Bearded Iris Beds. Cleanup and getting ready for Winter.

Historic Bearded Iris Bed #2

 Iris Bed #2, mostly historic irises, almost set up for winter.  I'll harvest the big basil plant, and remove a ground cover catmint that is growing too well, and it's ready.

I had grown marigolds and sweet alyssum from seeds, along the front and back edges.  Those overgrew.  Nice for a few months.  Now with rains starting, they shaded the irises to much, and competed. So I pulled out the marigolds and sweet alyssum.  I fed them to the hens.  The hens seemed to like them.  Those flowers, then, will be eaten second hand, as eggs and 4th hand, as composted chicken poop used for vegetable garden.  Nothing goes to waste, if I can avoid it.

Bulbs for the Iris beds

Iris Bed #3

 All of these bulbs were labeled as deer resistant.  Checking the internet, they are also listed as rabbit resistant.  I planted them in clusters among the irises, in beds #1 and #2, and in rows along the edges.  The hyacinths are "Sunrise Mix", the Daffodil / Narcissus varieties are "Thalia", "Jetfire", and "Minnow".  The Allium is "Purple Sensation"  That might be too big, but there are only a few.

I also planted some bulbs I think might be Camassia - not sure.  I dug them up and left them sitting under a tree.  Or they could be a big Allium.  If they grow next year, I'll know.

I don't think these will compete much with the bearded irises.  They will add color in later winter / early spring, when I need it.  Before the irises bloom.

iris Bed #3

Pepper Based "Critter Ridder"

 As for Bearded Iris Bed #3, that is mainly established clumps of modern varieties, I moved from the Vancouver yard.  There are still chili pepper plants from the bed's previous life as a vegetable bed.  Those can stay until they are killed by frost.

I dug out one of the catnip plants, and moved it to the bee garden.  Two or 3 others to go.  Also the chives.  The chives were much more vigorous than I expected.  Both big and competing with the irises.  I think the borage will only last until frost, too.  Not sure.

Along the western edge, are scallions I planted from seeds, this spring.  I think.  They might be multiplier onions.  I filled in, between them, with more multiplier onions.  They will be pulled for cooking, this fall / winter / spring.

A few more plants to remove, then it will be all about the bearded irises, with a few  other plants in between.

Then there's the mole problem.

Bearded Iris bed #3 has been troubled by mole digging for a couple of months.  A few weeks ago I added "Critter Ridder" to the soil, and on top the soil.  I thought that worked.  But today there was a new mole hill.  So I added more.  "Critter Ridder" has a pungent, peppery smell, both black pepper and capsaicin pepper. 

For the newest raised bed, I'm using 1/2 inch steel hardware cloth, instead of chicken wire, bottom.  Maybe that will be better.  Or maybe, the mole climbs over the side.

I don't know if it's the moles.  Several of the iris rhizomes, planted at the soil surface, are now fully buried.  I dug a few out and replanted higher.  It's possible the rhizomes pull themselves deeper.  Or the moles undermine them, and they sink.

Irises. Peppers.

Bearded Iris raised beds.

Not much to see with the irises.  Sweet alyssum, marigolds are taking more space than I expected.  Swiss chard is vigorous.  At this size it's a bit bitter.

The bed behind the front bed is gradually being filled with established clumps of bearded irises from the house in Vancouver.   Those are modern varieties.  It will look nice in the Spring.  There is still a row of chili peppers.  Those will stay until frost. 

Pepper "Hungarian hot wax"

I didn't expect the peppers to grow.  Was not able to keep them weeded.  Some are doing quite well.  This is "Hungarian Hot Wax".

Iris Bed. New additions from Schreiner's.

New Iris Order from Schreiner's

 Iris order from Schreiner's came today.  As in previous years, the rhizomes are very big, firm, clean.  The leaves are green.  The packaging breathes, so they don't start rotting in shipment.  I don't think anyone does as good a job packaging and shipping iris rhizomes.

They sent a bonus rhizome - variety "Red Dirt Road".  Looks like a beautiful variety.  I added it to what will be iris bed #3.

New Irises, Planted.

