Eek--dang virus!
I had no idea. Apparently, all my other patches of KH (which multiplies like mad here, and blooms consistently every year) are also streaky--just went back and looked at some pics I had from previous years. So yeah, they probably are all virused. These ones were a more recent acquisition and came with a bunch of mystery purples too; they came back like gangbusters!

do you see virus symptoms here as well?

So does this virus only effect bulbous iris? or will it/can it spread to other bulbs--like my tulips, crocus, etc., and can it be transmitted to bearded iris? or anything else?
When those annoying leaves shoot up here in the next bit--I can get my head around any excuse to vanquish them all

Sharon Rose ~ to the Iris Forum!

We are glad you are joining us!

Those little irises are still so cute...Dirt, even if they have some sort of virus?

I have a new project and I will be asking for your help in the future. I need photo documentation for dwarf irises. I am going to ask everyone far and wide for photos of very old and very new little irises for the Dwarf Iris Society. So many of the little irises do not have a photo in any iris database. I don't care if the photo is black and white or even if it is a bad photo. Any photo is better than no photo. You can watermark your photos and the DIS website, once the website is overhauled, will state that the photos are the property of the photographer and cannot be used in any form without the owners permission.

Most vendors of historic irises have already made their photos available. So, I am looking mostly at private gardens and old publications.

Even if the little iris is lost to our gardens forever it needs a photo added the hybridizers information.

Slowly but surely.......

Dirt... That is terrible news to hear. Hopefully some can be saved. I know it is a pain in more ways than one.

Bonnie that Serviceberry looks like a tree of snow puffs to this snow shy southerner. I like it. Is it fragrant?
That is a great project to be collecting pictures for...May your endeavors be blessed with success!

Hi Evelyn dipping my toes here! Everytime a white iris opens up I think of you.

Thank you, Elsa!

May everyone have a safe and peaceful weekend!

Bonnie: Most my Dwarfs are newer but if I have any pics I can contribute, you and the Dwarf Iris Society are more than welcome to them. Just let me know.

dirtdorphins said:Eek--dang virus!
I had no idea. Apparently, all my other patches of KH (which multiplies like mad here, and blooms consistently every year) are also streaky--just went back and looked at some pics I had from previous years. So yeah, they probably are all virused. These ones were a more recent acquisition and came with a bunch of mystery purples too; they came back like gangbusters!

do you see virus symptoms here as well?

So does this virus only effect bulbous iris? or will it/can it spread to other bulbs--like my tulips, crocus, etc., and can it be transmitted to bearded iris? or anything else?
When those annoying leaves shoot up here in the next bit--I can get my head around any excuse to vanquish them all

It is hard to really see the fine details in the individual flowers in your last image. So it really is impossible for me to say for certain, but at this resolution I don't see any signs.

As far as I know, it isn't known what virus KH suffers from (or indeed if it really is a virus) so we can't really say what plants would be at risk of being infected. However, it is highly possible that other bulbous irises also would be at risk, so that was why I mentioned them specifically.

Plant viruses doesn't spread on their own, they need a little help, depending on the virus it could be sucking insects, nematodes, and not least the gardener. If you are just a little careful, I don't think you need to worry too much. Disinfect or wash cutting tools and hands frequently. Don't use your nails to dead head flowers, snap them off and be careful not to splash sap everywhere.

It is also important to remember that many, many plants carries viruses, without it causing them much harm. There are not always any visible signs either. Generally speaking the more viruses in a plant, the sicker it will get.

The first time I got virused tulips with broken colors I freaked out and discarded all of that cultivar. Today when I get a broken tulip I will simply remove it, its daughter bulbs and possible its closest neighbors.

One thing we can say is that if it is a virus, then KH still is vigorous enough to handle it, without it affecting growth too much. Just beware of this potential problem and handle it anyway you are comfortable with.

William, do you think that a virus causes a plant to 'sport'? I guess I could google it but since you have had experience with plant viruses I thought that I will just William it.

