Irises, Irises, Irises


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Throughout History, the gorgeous Iris has been heralded as the flower of Kings and priests. Since the dawn of recorded history, the Iris has symbolized the ultimate beauty of nature. And no wonder! Just look at the exquisite form, the brilliant color, the natural beauty of the iris. Four thousand years ago, the Iris was the flower of prince and priest in Crete, In ancient Greece, the Iris was the personification of the goddess Iris. In Biblical times, Solomon's famous "lilies of the field" are believed to have been Iris pseudacorus. My mother called them flags. In my garden, I just call them my "showgirls".

I will show you several kinds of Iris, but in most cases I will be referring to the beautiful bearded Iris. They have been a favorite flower of mine from a very early age. I remember them from my childhood where they grew without limits on the hill beside my house. They were a two-toned purple and I fell in love with them at first sight.

The Irises of today have come a long way from those first Irises I fell in love with. As you can see, there is a color to suit everyone. They have ruffles and speckles and the newest additions to my garden include reblooming Irises. That has always been the most common complaint of gardeners, that Irises just don't bloom often enough. Hybridizers are addressing that complaint with new varieties that bloom throughout the year. I Have only had one Iris that actually did rebloom, the Earl of Essex. It bloomed five times last year and was still blooming just before Christmas when we had our first frost.





I do not know the names of all my Irises. Some I have given my own name. Many of them were bought from a not so reputable dealer and probably were not the iris advertised. Showcased above, starting from left is a pink Iris that was in my reblooming collection. However, it has not yet rebloomed. Most of these rebloomers didn't rebloom. I live in a climate that is not great for rebloom. An iris wants it to be cooler for blooming and most of the time in Texas, When it gets cooler it also brings us an occasional frost. A frost will kill the bud and hence no rebloom.
I am inclined to believe this pink iris is Triple Treat. Next to it is another of the rebloomers, Lacy Snowflake. Again, it has never rebloomed, but I am not disappointed in this Iris. It had so many strong straight stems that were loaded with these very ruffled white blossoms. 60 mph winds didn't hurt this one. The next bronze Iris is also one of the rebloomers. I never was quite sure if it was Homecoming Queen or Pass the Wine. After much research, I have concluded that it is Homecoming Queen. The description of Homecoming Queen fits this iris more than Pass the Wine. As I stated before, some mail order businesses are not honest in sending the correctly named iris. The pictures I have seen of Pass the Wine appear to be much darker than my iris. The next one is a beautiful Iris without a name. I have clumps of these in different beds and think it is the Iris I ordered from a magazine that pictured it orange with white speckles. I sent them a picture with their ad and asked, "Does this look like the same Iris?" They didn't answer my letter, just sent another Iris, almost exactly like the first one :). I have found a picture of Celebration Song in a catalogue that looks very much like this iris. I have also identified the second iris as Peach Picotee. I found it's picture on the internet and remembered that was the name of the orange speckled iris I once ordered.

On the second row is Hurricane Lamp, one of the first Irises I planted when I moved into my own home. I thought it was beautiful. Next to it in the middle is one I call Granny's Purple. I got it from my daughter's granny-in-law. It is one of the largest Iris I have ever seen and although it looks like a hybrid, it grows like a native. This one is growing up on a hill with no care at all. It has a wonderful licorice scent and there were so many of them this year, that the scent drifted across the yard. Mmmmmm! The yellow one is Love the Sun, another rebloomer that hasn't rebloomed, but it's a very good grower.

On the next line is Blue Staccatto. This is also one of my first Irises. It bloomed the first year, about nine years ago, and this is the first time since. The next Iris is one I call Black Magic. I'm not sure if it has a real name. It was a test iris I did some years ago. I was so diappointed in their performance that I didn't even finish the test. But I have learned a lot since then and they all are performing much better. This one has white around it's beard. I have another that is black all over. I guess I will have to call it Blacker Than Magic. The light yellow Iris is Lemon Mist. It's suppose to have white falls with yellow speckles. Sometimes I see a little white on some of the blossoms. The next one is the iris I got when I ordered Camelot rose. I have determined that it is really Study In Black. It's an old Iris, but still beautiful.





These Iris from left, top: This White Iris is one of the test Irises I mentioned. It starts blooming later than some of the others and lasts into May. The next one is Peach Picotee. It is the replacement iris that I received when I complained about not getting the orange and white one I ordered. It is not quite the same as the first one I thought might be Celebration Song. Look at the ring around the falls.The next Iris was called Tiger Butter, a very pretty bronze iris, and beside it a mass of Black Magic.

On the second row is one I call True Blue as it is closest to blue than any Iris I have. It's a very tall Iris with a very long bloom season. I have identified it as Blue Sapphire. Then comes Crackling Burgundy I've had this Iris for a long time and it hasn't bloomed every year. Next to it is one I just call Muff's Iris. In researching my iris I have found a picture of Gigalo that looks very much like this iris. It was almost open this year when my cat, Muff, ran up the tree beside it. That blossom had to finish opening in the house! On the end of this row is a group of lavender Iris. They really are prettier than this picture, but they didn't bloom this year, so this is an old picture and not a very good one. I have also identified this iris as Amethyst Flame.See New Picture

The bottom row begins with Earl of Essex. I've already mentioned this rebloomer. It is the one that bloomed for me five times last year. And on top of that, it's a pretty iris! The next Iris is an Edith Wolford look-alike.This one could be a favorite of mine very quickly. Another very pretty Iris is this lavender and white one. It bloomed again in 2003 and seemed to be more of a solid lavender. I hope it goes back to the lovely lavender and white in this picture. The lastpicture is a view of the Iris and how it fits into a perennial bed. Aren't they gorgeous!

Nothing is hardier or more care-free than the old fashioned bearded Iris called historics. They are always the first to bloom and put on quite a show. Although they are not as frilly as the new breeds,they are much hardier. Many of them still exist in homesites that have been abandoned for many years. I think the original colors must have been purple, yellow and white. I usually try to plant them in spots that need a facelift but aren't convenient to care for. If left undisturbed, they will sometimes multiply prolificly. While researching last fall, my sister and I found an abandoned cemetery that was covered with Iris. I commented that they were my kind of flower, that they had lived there for hundreds of years with no help from a human hand. My sister gathered a sackful to bring home. Thanks Sis! I planted them in an outlying area and they have just started growing good this season. A late frost in 2003 froze the buds on this one but at least I know they will be white. I have yellow and white ones that a friend shared from her mother's homeplace and on a recent trip to my hometown, I brought back a few of the purple ones from my childhood home. I also have a maroon one that I gathered from an abandoned bed just down the road. I have identified his maroon one as Indian Chief.

Dutch Iris could have been included in my spring bulbs page because they are in fact a bulb and they bloom in the early spring before the bearded Iris. I chose to put them here because they are an Iris. When planted in clusters they provide a big splash of color and last much longer than their bearded cousins. I have never seen them in any color but purple and yellow. Yellow is my favorite of the Dutch Iris.



Two other Iris that I have found a place for in my garden are the Louisiana Iris and the Japanese Iris. (NOTE: a lady from the online iris list says this iris is in fact i. psuedacorus)Both of mine are yellow and both bloom later than other Irises. The Louisiana Iris doesn't mind getting his feet wet so it is often sold as a water garden plant. In the dry rocky environment around my home, I doubt that I could keep one alive without it being in my water garden. I found a blue one this spring and, although it's blooms were already spent, I brought it home with me. Next year I hope to have a picture of it. I have seen TV shows and read in books that the Louisiana Iris comes in many colors. When I ordered my Japanese Iris, it came in three colors. However the other two colors didn't live for me. This one has lived for nine years. I really must try them again.

Year 2002 was a hard year for iris. A late freeze over most of the country seriously inhibited iris bloom. However I have a few stalwart ladies that braved the weather and showed their faces. I also had a few that haven't bloomed in years make a new debut.

The only one of these three irises that I know the real name of is the last one...Wild Jasmine. The Lavender and yellow one might be Let's Dance. Bold Accent is another possibiity.


This yellow Iris is one I got in a trade with a lady. I had seen a red plicata growing in her yard and we thought this was it. It is obviously an historic iris but I doubt that I will ever know the name. The blue amoena is what I thought to be Edith Wolford. I recently found a tag buried beside it identifying it as one of the test iris I did. According to the tag it would be Apricot and Rose. I think without a doubt it has Edith's background. I really like it. It has never failed to bloom.

2003 was a big year for my iris bed. I added many new irises in the fall of 2002 and most of them bloomed in the spring of 2003. Then late in the fall of 2003 I added a lot more irises. I will be adding pictures as I have time. Below is a table of my iris. As I add pictures, the links will become active. Many of these are new iris that I do not yet have a picture of. Some of them didn't bloom in 2004 and will have to wait another year for a picture.

