It has been raining here today, and I seem to be gravitating to iris pictures to pass my "indoor" time. After reviewing yellow irises in Betty's thread I am asking for pictures of your favorite irises: TB's, SDB's, IB's Or Whatever. I think we all need a boost right now.

I'll start off with a few of my favorites, then return later with some others. Please join in!

Probably my all-time #1 favorite "Silverado"


This is most likely my #2 favorite "Song Of Norway"


This is an iris to die for: "Mary Frances"; She's gorgeous!


This is my favorite black "Black Suited" next to "Hello Darkness"


This is Blyth's English Charm: It's just a top favorite!
(And my wife's top favorite!)


This is Blyth's "Imprimis": A great iris!


"Spirit Of Caleb" AB (McGrath 2002)

Another look at Spirit Of Caleb. This is the only AB I seem to be able
to grow successfully. These are later pictures than the previous post.

Fantastic blooms! I really love your IMPRIMIS, and are the standards really that icy blue color? And your Arilbred is gorgeous! I recently posted my top favorites over on Cubits, so I think I need to broaden my horizons and put in some different stuff... I'll have to think a bit... hmmm.......

No, the stds of Imprimis are not that blue. I took these pictures in full sunlight, and got some color distortion. All of the bright sun photos seem to look that way. Also I think the camera has some color distortion too. I would not ordinarily post off-color pictures, but I must admit the "icy blue" color is not accurate. Hope this helps. It is nonetheless a gorgeous iris, and I have three clumps. The first picture is more accurate.

It's too bad we don't have the Iris forum in just one place. But I would hate to lose the database! Everyone has worked too hard and long. I'm hoping for a good outcome.

Here's one with a Kodak Z650 in 2010:


These are with a Canon SX20-IS in blazing sun.

Leon, it's my understanding that the Irises Cubit database will be copied over here very shortly, if it hasn't been already, to become part of the ATP plant database; but after that they will be separate databases. So what we already have in the Cubits database will also become part of the one here. I just wish there was a way to have a copy made here in the iris database whenever we post a picture to the Cubits database so we don't have to do it twice. I really want ATP to succeed, and the Iris Forum here is a little less technical than the Irises Cubit, which is perhaps why I really like it. But they have worked long and hard to make the Irises Cubit such a special place and they really want to keep it that way. There are some different people in each place, which I do think is healthy, and we'll just have to do the best we can with what we've got, eh? But I do hate duplication of effort...

Bummer -- I was posting my pictures and suddenly it said I was no longer connected to the internet! I HATE that!

Anyway, my top 10 favorite irises (and my top 10 runners-up) are posted in the thread listed below if you would like to see them, and I think they're all tall bearded. So I guess I'll have to do something different here.

http://cubits.org/irisforum/th...


My favorite Arilbreds:

EYE TO EYE and SHABAZA


ONLOOKER



And one more picture of my favorite, EYE TO EYE, an ArilMed.

Shabaza is gorgeous: I like the colors, and I see it is a Sutton iris. And the link to the Cubits thread has some outstanding irises. I can see that I will have to be doing some more ordering in the spring. I think I can see the Ghio and Keppel touch in some of these without checking for details. I am especially taken with Foreign Scandal and Adoree! And I can see Ghio's work in Applause Line which is stunning!

I can understand the frustration of having a duplicate database, and also of keeping up with what is going on at both sites. I was among the first to join Cubits, and I was hoping for a long term membership there; and also that Dave can come up with some sensible solutions satisfactory to everyone.

Both ADOREE and FOREIGN SCANDAL, and LORD OF MAYFAIR too, are Blyth irises. And boy do I love the Blyth irises! SMART MONEY, MARCHING ORDERS, APPLAUSE LINE and PICTURE BOOK are all Ghio irises, and I think the only Keppel iris in that first batch is BRAZILIAN ART. INK PATTERNS is by Thomas Johnson at Mid-America, and HAWAIIAN RAIN was hybridized by Randy Squires in the Los Angeles area. And I think each one of them is truly exceptional.

I am resigned to having to double post pictures in the future to help maintain both databases if I have to. Polly says she will inquire as to whether there is something Dave can do, but I really don't think he'll want to get into that. And it's just the iris pictures I'll have to do that with. So I'll quit whining now...

Here are my favorite orange/orange blend and bright gold/gold blend irises:

BRILLIANCE and FIERY FIGURE


ENCORE LADY and AMBER TAMBOUR


FIXATION and BEACH DANCE

Favorite near-black irises:

CRIMSON LIGHTS and MIDNIGHT COWBOY


OZARK REBOUNDER and HERE COMES THE NIGHT


BLACK SUITED and CHIMNEY SOOT (BB)


These last two are a little different, but I think of them as dark near-black irises because of the falls.
BLACK MAGIC WOMAN (Early bloomer) and SHARP DRESSED MAN (Late bloomer)

And how about plicatas?

INK PATTERNS - My favorite


STEPPING OUT and PSYCHIC READER


OOPS - I hit "Finished" by mistake! Now I'll have to edit.
DOUBLE DOWN and CHEAP FRILLS


WEDDING NIGHT and BARBARA MAY

Favorite Purples?

LOUISA'S SONG and BUBBLE BUBBLE


EVENING TIDINGS and PLUM POODLE


NANCY'S LACE and CELESTIAL EXPLOSION

Blues?

HAWAIIAN RAIN and YAQUINA BLUE - My two favorites!


RIPPLING RIVER and BREAKERS


MARBELLA and JORDAN'S JOY


ABIQUA FALLS and RAINY RIVER


OK, I've finally exhausted myself!

Breakers was one of the best growing TBs that we ever had.

And I think it's my strongest grower out of all my irises! Every year I have to give some away now -- my neighbors and friends love it!

Betty, love your CRIMSON LIGHTS. INK PATTERNS is just lovely and I know I tried to order BARBARA MAY but they were sold out. Now I can't remember what I bought instead of it.

Thanks, Rita. I really love all of these plants, and CRIMSON LIGHTS and INK PATTERNS are two of my very favorites. BARBARA MAY has turned out to be more vigorous than I had thought it would be too.

Leon, I don't know why I've never gotten SILVERADO, because it is an absolutely beautiful iris! I'll have to try to get that one, I think.

I have extras- LOTS! Let me know!

I received Silverado as a bonus one year. It lived a year or two and then died out. I've not tried it again, but I assume it's hardy as so many people have and like it.