Year in Review

As the editors of The World of Irises blog look back on 2017, these were the most viewed posts. To view the email, just click on the title of the blog and it will take you to the post.

 In first place was Dawn Munford’s “A Fond Farewell to Tall Bearded Iris."

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Image by Dawn Munford

The second most viewed blog was Suzanne Holland Spicker’s "’Talking Irises’ TALL BEARDED IRISES: COMPANION PLANTS for PINK, RED, and PURPLE IRISES.”

'Red Skies' (Ghio)--image by Suzanne Spicker

That blog was followed by Chad Harris’s “Colors, Patterns of Japanese Iris."

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Image by Chad Harris

Dawn Munford occupies the Number 4 spot with “MOREPHOTOMONTAGES OF TALL BEARDED IRISES.”

Image by Dawn Munford

Rounding out the top five, Suzanne Holland Spicker’s “GardenMagic Fills My Soul.”

Image by Kat Zalewska

Next up is Tom Waters’s “Growing Irises From Seed.”

Image by Tom Water

One of our new bloggers occupies the next spot with Hooker Nichol’s “Louisiana Irises.”

'Great White Hope' (Haymon)--Image by Robert Treadway

Bonnie Nichols wrote about cultural problems in “Bloom Out in Bearded Irises.”

Image by Bonnie Nichols

In ninth place, Bryce Williamson posted “I’m Singing the Blues.”

'Absolute Treasure' (Tasco)--Image by Bryce Williamson

The final blog in the top 10 is Chad Harris’s “FlowerForms of Japanese Iris.”

Image by Chad Harris

You can be automatically notified of all new post by going to the top left of any blog and filling your email address in the box and then clicking on submit. With the wide variety of content in this blog, you don’t want to miss a post.

And the editors look forward to 2018 and many more exciting and interesting posts.

A Japanese Iris Cross for Beginners

By Chad Harris

Mt Pleasant Iris Farm 

Of the several different crosses over the past 38 years involving Japanese irises, Iris ensata that have stood out, I would like to share with you my most rewarding to date, ‘Night Angel’ (Aitken 1996) X ‘Frosted Intrigue’ (Bauer/Coble 1997).

Looking to the background of the two parents you will find many different patterns, selves, rims, sanded, blazed, veined, and rays. Pictured here are but a few of the lineage check out the AIS Wiki for more photos of the grandparents and great grandparents.

The cross ‘Night Angel’ X ‘Frosted Intrigue’ I have made twice now for myself. A small trial planting in 2002 with about 30 seedlings produced 15 seedlings worthy to line out to take a second look at. Of these, four were eventually selected to be introduced.

Because of the high percentage of worthwhile seedlings I remade this cross to line out several hundred more seedlings. The first that caught my eye with its maiden bloom in the seedling field was 08JE1, introduced last year as ‘Koto Harp Strings’.

Many other siblings have been lined out and also guested to the 2020 Japanese Iris Convention to be hosted in Nova Scotia, Canada. Following are a few of these 2008 seedlings that have been reselected for possible future introductions.

As you can see with the seedlings and introduced varieties from ‘Night Angel’ X ‘Frosted Intrigue’ that the pattern breakout is wide and varied.

I share this information to hopefully entice someone young and new to hybridizing to raise the tweezers and try their hand with Japanese iris, Iris ensata.

Beyond the Bloom

By Chad Harris

When people first think of an iris they envision blooms and the many colors of the rainbow they come in. In fact Iris is known as the Greek goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. Here I would like to be your messenger to open your mind and eye to look beyond the bloom.

Bearded iris give a bold look to the garden

If you site your bearded iris right with good air circulation they give a bold almost agave look to the garden.

Like stain glass the leaves will glow with the sun

Using Iris pallida variegata in the garden will brighten up an area. If you can, site it so the sun shines through for you to enjoy the stain glass effect. Who needs a bloom with this look?

‘Amethyst Echo’ carries the soft foliage of a full fountain Siberian iris

Broad and upright leaf of ‘Swans In Flight’ gives strong texture

‘Banish Misfortune’ with its thin graceful arching leaves gives an airy look

Siberian iris for most are easy to grow and should be a go to iris for majority of gardeners. The graceful foliage whether upright or fountain, comes in all sorts of shades of green, from blue-green to lime-green. However you need to get out to the farms before and after bloom to inspect the plants. Then you can chose which color and texture is needed for your garden.

With its thin grass like foliage Iris graminea, a Spuria,

makes for a fine filler at only a foot tall

Spuria hybrids make for a bold statement
across many different climate zones

If sited correctly the Spuria family are very tough plants. They are one of the few iris that will thrive for a long time in the same place without division. Many different species are smaller and make for great shorter grass like mounds as fillers for the garden. The newer hybrids come in a range of size from a few feet tall to five feet and greater. With their stiff upright foliage they make a bold statement in the garden.

Iris ensata ‘Hekiou’ showing the full fountain form

Japanese iris ‘Little Bow Pink’ a top award winner has beautiful upright foliage

Japanese, Iris ensata are more temperamental to grow with a very narrow cultural window. However if you have the right conditions, these late blooming iris will give a grace and charm to your garden. Plants can be two feet tall to six feet with majority of them three to four feet tall.