The new rhizomes are planted.  I removed a large variegated, scented geranium.  Last weekend I moved out two large lemon balm plants.  They went to the orchard, fruit tree surrounds.  Much too big for the iris bed.  The chives may have to go soon too.  Or I can arrange differently.  Oregano also grows too large for this arrangement.

This bed is getting close to capacity.  I might change the arrangement of herbs next year, so they don't crowd the irises.  The big leafy plant is swiss chard.  It will come out soon.  Tasty in stir fry.

The white material is crushed eggshell.  Pacific NW soils are reported to be calcium deficient, so I save eggshells, dry them, crush in a large mortar and pestle, and sprinkle them liberally over the soil.  They will gradually mix into the soil and won't be visible, in a few weeks.

The miniature marigolds grew nicely and are blooming.  They have a nice marigold leaf smell.  Makes me wonder why buy marigold plants, when they do so well from seeds.

Iris Raised Bed

 Raised bed for heritage irises and herbs.  A couple of irises are currently blooming.  Several more are in bud.  The later ones are from the Spring planted irises from Old House Gardens.

My goal last fall, until now, was for the irises to establish in this location.  They look good.  So now, some minor  maintenance, nurturing, and puttering from time to time, and hope for a more lavish display next year.  I feel fortunate that some of the Spring planted irises did indeed bloom, or will, so I get a taste of things to come.

The little blu-ish iris is Her Majesty.  It's not as blue in person, but bluer than the catalog color.  Effect of soil pH?  Climate?

New raised bed for heritage irises.  Built this past weekend, filled, and moved several irises from places where they had bee stuck due to no good places elsewhere.  The variegated iris is Iris pallida variegata alba.   The other blooming iris is an unnamed Iris I bought from a source in Tennessee last summer.  Slight fragrance.

I also planted herbs from other locations.  Chives, oregano.  Areas the will have irises later, I planted with swiss chard and carrots.  I planted the edges with sweet alyssum seeds.

Helen Collingwood

Night Hawk

Helen Collingwood.  I've been wondering if i would like this one.  I do.  It's handsome and has a mild sweet fragrance.  It has not fallen over in the rain, and the rain has not damaged the flowers, which gives it an advantage over a lot of the fluffy modern varieties.

Night Hawk.  Also a mild sweet fragrance.  Not a heritage variety, but I liked it.  This iris did fall over in the rain.  So I staked it for support.  The color on my computer looks true to the flower.

Bumblebees have been exploring these flowers.  I didn't see any honeybees in them.

Irises

Iris and herb bed

Lorelei

Iris germanica

NOID from Tennessee

Los Coyotes

The iris and herb bed.  Most of the newest heritage irises are yet to bloom.  They do have buds.  I think they are later blooming, and smaller, because they were planted this Spring.  Next year they should be a bit bigger.  It's nice to see them blooming the first Spring.

Loreley heritage iris.  1909.  Sweet fragrance.  The flower itself is floppy.  The color pattern on each petal is different.  This was from Iris City Gardens.  Planted last summer.

Iris germanica.  This was planted this spring.  1500.  From Old House Gardens, planted this spring.  Fragrant.

NOID from Iris City Gardens.  Date unknown.  Not fragrant.

I plan to start a second raised bed for heritage irises and favorite ones, especially scented, and herbs.  Then these in mixed beds and the kitchen garden will have a better spot.

Los Coyotes.  Not a heritage variety.  I like the form and colors.  Like many modern irises, it flopped over in the rain.  No fragrance.  I do like the flower but not the flopping.  Haven't decided if it will be in the iris bed or I might give it to Ning for his iris border.

Iris florentina.   1500.   Nice scent.    Smaller than I expected, but it was planted this spring.  Maybe next year it will be larger.  from Old House Gardens.

Iris Florentina

Irises. Progress Report.

Last summer I rescued these miniature irises from neglected location. I was certain there were blue ones and yellow ones. Turns out they are all identical to "Cherry Garden". I expect to move them to a better location, raised bed, once it's built. The good part - they were scraggly and sick appearing. The TLC last summer, with cleaning them up, replanting, giving dilute balanced fertilizer with each watering through the summer, resulted in full recovery and probably the most flowers they've ever had. That is counter to accepted wisdom for irises. I think that approach also revived the tall beardeds, which will bloom in a few weeks.

