[Alisdair]

Wonderful deep rich colour!

[Fermi]

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

[Hilary]

Fermi,
I am really enjoying seeing all the  spring flowers you grow in Australia.
Thanks

[Fermi]

Thanks, Hilary,
I'm looking forward to seeing the autumn flowers from you guys
Here's another of pat's hybrids: PT 0317
cheers
fermi

[Trevor Australis]

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.

[Fermi]

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

[Jamus]

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. 

[Fermi]

This is apparently an old bicolour form of Iris lutescens,
cheers
fermi

[Fermi]

I grew this from seed from the SRGC Seedex 2004 labelled iris subbiflora.
It's very dwarf and a deep purply-blue,
cheers
fermi

[Fermi]

Two more in flower this morning:
a seedling Pacific Coast Iris
a seed raised Iris taochia
cheers
fermi

[Fermi]

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

[Fermi]

This Iris reichenbachii was raised from seed from Marcus Harvey in 2012 but sown on 20-04-2013,
cheers
fermi

[Alisdair]

Wow!I suppose there's a remote chance that we might just come across it on the MGS trip to northern Greece next year....

[Fermi]

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

[Alisdair]

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