'City Lights' Lights up the Garden

By Renee Fraser

There are few irises that have stood the test of time in my garden.  One of the prettiest is 'City Lights'.  Although it's not a new variety (registered by Mary Dunn in 1990) it always looks fresh in the garden.  It reproduces well but does not get overcrowded.

It's a reblooming iris here in Southern California.  One year it bloomed for 26 days, from April 1 to 25, and another year it bloomed from March 28 to May 2!

I don't know if it reblooms in cooler areas, because it reblooms here late, beween September and January.

Although my main garden is designed around warm colors and I have no place for blues, 'City Lights' is so lovely that it is the only iris I have planted near my pond.

I must say that pictures really do not do this iris justice.  That white spot makes it look like it is aglow in the garden.

'City Lights' starts out looking quite blue as the flowers first open, but it takes on more of a violet hue as the days wear on.

If you are looking for an iris that has a good long bloom period and lights up the garden, try 'City Lights'.

Prolific, Long-lasting Bloom from 'Sweeter Than Honey'

By Renee Fraser

Frankly, I don't remember how I acquired 'Sweeter Than Honey'.  It may have been a bonus iris, it may have been won at an auction, or perhaps it was a prize from the San Fernando Valley Iris Society.  In any case, it is not a color I would have chosen.  You see, I don't do pastels.  I am a fan of florescent salmon, shocking scarlet, bright orchid purple, and sunny yellow.  Pastels have a hard time standing up to such an onslaught.

Nevertheless, this pastel iris won my heart through its sheer excellence in the garden.  Not only is the flower itself huge and perfectly formed and ruffled, it puts on the best show of any iris I have ever grown. It not only blooms extravagantly, it blooms FOREVER.  In the last two years, this thing has started in January or February and it has bloomed non-stop until June.  In case you don't believe me, I have documented this phenomenon on Facebook.  You can look it up.

Here it is blooming early in the season, before the roses get going.

I first got it in 2012, and I have not yet divided it.  I thinned it a little this year by pulling off a few rhizomes from the edges and the middle of the clump, but it bloomed prolifically last season, and I don't want to jinx it!

Not only has it bloomed better than any other iris, it actually looks very pretty next to screaming florescent salmon-orange and dark pink roses.  Here it is still going strong at the peak of rose season.

When it is backlit, it outshines the brighter roses.  I have tried to get a photo of the effect, but I don't yet have the skills to capture it.

 'Sweeter Than Honey' was hybridized by Bob Van Liere and registered in 2011.  The description says it is 35" tall and blooms midseason, although mine blooms for almost half the year.  It won an Honorable Mention in 2015.

This iris has been a favorite of mine since 2013, when it started to outdo the other flowers in the garden.  If you are looking for an iris with a modern, ruffled form that performs, give 'Sweeter Than Honey' a shot.

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.

'Scottish Reel' Dances in the Garden

By Renee Fraser

The dominant colors in my garden are screaming salmon-orange, yellow, and orchid.  I have restricted the color palette to bring some order to the chaos of an inveterate plant collector's garden.  It works.

So what to do with a spectacular coppery-gold iris that shines like a beacon of light?

'Scottish Reel' with annual Paludosum daisies

'Scottish Reel' is a Barry Blyth iris from 2001.  It grows to between 34 and 36" tall, and blooms  early to mid-season.  There are two or three blooms per socket on this iris, which extends the bloom period.  The foliage is very nice: straight, with no corkscrewing, and the plant is tough.

Since I have been unable to find a spot for it, this iris has been moved each year. It started out in the vegetable bed, was moved to the garden, then back to a different part of the veggie bed where it was exposed to root knot nematodes, then I dug it up, cut off all of the roots to the rhizomes to get rid of any nematodes, and planted three in a pot last year.  All three bloomed this year!

