Tackling Overgrown Pacific Iris Patches

By Kathleen Sayce, April 26, 2020

What’s a body to do when the stay-at-home order will last another few weeks of spring, and there’s only so much cleaning and sorting inside my house a body can stand? 

The answer is:  Dig out that garden bed I’ve been promising to redo for at least five years! 

Iris douglasiana Lobster Creek, a wild selection given to me by Kareen Sturgeon

The basic plan was to remove two huge overgrown rhododendrons, one of which tip-rooted into seven plants, move a pillar rose to a new position—to clear the view from a window for better bird watching, remove all the plants along one side of the bed and into it more than four feet, so the low wall enclosing it could be moved. Then replant.

There's an iris in there somewhere, among bluebells (Hyacinthoides x massartina, Scilloideae) and fringecups (Tellima grandiflora, Saxifragaceae) 

The patch of rhodies came out first, then the rose, protective cage (deer, don't ask!) and its pole were moved. Plants were dug out of the wall-moving area, and either potted up temporarily, or gifted on. 

A gardener in the neighborhood was pleased to get >90 starts of PCI ‘Cape Ferrello’ along with dozens of other odds and ends for a summer garden sale, hopefully in July. Still, I had many more plants in pots than were planned on, so stay-at-home order or not, there was a trip to a local nursery for potting soil and a hunt round my garden shed for gallon pots. Then an email out to gardening friends, begging for more pots. . .

After carefully removing soil, there were ample fresh white roots to be seen,
so I got out my shovel, and lifted one large shovelful of fans and rhizomes. 

At last only the largest, single-stem old rhodie remained. I dug around it, using a new shovel, all metal, with a stout flange for feet, so strong that I can probably bend it, but unlike several former shovels, cannot break the handle. [I have been waiting for this shovel all my life!] Much digging with said shovel over several days as mounds of soil grew to both sides. Then clipping roots. Digging with a hand trowel and lifting soil into a bucket. More root clipping. Finally, I could rock the root mass. 

Free of soil, the mass of rhizomes can be inspected, and trimmed.
I cut off the older portions of rhizomes, leaving the last 1-2 years with fresh white roots.

Eventually I rocked it enough to break free the lower roots—which is when I realized that to get it out of the bed, it would have to pass over a large patch of Mexican fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus, Asteraceae) and my only patch of Iris douglasiana 'Lobster Creek'. I’ve been planning to start new patches of this iris for years, spreading it around my garden, but you know how far those intentions went, until this spring. 

Consultation with adorable spouse ensued. I backfilled the hole with the piles of soil, rocking the root mass ever higher on the fill, until it was only 6 inches below the bed surface, lifted up more than a foot. Adorable spouse found ropes and a sturdy board, roped the root mass to it, and together we lifted it out of the bed and over the irises onto the lawn. Slick!

From one shovelful, 21 fans, trimmed and ready to replant

Back to irises:  Iris douglasiana lives along the coast from south central California to southern Oregon. This particular wild-grown selection came to me years ago from a friend in the McMinnville area southwest of Portland, OR. It has typical species-type lavender flowers, and striking dark evergreen leaves. It’s vigorous in the garden and holds its own with fringecups and other plants. The foliage is gorgeous on its own. 

Some of the pots of fans. Planted 3-4 starts per pot,
plan on having them all in the ground by fall 

I dug out along one side of the patch, removed the bluebell bulbs. Dug out the fringecups, which seed all over the garden and give year round color to the bed with their light green leaves. I dug one shovelful of PCI Lobster Creek from the patch. More than twenty fans trimmed and planted into seven pots later, no matter how flat the remaining patch is smashed, some will survive. I estimate another sixty starts remain in the patch. [I’ll be calling my friend to come get the rest.] 

Once the wall is moved, I will plant a mix of Pacifica irises, fleabanes, Sisyrinchium, and other perennials in the newly cleared bed. That takes care of the north fifteen feet. Only forty more feet to go. . . 

