Heritage Irises 2011 Year in Review

HERITAGE IRISES YEAR IN REVIEW 2011 HERITAGE IRISES has been around in the blogosphere for over four years now and its hard to imagine my life without it. (sad huh). The bloom season for me in 2011 was erratic and many New Zealand growers reported a bloom season that came late by 2 weeks. At home, not only was it late, it all came at the same time for the Standard Dwarf Bearded and Intermediates, Dutch and English Irises and early flowering Tall Bearded. Then the strong Nor-westerly winds of up to 140 kph wasted the iris...

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Tall Bearded Heirloom Iris "EASTER BONNET"

Bred by Luke Norton and Alexander Maxwell both of Yakima Washington, "Easter Bonnet" is a no fuss heirloom iris I found in a paddock growing alongside an old dilapidated house that is still been used for storing hay, it was fighting for survival amongst the tall grass an indication of its will to survive. Sun fast flowers on tall branched stems, with high health glaucous green foliage. It's a sixty eight year old Iris, that inherited its classic form from both its classy parents, the pod parent bred by Dr P.A.Loomis' is the large...

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Tall Bearded Iris "LUNAR FIRE"

American Iris breeder Dave Hall was renown for his breeding of irises with tangerine beards. 20 years after he introduced his first flamingo pinks with tangerine beards  'Lunar Fire' was introduced. It's a beautiful flower, good substance and very full, the petals are just slightly laced at the edges, and of medium size when compared to more modern irises. The colour is best described as pale apricot with tangerine red beards. Height is 90 cm or 36 inches with average branching. Grows well at home with moderate increase...

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New Zealand Iris Grower "Mossburn Iris Gardens"

Mossburn Iris Gardens P.O.Box 96, Mossburn Phone/Fax 03 2486373 Email; laphams11@kinect.co.nz   After receiving the Lucy Delany Award in 2010, the Standard Dwarf  Bearded Iris 'Alamosa' featured on this years catalogue cover received a Highly Commended award at the New Zealand Iris society Convention 2011. This years catalogue introductions are HENHAM, KIM MAREE, KINKAID, and SAY SO, four new SDB registered by Noel Lapham.  The cold climate of the gardens, produce Medium Size rhizomes which...

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Tall Bearded Iris 'MILLENNIUM FALCON'

Catching the early morning sun, nearly said it all!!!! Visitors to the blog know I have a strong affection for Broken Colour Irises and 'MILLENNIUM FALCON' would have to take the cake, it is an extraordinary strong Iris that ticks all the boxes. Anyway I could wax lyrical regarding this Iris but, the master of reviews 'Perry Dyer' writing in his CONTEMPORARY VIEWS – 2002 already beat me to the punch and it is his compendious point of view that I have copied for you all below. 'The 9-1-1 AWARD is given to the New Iris that is,...

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New Zealand Heirloom Tall Bearded Iris "WYCHNOR"

It may be interesting to some perhaps that the New Zealand heirloom iris 'Wychnor' was thought to be registered for decades, but when researching New Zealand iris history I found this to be not the case. A couple of days ago I dug out the file on 'Wychnor' and included were the toing and froing of correspondence by emails to John Vickers advising him of this oversight prior to John thoughtfully registering the iris in 2006. A white garden Iris which displays a lot of the colourations of 'Purissima'. Strong grower with flax green...

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New Zealand Tall Bearded Iris "IRWELL INDIAN MAID"

'Irwell Indian Maid' is another delightful concoction from Ron Busch. Lightly fluted Standards are a oxblood red with darker markings.  Falls also lightly fluted are coloured dark chocolate brown with a oxblood red pattern and have a dramatic overlay of golden yellow and white changing to a deep violet intensifies the pattern, accented with an old gold beard. Strong clean foliage that shows strong purple colouration at the base. I must admit that my first instinct was to class this Iris as a Plicata or a 'barely-plicata'...

