My favorite surprise this year was a seedling of mine #3-116 that just happened to be in bloom on the day of our flower show and I won best seedling with it and got a Exibition Certificate from the American Iris Society.

That is a beautiful seedling Randy. Is it a first year seedling or a reselect? I am guessing it has some Puccini somewhere back there?

My uncle (who was an extraordinary gardener) passed away unexpectedly last fall, and I learned that my aunt will be selling the old house; so I asked her if I could take some cuttings and bits from his garden. My attention went straight to the clumps of iris that were there and I took a few pups from the edges. One clump I was told, my uncle and a neighbor had ordered specially several years ago, but she couldn't describe it other than it had two pretty colors. Got a huge surprise! The neighbor later clued me in on the name - 'Behind Closed Doors'.

My favorite surprise is how early my rebloom season is starting this year. Anxious has two bloom stalks and one will probably bloom before the week is over. Anxious rebloomed last year 8/21. Immortatily also has 2 bloom stalks but is about 10 days behind Anxious. Immortatily first rebloomed on 8/13 last year. A new rebloomer I got last fall, Brother Carl also has a bloom stalk and will probably rebloom with Immortality. All three of these bloomed in mid April.

LORELEY is my favorite surprise for several reasons. Not one single bloom last year and then this year WOW !!! It was an iffy named trade that turned out to be what it was supposed to be. Multiplied on a grand scale. Strong stems and super bud count, it is still blooming.

Sir Michael was a dandy this year also. so glad I purchased it a couple years ago.

Laetitia, what a good tread. Thanks for starting it.

George, thanks, you'd think Puccini. Someone gave me a French iris by Cayeux called Marbre Bleu, that's where the blue lines came from, the pollen parent was Ring Around Rosie, you can see it's influence with the border or rim.

sugarberry, thank you for the story. The sentimental value and story that goes with it makes it precious.

grannymarsh, your Loreley is beautiful, thanks for sharing it.

Randy

Howard Baker (Rudkin '04) seen in Portland. The closest to turquoise blue ever with wonderful form. Registered as a blue white, but really a light turquoise blue. Parentage is surprising: (Mountain Majesty X Emperor's Concerto)two purples.

Randy, that is a beautiful iris!

Two-thirds of my iris were new to me this year, so there were many pleasant surprises. My biggest surprise was HIGH MASTER, expecially as I expected it to Haute Les Voiles. It kinda wrecked my color scheme, but I grew to love it. It was the first luminata ever for me, and it really did seem as if it was illuminated from inside. I had seen pictures but wasn't inclined to order it; glad someone made a mistake with my iris order!

My favorite surprise was a wonderful bloom season after the longest and worst winter for decades here in Southwest Germany. And a nice surprise is the fact that my bad English is improving by reading your postings.
Greetings to you all from Germany.
Anja

my 2 surprises were last i did not care for blueberry hill and shore patrol and moved them to a new location, oh my i am SOOOO GLAD, they were absolutely the perfect blues for me, HUGE, full, wonderful, prolific flowers that will never leave my garden now!

My best surprise was just how well my i. chrysographes performed this year. When everything else was stunted and sparse after spending a year in a pot, this had lots of stalks, was full of flowers and looked great. This was grown from seed collected in the wild by the guys that used to own Heronswood Nursery (which was like the Vatican for NW gardeners). They called it Kiwi Black, but never registered or introduced it. I was fortunate to get to see it in full bloom in a large container while touring their gardens one day, and a few years later a friend who worked there got a start for me when it was divided. Now Heronswood has been closed down by the company that ought it (Burpee) and this NW treasure is lost.

{{gwi:1028340}}

Mike

Jain, scared me when you said Shore Patrol, that's our friend Walter's

thanks Terry, love your High Master.

Anja, good to hear from you and your perfect english.

randy its all location location location! trust me, for me to not like blues either is unheard of, they just were in a bad spot to shine the first year!

Randy, your seedling is beautiful! The tints of yellow on the edges look like the sunlight just brushed them on. (Thanks too for the help with photobucket!)

Terry, it sure looks like you had a happy order accident! I love the color combination on that one. This is the first time I've heard of a 'luminata' iris before, and I'll have to check those out now!

Mike- lucky find and a beautiful gem. The dark royal purple on that iris is breathtaking.

~Rana

Wonderful pictures, wonderful stories.
Anyone have a picture of SHORE PATROL?
thanks
Rae Ann

The BEST of 78 iris bloomers this year in my Lubbock TX yard was GALLANT THEME by Fred Kerr. A large magnificent beautiful thing that bloomed - 3 open at once - after our South Plains Iris Society show! Mr. Kerr has a website/catalog but the photo of it there doesn't do it justice and I don't have a digital camera.