Stalwart Pacifica Iris for the Garden

Kathleen Sayce, September 6, 2019

Returning to a topic of perennial interest among PCI growers, the following discusses those durable, enduring species selections and putative hybrids that often grow for decades in gardens, surviving neglect, weather vagaries and thriving year after year. These are notable for their endurance in many gardens along the West Coast. With climate vagaries on the rise, these may persist while more recent hybrids vanish.  As you will see, PCI 'Canyon Snow' is a major contributor to durability. 

Debby Cole and Bob Sussman shared names and photos of recent hybrids that show good vigor. Several photos were downloaded from the AIS Iris Encyclopedia.

Photo by John Weiler, AIS Iris Encyclopedia

PCI ‘Canyon Orchid’ ('Canyon Snow' x (I. douglasiana sdlg. x Abell I. munzii sdlg.)) X Lenz purple I. munzii sdlg., 1985 Dolores Denney

Photo by Kathleen Sayce

PCI ‘Canyon Snow’, (I. douglasiana x unknown), 1975. Dara Emory, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden:  this tough PCI survived weeks out of soil when a local gardener passed plants to me two weeks after digging up the clump. This hybrid also contributes to several more PCI known to endure garden conditions well. 

Photo by Kathleen Sayce

PCI Cape Sebastian, an I douglasiana selection, not registered, from Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery:  For every passion there is a trigger event, and seeing this PCI in flower in my garden for the first time was that trigger for Pacifica Iris. 

Photo by Kathleen Sayce

PCI ‘Clarice Richards’, (Stambach red sdlg. X McCaskill 72-60), 1983, Richard Richards: Richard developed several very tough PCI, selecting for plants tolerant of hot dry growing conditions at elevation, east of the Los Angeles basin in southern California. It may be that tough under hot/dry conditions is also tough under cold/wet conditions in the Pacific Northwest. 

Photo by Kathleen Sayce

PCI ‘Harland Hand’ 1989, D. Lennette:  Has thrived in my garden for more than a decade. 

Photo source lost, someone please remind me!

PCI ‘Native Warrior’, 1970 Phillips:  If you are looking for red genes, this might be a PCI to use.

Hybrids from Joseph Ghio, Bay View Gardens, Santa Cruz, California have endured for several decades along the West Coast. Many of his hybrids tend to flower too early to set seed reliably in the Pacific Northwest, but these three are sturdy and return year after year. 

Photo by Kathleen Sayce

PCI ‘Big Money’, 1982 Ghio: the only aspect of growing frilly yellows that I do not like is the petals melt in the rain. Otherwise, if late April-early May is dry, PCI 'Big Money' is gorgeous.

Photo by Richard Richards, from AIS Iris Encyclopedia

PCI ‘Los Gatos’, 1974 Ghio

Photo by Kathleen Sayce

PCI ‘Mission Santa Cruz’, 1982 Ghio:  One of my very first PCI, and still outstanding each spring in the garden. Also a great source of genes for future hybrids. I'd like to do wide species crosses with this as one parent, with Siberian group species.  

From Debbie Cole, Mercer Island, Washington, west of the Cascades and just east of Puget Sound; Puget Sound gets half the rain of the ocean coast, with colder winters and drier summers. 

Photo by Debby Cole

PCI ‘Brevette’, 2018:  new from Debby Cole, this hybrid is showing signs of good durability, though it's a very recent registration. 

Photo by Debbie Cole

PCI ‘Egocentric’, 2007: this PCI shimmers with pink in the garden on a gray day. For those who live in cloudy areas, it's marvelous at brightening up the garden.

Photo by Mike Unser, from AIS Iris Encyclopedia

PCI 'Periwinkle Persian', 2004, D. Cole, also shimmers, but in a cool and calming way. 

From Bob Sussman, Matilija Nursery, southern California, come three tough PCI that cope with soCal’s mineral heavy water and long, hot dry summers. As with Richard Richards' hybrids, these seem to do well in the Pacific Northwest. 

Photo by Bob Sussman

PCI 'Canyon Banner' (‘Canyon Snow' x 'Valley Banner’), 2019:  Parent PCI 'Valley Banner' is also a durable garden iris, though more difficult to find these days than during the late 20th century. 

