TBMan said:.... without a doubt mine is "Thornbird" ....... , but since I grow many, I could probably add a long list here, but the above strikes me as particularly "unlikeable" at least to me.

• Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Thornbird')
• Uploaded by poisondartfrog

.... yeah, yeah, I know, it won a Dykes ........

Timothy! That is iris blasphemy!!!

I love everything about it. The colours, the beards/horns/spoons, the height and that it is a great grower and prolific bloomer for me even if it lives in light shade. I like it so much I have used it in several crosses and I can't wait to see the seedlings bloom. :hearts:

Which one(s) would I cull? No idea - and now I'll probably have enough space that I don't have to worry about that for the next couple of years.

I guess we all have our little "hang-ups" about certain irises. Most of my dislikes are not because they (the irises) are bad looking or ill-favored, but it is because of their trouble growing or blooming in my location. In fact I've ordered several that are simply great irises. But they fail to last more than one season; and then die or rot! One of the nicest irises that I've ever grown is Valentine's Day (R1997-V. Wood).
No matter how I tried it simply would not grow & bloom well here. And there are many others like this.

I don't like the ones with the really krinkly edging around the top. Which is many of the newer ones. They look wilted or frumpy to me.

I have seen some heavily laced and ruffled iris that remind me of ornamental cabbages.

IrisLilli said:

Timothy! That is iris blasphemy!!!

I love everything about it. The colours, the beards/horns/spoons, the height and that it is a great grower and prolific bloomer for me even if it lives in light shade. I like it so much I have used it in several crosses and I can't wait to see the seedlings bloom. :hearts:

Which one(s) would I cull? No idea - and now I'll probably have enough space that I don't have to worry about that for the next couple of years.

Lilli ~ I am going to do the same thing!
I suppose that is why there are so many irises. We can't all like the same ones.

TBGDN said:I guess we all have our little "hang-ups" about certain irises. Most of my dislikes are not because they (the irises) are bad looking or ill-favored, but it is because of their trouble growing or blooming in my location. In fact I've ordered several that are simply great irises. But they fail to last more than one season; and then die or rot! One of the nicest irises that I've ever grown is Valentine's Day (R1997-V. Wood).
No matter how I tried it simply would not grow & bloom well here. And there are many others like this.

• Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Valentine's Day')
• Uploaded by TBGDN

Leon ~ That is a beauty! Too bad it did not do well for you.

AndreaD said: I have seen some heavily laced and ruffled iris that remind me of ornamental cabbages.

AndreaD said: I have seen some heavily laced and ruffled iris that remind me of ornamental cabbages.

Yes, there a LOT of ruffles on the new ones these days. Sometimes too many....IMHO.

In some cases, I think form is sacrificed for ruffles, that is, heavily ruffled standards are out of proportion to the falls. That's just my opinion, but I seem to be in the minority, judging from the irises now being introduced. I read somewhere a quote from Keith Keppel saying that ruffles sell. Oh well, there are plenty of different irises to suit everyone's tastes.

Imo fragrance is sacrificed for ruffles, form, and color combinations. There are so many beautiful irises that just seem to be utterly lacking in fragrance.

Andrea and Marilyn ~ with both of you. When I was a little girl, my mother and grandmother always had me smell the different flowers.

Roses, carnations, irises, nasturtiums, alyssum, chrysanthemums (I didn't like that one)...but you get the idea. Fragrance is part of a flower's "personality"!

evelyninthegarden said:Andrea and Marilyn ~ with both of you. When I was a little girl, my mother and grandmother always had me smell the different flowers.

Roses, carnations, irises, nasturtiums, alyssum, chrysanthemums (I didn't like that one)...but you get the idea. Fragrance is part of a flower's "personality"!

as well. My stepmother used to do the same thing when I was younger with her daylilies and irises. There were some irises she had me smell that I didn't really like. For example she had a light blue one that smelt way too strong. I often do this when the weather is warmer, stop and smell the flowers in my gardens and it makes me happy inside.

I've also been avoiding this thread...it seemed like blasphemy!
But I'm going to be culling some. Earl of Essex is marked to go. It is
vigorous, and sometimes re-blooms. But it was introduced in the '70's
and I need the room. Treemail me with your address if you'd like it. - there will be more kinds included .

Jan ~ I will be doing the same thing when all of my irises get up to size. If there are any that I don't like in any way, or do not perform well....out they go! I have certain ideas about which ones to cross, and also some I just like for themselves. I will say good bye to any that don't fit in those two categories.

Sometimes an iris will be pretty in pictures but not do well for any number of reasons. I won't have time to be coddling any. They need to be strong growers, good branching, etc...

I have more beds to dig....

Jan, I attempted to remove Earl too. I saw a rhizome of it still sitting in the barn, so it ended up along the fence line. Like you, I was simply making room for new ones.

Rob,If I recall correctly the original Earl of Essex (a person in English history), for a while a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, was a relentless sort , too. Decapitated for treason, however. We'll be kinder to his iris namesake, by just deporting him.

I've enjoyed reading the thoughts of everyone, as it is not easy to make the decision to finally remove a less loved iris from the garden. But there is also a sort of relief involved with throwing away stuff, even plants. Just as too much unnecessary things makes your house hard to clean and weighs you down, too many plants can have a negative impact on how you enjoy your garden. Of course how many is enough, is very individual!!!

However only having irises that are so lovely that "they make you dance", is a good guideline. I agree with your words, Bonnie and I'm leaning towards this myself. My current plan is to only add irises that are truly different from what I already have or if they seem like a significant upgrade of something already growing here.

So what am I thinking of removing. Several things actually, but it will be a slow process as I'll give them some more time to truly get to know their good and bad sides, but here is an example:

I've seen pictures of IB Ask Alma with nice straight stems. Mine seems weak in comparison. Full sun is sparse here in the forest, but I have put it in a new location, with more sun, to see if it makes a difference. If not it will go. Having an IB with weak stems is not for me, as it is just as easy to support a TB, but then I get more blooms for the effort.

William, IB Ask Alma grew in my garden for seven years before i finally decided that it did not bring me enough joy to warrant taking up the garden space. Besides having weak stems the bloom did not have much substance. The falls would tear if you brushed by them. I decided that other peachy irises would suit me better. In other words it was a ho-hum iris and did not make me dance with joy when it bloomed. It is blooming for someone else now.

Okay, these are some of my favorite iris, not least favorite. But notice the colors, the ruffles. And this is the tip of the Burseen iceberg.

Why am I posting these? Because they all have fragrance! Not all hybridizers are sacrificing scent while making new creations.

--- End of public service announcement ---

I hope he is paying you! In irises of course!