LorettaNJ said:@William - I don't think Blue Note or Sheila Ann Germany is available in the US unfortunately. Shiela Ann Germany looks a lot like Katherine Hodgkins or Frank Elder. Blue Note looks like a blue version of Pauline which is another one that has come back for me. I wish I could find that one here.
Ginny, I have old plants of Harmony that do the same after a couple of years, a good clump of grassy foliage but only one or two blooms. They used to bloom well. I should dig some up and check it out. Hopefully they haven't pulled themselves down too deep for me to get at without breaking. I know I posted it but I'm not 100% sold on Lisa Roper's reasoning on why those rock irises don't bloom. I always thought it was for the reason William posted - small daughter bulbs but there is always one way to find out.
Pretty Evelyn and Jane! So cute!
I already received my order of Gracchus from Old House Gardens. Looks healthy!
@LorettaNJ , Sheila Ann Germany and Frank Elder is from the same cross (Iris winogradowii x I. histrioides 'Major') as Katharine Hodgkin so there is a reason they are similar. I have grown Frank Elder, but its color wasn't for me, so I didn't grow it for long.
I think it is entirely possible that Lisa Roper could be correct, but I doubt it would be the case for all reticulated irises, perhaps she meant some of the pure species bulbs? Last year we had an extra, extra dry and hot summer I have a sandy soil here, yet I didn't notice any better performance from my collection of several under performing reticulated irises which names I have forgotten. I will be composting them.
I have previously thought that 'Blue Note' was one of Canadian hybridizer Alan McMurtrie's creations, but I now found some info that 'Blue Note' actually is a sport of Pauline. So no wonder the two are so similar!!!
It is still a bit early for spring bulb catalogs so my hope is that you will be able to find 'Blue Note' a little later.
It is not new and I bought mine several years ago, but the reticulated irises rarely get the attention they deserve, so sometimes bulbs can be a bit hard to find.
Speaking of Alan McMurtrie, it could be worth trying a few of his hybrids:
http://reticulatas.com . They are supposedly bred to be better garden plants. I have a few of his and some seem pretty good, although I have some that still break up into little rice grains. I do want to get more of his, I think they are very exciting.
