I have a bad case of the "I want"s. This is usually ameliorated by making a list of the iris that catch my eye. :) Just the act of writing out a list by hand helps. It's been a couple of years since I ordered any new iris, so I was looking through the 2011 Superstition Iris Gardens catalog, as well as some pictures from an iris garden across the street from the sisters' garden on Gimghoul Road in Chapel Hill. The iris collection is right beside the sandstone grit sidewalk, behind a low stone wall, and they looked lovely all grouped together.
The names I have listed are guesses, even Rare Treat, which I grow but can't find a picture of right now. Please feel free to correct if you think the iris is something else.
Clarence ~ a beautiful combination of blue-tinged white and blue-violet.
Smiling Gold with Autumn Circus in background
Gnus Flash
Thornbird ~ which is what I think this is ~ is not an iris I'd ever pick from a catalog description or picture, but it's amazing in person.
I wouldn't pick Champagne Elegance from a catalog either but look how beautiful!
Aggressively Forward
Secret Melody
Rare Treat
Typically iris that have brown tones are not my favorite, but this is the third one in this post. lol I don't know which one this might be ~ any ideas? I love the form as well as the colors.
It looks like it should have both cinammon and butter in the name.
Edited to add: Darla I love the names Buttery Cinnamon and French Toast! I put a picture up on the Gardenweb Iris Forums and a member thought that it might be 'Smoke Rings'. I'm going to order that one this year, so in a couple of years I hope to have a flower to compare.
I sure can understand your wanting to add to your iris collection. My favorites of this grouping are the following: Gnus Flash, Thornbird, Champagne Elegance, Secret Melody and the last one.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure whatever you add to your gardens will only make them lovelier.
Happy Gardening ~ FlowerLady
That last one makes me think of french toast, very cinnamony! There is something so charming and feminine about irises, I can see why you have "the wants" for more!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! That "Rare Treat" took my breath away!!!
ReplyDeleteSweetbay,
ReplyDeleteThese are beautiful! Thanks for the offer on some iris divisions, but we just don't have room for them. Our garden in the sun is for butterflies and veggies.
So lovely and sweet. Enough? -never. :)
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day
Thornbird gets my vote. Have fun choosing new Iris.
ReplyDeleteI can't get enough irises either, and that Gnus Flash is just super - love the bold colors.
ReplyDeleteA gorgeous collection here...why don't we call it Buttery Cinnamon? or French Toast is a good one too.
ReplyDeleteOh great, you know the I wants are catchy - now I want some more too! Love Secret Melody, I think it's called. Great post!
ReplyDeleteWhat incredibly beautiful irises! I really liked the striped one, very unusual. Do you collect them? How I understand your fever, I regularly have it with roses... In fact I try not to look too closely at other spectacular flowers, such as iris or clematis or camellia, for fear that another obsession will be born, but I have no room (and not much money)...
ReplyDeleteCinammon and butter? Now I'm hungry. ha-ha
ReplyDeleteThanks for telling me the name of your purple daylily, Tupac Amaru. It's now officially on my wish list. First thing that came to mind was the rapper, Tupac Shakur.
donna
Your Iris collection is one outstanding collection! I brought some small ones with me, hoping they survive. Just discovered some vole/mole activity...boo hiss!!
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone for your comments!
ReplyDeleteMasha I would love to collect iris but so far I've ended up with a lot of iris from a few cultivars. I plan on making a new iris bed near the house and keeping the soil relatively lean.
Janet I wish the iris in this post were mine! lol But they will help me decide what to order this spring. :)
Wow, I could never pick a favorite but that Gnus Flash catches my eye! I never knew there were so many different iris until blogging! I just knew there were white, purple and yellow! Now I know differently just as with lilies, there are many out there. Tina passed along some iris to me last year and I am so excited to see them bloom in my gardens as they remind me of both my grandmothers…
ReplyDeleteThese are all so beautiful, Sweet Bay. I was given quite a few passalong irises last fall, so many in fact I had to give some of them away. You've made me excited to see what blooms might come up here this spring.
ReplyDeleteWow Sweetbay, you have a lot in your collection and they are all beautiful. I haven't seen most of these varieties, it may not be adapted to our climate.
ReplyDeleteShare your 'Iris Fever', Sweetbay. I have many varieties and dream of spring!
ReplyDeleteYour post was a vocabulary lesson for me Sweet Bay! I had to look up "ameliorate" ~ great word to know!
ReplyDeleteYour "I want" list looks great. I noticed last year that I didn't have a single two toned or bi-colored Iris. I am going to keep some of these in mind if I can find a place to add more. I especially like that last one and "Gnus Flash." I hope you get to add a few of these!
Lovely irises Sweetbay! Your cinammon ones are gorgeous too and all blend so beautifully together. Your hummingbirds must love visiting each bloom.
ReplyDeleteAll these beautiful pictures just make me have the I Wants even more!
ReplyDeleteI do love iris and have a few here and there. I need to add to the collection, since it's one thing the deer leave alone.
I wouldn't know the names of any of them, but I think all irises are beautiful.
ReplyDelete