Garden Visit: Pacific Coast Iris at Leonine Iris Gardens, Pt.1

By Mike Starrhill

Last spring I was lucky enough to have the time and opportunity to visit Leonine Iris in Skyway, WA, where I saw an amazing array of Pacific Coast Irises (PCI). Bob Seaman has created a beautiful garden on this small city lot and has specialized in PCIs since 2009. He has over 240 varieties, as well as a smattering of bearded irises and misc. other species, tucked into every corner, making excellent use of the small space. We were lucky to be there on a beautiful day when the sun was shining and the flowers - and visitors - were soaking it up. The following are some of my favorite blooms that I saw that day. We'll start today with some cool tones. Check back over the next few days to see more. Hope you enjoy them.

 

Drying Pacifica Iris Seeds

Kathleen Sayce

When I first collected Pacifica iris seeds, I learned the hard way to let them dry thoroughly before packing seeds into envelopes.  Several packages of fresh seeds developed mold! 

Seeds need ten days to two weeks of patient drying time from pod to package. Gardening is not only a creative physical and visual practice, it's a constant practice of patience––and a lesson I keep returning to again and again, apparently I'm a slow learner when it comes to patience. 

Ripe Pacifica Iris pod with moldy seeds, right from the garden. This whitish mold is in the seed coat, not the seed. The seeds will germinate despite the mold. 

I quickly learned that no matter how dry the pod, the seeds needed their own drying time once they were decanted. The following images show the transition from fresh, damp seeds to dry seeds that can be packaged safely. 

Fresh seeds, right out of the pod:  Smooth and light colored, these seeds need to dry for a couple of weeks. 

Seeds are usually light brown as they come from the pod; they can be greenish, yellow, gold, or even pink.  These seeds will feel damp in your hand. If you are planting Pacifica Iris seeds right away, skip drying and plant them out. Pacifica Iris seeds can live when stored cool for several years, so if you plan to store them, then take the time to dry them first. Seeds ripen as they dry down, are more resistant to cold, and last longer in storage. 

Partially dry, these seeds are starting to darken. 

As the seeds dry, they darken and develop patterned seed coats. The partially dry seeds, shown above, will still feel slightly damp in your hand. They are still too damp to store. Be patient. Let them dry a few more days to a week. 

Finally dry enough to package and send off in the mail to a seed exchange.

Thoroughly dry seeds are light, feel dry to the touch, and are medium brown to dark brown to black in color. The seeds in the photo above are dry enough to put in envelopes and store, or mail to a seed exchange. 

These are extra pods. Note the brown pod at top with loose ripe seeds above it. 

Another hard lesson was that not all seeds are needed by seed exchanges.  One year, I hand cleaned a leaf bag (one of those large black yard trash bags) full of pods of Iris douglasiana seeds––there must have been eight to ten ounces of seed by the time I was done. The seed chairman that year cheerfully used the seeds as extras where those ordering wanted vigorous species-type seeds. 

Nowadays I count pods and rarely collect more than 10 pods of any one variety, which will give more than 120 seeds. On the low end, I aim for at least 2 pods, or 20-30 seeds, as a minimum donation of one variety, unless it's something I know only a few people will want. I have one pod coming on a rare iris and will share seeds directly with those who want it, if I get more than 10 seeds from that single pod. 

If you save seeds for seed exchanges, think about how many seeds to send in. Seed chairs typically want to send out at least 5 seeds of each variety, and if they get only 10 seeds of anything, then only two orders can be filled. 

These days, I clip off extra seed pods and compost them, or toss the seeds out in a rough meadow. Someday I may have a mixed meadow of grasses and irises in that part of my garden. I also toss them on the lawn by the iris beds, the seeds in the photo above may germinate where they fell. 

Seeds are a promise of plants to come. Every time I collect seeds, plant them, and grow new plants, it feels like a blessing from nature. When those new plants bloom and set seed in turn, it's the great wheel of life turning in my own garden, year after year. 

When Pacifica Iris Pods Are Ripe

Kathleen Sayce

Mid to late summer is exciting:  it's harvest time for Pacifica Iris pods. Some species irises shed seed by early July in my garden, including Iris tenax and I. innominata. These species often grow at high elevations in the wild, flower in May or June, and have ripe seed by mid July to early August. They waste no time cranking out the next generation. Other species take more time to ripen seeds, nine weeks instead of five to six weeks, including I. douglasiana. Pods often go through a color change as they ripen, from green to gold or yellow. Even when not opened, a yellow pod has mature seeds inside, ready to collect. 

Just a few weeks ago, seed pods were green. 

