Irises

Reference Book

 To help identification and solve cultural problems, I turn to reference books.
I have a well-stocked reference library that covers every plant genus I can grow and then some.
New additions are made yearly and still the wish list keeps getting longer.

One of my best finds of the year is Irises: A Gardener's Encyclopedia by Claire Austin .
The book covers a lot of ground and even includes photos of roots of different types of irises.
There is also a section on hybridizing and growing irises from seed.
The information and photos in this book make it invaluable for all iris lovers.

The Gardener's Iris Book

PDF Editions

 Did you know that you can buy a pdf version of The Gardener's Iris Book by William Shear from the Fine Gardening magazine site?

Now, before buying a book, I always check to see if there is a digital version.
I very rarely buy printed books now.
When none are available, I make a request for a Kindle edition on Amazon.

Indian Chief

Irises

Indian Chief is one of my oldest irises.
One of the first passalong plant I received after I moved to my present home.
I never featured it before even though I love this iris colours.

The shades are often described as deep red for the falls.
As an artist, I see the falls as dark fuchsia.
The standards, moderate crimson.
The two go very well together.

Late Lilac

Iris Germanica

Nice soft coloured tall bearded iris.
Photo shows white beard tipped orange.
Late Lilac now featured on ArtistGarden.net

If you'd like to see photos of all the irises in the collection,
just click on the Irises link.

Kogesha Iris

Ensata Iris


Now in the Irises
 Kogesha grows well in borders.
Mine is a few years old and was divided once.
I have it in a sandy loam in a section that I water more often.