I kinda took this idea off of the Daylily forums. I thought it would be cool to make one for irises as well. As Daylilies and irises are the most common perennials in perennial gadens.

1. I would try to make TB blooms heat tolerant.

2. I'd try to make more Newer TB iris varieties to naturalize better. The older ones tend to naturalize better. You immediately have to divide the newer varieties every 3 to 4 years because they start to look patchy (mainly long ugly or bald old rhizomes that connect to each other with a few fans left over in the clump.)

3. I'd also like to make TBs more tolerable to shade and tolerable to soil that has extra moisture.


What would you guys do???

Good goals, Ian. I like #2 especially since digging and dividing clumps is so much work. I'd like to see blooms last more than a couple of days.

#1 and #2 sound like very good ideas!

AndreaD said:#1 and #2 sound like very good ideas!

I agree.

I would definitely like to combine some of the new colours and patterns with better vigour in my climate, though I would probably not try to cross modern irises with very old ones, but rather use modern irises that I know grow well for me. If you want to improve bearded irises toward better tolerance of wet soil, you might have to look outside the bearded class for something to cross them with - and that is when things tend to get a little more complicated.

If I had wet soil, I would grow irises of different classes that like more moisture. Japanese, Louisiana, Pacificas and any others requiring more moisture.

As far as hybridizing bearded irises, I would look for traits that show vigor, strong stems, resilient petals that withstand varying types of weather, good bud count, disease-resistance, and overall good appearance.

People don't need pretty irises that don't perform well.

I would like the individual blooms to last longer, stronger stems that don't fall over in the wind and something that makes them unattractive to animals that destroy them.

Totally_Amazing said:I would like the individual blooms to last longer, stronger stems that don't fall over in the wind and something that makes them unattractive to animals that destroy them.

Slightly taller MTBs

I would also like irises that have fewer buds coming out of a socket. It doesn't look attractive.

I would like an iris that blooms consistently every year. I have some gorgeous irises, but they only bloom every third year year.

I would also like the blooms to have enough substance that they do not rip easily.

The newer irises have much improved substance. Check out those with Haunted Heart in their pedigree, for instance.

AndreaD said:The newer irises have much improved substance. Check out those with Haunted Heart in their pedigree, for instance.

I know they do. I'm feeling sullen because the wind and rain completely ripped the falls of 'Hook' and 'Zin City' to shreds on the same day they opened. They may be replaced next year. Garden space is at a premium. But I do like the colors a lot.

Resistance to iris borer!

Also, a prominent, sweet fragrance.

urania1 said:I would like an iris that blooms consistently every year. I have some gorgeous irises, but they only bloom every third year year.

I thought irises bloomed every year so why do some only bloom every three years?

TBipp said:

I thought irises bloomed every year so why do some only bloom every three years?

Well, they are supposed to bloom every year, but irises are the divas of the flower world. They tend to do what they want when they want. The older varieties bloom pretty consistently. The newer ones, less so.

One disappointment with irises is that only about 50% bloom a year after planting. It is discouraging to wait two years after buying and planting to see a bloom. It also makes it more difficult to attract newbies to irises when many perennials bloom the year they are planted while the vast majority bloom a year later.

More fragrant irises would be nice.

Even worse when you wait two years only to find that they send you the wrong iris! One lesson we can learn from iris is patience

TBipp said:One disappointment with irises is that only about 50% bloom a year after planting. It is discouraging to wait two years after buying and planting to see a bloom. It also makes it more difficult to attract newbies to irises when many perennials bloom the year they are planted while the vast majority bloom a year later.

More fragrant irises would be nice.

It depends on whom you buy from. I bought 6 from Schreiners last year and all 6 are budded. I bought 6 from two smaller nurseries (3 each), and of those 6 only 3 are budded, and I need to cut the bud off of one of those because it only has one fan and no starts. It would bloom out.