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Feb 2, 2016 12:40 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Liz
East Dover, VT (Zone 5a)
Annuals Irises Lilies Region: Northeast US Organic Gardener Peonies
Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge) Seed Starter Enjoys or suffers hot summers Vegetable Grower Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Hummingbirder
As I'm placing orders this year I am finding that there are certain irises that are very similar in color and style. I feel like the logical thing to do is just pick one of the two varieties, but I keep finding myself wanting them both despite their similarities! What are some similar irises that you all have come across that you just needed to have both?
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Feb 2, 2016 12:48 PM CST
Name: Leslie
Durham, NC (Zone 8a)
Garden Photography Cat Lover Irises Region: North Carolina Peonies Enjoys or suffers hot summers
Celebrating Gardening: 2015
"The chimera is a one time happenstance event where the plant has a senior moment and forgets what it is doing." - Paul Black
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Feb 2, 2016 1:04 PM CST
(Zone 9b)
Region: California Garden Ideas: Level 1
I want both of those too! Green Grin!

An easier question for me is "which ones have I come across that I didn't want".
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Feb 2, 2016 1:11 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Liz
East Dover, VT (Zone 5a)
Annuals Irises Lilies Region: Northeast US Organic Gardener Peonies
Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge) Seed Starter Enjoys or suffers hot summers Vegetable Grower Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Hummingbirder
Those two are a perfect example! I ordered Gloriafied Glenn from Stout, but I have Patchwork Puzzle down on my want list from Mid-America.
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Feb 2, 2016 1:33 PM CST
Name: Debra
Garland, TX (NE Dallas suburb) (Zone 8a)
Rescue dogs: Angels with paws needi
Dragonflies Dog Lover Bookworm I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Photography Bee Lover
Plays in the sandbox Butterflies Region: Texas Garden Sages I sent a postcard to Randy! Charter ATP Member
If in a position to get both (of whichever two you are considering), grow them together. Odds are you will like one over the other and can rehome the one you like less. Or choose a preferred bloom season to decide which to get. I tend to avoid those described as having a Mid bloom season. Just a couple of ideas. Smiling

Edited: Oh, yeah, and be sure to look at other resources for images. For example, ATP and the Iris twiki may show you that images in 'real' folks' gardens are enough different from the vendor's images that you can make an easier decision.
It’s okay to not know all the answers.
Last edited by lovemyhouse Feb 2, 2016 1:34 PM Icon for preview
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Feb 2, 2016 2:27 PM CST
Name: Tom
Southern Wisconsin (Zone 5b)
Butterflies Vegetable Grower Keeper of Poultry Irises Keeps Horses Dog Lover
Daylilies Cat Lover Region: Wisconsin Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I agree with what's been said above. It's all in your personal taste, space, and funding limits. If there are limitations to money and space, you might choose one, and make room for something else. If they are really alike and you really love them and one blooms early, and one blooms late, you get the long season to enjoy that look.
Black Magic Woman blooms early, and Sharp dressed man blooms later (mid season). They are similar in color.

Politicians are like diapers, they need to be changed often, and for the same reason.
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Feb 2, 2016 2:55 PM CST
Name: Leslie
Durham, NC (Zone 8a)
Garden Photography Cat Lover Irises Region: North Carolina Peonies Enjoys or suffers hot summers
Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I hadn't thought about the bloom time Tom. Extending the time you get to enjoy that "look" is a plus.
"The chimera is a one time happenstance event where the plant has a senior moment and forgets what it is doing." - Paul Black
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Feb 2, 2016 3:58 PM CST
Name: Lucy
Tri Cities, WA (Zone 6b)
irises
Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener Irises Region: Northeast US Region: United Kingdom Region: United States of America
Enjoys or suffers cold winters
We had a couple of irises of similar color. When one stopped blooming, the other one would take over.
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Feb 2, 2016 4:04 PM CST
Name: Jen Jax
Northern Kentucky (Zone 6a)
Region: Kentucky Dog Lover Irises Peonies Enjoys or suffers cold winters
I agree I have both patchwork puzzle and glorified Glenn on my want list also!
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Feb 2, 2016 5:04 PM CST
Name: Niki
Bend, Oregon (Zone 6a)
Flowers are food for the soul.
Bee Lover Butterflies Daylilies Dragonflies Frogs and Toads Hummingbirder
Irises Region: Oregon Organic Gardener
I wish I knew more about sizes. When I take pictures I think I might include a ruler next to the flower. I think Blake's Achey Heart and Bronze Heart look so similar in the pictures. I also think Are we in love and (It's child) Matters of the Heart look similar. I want the best pinks, and since I haven't been to many gardens this forum is helping me decide. I also wish I knew if the ones I like produce more stocks or blooms than the other.
"The Earth laughs in flowers."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Feb 2, 2016 5:22 PM CST
Name: Sherry Austin
Santa Cruz, CA (Zone 9a)
Birds Bulbs Region: California Dragonflies Foliage Fan Irises
Keeper of Poultry Roses Photo Contest Winner: 2015
I thought these two would look very similar, but see how my Ring Around Rosie looks here, by comparison to the one just left of it. This was it's maiden bloom, so maybe I can expect more color this year ??
Thumb of 2016-02-02/Henhouse/d00221
The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us.
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Feb 2, 2016 5:28 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Liz
East Dover, VT (Zone 5a)
Annuals Irises Lilies Region: Northeast US Organic Gardener Peonies
Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge) Seed Starter Enjoys or suffers hot summers Vegetable Grower Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Hummingbirder
Tom, I like your idea of similar but different seasons. I also like the concept of placing them next to each other to prolong blooms of a certain coloration. This would make it easier for me to match complimentary colors when designing my beds.

