Celebrating Autumn: Dark Red PCI Flowers

Kathleen Sayce

Red is not a natural color for iris flowers, and so it is of course one of the most sought after goals among Iris breeders. 

PCI 'Wine and Cheese' by Vernon Wood,
2001 

PCI 'Gold Streaker' by Vernon Wood, 2003

Flower color in the genus Iris comes from two different parts of cells in flower petals, cell sap and plastids. The pH in the cell affects the sap colors. Growing temperatures, soil pH, and soil nutrition may also affect colors in both areas of the cell.  

PCI 'New Blood', by Joe Ghio,
2005

One color portion comes from the cellular sap, the fluid inside each cell in the flower. This sap is the source of cool colors––blues, lavenders, purples. Cell sap colors are very sensitive to pH. 

The other color portion is in cell organelles, plastids, which are the source for warm colors, primarily yellows and oranges. 

PCI 'Pop Idol'

For flower colors that nature did not design, breeders tweak the balance between colors in the cell sap and colors in the plastids. 

Well, that is the outcome of what they do. 

In the garden, breeders select, year after year, for the plants that come closest to the colors they are looking for. There is also some serendipity––the breeder might not have been looking for brilliantly dark red falls with golden streaks, but when these appear, wow!

PCI 'War Zone' by Joe Ghio, 2008

While looking for Pacifica Iris to feature in this article, I requested red photos from SPCNI members and the photo collection.

Ninety plus images later, my head reeling from an abundance of choices, I decided to post them in several sets, sorted by hue and intensity. 

As we've just passed the Autumn celebrations of Halloween, Day of the Dead, and Samhain, this article features dark, intensely red to near black PCI flowers. 

PCI 'Red Flag Warning' by Joe Ghio, 2010

Joseph Ghio has been breeding more intensely colored PCI for years, see the hue intensity ramp up from 'New Blood' and 'Pop Idol' to 'War Zone' and 'Red Flag Warning'. I live on the Pacific Northwest Coast, and we've already had a few red flag storms blast through this fall, so I appreciate this name! 

Intense reds don't stop here. They keep going to near-blacks and dark red purples.  

PCI 'Brand Name' by Joe Ghio, 2009

PCI 'Brand Name' has intense coloration in all flower parts, the signal is small, even the style arms are darkening up. 

It is clear that near black flowers aren't too far away. Pigment levels are getting very intense. Not surprisingly, the names are getting intense too!

PCI 'Battle Line' by Joe Ghio, 2004

My former plant physiology instructors would roll over in their graves if I failed to mention green plastids.  Green plastids are in all plant cells, and are called chloroplasts. They contain chlorophyll and accessory pigments, and capture light to make chemical energy to fuel plants. These green plastids largely disappear in mature flowers, as the flowers take on other pigments, stop growing, and expand into open flowers ready for pollination. 

OK, duty done, next, on to more reds, pinks, and red-orange-yellow PCI flowers. 


All of the photos in this article are from the SPCNI Photo Collection, shared by Ken Walker, SPCNI Recorder to this blog. 

Reblooming Iris Breeding in Zone 6 Kentucky-Cross # 2527

In this post we're dealing with dominant (selfs) and recessive (plicatas) traits and the resulting seedlings. There are many dominant traits and many recessive traits, but this will only deal with selfs and plicatas.  Lots of fun and a few surprises.

'All Revved Up' is one of my plicata rebloomers. It is a child of 'Radiant Bliss' and contains some genetic material for color from the west coast, mainly 'Gigolo.'  It has bloomed in all months from May through October.  'Lunar Whitewash' is a white reblooming iris introduced by Sterling Innerst. It is a good cycle rebloomer. Both are rebloomers and both have good form.  'All Revved Up' has good branching and bud count, but is a little short, while 'Lunar Whitewash' has great form, but really lousy branching.  The goal was a really good meeting of the genes and interesting colors.  

'All Revved Up' with 'Lunar Whitewash' behind. 

Pod Parent 'All Revved Up' (Wilkerson 2007)

Pollen Parent 'Lunar Whitewash' (Innerst 2000)

If you cross two plicatas you will get mostly, and usually all, plicata seedlings. With a decreasing number of plicata genes within the solid or self, you will get a varying number of plicata seedlings, but most will be selfs, bicolors and variegatas. If there are no plicata genes in the self, as appears to be the case with 'Lunar Whitewash,' there will be no plicatas, but there will be haft lines.  

