nzata@otarabirch

Seed Harvest ~ Beginning of the cross ~ Part 1 of 3.

2009-07-18T18:15:00.011+12:00

Hybrid Cross NZ031-08

On December 8th 2008 I began the serious effort in crossing some of the Japanese iris. In one of this crosses I used "Iapetus" which is a 6 petal or double form and decided to use this plant as my pod parent plant.

This flower, would once fertilized, be used to grow and carry the developing seed pod till maturity ready for harvest.

I wanted to try to create something stunningly different from the norm so I choose "Wind Drift" a 3 petal or single form with clean white petals and light to heavy vivid pink violet marbled streaks in the standards. I could imagine a flower that would standout and smile at me in the garden.

I guess when you begin, being a little green behind the ears, that the first lot of flower crosses are a great start which I can only but learn from here in.

I have numbered this cross NZ031-08. So as time progress this will be the reference point of my dairy account of these two varieties with their progress from germination to flowering in 18 months time. Let the adventure begin.

So what could I expect from this cross and what could be the end results. I will discuss this in part 3 of 3 of Seed Harvest ~ Homozygous and Heterozygous flowers.

1: IAPETUS "Pod Parent".

"Iapetus" a 6 petal flower was introduced by Sterling Innerst in 1987. This seedling 1540-2 was a cross of ("Narihira" x "Valiant Prince") X "Frostbound". This seedling was originally named "Horae" and changed to Iapetus for registration and introduction.

This Japanese iris was awarded an Honorable Mention (HM) 1990, Award of Merit (AM) 1994

2: WIND DRIFT "Pollen Parent".

"Wind Drift" a 3 petal flower was introduced by H Stahley and created by A. Vogt in 1983.

3: Pod maturing ready to harvest.

Just beginning to split and crack open. This cross was made in early December it is now about 80 days of development of the seed pod. Once pod has swollen and is just beginning to crack it is time to think about harvesting the pod.

If it still needs a little more maturity time then cover with a nylon stocking or use the end of the panty hose to stop seed falling while catching the seeds if it continues to split further.

Seed pod started to colour up from green to a light yellowish green to a brownish red.

4: Big cracks forming.

Mature seed pod at risk from opening to far and spilling the seed into the plant below or to allow rain to enter and could allow mold to spoil or damage or destroy seed by rotting or to germinate prematurely. Watch for insect damage as well.

Japanese Iris, Iris ensata " Light at Dawn"

2009-06-27T18:00:00.010+12:00

Mid Season / Late Japanese Iris.

Iris ensata
" Light at Dawn "

Another stunning Japanese iris from the garden of Walter Marx.

This is a 6 petal creation which stands out in a proud bunch. It grows well in the Otara Birch Gardens making it's own statement when flowering in my garden display.This iris produces shorter stems of large beautiful flowers in mid to late season.

The 6 petal white flowers have a neat narrow border of blue. The outer areas stippled in blue / violet. Nice clean white styles with a touch of wood violet at the tips of the petals.

The flowers look very beautiful in a garden display with its striking presentation which smiles and radiates in the soft evening light.

I enjoy picking this variety to put in a solid vase to admire on my lounge table.

This plant grows really well for me with lots of beautiful clean foliage with stems held proudly above the upright arching foliage. It produces an abundance of flowering stems on a well formed stunning clump in late December.

It grows to a height of 79 cms (32 ins) and flowers mid to late season in New Zealand, while flowering in the late season else where in the world.

Another beautiful variety created by Walter Marx. This selected seedling 56-153, being registered and introduced in 1957.

Available in New Zealand and around the world.

Windless Wednesday

2009-05-13T08:00:00.000+12:00

My Autumn Driveway.

"Ho!

for the leaves that eddy down,
Crumpled yellow and withered brown,

Hither and yonder and up the street
And trampled under the passing feet;

Swirling, billowing, drifting by,
With a whisper soft and a rustling sigh,

Starting aloft to windy ways,
Telling the coming of bonfire days."
- Grace Strickler Dawson, Bonfire Days

Iris ensata "Confetti Shower"

2009-05-10T20:00:00.010+12:00

Early / Mid Season Japanese Iris.

Iris ensata
" Confetti Shower"

Another stunning soft but subtle Japanese iris that grows well in the Otara Birch Gardens making it's own statement when flowering in my garden display.

This iris produces tall stems of huge beautiful flowers in early to mid season. This 6 petal rose violet purple flowers which looks very beautiful in a garden display.

The striking rose - ground, violet, blue stippled petals, purple veins extending into the purple banded halo. Brilliant dark purple style arms complimenting the presentation of this beautiful flower.

The flower smiles and radiates in the soft evening light.

The plant grows really well for me with lots of beautiful clean foliage with stems held proudly above the upright arching foliage. It produces an abundance of flowering stems on a well formed stunning clump in early December.

Another beautiful variety created by Walter A. Payne. This seedling was crossed from selected seedling Payne seedling 30 X Payne seedling 82, being registered and introduced in 1950.

In 1964 this iris was awarded with a Bronze Medal from the International Horticultural Exhibition, USA.

It grows to a height of 122 cms (48 ins) and flowers mid season in New Zealand, while flowering in the early to mid season else where in the world.

Available in New Zealand and around the world.

Please click on the photo's to enlarge.

Windless Wednesday

2009-05-06T08:00:00.001+12:00

The Final Curtain.

What a beautiful time of year to wander through my garden and contemplate the passing of time.

To see how the sharpness of Autumn cold....

has highlighted the leaves from green....

to scarlet and gold....

Soon time to rest....

to conserve....

to gather energy....

as the winter months unfold.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Come said the wind to
the leaves one day,
Come o're the meadows
and we will play.
Put on your dresses
scarlet and gold,
For summer is gone
and the days grow cold."
- A Children's Song of the 1880's

Japanese Iris 'CRYSTAL HALO'

2009-05-02T08:00:00.002+12:00

Early / Mid Season Japanese Iris.

Iris ensata
" Crystal Halo"

Growing at Otara Birch gardens a fantastic angel of deep violet petals surrounded with a bight white halo in mid season lasting two to three weeks in its flowering makes it's own statement.

This iris produces tall stems of huge beautiful flowers measuring 5 - 6" across in early to mid season. This 6 petal purple has a white band on the flowers which stands out being very spectacular in a garden display when planted on mass.

The striking purple centres with a bright 1" halo set around the edge of the huge petals, purple veins extending into the white halo. Brilliant dark purple style arms complimenting the presentation of this beautiful huge flower.This flower smiles and radiates in the early evening light from some distance catching the eye with its bold presentation.

Another great variety created by Walter Marx from the many hundreds that he considered to release.

This seedling 49-43 was produced from crossing two Higo seedlings, being registered in 1958 and introduced by him in his 'Walter Marx Gardens' in 1959.

It grows to a height of 97 cms (38 ins) and flowers mid season in New Zealand, while flowering in the mid to late season else where in the world.

Available in New Zealand and around the world.

Windless Wednesday

2009-04-29T08:00:00.000+12:00

Autumn in my driveway.

May is a time when the garden starts to drop the final curtain on its performance for the year as the Autumn colours slowly appear through the blanket of green.

The scrunch of dry leaves under foot.
Scrunch... Scrunch... Scrunch.
What a colourful time to be seen.

Hybridizing for Seed ~ Part 3 of 3

2009-04-28T03:02:00.000+12:00

Hybridizing Japanese Iris for Selected Seed.

How?

Photo 5: In this photo the style is at the top of the style arm with the stigma at centre of the lip. After you have removed the falls and anthers the flower still needs time to mature. This can take from a few hours to the following day for the stigma to mature and open out away from the style in order to be receptive to receiving the pollen.