Photo by Bob Sussman

PCI 'Chocolate Parfait' (’Pacific Rim' x 'Garden Delight’), 2019

Photo by Bob Sussman

PCI 'Dr. Richie' -('Canyon Snow' x I. douglasiana x Cio-red seedling), 2019

Looking for vigorous PCI genes for hybridizing?

Iris douglasiana seedlings of garden heritage tend to be more durable than other PCI hybrids. Flowers are species-like in color and form, foliage varies from low to tall, and from light green to very dark green. Some selections have outstanding dark evergreen foliage. 

Two of my oldest PCI are I. douglasiana ex garden plants, one is an outstanding pass-along plant from an elderly friend who had gotten her starter clump from another gardener, and grew it for decades before giving a clump to me. The second is a low growing selection with lavender flowers. A few years ago, I received another selection, from coastal SW Oregon, with outstanding dark green foliage and lavender flowers; this plant is worth growing for the foliage alone. 

Several PCI species may persist in gardens longer than hybrids, if base soil is acidic and well drained. Some of my Iris tenax plants are more than fifteen years old, and thrive on a slope in afternoon sun each summer, and flower every year. On the other hand, Iris innominata from seed has dwindled and no longer flowers; I may have to move my plants to sunnier locations. 

Iris munzii, I. hartwegii, and other Californian species of limited natural range may be too fussy to grow in ‘strange’ soils. I moved I. hartwegii australis (seed grown, from a private garden) from sandy soil to a planter two years ago; while the plant has thrived, it has yet to flower. An I. douglasiana X I. chrysophylla hybrid thrives for me, but again, it is probably the I. douglasiana genes doing the thriving. 

Enjoy the flowers. Study the geography of their gardens of origin. This may help you find a PCI that thrives, and endures, in your garden for decades to come. 

Wild Iris tenax on Seacliffs in Northwest Oregon

By Kathleen Sayce

Iris tenax grows on mountains in northwest Oregon, including Saddle Mountain, Clatsop County, Oregon. This species is usually found on south facing slopes along the main trail and in meadows with wild cucumber, native grasses, paintbrush, and other wildflowers. It also  grows on seacliffs in several locations in Clatsop County. These locations are in state parks, Ecola and Oswald West, and are as far north as I. tenax grows on the coast. 

This plant has narrow falls that are mostly lavender towards the tip with a large yellow signal and smallish white patch. 

North of Clatsop County, this species grows in the Coast Range and Willapa Hills, in the Chehalis lowlands south of Olympia and east of Montesano, WA, and in the Cascade Range. But it does not grow along the coast north of the Columbia River. 

Seacliffs are one of the harshest environments plants can endure. They must tolerate high winds, salt water, salty air, winter wet conditions, high summer temperatures, prolonged drought, and erosion. The ability of any plant to withstand this combination of chemistry, wind, moisture levels and temperatures is amazing. 

This plant had the widest falls and standards, and a deeper pink-lavender color. Both falls and standards were wider than on other plants. 

Visiting these hardy plants is one of my annual pilgrimages. Like the departing Brant geese and returning swallows, seeking out wild Iris tenax when in flower is an activity that says “Spring.” 

A few years ago, I found a population of about five plants on the seacliffs above Manzanita, Oregon. These tenacious cliff-dwellers had larger flowers, and leaves that were easily twice the size of all the other I. tenax plants in this area. Seeds and a small fragment came to my own garden, where they thrive, and from which I collect seeds regularly for the SPCNI seed exchange. 

This Iris tenax plant had moderately narrow falls, and larger lighter colored areas. Standards were lavender; style arms were much paler, almost white. 

But remember erosion? As of my last visit in 2018, the block of eroding rock and meadow that this population lives on had slumped so much it is no longer safe to even climb down to get closeup photos of the flowers. It will be gone soon, reclaimed by the Pacific Ocean.