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New Zealand Heirloom Tall Bearded Iris 'PINNACLE'

A collection of New Zealand bred Irises is just not complete without a good selection of Jean Stevens Irises, and a Collection of Jean Stevens Heirloom Irises would never be worthy unless it included 'Pinnacle' the Iris that epitomised Jeans imagination of an iris with a unique colouration, coupled with the many years of determination and self belief of her skill in line breeding by staying true to course. I still firmly believe that most New Zealand Irisarians have no real comprehension of the impact the outstanding iris "Pinnacle"...

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New Zealand Tall Bearded Iris "IRWELL FESTIVE LOVE"

In the modern 'barely-plicata' type Iris, the outstanding leaders of the pack are Barry Blyth's overlooked, but super beautiful 'Lipstick Lies' (1985), and more recently Paul Blacks internationally acclaimed 'Goldkist'(1993). We now need to add to this list of outstanding leaders,'Irwell Festive Love',(2007) another magnificent hybridizing achievement of Ron Busch, . The pure white standards are slightly open, ruffled and upright . Falls are also white with purple violet stitched on the shoulders fading to a lighter olive...

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New Zealand Iris Grower "South Pacific Epiphyllums"

Carol Rogerson is the owner of South Pacific Epiphyllums .The nursery is a small home based friendly family business, mail order only with an emphasis on quality of plants and service with a small but ever increasing range of bearded iris, particularly New Zealand bred iris.They have a good selection of "Irwell" irises and  is hoping to offer small numbers of a select few this season. Carol also sells epiphyllum hybrids and has her own extensive hybridising programme taking...

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Tall Bearded Iris "BEACH GIRL"

Another of Barry Blyth's long blooming Apricot Tan Amoena line with typical classy form. Creamy white standards are gracefully edged gold and have just a blush of pink in the midribs. Falls are a solid Apricot Tan which are illuminated with a piping hot tangerine reddish beard. Medium size blooms with eight to ten buds on each good strong stalks. Great health with average increase and most importantly fertile both ways. A slight sweet fragrance enhances the appeal. Once you have a mature clump established 'Beach Girl' will bloom...

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NEW ZEALAND IRIS SHOWS 2011

POVERTY BAY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ROSE & IRIS SHOW 29th & 30th October 2011 Showgrounds Park and Events Centre, Gisborne Saturday 1.30 - 4.30 pm. Sunday 9.30 am - 3.30pm. Entry fee is $4 adults, children free. For further details contact the Show Secretary, Anne Pole, 06 868 5245 MORRINSVILLE HORTICULTURE SOCIETY ROSE & IRIS SHOW Campbell Hall, Knox Presbyterian Church Hall, Canada St, Morrinsville Friday, November 4th Entries at the hall on the day Open to Public: 12 noon to 4:00 p.m. Inquiries: Jan...

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Intermediate Bearded Iris " FURIOSO"

Bright little bugger isn't it !!!!! The Iris worlds 'High Vis' bloom. Photo taken this morning with an overcast sky. Four or five shots where brilliant but I have chosen this shot to accentuate the amazing Saturn red beards. Tempo Two Iris, Daylilies, Hosta catalogue 1996-1997 season. FURIOSO (Blyth 96 Aust.) EM. 24" Bright and furiously coloured Median Iris. Standards are bright mid pink; falls are bright orange apricot and the whole flower is set off with Saturn red beards. A contrasting smooth bi-colour. Well branched stems...

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Iris albicans

Growing at home and a welcome addition blooming this morning, I.albicans is an early flowering, slightly fragrant heirloom iris of historical significance and could be classified as an Intermediate Iris. I. albicans is a natural hybrid that has found favour with gardeners for at least the last 800 years. Marc Simonet in his published thesis ‘The Genus Iris, Cytological and Genetic Research’ states that I.albicans among other listed species possesses (2n= 44) number of somatic chromosomes indicating that this species arose...

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Tall Bearded Iris "CABARET ROYALE"

Take crisp medium blue tinted lavender standards, slightly darker violet in the midribs, some ruffled and flaring velvety falls in black violet with white veining on the hafts, add the bushy tangerine beard – and voilà ! With its excellent branching and a sound, vigorous plant which shows quick increase, this child of the seventies, 'Cabaret Royale' is a much loved neglecta and an ancestor to Barry Blyth's highly respected  'In Town'. The outpouring of white veining from the heart of the bloom would have been frowned...

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