Viewing post #2737706 by caitlinsgarden

LynNY said: I just want to let everyone know, that when you are posting your photos of gorgeous fully open flowers, that having a picture of an unopened or partially opened bud can be super helpful when you've dug up your entire iris garden in a frantic rush to seek and destroy iris borers.

Somehow, there's a stranger among the fans of Montmartre -that is lacking the distinctive purple tinge to the bud casing (I'm sure that's not the proper horticultural term). An interloper of some sort is among them. I'm finding things got mixed up more than I imagined.

Princesse Caroline seems to have gotten mixed up with Rainbow Goddess - I can see how that happened. But the Princesse may mix herself up wherever she likes. I so love that iris, even with all the beautiful bubbly sky blues nowadays - I love her to pieces even though she is only ruffled. The flower is the size of my hand, and the orange beards are a wonderful contrast. The first time she opened in my garden I was flabbergasted. The description says, "pure light blue" and she is pure light blue.

At the time, I had recently discovered iris I was mostly focused on the wild colors and patterns and a "self" seemed so boring - reminiscent of the lavender and yellow iris that are in yards around here that have been there from someone's grandma's day. But for some reason I bought the Princesse, figuring that the eye needed a break, a place to relax, in between the visual drama. And she opened, and there was a drama all of its own.

So far, High Master looks to be winning the derby, with Montmartre behind him by a length. Home stretch now - something will be open by tomorrow morning.

Alas I know your iris catastrophe well, having done the same borer cleanout. How do you propose to shield your new iris from this foe? I had good luck with"Merit" until I realized that I didn't want to use anything harmful to pollinators. The alternate methods of control : pinch out the baby borers at the bottom of the leafstalk in the spring etc. led to near total garden burnout for me. I have some widespread iris that seen to have been too far off the beaten path for the borer moths to fly when they had hundreds to feast on without leaving the neighborhood!