I plan it so that I remove the petals from the unopened flower the day before I want to do the cross.Then the next morning once the dew has gone I proceed with my transfer of pollen onto the open stigma which the style arms are more flexible for handling. If you leave the transfer to the afternoon on that second day the style arm have become very stiff and erect or turgid and it is very easy to damage the style arm while making the crosses with my big fingers trying to hold the style arms. More care is needed. I find that if I am not careful I snap the style arm and therefore you only have two stigmas left to transfer pollen to. I have been known to damage two stigmas in trying to do my cross by breaking off the style arms and the third transfer pollinated forming seed in only one cavity of the ovary.

Photo 8: In this photo, it shows the pollen and the receptive open stigma. The process of the transfer of pollen is complete. In the centre of the open lip is the open stigma ready to receive any pollen placed on the lip. Try to gently place heaps of pollen on the stigma for the cross to succeed.

You can use a very soft brush or tooth pick with bruised ends to fray the end, then apply the pollen to this area of the stigma. You can also use your finger as the pollen grains, when dry, will adhere to it or use the open anther and rub it gently downwards over the open lip.

Thoroughly clean any brush used between crosses in a alcohol solution and allow to dry completely between any changes in pollen parents.

If there is very heavy rain over night, hold over your pollen from the pollen parent and prepare another pod parent flower ready for the following day.
You can place a small plastic cover bag over the 3 style arms overnight to act as an umbrella only to protect them if rain is forecast. Please remove early in the morning before the sun hits the prepared flower to prevent sweating of the flower parts.

Once the transfer of pollen has taken place, your cross is safe after 2 to 3 hours if gentle rain comes in the afternoon. Or if rain is immanent then again place a small plastic bag over the flower style arms will allow time for pollination process to occur. Remove bag after rain passes.

If heavy rain follows without cover there is the likelihood of your cross succeeding being reduce severely or could fail. Then plan to do the cross again a few days later if you have sufficient pollen and pod parent flowers to achieve this.

Once the pollen is placed on the stigma, the microscopic pollen tubules grow down inside the style arms from the stigma to the ovules in the ovary for fertilization to occur. Each pollen grain fertilizes one egg in the ovary forming one fertile seed. Many seeds will form in the ovary but not all will be fertilized. In only a few hours, fertilization takes place so any rain after this time is nothing to worry about.

Photo 9: In this photo is the cross on the pod parent plant.

The style arms will wilt over the next few days after the cross has taken place and within the week of passing, swelling of the ovary will begin to show. The cross must be clearly labeled and tagged with a water proof label.

A number of the cross and a date is all that is needed at the plant. Record the details of pollen parent and pod parent in a note book for further references to be used in later years.

Good luck and do not be afraid to give it go.

Please click on the flower photo's to enlarge.

Acknowledgment. Some information used in the blog was gained from the book "The Japanese Iris" written by the late Currier McEwen. "An international authority on the history and cultivation of the Japanese Iris." This book is a bible on information for those dedicated to the growing and promotion of the Japanese Iris.

Hybridizing for Seed ~ Part 2 of 3

2009-04-28T03:01:00.000+12:00

Hybridizing Japanese Iris for Selected Seed.

How?

Photo 4: Take a set of tweezers to remove the immature anthers from the flower. In a single flower ( 3 falls) the 3 anthers are easy to see and be removed. In multi-petaled flowers ( 6 falls ) there are extra petals which come from the development of stamens and/or style arms, the stigmas may be absent or vestigial and the anthers attached to the petals without any filaments making the cross impossible. So select a variety with strong style arms and stigma so you can achieve your cross.
Look to see the 3 style arms and remove all immature anthers.
See Photo 4.
This photo shows the styles at the tips of the style arms. On the underside of the style is a lip which at the central point of this lip is the Stigma.The closed immature stigma here is held tight against the styles needing time to mature and will open outwards to receive the pollen.

Photo 6: This photo shows the immature undehisced anthers (unopened anther) and the dehisced anthers ( opened to release the pollen) showing the ripe mature pollen grains on the surface of the open anther.

Photo 7: Is ripe mature anthers containing pollen grains ready to use and transfer to an open stigma. I collect the opening anthers from flowers of my pollen parents a day or two before hand or on the same day as I remove the falls from the balloon staged unopened flowers of my pod parents which I have selected. Planning in advance and collected more anthers than necessary is required for your selected crosses. But sometimes nature on the day changes your best plans so go with the flow and have some alternative crosses as a back up. I store them on a plastic lid in a dry situation away from direct sunlight to allow the anthers to open and mature ready to use. Try to keep the anthers at room temperature to dry. Avoid getting damp. A tooth pick can be used to remove pollen from the opening anthers as well.

See Part 3 and 3 to follow my hybridizing blog.

Please click on the flower photo's to enlarge.

Hybridizing for Seed ~ Part 1 of 3

2009-04-28T03:00:00.000+12:00

Hybridizing Japanese Iris for Selected Seed.

A hybridizer is someone that deliberately takes pollen from one variety and crosses it with another, thus creating more hybrids.

Why?

To continually select plants with desirable traits to achieve goals through many generations or to obtain specific objectives. By selecting plants for the cross you can control both desirable and undesirable traits. The fun and challenge of this recipe is to determine what characteristics you would like to add to individual seedlings to accomplish a better flower form than what you started with.

So what are the main aims to make a flower even better that what we have now?

With the introduction of new exciting colours. Such as pure blues, pinks, reds and yellows or the introduction of yellow into the falls and standards.

- Better, wider angle branching habits with more flowers per stalk.

- More substance in the petals for durability, texture, substance for hardiness and longlitivity of the flower life.
- More ruffles on the falls.

- More multiple parts to producing 6 petals ( Doubles), 9 and 12 petals (Peony types).

- To extend the flowering periods and encourage reblooming later in the season.

- To introduce shorter growing varieties for smaller gardens. (Miniature or dwarf).

- To introduce better leaf foliage or variegated leaves with more vigor.

- Fragrance is always a must to flowers.

- A better tolerance to grow in alkaline soil conditions.
- A better tolerance to summer heat.

When?

The best time is when the flowers are coming into their flowering season. Pick a flower which is in the balloon stage of being an unopened flower. Meaning the petals are full and just about to unfold.
See photo1.

Once the flowers are fully open your time to seize the moment may have been lost and the insects have already beaten you to the punch and fertilized the flowers while you where catching that extra forty winks. You have to beat the insects before they get there.You need to remove the petals (falls) that attract them to land on the runway and get in first if you would like to achieve the crosses you desire.

How?

Photo 1: Select an unfolding flower before the bees can gain access to the flower. Carefully remove the falls to expose the internals of the flower. Try not to damage the styles, style arms and immature anthers with in the flower.

To late in this photo of ones choice as the flower is already open. I have used this photo as an example of an open multi-petaled (6 falls) flower to show you what to do for the removal of the falls.

Photo shows the styles, styles arms and falls.

Photo 2: Begin carefully, the removal of the falls which are the landing pad or runway for insects to be attracted too. On landing they will seek the nectar from the flower base.

Thus resulting in pollinating the flower with it's own pollen ( Self pollination) or with pollen from another variety ( Natural cross pollination) as their hairy body brushes past the style containing the stigma.

The stigma is the receptive part which receives the pollen thus transferring any pollen from the insects body.

Photo 3: With the removal of the last fall one can then breathe easy and continue with the next step to be done.

The style carries the stigma which is supported by the style arms.

The green sheath or spathes, as they are called, give support to the central parts of the flower while protecting the ovary.

See Part 2 and 3 to follow my hybridizing blog.

Please click on the flower photo's to enlarge.

Acknowledgment. Some information used in the blog was gained from the book "The Japanese Iris" written by the late Currier McEwen. "An international authority on the history and cultivation of the Japanese Iris." This book is a bible on information for those dedicated to the growing and promotion of the Japanese Iris.

Iris ensata "Silverband"

2009-04-24T03:00:00.000+12:00

Early / Mid Season Japanese Iris.

