Early Siberian Iris History

Siberian Iris have a limited early history in Hybridising. It maybe interesting to collectors of historic Irises that, only 157 Siberian Irises were recorded up to and including the year 1960 by the AIS checklists. Of these according to the AIS 1939 Checklist only 20 Siberian hybrids were in commerce or registered before 1920.(not including species) Some entries in the 1939 Checklist are not listed in the Cumulative Check List of Siberian Irises Some Irises catalogued by commercial growers do not appear in either Checklist so the above...

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Siberian Iris 'ROARING JELLY'

No feature on Siberian Irises would be complete without including 'ROARING JELLY'.In New Zealand it was originally imported from America by Eddie Johns of Otara Birch Gardens fame (Shows he has good taste) and in gardens where it grows it still is a sensation.This Iris consistently features in the Siberian Iris Society 'Favourite Cultivars List' year on year which is voted by the society members. Awarded the Morgan Wood Medal in 1999Paul Black, now he knows a thing or two about Irises had this to say about Roaring Jelly in his 2005...

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Siberian Iris 'RAUCHBLAU '

An Iris I have always admired from the day I first saw it RAUCHBLAU is a very classy tetraploid Siberian introduction from Tomas TambergAvailable for Spring delivery from both Tomas Tamberg's Garden in Germany and Joe Pye Weed's Garden in America. To receive Spring delivery of Siberian Irises from Tomas Tamberg orders must be received no later than the 31st of March, 2009, Joe Pye Weeds Catalogue states that you can chose an April, August or September delivery date. Joe Pye Weed's Garden Catalog 2009RAUCHBLAU (Tamberg 2007)A large...

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Siberian Iris 'ANOTHER PRETTY FACE'

It give's me no end of pleasure to share with you all this fantastic 2009 Dunlop & Cole introduction "Another Pretty Face' with its dark blue black buds which when opened reveal an absolutely 'Top Class' Siberian, iridescent blue-violet coloured with red-violet highlights. Fieldstone Gardens 2009 Catalog ANOTHER PRETTY FACE Jeff Dunlop, R.2008). Sdlg. 99256-2T. SIB (tet), 28” (71cm), Mid thru Late season. A lovely new blue-violet with red-violet highlights. Standards are violet (RHS 87A). Style arms similar with red-violet infusions...

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Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Off, and Grow Siberian Iris

'Fond Kiss' Courtesy Joe Pye Weed Garden Today starts the series "Siberian Iris" Photo above "Fond Kiss' the Morgan Wood Medal winner for 2008 and my sincere congratulations to Jan Sacks and Marty Schafer of Joe Pye Weed's Garden fame. Plant can be ordered in America for April delivery from Joe Pye Weed's Garden.Order Early, I am sure it will be popular. Description from JPW Catalog 2009. FOND KISS - 1999, M & RE, 33". A big extravagant flower and an even more extravagant display. Warm white with a large pink flush on the falls....

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Intermediate Bearded Iris 'Confederate Soldier'

An Historic Intermediate Iris that is in our collection is a distinctive plicata colour tone not often seen a lot in bearded Irises, well described in checklist description below as a lavender, grey, blue. Clumps up well with an abundance of bloom stalks. Nichols Iris Gardens 1978 Median Introductions CONFEDERATE SOLDIER IB 18" (Lucy Lee x Rococo) X Knotty Pine. Well formed and ruffled lavender-gray-blue plicata with orange beards. Fine branching. Fertile 5-6 buds The Iris Yearbook (BIS), 1990, “Shorter Bearded Irises in 1990”,...

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Historic Iris "BRIDE"

THE BRIDE or BRIDE is a historic dwarf Iris that grows very well here at home.It is somewhat special to have a very small part of early British iris breeding history in the collection. Originally classified by John W.Caparne as a 'New Intermediate' in his catalogue 'The Iris Plant and Bulb Co'. St.Martin's Guernsey 1903 Catalogue. I am not 100% certain that the 1929 checklist pedigree shown below is in fact correct as 'Candida' is listed as 1920 introduction AIS Checklist 1929 BRIDE Caparne, 1901 DB, 7", E, W4 (Statellae X Candida),...

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Tall Bearded Iris "OLD BLACK MAGIC "

"That old black magic has me in it's spell." I was very pleased to be given this Iris by Julie May of The Iris Garden when I was last in Christchurch working. Photo taken as the early morning sun casts its rays across the garden creating the bright light and long shadows making the iris sparkle. Black is the stand out colour in any plant variety and whilst most 'Black' irises have a purple or red tone a true black is not that far away. I like the colour a lot and having just checked the database of plants growing at home I...

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Tall Bearded Iris "IMPRIMIS "

Purchased this Iris last season and I am mighty glad I did, I just love irises that push the Envelope in colour tones and form. The slightly fragrant 'Imprimis' has came back into vogue in some breeding circles and Dave Niswonger recently used it as the Pollen Parent on his 2000 Introduction MILK ON APRICOTS which is a startling AmoenaSo we may as well see what the man himself has to say about it, Barry Blyth writes his opinion in his  Tempo Two Catalogue1994-95One of our favourites and sure to please those looking for something...

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Toadstool Thou Art

....“In the vaunted works of Art, The master-stroke is Nature's part” Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Poet, Lecturer and Essayist, 1803-1882)A Toadstool that turned into a living sculpture. Growth contortions caused by to much moisture after a long dry period.Photo taken New Years Day at Otara Birch Gardens. Click on any photo to view a larger imag...

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Tall Bearded Historic Iris "WHITE CITY "

"To me, the sight of a large clump-perhaps a dozen or eighteen spikes of 'WHITE CITY', standing up tall and straight with no hint of support, with cool, clean, perfectly distributed flowers, no frills, no fripperies, completely self-reliant, imperious and serene, is the highlight of any iris garden."  Tall Bearded Irises; A colour Symposium; White Irises; C Shackleton P57; BIS The Iris Year Book 1949 'WHITE CITY' A white heirloom iris flowering in New Zealand this season. I had found the iris growing outside an old villa in...

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