Spec-X ‘Ally Oops’ is a vigorous plant with a full fountain look

‘Holden’s Child’ gives a strong bold look to the garden

Specie crosses are made to get vigorous plants that are tolerant of varied conditions in the garden. Many growers will list these as Spec-X.

A newer Spec-X is called “Pseudata”, these plants are the cross of a Spec-x ‘Gubijin’ x Iris ensata.

Spec-X ‘Violet Swallows’ has a nice glow to the plant in the early spring

‘French Buttercream’ emerges early in the spring
with bright yellow foliage greening up later.

I am very enthused with these new hybrids as they can bring a unsurpassed brightness to the early spring garden. These plants will green up later in the season with stronger light of the sun.

Plants of the new Spec-X shine in the early Spring fields with their yellow foliage

This chameleon effect may not be as strong in other parts of the country for the lack of cloudy Spring days as compared to our days here in the Pacific Northwest.

‘Gerald Darby’ with its upright purple based foliage is a handsome plant

Iris laevigata ‘Seiran’ is easy to grow in containers

Many of these iris that I have been speaking of can be grown in containers.

Container grouping on the patio deck

Grouped together on the patio or deck can make for a dramatic scene, mixing all of the different textures available.

Here I have barely touched on the 250 plus species of iris that may be grown and what they can bring to the garden beyond the bloom. There is an iris for water, desert, sun, shade, and everything in between.  Meet with your local farm, iris club, or at the National level of The American Iris Society to learn what can be successfully grown in your own area.

Flower Forms of Japanese Iris

By Chad Harris

The iris family Japanese iris, Iris ensata has the most diverse flower forms of any other iris. This diversity has been achieved under the watchful eye of hybridizers in Japan over several hundred years of selective breeding, working with mutations within a single species.

Areas in Japan that bred Japanese iris with different flower forms

Secrecy of breeding stock within the different groups in Japan and the regional taste of perfecting what the perfect flower form should be, gave rise to distinct forms. Container growing for indoor display or garden growing for outdoor viewing also led to distinct flower forms of Iris ensata.

Typical three fall form of a wild type Japanese iris

The typical flower forms found in the wilds are smaller blooms of three falls, three standards, and three style arms. It is easy to remember flower parts of the iris as falls are the petals that hang or fall down, while the standards are the petals that stand upright. The style arms are the central part of the iris flower housing all of the reproductive organs female and male.

Nagai style of flower blooming in a Japanese iris garden

Nagai possibly the oldest flower form found in Japan. This area is known for its wild iris that had more variation in flower colors and patterns.

Nagai form is simple, showing variation in colors and patterns

The flower forms found here are simpler, being collected wild iris that had caught the eye of a collector.

Elevated walkway to be able to look down upon the iris flowers

Edo ancient name of Tokyo is where growers developed different flower forms some with multiple falls. Plants from this area of Japan were meant to be grown in the garden and seen from a higher elevation looking down upon the flower.

Three fall Edo flower form

Six fall or double flower form of the Edo style

Nine fall flower with the horizontal flower form of the Edo style

To get the maximum viewing pleasure of viewing from above, many flower forms whether single (3 falls), double (6 falls), or multi-falls (9+ falls) generally are held in the more horizontal linear line of a plate.

Ise flower form the three falls are pendent

Ise style and form meant to be grown in containers and brought indoors for display. This distinctive form embraces only the three fall variety of bloom. The falls to be seen from the side were bred to be pendent and hang straight down from the haft or shoulder of the bloom. These plants are shorter with the bloom stem at or slightly below the foliage height thus cradling or to seemingly hold the flower.

Higo indoor display

From the southern island the Kumamoto or Higo form was bred. Due to the heavy rains at bloom time these plants were also grown in containers like the Ise flowers to be displayed indoors during bloom.

Higo three fall flower form

Six fall Higo flower form with large style arms and flaring crests

The 3 fall, 6 fall, or multi-fall blooms being viewed from the side were also bred with arching falls, however, not as severe as the Ise form. These are large flowers with very large style arms and upright crests being the “heart” of the flower.

Ball form of the Japanese iris

There are also recognized flower forms that we today would call novelty. The “Ball” form is a flower that does not open fully staying in the balloon stage, or slightly opening up as Yae-gyokuhoren.

The raptors talons of the claw form

The “Claw” form is very self-describing. Do you see the raptors claws?

Hose-n-Hose is one flower inside of another

Rare is the true Hose-n-Hose form. This flower may look at first glance to be a multi-fall bloom, however, look at the placement of the pollen anthers and you will discover that this is truly one flower inside or on top of another. These flowers do not have any seed in the ovaries, they only show layers of more flower parts (petals) one on top of another.

Multiple style arms and crests a form being embraced in the United States

Fast becoming a modern favorite flower form here in the United States is the “Multi-Style Arm”. When the anthers become extra style arms, they make for a tight tuft in the center of the flower. This does have drawbacks as there usually is no pollen to be found. It is also difficult to find which correct style arm to put pollen on for future breeding of the flower. I do not know if this form is found or embraced in Japan and would like to hear from other growers.

For further reading on this subject: The Japanese Iris, by Currier McEwen; Classic Irises and the men and women who created them (chapter 4), by Clarence E. Mahan; and The Japan Iris Society web-site at http://www.japan-iris.org, here you will find English written papers by Hiroshi Shimizu.