The MGS Forum
Plants for mediterranean gardens => Bulbs (including other geophytes with corms, tubers, rhizomes etc) => Topic started by: fragman on December 02, 2011, 08:09:29 AM
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We found this Iris vartanii in 3 sites on Mt Carmel, we wish to cultivate this species into a Mediterranean equivalent ornamental of Iris reticulata...
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Wonderful to see that, Ori, thanks! And it would be great if you could get it into commerce as a "Mediterranean reticulata". Is it true that it has a delicious almond scent?
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Lovely, Ori
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now I will have to smell them, did not do it till now...
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Superb pictures Ori! Great to see this species in its natural habitat. In november the first one flowered here in the garden. :)
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When we were in Israel in March 2011, we visited Rothschild Memorial Garden, and in some beds with Israeli-Mediterranean plants there were several irises, some of them we had already seen elsewhere, but I still managed to get the names mixed up, so I wonder if some of you could help me with the first three of those shown here here. The name of the last one, of Iris bismarckiana, I believe is correct.
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Lovely pictures, Jorun.
As you'd thought, the names have got slightly switched. The first is indeed Iris mariae (syn. I. helenae).
The second carried the label "Iris giladensis"; this seems to be a form of or at least closely related to Iris petrana.
The third is Iris haynei, and the fourth is as you'd thought Iris bismarckiana.
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Thank you, Alisdair, it's great to get help within a few minutes after the questions were posted.
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Jorun, your lovely photos have prompted me to dig out some of my own. I hope Miriam, Oron, Ori or Hans will put me right if my identification strays from the straight and narrow!
First is Iris haynei again, the plant we saw at the Rothschild gardens; quite widely spread in the near east.
Second and third photos are of its close relative Iris atrofusca, as we found it flowering in the Negev desert.
Fourth is the plant we saw at the Rothschild gardens labelled there as I. giladensis (presumably for Iris gileadensis). This is reckoned by The Plant List to be a synonym of either I. atrofusca or I. atropurpurea, but Miriam says it is a dark form of I. haynei from the mountains of west Jordan.
Fifth is Iris atropurpurea, a late plant that we were lucky to find still in flower among the coastal dunes south of Tel Aviv.
Sixth is Iris petrana, the near-black form called by some Iris hieruchamensis, which we found in near-desert not far from Yeroham.
Seventh is a more typical form of Iris petrana, grown at the Rothschild gardens from material collected between Yeroham and the Dead Sea.
Number 8 is another view of that luscious creature Iris mariae (syn. I. helenae), cultivated at the Rothschild gardens.
Number 9 is the stunning Iris bismarckiana again, also in the Rothschild conservation collection.
All these are oncocyclus irises – the kings and queens of the iris family, driving many iris enthusiasts in northern Europe to despair as they are so intolerant of damp and demand such a reliably hot dry summer. Mediterranean conditions suit them much better, but even there sharp drainage is essential.
The final iris Oron led us to on that MGS Israel trip was completely different. This last yellow-flowered iris is Iris grant-duffii, extremely rare and heavily protected by conservation legislation, with virtually no close relatives. It was growing in a seasonal bog, which would probably dry out in summer, and was accompanied by Anemone coronaria in profusion.
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I was given a bag of unidentified iris corms and several of these have just flowered. They stand about two inches off the ground and are obviously in the wrong place since they are practically invisible in the gray gravel and are bound to be stepped on. Identification anyone?
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Hello Cali
They might be Iris reticulata??
Hope you are well. Best wishes.
Pamela
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Thank you, Pamela--
--The reticulatas I knew were taller and of a bright blue, but now I've checked google images and there are a couple of cultivars ("Harmony" is one of them) that have this washed out greyish blue colour. The petals seem rounder however, and the stalk taller. We're well and delighted that Spring has started to manifest itself. I hope you're well too
Best
Cali
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Cali, I have a few in my garden in Norway which look very much like yours, they are Iris reticulata 'Katharine Hodgkin'; the Pacific Bulb Society says it is a hybrid of Iris winogradowii and Iris histrioides. Mine are still covered with snow and ice, I think they are beautiful, but I agree with you, the grey gravel does not make the best background for this iris.
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Thank you, Jorun--yes, that does look like it. Now all I need to do is move them.... if I can find them again in the autumn.
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Does it also exist in all-yellow form? I found one growing next to the usual greenish brown kind and can't imagine what else it might be....
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Yes it does though it is more likely the one off rather than a population. In Greece I have found various colour forms especially on Crete where there have been blue, purple and even green.
