Bonnie ~

Which one is your favorite pink?

When it comes to favorite pinks..... there are so many catagories such as light pink, dark pink, baby pink, raspberry pink, smooth form, some ruffles, a lot of ruffles, pink blended with white..... And then there are those that i am fond of because they were a shared iris or my mother grew that one. I am hopeless.

The truest pinks to my eyes are Hollywood Star, Star Appeal, and Star Turn.

Paul ~ back!

for your suggestions. I will look into them.

Here are the pinks blooming in the garden today.

Unchain My Heart


Valentine's Day


Vanity


Beverly Sills

June Krausse is a true pink, too.

More very nice pinks, Karen.

Bonnie ~ Let's see some of your pinks!

Evelyn if you resurrect this thread in midwinter, when i cannot do anything in the garden and really need and iris 'fix', i will share all my pinks. Right now it is too time consuming with all the things i need and want to do outdoors.

Bonnie ~ Alright! Sorry!

Welcome back Paul

No worries, Evelyn.

Still blooming... 'Peppermint Cream'. THIS time, I put a label on all of the 'Peppermint Cream' stalks, so I can divide it out from 'Nordica'. (The two were planted next to each other... too closely together. )



It's not exactly a modern ruffled beauty, but I think it is pretty enough, in a clump.

Polymerous said:


It's not exactly a modern ruffled beauty, but I think it is pretty enough, in a clump.

Marilyn ~ All irises do not have to be "the latest", or "modern ruffled beauties", to be beautiful irises. I think it is a little more than "pretty enough". (IMHO)

Some people like historics, I like a few of them, but not all. Some people like the latest extremely ruffled ones, I like a few of them, but not all. Some people like outrageously large and bold beards, I am not one of them.
Some people like "space agers" and broken patterns.... I like a few irises that are tan or brown, and I think I read that you don't like them at all.

Rob sent me a clump of Thornbird, and I am enjoying it (them) to the extreme. (Really!)

When I first started looking at irises seriously, selfs were my first choice. I have come to appreciate a wider range of patterns and styles. I still do like the crystal clear colors of a self, but there are so many more of interest to me now.

At least there are enough styles and color combinations to keep us all interested. I hope that my tirade did not sound like a lecture...it wasn't meant to be one.
And of course, there is always hybridizing to attempt to create something new. Apparently, it is more of a challenge and a lot of patience and hard work to get a favorable result.

Evelyn, You make very good points. Personally, I don't much like the extremely ruffled or laced blooms of the most modern cultivars. I've also noticed a new trend towards red, brown or gold bicolors which I also don't like. That's ok, other people like them, and the variety of people's tastes encourages the hybridizers' creativity. We are so lucky to have such a variety of patterns, forms, and colors to choose from.

Thanks everyone for the thumbs up. I do enjoy pinks but I know my small collection is consisted of rather old intros. When the busy season is over, I would love to know what are some of the newer favorite pinks from everyone.

Marilyn, I ordered Peppermint Cream this year because of your pictures of it last year.

Don't get me wrong, I like 'Peppermint Cream' and look forward to finally separating it from 'Nordica'. I just wish it had more ruffles. (Yes, I realize that there is such a thing as too much of ruffles, or lace. I do think 'Peppermint Cream' could use a bit more.)

I realize that other people have other tastes, and that's fine.

For myself, though... I don't like brown flowers, I don't like muddy colored flowers (and the "reds" that I have thus far seen have been muddy), and I don't like certain color combinations. So if somehow some hybridizer produced an iris whose blooms were a brilliant red-and-yellow of pristine clarity, I still probably would not have it; I don't particularly like that color combo in daylilies and I have only one (that one is an exception), so I doubt that I would like it in irises any better.

For that matter, I suspect that (ignoring color combinations), if some hybridizer produced a red self iris of brilliant color and pristine clarity, I'd have to think about getting it. I once read a statement to the effect (paraphrasing here) that "reds should be used with reservation in the garden, rather like a punctuation mark" (or maybe that was "an ultimatum" ) and I think that is true. I have few red daylilies - partly because they don't hold up well in our climate, but partly because too much red is simply oppressive. Imho.

I am beginning to suspect that I may not like "subtly" colored irises. I got 'Haunted Heart' because of the raves, and because the pics all looked intriguing. In real life, I am underwhelmed. Maybe the plant did its best given its location and my poor care, and maybe it would look better placed next to a solid purple to bring out the color, but I suspect it may not be long for this garden. (Yet I like 'Charismatic', and one could not say that has vibrant colors, so who knows. Maybe I don't like "grey" just as I don't like brown, or mud, in my flowers. )

I may as well say that I like some Space Agers, but not others. I like some fragrant irises, but not others.

I like some color patterns, but not others... or at least I do not like having too many irises of the same colors and color pattern. (Somehow I now seem to have more than a few white with blue (or lavender) irises with the 'Emma Cook' pattern. I don't need all of them.)

Enough of my likes (and dislikes). Bring on the pinks!

So long as they are CLEAR pinks, even peachy pinks or corals. Bonus for ruffles, fragrance, and/or Space Age!

I am looking for some light, but not pale, pinks that are neither peach nor lilac. And no coral or red beards. Either pink, lavender, blue or white beards.