Really Late Fall: Kentucky Zone 6

by Betty Wilkerson

My garden is a working/hybridizing garden with the goal of breeding some of the newest and best reblooming irises for the cooler zones 5 and 6. The 2016 bloom season has truly been one of the most beautiful iris years in my recent memory.  How lucky could I get? After a late spring and summer full of rebloom, I get early and late blooms!   Fall was in no hurry to leave my Kentucky garden, and I was in no rush to have it leave. There have been a couple of fall seasons when my body was weak, but my love affair with iris has not grown any weaker as the years pass. No hard freeze until November 11.  Thanks, Mother Nature!

'Luminosity' (Byers 1991)

 'Luminosity' is a bright beacon in the fall garden.  As the fall sun grows lower in the sky, more and more stalks appear in the clump.  It doesn't bloom this strong every fall, but when it does blooms there are usually several stalks.  The stalks are perfect this year, showing me it could be a good choice for future breeding.

Gate of Heaven (Zurbrigg 2004)

 'Gate of Heaven' was reported in an earlier version, but it did continue to bloom all the way to the freezing frost.  There were eight or ten fall stalks.  I've moved a clump of this and another of 'Immortality' near the new rebloom perennial bed and, therefore, easy to use in the spring, as that is when I do my breeding.  

2612-03Re (Wilkerson seedling)

2611-03re (Wilkerson seedling)

 Several of my reblooming seedlings performed well this fall.  2612-03Re will be a good one if the stalks can grow taller in the future.  It grew three stalks.  2611-03Re is one of my favorites from the 2611 cross as it has a brownish cast which pales after opening.  It has perfect branching, a great bud count and it's tall.

'Cool Character' (Wilkerson 2013)

 'Cool Character' was beautiful this fall.  The standards are a very pale lavender when first open and pales to pure white.  Falls are white with a band of purple.  Multiple tall, robust stalks with a great bud count.  I was a great contrast with 'Star Gate' which blooms beside it.

'Lunar Whitewash' (Innerst 2004) 

 'Lunar Whitewash' has been one of the great reblooming promises of the modern ages.  I've used it several times in breeding and will probably do so again before I'm finished.  The branching is not always poor, as expected, but it's not always good, either.  It bloomed this fall even though it had only been moved to this spot in the spring.

Below are three pink or pinkish irises that bloomed this fall.  Unfortunately, they probably used up most of their energy, and they may not bloom in the spring.  If I'd known the cold weather would be so long in raising it's frosty highlight, I'd have made some crosses early in the fall!  Such is not my practice.  Sherri's pretty chicken was at large in the one picture.  

'Cameo Blush' (Weiler 1998)

'Priscilla of Corinth' (Miller 1994)

'October Splendor' (Sides 1997)

'Cool Character,' (2013) Start Gate' (2005) & 'Echo Location' (2007) (Wilkerson)

The three in the last picture are all Wilkerson introductions.  They are some of my best creations.  I look forward to posting more reblooming seedlings as the 2017 year is near!  My 2016 seedlings will be sprouting between late February and late April, but most likely they will begin in mid March.

For winter research I recommend going into the Blog archives here, and going to The Reblooming Iris website @ www.rebloomingiris.com.  All of the iris groups on Facebook have a search feature that will help in iris research.  I also recommend looking at the websites of people who sell reblooming irises like http://www.walking-p-bar.com/ & www.schreinersgardens.com, not to buy, but to research what is available.

Some of My Best Rebloom Parents in Zone 6

by Betty Wilkerson

'Earl of Essex' has been used by many people and it has produced many rebloomers, but I'm not sure it has received all the praise it deserves. It is one of my favorite parents due to the fall form, which is round, and its willingness to pass on its rebloom genes.  On the negative side it is a cycle rebloomer, it is short, and it is a plicata.  Those are drawbacks because I work with summer rebloomers, prefer tall seedlings, and dislike the messy hafts that come along when crossing plicatas and selfs.  I've been told that the messy hafts come along with the plicata breeding since they have not been removed from the plicata gene set, and although these genes are not specifically a part of the plicata gene, they ride along with it.  

