5.15.14

Gay Parasol.  1974.
 Smaller flower than some modern tall beardeds, but very nice and very fragrant.  Gay Parasol.

Indian Chief.  1929.
 Really wanted this Indian Chief bearded iris to bloom this year.  And it did.  Also a nice fragrance, mild.

Gracchus.  1884.
 Gracchus bearded iris was one of the most disease resistant.  And all of these flowers from one rhizome.  Small but vigorous.

Unknown from Tennessee.
 Must be an early plicata, or an unnamed seedling.  Sold by a Tennessee company via mail order.

Red Zinger.  1985.
 Miniature.  I grew Red Zinger from a dried out sale rhizome late 2012.  It didn't bloom last year.  I'm surprised, now it's vigorous.  You almost have to be on  your knees to smell them.  It's worth it.  A candy fragrance.

Loreley.  1909.
 Loreley historic bearded iris.  Almost like Japanese irises.  Some are fully open, some partially.  The white outline on the falls makes them stand out nicely in photos.   Sweet fragrance.  Same Tennessee company as the unknown.  Slow start, but this year very nice.  Seems to be disease resistant.

Bearded Irises.  5.15.14
I'm happy with the bearded irises, both modern and historic / heritage irises.  I thought they might all die off this late winter, but they are blooming nicely.  Some varieties have the most and largest flowers I've seen.

Some of the leaves don't look great.  As long as they grow out of it, I'm OK.