How similar is House Arrest and Advanced Features? Each picture I see is slightly different, some make them look noticeably different, and others make them look so similar that it's hard to tell which is which.
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Feb 2, 2016 5:53 PM CST
Name: Tom
Southern Wisconsin (Zone 5b)
Butterflies Vegetable Grower Keeper of Poultry Irises Keeps Horses Dog Lover
Daylilies Cat Lover Region: Wisconsin Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Advanced Features seems to be a lighter tint of a similar pattern. When there are several pictures of one iris, and one sticks out as being much darker or much lighter, you can usually attribute that to camera and/or lighting differences. I assume that the majority color is more accurate.
Here's House Arrest. I really like this one.
Politicians are like diapers, they need to be changed often, and for the same reason.
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Feb 2, 2016 8:00 PM CST
Name: Barbara
Northern CA (Zone 9a)
Region: California Cat Lover Dog Lover Irises Enjoys or suffers hot summers
I just clicked on Oreo from the recent pictures added to the database. All the pictures in the database look very close in color. I think that is unusual for 'all' of them to look so close.
• “Whoever said, ‘Do something right and you won’t have to do it again’ never weeded a garden.” – Anonymous
Last edited by Phillipb2 Feb 2, 2016 8:02 PM Icon for preview
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Feb 2, 2016 8:35 PM CST
(Zone 9b)
Region: California Garden Ideas: Level 1
I should be under "House Arrest" for how many irises I want.

House Arrest sure is a beauty that I must order one day.
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Feb 3, 2016 4:53 AM CST
Name: Tom
Southern Wisconsin (Zone 5b)
Butterflies Vegetable Grower Keeper of Poultry Irises Keeps Horses Dog Lover
Daylilies Cat Lover Region: Wisconsin Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I think many times the darker colors sometimes come out more accurate.
Politicians are like diapers, they need to be changed often, and for the same reason.
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Feb 3, 2016 5:21 AM CST
Name: Tom
Southern Wisconsin (Zone 5b)
Butterflies Vegetable Grower Keeper of Poultry Irises Keeps Horses Dog Lover
Daylilies Cat Lover Region: Wisconsin Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I have a micro climate next to the house where irises always bloom first. I've found that if I'm interested in using some later blooming irises on earlier blooming ones to make crosses I can put the later bloomer near the house, and the earlier bloomer out farther, and they bloom closer so I can make the crosses. I also have put some in both places so I have access to them for crosses for a longer season. If it's a favorite of yours, you could do the same thing just so you could enjoy it longer. Smiling (Provided you have a micro climate some where.) I'm also experimenting with having a "very late" bed where I put later bloomers in an area with a bit of shade. Any thing to extend the season!
Politicians are like diapers, they need to be changed often, and for the same reason.
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Feb 3, 2016 8:51 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Kent Pfeiffer
Southeast Nebraska (Zone 5b)
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Database Moderator Plant Identifier Region: Nebraska Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Forum moderator Irises Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Master Level
HighdesertNiki said: I also think Are we in love and (It's child) Matters of the Heart look similar. I want the best pinks, and since I haven't been to many gardens this forum is helping me decide. I also wish I knew if the ones I like produce more stocks or blooms than the other.


Having seen them growing near each other, I'd say Are We In Love is "pinker" than Matters of the Heart. The flowers on Matters of the Heart are more to the peach end of the spectrum than pink, and are also paler than those of of Are We In Love.
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Feb 3, 2016 8:55 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Kent Pfeiffer
Southeast Nebraska (Zone 5b)
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Database Moderator Plant Identifier Region: Nebraska Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Forum moderator Irises Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Master Level
Dachsylady86 said:

How similar is House Arrest and Advanced Features? Each picture I see is slightly different, some make them look noticeably different, and others make them look so similar that it's hard to tell which is which.


The big difference between House Arrest and Advanced Features is in substance and form. The flowers of House Arrest have heavier substance and more ruffles than those of Advanced Features.
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Feb 3, 2016 9:02 AM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
Kent, your observations are hugely valuable to me! Thank You! Thumbs up I love scrutinizing blooms and observing the subtle differences.

It makes me want to grow the similar ones for that very reason. Iris fandom truly is like heading down the rabbit hole Rolling on the floor laughing
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi

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