Picture List
Black

Black

Blue

Brown

Maroon

Orange

Pink

Purple

Red

White

Yellow

 

 

Purple

Blue

Maroon

Pink

Yellow

Almost Heaven

Best Bet

Bathsheba Comes

After the Dawn

Autumn Echo

Amethyst Flame

Blue Staccato

CP-156

All Dressed Up

Carole’s Lite Yellow

Autumn Circus

Breakers

Ecstatic Echo

Celebration Song

Champagne Elegance

Batik

Deb’s Baby Blue

Epicenter

Coral Clouds

China Dragon

BattleStar

City Lights

Gypsy Romance

Doctor Alan

Circus World

Boogie Woogie

Crowned Heads

Indian Chief

 

CG Yellow/White

Bountiful Harvest

Edith Wolford look alike

Jazz Festival

Hurricane Lamp

Dorothea Marquart

Confidante

Electrique

Lady Jean

It’s Delicious

Eggnog

Congratulations

Fountain Blue

Lenten Prayer

Jennifer Rebecca

English Charm

Carole’s Lilac

 

Let’s Dance

Kiss the Dawn

Gold Reprise

Carolyn’s Purple

Full Tide Walmart Blue

Magician’s Masterpiece

Lamoyne

Golden Immortal

Dwarf Iris

Mystique

Ostentatious

Lullaby of Spring

High Noon

Eagle’s Flight

Navajo Jewel

P T Barnum

New Dawn

Historic Yellow

Earl of Essex

Nordic Crystal

Pass the Wine

Old Pink

Ivory Way

Grape Expectations

Portrait of Larrie

Private Reserve

Peach Picotee

Lemon Mist

Gypsy Romance

Olympiad Imposter

Rameses

Pink and Yellow

Life of Riley

Lavender and White

Overnight Sensation

Rip City

 

Love the Sun

Loop de Loop

Polar Bear

Sheer Ecstasy

Sugar Magnolia

Lullaby of Spring

Loyalist

Portrait of Larrie

Study in Black

Touch of Mint

Old Yeller

Mariposa Autumn

Rapture in Blue

Sultan’s Daughter

 

Poppin Corn

Morning Hymn

Riversong

Sweeter Than Wine

 

 

Mother Earth

Ruffled Ballet look alike

Texas Glory

 

Shoot the Moon

Mother’s Flags

Sapphire Hills True blue

Vigilante

Triple Treat

Sky Hooks

Neon Cowboy

Silverado

Winesap

Vanity’s Child

Stephenville Yellow

Purple Bi-tone

Stellar Lights

Y-17

 

Strange Brew

Spirit World

Stephenville Blue

Red

VooDoo Child

Sunny Disposition

Summer Wine

Tide’s In

Cinnamon Girl

 

Sweetheart Ring

Romantic Evening

Victoria Falls

Cracklin Burgundy

Orange

Thornbird

Rondo

 

Fountain Red

Barbara My Love

Time Piece

Sweet Ballerina look alike

Brown

 

Fall Fiesta

Wild Jasmine

 

Boss Tweed

Red Ryder

Flaming Victory

 

Wild Vision look alike

Burgundy Brown

 

Fringe Benefits

White

William A Setchell

Cherokee Heritage

Stop the Music

Lonesome Dove

Bride’s Halo

 

Homecoming Queen

Taco Supreme

Old Gold

Lacy Snowflake

Black

Huckleberry Fudge

Walmart Red

Gratuity

Historic white

Black Magic

Rustler

 

Orange Harvest

Immortality

Blacker Than Magic

Tiger Butter

 

Tiger Honey

Mesmerizer

Night Owl

 

 

 

Nordica

Superstition

 

 

 

Test White

Swazi Princess

 

 

 

 

Witch of Endor

 

 

 

 

 

Louisiana and Spuria Iris

Non-Bearded Iris

Dutch

Spuria

Japanese

Louisiana

Syberian

Reticulata

Bronze Beauty

Betty Cooper

Hatsu Kagami

Ann Chowing

Gulf”s Wing

George

Blue

Cinnamon Roll

 

Clyde Redmond

 

 

Dark Purple

Imperial sun

 

Freddie Boy

 

 

Delft Blue

Ila Crawford

 

 

 

 

Eye of the Tiger

Proverb

 

 

 

 

Lone Camp

 

 

 

 

 

Meghann’s

 

 

 

 

 

Purple Vein

 

 

 

 

 

Romano

 

 

 

 

 

Rose Purple

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow and White

 

 

 

 

 

Mystic Beauty

 

 

 

 

 

Oriental Beauty

 

 

 

 

 

Silver Beauty

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed my Iris show and will visit other parts of my garden. Hurry Back!



Can You Help Me Identify My Unknown Iris?


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