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By the way, this plant is now classified as Iris tuberosa (so eventually I'll move this to the Iris thread)....
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That yellow one is very attractive. Imagine if it could be preserved from seed.....
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It is very attractive, and without the creepy quality (fascinating though it is) of the normal one. I was delighted to find it on my own land. Now I'll mark it for next year.... Thank you John and Alisdair--I'll note the new name. It looks like an Iris so why shouldn't it be one?
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At the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens we have had tremendous success with Iris tuberosa. It fills every bucket with dozens of new bulbs in just two years. It also formed nice clumps in the grounds. See also the fruit picture.
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Iris haynei is in peak blooming just now in Mt Gilboa. Our dog is again a good scale.
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Do you change Lily's "necklace" depending on the colour of the flowers you're expecting to see?
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offcourse we do :)
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All over Corfu right now two colours (purple bicolour and white) of medium-tall bearded Iris are flowering, mostly in the wild. There are huge clumps in olive orchards and roadsides as well as in unwatered parts of gardens. It is assumed that they were brought over (perhaps by the British in the 19th century) from elsewhere and have naturalised. It is one of the emblematic flowers of the island and a personal favourite of mine yet we know very little about it.
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I see that my previous post was not phrased as a question though in fact it is one. I'd really like to know more about these Irises. Can one of the usual suspects point me in that direction, please?
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Hi,
I just looked up Irises in Jaqueline Trywhitt's book. She says they grow wild in many parts of Attika, that they are said to be naturalised from elsewhere, and that their place of origin in unknown.
That does not answer your question as to where they came from.
However, since I love these flowers, I thought I would tell you that on the way to Sparta, Lakonia, there is a village with white irises flooding down a hill and there are many white ones growing in the grounds of Mystra, the ruined Byzantine town on Taygetus.
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Found some photos.
One from Mystra and two from Spain
Any one interested can read about the Quinta de los Molinos park in Madid in a past MGS journal
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Me again, didn't mange to post the white one from Mystra
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Cali, Polunin also writes that the origine of I. germanica is unknown, but that it is naturalized in waste places. In Flowers of Greece, (Lafranchis & Sfikas), it is written that there are 11 native Iris species in Greece, and I.germanica is among the listed 11, but also that both this and the bluish-white var. florentina are found all over Greece and they are widely cultivated, the same for the pure white I. albicans.
Several years ago I found lots of them in a ditch between a field and the road in Halkidiki, both blue and white ones, the next year they were all gone and I haven’t seen them since.
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Thank you all. I guess there is no answer.... yet. For some reason, the impression I had got (long ago so I don't remember my source) was the of the german Irises only the dwarfs (dwarves) were native to Greece. The white ones from Mystra look very similar to ours. The bicolour purples from Spain are quite different from ours. Much less contrast. Also, the ones I brought over from Spain and planted here flower a good three weeks later than the locals, though in Spain they flower at the same time as ours. Go figure!
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Some seedgrown Iris in flower - Iris lortetii, Iris kirkwoodiae calcarea and Iris lycotis.
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Terrific, Hans: thanks!
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WOW! also blooming here I. kirkwoodii
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Thanks Alisdair and Rafa!
Rafa, your Iris kirkwoodii is fantastic! :o
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Well Hans, you know, there are some geneorous people out there that sharing their plants ;) ;) ;) ;)
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my last onco this year
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Terrific texture, Ori: gorgeous!
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Beautiful Rafa!
Congratulations ;D
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Your irises are wonderful, Rafa, thank you for sharing.
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Fascinating pics of a fascinating flower! :o
Congratulations!
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Thank-you for posting these Rafa. Your irises are yummy. :)
Daisy :)
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here is a summer bloomer, Iris serotina. I think this species is an Spanish endemic, and the northafrican plants would correspond to Iris rutherfordii which is a very close species.
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What an elegant plant, that's lovely, Rafa.
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Iris unguicularis. This plant, photographed in Toscana today, has more than 20 open flowers. Last year it had few, but as the vegetative growth seemed to be threatening to crack the stone walls, last autumn I pruned it very vigorously. It's good to see that this iris responds so well to cutting back because I use it in all sorts of inhospitable places and invariably it needs discipline.
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So lucky all of you to see these wonderful iris in habitat, and to grow some of them. It is too wet here but I have a friend, Pat Toolan, who lives in the rain shadow E of here and she grows hundreds of them - Cyclus, Oncocyclus, Regeliocyclus etc. Pat has grown all her iris plants from seed, a very long, tedious and demanding process. As she has described it to me she soaks the seeds, after scarifying the external skin, and then peels the skin off to expose the tiny 'nib' that will grow into a seedling. At this point she excises the nib and grows it in a sterile Agar mix under laboratory conditions. Eventually the tiny plantlets are potted on and after some years intensive cultivation are planted on a bare hillside in deep beds of dazzling white marble chips. By this means the roots can reach down into the soil while the rhizomes are in the perfectly drained chips. Even so Pat takes up some rhizomes every year to store them 100% dry until winter. Needless to say Pat in known internationally for her efforts to grow them, particularly the species. Her garden is near Keyneton in the Alte Barossa. tn
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When you say'prune' an Iris unguicularis can you tell me how do you do it, Joanna? I had to take an axe to one yesterday to separate it.
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Hello Fleur. Yes I.unguicularis is extremely difficult to divide and when visitors admire the flowers and ask for a piece I feel weak and shudder at the prospective effort needed. I use the term 'pruning' very loosely. Mostly I have cut a great swathe of lower leaves very nearly back to what might be called a compressed stem, although I am sure there is a much more subtle botanical term. The aim is to be rid of as much leaf as possible but not to touch the buds in the leaf axils. It seems that the new flowers are coming from the position of those buds, so there must be flower buds as well as vegetative buds in that position, but I haven't yet noted whether there is any new leaf forming.
'Hacking' is probably a more accurate description than pruning.
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Fleur,
I cut back I. unguicularis every third year to about 10cm. Best time to do it is in autumn so that you'll enjoy the flowers when they start in december.
It is also the best time to devide big clumps and plant new divisions in the garden.
In nature, all 3 subspecies, have very narrow leaves that dry compleetly in summer therefor floweres appear while new leaves are still young.
The robust form grown in cultivation is a selection originated to north Africa [Algeria], it has much wider and longer leaves and is practicaly an ever green, there for needs to be pruned.
Personally this species is in my top 10 list for the Mediterranean garden as it is extreemly togh plant, can grow in the hardest conditions such as under Pine trees, deep shade etc and can live for ever,,,
Also it is one of the few plants to bloom during all winter.
There are few named cultivars including a white form but i find it less atractive and it doesnt live very long.
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Thanks both. I now have material for planting all round the garden, and to give to my daughter who has pines, and in future I'll obey you're 'pruning' advice and not let them get so big.
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Here is an easy Iris that I grow as annuals in the greenhouse and conservatory for some welcome colour early in the year. Plant them out into the garden once they have finished flowering inside.
Martin
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Wow, impressive image!
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Hi Martin,
'Harmony' is the most commonly seen Retic in this part of Australia - but no retic is really "common" here! I grow it in the rock garden and raised beds where it multiplies well - but it doesn't like it if we have a wet summer - no worries this year!
'George' and a few others also do well but 'Harmony' is the best,
cheers
fermi
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Hi all, like Fermi I grow a few retic Iris outside under widely spaced deciduous trees and shrubs. 'Alida' and 'Katherine Hodgkin' are among them along with some of the blue kinds. I feed them as soon as the first leaves and flower buds appear and then several times after the flowers have faded. I use water soluble tomato food so there's not too much nitrogen. I plant the bulbs about 10cm deep in an effort to keep the bulbs at a depth where the soil is at a constant but cool temp year round. tn
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Hello Fleur, referring to your posting of 20 Feb 2013, in which you wrote about dividing Iris unguicularis with an axe, I have been wondering whether you have had good results with the resultant plants.
Also using an axe I separated about 30 pieces of tuber for planting in Feb 2013. The results have been rather disappointing, as only about 8 have grown. The few I put in the ground immediately had about half success rate, those in pots were terrible and the last few appear to be on the way out. I note that Oron wrote of dividing in autumn so perhaps I left it too late. Still, there does seem to be something about being planted in pots which they didn't like.
So I'll have to sharpen the axe in time for autumn and another try.
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Here's a pic I took this morning of an Iris aucheri I grew from seed from NARGS Seedex 2005 ex Turkey - collected Leylek Station;
cheers
fermi
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Beautifully grown, Fermi - and judging by the look of that tempting stretch of grit/gravel behind it, it's the advance guard of what's going to be a terrific show as your Antipodean spring advances!
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Beautifully grown, Fermi - and judging by the look of that tempting stretch of grit/gravel behind it, it's the advance guard of what's going to be a terrific show as your Antipodean spring advances!
