Why do you like them? How many, about, do you have?

I probably have about 50 now. And the reason I love them is that is when my precious Aunt Helen was getting me addicted to irises. I was a child and it was in the early 60s, so I try to get the historics from the 40's to 60's, to relate to her. Aunt Helen's garden.

Nice to have the memories. We have a couple TB & as might be imagined seeral median ones, including historic SDBs. sorry they are on slides as I have had them for awhile. Wehad both of rebloomer 'Baby Blessed'' parents for awhile, although took 'Twice Blessed' to one of the iris sales. It would occasionally rebloom for us, but I didn't like the way the foliage flopped over in the summer.

Not me. I like the new modern ruffled big flowers.

I agree with Rita....ruffles, substance, bud count, branching and exciting colors of the newer ones for me. What makes an iris historic? Is "Historic' defined by date of intro or significance as something exciting at the time of intro, or as a parent? I might grow some if they had sentimental meaning to me. I grow two of the pallidas but only for the colorful foliage. Isn't it great that we don't all have to like the same things.

I grow a lot of historic Irises because some came with the house when I bought it and some were given to me by neighbors when I was originally trying to fill the garden and didn't have much money.

I use them mainly as "place-savers." When I need room for new roses or other plants, I just dig up a lot of the historic Irises.

I'll never get rid of all of them, however, because they're much more fragrant than any of the newer ones I have and almost all of them rebloom.

The foliage doesn't look any worse in the summer. If anything, Sue and I noticed this summer that the foliage on the historics looked better than the others after the Irises had stopped blooming, and although the historic ones aren't ruffled, the blooms are just as big as the blooms on the newer Irises.

There are about five different types of historic Irises in this photo, and the best thing is that they all have completely different fragrances. My favorite is one that smells just like chocolate mixed with mint.

Gorgeous garden!

Thanks, Paul. That's how that corner looks in April. Right now it's not so pretty.

Gorgeous, Zuzu! That yellow on the far left is a beauty, as is the overall garden.

Paul, I agree, that's what makes life interesting, that we can disagree about what we like.

Historic is an iris introduced 30 years ago or more.

I have a few of the historics, including several variants of I.germanica, which are kept as being something different from the run of the mill irises. These are some of my favorites.

A friend has picked up some of the colors of the diploid historics & bringing them into the MTBs. Now to get the plant & flower into the smaller class. Certainly some people will breed back for the fragrence which has been lost along the way to 'modern' development.

Those are lovely ones Jerry!

I would love to see some of the old fragrances bred back in, Lucy. Especially the grape pallida one.

Some of my very favorites are now classified as historics. I love them all -- old ones and new ones, but I am partial to the tall beardeds. During a less-than-wealthy time in my life, I splurged and ordered bargain groups from Schreiner's and Cooleys. 'Jesse's Song' is one that I still have and love. Working on the database has been bad for me because I am coming across many other historics that I would love to have, and many have disappeared or are not readily available.

And I was looking at the ones you submitted, Pat, and just have to see some of them. Some beautiful, and some very funny names. Not good for my wallet, either.

Just the few I have are a lot of work from keeping the beds clean. This is the first year there has been almost zero leaf spotting after I learned how to apply the fungicide. I had tossed a lot of very beautiful irises because of that problem. I cannot imagine the labor involved in dealing with the hundreds of irises some of the members have. I would like to buy a few of the more fragrant modern ones just for the fragrance.

See 'Scented wonder' in the Mid-america catalog. Ahyone else sniffed fragrant ones?

I have one or two historics - but they were just acquired this past summer. So they 'verdict' is still out as I have not seen them bloom.There is something to be said for the simple lines, and the heavier fragrance.But, I sure do love the newer ones too - the ruffles, the substance, the colors. Like Patricia, I will love them all.

The photos are beautiful.~Jan

Finding in doing my database that I have more than I thought for maybe 100+ now. LOL

D

This database is to make sure I have all the medians listed in the correct spot and all the TB listed with the TB, list the name, the type the hybridizer and the year, the quanity so this is also a list of what I will list next year.

Can not work on the webpage until I get the database done then can start that project.

D

I find those older historics so charming and happily acquired a few this past year so I hope they bloom next year. I have many more on my wish list. They provide a sense of history into a garden and I enjoy seeing them close-up as they often have such subtle beauty to them.
Superstition Iris Gardens has a great photo listing of some winderful historics. http://community.webshots.com/...

Oh Zuzu, is it almost spring?! This year sure has flown by, I miss your lush and colorful gardens and can hardly wait until mine fill in!


I have a hard time considering those from 1980 as historics

Here are my older oldies:

Bayberry Candle TB 1966
Brown Lasso BB 1972
Butterfly Wings AB 1945
Corsage 1956
Genetic Artist AB 1971
Honorabile MTB 1840
Japanesque TB 1922
Jungle Shadows BB 1959
Loreley IB 1909
Melon Honey SDB 1972
Moonlit Sea TB 1942
Rhythm TB 1954
Romeo TB 1912
Victorine TB 1840
W.R. Dykes TB 1926

Ohhh, just going through that list and seeing the images, I can hardly wait until spring!!



I got a few NOID's from Zuzu's garden.

Great list Sue. I think that Moonlit Sea is probably the most beautiful iris I've seen.

What beautiful gardens. We have about 4 months to go before anything starts to pop up.