These two specimens were in an established bed when we purchased the property 5 years ago. That is all the info I have on them, but I would like some help in identifying these cultivars. I moved them to a different location 2 years ago and they are thriving. They grow from a rhizome, started blooming last week. The lavendar ones are 40-43 inches tall and the bi-color ones are 34 inches tall. When should I remove the spent flowers? Should I wait until I can break them off or can I clip them off?

Julie ~ to the Iris Forum!

I don't know which ones those are, but maybe someone more knowledgeable can assist you in this matter.

Julie,

I had a look through the NGA database and the second one may be Wabash or Gaylord which is a child of Wabash. There are several irises which don't have photos so it could be something else.

There are lots of photos of Wabash in the database
Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Wabash')



There are so many iris cultivars that the only way to accurately identify an iris is to purchase the iris you think it may be and grow it next to the one you wish to identify to check that they are the same.

Thank you! This is very helpful.

Welcome, Julie!

Your first photo reminds me of Iris pallida

They are mildly fragrant; scent reminds me of sugary, bubble gum, like Bazooka Bubble Gum (which I honestly never cared for). I wonder if it could be Iris Pallida ssp. Dalmatica ?

to the iris forum julie. i'm afraid i don't recognize either one of them. i'm sure others in this group will come forward to help if they can.

There is more information about Wabash and Gaylord on the American Iris Society website.
http://wiki.irises.org/TbFthru...
http://wiki.irises.org/TbUthru...

They mention that Bright Hour (another child of Wabash) is similar but Wabash has purple based foliage
http://wiki.irises.org/TbAthru...

These are examples of purple based foliage:

Does you iris have purple based foliage?

I also found some information on the Historic Iris Preservation Society website which states that Gaylord is a much larger flower than Wabash.
https://www.historiciris.org/l...

How large are your flowers?

I also noticed that Wabash blooms in the mid season and Gaylord is a very late bloomer. This may also help you figure out which iris you have.

The lavender flowers are approximately 8 cm from calyx to the top of the erect petals, and about 18 cm circumference at the widest part of the erect petals. The "throat" is creamy white with tiny brown "tiger stripes". The stripes are barely visible from without. The "beard" starts as a deep, saffron yellow and then fades to creamy white. The stamen is white. The color is a velvety, ethereal, almost translucent lavendar. I've never see any flower quite like it, which is why I'm so determined to find out what it is!

The bi-color flowers are a bit taller and wider: 9 cm tall and 20 cm around. The throat is a soft yellow, with similar, but more distinct brown "tiger stripes" that transition to white on the lower, deep purple petals. The beard is deep yellow and retains its color almost to the end (outer limits).

I'd say the bottom one is Wabash......if it is, it will, as stated above, show some PBF (purplish "staining" on the leaf bases), but, on Wabash, the PBF is quite "variable"...mine , at times shows little, or no, PBF , especially in midsummer, with very hot weather. Mine opened day before yesterday (in protected areas) , and will open in ALL areas, probably this weekend. I'm only about 40 miles from you, so our conditions should be the same. One thing to remember , is that "flower size" can also be quite variable....weather and climate conditions , as well as general plant health can affect it, quite a little, and even "first bloom- to last bloom" on the plant can show a difference. However, the "proportions" of the bloom will be the same....i.e. falls the same length as standards, or, 1/4 longer than the standards....whatever.

Reply to Arlyn from Whiteside County:
Thank you for the information. I was curious about the PBF you wrote of, so I checked and took some more pictures. Is the purple along the leaf/sepal margin the PBF?

@julieklecker

if you might scroll back to totally_amazing/robin's post and you enlarge her second iris photo, you'll see the purplish cast near the base of the fans of the iris leaves. many times the purplish color will extend up into the bud parts of the spathes when they are forming, but disappear as the buds grow larger and the papery covering dries up. sometimes, the purple is very faint all over including the area around the base. sometimes, as arlyn indicated, when the temperature changes you may not see this coloration at all.

all that said, it is still a visual help while trying to pinpoint an identification. hope this helps?

Ah ha! Now I see what you mean. I checked my plants: no evidence of PBF at the base of the fan.

Here's an interesting...and informative ...download on "looking " at irises:

https://www.historiciris.org/a...

..... and as soon as all blooms are spent it is a good thing to 'clip' not break or pull the bloom stalk off and put it in the green waste. I cut mine as close to the rhizome as I can without damaging the leaves or rhizome. ... and to the iris forum.

Bonnie and Arlyn,
Thank you so much for your helpful advice. I am a novice to growing iris, so I truly appreciate it.
Julie