Last summer I accidentally ordered 'The Red Douglas' from two different vendors: Willowbend and Blue J Iris (yes that one). The one from Willowbend bloomed on May 2 and finished up last week (I should have kept notes). Then today, lo and behold 'The Red Douglas' from Blue J Iris opened up. This was a real surprise. I was not expecting it to bloom this year. However, this 'Red Douglas' does not look like that 'Red Douglas'. They look like completely different irises to me. I looked at the examples here and at the Historic Iris website. I did not gain any real clarity because many of the pictures look completely different to me. So here are mine. What do you think? Are they the same iris or not. By the way, the beds in which each is planted are directly across from each other. Same soil conditions, pretty much the same angle of the sun. The Willowbend 'Red Douglas' receives a little bit more shade. I think the form of the Blue J RD looks as if it comes from a different decade than the Willowbend RD. Moreover, the Blue J RD has a richer claret color than the Willow Bend RD. The falls on the two are completely different. The Blue J RD has thinner lazier falls.
Willowbend Douglas on left. Blue J Douglas on right
