"Talking Irises" TALL BEARDED IRISES 2016--A banner year

By Susanne Holland Spicker

'LIMERANCE' Blyth 2009 -This first-time bloomer has huge, ruffled falls and wonderful veining

The tall bearded iris bloom here in the top of Utah in the 2016 season was one of the best in recent memory. I had several varieties that bloomed for the first time in the garden, so, as you can imagine, I was excited to get up early and hurry outside to see what was new in the iris beds--it was better than Christmas morning!  

(Back to front) 'LOUISA'S SONG' (Blyth 2000), 'FEATURE ATTRACTION' 

(Schreiner 1994), 'ARISTOCRACY' (Keppel 2006), 'SOUTHERN MORNING' (Metler 2011), 
'EXTRAVAGANT' (Hamblen 1984), 'PARISIAN DAWN' (Keppel 2006),
'WEDDING BELLE' (Keppel 2007), 'EVER AFTER' (Keppel 1986)

I'd like to thank the many hybridizers for their stunning flowers. Their irises have given beauty, lifted spirits, and been a source of enjoyment to so many of us iris lovers over the years, and I appreciate their time and efforts in making the world a more beautiful place. Thank you!

'LENTEN PRAYER' (Schreiner 1998) My favorite iris in this shade--Huge, velvety blooms!

I'm sharing some of my pet blooms from one of my favorite beds. I love this color palette, with rich lavender, purple, rose, soft pink and shrimp shades. It wasn't hard to coordinate a bed of these shades, as there are a host of irises to choose from in these colors. Pictured is a sampling of some of my favorite irises as I walk through the bed. These are ones I especially love.

(Left to Right) 'APHRODISIAC' (Schreiner 1986), 'MAGHAREE' Blyth 1986),

 'BOLD EXPRESSION' (Ernst 2003), 'PURPLE SERENADE' (Schreiner 2005)

'DANDY CANDY' (Ernst 2001) The unique coloring of this iris makes it a visitor's favorite!

'OXFORD COUNTESS' (Blyth 2007) This huge, magnificent bloom takes your breath away!

(Forefront) 'PLANNED TREASURE' (Burger 1985), 'CENTER ICE' (Ghio 2010),  'GITANO' (Keppel 2007), 'FLORENTINE SILK' (Keppel 2005),

 'MIDNIGHT REVELRY' Schreiner 2005)

'FLORENTINE SILK' (Keppel 2005) A well-deserved award winner. Very reliable and prolific and one of my favorites in these colors

'DARING DECEPTION' (Johnson 2012) This iris stands out in the garden. Wow!

'ROMANTIC GENTLEMAN' (Blyth 2002) A clump of this is stunning!

'LOUISA'S SONG' (Blyth 2000) Always perfect blooms on sturdy stems

'PHOTOGENIC' (Ghio 2006) Aptly named, this iris is a favorite to photograph

'Kitty Kay' (Keppel 2002) Perfection! 

'CENTER ICE' (Ghio 2010) This first-time bloomer had an especially long flower life. Gorgeous blooms!

'ZANDRIA' (Nebeker 1996) I love the colors on this beauty--the beard is striking!

'PLUM PRETTY WHISKERS' (Spoon 2003) I got this because of an iris friend--and it didn't disappoint.  Beautiful!

'EYE FOR STYLE' (Blyth 2006) Outstanding color on this huge beauty! I love the shade it fades to over time, as shown in this photo

'MING LORD' ( Blyth 2006) With beautiful, velvety falls and bright beard--excellent!

'PERSIAN BERRY' (Gaulter 1977) Another favorite I got because of an iris friend. The soft shades and markings on the haft of this beautiful iris are unique. Thanks, Renee!

'FANCY STUFF' (Brown 2001) If you love lace, this is for you. Beautiful in every way! Opens up nicely.

'ELIZABETHAN AGE' (Baumunk 2005) This iris is a long bloomer. Lovely!

Some of these may be new to you; others I'm sure are on your list of favorites, too. 

What were some of your favorite blooms this year? Was it a good year iris season in your area?  I'd love to hear from you!

