 |
bbrookrd wrote: They look great to me. Some of the varieties may get a tad taller than others, but 4" to 6" is what I normally have.
Below is part of an article I wrote about them a few years ago and some shots from yesterday of them in bloom this year in our garden. Most years they start around the 20th of March here. Early this year, but then everything is in the NE. Patti
Quoting:IRIS RETICULATA
This curious little flower is a member of the Genus Iris and part of the subgenera Hermodactyloides, which is comprised of a group of bulbous Irises. This subgenera include Iris reticulata, Iris histrioides, Iris danfordiae as well as a few others. Fair warning as the nomenclature gets muddled when speaking of reticulated Iris. Just remember that all Iris histrioides are known as reticulated Iris, but all Iris reticulata are not Iris histrioides. This really is splitting hairs, as they are all very similar in appearance and growth habit to all but a botanist. They are often crossed to create more confusion. These Irises grow from a small bulb, most with a fibrous papery coating over the bulb like a net, though the histrioides lack netting. The well known summer blooming Iris ensata, sibirica and the gemanica are all rhizomatous, instead of bulbous.
Despite this difference the flower clearly looks like a classic Iris bloom that stands in most cases under six inches tall and comes in a rainbow of colors, especially in the vibrant blue, purple and violet ranges, with nice exceptions that include a near white and in some rarer ones, which I have only seen photographed, are a very haunting dark brownish purple or an eerie greenish color. This vast color variation is rather fitting, as the name Iris, in ancient Greek Mythology, was that given to the Greek Messenger Goddess of Rainbows. It is native to the Russian Caucasus as well as from other similar mountainous areas in Afghanistan, Northern Iran, Iraq, Eastern Turkey and on down into Israel. It grows normally at high altitudes where it benefits from plentiful winter moisture from the snow melt, and then thrives in the hot arid summers.
It was first introduced to the European garden in 1808. Many hybrids have been introduced since, and new species are still being found by plant explorers such as Janis Ruksans, a noted plantsmen from Latvia and author of Buried Treasures: Finding and Growing the World's Choicest Bulbs, published by Timber Press in 2007. This early blooming bulb can withstand frost and is tenacious in pushing up through a March snow. I have found it grows well in Nantucket's sandy, well drained soil, when given a spot in sun to light shade that is not overly irrigated in the summer. The perfect location in my garden for this Iris to achieve a good return rate has been to plant it in a location with lavender and other herbaceous plants that need little watering, if any, except by Mother Nature. These Irises do love a summer baking. A rock garden with gritty soil would also be an ideal spot.
I |
