thank you dave. and for the explanation of descriptions from the grower. the other thing that differs greatly, was the grower's photo 'perfectionist'. it looked pure wht. with no veining, and no blue blush on the standards.

I planted Perfectionist this spring, Daphne. I hope it blooms next spring.

i hope bonnie, that yours blooms true to its description.

Mulched seedlings sprouting after the heavy rains. Temps supposed to keep dropping.
Here's 1652:
That's All Folks X 1368-D(Secret Rites x Venus Bay)...most likely it's gonna be yellow.

Good luck with your seedlings, Gabe.

@Cuzz4short Fantastic Gabe!!!
I have only just started soaking the half that I didn't sow outside because I was afraid that they might sprout too early and there would be no one to check on them for the two weeks we'll be away after Christmas. Also only just put my rose seeds into the fridge, a month later than normal, for the same reason. Seeing your seedling makes me think it was the right decision!

I don't trust outside seedlings with the unpredictable winters we've been having here. My Dutch irises keep popping up in late fall, then the frost gets them. I only had one bloom last year. It would be a lot easier to plant them that way though. Maybe I'll try it out next year with a few crosses. Meanwhile I have 9 seedlings from my inside planting that have popped up, 7 from one cross and 2 from the other. It's so fun to watch them grow and enjoy a little green while there's snow outside.

I'm glad you're having luck with your seedlings Gabe! I'm so looking forward to seeing what they produce.

Weather has shut down gardening for the year, except for messing with leaves.

Liz, Dutch Iris do the same thing here. They typically bloom nicely the first spring after planting, then either try to grow in fall or winter or don't return at all. I think they are only marginally hardy in this zone.

Have any of you tried the wintersowing method for iris seeds? I've had great luck using that method for anything that requires cold stratification (using gallon milk jugs). If I ever get my act together and make some crosses, this is how I plan to start them.

That's how I started seeds at first Neal. I got really poor germination though, and the ones that survived took 3 years to bloom. I know Lucy does that.

I wonder if the containers got too much cold? I think Lucy direct sows in the ground, which would make a difference. Hoping our milder winters makes a difference, but may try a couple of methods for experimentation sake.

I think Lucy buries the pots in a trench.

yes, as Tom says. Iris seeds should never be put directly in the ground. They don't all germinate the first year & crosses can get mixed together in future years.

That's a good idea! That would regulate moisture nicely as well as provide both cold treatment and protection at the same time.

I wish I'd known this...I potted the seeds I germinated, and those I didn't lose from there are growing nicely in the garage this winter. I hope they'll still be growing away come next spring!

In my zone I just pot them and sit them in the garden. I use a large enough pot for a set of seedlings so that they will not dry out quickly. Some germinate quickly and some more slowly. I always have more than I can find room for so I guess this method works for me.

Didn't do a thing in the garden today. It's pouring - but we managed to drive the 40 miles to the nearest big town in the rain, over a very hilly road, to where provisions cost less than they do locally. Most of the time we shop at a nearby market and pay nearly double.

The rain is really beating down, but I have a good book to read tonite, and two cats lodged cozily on either side of me. Wouldn't it be nice if I never had to whine, ever again about the California drought?

It's raining here too. Forecast is rain for the next 10 days. After the drought I'll never complain about the amount of rain we get either.

It sprinkled a little bit here today, enough so that I did not have any garden time; the forecast is for maybe-rain for the next few days, so probably no garden time until maybe Sunday.

Not that there's been much garden time for weeks now... First it was get ready for the Thanksgiving Tour (visit my sister in KS before T-Day, then T-Day and after with our daughter in Austin). Before then it was marathon laundry and packing and what-not... afterwards it was recovery time, and now there is the seasonal hassle...

What little garden time I've had lately has been spent on deadheading, deadleafing, deadscaping (my garden helpers do all the tree leaf raking). 'Luminosity' was in bloom before we left for our T-Day Tour, and there are still a couple of buds to go, but the weather has been cold enough, that I don't know if they will make it to bloom.

On the other hand, I was heartened to see a bloom scape (and several increases) on my surviving 'Ida's Red'... though ditto, will it make it to bloom?