Over the years there have been acquisitions that proved to not be what was ordered. After a brief bit of disappointment I don't get too upset. It's all too easy to mix up rhizomes just moving them around and replanting. Usually I've tried to contact the seller and see if they know, but most of the time that has not been very productive. If you've watched what I've put in the database, you know I have a penchant for arilbreds, but other classes and historics also have been welcome. I continue to let the NOIDS grow as long as they will, but they may not get preferential treatment. Here are some photos from over the years.
'is it really PINK NIGHTIE' That's how this one got tagged. That was the purchase and the color is correct, but the form wasn't believable. I never did establish the identity one way or the other:
'not ASPECTS OF LOVE'. At the time I really did want Aspects of Love, but this isn't it. Never did manage to acquire it either.
'not BYE BYE BLACKBIRD'. An attractive bloom, but not even close to black!
'not CELESTE AZUL'. It's an arilbred iris, but not that one. You'd think with the fewer numbers they could be identified, but it's as hard to get an id on them as any other iris.
'not CORNING'. Too bad. I think CORNING is probably extinct but there's always hope it's quietly growing in some old garden waiting to be found. It was suggested that this imposter wasn't even an arilbred, but an old historic TB instead. I don't think that's right. I believe it's an AB and an interesting one. But it may be an old seedling that was never registered.
'not TUL KEREM'. It took me some time before I realized the mistake. Pretty color, nice blue beards. Really pretty blue beards. TUL KEREM is registered as having brown beards. I think even a colorblind person wouldn't have made that mistake.
'not likely TURKISH HEART'. I grew this for several years before anyone questioned it. It looks correct for everything except the shape of the signal pattern. That really should be heart shaped. It's close, but no go.
'not MOVE OVER'. Almost certain it was LORELEY instead, but I never got one and grew them side by side.
'not OMAR'S SISTER'. A cute SDB of some sort, not the AB it was supposed to be.
'not ORMOHR'. It's clearly a Mohr style arilbred, but a much later edition than Ormohr which, according to reliable folks who grew it back in the day was a much strappier bloom. I tried hard to identify this, but never did.
'not TWIST OF FATE'. I didn't get this from the most reliable source, but it matched the description close enough. Then I saw the REAL Twist of Fate blooming. I just came home and pulled up the garden id tag.
'not WILLIAM MOHR'. At one time I think I had a name that was probably good for this one. A historic TB, not an arilbred at all. The color and markings on this are pretty lurid and distinctive. I never attempted to nail it down to be certain, though.
This mis-identified arilbred is surely a registered cultivar, but I never could identify it. It came via a plant sale. Really hard to go back and ask on those. I didn't know the person's name where it originated to ask.
This unknown TB may have arrived with the correct name, but it never bothered to bloom and ended up blooming as an isolated unmarked fan. I went over all my lists of purchases looking specifically for something that matched the description but had never bloomed. Wasted my time. Nothing. It's also never bloomed again.
An older gentleman sent me an arilbred rhizome he was growing. This SDB bloomed. He wasn't sure what it was. There are a LOT of SDBs in this color/pattern. Unknown or not, it has been the best SDB growing here. Generally they don't like my part of the world and don't bloom well.
Not even counting the grandmother pass along iris and some where I never took a photo. Incorrect or not, these gave me some pleasure. Some more than others.