Sadly, no, Alisdair!
This is an experimental sand bed and of the six Juno iris planted here the Iris aucheri is the only success. It's 20 to 30 cm of pure sand over the "native soil" which is heavy clay. I'm planning to re-vamp the bed to try Oncocyclus Iris by digging in some soil about 15cm under the sand. A neighbouring bed is a mix of sand/grit/clay and Onco iris are doing reasonably well in it.
cheers
fermi
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Yes Hermodactylus tuberosus does have yellow forms. tn
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Some of the reticulata iris this year in our garden,
Clairette x 2 views
Edward
Iris histrio ssp aintabensis MT4501
Pauline
George
Harmony
Blue Ice
Dance On
cheers
fermi
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A friend refers to Tony Hall's bulb fertilizer mix but never tells me what it's make-up is. Does anybody know the 'secret' stuff?
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The PCI (Pacific Coast iris), (Dwarf Bearded Iris) and Dutch Iris are now in full bloom!
PCI Sahara Sands
PCI Big money
PCI seedling -from seed from Diane Whitehead, Canada,
DBI Kiwi Slices
DBI Cat's Eye
DBI Hussy
Dutch iris -maybe Professor Blauw
Dutch iris - white (lost label!)
Iris xiphium grown from seed from SRGC Seedex -collected by Rafa in Spain
cheers
fermi
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Terrific, Fermi; thanks!!
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Some more iris in our garden
Iris filifolia
Iris schachtii (might not be correct names for these two)
MBI (Median Bearded = Intermediate Bearded) Arianna
MBI Aqua Taj
unknown MBI
DBI Clang
DBI Acid Test
cheers
fermi
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That "unknown" purple bearded is spectacular, Fermi! And very encouraging for me to see your lovely Iris filifolia - as I've got a pot of tiny grasslike seedlings of that. One day....
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More iris in our garden,
some of the "old fashioned" Tall Bearded iris;
a blue Siberian Iris
a brown "Dutch Iris" - Thunderbolt
a purple Louisiana Iris
a pink/red La Iris
Iris orientalis
Iris 'Holden Clough' - a pseudacorus hybrid
TBI 'Barbara My Love'
cheers
fermi
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I grew Iris 'Bucharica' for the first time this year. Loved the fan-shaped foliage and the wonderful cream and lemon-yellow blossoms. I also am trialing the tiny Iris suaveolens (only one image here) with creamy white flowers.
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I am really enjoying all of these iris photos. Thank-you Fermi and Debbie.
Fermi, I am surprised to see Iris sibirica amongst your photos.
Is it really happy in a mediterranean climate?
Daisy :)
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I am really enjoying all of these iris photos. Thank-you Fermi and Debbie.
Fermi, I am surprised to see Iris sibirica amongst your photos.
Is it really happy in a mediterranean climate?
Daisy :)
Hi Daisy,
We can grow a few Iris siberica hybrids here - they tend to need a bit more water than bearded types but not as much as the Louisiana types. We don't have much luck with species that need cooler conditions like Iris cristata,
cheers
fermi
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This one definitely needs more water - we grow it submerged in a water pot, Iris laevigata "Variegata"
cheers
fermi
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Spuria Iris, especially the hybrids, do well in our garden - we plant them where they get more water than the Bearded sorts,
Firstly one of the species - Iris halophila
'Clara Ellen'
'Barleycorn'
'Intensity'
maybe 'Golden Candle'
'Fergie's Poetry'
cheers
fermi
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Here's a water iris with a difference, it's a cross between Iris pseudoacorus and Iris ensata, called 'Kimboshi'
cheers
fermi
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Some wonderfully varied Spurias there, Fermi: Fergie's Poetry is gorgeous, splendidly colourful without being at all garish.
But the Kimboshi picture doesn't seem to have come through! Sounds intriguing....
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Sorry, Alisdair,
I think I was having trouble uploading the pics at the time and was going to try later - then forgot!
Pics now added to my original post,
cheers
fermi
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Wow, what a lush creature! Thanks for adding the pics....
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These stopped me in my tracks to day. I've never seen such a huge clump before.
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Puts my little clump to shame! Is it yours? or are you also, like me, rather envious?
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Jill, I don't have any in my garden yet. I don't have much success with geophytes - they tend to get dug up/eaten by Pine Martens or Badgers. These were by the road side between Proastio and Neochori (for those who know the area), and yes I'm very envious.