Iris pods are opening all over the garden by late July, when the mesh bags come into use. Here, all pods in this cluster have opened, the tips are spread on the upper two, and the bottom one has valves spread to show the seeds inside.

Mesh bags or nylon stockings are good devices to use to contain seeds and ensure that a gardener's work in crossing specific parents isn’t lost at the seed collection step. Saving even a few seeds from a choice cross can be important in a hybridizing program. 

I cut the stems and collect the pods, still in their mesh bags, to dry before taking out the seeds. The stems can be tied together with a wire tie or string, hung in a dry shady place, out of the sun and away from direct heat––just as you would dry herbs or flowers, or put into paper bags in a warm dry spot. After a few days, any pods that can open, have done so, and the seeds are ready to clean and package. 

A basket of treasure:  Ripe pods in paper bags, ready to dry indoors. 

Normally the valves separate from the pods, and the seeds break off and scatter. Occasionally pods stay closed or only partially open. Either the tip will not separate, or the sutures along the edges do not open.  When this happens, I use a knife or razor blade in a holder to cut the tip off, or cut along a suture line, being very careful to keep my fingers intact, and to not cut into seeds. Then I gently peel out the seeds.

Seeds go into a bowl. Use a large bowl that you can swirl seeds around in. This lets you blow or toss seeds outside to separate seeds from chaff and pod fragments. I also use a sieve to shake out fine bits if the pods are dirty. I clean the seeds and remove all non-seed bits and pieces, insects, et cetera. Separating seeds from chaff is a very old process. Humans have been doing this for thousands of years. And it’s fun! 

After the seeds are clean, I put them in a clean bag (mesh or paper), to continue air drying. The label moves with them. I save seeds for seed exchanges, such as Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris, and Species Iris Group of North America.  

I learned the hard way to not put fresh seeds into glassine or plastic bags––they mold. The mold doesn’t kill the seeds, it’s just in the seed coats, but it looks terrible, and when it’s really bad, all the seeds are encased in a dense whitish mold into one solid lump. Ugh!  If there's too much mold I scrub the seeds with a plastic scrubby to clean them, then rinse and re-dry the seeds. 

Drying seeds, in a row of paper bags. This takes patience, and at least ten days!

Let the seeds dry thoroughly before packaging each seed lot. I’m not naturally a patient person, so this is hard. Wait ten days, at a minimum. More is better. Only when the seeds have dried indoors, in a clean mesh bag, and I have let the days slip past, do I then put the seeds into an envelope, label it, and set it aside to send to a seed exchange. I also share seeds out to gardening friends, and this is when those seeds are mailed. 

Labels need to include what, when, where, and any details of the plant or flower that are important. List:  Pod parent, pollen parent if known, the flower color on the pod parent if it’s a species or unregistered new flower, likewise any characteristics of the pollen parent that were important to note, or bee-pollinated, if open pollination was used. If you use crossing codes to track garden crosses, write down those codes too. This helps you and others track the parentage of your seeds. 

Another task is to take all the used mesh bags, wash them in warm soapy water, rinse, dry, and then freeze them for at least two weeks. Why freeze the bags? If any invertebrate eggs are in the bags, this will kill them. Washing, drying and freezing helps ensure that the bags are clean, and ready to use again next year.  

Do you grow PCIs, and do you save seeds to give to other gardeners?

Pretty Pacificas

By Mike Unser

One of the best things about gardening on the west coast of the U.S. is being able to grow Pacific Coast Irises. These are awesome flowers that come in an array of shapes and sizes naturally, and hybridizers here have created even more variety and range from the numerous species found up and down the coastline. While we wait patiently for spring to bring them around again I thought I'd share a few photos of some of my favorites that I have grown.

This first photo of a clump of yellow in full, riotous bloom is one of my best PCI photos. This seedling was one of the most vigorous and floriferous I have ever grown. It was also one of the earliest PCis to come to flower, extending the season a bit.

Next up is a charming shot of I. douglasiana. This variety is native to Thurston County, WA, though this specific color no longer grows wild here, as the area where it was collected has been developed for decades. Lavender and white versions can be found in the south of the county along the interstate, but as far as I know, this orchid pink is only in gardens now. 

I did not grow many named varieties, as they aren't easy to come by, don't ship and transplant well, and grow so easy from seed. I did have this lovely variety though-'For Ruth' (Roy Davidson, 1979). Just look a the wonderful colors as it lights up in the morning sun. Just perfect.

Another named variety, 'Native Jewel' (Weaver, 1972), shows off the lavender side of the rainbow. This one was well liked for its very upright stems, a trait sometimes lacking in PCIs, which often do like to arc out wide.

