TALL BEARDED IRIS IRWELL SOFT HEARTED

Blooming today in the Autumn afternoon sun shining its light on this re-bloomer. Tall! some 9 inches taller than its registered height coming in at 97cm (39"). Buds are tipped violet with a tan gold outer opening to creamy white standards that have just a blush of violet lavender and are heavily infused with a bright gold shade in the midribs. Falls are indeed the off white with strong gold shoulders, gold on the reverse, all completely finished with an amazing bold yellow beard. The bloom stalk in this photo has had frosts and buckets of rain thrown at it and it didn't give up so there is a strong possibility that when it blooms in its regular mid season time slot later this year it will be an iris to watch out for!! 

2016 New Zealand Iris Hybridisers Cumulative Checklist
IRWELL SOFT HEARTED (Ron Busch, R. 2010). Sdlg.1771-4110. TB, 30" (76 cm), M. S. white, gold center; style arms gold; F. off-white, gold shoulders, gold reverse; beards yellow. Parentage unknown.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version. Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. Photo credit and copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.

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TALL BEARDED IRIS IRWELL JAZZ TIME

More of 'The Late Show'
I have 4-5 plants of Irwell Jazz Time and they have bloomed non stop for the last 4 weeks, and I must of taken 30 or 40 photos of it, but because of the colouration and the striations on the falls the blooms have a tendency to confuse the camera, they never seemed to look acurate but we got there in the end despite the heavy rain.

2016 New Zealand Iris Hybridisers Cumulative Checklist
IRWELL JAZZ TIME (Ron Busch, R. 2010). Sdlg.1657/3057. TB, 30" (76 cm), E. S. lavender, purple flecked, slight purple midrib; style arms gold, purple midrib; F. cream white ground, ¾" purple plicata band; beards lemon. Parentage known.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version. Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. Photo credit and copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.

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TALL BEARDED IRIS IRWELL BANDIT

More of 'The Late Show'
Ron Busch Irises are renown for their rebloom so it comes as no surprise to me that some more of his Irises are starting to poke up extra bloom stalks after last weekend's 120mm and this weeks 50mm of rain.
The above "Irwell Bandit" blooming yesterday, for me it's the second year of re-bloom. Good height (115cm-45 inch) Stalk with two branches and 12 buds on the rebloom stem, . Vigorous grower, clean purple bottom foliage.

As well as 'Irwell Bandit' over the last few weeks we have also re-blooming at home Irwell Simplicity, Irwell Jazz Time, Irwell Enchanted Circle, Irwell Morning Bright, Irwell Fancy Dragon and Irwell Playboy. I will post on the blog photos and Checklist descriptions of these in the next few weeks.

2016 New Zealand Iris Hybridisers Cumulative Checklist
IRWELL BANDIT (Ron Busch, R. 2010). Sdlg. 1819. TB, 30" (76 cm), M, Re. Standards white flushed lavender; style arms lavender white; Falls red violet, white veining around tangerine beard, off-white edge. Parentage unknown. PBF.  The Iris Garden, 2011.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version. Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. Photo credit and copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.

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THE LATE SHOW

Ron Busch's Irises never fail to amaze! This is a yet to be registered seedling of Ron's producing a vivid display in our Autumn Garden. 

Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. Photo credit and copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.

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Tall Bearded Classic Iris SUMMIT

'Summit' photo taken yesterday.
Part of my program each season is to replace the older earlier photos on my Blog to portray a more accurate photo for ID which is after all the purpose for the blog, its my record of the Irises growing at home.
The photo is as the Waterson Catalogue description below and shows the rich yellow of the falls. 

Waterson Iris Garden, Wanganui, Irises 1960-61.
SUMMIT A lovely iris which, like Pinnacle, is a combination of white and yellow. The standards are the same pure white, without even a hint of cream, but the falls, instead of being primrose yellow as in 'Pinnacle', are a rich yellow. In the clump it is breathtakingly beautiful. There is an exquisite quality of beauty about this combination of white and gold which appeals both to the lover of bright colours for colour's sake and to the lover of artistic colour combinations- Summit is a tall and stately iris with widely branched stems carrying classically formed blooms.

D'Arcy Blackburn, Clifford Street, Gisborne, Bearded Iris Catalogue, 1957-1958
Summit (Stevens) A famous iris, one of the raiser's white and yellow amoenas, which has been acclaimed overseas as an outstanding iris. Tall and widely branched, with standards of pure white and falls of golden yellow, it makes a wonderful clump. Excellence substance and habits of growth. (48 inches)

Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. Photo credit and copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.

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TALL BEARDED IRIS IRWELL SIMPLICITY

Yes I am keeping notes regarding plant habits and bud count and all the other important things but I do not have enough time to extrapolate the data to the blog at the moment.
There are about twenty 'Ron Busch Irises blooming at the moment some in different gardens in different parts of the North Island so gathering the information and taking photos are the priorities at the moment. The dots will be joined and filled in later so if you need the bud count, or information of plant health you will have to return at a later date.
I hear some call these photo's glamour shots but I like to think of them as a method to ID irises and by time I have finished 'The Ron Busch Collection' will be well documented and after-all that's the end game. So here is another of Ron Busch 2010 stunning introductions blooming at home today.

