Dutch Iris 'Blue Magic' (Iris x hollandica)

Dutch Iris 'Blue Magic'
Iris x hollandica

Does it smell like grape koolaid? I have an iris that looks similar to that and smells like grape koolaid and I have been trying to find out what it is for years. Not sure if it is Dutch or not. Mary Lee

Grape Koolaid, huh? That's a unique smell. Sorry, Mary Lee, I did not happen to notice a smell; however, I did not pick any of them. Was the smell very strong, such that you could not help but notice it (like wisteria, hyacinths, very strong roses, etc)? Unfortunately, I believe this variety has already stopped blooming. Will check in the morning to be sure. Sheryl

You can't smell them from far away like wisteria, but when you get close, it is very strong. I'm really anxious for them to bloom, so I can get a good picture. I don't know why they are so late.

silverfluter, I had a number of these and did not notice a scent. However, my sense of smell is not very acute. I notice things like roses, wisteria, etc when I get near them. Milder fragrances allude me.

Since you said that you don't know if yours are Dutch and that they have not bloomed yet, I'm thinking they may be another type, perhaps Louisiana or Siberian. All of my Dutch irises are through now; they started in early to mid March. (Note that I am in Zone 8b so close to your zone.) The Louisiana and Siberian irises bloom later in summer. Have you looked at pics of those varieties to see if any resemble yours? Just a thought. Sheryl

Ok, my bad. Just googled and found that Dutch Iris are supposed to have a very sweet fragrance. One mentioned like violets. So, maybe yours are Dutch. The Dutch bulbs are tear-drop shaped, very symetrical, and about the size of a quarter at the base; they remind me of small tulip bulbs, if that helps at all. Other irises have rhizomes which are not so symetrical.

This message was edited May 9, 2005 1:17 PM

I just remembered that when we dug some up to transplant we discovered they were rizomes. So I guess they are not Dutch. I went and found the picture I have taken with 35 mm camera and really looked at it. There are standards, but not very tall. The falls seem to be slightly ruffled. The beards are yellow, but they fade to white. The haft is striped. The spine (don't know if that is the right word) of the standard is white. The color overall is the most confusing because I don't remember it being a reddish purple. Can a Louisiana iris have standards like a bearded irirs?

Hmm, LA's are kind of "flat" w/little or no stands. Siberians are often ruffled, have short "stands", and resemble Dutch. But you mentioned beards. Both of these are beardless. If, indeed, yours has beards and you don't think it's a tall bearded, you might look at intermediate bearded, border bearded, and dwarf to see if it resembles any of these. Try looking at the catagories here http://www.schreinersgardens.com. (Click Online Catalog then On left of page is menu where you can check out the other types mentioned). You mentioned a photo of your iris. Can you post it? You could put it here or email it to me or, better yet, start a thread in Identification Forum to ask for help identifying it. Best of luck w/id. Sheryl

My neighbor has an older tall bearded that smell like Grape Koolaid. She didn't know the name of it either.

Did you put a black backdrop behind the iris? I have some nice ones but my camera skill are poor. I need a lot of tips.
Thanks,
Teresa

Hi bluegrass,

I must confess that my photography skills are strickly "point and shoot". : ) The photo was taken in the evening after work. Pretty sure that was pre Daylight savings time so getting dark, hence the dark background. (This camera has red flash for night photos.)

I'm probably not the one to get photography tips from. I'm trying to use technology to make up for a lack of knowledge and skill (lol), so recently I bought the Nikon CoolPix 8800 8Meg Pixel digital. My best photo tip is make sure you have a good camera. :)

I haven't had the camera very long. Don't know how to use it. Have barely mastered point and shoot. Started to read manual. Found I was in WAY over my head - maybe someday...

Sheryl

I don't speak camera language very well either (or actually, not at all), but DH does. I'll probably get him to take the picture. The picture I have is not a digital. It was taken with an old fashioned point and shoot . DH knows how to take the picture and make adjustments so the color comes out true. Atleast he's good for something. LOL I hadn't thought about it maybe being a LA iris and maybe that's why it hasn't bloomed.

I just looked at the link you sent me. Virginia Lyle is similar to mine except the haft was not striped. The color was not the same as in the picture, but I don't think the color in my picture was true. What was striking was the way the falls stick straight out. Virginia Lyle is a border bearded.

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I don't speak camera language very well either (or actually, not at all), but DH does. I'll probably get him to take the picture. The picture I have is not a digital. It was taken with an old fashioned point and shoot . DH knows how to take the picture and make adjustments so the color comes out true. Atleast he's good for something. LOL I hadn't thought about it maybe being a LA iris and maybe that's why it hasn't bloomed.

I just looked at the link you sent me. Virginia Lyle is similar to mine except the haft was not striped. The color was not the same as in the picture, but I don't think the color in my picture was true. What was striking was the way the falls stick straight out. Virginia Lyle is a border bearded.

Well, shoot. It can't be Virginia Lyle because it came out in 94 and these were here when we bought the house in 90.
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