Iris color
Theladygardens@aol.com (Sat, 02 Feb 2013 13:21:16 PST)

I imagine she hasn't divided them for years. What happens is they get
pollinated, she doesn't remove the seed pods, the pods pop open and spill all
among her hybrid iris. The iris that come up are the strongest toughest
throw backs to a natural iris color, either yellow or sometimes lavender/blue
or white. The only other way this could happen is from a chemical spray of
some sort. Chemical sprays usually deform the flowers as well as mess
with the colors, but less likely to turn them all the same yellow. To keep
your hybrid iris, you must remove the seed pods or ovary which are under the
flower. It's the thick part above the stem but under the flower. I had a
lady in my garden who insisted that hers had changed over the years and she
always removed the seed pods. She was so adamant that I finally asked her
to show me on one of my blooming plants how she removed it. She carefully
took off the flower petals and left a very pregnant seed pod on the stem.
Carolyn in Los Gatos, CA