In just the last two weeks has been really a productive 'iris grab' if you will. I've always wanted to expand my very small collection and bring in some fantastic bearded varieties, especially rebloomers. This is the first time I have ever gotten an iris from a trusted site and company, and I am already very impressed and thankful.

I have a very good friend from a church I attend, and we've been trading (and/or buying irises from each other) and just recently, she allowed me to take some of her varieties from her yard. (About 6-10 rhizomes of the two new colours, and upwards of 20-30 of lavender!) She unfortunately did not know the names of what she gave me, but I can give similar pictures to what she showed. One variety (which she showed pictures of) are quite similar to 'Natchez Trace' in colour, but perhaps more salmony/pink standards, and lighter red falls. Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Natchez Trace')

She also gave me some beautiful lemony-yellow bearded iris flowers that are slightly ruffled. Sort-of like 'Lemon Mist.' Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Lemon Mist')

The last colour she gave me is very common, and most of you probably already have it. 'Dalmatica,' or at least something very, very similarly styled.
Tall Bearded Iris (Iris pallida 'Dalmatica')

I have these to look way forward to come spring! They all were planted the next day and most look to be extremely healthy. I paired most of what she gave me (not Dalmatica) together, with the initials PR and Yel (for pinkish/red and of course, yellow). Here are some images!




And of course, the lavender ones (Iris 'Pallida?')



And this absolutely massive clump!


Along with what she gave me, this happened while I was ordering some irises from Winterberry Gardens, in Virginia, and I have to say, I am thoroughly impressed with my order, and their customer service!

Every iris I received was in very well condition with some nice and strong looking rhizomes. They were also all rebloomers too (which I would have wanted). Rebloomers have always been something I wanted to have, always, always, always and I was incredibly excited to be finally getting some.

I ordered one of each:
Mariposa Autumn - Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Mariposa Autumn')
Lucy Doodle (MTB) - Miniature Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Lucy Doodle')
Faithful and True - Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Faithful and True')
Deborah Dances - Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Deborah Dances')
Cara (STB) - Standard Dwarf Bearded Iris (Iris 'Cara')

I received:
2 Lucy Doodle
2 Mariposa Autumn
1 Cara
1 Faithful and True
1 Deborah Dances
And two extras I did not order (but love anyways!)
2 Anne Lowe (SDB) - Standard Dwarf Bearded Iris (Iris 'Anne Lowe')
1 Kind Candace - Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Kind Candace')

I was very shocked and ecstatic to have received quite a bit more than I thought I was getting. I ordered 5 and got 10 healthy rhizomes with every one being marked so I know what it was! Instead of having five new rebloomers to potentially look forward to this very year, I now have been granted with seven! On top of this, I have more to look forward to in the Spring as my gracious friend lent me two more varieties and some irises that were purchased from Walmart may finally bloom in the spring of 2019. I'm beyond excited!

Here are some images from what I've received!

Lucy Doodle and Deborah Dances share a spot at the nose of the rock and they are all staked up so they can root properly!



Mariposa Autumn, Faithful and True and Kind Candace take hold of the rock face to the left of the yellows and reds of Lucy Doodle and Deborah Dances. This colour group is purple/white (maybe magenta too) with pure white thrown in the mix. This is going to be a really nice contrast spot!


Finally, here is Cara and the two Anne Lowe SDB rhizomes placed together with PR and Yellow to the left (as well as lavender further left) and lavender to the right. Being both orange, this will be a nice contrast and a short but cute adition to the tall bearded yellows, pink/reds and lavenders on all sides!

There was a third area where I placed some irises from my friend who gifted me a whole bunch of rhizomes that I took pictures of. They're planted around a telephone pole, the same one that some tan irises used to occupy only about a week ago! Sample:


This area around the pole hosts two PR (pink and red) and one yellow rhizome that she gave me. It also has potentially my last white/tannish iris with orange beards that I am not sure or not if it is a unique-to-me iris, or well known. (I'll provide a sample shot if you want to try an ID this noid).


This is a close-up of my noid white/tan iris - It was a very large rhizome but it has very little growth out of it. I am going to watch this in hopes that it lives!

Here's my white/tan iris noid if you're curious - can you identify it? A friendly little challenge!



This year, especially in just a week and a half has been extremely productive towards my iris collection, and it looks to possibly expand even more this year and it is all thanks to my friend, and the fine folks at Winterberry Iris Gardens. My collection is still small, but these fine additions will sure look pretty whenever they decide today is the day I will bloom!

You bet there will be a ton of pictures snapped of my iris adventures in 2019 when my favourite time of the year returns in April, May. I managed to take 166 pictures of just five different colours of irises in my yard, and I would have taken so many more had the bloomseason not been cut by a travel.

Lots of things to look forward here - I am really loving this site already with how many friendly people who share a common interest there are. This place will definitely be a mainstay for me. See you around!

Undyinglight

Don't remember if I welcomed you or not. If not welcome. Sounds like your starting off good. Also, if you stick around for a while, there are plenty of enablers In the forum.

I got. My first-ever order from a iris farm. I ordered like 14 or 15 and ended up getting like 6 bonuses (received. 22 total). Some were like 4 irises in 1.

Overall just have fun.

Welcome Monty
Looks like you are well on your way!
Again a warm

Thanks for the warm welcomes, Richard and Leon!

