reticulate iris season
Jane McGary (Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:55:20 PST)

I agree with Peter Taggart that

Unfortunately, I have never been able to maintain it for more than
three years, but I look forward to trying again in the new garden, or
perhaps in moist side of the bulb house where pots are no longer used.

In addition to the reticulate irises other correspondents mention, I
have one in flower here called 'Halkis', which was given me some
years ago by Wim de Goede. It is a very attractive bicolored flower
with little or no yellow in the markings. I don't know whether it's a
species selection or a hybrid. Does anyone know?

A problem with Reticulata irises is getting disease-free stock, so I
always order seeds when possible and have some really vigorous I.
reticulata from wild seed, but no other species.

To depart to another section, the first Juno (Scorpiris) are
flowering here, including Iris stenophylla ssp. stenophylla, which
bloomed a couple of weeks later than ssp. allisonii. I grew the
former from wild-collected seed from a Czech supplier. It is taller
and larger than allisonii and deeper in color. I'm also glad to see
'Sindpers' emerging in the new rock garden -- in this climate it does
better in the open than under cover.

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA