New Zealand Tall Bearded Iris "IRWELL DESTINY"

Another pleasant high quality surprise 'Irwell Destiny', by Ron Busch is a rich Rosy violet based Plicata with golden style arms giving the blooms a haunting inner golden glow, burnt orange coloured beards add the finishing touch. Bloom has excellent proportionate form, the  ruffled standards are closed but not tightly so, the ruffling continues in the Falls that are a warm white with the distinct edging of rose violet complemented by an attractive spoke pattern radiating from the beards. Unconfirmed reports of re-blooming...

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New Zealand Tall Bearded Iris "FINEST HOUR"

I first published information about the heirloom iris 'Finest Hour' on New Years day 2010.Recently I had mentioned in the 'Polar Cap' feature a reference that Carlos Ayento of Brighton Park Irises had sent me the 'Finest Hour' photo to share with you all. To be honest the artist enhanced drawing displayed in both the 'Stevens' and 'Schreiners' catalogues and featured below is a wee bit short of the mark when it comes to an accurate portrayal of the Iris and at best could be defined as only helpful for ID purposes. It was...

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Tall Bearded Iris, "SOUL MUSIC"

This iris is an example on how sometimes Checklists can lead you down the garden path so to speak.The elegant red-violet Iris is the Duane Meek 1978 introduction "Soul Music" and it is well named for sure. With a colour approaching black and light to moderate ruffling with a silky sheen, its overall form is even better than the very fine "Darkside". Now here is the problem, both versions of the 1979 checklists, the Print register and the Electronic register, state "bronze beard tipped violet" but as you can see in the photo...

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Space Age Iris "SNOW SPOON"

Just one of the stand-out irises I will look forward to this blooming season. Lets face it there has to be some payback to make all the weeding worthwhile. Ben Hager's "Snow Spoon" is a visual treat and several clumps grow at home among 'Graham Thomas' the Yellow David Austin roses. Irises with unusual decorative extensions to the beards are known as 'Space Age Irises'. Extensions to the beards range from horns (points) to spoons and flounces, and are so called because the ends of the horns expand to a larger petaloid, spoon or...

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The Iris known as "Braemar Station"

"One of the most serious difficulties the American Joint Committee has had to encounter is the duplication of names caused by the re-use of established names for the new introductions, or, in some cases, the renaming of old varieties; in fact, these mischievous practices have caused a large part of the chaos in common names of plants which now exists in American horticulture. The duplications doubtless occur more as a result of ignorance than deliberate intent to deceive. The genus Iris is a conspicuous example of this bad practice."...

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