This large clump had a tiny yellow signal with a larger white patch around it, and moderately wide falls. Flowers are darker as they open, so I was careful to compare colors among flowers at the same stage 

This week I went back to see the plants in Ecola State Park. Two trails that passed by several populations of Iris tenax are closed due to landslides on the seacliffs. One trail is left that takes in a few plants, and these were flowering. They were still flowering two weeks later when I led a native plants group out to see them. The trail winds up a south-facing, exposed and eroding cliff face, so while these plants will be here for a few more years, in geologic time their fate is already clear:  they too will enter the Pacific Ocean very soon. 

The view along the trail to the northwest, with "Terrible Tilly", former Tillamook Head lighthouse, in the middle left. Note eroding cliffs along the headland.

Diversity in flower shape and color is generally based on where plants grow relative to their larger population. Outlier populations (on the edges) tend to be less diverse, and plants within a main population tend to be more diverse. All the photos in this article were taken at this one site near Indian Beach, and you can see the diversity of shape in petals, and in range of flower colors. From this residual diversity, we may conclude that many iris plants that formerly lived along this shoreline have already fallen into the ocean. 

But, Iris tenax still lives along the seacliffs today, and is flowering. Life is good. 

The World of Irises is the official blog of The American Iris Society. Now in its 99^th year, The American Iris Society exists to promote all types of irises. If you wish to comment on a post, you can do so at the end of the page and the author or the editors will reply. If you wish to learn more about The American Iris Society, follow the link.

The Next Generation: Starting PCI Seeds

Kathleen Sayce, August 2018

With fall approaching, Iris seeds are ripening in the Northern Hemisphere, and seed exchanges are getting ready to distribute fresh seeds this coming winter. 

Seeds got away! Use organza bags to hold seeds until you can gather them.

Late summer is a good time to review both well-tested methods to start PCI seeds and known pitfalls that will definitely limit success. 

PCIs have tiny rhizomes and cannot be successfully shipped live around the world; shipping seed is the only way to share this iris group outside the US at this time. 

Pacifica Iris seeds naturally disperse from pods during mid to late summer. When fall rains begin in their natural growing area, those seeds start soaking up moisture, then germinate in winter to early spring. 

Nearly ready to harvest, one more week and the seeds in these Iris douglasiana x I. chrysophylla pods will be ripe and ready to harvest.

If you live on the West Coast of North America in zone 6 or warmer climates, you can put seeds in flats outside and let the weather work on the seeds directly.  Fresh seeds often germinate quickly. Older seeds may need two or three years to decide to grow. Seeds may stay viable for five to seven years. 

If you live elsewhere, where winters are colder, drier, or hotter, then a little creativity is needed. 

Cool wet winter conditions can be replicated by using a refrigerator or toilet tank to provide cold soaking. 

In the fridge, change the water daily. Use small plastic bags for each seed lot, and a small mesh strainer to catch the seeds. Turn them out into the strainer, rinse them under the tap in fresh cold water and also rinse out the bag. Use a spoon to tuck the seeds back into each bag. 

In a toilet tank, seeds go into mesh bags, and regular flushing of the tank provides clean cold water. 

Either way, let the seeds soak for 30 days, then take them out and plant in flats outside.

Pitfalls to avoid include: 

  Use warm water to soak seeds.

  Hold seeds in a location that is too dry. 

  Hold seeds where temperatures stay too warm. 

  Hold seeds where temperatures get too cold—generally colder than zone 6 or 7—but note that some species do well when held under a thick layer of snow over winter. 

  Use a soil mix that is heavy, drains poorly, and or is alkaline.

  Use containers that let roots heat up when sunny. 

Collectively, these iris seeds will decide that too dry, too warm (or hot), too cold, too wet, or too alkaline means ‘do not grow.’

Not shown:  the mesh cover for this flat, which kept the seeds well protected; ten seeds were planted, nine germinated, and eight are thriving.

As seeds germinate, they become tasty snacks for birds and rodents. Protect them! Hardware cloth covers over flats work wonders. 

When I started growing Pacifica Iris from seed, I thought I was getting old seed lots, or had the wrong soil mixtures. Nope, none of that:  I had persistent, sneaky, determined seed thieves, including voles, squirrels, jays and crows. 

All these tips, and more, can be found on SPCNI’s website at pacfiiccoastiris.org.