2016 New Zealand Iris Hybridisers Cumulative Checklist
IRWELL SIMPLICITY (Ron Busch, R. 2010). Sdlg. 1764-4015. TB, 30" (76 cm), EM. S. white, yellow base; style arms white; F. white, ¾" lavender margin edged pale lemon, pale lavender spot with texture veining; beards yellow. Parentage unknown. PBF.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version. Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. Photo credit and copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.
The copyright of course includes the well known Iris photo kleptomaniac in France known as 'Irisenligne' who seems to back to his bad old habits again.

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Tall Bearded Iris IRWELL CASUAL FLIRT

I knew the early blooms would include some of Ron Busch incredible catalogue.
So here is one of the early starts after a night of heavy rain.

2016 New Zealand Iris Hybridisers Cumulative Checklist 
IRWELL CASUAL FLIRT (Ron Busch, R. 2010). Sdlg. 1852-4044. TB, 30" (76 cm), EM. S. lemon, violet midrib; style arms old gold, wine midrib; F. rose wine plicata on white; beards bronze. Parentage unknown. The Iris Garden, 2014.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version. Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. Photo credit and copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.
This of course includes the well known Iris photo kleptomaniac in France known as 'Irisenligne' who seems to back to his bad old habits again.

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New Zealand Tall Bearded Iris EARLY BEAUT

Hardly any iris  bloom stalks anywhere at home just yet, and it feels like it's going to be one of those 'all at once' iris seasons once nature finally makes its mind up when spring will start so the irises get an temperature 'go' signal that is consistent over a few days or weeks not an hour or so like it is currently, and that the daylight hours change from just a astronomy calculation to reality.
Even with all of these challenges it seems that our garden Tall Bearded Iris season starts these days with a couple of David Nicoll's 'Early' series Irises.
'Early Beaut' is an unusual colour tone with a pollen parent that is a well known Southern Hemisphere beauty of Barry Blyth 'Chinese Empress' that has softened the rather coarse colour tones of its famous pod parent 'Thornbird'. Double budded with good bud count, good plant health with strong plant habits.   


Richmond Iris Garden, 376 Hill Street, Nelson. Issue #54, 2004-2005 Catalogue.
* EARLY BEAUT - D. Nicoll Early flowering Violet blue standards infused with green at centre, falls veined violet merging to creamy mustard edge............................$15.00

2016 New Zealand Iris Hybridisers Cumulative Checklist
EARLY BEAUT D.B. Nicoll, Reg., 2004. Sdlg. D98T12-l. TB, 33″, (85 cm), VE ; S. light violet blue with a light infusion of green-gold from the centre midrib; style arms light creamy mustard with a touch of violet on the lip; F. veined violet centres merging and fading to light creamy mustard edges, under surface of central midrib green; beards bright orange; slight sweet fragrance. Thornbird X Chinese Empress. Richmond Iris Gardens 2004/05.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version. Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. Photo credit and copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©. 
This of course includes the well known Iris photo kleptomaniac in France known as 'Irisenligne' who seems to back to his bad old habits again.

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Tall Bearded Iris BURNT TOFFEE

The unusual is to breeders and some select growers a delight, toss in a unknown parentage or two and the intrigue goes to overdrive!! 'Burnt Toffee' is another of what I like to call my "Colour Chaos Irises" with it's original mysterious colour concoction. Smoky copper red-violet standards, brick red edged hafts with a airbrushed violet blue centre that expands down the falls and a decided margining of gold bronze, a blue beard tipped with bright old gold. Orange blossom fragrance. Impressive branching (3 plus spur). 'Burnt Toffee' disease-resistant foliage is a deep blue green, but plant has only average growth, eventually producing a stunning clump in the garden. For some though an acquired taste.

Schreiner’s Iris Lovers Catalog 1977
BURNT TOFFEE, (Schreiner 1977) ML. 37"
No one color completely characterizes this Iris for it subtly blends a gradation of several colors. Its standards are medium red-violet suffused with golden bronze. The falls present a change of pace. Their center is a pronounced blue-violet wash that diminishes to the precise border edging of gold-bronze. The beard starts as blue tipped but gives way to old gold deep down in the throat. Hafts are a metallic olive-gold-bronze. This smoky colored Iris is indeed unique! Three branches, 7 to 9 buds.

Eden Road Iris Garden, Wenatchee, Washington. 1979 Catalog.
BURNT TOFFEE, (Schreiner 1977) ML. 37" (Unknown)
Very effective blending of dark chocolate and blue-lavender. Beard is dull gold to blue. This one will make you stop and enjoy its rich coloring.

Tempo Two, Barry and Lesley Blyth, East Road, Pearcedale, Victoria, Australia, Season 1983-84
BURNT TOFFEE (Schreiner '77 USA) ML 37". A unique smoky Iris that subtly blends a graduation of several colours. Standards red violet suffused golden bronze. Falls gold bronze with blue flush through centre around blue beards. Good branching. (Parentage unknown) HM '79

AIS Checklist 1979
BURNT TOFFEE Schreiner's, Reg. 1977. Sdlg. G 1519-3. TB 37" (94 cm) ML.  Standards  light chocolate, flushed blue-lavender to center along midrib; Falls richer chocolate with darker chocolate hafts, blue blaze in center; dull gold to blue beard. Unknown parentage., Schreiner's 1977. 

Big hat tip to Calos Ayento of Brighton Park Iris fame for the 1977 Schreiner's description its much appreciated.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version. Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. Photo credit and copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.

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