More Heritage Iris

Second order came today from Old House Gardens. Website oldhousegardens.comEleanor Roosevelt. Introduced in 1933. From the Heritage Iris Preservation Society web site, quoting an earlier Cooley's Iris catalog: "From the Cooley's Gardens catalog for 1937: "Deep flourite purple self, with very rich falls". Flourite purple. Cool! This is described in 1937 as the " leading fall-blooming iris in commerce today, because it increases very fast, is most reliable in flowering habit...one of the most beautiful irises in the garden... " Mme. Chereau. 1844. This description, quoted from the Heritage Iris Preservation Society site, hips-roots.com, is great: "From the Cornell Extension Bulletin 112 (1925): "Color effect a lavender-white plicata. S. White bordered hortense violet, beautifully ruffled. F. white, with deeper hortense violet, slightly purplish tinged plications." Who would have thought, "hortense violet"? Mrs. Horace Darwin. 1888. Horace Darwin was a son of Charles Darwin. I guess in those days, some flowers were named for women without actually using the woman's name. In this case, from wikipedia, Mrs. Horace Darwin was " Emma Cecilia "Ida" Farrer (1854–1946), daughter of Thomas Farrer, 1st Baron Farrer in January 1880, later Lady Ida Darwin". Then again, she got a flower named after her. . Shannopin. 1940. All photos are via the Old House Gardens website, linked above. These went into the iris raised bed. There were other plants occupying the spots where I wanted to place these. Some simple transplanting was done.

Those rhizomes traveled a long way.

Not much I can do at the moment. Brief puttering and thinking about stuff. Quite some time back I ordered some heritage iris rhizomes.

By heritage, I indicate varieties that are genetic clones, through generations, from the mid 20th century, to the 19th century, and in some cases the 16th century. Propagated in endless succession by gardeners, and sometimes by nurseries, and sometimes by neglect, for generations and centuries. I ordered these rhizomes back in August of last year.  Ordering so far ahead is a leap of faith - a lot can happen in 8 months, and has.

 The raised bed is set up for them, and already has other irises, already well amended with a mixture of leaf compost and local soil (about 3 parts soil to 1 part compost), plus wood ashes, plus near the surface level, more kitchen compost and a generous dusting of ground eggshell for calcium. The irises already in the bed are growing vigorously, with stout green leaves, longer each time I look.

The rhizomes are shipping here,, should arrive today. It's interesting to me - and probably only to me - to look at the shipping record online. These rhizomes, having traveled through decades and centuries, and some at least across one ocean, and back and forth across a continent, are traveling again.  More when they arrive.

Location	Date	Local Time	Activity
Vancouver, WA, United States	04/05/2013	7:27 A.M.	Out For Delivery
	04/05/2013	7:01 A.M.	Arrival Scan
Portland, OR, United States	04/05/2013	6:35 A.M.	Departure Scan
Portland, OR, United States	04/04/2013	11:32 P.M.	Arrival Scan
Hermiston, OR, United States	04/04/2013	7:54 P.M.	Departure Scan
	04/04/2013	5:38 P.M.	Arrival Scan
Spokane, WA, United States	04/04/2013	2:31 P.M.	Departure Scan
	04/04/2013	11:55 A.M.	Arrival Scan
Hodgkins, IL, United States	04/02/2013	10:37 A.M.	Departure Scan
	04/02/2013	6:28 A.M.	Arrival Scan
Oshtemo, MI, United States	04/02/2013	4:18 A.M.	Departure Scan
	04/02/2013	4:07 A.M.	Arrival Scan
Wyoming, MI, United States	04/02/2013	3:08 A.M.	Departure Scan
	04/02/2013	12:22 A.M.	Arrival Scan
Ypsilanti, MI, United States	04/01/2013	9:44 P.M.	Departure Scan
	04/01/2013	6:53 P.M.	Origin Scan
United States	04/01/2013	4:22 P.M.	Order Processed: Ready for UPS

from Renaissance herbals.



from http://irapl.altervista.org/nit/viewpics.php?title=Iris+florentina

(from the linked website:  Iris florentina
Picture modified from Gilg, Ernst; Schumann, Karl - Das Pflanzenreich Hausschatz des Wissens (1900) - Permission granted to use under GFDL by Kurt Stueber. Source: www.biolib.de - Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this image under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled GNU Free Documentation License.
More to follow.

