This is a very difficult one. Let me think.

Well, I might go for reliability and Dusky Challenger would be my pick.

Blessings

yadah_tyger said:Dusky Challenger would be my pick.

I will add that to my list Thank you!

I would have to force the people in the cells around me to grow some irises I love too. Then I would tape a mirror on a stick to see those irises too.

Yeah, I cheated...

I think it would have to be Bravery.

Is it cheating if I can't decide between 'Guatemala' and 'Thornbird' ??

IrisLilli said:Is it cheating if I can't decide between 'Guatemala' and 'Thornbird' ??

For our purposes, yes. The warden says you MUST pick one!!

Make a cross out of them Lilli.

I couldn't do it, I'd just shoot myself if I could only have one iris.

Already did Rob!! But the seeds didn't germinate yet, so not sure they count???

If I had to pick one, I think I would go with an historic that is reliable and invokes my first time falling in love with irises. I'm torn between good old I. pallida (because it will grow and bloom almost anywhere, and was my first iris love) and Stepping Out (because it was among my first iris order as a teen and blew my mind at the time). Interestingly, I no longer grow Stepping Out because its so flashy I find it difficult to work into the garden design, and I've been phasing out I. pallida because its so vigorous its practically aggressive. There's always some I. pallida around though- wherever I toss a clump I've dug out, they grow and bloom!

My husband John's MTB 'Billie the Brownie'.

I love broken pattern irises and will choose Squid Squirt. I have only seen it online and I hope it looks as good as it does in the photos.

Great question!!!! And an easy one to answer -- *Chasing Rainbows*! This is an Iris with so many nuances that you can look at it for hours and not really see everything.

gemini_sage said:If I had to pick one, I think I would go with an historic that is reliable and invokes my first time falling in love with irises...

Ah, nothing like first love! I've heard a lot of good things about I. pallida and do plan to get it someday. Historic irises seem like beautiful garden plants. A historic clump in bloom makes such a lovely effect, very different it seems than modern irises.

Totally_Amazing said:I love broken pattern irises and will choose Squid Squirt.

I "rescued" Batik from a discount store and look forward to seeing it bloom. I'm not a fan of broken colors, but then again haven't actually seen one in person. Some like Squid Squirt are quite... extravagant. But that's the attraction, right?!

Muddymitts said:*Chasing Rainbows*! This is an Iris with so many nuances that you can look at it for hours and not really see everything.

That really is lovely! Thank you.

I could pick 10.... maybe. I would be so depressed. I like dramatic colors and if I went with a sunny gold then I would want a deep fiery red, and you just have to have blue, then there are pinks to die for...... and a lacy white. No, I cant pick just one. I am planning a break out. whos with me.

I'm with you, then I would go look for Coral Chalice.

This thread is hard on the old 'want' list!!

I would have to pick Care to Dance. Love all the colors in it. But at the same time I would be tunneling under the floor and out to freedom....to have ALL the iris!

I'm with ya Bonnie!!

Snork said:But at the same time I would be tunneling under the floor and out to freedom....to have ALL the iris!

I'm sorry for the thought experiment! It's just an exercise. It seems to me that many of you already have ALL the irises! Your picks are new to me though, and instead of helping to narrow the choices, have actually expanded them! All for the better.

(So far, I'm adding Dusky Challenger and Bravery to my list, at the top of which sits Wintry Sky. Next year it'll be my project to reclaim land from the bushes. Clarence's bloom stalk is getting taller. I think I know what "socket" means now, and will post a nice picture when it finally blooms. Yay!)