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This is the first of our Iris germanica, planted 15 months ago, to flower. It is the tall bearded iris "Again and Again" and is flowering now.
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Hello Katerina and Alice. You are ahead of us with your wild flowers. Normally at this time of the year there are irises growing by the side of the road that leads to St George's church that is appx 500meters from here. I walked there with my cousin this afternoon and only the leaves are showing.We counted 5 anemones and there was no signs of any mandrakes. There has been almost no rain here and the flowers are late.
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If left undistrurbed Iris unguicularis will spread rapidly and flower prolifically - the problem is it can soon outgrow the space allotted to it and looks very untidy after flowering as the leaves grow bigger and bigger and start to die off at the tips. Being a winter flowerer I like to have it near to the house where I can appreciate it but this then causes problems. I remember Oron suggesting that a good cut back should only be done every 2/3 years and certainly heavy trimming back every year curtails flowering. Most years I do not have this problem as the porcupines do their bit towards keeping the clumps a manageable size but flowering is never as prolific as those I had in England where there was no porcupine problem.
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No porcupines, true, but I do have a tortoise that seems to think he needs to dig himself a sunning scrape right in the middle of my clump. My fault I suppose, should have planted where there was no sun!
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It's the start of the iris season again in our garden - the reticulata types are first:
This purply one is called 'Violet Beauty' and is a new acquisition;
the next is the tiny 'Sea Green' raised by Alan McMurtrie in Canada and obtained by a friend in Tasmania through Janis Ruksans in Latvia! A well travelled flower!
www.reticulatas.com (http://www.reticulatas.com)
Alan crossed fertile, diploid Iris danfordiae with Iris (histrioides ssp) sophenensis to produce a race of little bulbous iris in a huge range of colours - being bred in Ontario, I'm not sure how they'll do in a true Mediterranean climate :-\ ,but they seem to tolerate ours,
cheers
fermi
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Violet Beauty does look charming!
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Thanks, Alisdair,
The clump of Iris 'Violet Beauty' is opening more flowers now;
First flower on Iris 'George', a cross between Iris histrioides and Iris reticulata,
cheers
fermi
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A few more "retics",
'Harmony', 'Cantab' and 'Springtime'
cheers
fermi
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Here is another "retic" - Iris 'Edward'
cheers
fermi
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I got this one this year as 'J S Dijt' but it seems to be lighter in colour to what I remember when I grew it previously,
cheers
fermi
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This is my third attempt at growing Iris 'Katherine Hodgkin' and at least this time I got a flower!
cheers
fermi
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One of the species DBIs - Iris schachtii
cheers
fermi
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First flower for the season of DBI 'Wanganui Gem', raised in NZ by famed Iris breeder Jean Stevens and named for the town where she lived,
cheers
fermi
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Wonderful deep rich colour!
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Pat Toolan who is known to some members of this Forum sent me some Oncocyclus iris a few years ago.
This is one of the hybrids she raised - Iris kirkwoodiae x I. atropurpurea
cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
I am really enjoying seeing all the spring flowers you grow in Australia.
Thanks
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Thanks, Hilary,
I'm looking forward to seeing the autumn flowers from you guys ;D
Here's another of pat's hybrids: PT 0317
cheers
fermi
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What sort of regime do you use to keep those Oncocyclus irises? Surely it must be too wet for them to stay on/in the ground year round? Pat used to dig up some of hers and stow them in paper bags to keep them absolutely dry. I'm not sure if she still des this - she has so many. She plants the rhizomes in pure quartz gravel - quite fine, but very sharp drainage so only the new roots reach down into her soil.
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Hi Trevor,
These are planted in a raised bed in well drained soil - about 30% sand/grit.
I got about half a dozen types from Pat. They are not covered but they are not watered during the summer. Not all have survived!
One year the sulphur-crested cockatoos attacked the bed and at least one (Iris atropurpurea) was destroyed by them >:(
I have new hybrid seedlings to be planted out but want to create a new raised bed for them which can be covered in the event of summer rain,
cheers
fermi
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Fermi, beautiful irises. I feel your pain re the cockatoos. >:( I've actually made myself a slingshot... yes, I'm driven to this neanderthal like state by the destructive buggers. They bring out the worst in me. ;D
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This is apparently an old bicolour form of Iris lutescens,
cheers
fermi
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I grew this from seed from the SRGC Seedex 2004 labelled iris subbiflora.
