I have found that both Vanity and Beverly Sills are "poor" performers for me. I would give a slight edge to Vanity if just comparing the two.

I can see from its first year bloom here that Beverly Sills is probably going to be a poor performer, certainly compared to my others that are blooming. The flower was only about 12" above the ground.

Hemlady said:I can see from its first year bloom here that Beverly Sills is probably going to be a poor performer, certainly compared to my others that are blooming. The flower was only about 12" above the ground.

Cindy, I grew that iris for only two years: It did nothing during that time. There was a lot of hype at that time, "Oh how wonderful" about it, so I had to try it. I promptly gave it away to someone who "had to have it".

Irises are (to me) like people; they're all different. What works for one does not work for another. And I'm sure what works in California might not necessarily work in New York. It is (for me) location, location, location: North to South, East to West. Others will I am sure have a different take!

Daylilies are pretty much the same Leon. What works in one garden may not work in another. Thanks for your post. I could see right away that it did not perform like the others but I did get it from Brecks and they sent it rather late, so we will wait and see what happens with it next year.

My Elizabeth Poldark outdid herself this season. It has increased greatly and had lots of bloom stalks. I have many Bev Sills but only one bloomed this year. I agree that the different locations determine much of performance.

You're doing better with your *brecks* iris than we did, Cindy.....Rita bought several (I think it was 8?)one of which was BS (that's Beverly Sills !)....shipped late, REALLY late, at least for northern Illinois....nice size, but drier than a ....it was really dry ! Took two seasons for it to bloom, and when it DID bloom.....it was all BS (that's NOT Beverly Sills !!) it was Fogbound !
So far my track record on Beverly Sills is pretty poor....1st bloomed "wrong" ,2nd (for postage) dried up, and never grew, 3rd (from an on line vendor) rotted out before it ever bloomed. 4th....well I don't know about THAT one yet, it's still "on order", so i'll let you know next year !

I would never order from Brecks again. I had to email them to send my order and they were not in good condition when they arrived. The iris I got from Schreiners and Mid-American were super and I will continue to order from them.

Arlyn:
I had the same luck with an order my daughter sent me from Brecks. Bev Sills did not live. Reordered. They sent another one that was not Bev. I called them. By the time the third one came. I had alreadu bought one at our society sale. I gave that one to my daughter. It finally bloomed this year and is a beautiful NOID peach but not Bev. No use to try again unless you like surprises.

I bought Beverly Sills at a nursery, potted, in 2011. It's been a wonderful, happy bloomer for me -- even under the dire circumstances of Iris Lane last year. It's an Iris I would not want to be without.

Yup ! same here ! Rita *thought* she was getting a bargain, and ordered this "deal" from Breck's, and another from Spring Hill.....found out they are the same parent company.....but out of the 16 iris (as I remember, without checking the old logbooks!) 5 never grew at all, and 4 bloomed "wrong".....the iris were a "special" ,at $7.99 each........so that meant that the "correct survivors" were REAL pricey !!! And considering the cost of a rhizome at a place like Superstition, even the "$7.99 *special*" price was too high !

I've had Beverly for along time. I've moved her once. It's always taken her an extra year to bloom, but if you leave her alone, she will grow like crazy. Just thin her, don't move her or you'll loose a year of bloom. She's not in any special place, and gets kind of neglected, but she does keep doing well. Just give her time. She's a fussy old diva who doesn't like change. She hasn't shown any signs of rot here.

"...fussy old diva..."

I'm having a hard time picking my top ten. So I think I'm gonna do this in stages. In no particular order:

Chasing Rainbows:


Arthouse:


Rio Rojo:


more later.............

I wanted to list my top 10 MDB's then SDB's then........ I keep looking at my photos and well........ I guess I should choose one at least

My always favorite MDB is Alpine Lake. It is white with blue highlights on the standards and falls and the falls have tiny flecks of lavender. It is a perfectly sweetly shaped bloom.....




Then I thought of little Millenium Bug. A gorgeous little flower.


Then I remembered Trimmed Velvet. A beautiful little flower that blooms each spring and fall and is indeed a velvet bloom


So I decided on.......

Miniseries


I am not good at this choosing business..... and I guess I kinda cheated...

Mary Ann - I love Rio Rojo too. It did very well in my garden this year.

Alpine Lake is a cutie!

Alpine Lake is pretty and then I just love the name Millenium Bug!!! And Miniseries!!

funny, did not care for our miniseries this year. It looked dingy for some reason.

Mine actually surprised me by being so bright in an early spring garden. There are not many bulbs that produce a flower that vibrant at that time if year. It really stood out.

Have had family house guests for several days, so haven't had much free time. They're heading home, so I can get back to the matters at hand!!

High Master:


Bengal Tiger:


Dare Me:


Scatterbrain:


Indulgence:


French Riviera:


Rustler:


Well -- I'm not finished -- but that's 10!!