2527-01 (Wilkerson Seedling)  

2527-02 (Wilkerson seedling)

The seedlings have varied with most being the same or near the combination of 2527-02. This is my favorite of the purples since it produces a large number of stalks and blooms.  The white one, 2527-01, is a bit taller with really consistent spring stalks, and probably my favorite of all the results.  Although any color is possible with this combination, the yellow, 2527-06yellow, came as the biggest surprise to me.   Lack of rebloom was the most shocking, but they were in a bad bed.  

2527-06yellow (Wilkerson seedling)  

In earlier years, plicatas provided a large part of the base for rebloom.  It should be no surprise when haft lines show up with plicatas x self crosses.  It's been explained to me that this is not a "plicata effect," as I'd thought, but simply that the lines are not considered a default in the plicatas so they were not bred out of them, therefore, they show up in the children.   

It's not uncommon for my gardening to overreach my ability to keep all of the beds clean of weeds, since I prefer breeding to weed pulling.  These pictures are taken to document flowers for my breeding program, and I never thought they would be viewed by the public.  Please forgive the weeds.

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.

BROKEN COLOR IRIS ARE NOT FOR THE TIMID

BY DAWN MUMFORD

For this post I have some collages and a slide show as a continuation of my last article on how to use photos to extend the iris season.  To view my last post click  Another Look at Plicata Irises. The theme this time is "Broken Color Irises." Pictured are 4 collages of irises that are in the slide show at the end.

 

Mike Unser published a great article called Broken Color Iris Terminology in 2012. He introduced the article by saying "in color breaking, a genetic instability causes the colors and/or patterns of the iris to express irregularly giving a flower that is splish-splashed [pattern]in a more or less haphazard fashion. No two blooms are every just alike, and they can create a very lively and exuberant effect in the flower garden."  

Mike's article included many pictures of older broken color irises, including 'Victorine' from the 1840's, 'Loreley' from 1929, and many others up to Allen Ensminger's 'Batik' in 1985. 

   

Brad Kasperek is considered the pioneer of the modern broken color irises. He has been hybridizing broken color irises for 25 years.  Brad approves of Mike's definition. He also said that Allen Ensminger was instrumental in his focus on the genetic instability that made broken colors possible.  He has hybridized many broken color irises since then and in 2005 was hybridizer of the year. Brad and wife Kathie own and operate Zebra Gardens, located in Elwood, Utah.  It is just 21 miles north of my garden in Willard, Utah, and most of the broken color irises I grow have come from Zebra Gardens.    

Susanne Spicker also wrote an excellent article here called Broken color irises with Brad Kasperek in 2013. She visited Brad's Zebra Gardens and took many of the pictures that will be in the slide show today.  

The slide show in this post is similar to my post last time (here is the link to the last post: Another Look at Plicata Irises).  To view the new 3 minute slide show on broken colored irises, click on the button below. Most irises in the show are tall bearded, but not all. Most I grow in my garden, but a few are on my wish list, since many of my broken color irises are new and I don't have pictures of them yet. Susanne is a close friend, and has been gracious in sharing her photos so that you can see them.  

You do not have to have Smilebox downloaded on your computer to watch the slide show.  Music accompanies the pictures, so adjust your speakers:  

 Broken Color Slide Show  http://www.smilebox.com/playBlog/4e4459304d7a63344f44513d0d0a&blogview=true

While the slide show is loading click on the bottom left button to make the show full screen.  It looks like this except yours won't be yellow. 

Thanks to Brad Kasperek, Allen Ensiminger and Virginia Messick for your fine skills in hybridizing these beautiful broken color iris. Thanks as well to Susanne Spicker for sharing her pictures. 

Do you grow any broken color irises?  What are your favorites? What other plants or iris do you pair up with your broken color irises?  

Arilbred medians: irises that have it all

by Tom Waters

'Brash and Bold' (Black, 2009)

In my blog post this April about arilbred irises, I mentioned that these striking garden jewels come in all sizes. Today I'm going to focus in on the smaller arilbreds, which are often called arilbred medians.

All arilbreds have in their ancestry both bearded irises and the exotic aril irises from the mountains and deserts of southwestern Asia. Because tall bearded irises have long been the most popular and extensively bred of the bearded types, it was mostly tall bearded irises that were used to produce arilbreds.

However, there have always been hybridizers of an adventurous bent who used dwarf or median bearded irises to produce arilbreds. Among the first irises from such breeding is 'Zwanenburg' introduced by French hybridizer Louis Denis in 1912. Its parentage is a matter of debate, but a dwarf bearded cultivar derived from Iris lutescens was one of the parents, and there is clearly aril ancestry as well. Remarkably, it is still being grown today! Its muted bronze and gray colors are not to everyone's liking, and the stalks and petals are rather flimsy, but it grows and blooms prolifically and has been delighting gardeners for over a century.

'Zwanenburg'

In the middle of the 20th century, two developments occurred that paved the way for renewed interest in arilbred medians. The first was the development of the modern standard dwarf bearded irises (SDBs) from TBs crossed with the tiny dwarf species Iris pumila (see my blog post in July of this year here). The second was the creation of a "fertile family" of arilbreds from TB and aril breeding. Most earlier arilbreds had been quite sterile, which meant that new ones could only be created by working with the pure arils themselves, which are difficult to grow and breed with. The new fertile arilbreds meant that it was now relatively easy to produce all sorts of new irises with aril ancestry.

Since that time, crossing SDBs with fertile arilbreds has been the most common way to create arilbred medians. They vary a lot in height, but average around 18 inches high. These are only 1/4 aril, so often their aril characteristics are rather subtle. The best have obvious veining or a definite signal patch below the beard, and have a more globular flower form than do the intermediate bearded irises (IBs), which they otherwise resemble.

'Octave' (Johnson, 2008)

'Enigmatic Elf' (Jensen, 2007)

'Suspect' (Johnson, 2006)

Some small arilbreds were also produced by crossing SDBs or dwarf species directly with pure arils. Because they bypass the TB ancestry that comes in when using an arilbred parent, they are both smaller (averaging around 10 inches) and more aril-like.

'Loudmouth' (Rich, 1970)

'Tiny Pirate' (Rich, 1990)

'Vera-Marina' (Ransom, 1998)

Most arilbred medians carry genes from three distinct types of irises: arils, tall bearded, and dwarf bearded (usually Iris pumila), making them one of the most genetically rich types of irises you can grow. They really do have it all! This genetic diversity expresses itself in a wide range of colors and patterns, a wide range in height and garden uses, and adaptability to a range of climates. Their dwarf ancestry helps many of them deal with cool rainy climates better than the taller arilbreds, and conversely their aril ancestry helps them do better in mild-winter climates than the SDBs.

Most arilbred medians are sterile, but there are a few fertile ones from unusual breeding approaches. 'Aladdin's Gem' (Thoolen, 2002) has only Iris pumila and pure arils in its ancestry - no TB heritage at all! Likewise, 'Anacrusis' (Mathes, 1992) is derived from pure arils and the dwarf bearded species Iris suaveolens. It has a number of worthy descendants, including the striking and popular 'Concerto Grosso' (Mathes, 1998), which won the C. G. White Medal in 2005.

'Aladdin's Gem'

'Anacrusis'

'Concerto Grosso'

Have you tried any arilbred medians in your own garden? How do they do in your climate?

Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm, Part 3

By Bryce Williamson

On the scenic drive up the Columbia River Gorge on the bus at the 2015 AIS National, I read that when Chad Harris and Dale Grams moved to what would become Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm they found the fields covered in old growth Himalayan blackberries ranging from 10 to 15 feet deep.  The next three years were spent clearing the land.

Today no sign of the overgrowth is present and instead, we were greeted with long rows of well grown irises, expanses of manicured lawn, and perennial borders.  Yes, peak bloom for bearded irises had passed, but after peak bloom the weather had turned cool to cold and damp to wet so there were many irises still in good bloom.  In fact, I found the three days of the tour to be the best days I have ever spent taking images since the overcast weather reduced shadows and helped create good quality images.

There were a number of tall bearded irises that I saw and liked in this garden over the last two years.  Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will curb my verbosity and let the pictures do the talking.

Lynda Miller's Miniature Tall Bearded, 'Moose Tracks', was attracting attention in the guest beds.  My thanks to Kelly Norris for permission to use his copyrighted image.

Moose Tracks would go on and win the Hager Cup at the Awards Banquet on the last night of the convention.

I don't know whether to be happy or sad that I live so far away from Mt. Pleasant Iris Farms. There is so much to see from very early in the spring through June that if I lived closer, I would be making a pest of myself and visiting the garden every ten days.  On the bucket lists for the future is a trip up to Washington to see the Japanese irises in bloom.  Chad wrote that next year the Japanese irises will be blooming on 2 and 3 year clumps and the results should be spectacular.

Chad Harris's introductions can be found at two sources: http://www.mtpleasantiris.com and http://aitken-garden.goodsie.com. 

Images in this blog are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without permission of the copyright holders Bryce Williamson and Kelly Norris.