Iris ensata " SILVERBAND "

A stunning variegated sport of Iris ensata spontanea. A very hardy iris that grows well in a garden. It can withstand a dry shady position but does better in a moist soil area in full sun.This iris produces variegated stems of small sized beautiful flowers which sit just above the foliage in early to mid season. Rich 3 petal dark purple flowers with a small bright yellow eye on the falls that stands out on the silver white and cream on green/ grayish green striking foliage. In a garden display, when planted on mass, is spectacular. It has a smaller flower size very similar to the I. ensata species with a delicate flower presentation.

This very hardy plant grows really well for me with lots of beautiful clean variegated upright foliage. It produces a heavy amount of flowering stems on a well formed stunning clump. Mainly prized for it's stunning variegated foliage. Unlike many variegated plants that revert to green in the heat of summer I. ensata "Silverband" retains its variegation throughout the entire season.

This variety was imported from Japan by Arthur Hazzard being a variegated sport of I. ensata spontanea. Synonym was I. ensata 'variegata' being registered as I. ensata "Silverband" by Robert Bauer & John Coble in 1989. It was introduced by Ensata Gardens, Michigan in 1989. The very attractive foliage on this Japanese iris won the plant an Honorable Mention Award in 1992.

It grows to a height of 90 cms (35 ins) and flowers mid season in New Zealand, while flowering in the mid to late season else where in the world. The plant does not appear to set seed readily, flowers are possibly sterile, or the plants will not come true from seed. Propagation is from division of rhizomes after flowering or in the springtime as new shoots emerge.

Available in New Zealand and around the world.

Windless Wednesday

2009-04-23T14:07:00.001+12:00

Oh my Lotus.
My beautiful Lotus flower reaches tall to the heavens to present itself outside my bedroom window.

For 4 to 5 days from tight perfect bud to full bloom it opens in the morning sun and closed as darkness creeps in. So beautiful but such a short time in it's flowering.

I grow it in mud in a 4 foot diameter concrete water tough positioned in full sun. I cover it over winter to protect from the frost.
Each year it rewards me with up to 15 blooms and loves heaps of fertilizer to grow tall and proud.

Iris ensata " Electric Glow "

2009-01-25T23:42:00.000+13:00

Mid Season Japanese Iris.

Iris ensata "Electric Glow"

This stunning Japanese iris grows well in a garden and can withstand a shady position.This iris produces tall stems of medium sized beautiful flowers in early to mid season. The sea blue flowers stands out in a garden display when planted on mass with it's spectacular 6 petal form of Iris ensata " Electric Glow ".

The stunning blue colour is very beautiful. Has clean sea blue petals with a lighter blue rays with a soft violet edge on the petals. It is smaller flower size but it smiles and radiates in it's colours in a garden. It stands out with its delicate flower presentation. I enjoy this one, picked to be placed in a tall vase on my dinning table. A choice variety to grace my table.

Excellent pod parent which I have used to some of my hybridizing program this season.

The plant grows really well for me with lots of beautiful clean foliage and tall ram rod stems held proudly above the upright arching foliage. It produces an abundance of flowering stems on a well formed stunning clump in early December.

This variety was created by Terry Aitken. This seedling 86J3 was produced from crossing "Electric Rays" X "Midnight Stars", being registered in 1992.

Introduced by Terry at his 'Aitken's Salmon Creek Gardens' in 1992. This very attractive Japanese iris has achieved great success after its introduction winning awards for Honorable Mention 1995, Award of Merit 1998, and the Payne Medal 2002.

It grows to a height of 97 cms (38 ins) and flowers mid season in New Zealand, while flowering in the mid to late season else where in the world.

Available in New Zealand and around the world.

* Acknowledgement: - 2003 Cumulative Check list of the Japanese Irises complied for The Society of Japanese Irises.

Iris ensata "Mammoth Marvel"

2009-01-14T23:52:00.000+13:00

Early / Mid Season Japanese Iris.

Iris ensata " Mammoth Marvel"

This Japanese iris grows well in a garden and can withstand a shady position, please protect from the wind as the huge flowers batter themselves to death in the strong breeze.

This iris produces very tall stems of huge beautiful flowers in early to mid season. The huge white flowers stands out in a garden display with it's spectacular 6 petal form of Iris ensata " Mammoth Marvel".

The soft colour is very beautiful. Has clean white petals with a light to medium blue - violet veining through the huge petals. The styles are blue - purple with light white edges.

Very delicate in it's flower presentation.

Excellent pollen producer and pod parent which I have used to some of my hybridizing program this season.

The plant grows really well for me with lots of beautiful clean foliage and very tall ram rod stems held proudly above the upright arching foliage. It produces an abundance of flowering stems on a well formed stunning clump in late November / early December.

This variety was created by Walter Marx. This seedling 56-36 was produced from crossing two Higo seedlings being registered in 1958. Introduced in 1959.

It grows to a height of 137 cms (54 ins) and flowers early to mid season in New Zealand, while flowering in the early to mid season else where in the world.

This beautiful variety looks magic planted up to be enjoyed in the garden near your pond or any rich moist soil.

Remember to give it at least 6 hours of sun light if you can. Japanese irises are gross feeders so a good balance fertilizer in the early spring and again after flowering around the drip line of foliage will do them proud. Little and often is a good rule of thumb for fertilizers. Water in where possible to help the plant take up the bene

fits. Mulch around the plants with barely straw, pine needles or pea straw to retain moisture in soil and prevent weed growth.

Remember that Japanese Irises "Love wet toes and dry ankles" so when you are planting these take this into consideration please.

Available in New Zealand and around the world.

* Acknowledgement:
- 2003 Cumulative Check list of the Japanese Irises complied for The Society of Japanese Irises.

Iris ensata "Wind Drift"

2009-01-13T15:18:00.000+13:00

Early / Mid Season Japanese Iris.

Iris ensata
"Wind Drift"

This Japanese iris grows well in a garden and can withstand a more dry and shady position. It produces tall stems of truly beautiful flowers which look like large white butterflies fluttering in the breeze in early to mid season. The clean white stands out in a garden display with it's spectacular 3 petal slightly ruffled form of Iris ensata " Wind Drift".

The colour is very beautiful.

A clean white lightly ruffled petals with a small yellow signal. White, variably marbled light to heavy veins of red - violet standards. Very delicate in it's flower presentation.

Excellent pollen producer which I have used to some of my hybridizing program.

This variety was created by A. Vogt and introduced by H. Stahley in 1983, registered from seedling 812. Introduced by H. Stahley in 1984.

It grows to a height of 90 cms (36 ins) and flowers early to mid season in New Zealand and world wide.

This beautiful variety looks magic planted up to be enjoyed in the garden near your pond or any rich moist soil.

Remember that Japanese Irises "Love wet toes and dry ankles" so when you are planting these take this into consideration please.

Available in New Zealand and around the world.

* Acknowledgement: - 2003 Cumulative Check list of the Japanese Irises complied for The Society of Japanese Irises.

Iris ensata "Iapetus"

2009-01-12T18:09:00.000+13:00

Early / Mid Season
Japanese Iris.

Iris ensata " Iapetus"

This Japanese iris is stunning and produces tall stems of truly beautiful flowers in mid season. It stands out in a garden display with it's spectacular 6 petal ruffled form of Iris ensata " Iapetus".

The colour is stunning. A beautiful rich wide ruffled light ground, sanded and veined deep blue - violet; blue -violet halo, deep red violet styles. Dark rich in colour when the young flower buds open and once in full bloom the sun fades it out to softer exciting colours which illuminates in the evening light. Shows signs of branching producing extra flower buds.

Excellent pollen producer and pod parent for cross pollination and production of seed. Some exciting crosses and exciting new varieties have been successfully introduced all over the world from this variety. A great hybridizers doorway to the unknown.