I love this photo of 'Poppy' (Edinger/Patterson, 1983). The flower is lovely with wide round petals and a clean clear soft yellow tone, but I also appreciated the beauty of the buds rising together, so I went for this side shot when the opportunity presented.

I'll leave you with a seedling I got at a local plant swap. I am head over heels for the cream and lavender colors on this one. And isn't it pretty with the omphaloides?

I hope you've enjoyed these photos, and if you live in an area with a dry summer- mild winter climate try growing some PCIs in your garden. Seed is readily available from the SIGNA seed exchange each year. 

2013 Sydney B. Mitchell Medal Winners "Hidden Asset" and "Lines that Rhyme"

By Renee Fraser

The Pacific Coast Native irises "Hidden Asset" and "Lines that Rhyme"  share the honor of being awarded the Sydney B. Mitchell Medal this year.

This medal is restricted to Pacific Coast Native (PCN) irises. It is named in honor of Sydney B. Mitchell (1878-1951).

On the AIS Awards Page, Clarence Mahan tells us the history of the award:

"Tom Craig wrote this of him: 'Sydney [Mitchell] looked upon plant breeding as a long term international effort in which individuals from all over the world should co-operate and add generation after generation to a real human achievement. He made me feel a real part of this and more particularly a part of a special work started by William Mohr and carried on by himself. Sydney generously gave flowers and plants of seedling for further encouragement with this work.'"

Furthermore, Mahan writes that "Mitchell was also interested in the native irises of the West Coast, and promoted them at every opportunity. He took great pride in the plantings of PCNs in his own garden. He had a large collection of various forms of I . innominata and I. douglasiana."  

The description of "Hidden Asset" from the AIS Encyclopedia:

'Hidden Asset' (Duane Meek, R. 2003) Sdlg. P7. CA, 12" (31 cm), EM S. light mahogany veined darker, rim tan; style arms tan, slight pinkish cast; F. deep red veined darker, rim tan, brushed tan blaze with red veining, light streak from signal to near edge. ('Ohlone' x 'Upper Echelon') X ('Native Warrior' x 'Pacific Moon'). Wildwood Gardens 2003. Honorable Mention 2008; Award of Merit 2010; Mitchell Medal 2013.

"Hidden Asset" Photo credit Wildwood Gardens

And the following on "Lines that Rhyme":

'Lines That Rhyme' (Joseph Ghio, R. 2002) Sdlg. CP-110H. CA, 13" (33 cm), ML. S. gold with brown veining; F. gold, brown lines and dots radiating to wide brown rim, signal violet tan. 'Rancho Corralitos' X PB-207L: ('Jacks Are Wild' x ('Charter Member' sib x 'Rainbow Connection')). Bay View 2003. HM 2008, AM 2010; Mitchell Medal 2013.

"Lines that Rhyme" AIS Encyclopedia

To find out more information on Pacific Coast Native Irises, please visit the Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris website.

Irises at Aitken's: Part Three - PCIs

In the third installment of photos from my trip to Aitken's Salmon Creek Garden I'd like to show you the beauty of some of their Pacific Coast Irises (PCI). These are modern hybrids created from crossing the various species of PCI and then breeding for years to attain a phenomenal range of colors and patterns. They really do have one of the widest color ranges of any members of the iris family, it is too bad they are not able grow well outside the Mediterranean type climate we enjoy along the Pacific coast.

First up is 'Baby Blanket', a lovely creation of Joe Ghio from 1998. It is a deep blended pink with a large blue signal spot. It won an Award of Merit (AM) in 2004.


'Blue Moment' (D. Meek, 1992) is a lovely light blue-violet with deeper veining. It sports large, ruffled flowers.


Another Ghio creation is 'Earthquake' from 1991. Now this is really something special, even for a PCI, and it won an AM in 1997. Just look at this amazing coloration - gold changing to red, deepening to almost black in the center of the falls. It almost appears to be aflame!


Next we have another variety with the 'Wow!' factor - 'Pacific Glaze'. Every part of this iris is wide and ruffled including the style arms. This is one of the Aitken's own creations introduced in 2010. It is a bewitching blend of colors on an underlay of gold. Rich and stunning.


Last is a softer variety, 'Pacific Snowflake' (Shoop, 1995). It is a clear crystalline white with the edges blushing the faintest of blue tints. It is pure loveliness, and was awarded an AM in 2000.


So who is ready to move to the west coast just so they can grow some of these beauties? I'm lucky enough to already live here, and let me tell you how much I love having an iris species that is practically care free in my climate. If only they could grow everywhere. Tomorrow we'll take a look at various other species of irises Terry and Barbara are growing at their beautiful garden.