Great choices!

Here's "some" 10 top choices that were first time bloomers for me in 2018.

Winter rebloom of Molokini


Espionage


Point of No Return


Read Between the Lines


Having A Party


Dragon Dance


Uncharted Waters


Haunted Heart


Sights Unlimited


Mulberry Magic


Born This Way


Seems I can't count to 10 either.

Ooh. Lovely picks, y'all! I so want Dragon Dance...actually, all of the Dragon named irises, I've liked and wanted.

Haunted Heart is growing on me, as is so many others...ah. I need pictures like this when were all in the midst of spring fever!

Beauties, Rob!

janwax said:Beauties, Rob!

I don't even know where to start!!! Collectively You all have very good taste. And yes it sure does fuel the Spring Fever

Elsa ~ Just share the healthiest, prettiest, strongest, nicest...irises that you grew last year. Which ones were outstanding, in your mind?

This was a Really Hard but fun task (just 10). I planted somewhere around 176 Irises in 2017 and we had good weather in 2018 so I had a bounty of blooms. And I think I loved them all but here goes...Not my Top 10 ever but my Top 2018:

Maya Mint: Can't remember whether it's been 3 years or 4 but this little MDB finally arrived and it was so tiny and also, yep, green:


Sweet Pink: The sheen finish on this was unreal. It was a Mid America gift.


Aqua: Another that had an unreal sheen and my dream colors...


Finding out my 2016 Seedling was a Rebloomer and Winter Rebloomer at that:


Dewuc Whatic: Wildly Beautiful!!!

Butterfly Affair: It was such a unique green (gas light green) and so green for a TB that I literally ran across the yard mumbling to myself It's green! It's green! I would walk around that first bloom over and over eyeing every last detail.


Don't Doubt Dalton: Polka dotted wonder:

Beauty Within: Truly an unreal beauty that no picture can capture

Easter Lace: This hinted 4 or 5 different pastel colors. Very beautiful lace too. It just keeps growing on me by the year.

Glorious Sunshine: Remember this song....Because I'm Happy...that's how it feels to look at this rubber ducky of an Iris.

I planted a lot of irises in that time span too Elsa. That's why I said "some" of my top 10....it leaves the door open to post another top 10.

: Very True Rob. You have some absolute stunners in your top 10 by the way!!!

My top ten were all new to me in 2018. I picked these mostly based on appearance of the bloom.

TB 'Golden Panther'
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this color!


TB 'Pumpkin Cheesecake'


TB 'Tennessee Woman'
Love the intricacy in the standards.


MTB 'Merit'
A fun little surprise. I'm a sucker for plicatas.


IB 'Nickel'


IB 'Dude'
I'm a sucker for coppers too.


SDB 'Gizmo the Gremlin'
Great color combo!


TB 'Spreckles'
Fell in love with this one the first time I saw a photo. Equally impressive in person.


TB 'Margaret Inez'
The name has special meaning for me. So glad I was able to acquire it and that it has done well.


TB 'Ardent Arlene'
The hybridizer is a friend.

Scott, if you are ever in North Carolina in bloom time you really need to go to Thelma's garden near Winston Salem. There are more copper colored and plicata iris there than you would ever think imaginable. Gabe and I have jokes about "oh look, another copper iris" and "another purple and white plicata.". The garden has a wonderful clump of Speckles. First place I ever saw it.

Leslie, sounds like heaven. Thanks for the tip! Would love to visit any of big iris gardens during peak bloom. I bet it's overstimulating.

evelyninthegarden said:Hippie ~ Oh Carol is a pretty one. I am looking forward to getting Rosalie Figge, as it seems to do well for everyone!

Evelyn, if you remind me in June or July, I'm sure I can share a rhizome of 'Rosalie Figge' with you.

Scott - it's sort of like a treasure hunt. You keep going on down the rows to see the next one, and the one after that, because it could be even better!

It will be good that I have had that experience, since I will be visiting some hybridizers in the PNW in May! Going to focus on only 4 places so you all will get to see pictures galore. Sure to be overwhelmed, like a kid in a candy store.

As for top ten, how in the world? I can do 10 dwarfs, 10 Burseens, 10 other TB's, 10 LA's/JI's/Species, 10 IB/BB/MTB's. Even if I stick to new bloomers I am not sure I can pick only 20....

Not the worst situation to be in - as dilemmas go...

True!

Leslie,
It's February, and I'm in zone 6A with a stick garden to look at right now. I'm up for the best 10 in each category!

Hoooold up. Thelma's Iris Gardens is in/near Winston Salem? Oh, that is much more managable of a distance for me. I was thinking Durham, and that's quite a bit further away.

45 minutes (roughly) versus 2 and 1/2 hours!

Yes Monty, Winston Salem, but I thought you were near the coast? Thelma's is an hour+ west of me.