The plant grows really well for me with lots of beautiful clean foliage and tall ram rod stems held proudly above the upright arching foliage. It produces an abundance of flowering stems on a well formed stunning clump in late November / early December.

This variety was created and selected by Sterling Innerst in Southern PA/ Maryland. USA., registered and introduced in 1987 from seedling 928-1. It was called HORAE but this changed with registration in 1987.

928-1 is crossed with: (Narihira x Valiant Prince) X Frostbound. Introduced by Ensata Gardens in 1988.

"Iapetus" was awarded an Honorable Mention (HM) for its plant growth habit and flowering in 1990, then gained a Award of Merit (AM) in 1994 after its introduction. Success in its growing habit and flowering in a garden took "Iapetus" to win the prestigious Payne Medal. The highest award possible for a Japanese iris in 1997. Awarded by The Society of Japanese Irises.

It grows to a height of 86 cms (34 ins) and flowers early to mid season in New Zealand while flowering in the mid season else where in the world.

This beautiful variety looks magic planted up to be enjoyed in the garden near your pond or any rich moist soil.

Remember to give it at least 6 hours of sun light if you can.

Japanese irises are gross feeders so a good balance fertilizer in the early spring and again after flowering around the drip line of foliage will do them proud. Little and often is a good rule of thumb for fertilizers. Water in where possible to help the plant take up the benefits. Mulch around the plants with barely straw, pine needles or pea straw to retain moisture in soil and prevent weed growth.

Remember that Japanese Irises "Love wet toes and dry ankles" so when you are planting these take this into consideration please.

Available in New Zealand and around the world.

* Acknowledgement: - 2003 Cumulative Check list of the Japanese Irises complied for The Society of Japanese Irises.

P.S. Did you know that if you click on the photo it will enlarge for you.

Iris ensata "Pink Dimity"

2008-12-01T05:00:00.000+13:00

Early / Mid Season Japanese Iris.

Iris ensata " Pink Dimity"

This is a stunning Japanese iris that flowers in my garden. It is another spectacular 6 petal form of
Iris ensata " Pink Dimity".

The colour is stunning. A beautiful lightly ruffled rich vibrant pink. (RHS 55D) ground, veined light maroon (74B), mauve (74C), halo around gold signal, mauve (74C) stylearms. The plant grows really well for me with lots of beautiful clean foliage and tall ram rod stems held proudly above the upright arching foliage. It produces an abundance of flowering stems on a well formed stunning clump in late November / early December.

This was created and selected by Lorena Reid and registered by her in 1987 from her seedling D658-7. Cross with Valiant Prince X Marx MX 4, introduced by Laurie's Garden 1987.

"Pink Dimity" was awarded an Honorable Mention (HM) for its plant growth habit and flowering in 1989 and a Award of Merit (AM) in 1994 after its introduction.

It grows to height of 91 cms (36 ins) and flowers early to mid season in New Zealand while flowering in the mid season else where in the world.

This beautiful variety looks magic planted up in drifts of 10 to 15 or more plants to be enjoyed in the garden near your pond or any rich moist soil. Makes a stunning display when in full flower. Just unreal in it's colours giving an amazing effect.

Remember to give it at least 6 hours of sun light if you can. Japanese irises are gross feeders so a good balance fertilizer in the early spring and again after flowering around the drip line of foliage will do them proud. Little and often is a good rule of thumb for fertilizers.

Water in where possible to help the plant take up the benefits. Mulch around the plants with barely straw, pine needles or pea straw to retain moisture in soil and prevent weed growth.

Remember that Japanese Irises "Love wet toes and dry ankles" so when you are planting these take this into consideration please.

Available in New Zealand and around the world.

* Acknowledgement: - 2003 Cumulative Check list of the Japanese Irises complied for The Society of Japanese Irises.

Iris ensata " Lavender Sashay"

2008-11-30T05:00:00.000+13:00

Early / Mid Season Japanese Iris.

Iris ensata
" Lavender Sashay"

Another of my early Japanese iris flowers to appear in my garden is another spectacular 6 petal form of Iris ensata " "Lavender Sashay".

The colour is soft lavender pink with prominent blue halo around a yellow signal, White styles edged with lavender fringe. Flowering in mid to late season in the USA. The plant grows well for me with lots of beautiful clean foliage and tall ram rod stems held proudly above the upright arching foliage. It produces an abundance of flowering stems on a well formed clump in New Zealand in late November / early December.

This was created by Walter Marx and selected by A. Rogers and registered from the seedling WM M07.

"Lavender Sashay" was awarded an Honorable Mention (HM) for its plant growth habit and flowering in 1986 after its introduction in 1983. It grows to height of 122 cm ( 48 ins) and flowers early to mid season in New Zealand while flowering in the mid to late season else where in the world.

This beautiful variety looks magic planted up to be enjoyed in the garden near your pond or any rich moist soil.

Remember to give it at least 6 hours of sun light if you can.

Japanese irises are gross feeders so a good balance fertilizer in the early spring and again after flowering around the drip line of foliage will do them proud. Little and often is a good rule of thumb for fertilizers.

Water in where possible to help the plant take up the benefits. Mulch around the plants with barely straw, pine needles or pea straw to retain moisture in soil and prevent weed growth.

Remember that Japanese Irises "Love wet toes and dry ankles" so when you are planting these take this into consideration please.

Available in New Zealand and around the world.

* Acknowledgement - 2003 Cumulative Check list of the Japanese Irises complied for The Society of Japanese Irises.

Iris ensata "McKenzie Sunset"

2008-11-28T18:31:00.000+13:00

Early / Mid Season Japanese Iris.

Iris ensata
" McKenzie Sunset"

From my early Japanese iris flowers to appear in my garden is another spectacular 6 petal form of Iris ensata " McKenzie Sunset".

The colour is soft and in the garden with fluted and ruffled violet, white area around greenish gold signals with white rays extended outward, white style arms tipped violet. The plant grows well for me with lots of beautiful clean foliage and tall ram rod stems held proudly above the upright arching foliage. It produces an abundance of flowering stems on a well formed clump in late November / early December.

This was created and selected by Lorena Reid and registered by her in 1988 from her seedling D552-5. A116-5: (maroon seedling x white seedling) X Mystic Buddha , introduced by Laurie's Garden 1989.

Judging of Japanese irises is done by garden judging and evaluation of seedlings on the show bench or growing in gardens around the United States and in other countries around the world. The judging is governed by rules and standards of the American Iris Society and The Society for Japanese Irises. Other countries have adopted these rules and standards in their Iris Societies and where needed have made slight changes to allow for the conditions in each country while still applying a very high standards for awards given to Irises. In giving awards to hybridizers a seedling becomes eligible for it first award as a seedling before it is introduced to the commercial sector of the garden industry. This award is called a High Commendation (HC).

Once a seedling is introduced it then become eligible on its second year after its introduction to the commercial garden industry for a Honorable Mention (HM). For year 2 to year 4 it is eligible for the Payne Award (Awarded in the USA). While in other countries around the world, the irises that is introduced in that country is placed in a series of test gardens for evaluation and is eligible for a Dykes Medal if the irises meets outstanding standards set for this award.

McKenzie Sunset was awarded an Honorable Mention (HM) for its plant growth habit and flowering in 1991 after its introduction. It grows to height of 85 to 105 cms (34 to 42 ins) and flowers early to mid season in New Zealand while flowering in the mid season else where in the world.

This beautiful variety looks magic planted up to be enjoyed in the garden near your pond or any rich moist soil.

Remember to give it at least 6 hours of sun light if you can.

Japanese irises are gross feeders so a good balance fertilizer in the early spring and again after flowering around the drip line of foliage will do them proud. Little and often is a good rule of thumb for fertilizers.

Water in where possible to help the plant take up the benefits. Mulch around the plants with barely straw, pine needles or pea straw to retain moisture in soil and prevent weed growth.