My favorite was Genetic artist first bloom after three years wait

Here is a link that might be useful:

Randy, your seedling is fantastic and the parents are certainly intriguing.

Shore Patrol gets better with age and has a high bud count. I do not have a good picture of it.

My big surprise was an MTB from two IBs. I usually do not care for MTBs but when one shows up from out of nowhere, it's a sight for sore eyes.

Walter Moores

Randy,
your seedling is breathtaking. I hope you will post a picture again when it is a clump with several bloomstalks. This will be a fantastic picture.
Mike,
our botanical garden has a clump of iris chrysographes but I never saw it in bloom. Thanks for posting the picture. It is lovely.
Anja

SHORE PATROL MOORES, 2002, 36, ML, TB, Ruffled marine blue self, lighter and with some texture veining near B.; B. White at end grading to yellow in throat

Its a beautiful iris Mr Moores! I have ordered "LEMON CHESS" and with SHORE PATROL,
I will accomplish my Blue/Yellow theme!

Here is a link that might be useful: Shore Patrol

Thanks for posting the pic of Shore Patrol. Its sister Follow the Fleet has a better flower, but for some reason didn't get anywhere.

Walter Moores

Walter:
What do you mean FOLLOW the FLEET 'didn't get anywhere'? You mean it wasn't a commercial success? Or it wasn't very hardy?
Laetitia

i have both of yours, shore and fleet, i love them both, but this year shore's flowers were HUGE, they both bloomed like mad too~ i am such a sucker for blues i just stared at those like crazy this spring... walter you know i love your ASCII art, and i tell you often others do too, i put some extras up for auction, ASCII sold out in hours, it truly is my fav blue and white. this year the flowers were even larger then normal, and you know it is a BIG FLOWER. i am looking forward to flying down to rio beefing up this summer, it didn't do well in the cold wet winter, it managed to bloom, but it was stunted from the cold, i am sure next year it will be terrific!

Follow the Fleet was not a success commercially, and I don't really know why. I do think it has a better flower, but is not as tall.

Thanks, jain, for your comments. I hope next year is better for you. Seemed to be bad all around.

Walter Moores

yes I would like to see ASCII Art in a clusters!
Jain do you have any Mr Moores iris? pictures?
Chocolate Chess?
Mr Moores, which one of your intro's are you most proud of?

Randy, your seedling is totally awesome!

Welcome Anja.

Mike, beautiful picture of Kiwi Black.

Randall, very nice picture of Genetic Artist. Pretty colors.

Terry, love your picture of High Master.

Actually, love all of the pictures posted in this thread. I never get tired of looking at iris pictures!

Sea Power was my favorite surprise this year!

Shadow

Sea Power ruffles!

My favorite was discovering a little Ma Mie which bloomed by surpise in a side garden. Didn't know it was there. Just moved it to a sunnier spot, where I hope it will live happily ever after.

RBlegend,

Thanks for your questions. My pics are not really good enough to post, but I am sending some to jain I hope she'll post.

As to a favorite, that changes all of the time. Right now it is a sdlg. 00-11-A, which is in the process of being registered. I have sent the name and the vitals to the registrar. I don't have any cluster pics.

Walter Moores

hi walter, here are your babies~

thanks jain for posting these Moores introductions. very nice.
Now all we need is a photo of Purgatory '87 Moores.

Here is PURGATORY...Very shy bloomer but I really love it.
Laetitia

{{gwi:1033149}}

jain, it was so nice of you to post these for me.

Randy, you are something else!

The red one is an '07.

Walter Moores

thanks Laetitia for the photo of Purgatory, my day is complete.
Walter, I was wondering about the red one, never seen anything quite like it.
Look at those bright beards.
double thanks to jain and walter for letting us see a '07

Randy

Thanks for these pictures!
What lovely babies!
07' is a beautiful red!
I never realized ASCII ART had 'blue' inside the stands!
(sorry do not know the proper anatomy)How unusual! Its on my list! I beat in a cluster AA is stunning!
Thanks again!
Rae Ann

Randy,

The red one is Edna's Wish x Romantic Evening. The colors seem to be a mix of red, orange, and orchid which give the overall impression of red. There is a tiny rim of orchid. The standards stay pretty tight during the life of the flower.

Laetitia,

Thanks for showing Purgatory. That iris will be twenty years old next year---doesn't seem possible. It has given only one pod for me, and I didn't save any of the seedlings. Superstition Gardens still lists it.

Walter Moores