Last year I started digging the rows in this fairly small bed. I only planted every other row, due to a wise member's suggestion...

Except for the magnificent Thornbird that Rob sent to me and Samurai Warrior, the bed was rather sparse. Samurai Warrior was the first to bloom and kept on spitting out blooms for quite some time. I even took a chance with it and set a pod on it, and it was none the worse for wear. It just kept on blooming!

Now I have redone the bed, and with a few exceptions, everything in it is new or moved from other areas. The rows that were not in use were very easy to work, not like if they weren't worked at all...then they would just be hard clay and too much work. I am glad that I did this last year!

The corner has one iris. Last year, it was Thornbird! Thornbird grew too big and on top of itself and needed to be separated. So now we have something different there.

Pencil Sketch
http://www.bluebirdhavenirisga...



The first row has 4 irises in it:

Perfect Interlude

Oregon Sunshine
http://www.bluebirdhavenirisga...
(There are no pictures in the database)
Horned Sunshine

Berkeley Gold


As you can see, I have started out my iris collections with historics from a nearby iris garden that is world famous. Mary Hess has over 4000 varieties of historic irises, and is the largest historic iris nursery worldwide, I found out later.

Next row 5 irises:

Quail Ale

Better Than Butter

Saharan Sun

Spiral Galaxy

Tiger Honey

Row #3 (6 irises)

Picture Bouquet

Deft Touch

Marching to Zion

Peach Pearl

Coral Point

Tiger Honey


Now you can see, these are not in perfect order, and some are extras. Then there will be some that do not go into a category or really match with anything, but are in a class by themselves...

Row #4

Expose (2)

Now I am not sure if I like them. I got them as gifts, so I will have to see them in "person" to know that answer, but it might make for interesting genetic material.

Muted Melody
http://www.bluebirdhavenirisga...
Sespe - no picture to be found by me. This description is by Bluebird Haven:
RARE S:greenish yellow, F: darker, lighter at haft with yellow brown veining to half way down fall, B:yellow; fragrant
Giraffe Kneehiz

Sketch Me
http://www.bluebirdhavenirisga...
Hyenasicle

Coyote Ugly

I can't wait to see photos of your beds in full bloom.

Rob ~ It might take a while, but probably not next year, but the following one should give me more blooms. I was rather disappointed in my bloom season this year, but it was only my first year! Some of the irises arrived quite large so they will probably bloom. We'll see....

Such lovely and promising beds of blooms await their arrival! I think we are all excited for your beds to bloom, Evelyn! Take lots of pictures for us in the spring!

I wish you good luck with your new beds and new plantlings, as well as the old for an awesome bloom come spring.

Ev: How exciting!!!! I have Pencil Sketch. Got it from Blue Haven. I love it. I really love your Peach Pearl. I had never heard of it before. I also like your Giraffe Kneehis, Coyote Ugly, and Marching to Zion.

Monty and Elsa ~

Row #6

Celebration Song

I wonder if I'll get a clump like that?
Florentine Silk (2)

Wow! Isn't that pretty?
Edith Wolford

This rhizome is still quite small. Maybe it will do better next year.
Easter Candy

And I didn't even get one bloom from this one either.
Don't Stop Believing

(Bonus from Shady Spot!!!)
Sergey

(My potential favorite....)
Yalobusha Desert

(No clump shots on this one...)

Row #6

Butterfly Affair

Dipped in Dots

For some reason Dipped in Dots looks interesting....
Milk in My Coffee

Sherry ~ This is such a lovely photo!
Coffee Whispers

Haunted Heart

Spring Madness

Tango Amigo

Thornbird


This concludes the planting of this iris bed. I was going to put another row in, and maybe somewhere down the line, I will. It is the first bed that I see, when I enter the garden, being so close to the gate. Then the raised beds, then the few in large pots, then the iris rows and then the irises in the perennial beds are all viewed consecutively.

Evelyn, I'm sure you'll get a nice clump from Celebration Song eventually. I grow it and I've always been pleased by its performance.

Those rows will look great!

Andrea ~

Here is the bed for now....


Here is another view, except all those in pots have been planted.


And here is what is left of my "pot ghetto"!




The ones in orange pots are NOIDs that are from the Dark Side Garden, and will go back in there.

Evelyn,

Sespe images.
http://wiki.irises.org/TbPthru...

Debra ~

I should probably add that when viewing all of these pictures, if you enlarge them, you can see all the details much better.

I went outside earlier today until it started pouring. I have 2 more raised beds to finish and I need to put others in perennial beds and in pots. I will dig out of some of the large pots that I put some NOIDs that grew large, and put them back into the "cottage" garden. Then I will put some dwarfs into those large pots. The others are doing so well in them. A couple of the Arilbreds in pots don't look alive, but I will wait it out and see if they revive in the fall. The rest of them are looking good!

Great stuff, Evelyn.

I especially like Expose, Better than Butter and Spiral Galaxy although I don't grow them.
Sergey is a must have, but is missing in my collection here. It will be added one of these days.

I do have Florentine Silk and Dipped in Dots and I like the looks of them too, but no blooms so far. Florentine Silk has rotted two years in a row, but I still have plenty of rhizomes of it and they are in a much better spot now, so I hope to finally see some blooms next year.

So nice to get Don't Stop Believing as a bonus. I had to buy mine, but was happy to so as I have wanted it for awhile. Although I don't grow a lot of pink irises, lately I have done some efforts to add some.

Sorry that you have to work with clay soil. I guess it has some good water holding qualities that can be useful even for irises in a summer dry climate such as yours, but it is not fun to work with.

Looking great Evelyn!

It going to be beautiful Evelyn.

evelyn.

William, Rob, Barbara and Daphne ~ a BIG

Actually I really didn't think I would get this far. I do have a little ways to go, but nothing like what I had sitting around waiting to be planted!