Remember that Japanese Irises "Love wet toes and dry ankles" so when you are planting these take this into consideration please.

Available in New Zealand and around the world.

* Acknowledgement: - 2003 Cumulative Check list of the Japanese Irises complied for The Society of Japanese Irises.

Iris ensata " Good Omen"

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Early / Mid Season Japanese Iris.

Iris ensata " Good Omen"

The first Japanese iris flower to appear in my garden is a spectacular 6 petal form of Iris ensata " Good Omen".

The colour stands out in a garden with a deep rich wine self, dark halo, long bright yellow signal spears which radiates from the centre of the flower.

The plant grows well for me with lots of beautiful clean foliage and tall ram rod stems held proudly above the upright arching foliage. It produces an abundance of flowering stems on a well formed clump in late November / early December.

This was selected from the Carmen series by Walter Marx and registered by him in 1956 from his seedling 56-151. It grows to height of 91 cms (36 ins) and flowers early to mid season in New Zealand while flowering in the mid season else where in the world.

An outstanding variety to grow and looks magic planted up in a group planting of 10 or more plants in a drift to be enjoyed in the garden near your pond or any rich moist soil.

Remember to give it at least 6 hours of sun light if you can. Japanese irises are gross feeders so a good balance fertilizer in the early spring and again after flowering around the drip line of foliage will do them proud. Little and often is a good rule of thumb for fertilizers.

Water in where possible to help the plant take up the benefits. Mulch around the plants with barely straw, pine needles or pea straw to retain moisture in soil and prevent weed growth.

Remember that Japanese Irises "Love wet toes and dry ankles" so when you are planting these take this into consideration please.

Available in New Zealand and around the world.

* Acknowledgement: - 2003 Cumulative Check list of the Japanese Irises complied for The Society of Japanese Irises.

Great Japanese Iris hybridizers of the Past..

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Walter Marx.

A tribute to one of the worlds most outstanding hybridizers noted for his dedicated work towards the advancement of Peonies and Japanese Iris (Iris ensata). This nurseryman was a leader of his time setting a bench standard and inspiration to hybridizers' young and old a like of which many of his wonderful varieties of Japanese irises are in all corners of the globe and still widely propagated in nurseries today.

Walter, along with his wife Louise Marx lived in Boring, Oregon in the United States and had one of the largest perennial nurseries in the US. He become interested in all types of Irises. Walter's interest in the Japanese iris was so strong that in 1937 he ordered a collection of Japanese irises from Japan. These beautiful flowering plants inspired him to want to begin a breeding program to create more incredible varieties. He set to the task and began to hybridize them with great success in the results of his crosses. He was convinced that the Higo strains gave the best results for his work and began in earnest with his hybridizing program in Japanese Irises using these varieties.They therefore where called the Marhigo strain.

The first of his creations where listed in his nursery catalogue in 1953. He produced over a hundred more hybrids up till the late 1960's.

Here is a beautiful picture from his Walter Marx Nursery catalogue which he produced in full colour to popularize the Japanese Iris to encourage the purchase of these new varieties which flowered so well for him and he wanted to share his work with keen gardeners and the rest of the world.

His most popular varieties produced where " Blue Lagoon", "Frilled Enchantment", " Frosted Pyramid", "Gay Gallant", "Snowy Hills", "Summer Storm", "World's Delight"', " Flashing Kio", "Good Omen", "Sorcerer's Triumph", "Peacock's Dance", "Persian Rug", "Reign of Glory", and "Rose Prelude".

There are many other varieties which are grown throughout the United States and across the world. His wife Louise Marx was also a keen hybridizer and some of the many varieties that where introduced bear her name as well.

Acknowledgements:

The brief history of Walter Marx has been sourced from information in the book "The Japanese Iris," by the Late Currier Mc Ewen and use to promote a better understanding of the people which made a huge contribution to the early advancement of the Japanese Iris that we know today.

Currier was also and outstanding hybridizer of his time and dedicated his life's work to the promotion of the irises. In his passion with the Iris, Currier worked with Siberian and Japanese Irises setting new paths and interesting crosses which took the world by storm and inspired the Iris world.

Japanese Iris Propagation by Plant Division.

2008-10-27T18:09:00.000+13:00

Division of Established Clumps.

You have just received you plant order....Gosh what can I do ?....

Some nurseryman will sell you bare root divisions from open ground. Once the order arrives, open the parcel, then soak the divisions of rhizomes in water. In the water add a very weak solution of liquid fertilizer so that the roots can take this up. After a few hours of soaking (up to 4 hours is enough to rehydrate them) they are ready for you to begin your planting.

I have brought plants from nurserymen and irises growers before from around the World so many times that it is now very easy.... For me...once the clumps of rhizomes have soaked.... I put them into large pots with a good soil potting mix.... most important is the plant label, writing the name top and bottom of the label. Labels do break now and then or are push hoed off later on, so id is important for me on those newly purchased varieties. Then I place all the pots together in a wood framed area so I can look after them much easier. Watering, weeding and light liquid feeding with fertilizer is made easy. Morning sun (4 hours minimum) and afternoon shade is a great place for them to recover and grow on. I take out my dairy and make a plan of what varieties are placed where in the cold frame. Just in case little fingers remove the labels as young children always want to play and white labels do have a fascination or push labels deep down the side of the pot. Then the following spring I would plant them out in a prepared open ground area or garden. Never leave them to soak overnight and swim.

Always keep in mind the Japanese irises love wet toes and dry ankles.

One can divide your plants either in late summer after the flowering season or early spring just as the new shoots begin to emerge.

Summer division.

One can take a division from a establish plant in the garden and divide from the plant about a month after flowering and just remove a decent size piece with soil from the growing clump.Trim back your foliage to about 25 to 30 cms high (10 to 12 inches) to reduce transpiration in the leaves. Lightly trim up any damaged roots and plant into prepared ground or in a large pot with good potting mix. The divided plant must have adequate moisture to develop new white roots at the base of the rhizomes to re-establish itself. I water daily with just a sprinkle of water to keep moist for about the first 10 days then once every 4 or 5 days from them on and as your plant begins to re-grow one can ease back on the watering. There will be some died back or browning of the old foliage as new leaves begin to appear as the plant produces new roots and recovers from its trauma.

Spring division.

In my photo's I have lifted a 3 year old clump in the very early spring while the foliage has died down and the new shoots are just beginning to emerge. I trim back the spent foliage to 10 to 15 cms ( 4 to 6 inches) so I can handle the clump better.

I take this clump to a washing area I have set up for division of my plants. I use a garden hose with a reasonable pressure to wash away the soil or mud from the dormant clump of rhizomes and clean it so you can see where to make divisions best. Once you have washed about half the soil from the clump and can see clearly where the rhizomes are, you can trim the roots to about 8 to 10 cms (3 to 4 inches) long and tidy up the top dormant foliage as well. Craft scissors I fined are the best.

Once I have a semi clean clump in front of me I take the kitchen meat clever. Safer to handle when chopping the clump up.

I divide my clump in half and then each half into quarters, Each quarter has about 3 to 5 new shoots or rhizomes. If you divide smaller, the pieces will grow, but need extra care and will take forever to make a good sized plants again. Please don't be to mean when dividing.

Discard any old spent rhizomes.

The plant divisions are then ready to plant out in prepared garden soil and watered in or placed into a large pot with a good potting mix to grow on till you are ready to plant them out.

Again you could have a prepared area of straw on the ground in which you can line out your divisions.
Thus helping to reduce weed growth later on and to help also to retain moisture needed for the white root development and recovery.

Refer to early blogs on seedlings.

Manawatu Iris Show.

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Regional Iris Flower Show.

~ 1st & 2nd November.~

Hosted by The Rangitikei, Wairarapa and Wellington Iris Groups

The Show is to be held at the Leisure Centre, 569 Ferguson Street, Palmerston North.

