Tall Bearded Iris 'BAL MASQUÉ'

Just how has this exquisite French bred Amoena been overlooked for High Awards or any deserved official recognition for all these years??? It's one of my special 'Look forward to blooms' and comes with outstanding form coupled with great growing habits and qualities, and my opinion of it expands each bloom season.  Outstanding show stalks with multiple branching and healthy blue-green foliage. It is a very dramatic color combination. Seems to be a bit of a Darkhorse Iris in New Zealand as well, and my big hat...

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Tall Bearded Iris MISSOURI

Some irisarians, as recently as just the other day have described this iris as 'A poor grower', which is a bit puzzling really when you think that this iris is still strutting its obvious good looks some 80 years after its introduction. 'Missouri' is one of those irises that decides for itself if it likes growing in your garden, fortunately for me it likes growing at our home. It needs to be grown where conditions suit the plant not the grower.  My plant came from an importation about a decade ago to...

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CRESTED IRISES OF EVANSIA SECTION

Some Lesser Known Irises    PART III CRESTED IRISES OF EVANSIA SECTION By Miss J. Burgess, Waikanae. THE NEW ZEALAND SMALLHOLDER, April 16th, 1935.  Although one or two of the crested irises are known to the New Zealand gardener, there are several species of this interesting section which are rarely if ever seen in this country. It is generally believed that the Iris genus is divided into two divisions, the bearded and the beardless irises. However, there is a group...

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Autumn Blooming Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert'

Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert' is a exquisite Japanese anemone variety with large silky white single flowers with those amazingly  contrasting yellow centre rings of stamens. Graceful blooms that change with age are on long branching stems over an attractive foliage of dark green leaves. Its fine qualities have won it the prestigious Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Anemones or as they are sometime known as windflowers  give borders a welcome boost in late summer...

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Tall Bearded Iris CROWN HIM KING

Writing about this iris is a lot like selecting an iris from a glossy iris catalogue, you know what I mean........... if its new you get to purchase an image that you would like to display in your garden and we could certainly find a space to grow 'Crown Him King' in the garden at home. Its 'my pick' from an very impressive selection of 2013 introductions by Robert Van Liere of Iris4u Iris Gardens. A great colour combination of rich yellow standards banded in a subtle rosy tan, falls white overlaid in the same rich yellow tone...

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Tall Bearded Iris IRWELL DANCE

 Another great photo sent to share by Julie May the owner of the legendary 'The Iris Garden'.  The late great Ron Busch was a master of the surprise and 'Irwell Dance' is no exception to this rule. This iris and 'Irwell Fancy' may be soon winging their way to overseas Test garden destinations. I have been informed by an official of the NZIS that after Ron's passing his Irises are no longer eligible to be entered in New Zealand Iris Society sanctioned test gardens for the Begg Sheild or...

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Tall Bearded Iris CHAMPAGNE ELEGANCE

'The harbinger of winter' is how I relate to 'Champagne Elegance'. It starts to send up bloom stalks with the change in temperature and first of the Autumn rains. A stunning flower with great carrying power in the garden, and even more so in late Autumn when there are very few blooming irises. Its one of those 'Near- Amoenas' in which the nearly white standards are tinted with some other colour and in this case the standards are tinted light champagne creamy pink, which sets off nicely the light lemon apricot flaring falls....

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Iris Evansia, Crested Iris, CHENGDU.

The Evansia or Crested Irises are a interesting group of different irises all with different chromosome counts. 'We at home' are just starting a collection of these plants now that the trees we planted some 18 years ago are starting to give the mottled shade habitat that evansias like so much to grow in. Evansias do like growing in many places in New Zealand and these delightful and distinctive irises add great value to the garden, although they are not used as much in gardens as they deserve to be.   Much has been...

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Sisyrinchium striatum, Companion planting for Bearded Irises

Sisyrinchium striatum, common name is 'Satin Flower' and is a member of the Iridaceae family. A great inexpensive companion plant for Bearded and Siberian irises. Upright narrow grey green leaves are sword like and evergreen.  Creamy blooms with dark yellow centers rise above foliage on multiple spikes . These adaptable South American wildflowers tolerate a wide range of conditions and naturalize easily. The late spring early summer blossoms each open for just one day with the morning sun and close at dusk but this short...

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Tall Bearded Iris JANE PHILLIPS

I have always held this Iris in high regard, and was one of my first irises. It was purchased at a School Fair with no ID which undoubtedly started me on this mad journey of Iris history. What makes 'Jane Phillips' special is hard to put your finger on, perhaps it is it's carrying power and consistency or the trick it plays on the grower with its dark blue buds that slowly unfurl to become an entirely pale blue bloom. Not tall, but not as short as some critics would lead you to believe...

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