As I continue my quest to identify, locate and acquire all the most intensely fragrant iris cultivars, I'm asking for your help…

As your gardens enter bloom season this year would you be kind enough to check each cultivar for fragrance? What I'm looking for isn't 'just' fragrance. I'm looking for 'intense' fragrance, but not of the 'stray tom cat' variety.

I'm also attempting to build an online iris fragrance reference source. I'd love it if you would be willing to post your iris fragrances there. Just go to https://www.fragrantiris.com/f...

Full disclosure: This is my retail website but that link will bypass everything and take you straight to the forum where I'm collecting fragrance descriptions.

I realize everyone experiences fragrance a bit differently so please, just give me your honest, personal perception of those irises with pleasant, intense fragrance that you encounter.

It would be helpful if you could provide details such as the cultivar name, your location or growing zone, the date, maybe even the time of day or weather conditions. Anything you think might impact your results.

In time I hope this will help folks in two ways; 1) if they're searching for fragrant irises they'll know which cultivar will meet their needs and 2) this could be a terrific resource for helping identify NOIDs.

Please title your post with the name of the cultivar you're describing. If someone has already started a post for that cultivar, please add your description to that post.

And, if you could add an image, that would be helpful as well.

Thank you in advance!

Randy

Bubbling Over: intense classic iris fragrance. Early blooms are less ruffled. Later blooms are bubble ruffled.



And if you want also to sell fragrant companion for your irises, I recommend

Peony "Vivid Rose" which smells potently of tee rose fragrance like Mr. Lincoln, or Chrysler Imperial. When I cut them to bring in, they perfume the entire living room so sweetly. Open this photo so you can see the whole bouquet.



And also lilac, President Lincoln: intense classic lilac fragrance.



I have all three of these planted within about 12 feet of one another and I get the fragrance just walking by them. It's wonderful.

Daisy,

'Bubbling Over' is beautiful. I've searched about ten iris vendor's websites. Finally found one who lists it but they won't open for a while. Hope to grab a few rhizomes when they do.

And I absolutely LOVE lilacs. I've planted several on our property but have yet to find one with the fragrance I remember from my grade school days. Used to pick a cluster on my way to school each day when they were in bloom. I'd carry that cluster in my front pocket until it wilted down to nothing. Just love that fragrance.

I don't have 'President Lincoln' but I will have this year.

My wife has a cottage garden with peonies. I think I'll try to find 'Vivid Rose' for her birthday in April.

Thank you so much!!

Randy

You are welcome, Randy. Enjoy! I know you will! I will snif-test all of my irises as they bloom this year and take notes.

As for my lilac, it is so fragrant, that I never can resist burying my nose in its blooms every time I walk by it. Its buds are pink, but open to lavender. And if kept from overcrowding itself, the bloom trusses are huge! I once took a stem of the blooms to my local perennial plants nurseryman. His eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of the huge bloom truss. He offered me my whole plants order for free if I would give him a start of it.

At that time, I had not yet figured out the name of it. I just knew it was a "French Hybrid" that my grandmother had given to my mother. I may be wrong about the name of mine, but it looks very much like the photos of President Lincoln. PL is actually an American hybrid as I recall, but I think it has the French hybrids in its ancestry. Unfortunately the guy in France who did the hybridization of his "French Hybrids" did not keep great notes, and many of his many hybrids names were lost.

So, I'm not sure mine is President Lincoln, but of all the many photos of lilac cultivars I've seen, it's the closest to what I have.

@rtowerbay
https://www.walking-p-bar.com/.... found this listing.

Max Goos & August Koenemann 1909
Is about the most fragrant historic iris I own. A very beautiful perfume like fragrance. You don't even have to bend over to smell it.

Of "newer" historics Nearpass' Spinning Wheel has a lovely fragrance.

I am not sure what the descriptors for iris scent are beyond spicy, sweet, grape soda (and the pungent "Cat urine"). This one is sweet but also very much what I think of as the scent I identify with as "iris."

And as a Note: Almost every single iris by Tom Burseen has a lovely scent. As scent is the reason I starting buying iris, I am very fond of Tom's iris. All his colors and crazy names don't hurt either.

Daisy - Tina & Daughters listed Bubbling Over. I purchased the last three rhizomes. Hoping to pick up a couple more when another vendor opens for orders.

Tom - I added Loreley to my order from Bluebird Haven this year. Eager to see the first blooms! Love that you said "You don't even have to bend over to smell it." That's exactly the kind of cultivars I'm searching for.

Leslie - Spinning Wheel is one of those that doesn't list fragrance in the description on Garden.org or wiki.irises.org. That's why I need help from folks like you!

Thank you all!

Randy

It is really amazing how few iris are hybridized with consideration for fragrance. While early iris, such as Florentina, were grown and used in the making of perfumes and scents, the focus on iris now is color and shape. I have some lovely soap from Florence, Italy that is made with Florentina. Just love the scent.