Open hours for the public are ~
1-00 pm - 4 pm Saturday.
10-00 am - 4 pm Sunday

~ ~ Admission is free. ~ ~

Sales table.

There will be excellent bargains to be had with named iris plants of all descriptions. Choice raffles and some great fertilizer deals for your plants.

Refreshments will be for sale for visitors to sit and relax over a cuppa.

Anyone is able to exhibit an iris they are growing.

Club members will be available to help anyone to stage their irises between 8 -9 am on the Saturday morning. It is a lot of fun, so please come along and give it a go.

The rules are as follows:

Venue open to stage entries 8.00am until 10.30 am Saturday 1st November.
No entry fee to exhibit.

Exhibitors do not need to be members of the Society.
All exhibits must be grown in the exhibitor’s own garden.
Exhibits must be left until the close of the show.

Those who wish to courier entries must make arrangements to have them staged and collected. No responsibility will be taken by those staging for any damage that may occur.

Queen of the show will be judged as the best iris at the show. Each section will have a Best Bloom.

Naming- All NZ bred must be registered and named and cleared by the classification steward at the show.

Entry of psuedocorous or fetodissima will not be accepted at the show.

Vases and Newspaper will be provided.

Please feel free
to come
and enjoy
beautiful Irises ...

You would be made most welcome.

The Dykes Medal is awarded to a New Zealand bred iris. This is shared with Australia and New Zealand being awarded Bi-annually to Breeders of either country.

Here is Shirley Spicer receiving her Dykes Medal for 'Salute D'Amour' from Gwen Henderson in 2005

If you would like to join a local iris group and take part in the fellowship of these groups in the following areas the contact are -

The New Zealand Iris Society,

"Alison Simpson", 'Limavady', R.D.9C, Oamaru 9491.

www.nziris.org.nz

Manawatu Rangitikei Iris Group.

"Carole Flyer," 5 Cohen Place, Palmerston North 4414.

Waiarapa Iris Group.

"Piki Carroll", Black Rock Road, R.D.6, Masterton.

Wellington Iris Group.

"Carolyn Goudswaard", 20A Epuni Street, Brooklyn, Wellington 6021.

Japanese Iris - Planting out Seedlings

2008-10-08T04:00:00.000+13:00

I'm now ready to plant.

I load my seedling plants up on my trusty walker frame and head for the new Japanese iris planting area.

Again I use the string line to mark my complete row. I use a 6 metre length pipe marked at 40 cm (16 inches) spacing's and my string row lines are set at 1 metre (38 inch) spacing's between the rows. This it to allow for spraying or using the lawn mower between the rows of plants while they grow.

I prepare in a bucket a light solution of liquid feed using Phostrogen plant food and water mixed.

I then take the scissors and remove 1/3 of the top growth from the seedling. This is because once they are planted out they are on there own to adapt to their new environment, to produce nice white roots to begin new growth.

By reducing the top by 1/3 this helps in reducing the transpiration area which helps the plant retain its water better while recovering and putting out new roots below.

I then place the seedlings in the bucket of liquid feed solution and leave to soak for about 5 to 10 minutes.

I apply a very small handful of balanced fertilizer to where I will plant the seedling and thoroughly mix well into the soil.

I remove the plastic pot from the seedling and with the use of a long handled garden trowel I plant into the soil about a 2 to 3 cms (1 inch) below the soil line and firm the seeding in. I continue down my row. Once completed I then move the string line and begin the process again.

Use good plant labels as you go, this will identify your different hybrid crosses etc.

Write in a garden diary your plan and where each lot it planted in the row. Draw a plan . This will help you later when your memory has faded a little. Believe me it works a treat.

Then I spread straw along the rows to help with weed control.

Water in the rows if required with a garden lawn sprinkler.

2008-10-07T17:59:00.000+13:00

Japanese Irises ~ Preparing a Site.

While your seedlings are slowing growing in the pots it is time to work out where you are going to plant them as the area you put them in will be use by these seedlings for up to two years.

Remember that Japanese irises "Need wet toes and dry ankles."

They require a good enriched heavy typed soil, slightly acid, well drained to slightly damp. Moisture is very important for good growth. A minimum of 4 hours and at least 6 hours of sunlight to induce good growth of your plants and to promote great flowering.

Once you have worked out the number of plants you have to plant you have a good idea where they will fit in your garden. Sometimes it is hard to throw the leftovers away so the idea is to set yourself a target number to be potted with a few spares in case some plants do not make the grade when you are planting them out.

Once you have selected your site there are two ways in which you can approach preparation of your planting bed.

The area selected has weeds or is part of the lawn area. So in order to plant your iris plants you must prepare the ground first.

You can do this by either -

(1) Spraying the area you are going to plant with a weed spray with chemicals like Roundup herbicide a few months before planting to wipe out your perennial weeds. Mother nature is excellent at taking good care of our adventures in the garden so she will put back what you take away. Once you have a second germination of weed seedlings use the Roundup herbicide spray again to take care of these new young weeds.

Then cover your bed with 10 cms (4 inches) of mulch such as barley straw or pea straw or one can use pine needles. It you use meadow hay you will have the problems of all the wonderful seeds in the hay put back into the area you are preparing. Not a great idea.

Or....

(2) If you are not into sprays then take a large piece of black polythene and cover the same area over the lawn or weeds about 3 months before hand. Place weights around the big area of polythene to stop the wind removing it. Leave and the weeds will die underneath this covering. Once you are near the time of ready to plant you can then remove the cover and work up your soil to a fine tilt and cover with your mulch to prevent more weeds germinating.

Once the area is covered with mulch, the weeds are far and few between and can be easy be removed by hand. Make the bed easy for access from either side so you can control what it happening. Weeding, spraying, watering and fertilizing can be made easy.

Once your seedlings are ready to plant out, a string line with a long bamboo cane or pipe can be used. The cane can be marked at 40 cm (16 inches) intervals so one can plant at each mark and slide the cane along the string line to give you the correct spacing's. Plant your plants through the straw and replace the straw around the plants. This will reduce your weed re-growth and will conserve the moisture to the growing plants during the early to late summer. When the soil becomes dry begin to water them later in the season when they require it, The mulch will help retain the moisture held in the soil for the plants to take up easier.

For me... my eyes are bigger than my mind and I like to do things on a grand scale... sometimes the hard way.

Mind you I am trying to make it easier as I get older and the new knee joints slow me down a little. I just need more oil in the titanium joints... LOL.

I have had someone cultivate the soil for me of a quarter acre lot and then prepare it to a fine tilt. Once the area in ready... It is time to begin the planting.

Japanese Iris ~ Handling Seedlings in New Zealand.

2008-06-29T03:00:00.000+12:00

Once your seed has been sown into trays or pots, continue to water then daily to leach out a natural chemical germination inhibitor which coats the seed.

The seed will begin to germinate in one's and two's in the first stages and then all hell will break loose and the sand will begin to rise up. Not to worry as you water the sand, it will settle around the germination of seeds. If the seed becomes exposed then just add a little more sand to cover that area.

Your little rice paddy has begun.

Once the seedlings get to about 4 cm (1 1/2 in) in height, I use the pointed end of a teaspoon to carefully lift each seeding from the seed tray.

With your finger and thumb of one hand you can easily pick up the foliage of the seedling and move the seeding into individual pots.

In advance I pre-fill my pots with a moist potting mixture and using the teaspoon I make a hole in the mix to accommodate the new seedling placing the roots deep into the soil mix leaving the green foliage above. The seedlings are then watered in with the watering can. I give then a watering daily and begin a light fertilizer programme of a weak solution of Phostrogen all purpose soluble food. Use every 7 days to feed the foliage and growing roots of young seedlings.

