I don't usually see much change in the blooms from maiden bloom to
subsequent years. This one shows the maiden bloom on top and how it looked
the next couple of years. This year it reverted back and looked like the
maiden bloom again. The clump has never been moved. I think the wash of
color that obscures the pattern underneath is probably weather related. The
conditions this year is more similar to what it was on maiden bloom. I have
a group of seedlings that bloomed the first couple of years with bright red
beards. Those left in place have lost a lot of that intensity and are paler
orange to almost yellow. When I've moved some of those into new soil richer
in nutrients, the beard has recovered the intensity. So the two things I'd
look at are weather and nutrient related causes for the changes in
appearance. Some iris blooms are clearly more inclined to change than
others, but the genes should be static so I think those changes can probably
be laid to growing conditions. IMO, of course.
Donald Eaves
donald@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7b, USA
