Some more beauties. I love those Greywood ones.

Pictures from a visit to a local nursery

Asahimaru


Fringed Cloud (I bought this one)


Maiko No Hama


Prarie Princess

How could you pick just one? What I would usually do is buy one and by the next day decide I deserved more and go back.....

Restraint is hard when you find a plant that works foryou.

You're funny, Paul -- that's how it usually works for me too!

I've never been too interested in Japanese Iris. They look *odd* to me with their open, flat form. But I have to admit -- Ed's photos are intriguing. Every one of those are beautiful. I don't believe I've ever seen any in person.............

Well, I just try not to compare them with TBs. They are in a class of their own. Plus they extend the bloom season. Here they bloom later than the TBs.

Ya'll are all too kind. JI are just about the most perfect flower I have ever seen. I have high hopes for the garden this year, especially the JI.
The weekend before last was in the 70's with light breezes and sunshine. Like every other garden junkie I was out piddling and cleaning the beds thinking I am so glad winter is over......not. It is so cold here with wind blowing down from the NW, not as bad as you poor souls with a foot and a half of snow, but doggone it, the dogwoods are supposed to be popping out.

My thoughts and prayers are with the folks that got hit with snow, ice & freezing temps.

This ones for you!
Greywood's Irish Myst


Flashing Koi


Butterflies in flight ????


Can anyone identify the last one, I lost the tag.

Those are so beautiful.

ditto.Really nice clumps.

lorettalea said:JI are just about the most perfect flower I have ever seen.

Can anyone tell me if pseudata's like as acid a soil as JI?

Yes, grow them exactly as JIs.

They do; but are now on the list of banned plants in MA. If there are present, ok, but new plants of them are banned. Their problem is that they clog waterways.

PollyK said:Yes, grow them exactly as JIs.

Pheww! I have to remember, ask first! Thanks Polly.

irisarian said:They do; but are now on the list of banned plants in MA. If there are present, ok, but new plants of them are banned. Their problem is that they clog waterways.

Iris pseudacorus is banned and with good reason. 'Gubijin' is fertile, are there other fertile pseudata available in the U.S.?

Evan, as you know Gubijin is a pseudata. Not pseudacorus. Cross with a white ensata, I'm not sure which one. Gubijin is fertile, yes, but is it invasive? Gubijin is a cross between a pseudacorus and a Japanese. Any of it's offspring are crosses between Gubijin and a Japanese, so now we have 2 Japanese in the mix with one pseudacorus. I don't know of any Japanese that are invasive here, so I truly doubt Gubijin is invasive.

I have had a Gubijin for a few years and they do set quite a few seeds. They don't seem to pollinate easily by themselves, and the problem here is they don't bloom with the Japanese. The Japanese bloom later. I now have pollinated a few by having a friend south of me sending pollen.

So, I just don't see Gubijin being invasive. They don't self cross.

I am not aware of an other fertile pseudatas, and Mr Shimizu tested thousands of pseudatas for fertility for years before finding Gubijin.

Thanks Polly, so it IS only 'Gubijin'. I didn't realize it's a pod parent only!! Generally how long does pollen keep? Can you freeze it?

Given the double helping of ensata I wonder if any pseudatas can even survive winter underwater in Massachusetts.

I have no personal knowledge to add here but seem to recall reading an article about pseudatas which was accompanied by some gorgeous pictures. I think it was in a past copy of the AIS Magazine. Seems like info there was that many of the crosses were infertile.

Ji should not be in water during winter so I doubt if pseudatas should be.

Evan, I don't know how long the pollen would keep, but it can be kept in the freezer, Connie would know more about that.

Lucy, I wondered just that, so I kept two pseudatas in pails of water, just sitting out in the backyard this winter, and they came back great, Bareroot, no dirt at all.

Paul, as far as I know all the crosses other than Gubijin are infertile. But Hiroshi Shimizu, who did the original cross has done thousands, using different JIs. And now some other people are concentrating on them. I think Ensata Gardens has done a couple.

A pic of pseudatas from Kamo Gardens, Japan.

My heart be still. I am doing quite well with pseudatas. None are in bloom yet. Marty and Jan gave me some recently because they don't think they have wet enough conditions.