It's very dwarf and a deep purply-blue,
cheers
fermi
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Two more in flower this morning:
a seedling Pacific Coast Iris
a seed raised Iris taochia
cheers
fermi
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Lots more DBIs (Dwarf Bearded irises) coming into flower:
Olives and Umber (it's greener than this but the colour doesn't photograph well - a bit like the Viola 'Irish Molly')
Tarheel Elf
a purple and mauve number without a name :-\
Rosy Lulu just opening
Acid Test
Slang (!)
blue and white - might be 'Hi Sailor'
cheers
fermi
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This Iris reichenbachii was raised from seed from Marcus Harvey in 2012 but sown on 20-04-2013,
cheers
fermi
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Wow!I suppose there's a remote chance that we might just come across it on the MGS trip to northern Greece next year....
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Hi Alisdair,
this is the entry from the seed-list in 2012:
"IRIS REICHENBACHII Dadia , Thrace, Eastern Greece 600m. Dwarf bearded iris from the eastern Mediterranean. Large flowers in several colour forms, from blue, yellow and white, with attractively veined falls, over neat blue-green leaves."
When will you be in Greece?
cheers
fermi
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The MGS trip to north-east Greece is currently scheduled for 18-25 May - spring comes late to that area and I hope we can get up quite high, but even so I fear we may be too late for your lovely little plant. But there will be plenty of other beautiful spring flowers, and the scenery there is stunning.
Anyone who wants more information can email mgsforeignexcursions@gmail.com
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I would be vey surprised if you find Iris reichenbachii that late on you trip, Alisdair, even if spring is late where you are going. Here in Halkidiki they are in bloom in mid-April around 450 m above sea level, I can show you plenty of them if you come here at the right time, they are beautiful.
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Thanks, Jorun - I'm always a bit too optimistic, I think!
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The MGS trip to north-east Greece is currently scheduled for 18-25 May - spring comes late to that area and I hope we can get up quite high, but even so I fear we may be too late for your lovely little plant. But there will be plenty of other beautiful spring flowers, and the scenery there is stunning.
Anyone who wants more information can email mgsforeignexcursions@gmail.com
Alisdair,
my sister is trying to convince us to join in on a yacht trip around the Greek Isles! She said there's be time to look for wildflowers but I think she'd probably want to go around June or July! Could possibly collect some seed!
This is Iris xiphium which I grew from seed from the SRGC Seedex a few years ago - it was collected by Rafa D in Spain and I've just received seeds from him and he included a spare packet of this iris, so I can see if there's any variation (in a few years!)
cheers
fermi
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go for it, Fermi! I'm sure you would find all sorts of interesting seeds at that time, if - and it's a big if - your sister let you off the boat for long enough! But even if she didn't, that is one of the world's most idyllic areas to sail in.
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Thanks for the encouragement, Alisdair ;D - just need to check the finances before we can commit.
Some more PCI (Pacific Coast Iris) in flower: the first 3 are from Heidi Blyth of Sunshine & Dirt Iris Nursery
PCI 8G LB
PCI 7227 & Sahara Sunset
Sahara Sunset
White-mauve seedling
cheers
fermi
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Very desirable Fermi ;D. Too late for this year, but what kind of conditions do they need? And how high do they grow- wind always a factor round here.
Cheers
Caroline
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Hi Caroline,
they are bred from iris which occur on the Pacific Coast of North America so some are well suited to Mediterranean conditions.
We've just had a discussion on the SRGC Forum about them:http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=12327.msg314367;topicseen#new (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=12327.msg314367;topicseen#new)
Growing from seed would mean the ones which survive would be suited to your conditions.
Here we grow them with a bit of overhead protection by planting at the base of deciduous trees or shrubs, but I don't think they do well in heavy shade. They will benefit from some summer water but that's not essential despite our 40oC summers,
cheers
fermi
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2 late flowering bulbous iris:
'Thunderbolt'
'Eye of the Tiger'
cheers
fermi
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November is the time for the Spuria iris!
A mixed group of yellow and brown hybrids;
Close up of brown Spuria Iris which might be 'Intensity'
Close up of yellowSpuria Iris hybrid,
cheers
fermi
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Cali, two years ago you wrote that you had an Iris 'Katharine Hodgkin' that you wanted to find a new place for, did you have any success?