Raised Beds. Kitchen garden and irises.

Vegetable bed.  I temporarily added a couple of irises, I didn't want in the one iris bed so far.  Also some raspberries from home.  If I can build another bed in a couple of months, they will move to that.

The black wooley-looking stuff  is fur trimmed from Charlie.  Purpose is to deter rabbits and deer.  Might help.  Might not.  Bok Choy,  chinese cabbage, radishes, turnips, spinach, have all sprouted.

Allium vegetable bed.  Looking great.  We are getting lots of scallions.  Garlic chives are growing the thickest and sturdiest I've ever seen them grow.  They will be ready to harvest in 2 weeks.

Iris bed.  Some wooleys on here too.  Even though deer are said not to like irises.  The locations for the heritage iris  order are laid out and labeled, in case they come in the next couple of weeks.

I won't be posting for a week or two.  Maybe something on fig cuttings tomorrow.  Likely wont do much in the garden for a month or two.  We will see.  Having these progress reports to look at, will help.

Irises. Progress Report.

This is the iris clump, I uncovered and weeded to rejunenate.  That was a few weeks ago. Southeast side of the house, raised area. Growing fast now. From the size, if grown from one rhizome, my guess is 15 or 20 years old.  Soil must be depleted of nutrients. I might give it some organic fertilizer. But doing well for a supposedly malnourished colony.  It should be dug up, divided, and replanted to rejuvenate. First, I want to see what the color is and what the appearance is.This is the iris raised bed. All rhizomes are now growing. That includes the one I was sure was dead, a variety called "Red Zinger" bought during the winter. It has a side shoot.  I've been trying to get a Red Zinger growing for 5 years, but lost the last start.  Literally, it may be in there somewhere but never bloomed.  Which is odd because only some of the photos look good to me.  Iris colors photograph strange, often not like the actual plant.  So only if it blooms do I know if I want it.   The winter-mailed rhizomes have also put on sturdy appearing growth. Anemones, planted as one edge for animal repellent (poisonous plants) are mostly growing well but it looks like I lost 4 or 5 to winter. Planted replacements today. I never grew anemones before.

Time Machine. 2006

From December 2006, same dogs, 6 years younger.  Different fireplace.


Tomatoes Summer 2006.  I think this was one of my better crops.


This is the fig tree I just moved to Battleground.  Summer 2006.  According to my notes then, I started it from a cutting Dec 2003/Jan 2004.


May 2006.  Sunny Disposition bearded iris.  I've moved a start to Battleground.  This is a good performer, increases well, blooms well even with neglect and grass/palm competition.


I was also reading about old and ancient seeds.  That Judean Date Palm is still growing.  The tree is male, so the only way we'll get a taste of the ancient dates, will be for it to be crossed with modern date palms, then back cross with the parent for a 75% ancient palm.  Probably not in my lifetime.  According to this blog, Methusaleh bloomed in 2011, so I hope they used it to pollinate a related palm and potentially have fruit from those trees in 2022.

Romeo Iris blooming in December

Here is Romeo, produced by Millet et Fils in 1912. I bought it mail order this summer. Having run out of room, I planted it in a container. A few weeks ago the raised bed was ready to plant, but this one had a flower shoot. So I placed it in a cool room, sunny window. Here it is today

The American Iris Society has a nice photo of this iris as it should look, as well as its history.

 I don't know if winter blooming can be done intentionally. This was unplanned. Romeo is a diploid bearded iris. Most of the flashy, big, ruffled modern bearded irises are tetraploid. During the year this iris was first sold, Woodrow Wilson won the presidency of the US, with 42% of the vote. Teddy Roosevelt was shot that year. The Titanic sank in 1912. Each new growth of an iris is a rhizome branch from the prior year's growth. So, in effect, this is the same flower that may have sprouted from seed in 1909 or 1910.

