The Delightful Aril Irises

..Fantastic!! the ASI Year Book has arrived and as usual it is an informative read. Once again brilliantly Edited by Thomas Fietz.The Aril featured on the cover 'Hakuna Matata' (A & D Cadd) Mohr Medal Winner 2007. Cover credit ASI.For all you folks that visit this blog and there are many of you (By the way Thanks once again for visiting) The Year Book is distributed to members of ASI anually 165+ pages of information and a large amount of colored photos of Aril Irises.A selection of Articles 2007 issue are as follows* The importance...

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Arilbred Iris 'ESTHER, THE QUEEN'

. . For all my New Zealand friends and visitors who might just read the next post but are frustrated at not been able to purchase the featured Aril iris plant This posts is for you!!The best thing about 'Esther the Queen' is that you get an exotic Aril Iris and a Historic Iris all rolled into one!!The plant gives good increase. These Iris are classified as OGB which is a Oncogeliabred , an iris hybrid of oncocylus and bearded iris parentage and considered to be the easiest to establish.Generally Arilbred's can be established in conditions...

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New Zealand Tall Bearded Iris 'ALPINE MEADOW'

Alpine Meadow was a complete mystery to me as I have never seen the iris growing and all I have had to date is a couple of catalogue descriptions and an artist's enhancement of the bloom shown above which is the cover of the Stevens Bros Catalogue 1955-56. Two days ago a fine Irisarian and generous friend Sarah Cook in England returned from her European trip and sent me this amazing photo of Alpine Meadow. It is a big thanks to Sarah that New Zealanders get to see one of the great irises of Jean Stevens breeding lines which...

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National Library of New Zealand

I am pleased and honoured to announce this blog has been added to Te Puna Web Directory at The National Library of New Zealand. The selection criteria is 'Personal sites where they contribute to the documentary record of the nation's experience'. The aim of Te Puna Web Directory is to provide a subject gateway to selected New Zealand Internet information resources that help libraries, their users, and all New Zealander's meet their professional, educational, cultural and personal information needs. Many Thanks to the...

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Book of the Month Hits the Bargain Bin

..IrisesA New Zealand Gardener's GuidePamela McGeorge and Allison NicollPhotographs by Russell McGeorgePaperback, 96 pages, 190 x 255mm, NZ, 2001. This practical gardener's guide to growing these spectacular garden flowers features –* Landscaping with irises* Bearded irises* Evansia or crested irises* Beardless irises * Bulbous irises* Picking and caring for the blooms* Pests and diseases* Where to see and buy irisesFROM TOUCHWOOD BOOKSRRP.$30.00 NOW ONLY $12.00 plus p&p. Terrific value!!!!***...

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Tall Bearded Iris 'DAWN REFLECTION'

Identifying Historic or any Iris for that matter is fraught with difficulty partly due to others or your own preconceived ideas, or information which is slightly off base. 'Dawn Reflection' has been one such journey, but I got there in the end as I gave up listening to people who have that uncanny knack of imagining irises into existence. Last growing season I was gifted all the irises growing in Wanda Williams garden and 'Dawn Reflection' was part of the gifts it was also documented as growing...

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Iris Unguicularis The Winter Flowering Iris

This is the Winter flowering iris is often referred to as 'Iris stylosa' or 'Algerian Iris'. A Frenchman named Desfontaine in 1798 discovered the iris in Algeria, giving it the name of Stylosa on account of its peculiarity in the way the style rises some distance in the flower before branching out to form the style arms. However Desfontaine later found that a compatriot, Poiret had discovered the iris thirteen years earlier and had given it the name unguicularis taken from the Latin "unguis" meaning claw with reference to the...

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Intermediate Iris "KARIN OLDING"

..Karin Olding a New Zealand bred Intermediate Iris Hybridised by Glady's Watson and registered in 1978 (I cannot find much information about this lady).Length of bloom makes this is one of the best reblooming intermediate irises. Yesterday I was chatting to Gloria Rapson one of New Zealand's finest Irisarian's ,who informed me that in her Tauranga garden Karin Olding is currently a mass of bloom stalks and flowering is expected within the week. KO starts to bloom for Gloria in June and can still be blooming at Christmas Time and into...