'Earl of Essex' (Zurbrigg 1979)

Common sense tells me that the shorter plant should be used as the pollen parent with the taller plant being the pod parent, but this is not possible when you don't grow both plants. Sometimes we get pollen from other growers, you see.  A friend donated pollen from 'Hot Streak' (Ghio 1999) and I crossed it to 'Earl of Essex', and 'Radiant Bliss' was the result.  I'm extremely glad I didn't follow common sense!

'Radiant Bliss' (Wilkerson 2004)

Once I moved to Mitchell Weaver Road, and established a short row of 'Radiant Bliss', I looked for a rebloom partner.  'Summer Radiance' stood tall and proud just a few plants over.  Both plants are tall, so it wouldn't matter which was taller, but 'Summer Radiance' rarely sets pods so I used it as pollen parent.

'Summer Radiance' (Wilkerson 1996)

There were several seedlings from the cross that rebloomed, and although some were red, the best one I named 'Summer Honey.'  In 2011 it managed to bloom from spring through fall freeze.  It was a nice, relatively moderate summer, and I did water every ten days or so when there was no rain.  I received a letter with pictures of it reblooming in Oregon in 2014.  It was gorgeous.

'Summer Honey' (Wilkerson 2013) 

Below is a picture of the stalks that were cut down in the fall freeze of 2011. Five stalks growing from one rhizome.

'Summer Honey' stalks (fall)

'Radiant Bliss' was crossed onto 'Innocent Star,' resulting in five rebloomers. 'All Revved Up' is one of these rebloomers.  It passes rebloom on to many of it children.

'All Revved Up' (Wilkerson 2006)

'Rebound' (Wilkerson 96) was used on 'Innocent Star' and produced 'Echo Location' and four other rebloomers.  Below is a picture, showing the netting beside the beard, that I understand indicates it is a plicata.  'All Revved Up' and 'Echo Location' share 75% of their genes.

'Echo Location' (Wilkerson 2007)

'Echo Location' (netting is proof of plicata genes)

'Echo Location' was crossed onto 'Again and Again.'  There were three rebloomers, but 2130-01Re is the only seedling I kept from this cross.  It's not as pretty as I thought it was in maiden bloom.  It was a solid purple self in maiden bloom, but this is what it looks like now.

'Again and Again' (Innerst 1999)

2130-01Re (Wilkerson seedling)

I've crossed 'Over and Over' onto this seedling.  Many have been planted and some may bloom this spring.  Stay tuned for an update on the seedlings.

Why Grow Rebloomers?

by Betty Wilkerson

In the world of irises, there are different guidelines for garden judging and exhibition judging.  What is the difference, you ask? Show bench irises for exhibition only have to look good, and be good, for one day.

'Summer Radiance' (Wilkerson 96)

Garden judging involves how an iris appears in the garden, not for just one day, but for the full iris season. It also assesses plant health, branching, bud count, and sequence of bloom, among other things.  Sequence of bloom not only involves how the blooms open on the stalk, one at a time, two at a time etc., but how the stalks extend from the iris clump.  For instance, an iris I grew years ago had approximately 15 stalks and they all opened the terminal buds on the same day, and then it bloomed all of the first branch primary buds a couple of days later. Yes, it was beautiful, but the clump was finished blooming in just a few days. An iris that puts up one stalk at a time, like 'Summer Radaince,' displays its beauty for a much longer time.

'Vanishing Act' (Wilkerson 2004)

'Echo Location' (Wilkerson 2007)

'Returning Chameleon' (Wilkerson 1995)

When you hear people speak of their remontant irises, they are talking about reblooming irises. Reblooming irises extend the length of bloom per season, per iris. Since there are only two or three fall shows for reblooming irises in the United States of America, most of my focus is on hybridizing good garden qualities.  I'm particularly fond of irises that are dependable for rebloom, as are those shown on this page.

Seedling # 1907-10Re 

My interest in rebloom began over 30 years ago, because I love iris blooms so much that spring bloom was not enough for me.  I'm as thrilled with one bloom as most people are with a whole clump!  When planting a new rebloom bed in my garden, I first research the cultivars that rebloom well in my area, zone 6. Second, I plant them in a good spot.  Third, I make sure I water and fertilize them well.  Nevertheless, there are no guarantees! We are still bargaining with Mother Nature.

As a breeder, I have the added advantage of seeing seedlings, like 1907-10Re, that others may never see. Ask any questions you like.  Enjoy!