My resolve to keep only plants that complement my existing color scheme is broken by the loveliness of this iris.  I will always have it in my garden, even if it is relegated to the vegetable beds.  Do you have an iris that you keep in your garden even though you have no place to plant it?  Share it with us in the comment section below.

Late Season Favorite: Iris 'Coral Chalice'

By Renee Fraser


As my experience growing irises increases, I find that I generally prefer older irises that have good plant habits, bloom prolifically, and resist disease.  I also look for irises that bloom in the early part of the season and rebloom in the fall, because it gets so very hot here in Simi Valley that by June, late-bloomers melt like cotton candy in the sun.

But there is always an exception.  'Coral Chalice' is indeed an older iris, and a rebloomer.  It has nice enough foliage, and it does not rot or get leaf spot.  But it is not a great bloomer for me.  The blooms sometimes clump up at the top of the stalk, interfering with each other so that they don't open properly, and since it blooms in the late season and has very little substance, each bloom only lasts a day when it is hot.

So why do I still grow it?  And why did I order even more rhizomes after the first year bloom to start a second clump of it as soon as possible?

I find it exceptionally lovely.  There is something about that peach blush on the hafts and the orange beard that makes the white flower even brighter and more luminous.

 

It is a wonderful companion to another favorite, 'Cajun Rhythm'.  So I photograph it, endlessly, so that I can enjoy it even as it curls up in on itself after a day in triple-digit heat.




'Coral Chalice' was created by Niswonger in 1982.  It grows to about 34" tall, and although it is listed as midseason, it always blooms in late May or June for me, and is among the last to flower.  It has double socketed buds, and the top bud is often triple socketed.

Do you have a favorite that you keep despite a few flaws?  Let us know why you love your imperfect iris in the comments below.

'Cajun Rhythm', My Prettiest Iris

By Renee Fraser


My best blooming iris is 'Total Recall', which is practically an everbloomer here in Southern California.  My sentimental favorite is an old NOID (No Identification) that has been on the property for over 60 years, when grandpa used to mow it over every week when he did the grass.  But my prettiest iris, in my opinion, blooms late in the season and generally gets burnt to a crisp from the late May/early June heat.  'Cajun Rhythm' (Schreiner, 1996) is a lovely butterscotch orange with a pinkish flush on the midrib and a variable white apron on the falls.

I love it with nasturtiums.

It looks nice with another late bloomer, 'Coral Chalice'.

'Tennison Ridge' with 'Cajun Rhythm'.

Here it is with 'Double Delight' rose.

'Cajun Rhythm' is registered as growing to 36" tall, but it is rather short in my garden.  The foliage is nice, and does not corkscrew or twist.  Although it often suffers from the heat here, 'Cajun Rhythm' is so pretty it will always have a place in my garden.

Personal Favorites: Tall Bearded Iris 'Peach Royale'

By Renee Fraser


As I was organizing my photos the other day I ran across some photos of one of my favorite irises, 'Peach Royale'.  I saw a lovely clump online years ago, but the only source I could find was sold out, year after year.  Finally, in 2009, I got my order in on time.  In its first year it proved to be worth the wait, and I look forward to it each year.

'Peach Royale' was hybridized by Meininger in 1999, and it is among the first of my irises to bloom.  I like the early bloomers, because it gets very hot here early in the year, and any iris that dawdles into bloom in May is likely to have a short career.  'Peach Royale' lasts a long time, both because of the early bloom and because of the high bud count on the stalks.

It fades beautifully, getting lighter around the edges.

I have it planted with 'Spin Off' (Maryott, 1986) , which has the same magenta color that appears in the falls of 'Peach Royale'.

Here it is glowing in the sun.

And from the top.

With verbascum 'Southern Charm' and pelargoniums.

If you are looking for a nice tallish iris (34-36") in this color range, I recommend 'Peach Royale' for its foliage, long bloom period, and beauty in the garden.  If you grow this iris, please let us know how it does in your part of the world in the comments, below.

