Bearded Iris Color

20 years ago

Hi--I am a novice gardener and have a problem I was hoping someone else here has dealt with before.

Two years ago I planted bearded iris--corn harvest (yellow), immortality (white) Starlit River (was suppose to be a broken blue) and Good & True (a lovely lavender).

Last year they all bloomed and all but starlit was true to color--the starlit was more lavender than blue and sorta ugly (at least in my opinion).

Here they are: starlit and corn harvest:

{{gwi:754014}}

And here's Immortality:

{{gwi:754016}}

And here's Good & True:

{{gwi:754018}}

This year it seemed that only good & true, immortality & starlit bloomed (still hoping on corn harvest but I suspect some of the white iris were actually corn harvest.given their location).

But blooming isn't my big concern anyway:--its the color. The color of starlit was washed out significantly--it actually had a grey hue to it. The good and true was a very very pale lavender in that same bed. In another bed the good&true had better color but definitely not as nice as the first year it bloomed.

I was wonder what may have cause the problem--would sun be the problem? Is it a soil issue--pH, some nutrient deficiency?

Both beds planted with iris face west. The garage bed "may" get a bit more sun. I think the difference in the amount of sun both beds get is small--both get 5-6 hours of sun a day. The garage bed definitely gets a lot more heat. Its on the west side of the garage & the garage has dark siding.

As for the soil--both have a lot of clay in it. Actually the soil next to the garage consist mostly of the spoils from one of my other beds where I pulled out some of the heavy clay soil to ammend it with compost, peat, manure. The bed next to the deck has a fair amount of clay in it, but I added some peat and compost to it when I first planted it 3 years ago.

Any thoughts would be helpful.

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Comments (4)

Crazy_Gardener
20 years ago
Hi bemidjigreen, welcome to the FN forum!

I have no idea why your Iris's are changing color.
Schreiner's Iris website may help?

Here is a link that might be useful: Frequently Asked Questions
northspruce
20 years ago
Hi & welcome from me too.

I can only offer two guesses, 1) It might have to do with heat and sunlight. In my lilies and roses I find these factors can definitely affect bloom colour. Never noticed in irises but I only grow a few.

or 2), Because Starlit River is variegated, right there you are going to get a lot of variation in colour intensity. I looked it up on the internet and yours seems pretty typical so maybe you saw an "exaggerated" picture of it when you bought it?? If it makes you feel any better, I think it's really pretty!

-Gillian
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cailinriley
20 years ago
Welcome from me, too! I've just got into irises, myself. I used to believe they weren't hardy in our zone. Then, I realized that rhizomes in garden centres were being sold too dry and too late. I've since discovered a mail order supplier who sends out fresh, green rhizomes early enough for our zone. I've also started trading with local growers and, again, getting fresh, thriving iris for my garden. One of my favourite flowers!

I doubt that Corn Harvest turned white. What probably happened was that CH was not hardy and died, or just didn't bloom this year, and that Immortality, which is quite a hardy variety, spread itself out a bit, taking advantage of the space.

I, too, think that Starlit River is lovely. It seems to be a hybrid that has several looks to it.

This one resembles yours:

http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/24583.html/

This one looks very different:

http://groups.msn.com/NancysSecretGardeninAugusta/061800pictures.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=576

I have a feeling the one in the second photo was mislabelled. It happens...especially to plants bought at garden centres. (Shoppers move labels, put rhizomes in the wrong bin...)
bemidjigreen
Original Author
20 years ago
I really appreciate the input! I think you are correct gillian and cailinriley--I probably did see an exaggerated picture when I ordered starlit, and it seems that corn harvest decided not to put in an appearance this year.

I am beginning to suspect after looking through some sites dedicated to iris breeding that irises naturally have a tendency to change color for reasons no one seems to be quite certain of save crowding. So....I think I might thin this bed out next month and see what happens next year.

Thanks again for your help!