"Talking Irises" THE BLUE IRIS GARDEN -- Planting A Monochromatic Tall Bearded Iris Bed

By Susanne Holland Spicker

'Bubbling Waves' (Ghio 2006)

One of the oldest gardens in my yard is a tall bearded monochromatic blue iris bed. The word Monochromatic is defined as any shade, tint, or tone of one color.  I've been putting blues together in this bed for many years. There are countless blue iris cultivars to choose from--ranging from the very light, silvery 'Silverado', to the blue-black of 'Hello Darkness', and every hue in between. I'm drawn to the calming and restful feeling that the cool blue color palette  provides. As an added note, cool colors also help make small gardens appear larger because they tend to recede in the distance. Just be careful to plant them in full sunlight, as they can disappear in the shadows.

To achieve a maximum focal impact, I've used a wide variety of selfs, plicatas, and neglectas*. Although many cultivars in the bed are older varieties, I have updated the bed through the years, adding new favorites. The 16' X 12' bed presently has 45 different cultivars. I added 3 new ones this year. To help with the decision, I make a collage to see how well  new irises coordinate with what I have. A pictorial 'wish list' folder on the computer helps to remind me of ones I want to add. This has been a valuable aid. I also make note of the cultivar's bloom season, extending the bloom time of the garden by using very-early to very-late blooming irises.

'Silverado' (Schreiner 1987)

'World Premier' (Schreiner 1998)

'Queen's Circle' (Kerr 2000)

'Ruffled Ballet' (Roderick 1975)

Some terms you may be interested in if you're not familiar with them:

• Tint - when white is added to the color. 
• Tone -  when gray is added.
• Shade -  when black is added.
• The bed incorporates all these in different Values. (The lightness or darkness of the color).

'Daughter Of Stars' (Spoon 2001)

'No Count Blues' (Schreiner 2009)

'Monday Morning Blues' (Van Liere 2012)

'Classic Look' (Schreiner 1992), 'City Lights' (Dunn 1991)

'Proud Tradition' (Schreiner 1990)

'Gyro' (Aitkin 1989)

Harmony in the bed was relatively easy to achieve with this single color scheme. By adding some whites, and accenting with companion plants in pinks and roses, this blue monochromatic iris bed has proven to be a favorite. 

Do you have a monochromatic garden?  If so, I'd love to hear from you and what you've done. 

*  Self - An iris with standards and falls of the same color

   Plicata - Stippled, dotted or stitched color patterns on the falls over a lighter ground color

   Neglecta - A bi-tone iris in blue or purple shades    

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?

Rebloomers at Bridge In Time Iris Garden

After the Fall Freeze 2013 . . .

By Betty Wilkerson

 zone 6b in South Central Kentucky

It’s been an interesting year at Bridge In Time Iris Garden. Despite a fall freeze, and my inability to get into the garden much lately, some rebloomers have shown their beautiful faces through the weeds.  I have not fertilized for the past two years either, which has had an effect on the garden.  Weather was good for rebloom, but only a few faithful bloomed this year.  

Most of the larger, bloom-sized rhizomes were dug and sent around the country earlier this year. I have reports of some of these reblooming already in other areas. 

Bloom began here in late August with 1907-10Re.  In 2011, this was one of the two seedlings that bloomed all summer, but this year it didn’t show its beautiful face until late summer.  It was a welcome sight.  

1906-10Re Fall Overlay (Wilkerson seedling) 

Pretty as it may be, it does not always grow tall enough, and it's PURPLE.  Purple is a common color in reblooming iris.  Would you buy it?

1906-10Re-Beard (Wilkerson seedling) 

Currently, 'Over and Over' is one of the most dependable rebloomers in my garden. It wasn't the only one to rebloom in this difficult year, and it wasn't the first one to rebloom, but it did, and faithfully. I've discussed this with other breeders and many have said they won't use it because it isn't pretty enough, but I'd like to remind everyone that it is a really strong rebloomer.  Furthermore, when crossed on self irises it will not give plicata coloring.   

'Over and Over' (Innerst 2000) 

Toward the end of the season, but with plenty of time to open well, '2150-02Re' put up stalks. This is from 'Star Gate' X 'Matrix'.  Many seedlings from this cross rebloomed, but this one blooms the earliest and is most dependable.  Again we have the "dependable" quality, but not early enough, and PURPLE.  'Star Gate' is a dependable rebloom parent, but tends to breed only white or blue/purple with an occasional plicata.  Most often, this seedling will maintain the good fall form and also show an apron pattern like picture 2.

2150-02Re (Wilkerson seedling)

2150-02Re (Wilkerson seedling)  

Some might wonder why I've not made a cross between the two purple rebloomers.  Up to this point in time, I've not wanted to mix the beards.  '1906-10re' has many siblings and about a dozen have rebloomed. Same is true with '2150-02Re.'  With their parentage most of the seedlings would be purple and white plicata. Then there is the question on beard color.  There would be no chance of a tangerine beard.  Still, maybe next year!

Here are the seeds for 2013.  There are fourteen tall bearded crosses represented here!  They should start sprouting by April first, and I hope for lots of rebloom. Where there are irises and hope, there could be rebloom!

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2013 seed crop