WOW Tom what a great group of Iris pictures I really like the Van Lierre pics I have not seen any of them before when you get some clumps going if you could post a few pics of them I would love to see these and that Cold Fusion is a must have it is different than anything else I have seen Is it a tall flower?

I'm going to have to check out COLD FUSION because it looks totally interesting. And Brad, I want you to know that after seeing your California trip pictures I called Sutton's and added ADVENTUROUS to my order! I just love the look of it from your pictures, and the Sutton's picture simply does not do it justice.

Aruba, I will take some clump shots after a few more open, we had a very windy storm go through here on Tuesday, with wind gusts around 50 mph. Things held up pretty well though. I just planted Cold Fusion last year, and most of the new ones that I planted out away from the house didn't get very tall due to the weather. Even many of the established plants are stunted some. Often the first blooms have been somewhat deformed. Today it was 36 degrees here this morning. Ugh!

Betty, Cold fusion sure does have some intersting things going on. I love the way the yellow streaks through out the bloom. It should do well in your part of the world, as it was developed there. Seems to be doing well here, sent up 3 bloom stalks the first year! It's supposed to rebloom too, but doubt if that will happen here.

Here's a few more pics from yesterday, if it lets me upload them. Lately, been having trouble at times with that.
Brilliant Idea - Keppel 2009 and Gypsy Romance - Schreiners 1994

Dreaming Of Rio - Schreiner 2008

Well, that's all it will let me upload, will have to try again later.

Love *Brilliant Idea* Tom -- you have so many new ones (recent ones)!

Your *Gypsy Romance* sure looks like my NoID Gypsy Romance, doesn't it?

Yes I think it does. Here's a close up.

Tour De France - Keppel I couldn't get it to upload earlier.

Some more pics, at least the ones I could get with the wind blowing.
Chardonnay and Ice Stalk - Blyth 2002 and Easter Candy - Keppel 2011

Ginger Ice - Blyth 2007 and Glamour Pants - Blyth 2006

Lady Jane - Lauer 2001 and Point of No Return - Sutton 2011

Strut your stuff - Black 2007 and Travelilng North - Blyth 2001

Looking great! Glad Starring is doing better for you, it was just great last year. Hasn't bloomed yet for me this year. Soon, I hope. ~Jan

Tom -- you must just have an enormous amount of space devoted to Irises. Every day you post Irises more beautiful than the day before. At this point -- I'm ready to throw all of mine away and start all over!!

Pictures of the stalks can be very useful. I worry when all the flowers open a once that the bloom goes by too fast.
I have discarded a few seedlings which I have had for several years. Can't keep them all.

Betty glad I could help I took quite a few pictures there just have not had time to go through all of them and post them I will wait till after bloom is done and go through them, some of the newer Blyth ones were really nice surprising how different some of these look up close compared to the catalogs that I have seen.

Tom I am enjoying the show that cold at night has really extended our bloom season this year after 3 weeks I still have stalks just starting to open it has been a fantastic year so far, Those Sutton Iris are neat I will be placing a order with them this year.

Jan, you need to jump in your car and drive down, the show is going on, lol you're only an hour away, and you can see which ones you want to get in person! lol

Lucy, it's funny how some iris really look great individually, but don't make a very pretty clump, others are not that special as an idividual, but make a really pretty clump, and of course, some have it all, and look great both ways. Kind of like people, some work better alone, and others are good team players, and some can do both!

Mary Ann, don't you dare dump your beautiful irises, I have finally become able to discard some once in a while, to make room for one I like better. It's hard, but I have too many beds to keep making new ones. I have 23 acres here, so if I got rid of the horses, I'd have time and space to make more beds, Man I'm sick!

Aruba, Yes the cold nights seem to slow things down, the blooms seem to last longer too. I thought Sutton had the most impressive new entroductions last year of anyone. I ended up buying 8 of them, they had a good deal where if you bought 4 they gave you 4 more, and they gave me all that I suggested. It looks like 5 of them will bloom this year, but one of them had the bloom stalk frozen, and the flowers are not formed well. I still have a bunch of pics to take off my camera and post. Will do that after I have a few more cups of coffee!