They grow quite fast once they have germinated and if they get away on you, clip the tops of the seedlings back to about 4 cm high ( 1 1/2in), then prick them out of the tray into individual pots.

The roots may be staring to get quite long and string like so I trim these back a little too with the scissors to give the young seedling some balance with transpiration and reduce the shock of the move.

Once the plants become well rooted in the pots they are ready to line out in your open ground area to grow on. This will be early summer planting.

I place my pots on a bed of sand as the roots can then take up more moisture from the sand as required if a watering is missed that day.

Once you have pricked out the number of seedlings you need, you can then calculate the area of ground needed to plant them out in.

If you have sown a random mixture of seed then just select the biggest and the strongest of seedlings in the tray as they just keep on coming. You will need to be firm with yourself and discard the rest of the germinating seedlings once your number has been achieved.

I use the calculation of one plant per 40cm (16in) apart in a row and space my rows 60cm (24in) apart. Once you know the size of area you can begin to either cultivate the soil or spray out the marked area with roundup to kill off weed growth. When the area of weed growth has began to show signs of dying off, cover the area with a thick blanket of barley straw 12 cm to 15 cm ( 5 to 6in) or pine needles.

What you take away... mother nature wants to put back. This cover will stop more weed germination again while helping you to control future weeds.

Large areas can be cultivated ready for the planting of your seedlings once they are about 25 cm - 30 cm (10 - 12 in) high. Do not be to worried if they grow taller than this if weather does not allow you to begin planting out, you can easily cut back the tops before planting.

Additional Information.
In the book "The Japanese Iris" by the Late Currier McEwen, there is notes on handling seeds and growing of seedlings for those living in the United States where seasons of growth are quite short and prolific. He discusses the growing of seedling both outdoors and indoor under lights.

In 'The Review", a publication of The Society for Japanese Irises. The fall issue of 2001 has a great article written by John Coble, of Michigan. It is titled "How to become a Hybrider " is which John writes about how he handles his seed and soaking of seeds before chilling in the refrigerator and growing under lights also planting outside for spring germination.

Japanese Iris~ Collecting from Seed.

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Collecting the ripe seed pods begins in late summer /early autumn. The pods once fertile being bee pollinated, swell and when mature they turn brown making them ready to pick. Harvesting these is best done before they burst open and spill the seeds onto the ground. You can collect the seed pods at random being bee pollinated seed pods or if you want to try to breed some new cultivars then selective hand pollination can be done earlier in the flowering season.

In named cultivars, it is recommended that you remove the seed pods before the seed falls. Once the pod ripens, the seeds spill onto the ground and fall down in amongst the lower base leaves and can germinate the following spring. This will cause your prized named variety to produce plants different from the original and your named variety will then in time be lost.

After picking the pods, I place the pods in small brown paper bags or envelopes. Bottle store paper bags are great for this. I give a quick spray inside the paper bag of fly & insect spray (a 30 day kill) to take good care of any earwigs or chewing insects that may want to chew any seeds.
The pods will then dry out. I staple closed to seal and label the bag with the details of variety or colour selected. Store in cardboard box in dry place.

3 months before wanting to sow my seed I then clean the seed from the pods and discard the spent pods. Normally done on a cold winters night while watching the TV.

The seed is then left in a tray to dry over night for big lots or smaller lots are put into envelopes and marked as to which variety was collected and a date. This is to identify your seed source of pod parent in later years should you wish to register a new exciting variety.

My simple method of ID is the year. eg: 2008 = 08 then the number given 001 or 002... etc. This info is written on a plastic label 08/001 when they are sown in trays. This number stays with the seedlings when pricked out and with the plants once planted out in your growing area.

Each lot of seed of different varieties can then be numbered and the relevant information of plant name collected from can be recorded in a seed dairy for future reference.

About 12 weeks (May) before spring ( August) I take the seed that I have cleaned and place the envelopes with any lose seed in a plastic bowl. I cover the bowl with a plastic cover as not to let any moisture or food stuffs, drip or spill into my bowl. A plastic bag can be used instead of a bowl for smaller lots of seed.

I then place the bowl in the bottom of the refrigerator or veggie compartment and leave undisturbed for 12 weeks as the seed needs stratification to germinate. The chilling period breaks down one of the germination inhibitors in the seed.

When placed at the bottom of the fridge the cool air remains in that area as the door is opened and closed with frequent daily use.

At the end of the time frame I then prepare a seed tray with seed raising mixture filling the tray to about 3/4 full and firm the seed raising mixture while leveling off the mixture to form your seed sowing area. I loosely scatter the seed across the soil mixture or place divisions in between different lots of seed to keep separate. Then gently cover the seed with washed dry river sand to a depth of 1.5 cm ( 1/2 in). This is then placed in a warm sunny area and watered in with the watering can and covered with a sheet of glass. The idea is to keep the sand moist all the time and should be watered daily or when it shows signs of drying. By keeping the water flushing through the sand this leaches out another germination inhibitor in the seed.

Germination will begin in 2 to 3 weeks from the time of sowing the seed and can continue for about 3 weeks after that. The glass sheet can then be removed once germination begins, to allow the seedings to develop and not become to drawn to light. As you water the sand it will continue to settle around the germinating seedlings as the seeds begin to germinate and will anchor the seedling into the seed raising mixture forming nice white roots.

Remember to keep the sand moist all the time.

Iris ensata species in New Zealand.

2008-06-27T18:55:00.000+12:00

Japanese Water Iris. ~ Iris ensata ~

Family
~ Iridaceae ~Iris family.

Genus
~ Iris L. ~ Iris.

Species
~ Iris ensata ~ Japanese iris.

Iris ensata is a rhizomatous, beardless Iris species that is found growing wild all over Japan. It also grows naturally in Manchuria, Northern China, Korea, and Siberia.

This hardy perennial has attractive fountain like foliage. The leaves are dark green sword - shaped leaves (the word ensata meaning sword- shaped) 20 - 60 cm (8 - 24 in) long with prominent midribs. It is widely cultivated in some parts of Japan for edible starch contained in the roots. The fibre from the leaves is a substitute for hemp and has been used for making rope, coarse cloth, thatching and basket making. The roots are very fibrous and can be used for making brooms, brushes etc.

In mid summer tall spikes of flower stems emerge and tower above the soft reed like foliage in mass profusion. A single flower opens into a impressive 3 petal red purple flowers 7.5 - 10cm (3 - 5in) across with erect standards and pendant falls. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) which is pollinated by insects with the plant being self fertile.

Cultivation I. ensata thrives in rich loamy to light well drain soils in a sunny position. This plant likes plenty of moisture. Requires a lime free soil which is slightly acid. It grows poorly in shade and does well where there is a minimum of at least 6 hours sunlight.

This is a excellent Bog garden plant and can be grown in containers in pond margins but must be kept in a dryer condition over the winter otherwise the plant will go backwards and not do well in the following season and may die.

Propagation~ Seed collected from ripe pods sown in cold frames or seed trays.

~By division of the dormant rhizomes in winter or early spring. Larger divisions can be planted out into the garden while small clumps can be potted up and grown on in cold frames until they have produced good roots then planed out in the spring.

Cultivars~ Some are named forms of species but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses.

Hosta Journal

2008-06-08T03:00:00.000+12:00

Shady Characters for those cool places.

Hostas ...

with more Hostas.

The thrill of growing Hostas in your garden is very rewarding by providing so much pleasure in the cool, damp and shady places of the garden bringing great colours and leaf textures to often dull areas during the spring and summer seasons.

Eight years ago I took the plunge in joining The American Hosta Society (AHS) in my quest to find more information about these beautiful plants that I had developed a passion to die for. In this post I wish to share with you on how you too can get a good fix.... on growing these majestic plants.

Last Friday I received my Hosta Journal Volume 39, Number 1 which is posted to me 3 times a year in the form of a journal publication with updates including new Registrations of Hostas from the past year.

