My info on Honorabile is solely from the web. Perhaps I will find an old book someday. We have lots of antique book stores in Maine.

I think I will continue to call mine Honorabile because it is so much smaller than San Souci no matter how much sun or different soil it is in. The ones under the tree on the north side of the house are small. The ones in the south sun are small. The dry ones are small. The wet ones are small. The flowers are miniature. Nothing is 3 feet tall like a San Souci....just gotta find that old book.

I am hooked! I have found myself looking online for very old seed catalogues. Some have been transferred to CD for $8.

Caitlinsgarden, I have tons of information on mycorrhizae. For a brief overview just go to Wikipedia or google it and read about this wonderful fungus. M eats the nutrients in the soil, whether natural or chemical, breaks them down and feeds our plants. In turn our plants feed M carbs such as glucose and sucrose. M is more complex than even scientists know so far. M can hoard nitrogen and feed plants when there is a nitrogen shortage, or supply some plants the extreme nutrition that they need to re-colonize a location, such as lodge pole pines. M can even eat heavy metals and 'clean' contaminated sites over a period of time so that plants can reclaim the area.

It is an extremely interesting fungus and most all of our plants rely on it to some degree. Last I heard grasses and sedges do not. Associations of fungi with the roots of plants have been known since at least the mid-19th century. However early observers simply recorded the fact without investigating the relationships between the two organisms. More in being learned about this vital link between plant and fungus.

Let us know what you find, Linnea. It is an interesting subject to me.

I like to think someone my great great grandmother's age planted these flowers just for me....and I suppose I am planting flowers for other generations as well.

A nice little explosion of information... I enjoyed the discussion and article about Sans Souci/Honorable, and the info on mycorrhizae... I've read about the latter in the past, but it's always good to have my memory refreshed (which it seems to need more and more of these days).

I think that is the white thready fungi that grows in our wood chips.

I found a totally cool nerd site. Here is an old flower catalogue.

http://www.biodiversitylibrary...

Thanks Linnea..There are some names that I haven't seen before.. I'm wondering if 'Pauline' is still out there someplace.. That was my mother's name.

There are articles, books and old catalogues at the main site. Put in keywords and have fun! I should see if Honorabile pops up.

Bluebird Haven has Honorabile..

Bluebird Haven's Honorabile looks like mine. I still want to find one in an old catalog or book to compare the modern with the old.

Bluebird Haven has the best prices I have seen. What an excellent resource! I got thru the F's.

I've been enjoying going through this thread again, and thought I'd bump it up to see what historics any of you are ordering this year?

Not that I'm feeling ambitious enough to do this any time soon, but I've been thinking how cool it would be to have a chronological planting of Irises. Start of the bed being the oldest, and gradually see the progress in Iris breeding through the years.

I recently went on an iris dig. One of our members is drastically cutting back his iris adventures and he donated all of his Dykes medal winners. He had them all beginning with the first one to the most recent. He had them in several rows lined up by the year. I only wish I had seen his garden when it was in bloom.

How cool is that?! Sticking with winners is a great way to show the development through the years while keeping the numbers within reason. ......not that many of us here are into keeping it within reason, LOL.

I had the same thought a couple days ago Neal! Sort of a demonstration bed of the evolution of the iris. I don't have any historics...yet, so it would be more of a long term project for me.

Well, I only have a few historics as very few of them are older than I am. (snicker, giggle, snort)

I've ordered a few....
Dogrose
Elmohr
Lady Albright
Magnolia
Miogem
Mulberry Rose
Numa Rumestan
Pinnacle
Tropical Butterfly
Vishnu

I'll probably add some more... I've got a long list (are you surprised?)

I have ordered Japanesque, which becomes a flattie. I noticed we discussed Loreley earlier in this thread, and it spreading flat. I have found a few vendors this year that classify it as a flattie in certain zones, so for it to open up in Sherry's area, and not in Tom's is normal.

I also ordered Oklahoma Bandit, a brown IB, and Sass's Moonlit Sea. I really think I will add Joseph's Coat as well.