I tried Google, but couldn't figure out what key words would give the answer. However, I tripped over this:

"More than 70 per cent of induced and released mutant crop varieties have been developed using physical mutagens. Since the 1960s, gamma rays have become the most commonly used mutagenic agent in plant mutation breeding."

from this site: www.iaea.org

Just for grins I looked at a few of the database entries and discovered that the "Black Beauty" Dahlia cultivar was a radiation induced mutant. There is no requirement that any of these mutations be registered, however...

Bonnie!

grannysgarden said:William, do you think that a virus causes a plant to 'sport'? I guess I could google it but since you have had experience with plant viruses I thought that I will just William it.

I don't think so, but my experience with plant virus is mostly limited to what helps me in the garden, so do google if you are really interested.

However, there have been many occasions (just think about the old fashioned broken tulips where virused plants has been thought to be so pretty and desirable that they have been propagated on purpose. This at least is quite similar to how you would normally use a sport, at least if it is a pretty sport!

The Peace rose has many 'sports'. They seem to all be vigorous and with large fragrant blooms. I will google it William.

RHS on mutations (sports):
"Most mutations are random and are a result of a change within the cells of the plant, but mutations can sometimes be triggered by cold weather, temperature fluctuations or insect damage.
Sometimes the mutation is unnoticeable because the characteristics are not passed on from the cell where they occurred, but if the mutation occurs at the growing point, entire shoots can be affected as that cell multiplies and gives rise to whole cell lines."

Gardening Know how:
"A sport in the plant world is a genetic mutation that results from a faulty chromosomal replication. The results of the mutation are a segment of the plant that is distinctly different from the parent plant in both appearance (phenotype) and genetics (genotype). The genetic change is not a result of unusual growing conditions; it is an accident, a mutation. In many cases the new trait can be handed down to the organism's offspring."

SDB Coconino did not bloom last year. Nice stalk forming this year.

I have been out counting future blooms and although the MDB's may be scarce in blooms this year the SDB's are going to be just lovely.

One surprise in losses..... SDB Blue Pools. It had grown in a pot for a dozen years or so and I unpotted it in 2017 and gave it a nice place in the garden. It has never failed to bloom in spring and after giving me one bloom in 2018 just seemed to languish. I checked on it today and it is gone. Now I am rethinking planting them all in the ground.

Supposed to rain tomorrow but lows will be in the 40's so that will encourage the little stalks to grow.

I am sooooo excited! This is the best time of the year. Everything is waking up and blooming. It is like the promise of rebirth. Even the little frogs seem like they are singing praises to nature. :lol

I adore the sound of singing frogs, Bonnie!

we don't have that sound now, the pond where they were is cluttered with algae--there's a mindless chatter bit for you.

Sorry about Blue Pools Bonnie.

Singing frogs!

Thanks William!
so far, I've found nothing very current, but
Plant Viruses Online: Descriptions and Lists from the VIDE Database. Version: 16th January 1997
and
this site to be fairly helpful as far as all the different viruses, egads--there sure are plenty of them!
http://www.dpvweb.net/dpv/show...

definitely, simultaneous infections with multiple viruses are the worst as far as demise of the plants...
upon closer inspection, I'd say all of the KH are afflicted, but not in a debilitating sort of way, and some of the others--still, I will likely pitch all that annoy me when those leaves take off
haven't seen anything yet in the crocuses so far, nor in the bearded irises as I recall--but I'll be on the lookout now

IrisLilli said:Sorry about Blue Pools Bonnie.

Singing frogs!

exactly!

Later this spring the Bull Frogs will migrate through here. Talk about a chorus of frog songs. After sundown I will wrap up and take a hot mug of coffee and sit on the screened porch until I can't stay awake any longer and listen to their harmonies. They will only be here for about a week so I have to enjoy it when I can. Does anyone else plan their life around Frog Song.