Hi all,

I've seen this growing around the area here (another one that councils like to put in along paths, etc.) and based on what I can find, I think it's a member of the dietes genus.



Would anyone be able to help identify it further and advise on how to grow it from seed? A lot of the plants have seed pods that are cracking open and small black seeds inside. The plants were about 1m tall (unfortunately I didn't think to take a photo of the garden bed until after I'd left it) and the majority of flower stems above the foliage, but this was the only intact bloom (which was down 15-20cm into the foliage).

Thanks.

That is a beautiful little iris, Joshua. I am not familiar with it although I do grow several different types besides the bearded ones. If the seeds were available to me I think I would harvest a few and try to plant them in the same type of conditions where the parent plants seem to be doing well.

I think that is good advice Bonnie. When the seedlings are ready to be planted try the type of soil the parents are living in. To grow the seeds themselves check out the "Starting Iris Seeds" thread.

This definitely looks like dietes to me, probably grandiflora at a guess. I used to have one and it thrived with little or no attention. I agree with everyone else that you could plant the seeds in soil similar to the parent plant, but I would also try some in a seedling potting mix planted just below the surface.

Thanks everyone for the tips. I will check what soil it is growing in when I next see some and also try some seeds in a seed raising mix. Hopefully I manage to get some to grow, although the fact that it's one of those plants used by the council (along with agapanthus) tells me it must be pretty hardy, since they just plant them and ignore them most of the time!

I forgot to mention that mine was thriving in reasonably heavy soil.

Pretty and hardy. Nice combination indeed!

I grow a variegated form of that.. It's a bit of a shy bloomer, but I've got it in partial shade. They can be a little weedy, if not deadheaded, so it's probably just as well. I learned it as Moraea iridioides years ago. i wish they'd stop changing names on me.. I also grow bicolor that's in bloom right now. I don't think that one has ever self-sown, but it's a bigger grower and has pale yellow flowers.

not hardy in New England.