I am just wondering, since I find it amazing that a plant can thrive both in a mediterranean climate and up here in the northern part of Europe. Actually, we hardly had a proper winter here this year, although we had short periods with around 20 degrees below zero. The snow is long gone (but may be back), today I took some photos of the first irises in the garden, 'Katharine Hodgkin is not very tall, but worth looking at.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8729/16907700772_382037af49_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/rL5ooh)
_Z230405-Edit Iris 'Katharine Hodgkin.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/rL5ooh) by Jorun Tharaldsen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/46063510@N03/), on Flickr
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Beautiful Jorun - such a variety of colours and markings. I agree about how strange it is that some plants thrive in such diverse conditions- a bit like people I suppose, some of us are more adaptable than others, don't think I would survive for long in the cold temperatures you mention!
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The early spring pleasure didn't last long, it started snowing last night and all the flowers are covered by 25-30 cm snow, and much more is expected. I'm longing for Greece, only 12 more days left before we are leaving this white environment.
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Some Iris germanica coming to the end of their flowering period.
1. "Haut les Voiles"
2. "Foreigner"
3. "High Class"
4. "Trails West"
5. "Designer's Art"
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Lovely, Alice! 'Haut les Voiles' and 'High Class' have the subtle colouring almost of a sweet pea.
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Thank you, Alisdair. There are some gorgeous ones around.
There may be one more to come. I am waiting with bated breath.
We have found that, in our conditions, tall bearded irises do better if they get shade for about half the day. We also prepared the bed a few months before planting, digging in lots of manure.
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This Juno can grow in our garden in a raised bed with very well drained soil:
Iris planifolia,
cheers
fermi
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First flower open today on another Juno, Iris magnifica (ex) 'Agalik' from the 2010 SRGC Seedex,
cheers
fermi
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Gorgeous, Firmi; thanks!
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A couple of Oncocyclus iris hybrids raised by Pat Toolan in South Australia which she sent me a few years ago:
Iris kirkwoodiae x Iris atropurpurea
Iris mariae x Iris haynei
cheers
fermi
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Iris Kin-Boshi
A "lost label" Japanese Iris ensata hybrid
cheers
fermi
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First iris here in the middle of winter is another of Alan McMurtrie's hybrids, 'Dance On'.
Unfortunately a slug found it before I did :'(
It's now surrounded by slug pellets!
cheers
fermi
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Iris unguicularis 'Alba' produces an occasional bloom and occasionally I manage to get a pic,
cheers
fermi
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I must have seen thousands of Iris unguicularis in the wild, Fermi, with tremendous variations in the depth of colour even within each single population, but I've never seen a white one. What a treat, thanks!
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It's been a good year for our Pacific Coast Iris with a wet winter and some warm weather now that we're into spring.
'Big Money'
'Sahara Sunset'
White seedling;
Tan seedling;
Dark purple seedling;
'Sahara Sunset' en masse;
Purple and white seedlings;
cheers
fermi
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This Dutch Iris was the only yellow one available when I first started growing them more than 30 years ago!
'Golden Harvest' is a brilliant flower though it appears "dumpy" compared to more recent introductions,
cheers
fermi
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Great colours, Fermi!
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A new Dutch Iris for us - 'Autumn Princess' - it appears browner in real life than the pics portray,
cheers
fermi
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These dwarf bulbous irises were in bloom in August:
Iris 'George'
Iris 'Alida'
Iris 'Violet Beauty'
iris 'Springtime'
cheers
fermi
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Do you have all your wonderful iris photos gathered together on a site somewhere? If not can I offer the new MGS photo gallery site as a display area for you?
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Hi Fleur,
I'll send you a message.
Here is a little bearded iris grown from seed as Iris subbiflora but I've had some others dispute this ID; perhaps someone here might have an opinion on what it really is,
cheers
fermi
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This is a hybrid of Iris subbiflora and I. revoluta which I received from a friend who is an iris specialist,
cheers
fermi
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Your friend must be very proud of that, Fermi.
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H Alisdar,
I never asked if she'd raised it herself but she may've done so.
Here are some dwarf bearded iris in flower now:
1 & 2) a lost label gold with blue-beard;
3) Artful;
4) Mara of Aram;
5 & 6) Rivetting;
7 & 8 ) Tarheel Elf;
cheers
fermi
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Another lovely collection! 8)
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Our first iris for the year is a Japanese Iris Hybrid called 'Emperor'.
We don't have a lot of success with Japanese Iris though we keep them in ponds of water while they are in growth and remove them during the winter. They seem heat sensitive as this flower was shrivelled up by evening after only getting to 33oC today,
cheers
fermi
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Spectacular colour - well worth the trouble!
