I've had these irises for several years. I have most of the irises in my garden labelled, but I don't remember which ones these are.

This plant is 36 in. tall, and has a pale yellow beard with a white tip



This plant is 24 in. tall with a white beard

Your first one looks like Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Broadband') to me.

I think the beard is different, Dave. This one looks a little "older" in form ,too, I think...Arlyn

Is the top one Jesse's Song?

The "time frame " would be closer, I think, so the form of the flower looks pretty close. I'm still not sure about the beard, though, as the pics I've seen of Jesse's Song seem to show more of a bluish cast to the white tip. Be worth looking at closer , though!...Arlyn

My first thought is Jesse's Song......looking at the pictures on the data base the beard is the right color......

Check iris encyclopedia & there might be better photos. Not sure if Jessie's Spng has purple based foliage or not & do check beards. If it seems a match, the next step is to obtain a JS , plant next to it and compare. Is there an iris club near you? Someone might have it & be able to compare a stalk.

This is Broadband, it has those little flecks of purple in the standards, and the center of the standard is not white, nor is the outer edge of the standard as dark as the example.

Some pictures of my Jesse's Song to compare to:






I don't think Annette's is *spotty* enough for Jesse's Song............

Also -- hers is rufflier -- looks like a more modern Iris than Jesse's Song.

irisarian said:Check iris encyclopedia & there might be better photos. Not sure if Jessie's Spng has purple based foliage or not & do check beards.

Jesse's Song does have purple based foliage, although you won't get that tidbit from the iris encyclopedia.

My Jesse's Song is ruffled.......

Yep, it is surprisingly modern for an iris registered in 1979. Probably why it won the Dykes medal, it was ahead of the its time.

It will also grow all over the country--not all dykes do, especially now that a lot of judges have moved to the Pacific Northwest.

That is good to know Lucy. I had heard that Edith Wolford doesn't do well in the south. Is there a list somewhere of iris that don't like the heat? Anyone?

Thank you all for trying to help me identify my irises, I greatly appreciate it. The 1st bloom does look similar to Jesse's Song.

Any thoughts on what the 2nd bloom might be?

Annette

I'd be reluctant to call that a match, look at the color in the hafts of Jessies song, and the line of color running down from the beard which is absent in your NOID. It's really hard to make an ID without having them grow side by side so you can compare them completely. But the good news is you have two very nice irises to enjoy.

Thanks, I'll see if I can find Jesse's Song, and do the comparison

Cem9165 said:
Any thoughts on what the 2nd bloom might be?
Annette

Well, my first thought was "Clarence," but I don't grow it, so I'm not in a very good position to say how your photo compares to it. Height, beard color, and general form look right to my eye, though.

Not to be argumentative -- but it doesn't look like Clarence to me. Here's a picture of my Clarence, which is a luminata and has very nearly white standards.