It doesn't look a lot like photos of Romeo. Maybe it's the odd timing, or the odd situation, or the growth medium. It's in a used potting soil. It may need May sunshine and warmth for true colors to develop.  Maybe it's mislabeled. I like it better than than the linked site. The colors have a sepia tone, like an old Kodachrome photo in a family album. Bought at an estate sale.

Iris Raised Bed.

Here is the raised bed I prepared for irises. I scratched in Mycorhizal inoculant around the better looking iris plants, and left the sad looking ones alone. I also added some compost around the better looking ones, not enough to cover the rhizomes. In the spots reserved for next April or May shipment of heritage irises, I also pre-inoculated with Mycorhizal inoculant. I don't know if it does any good.

Toward the back are the better looking plants, including Helen Collingwood which is reputed to be very tough, and Sunny Disposition. Loreley is droopy. The newly purchased ones don't look like much at all. I wouldn't expect them to, this time of year. Front left is Diety, which I saved from bacterial rot. It actually looks perky. Interesting.

Irises.

The 3rd raised bed is completed. Soil is from a pile behind the house. Again, mixing with compost as I filled. Maybe about 20% compost by volume. This time it's for flowers. Saving space for the spring shipment of irises. Plus added a row of Anemone rhizomes at the front. No idea if they will grow. They were like little rocks. Dry and hard.  Could have soaked them first. In this climate, with rain expected for the next 4 months, that seems excessive.  So I did not soak them.  I"m growing the Irises in a grid.  I'm not interested here in them as landscaping.  I like the flowers for themselves. The bed is just under 4 X 8, and the irises are about 7 across and 3 deep.  So a little more than a square foot each.  The smaller growing ones are toward the front.

The three iris rhizomes here with, white leaves are from dried-out shipments / store bought.  No confidence they will grow planting so late.  The far right, back one is Red Zinger, a medium size iris I wanted to try.   The lower right one is a rescue, I saved from bacterial rot this summer.  Diety.  Between them, I planted 2 rows of iris seeds from this summer's hybridization effort.  By planting them in the beds, there is minimal maintenance.

I planted some of the containerized irises. I've been coddling them for months. Four have died from bacterial rot. None of the in-ground irises did. Maybe that means, container method is not so good? The potting soil is not so good?  Mostly I want this bed for heritage irises, but some are modern.  I did not water them in.  I planted a little shallower than they were in containers. They had excellent root growth.  I tried not to disturb the roots.  No use spreading the root out.  Iris roots are deciduous, die off and are replaced as new rhizomes grow.

Iris intensive care

Repeating a prior post, here is the remaining rhizome from Iris "Diety", which developed a rot disease and the leaves rotted off, leading me to cut off the growth end, wash, dry, treat with 10% bleach, dry, then replant. Already growing - I'm impressed!

Little baby sprouts. Won't bloom next year, but really is growing.

found this start in dry grass by tree trunk. I recall they are a mini dwarf variety, blue or yellow. Pulled out, cleaned the tiny rhizome, planted in flowerpot. I don't "need" it, but I'm curious to see if it grows.

Almost Done With Iris Care

This is a bit of an experiment. These were close-out, and not too special looking. Maybe different enough from my existing irises to add to the variety, a little. For a couple of dollars, hard to lose. Obviously much, much more dried out than the mail order rhizomes. Advantages of the mail order places that I used: better selection, by far, much fresher rhizomes. by far. Disadvantages, more costly. I think some of the mail order houses will send just as dried out selections as these store-bought rhizomes, as I recall from past orders. Those were from budget mail order houses, not the Iris specialists.

"Orange Harvest", listed as a rebloomer. I've had so few re-blooms, I won't count on it. Schreiner's describes Orange Harvest.... "Reblooming Iris Society has identified Orange Harvest as a very dependable rebloomer throughout most of the country". Developed in 1988. Several sales sites describe Orange Harvest as "slightly fragrant".