Some more pics this morning
Chasing Rainbows - Hager 1998 and Classic Look - Schreiner 1992

Dreaming of Rio Cluster and Double Ringer - Ernst 2007

Fancy Brass - Schreiner 1987 and Florentine Silk - Keppel 2005

Grape Expectations - Marryott 2000 and Imprimis - Blyth 1993

Midnight Treat - Schreiner 2006 and Splurge Ghio 2010

Strut Your Stuff Stalk and Zesting Lemons - Ernst 2008

Can I? I would love to, weather is supposed to be beautiful. I am just sticking around trying to enlarge a garden this weekend (Menards has had some of their landscaping bricks on sale) . My blooms are starting, but since everything was new or transplanted last summer, not much of a "show" going on here, which is the way I expected it to be. ~Jan

LOL -- OK rightbackatcha Tom -- don't you dare get rid of your horses to make more room for Irises!! Remember that a balanced life is a happy life and 23 acres leaves room for everything!! I've got horses too -- have we talked about that? I actually have room for more beds, but can't handle much more in the way of work. It takes me a week to clean up stalks and spent leaves, etc., after blooming. And that doesn't count digging for thinning, moving, etc. So I've about reached my max. I am, this year for the first time, starting to eliminate some in favor of others. Hard to do,

I love every one of the new ones that you posted above. I have *Chasing Rainbows* and it is my all-time favorite Iris! *Florentine Silk* is one that I've been promising myself for years, and never get around to getting it. I get distracted by other pretty faces! lol

I think *Strut Your Stuff* is stunning.

Jan, If you would like to see the bloom, Sunday early afternoon would be a good time. Let me know, and I'll get you the address.

Mary Ann, Yes a balanced life is a good life, but I've been so unbalanced for so long, there's no hope! Don't deny yourself Florentine Silk, It is so nice, and life's too short. I can't make up my mind which Keppel Iris I like best, so I just have a group of favorite Keppels, and that goes for Blyth and all the others too.

I've had to make some choices about which pics I post now, there's just too many each day to keep up, so some of them are not going to make the cut, Maybe when winter sets in and I'm in deep Iris withdrawal, I'll dig them out and post them.

Beautiful blooms, Tom! And I'm so glad to see a great picture of Joe Ghio's SPLURGE -- I think I finally killed my first one, but I've ordered two more this year to try again. It's a beauty! And I love the intensity of your colors too -- out here with our dry heat my blooms seem quite pale in comparison. So your show is going strong now -- fantastic! I just look out there and see a sea of green leaves and some dried stalks -- yuck! Thank heavens my daylilies are starting to go crazy now!

I would love to come, PM me your address, I will send you my phone number via a PM.

This is my first year for High Octane. Love this one, this is a set of "twins"



This is Vibrant it finished opening after I left for work (it's on the west side of the house & was in the shade this morning) It just glows



Quaker Lady, a historic. Look how simple it is



Hello Darkness. I love these almost blacks



Liquid Crystal Compass. I received this from a member of the other forum for postage last year. I am told it is a "Space Age" but I haven't a clue what that means. But it sure is pretty and about 20 inches tall


A group photo. Interesting how all this bunch are blooming at the same time, in the same section of my garden. I didn't plan it that way, I was more concerned about planting taller ones behind the shorter ones.



Thanks for letting me hijack your thread for a bit ~Jan

Jan, a space-ager is an iris whose beards extend out to form horns, spoons or flounces. The reason they called them "space age irises" is because they started appearing back in the 1960's, which I guess they called the "Space Age." Just from looking at your picture I would guess that yours has horns, where the ends of the beards detach and come to points. And the space age beards are often very colorful with more than one color -- looks like yours has that too! Very nice!

And your irises look fantastic!

Tom I agree with Betty Splurge is outstanding Ill bet it stands out in the garden, Chasing Rainbows is another one that I like alot.

Jan that is a great picture of High Octane I dont have alot of plicatas so that one is on my list, I love your garden shot is that Stepping Out beside the Dark one

Yes, that is Stepping Out. I just LOVe it. So very very tall (40 inches) and it never ever needs staking.

Betty, thanks for the definition of Space Age. I knew there was something about it that determined that. And you are correct, it has all those attributes (now I have to remember the definition of Space Age for the future!)

And Tom, Grape Expectations is beautiful and so is Splurge ~Jan