So there is something going on in my clump of Alpha Gnu, there is a plicata bloom in it. Can someone explain this to me? This is an established clump that has not been divided for years. I have snagged a couple of rhizomes from the edges when I needed them, but otherwise it has not been disturbed. Every bloom on the stalk was a plicata and it multiplied from one that bloom regularly last year and the new rhizome on the other side of the mother rhizome seems to have bloomed normally this year.

Plicata bloom



Alpha Gnu clump last year

Two possibilities that I can think of...

1 You might have had a bee pod that dropped a seed that germinated, and finally bloomed.
2If you have deer or squirrels or other critters in you area, they are very good at moving rhizimes around.

And then there is 3 Garden gnome strikes again!

It is pretty!

or the clump, as it grew encircled this one and it did not bloom for awhile. Now it has re-emerged.

Yeah, there are lots of possibilities.........I have several 'similar' oddities this year, and decided that it doesn't really matter if it was MY mistake, an errant bee, an inquisitive critter, a vendor's mistake....whatever....just one of those things that make you say, 'Huh !"

I vote for a bee pod. I have had an established clump in a location far away from other irises that has bloomed faithfully for 16 years. Then on the 17 year it was putting on its show of pale yellow standards and rosy falls when one of the stalks erupted into a purple iris bloom. It had to be a seed that germinated and just managed to grow without any care until it matured and bloomed. I figured if it was that hardy I should get it out of the old clump so it would not run over the original iris planted there.

I am thinking a seedling. There were no irises planted anywhere near this spot before I planted the Alpha Gnu in 2008. It was all grass before. I have cats and a dog but I have never seen them disturbing the iris bed. I need to take a closer look at the rhizome. This one will definitely be marked and moved to a new location. I love the bloom and the height, so I am excited.

That's really cool, Val -- congrats!!