Richard - What a good gift and a large collection! I received three gifted extras, and a couple extras from my "one orders" that I was not expecting. I figure that one of them was an added gift of 'Kind Candace' for being out of 'Bountiful Harvest' which, would have been one of my orders. However, 'Mariposa Autumn' was my 'lookalike' replacement for 'Bountiful Harvest' since they were out. Maybe as an extra gift, they gave me 'Kind Candace' because of the circumstance?
'Anne Lowe' looks to have potentially been a rhizome with a spur that was separated to make two healthy looking plants as extras, perhaps because of my first SDB 'Cara' (which shares a name with my mother). 'Anne Lowe' is very similarly coloured to 'Cara' and has a lot of the same characteristics. I was most impressed with that the gifted extras were all deemed to be rebloomers, which I very much would have wanted.

In just about a week, with the help of a great friend and Winterberry Iris Gardens, my collection of "every year" bloomers has gone from five, to 12. Include all the irises purchased in bagged forms from Walmart which have not bloomed, 15. Include missing irises that have either died, or haven't rebloomed (my poor, poor Edith Wolfords! ), around 20-22.
My collection looks to grow even more possibly in the next coming weeks, and I am super stoked.

Altogether, the amount of rhizomes I have received in just about a week and a bit looks to be around 35-40. What a cluster! (I ran out of dirt on multiple occasions too! )

I have a question now - with all these new iris types I have, I have been wanting to get some fertilizer or bone meal to give my new rhizomes an extra "kick" for the next bloom season, or even to shoot me up a bloomstalk this very year (the rebloomers, of course). I checked tonight at Walmart for a good fertilizer with the middle and right numbers being higher than the first (the recommended is 6-10-10, but it would be possibly too costly to get only one bag). Not a single one had the two right-most numbers above the first. The closest I got was 10-10-10. I did not purchase it as I wanted to be certain that what I get will help my new plantlings in the best way it can, or at least very good.

Would 10-10-10 have been good, perhaps, or will I have to search a little more for something with two higher righter-most numbers? Are there any good ones sold at Walmart that you know of? Any way, I'd love to know so I can begin to get some fertilizer! Thanks, everyone!

Thanks so much for all the comments and helpful advice, and friendliness I have received in my very short venture here - I can't wait for more awesome things to come here. You have yourself another big iris fan!

I wonder if that white and yellow is 'Gay Paree'? if there's actually a blush (as opposed to a shadow) on the falls, as in your picture, then it's not.. Mine is not quite as bright as those in the database.


What did I get this year?

Mid-America:
Truth or Dare
What a Party
Painted Love
Songsmith
Goodnight My Dear- bonus
Nostalgic Memory-bonus
Cloud Gate-gift
Overheated-gift

Superstition:
North Rim
Spring Elegance
Chihuahuan Desert
Make Mine Magic
One Wild Child
Freckles
Grace Sturtevant
Painted Doll
Rhapsody

Keppel:
Inkblot
Space Signal
Mendacity
Desert Trails
Game Changer
Adriatic Noble

Package from a friend
Seedlings:
12-12A
12-12-B
12-12-D
12-12-E
12-17
12-3A
12-3-B
12-40
13-2A
13-2-B
13-49-B
13-102
13-63
13-50-C
What a Beauty
Splendid Spring
Serving Wench
Diamond Broker
Star Turn
Mixed Signals
Sergey
Power Down
Gambling man
Tijuana Taxi
Mandrake BB
Rumor Has It
Girl Trouble

MBIS picnic (I swore I wouldn't get any more):
Soul Sister
Into the Wild
Positive Attitude
Being Me diamonds
Bashful Love
Deeper Meaning
Soft Elegance
Electric Blast
Handful of Magic
Shy Girl
Tantalizing
Optic Overload

Bayview Gardens (Joe Ghio)
Breaking the Ice
Drum Circle
Bullet Point
Tagline BB
Fan Club
Wait a Minute

MBIS Aug. meeting:
Louisa's song
Humoresque
Blue Oasis
Summit (Replacement)
Art House
Los Angeles (replacement)

It did not appear to have a blush to me - but I didn't really think to check as they're all oviously done blooming for me. I may have to snag some 'Gay Paree' and see for myself from a purchase or through a trade if anyone wanted to lend me some.
When I took most of my pictures, they were in broad daylight or direct sun, so perhaps that's casting a shadow? Comparing your actual 'Gay Paree' to what I think mine is, I can say that they look oh, so very similar. Likely too similar to not be something different, but, you never know. I suppose I have to figure that out for myself! Either way, both your's and mine are gorgeous to me. My noid is currently my favourite iris I have.

What did you get? No fibbing, Sherry, we all know that you have purchased 36,761,00 and 3 different iris specimens this year....

I am sure I am not the only one who wishes I had like ten thousand buckaroos to just hash out for irises...

Sherry, That's quite a lot of irises!

Welcome Monty!

That's quite the list Sherry!

AndreaD said:Sherry, That's quite a lot of irises!

Sherry, where are you going to put them all. It's alot.

Awesome orders Sherry!

The possibilities are endless with Sherry's order. That is for sure! I applaud you taking on so much. Good luck with all that, Sherry!

Thank y'all for the continued welcomes!

80 or so new ones will make a big presence in your beautiful garden, Sherry!

On a slightly unrelated note, how big should a TBD be when you transplant them? I've some volunteer seedlings in a horrible spot. I moved some clumps from there last year, must have missed a couple tiny rhizomes. They only have a single leaf now so they look delicate. Will they survive being moved now?

It's probably half what I ordered last year... I've culled quite a few, but need to make some more hard decisions. I've potted everything up and will put as many as I can in the ground towards the end of September.
I think I left some off the list.. I'm going to have to go through and do an inventory.