A Garden Gem: Iris 'Plum Pretty Whiskers'

By Renee Fraser


Garden presence.  That's what I get from another one of my favorite irises, 'Plum Pretty Whiskers.'  All of my favorite photos of my garden feature this iris.  It bloomed on and on during the two fantastic springs of 2012 and 2013 here in Southern California.




I have it planted with foxgloves, purple violas, lamb's ears, paludosum daisies, and roses.

'Plum Pretty Whiskers' was registered in 2003 by Don Spoon.  It is listed as growing to 35" and blooming mid- to late-season.  It is shorter than that in my garden, with nice straight thin leaves and double-socketed buds.  It blooms mid-season here.  As you can see in the photo above, the falls on this variety "pinch", but that does not detract from its overall impact, in my opinion.

Sometimes the dark spot on the falls is large and solid, and sometimes it is thinner and wispy looking.  I like the variability.  

'Plum Pretty Whiskers' reblooms here in Southern California on occasion, but Virginia Spoon tells us that it was not registered as a rebloomer.  It is so pretty that I don't require it to rebloom  (like I do with 'Total Recall' in the foreground). After I overwatered it last year in the heat of summer, I almost lost it to bacterial rot.  I managed to save it by digging up the healthy rhizomes and potting them up and moving them to the shade for the remainder of August and September.  The plants have not yet fully recovered, but they did bloom this spring.  Perhaps by next year, I will have more photos of this lovely iris to share.

Orchid-Colored Irises in My Garden

By Renee Fraser

My garden is filled with hot-colored roses and lilies, and although I love the oranges, yellows, and reds, they can be pretty ovewhelming on a hot Southern Californa day.

My internet gardening buddy Hoovb, who writes the gardening blog  Piece of Eden, suggested some purple or lavendar to cool it down.  Now I know I have strange tastes, but I don't care for purple, and I really don't care much at all for purple-blues with salmon-orange, the dominant color in my garden.  But she was onto something, and I thought about it until one day I saw Persian Berry in bloom at a nursery. What color is that? Using the most universally recognized color chart in the western world, the Crayola 64 Count Crayons, I decided the color was ORCHID. Cool pink, warm lavendar, that color.  Orchid to tame my hot colors.

Fortunately, there are a multitude of orchid-colored irises and each is more beautiful than the last.  Soon I was on the hunt for 'Jennifer Rebecca', which reblooms here in Southern California.  It took a long time to become established in my garden, and it has been moved from spot to spot, mercilessly, until it finally found its home right between two screaming salmon-orange roses.

'Jennifer Rebecca' Zurbrigg 1984,  reblooming iris with 'Marmalade Skies' floribunda rose

'Jennifer's' beard is the same color as the rose.  What a stroke of luck!

And here is the inspiration iris, 'Persian Berry'.  It looks very nice with yellow, and like 'Jennifer', it has a nice orange beard.  

'Persian Berry' Gaulter 1976

I have 'Persian Berry' in a bed with the pale yellow David Austin rose 'Allux Symphony' (aka Symphony), foxgloves, and dark reddish-violet violas.  I await 'Storm Rider' from Rick Tasco at Superstition Iris Gardens to center between the two roses.

'Storm Rider' Tasco 2013

To the right of 'Allux Symphony' I have 'Plum Pretty Whiskers', which reblooms for me.  It's a lovely shorter iris, perfect for the front of the bed.  The deep color in its falls was the inspiration for the dark violas and 'Storm Rider'.

'Plum Pretty Whiskers' Spoon 2003

Late-bloomer 'Rhinelander' is the latest-blooming of my orchid-colored irises.  It has yet to bloom this year, so this photo is from last year.

'Rhinelander' Schreiner 2006

I just couldn't help myself, so last season I got two more orchid-colored irises, even though (as usual) I didn't have good spots for them.  I ordered 'Orchid Pinstripe' because it is so unusual, and Randy Squires of the San Fernando Valley Iris Society gave me 'Enchanter', a huge iris that towers over the others.  I am anxiously awaiting their first blooms.  This year, however, I resisted buying any new orchid-colored irises, even though there were a few that sorely tempted me.

Do you grow any orchid-colored irises?  Or is there another color that you just cannot resist, regardless of how many you already have?  Let us know which you love best in the comments section.