This is probably a dumb question but, are there Irises that do not produce pollen?

Yes, there are many that aren't "fertile", some no pollen, some with pollen that's "no good", and some that won't accept pollen. Some of the hybridizers will hopefully chime in with more info...Arlyn

Great question Cat. Arlyn, I did not know that! Course there's a lot of stuff I don't know but I sure did not know that some aren't fertile for one reason or another. Interesting.

Is there any way to find out which ones? Probably not a list, lol. Is it just a trial and error thing with crosses then?

I think from my experience that it is trial and error til you know. Some are extremely fertile while other are reluctant parents. Many hybrizers list the parent plants of their new intros so that is one way you could determine if a cultivar is fertile.....

In some of the old catalogs (I'm thinking of Tell's Iris garden, in particular), varieties were often described as "fertile in Pollen", or" a good pod parent, only", or "fertile both ways". ...Arlyn

Chad Harris told me that many of the Species cross are bred to be infertile so they don't become invasive. He was telling me this because he thought I might be worried that the irises by my creek would carry seeds downstream and create their own little colony.

Wow! Everyone!! I will be sure to star this so I can refer back and be doing some research..... Guess I need to join AIS. Planing on working more with daylilies but, I do have a few irises going now and thought I would dabble a little in crossing (or trying to) them. Go Figure the first one I would try to go get pollen from doesn't produce any. Hope that is not a sign....

Some even produce pollen some years, and other years they don't for some reason.

So it is really just trial and error.

Cat -- just wanted to say -- that's a beautiful pond in your avatar!!!

Thank You! I want to make it bigger but I think my husband will kill me, lol. They say you build 3 before you get to the size you really want. Beginning to think that is true. As this is my second one,

Not to fear on the pollen. Plenty of flowers have it & best to make a note in your records, even if you aren't going to use it. Sometimes one figures a bee cross by notes which plant near it has pollen. I once lay on my tummy to collect pollen from SDB 'Sun Doll' only to find that there wan not any there.