reticulate iris season
Peter Taggart (Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:24:42 PST)
Frank Elder is a greener more spotty version of Katharine Hodgkin.
Sheila Ann Germaney is the the clearest in colour with no green/ yellow hue
to speak of,
I have never grown or even seen "Tantallon" which is supposed to be a
little smaller.
I believe all three are children of Iris winowgradowii and Iris histroides
'Major'
Iris winowgradowii is stoloniferous and appreciates similar conditions to
Erethroniums for me. I bought my first bulb of Winowgradowii when I was
nine, 34 years ago. I think it cost ten or 12 pounds! I had to have it.
Except for the fact that I already have them now, I would happily trade the
hybrids in preference for either Iris winowgradowii or Iris histroides Lady
Beatrix Stanley.
Peter (UK)
On Thu, Feb 16, 2012 at 4:47 PM, Jim McKenney <jamesamckenney@verizon.net>wrote:
Earlier this week a friend lamented in an email that bulbs received as
reticulate iris 'Frank Elder' were starting to bloom but were not true to
name. They appear to be another nice reticulate cultivar, Lady Beatrix
Stanley.
I've had 'Frank Elder' from other sources in the past, but I've never been
able to from a clear sense of how it differs from the very similar
'Katharine Hodgkin'. Now I wonder if I've ever had the real thing. I also
have 'Sheila Ann Germaney' (from Jane McGary) and it is distinct.
There might be more excitement on the way: the same firm offered bulbs of
Vinogradov"s iris at an irresistible price. Mine are about to bloom, and
the emerging sprout looks like no other reticulate iris I've grown in the
past.