THE IRIDACEAE [IRIS] FAMILY - 2015

Oh blimey! Please don't ask me for any Anthony, there's enough confusion already!

 

Confusion over Sheal - it is Moonlight Waves. It looked powder blue in the photo you printed off which is where the confusion came from
The ones in the first two photos are really struggling after the winter (I kept them in the greenhouse) and have hardly done a thing. Next year.

 

Right, that's sorted then! Now all I have to do is identify the very pale blue one I have, it's so pale it's almost white. If the weather hasn't battered the flowers I'll get a picture.....

No, the pale blue one's have gone but this is opening up, a bluey lilac. There's no end to the surprises.


The two others that you've over wintered I would try planting out now. I discovered Irises will expand and grow quite a bit if you feed them with chicken manure pellets, but that's at the expense of flowers unless they are fed immediately after flowering.

 

I let Iris foetidissima self seed about as it throws up some interesting colours. The latest is this one that is blooming for the first time...............

 

The first of the Iris pseudacorus ..........................


Gladiolus byzantinus.....................

 

Iris hookeri................


It's a dwarf species.

 

You're safe there Sheal, I haven't got any room for them :(

The only one I am after is a Sibirica as I know they grow well in pots.

When I lived at home we had a massive garden and I had a collection of about 80 different Irises, mostly bearded but can't grow them now :(

 

I.japonica grows well in pots..................


The flowers are not huge but they are peachy!

Diplarrena is another good one to grow in a pot................

 

Hi Longk,

They're nice but I've always liked Sibirica. We had a border of them about 100' long and 2' wide. Mostly the deep blue ones but with the others thrown in haphazardly.

 

Just ordered seeds for Nivenia corymbosa. Nivenia has the common name of Woody Irid and it is one of only three genus in the Iridaceae family to have a woody shrubby growth habit. A couple of sample photos................



See the original here

 

@Anthony Rogers, was just reading through the posts and see you want? Iris Sibirica. I have loads of 2 slightly different blue ones. Both grow about 3ft tall in not the wettest area so might grow taller if in a damper spot. If you want a chunk I can post up a photo of them flowering which should be in about 4 or 5 days. You can then choose if you want either, both or neither!!Can vouch for Longk's Iris japonica. He kindly sent me some last year. I put it in a pot. Kept in the cold greenhouse over winter and it flowered beautifully a couple of months ago and increased A LOT. Sheal's Little Chestnut is lovely too. Grows well here outside and yes I live in frozen Scotland! plus it's got a super smelly perfume as a bonus.

 

Hi Silu,

Thank you very much for your offer, it would be lovely if you could show us the pics. Perhaps there's something I could offer you as a swap?

 

Just had a look at the clumps and the paler blue is just starting to flower and the darker maybe a day or 2 behind. Will put up photos when both out. Swap, well always very grateful for anything lovely which I don't have. Maybe you could suggest something that's IF you like the Iris ...you may not and honestly a swap isn't necessary.
I have a very big garden and live in Scotland so anything tender I can't really grow (eg the likes of Verbena, most Penstemon)unfortunately. Small scree type plants aren't that good for me either. The drainage here isn't bad but it isn't really rockery type plant friendly either. I do like foliage plants, white flowering plants and having looked at this post Iris obviously. The variegated foliaged (not sure that's a word!) struggle here as less robust but Flags do quite well if they don't get battered by b gales a la a few days ago I'll be in touch.

 

Diplarrena morea is about a month late this year..................


This Australian native is easily one of my favourite members of the Iridaceae family.

 

Here are the photos of the 2 Iris Sibirica. Both grow to similar height, the paler blue seems to maybe flower slightly more. @Anthony Rogers if they aren't what you are looking for no worries. I would really like some Iris Sibirica Silver Edge. I saw some flowering at a open garden last week and thought they were very nice. I'll trawl the net and see who stocks them. The 1st photo is to sort of show the height, but I'm no David Bailey!


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