Buyer Beware

The 2017 Breck's catalog front cover features a picture of a bearded iris which is identified as 'Golden Zebra.'   Its height is listed as 10 inches.  McClure & Zimmerman also list 'Golden Zebra' and their description is similar to Breck's but they list it as an Iris versicolor which it certainly is not.  Iris versicolor is a beardless iris native to Region 2 of the American Iris Society and much of the Northeast.

The real 'Golden Zebra' registered with the American Iris Society (AIS) is 'Golden Zebra' (Sass, R. 1956) Sdlg. 51-106. TB, 34" (86 cm). Midseason bloom. Bitone. Standards very deep yellow, near orange; Falls deep yellow heavily striped brown. Sdlg. 48-175: ('Tobacco Road' x 43-40) X 'Russet Wings' sdlg.

Although Breck's 'Golden Zebra' may look good in your garden, you could never exhibit it in an AIS sanctioned show and expect it to be judged.  It is not registered with the AIS.

Iris in bloom in February!

Last week we were hiking and saw our first iris in bloom in 2017 in Florida.  You will notice that the stalk has 3 bud positions, the terminal is in full bloom and the lower positions show blooms in progressive stages of deterioration.  Not bad for a wild iris!  The plant carpeting the background is water lettuce, a floating aquatic plant, which is still green even though the retention pond is almost dry because of the drought we are experiencing.

An added bonus for the day was seeing a Roseate Spoonbill on the edge of a nearby pond.  They are beautiful in flight against a blue sky.

Think Spring!

Bob Bauer and John Coble of Ensata Gardens have listed new introductions http://ensata.com/HTML/GeneralPages/new_2017.htm for 2017 of beardless iris on their website ensata.com that you may find interesting.  There are 2 Siberians and a Species Cross involving two Siberian species from Bob Hollingworth and two Louisiana iris and a Pseudata from Jill Copeland.  Check them out along with all the other beardless iris they list.

Another sign of spring!

Marty Schafer and Jan Sacks at Joe Pye Weed's Garden have posted their 2017 Siberian iris introductions and a list of bearded iris they are offering this year on their website.  Check it out at jpwflowers.com and enjoy pictures of their beardless iris.

Greetings from Florida!  I took this picture last year of a wild iris blooming in a retention pond.  Think spring!

Chad Harris to be at Region 2 Meeting!

One of the nation's best know hybridizers of Japanese Iris and Pseudata Iris among other varieties will be in Rochester on October 21, 2017 for the Region 2 annual meeting.  He will be giving a talk on "Water Lovers of Asia" a look at Iris ensata, Iris laevigata, and the new Species-X, "Pseudata"  and will also offer Judges Training session for Iris Ensata (Japanese).

Follow this site for details as they are confirmed.

Maine Iris Society Facebook Photos

If you're on Facebook, you might like to see the many beautiful iris photos posted by the Maine Iris Society.  A look at these terrific photos may help us through these dreary winter months before our own irises come into bloom:

CLICK HERE!