It is full of fabulous photo's of the latest available around the Globe from up and coming hybridizers and growers with a strong passion and dedication to their Hostas.

This latest Hosta Journal contains some of the following articles;

# 2008 Benedict Garden Performance Awards by Chuck Zdeb. Garden performance Awards of Merit of a years evaluation of hostas in trail garden situations to bring out the best of the best of Hosta performances.

# Questions and Answer: A section about questions and answers in this issue is given to streaking and the problems of global warming on growing Hostas.

# The Sports Page: Sports of Hosta 'Striptease' by Joshua Spece. H. 'Striptease' is a sport of Hosta 'Gold Standard', which is a sport of the chronically unstable H. 'Fortunei Hyacinthina'. Joshua describes about his wonderful journey of discovery with beautiful photo's of H. 'Striptease' which has a credit of 29 new sports which are all different to the original plant registered.

# Hybridizing: The Bees Don't Know You Goals by Don Dean. How the author carefully selected pod and pollens parents in his quest for better blues.

# The Hybridizer's Notebook: Things That Worked and things That Didn't by Steven Chamberlain. Many hybridizers experiment broadly with various combinations of pollen and pod parents. This discusses what works and what does not.

# Hostas in Scotland by Stephen Barker. The author writes about the collections of Hostas in Scotland and gardens operated by the National Trust and Historic Scotland. Stephen has a collection of over 850 hosta varieties.

# Trails and Tribulations: Growing Hostas in a Damp Climate by Ian W. Scroggy. Ian is from Carnlough, in Northern Ireland. The author writes about his high rainfall and his success in growing potted hostas on benches to allow excess water to drain away.

# Royal Hosta News from Britain. News about His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, becoming Patron of the British Hosta & Hemerocallis Society as from 1st January 2008. His woodland garden at Highgrove House in Tetley, Gloucestershire, is known for its fine hosta display.

The Hosta Journal publication offers the latest information on care, feeding, and hybridizing; pictures of new cultivars; and news of upcoming meetings and conventions both in the United States and around the World.

This publication is compiled by Editor "Bob Olson" for members of The American Hosta Society (AHS). This is a non-profit organization. The AHS is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes, and especially to promote, encourage, and foster the development of the genus Hosta and public interest therein.

International Membership is either 1 year to 3 years payable in USD dollars and well worth the investment for those serious about their Hostas.

Please visit the web site of the AHS, www.hosta.org to learn more about the Society also one can subscribe to becoming a International member (Pacific Rim for New Zealand) online with the use of a credit card. Yearly membership is from January 1 through December 31 each year.

So if you are a Hosta lover from around the Globe and would love to receive quality Hosta information plus other benefit's of being a member, you should give serious thought to joining The American Hosta Society.

I would like to express my thanks to The American Hosta Society (AHS) and the Hosta Journal Editor and Authors in their articles of The Hosta Journal, Volume 39, Number 1 from which information contained has been used in the creation of this post.

Siberian Iris in New Zealand....So where to begin?

2008-06-02T19:38:00.000+12:00

The weather seasons of the Manawatu in the late 1980's /early 1990's had become unsettled and brought much rain during the spring and summer months which made growing breaded irises somewhat of a problem with so much rot in the rhizomes that I need other types of Iris to cope with the moist soils of the garden.

My first Siberian iris along with the Japanese irises that I had, did so well and surpassed the expectations of all my other irises with the excepting of the water loving irises. I. louisiana and I. laevigata.

In the Siberian irises, one cultivar in particular stood out from all the rest. This was called I. siberica"Caesar's Brother" which was introduced in the early 1930's.

It had grown so well that I divided 20 huge ten year old clumps for replanting in a wet area of my lawn around some Silver birches. Once I had sprayed this large area of lawn for weeds, It was now ready to complete the next stage. With the generous help of my friends and myself, we began the task of planting the iris divisions during mid winter into the soil spacing them about 1 metre apart to allow them to grow as individual plants on mass in a drift. 1400 divisions formed this huge drift and at that time I could only imagine what they may look like as time progressed to grow into huge clumps themselves. As the years skipped by in the third year these plants produce thousands of magnificent blooms all over the drift of Siberian iris plants. The flowers lay like a carpet of deep sea blue floating in the breeze like butterflies in flight.

I. siberica "Caesar's Brother" continues each year to provide an impressive display.

As the years roll by, these plants that grow into clumps will in turn need more freedom to grow and flourish so by lifting the huge clumps and dividing again to put into fresh soil should be done in order to give that fantastic display of our achievements we planted all over again.

So where to find more Siberian iris. Many of the nurseries in New Zealand have a very poor selection of varieties available to purchase. Many of the same variety had different names.

There are a small handful of specialised growers in New Zealand that have an exciting range of culitvars which is hoped that these irises will been seen on the New Zealand market over the next few years.

Additional info:

I. siberica "Caesar's Brother" is a rich dark blue - royal purple which was introduced by the pioneer Canadian breeder of Siberian irises, F. Cleveland Morgan, in 1931. Three years after it's introduction this iris received an (HM) an Honorable Mention in 1936 and went on to win the prestigious Morgan-Wood award in 1953, the awarding agency being the American Iris Society. This is the highest award specifically for a Siberian iris.

F. Cleveland Morgan was a founding member of the A.I.S. His works of magnificent cultivars still enhance gardens around the world. His best known cultivars are 'Caesar', 'Caesar's Brother' and 'Tropic Night'.

This cultivar 'Caesar's Brother' is available in nurseries throughout New Zealand.

Japanese Iris in New Zealand....So where to begin?

2008-06-02T14:34:00.000+12:00

What a joy it is to walk in my little slice of paradise to take in the beautiful flowers of the Japanese iris seedlings of Iris ensata.

I first discovered these wonderful herbaceous perennial plants when I was given a few Japanese Iris upon visiting the gardens of the Late Frances Love in Carterton.

Frances gave me two Japanese iris plants to take home and care for.

One was a 3 petaled deep blue unnamed seedling she had raised which had shown some promise of branching with multi stems producing multiple flower buds, the other was a variety called I. ensata "Rose Queen" a delicate 3 petaled rosy pink.

I began to grow these in a shaded area of my garden in which they competed with tree roots and only just survived in this somewhat dry and partly shady garden. After more advice from Frances, I released them from this position of the garden and gave them full sun with the soil rich in compost combined with old rotten animal manures with plenty of water. They to my amazement began to flourish. In the mid summer of December/ early January they produced an amazing array of flowers on very long stems. Each stem had only one flower with the 3 petals floating in space. A very intense rosy pink.

I. ensata "Rose Queen" left a very deep impression in my mind that I wanted to grow more of these beautiful irises.

The weather seasons of the Manawatu in the late 1980's /early 1990's had become unsettled and brought much rain during the spring and summer months which made growing Bearded irises somewhat of a problem with so much rot in the rhizomes that I need other types of Iris to cope with the moist soils of the garden.

The Siberian and Japanese irises that I had, did so well and surpassed the expectations of all my other irises with the excepting of the water loving irises. I. louisiana and I. laevigata.

So where to find more Japanese iris. Many of the nurseries in New Zealand have a very poor selection of varieties available to purchase. Many of the same variety had different names as people had renamed them as the labels became lost or destroyed by what ever means. The only avenues open to me was to grow them from seed or by importing plant material from growers of Japanese irises in the international arena.

So in my next posts .... I will begin my incredible journey to find new and exciting Japanese and Siberian Irises as I had court the iris sickness that one gets when one begins to crave for more.

Additional info:

I. ensata "Rose Queen" is rosy pink with darker pink veins growing 95 cm tall(38 in). This cultivar was erroneously introduced in1915 as I. laevigata 'Rose Queen' by Lilley in 1915 later to be Re -register by The Society For Japanese Irises in 1989.

This cultivar is available in nurseries throughout New Zealand.