Tall Bearded Iris Color Terms

By Renee Fraser

For those of us still new to the world of irises, there is much vocabulary to master. The parts of the iris flower, the different species of irises, the parts of the plant itself, and of course, the specialized terms categorizing irises into color types. Here is a quick reference, with photographic examples, of some of the major color terms you will encounter while reading about your favorite flower.

SELF

The falls and the standards of a self are the same color. These irises really stand out in a garden setting and are wonderful companions to other plants.

'Adriatic Waves' with Allium.  Photo c. Brad Collins

'Beverly Sills' with Paludosum Daisies

'Fine Wine'

PLICATA

Plicatas have stippled, dotted or stitched edges on a white or yellow ground.  I love the white ones with the pretty picotee edging the best.  

The Plicataman himself, hybridizer Keith Keppel, contacted us to remind us that the definition of a plicata as having a white or yellow ground needs to amended, "as hybridizers have worked hard and we now have lots of plicatas with pink or apricot ground, and we're working to intensify the depth of color so you can really say 'orange, and mean it!"

For more on plicatas, click here.

'Paprika Fonos' 

'Rare Treat'

'Spice Lord' Photo c. Margie Valenzuela

AMOENA

Amoenas have colored falls and white standards.  The most famous is probably, and justifiably, 'Wabash', pictured below.  To see another post on amoenas, click here.

'Wabash' Photo c. Mike Unser

'Venetian Queen'

'Dreaming of Rio' Photo c. Betty Jacobs

VARIEGATA

An iris with red falls and yellow standards.  My very favorite photo of this color, below, shows the cultivar 'Supreme Sultan' with its earliest progenitor, the original iris variegata. Can you believe what modern hybridizing has accomplished?

'Supreme Sultan' compared to the original species variegata!  Photo c. Chuck Chapman

'Decadence' at Schreiner's Iris Gardens. Photo c. Betty Jacobs

'Rogue Trader' Photo c. Betty Jacobs

NEGLECTA

A blue or purple-blue bitone iris with lighter standards.  Click here for more photos of neglectas.

'World Premier' Photo c.TBGDN @All Things Plants

'Northwest Progress' with Julia Child rose

GLACIATA

An iris with no purple anthocyanin pigment.  These irises often seem to glow.  The colors remind me of that wonderful "polychrome" daylily color.

'Glacier Blush' Photo c. Blue J Iris

'Snow Lion' Photo c. Jan Lauritzen

'If Not For You' Photo c. Stout Gardens at Dancingtree

LUMINATA

Another glowing iris type, the luminata, is an iris with a white or yellow base washed over with color so that it appears to glow from within.  More luminatas can be found here.

'Pretty Pansy'

'Wise Woman' Photo c. Brad Collins

BITONE...

This is an iris which has standards and falls of the same color,  but the standards are a lighter shade than the falls.

'Bayberry Candle' 

'Smoky Shadows' Photo c. Rick Tasco

AND 

REVERSE BITONE

A bitone, REVERSED!

'Missouri Mist'

BICOLOR

An iris of two colors.

'Adoree' Photo c. Betty Jacobs

'Smoke and Thunder' Photo c. Brad Collins

'Sweet Musette'

BROKEN COLOR

These flowers have splotches, blotches, and streaks in random patterns.  For more broken color irises, click here.

'Maria Tormena'

'Batik' Photo c. Andi Rivarola

EMMA COOK PATTERN

A darker ring of color around the falls of the flower is referred to as the Emma Cook Pattern, which is named after this famous ground-breaking cultivar.

'Conjuration' Photo c. Dan Holt

'Alsea' Photo c. Brad Collins

'Rare Coin' Photo c. Brad Collins

Many new and exciting color combinations and patterns are emerging in the world of iris hybridizing, so many that it's hard to figure out if they fit into an existing category or if new ones should be created.  I am partial to amoenas. Which is your favorite?