Iris suaveolens

I also grow Iris suaveolens var. rubromarginata.  There really is a thin maroon margin on the leaves, although you have to get quite close to see it.  Rubromarginata seems to grow a bit larger, 4.5-6 inches.

Buyers at our Chapter plant sale will get a treat this spring.

RickR wrote:

Perhaps a little closer to natural habitat conditions, Iris suaveolens grows smaller for me than you, Mark.  I don't get nearly the amount of rainfall here compared to Massachusetts, especially these last few years.  In flower, the yellow form is 4-5 inches tall.  The arcing of the leaves is more pronounced, too.  They are evergreen even in Minnesota, and  surprisingly unscathed by our winter sun in snow-wanting seasons.

I dug and divided all my I. suaveolens last summer, and they seem to not skip a beat.  Bloom this spring is very ample.  And although the first flowers opened April 8th, they are still blooming now.

Rick, your two forms of I. suaveolens look great, love the var. rubromarginata ones.  So, I must say that often with scale-less closeup photography, size can be deceiving.  My large clump of I. suaveolens looked great coming into the spring, but the sudden 18 degree F hard freeze after 5 or so weeks without frost, did a number on many plants, the magnolias being effected badly.  The sudden hard freeze didn't kill the flowers outright, but the plant wasn't photo-ready afterwards.  Some buds continued, and I stall have 1 flower on it today.  Measured it, and it is 4" tall, some of the other flowers may have made it to 5" tall.  So, I think our forms are similar in that respect.

RickR wrote:

Buyers at our Chapter plant sale will get a treat this spring.

Yeah, but you got em booby-trapped to give overly eager Chapter members reaching for a plant, a fist full of glochids ;D

I want to come to your chapter meetings, that's a fine lot of plants there.

If I had a chance I would come too! I had bought a couple of the Irises, that's certain!
In Norway it is only one native Iris, I. pseudacorus. However Irises are commonly planted in gardens, mostly germanica and sibirica cultivars.

Sweet iris Rick!  I'd like to be at your sale too!

This is all rather gratifying, and funny at the same time.  Many times I have said to myself about others' plant sales: "I wish we had plants like that at our sales."

It's the "grass is always greener on the other side" syndrome.
But I am by far the largest contributor at our sales.  I grow things to learn, not necessarily because they are pretty.
What can I say, I am a Mad Propagator.

RickR wrote:

This is all rather gratifying, and funny at the same time.  Many times I have said to myself about others' plant sales: "I wish we had plants like that at our sales."

It's the "grass is always greener on the other side" syndrome.
But I am by far the largest contributor at our sales.  I grow things to learn, not necessarily because they are pretty.
What can I say, I am a Mad Propagator.

For me the grass is greener on the other side (of the Atlantic)! I am a member of the local Garden Society but we have nothing like your chapter sales. The nearest is a day swapping plants. Often we have identical plants to swap!

PS! Rick, I would love to look through your boxes with plants!
Do I notice a bonsai there too?

I have a few pseudo-bonsai.  I don't have the time or patience to trim and wire roots and branches as with real bonsai.  The larch you see on the far left is about 12 years old, and excepting some wiring of the main trunk early on, the only thing I have done is pruning.

I apologize that this is absolutely off the topic of Iris sauveolens... but maybe we should start a NARGS & affiliates plant sale one?  
Anyway, here are some of the trays of seedlings, as they harden-off outside, that I hope to flog at the local rock garden society sale next weekend... I only wish it would stop freezing and snowing, so that they could be left safely outdoors without having to be wheeled into the garage each night!  (There are another few trays in the basement yet, which I wish I could also chuck outside!)  
This exercise has shown me (as if I needed more evidence  ::)) how disorganized I am!  I have, through time, distributed individuals of the same species through various trays... I'll have to sit down prior to the sale and go through it all to make sure I keep 2-3 (or more, depending on assumed desirability?) of each species to try myself!    

You can at least wheel your plants! I have to carry them up or down the steps from the basement.

Yeah, I sympathize!  Still freezing at night where you are too, then?
The garage cart was my husband's brainwave!  :)  Otherwise, I'd also be lugging them in and out (though only into the garage).  Need another cart or two though! 

Skulski wrote:

Yeah, I sympathize!  Still freezing at night where you are too, then?
The garage cart was my husband's brainwave!  :)  Otherwise, I'd also be lugging them in and out (though only into the garage).  Need another cart or two though!   

We have had 2-3 icy nights the last couple of weeks but the worst is the cold northerly wind by day! Although the sun shines from a clear blue sky it is not more than 8-10C. Now it is 9PM and the sun is still shining but we are inside, it is too cold to be out (without winter clothing)! We barely managed to have lunch in the garden. (Yesterday was a very fine day, almost no wind and 15C but I had to work!)

I have brought almost all seedlings to a small glasshouse in the kitchengarden. I am reluctant to bring the small plants out at night, now due to cold weather later due to slugs!

Finally downloaded a picture of my form of suaveolens: very different from Rick's: it is one of the toughest of the miniature bearded iris. I remember seeing large pots full of overgrown rhizomes of these I believe they had just sitting outside year around at Wave Hill at the edge of New York City. They would be fun to see in full bloom.

Iris suaveolens is blooming here too, and just started a couple of days ago.  These little guys are up to 3" tall.

Now that rain has melted a good portion of our snow, I can't really say my gardens are waking up, but at least they are showing!

One of the interesting evergreens to meet me each spring as the snow recedes is Iris suaveolens.  (Blooms to come later, of course.)

Cool, looks like chinese pea pods curling around into bird's nests.  My Iris suaveolens is still covered with snow.

And Panayoti, I hadn't commented on your form of I. suaveolens, but its a doozy, love the long slender tubes giving the flowers some height, and intense coloration too.

Rick, yours have amazingly sickle-like leaves, compared to mine and to the others posted here!  Worth growing for the foliage alone!

My "Chinese Pea Pod Salad" is blooming nicely now.  
         Iris suaveolens var. rubromarginata

To get the maximum sickle shape on the leaves, grow them in austere conditions.  Absolutely no crowding allowed even in full sun, or leaves will grow straighter, upright, and longer.  Obviously, flowers are not sacrificed when grown in harsher conditions.  Even on this pic, you can see new leaves are already less falcate, due to the adjacent massive clump of  Lycoris squamigera (Naked Lady) leaves that shade the evening sun.  When the Lycoris foliage disappears in summer, subsequent iris leaves return to the more falcate shape.  This holds true for other iris too, like Iris attica and Iris lutescens.