"Red Hawk". Developed in 1995. The differences in color, for illustrations of this iris, are amazing. It must have colors that don't photograph well. Commanche Acres Iris Gardens states "Pronounced sweet fragrance." Good.

I chose the largest, most plump rhizomes from the store bins. It's interesting that they can be so dried out, and still grow.

Here they are, planted. I took a lesson from orchids, and planted with the old end / cut end next to the container edge, and the growth end / fan toward the center. This gives some room for a little growth, at least one season. Which is all I am interested in here. The growth medium is a fast draining wood-compost-based medium that I used last year for garlic, with great success. After watering-in these rhizomes, and inserting labels, they are set for the fall.

Rescuing a Sick Bearded Iris

This one was 'Diety'. It is a new rhizome. I noted the leaves were turning yellow, and on inspection saw that the leaves were rotted at the base. There are 2 options. Actually, 3. First, I probably watered too much. I've taken this lesson to heart, and with the start of cooler weather have stopped watering all of my iris starts and rescues. Time to let them meet the fall, anyway. Option two, it came with a bacterial or fungal infection. To that end, I sliced off the growing end, leaving this portion and a couple of buds. That may not be enough to grow, but why not try? Then, I let it dry for 2 days out of the sun. Yesterday I let it soak in a 10% bleach solution = 9 tablespoons water plus 1 tablespoon bleach, for about one hour. Then I let it dry overnight. Now, I will plant in a container in a well-drained growth medium. If it rots anyway, I'll throw it into the trash to avoid spread of disease. If it grows, that's a sign of how tough bearded iris can be. Option 3. I did see a slug in the container. If it was just slug damage, this may be an over reaction. This is a timely lesson to me, it's time to let nature manage the irises. I was taking extra care of them due to the heat, and starting new beds, and recovering irises from neglected areas. I don't want to overdo it and cause rot. So time to let them be. Except for removing weeds - that is a given.

Heritage Iris Varieties

These varieties are from Old House Gardens, and the photos are theirs. I hope it's OK that I post them - given that I link to their website. They have an interesting was of shipping iris - they grow them through the winter, then clean the plants and ship in the Spring, for same-spring bloom. This is what they say: "They’re freshly dug the day we ship them, they can take light frost, and to bloom their first summer they must get growing again ASAP. If necessary, store in the fridge for 2-3 days or “heel in” briefly in moist sand or soil." They take orders now, and payment is with the order. There is faith on my part that I'll be alive and growing plants in April. If not, then it doesn't matter. I'm trying not to obtain any two that are too similar to each other, and aiming for classic form and fragrance when possible. My plan is to have the heritage irises in a bed of their own, separate from the modern hybrids. That way they stand out on their own without being overwhelmed by the flashier new hybrids, and I can appreciate their fragrance as well. These may also serve as sources for hybridizing, if I feel so inclined. There is the issue of diploidy (most old varieties) and tetraploidy (most new varieties) making them genetically incompatible so I'm not sure where I will go with that. Caprice, developed in 1898, reportedly strong grape fragrance. Caprice is also described on the Historic Iris Preservation Society website as having a "sweet grape fragrance". Florentina, collected in 1500. Not a variety, but a species. Unclear from the site about fragrance, although that's one of the reasons I'm buying it. From the Old House Garden's site, "since at least the 1500s its rhizomes have been dried and sold as orris-root, a prized ingredient in herbal medicines and perfumery."  Pacific Bulb Society states this iris is 27 inches tall (good, I do't want more super tall varieties that dominate the garden and fall over in the rain), is a natural hybrid, not a species, and is fragrant.  Also a species, and the description includes, "Fragrant and tough, it was grown in ancient Rome, carried east on the Silk Road..." Indian Chief, 1929. Not as old as the first two, but still a heritage variety. HIPS does not mention fragrance. Iris Dalmatica 1597. From the web site, "Pallida Dalmatica, 1597 ...tall, pale lavender, tough as nails, with a Concord grape fragrance that, as Elizabeth Lawrence wrote, “fills the borders and drifts into the house.” (Also from a 1597 description)... “exceedingly sweet” scent.