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Our first iris for the new season is a retic hybrid from Alan McMurtrie in Canada http://www.reticulatas.com/ (http://www.reticulatas.com/) who has raised an incredible range of colours by crossing Iris danfordiae and Iris sophenensis and then back crossing the offspring. This one is called 'Blue Ice'.
We got it through a friend in Tasmania who imported it from Janis Ruksans in Latvia! Talk about well travelled!
cheers
fermi
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Some more "retics" in flower today:
'Gordon'
'Purple Gem'
cheers
fermi
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Porple Gem is gorgeous; thanks!
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This is 'Violet Beauty' which I got in 2014 from Lambley Nursery
cheers
fermi
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Some Dwarf Bearded Iris from earlier in October:
DBI mauve & purple
DBI 'Larrikin'
DBI mauve and blue - possibly 'Smooch'
DBI 'Acid Test'
unlabelled dusky purple DBI - maybe 'Mara ofAram'
DBI yellow -blue beards - maybe 'Gossip'
cheers
fermi
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Wow!
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I grew this form of Iris decora (which is now considered Iris barbatula) from seed.
This is definitely not suited to Mediterranean conditions.
We grow it in shade in a pot with almost constant water while it's in growth (spring to summer) and dry in winter.
The flowers open in the mid-morning and are faded by evening - short lived but pretty,
cheers
fermi
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I don't seem to have much luck with Iris hollandica hybrids but I keep on trying. Last year I got one plant of 'Eye of the Tiger' to flower (first photo). This year four of my 'Red Ember' are flowering. The red is emphasized in the photo. They look browner in real life.
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Some of the Dutch Iris in our garden this spring
cheers
fermi
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Some more of the mixed Dutch hybrids
cheers
fermi
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I think this might be Dutch Iris 'Hildegarde'
cheers
fermi
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This might be Dutch Iris 'Apollo'
cheers
fermi
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This Dutch Iris might be 'Casablanca' and it has certainly done well this year
cheers
fermi
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They look so fresh and cool especially to us who are still being baked by the sun!
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Some Dwarf Bearded Iris this spring:
DBI 'Wild Ruby'
DBI 'Smooch'
yellow DBI
DBI - maybe 'Cat's Eye'
maroon DBI
DBI 'Toy Clown'
DBI 'Olives & Umber'
DBI 'Tarheel Elf'
cheers
fermi
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Iris 'Holden Clough' - an Iris pseudocorus hybrid.
We moved the entire clump last year and it is finally recovered enough to flower!
They are now in a shallow depression at the end of a "dry creek bed" which directs water here when it rains
cheers
fermi
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Here are 3 brown Dutch Iris :
1 & 2) Iris 'Autumn Princess' & 'Eye of the Tiger' (not sure which is which!)
3 & 4) Iris 'Thunderbolt'
cheers
fermi
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Fermi I love the colour of these irises. They stand out more then the yellow
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Hi Charithea,
Yes, I've always liked the look of brown coloured Dutch Iris but it took ages to get any! On the packs of "Mixed Dutch Iris" there was always a picture with blue, yellow, white and brown flowers but there was never a brown one in the pack! 'Thunderbolt' was the first one I got from a friend back in the late 1990s, I think. The others have become available commercially in recent years here.
cheers
fermi
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November is the time for these:
Spuria Iris 'Golden Candle'
Spuria Iris 'Wild At Heart'
Spuria Iris 'Intensity'
cheers
fermi
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I must be getting nesh in my old age https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nesh. I thought the weather had turned cold and unpleasant a few weeks ago but this Iris germanica (I presume) clearly doesn't agree. Lots of plants were in bud and this one was in flower on Christmas Eve near a local market in Rome.
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Wow, David! That's a word I have not heard in a very long time. It was, and perhaps still is, in common usage in my native Derbyshire while I was growing up. Generally used in the context of being sensitive to the cold. Incidentally I spotted another word in the link you provided that is of equal vintage and that was equally common, clem, as in "I'm fair clemmed" meaning "I'm really hungry".
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First flower out yesterday and there are a few more buds coming up too.
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Beautiful colour David👍
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The reticulata iris begin to flower in winter:
1) 'Purple Gem'
2) 'Pauline'
3) this might be 'Edward' - at least that's what's on the nearest label!
cheers
fermi
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Iris 'Eyecatcher' is one of Alan McMurtrie's hybrids using Iris danfordiae and Iris histrioides ssp sophensis
http://reticulatas.com/98-NP-4.html (http://reticulatas.com/98-NP-4.html)
cheers
fermi