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Soliloquy

..'Soliloquy' is a garden blog I recommend you visit .Yesterdays post "Little Earth Stars" is an excellent example of the first class writing and the food for thought that is a consistency with this blog. It's the thinking person's Garden blog.Please visit the site by clicking on this link SOLILOQUY and then click on visit blog so we can vote this lady into the top ten blogs on Blotanical where she deserves to be.For me Dandelions will never be the same again.***...

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Tall Bearded Historic Iris "SHANNOPIN"

This photo of the iris "Shannopin" was taken growing in a garden of an old heritage house in Masterton at peak bloom time.  My first association with this iris was as a NOID, found growing opposite a Butcher's Shop so I originally labeled it "The Butcher's Iris". This garden was small, directly adjacent to a tar sealed footpath and was overcrowded with rhizomes, buttercups and other plants, and had there been a competition for 'The best Iris surviving in a neglected garden' category it was certainly the clear cut winner....

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New Zealand Tall Bearded Iris 'SLYVAN SONG'

..Sylvan Song a recent addition to my collection and another amazing New Zealand introduction from Jean Stevens. This iris when it clumps up (I have several plants) will 'look the business' when growing among the darker blues.Sylvan Song is the sister seedling to Airy GraceSylvan we think refers to Spirit's of the Wood's (Thanks J.M.)Stevens Bros Catalogue Novelties 1947-48SLYVAN SONGA very distinct and novel personality is inherent in this lovely rounded flower of largest size and faultless form. A true self, the colour is quite new,...

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Martha Stewart 'Living' Magazine Iris Feature

.Martha Stewart "Living" Magazine,May 2008, out in stores now!! features A Gardener's Palette "Few flowers come in as many shades of the spectrum or are as versatile as the Tall Bearded Iris", Schreiner's Iris Garden played a big part in this article. Good to see Irises on the up and up!!***...

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The American Iris Society Bulletin has Arrived

Fantastic!! the April 2008 AIS Bulletin has turned up and as usual it is an informative read. The picture featured on the cover is Keith Keppels 1998 introduction "Broken Dreams" an Iris I received as a bonus plant from a grower this year so I am 'over the moon' It sure looks good. Photo credit Terry Aitken. For all you folks that visit this blog and there are many of you (By the way Thanks for visiting) the bulletin is distributed to members of AIS 4 times a year, each bulletin has 120+ pages of information and colored photos...

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End of Iris Rebloom Autumn has arrived with vengance

..Autumn really arrived in the last two days. light dusting of Snow on the hills this morning, 1° Celsius at 6am, currently 4°C at 11:23am . The temperature drop has helped with brightening up the autumn foliage which is looking brilliant especially the Liquidamber styraciflua. Pictures of the hills from the top paddock and the trees turning colour. That's the end of the reblooming Iris as all the bloom and buds have just turned to mush. In a couple of months time the Iris bloom will start again.***...

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Back to the future but not with Blotanical

I have only just found the list in Blotanical which is the directory the 200 Most Recent Posts and it seems that it is almost impossible to obtain the status of "Recent" when you live in New Zealand as Blotanical places my current post in Yesterday's date. I published a blog Thursday 1st May and its instantly placed on Blotanical "Most recent posts" half way down the Wednesday 30th April section. Half a day later and its not on the list at all. Amazing!!Where will this posting be placed I wond...

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Tall Bearded Iris 'TWILIGHT HARMONY'

..Twilight Harmony grows in the same garden which is the featured garden shown on the top banner of this blog. (Banner now changed) Plant grows more Border Bearded height for me but when its bloom arrives it most certainly changes the colour dynamics of the garden. Plant shows good purple bottom foliage (PBF), has moderate increase, and can have up to ten buds per bloom stalk. The breeding potential of this Iris to date has largely been ignored. Richmond Iris Gardens, Nelson, is the only commercial grower in New Zealand who listed Twilight...

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