Re: My favorite iris...

Hi Chris and Everyone,
It's so hard to pick a favorite iris.  I think last time I answered this
question I probably said something else.  But, if I could only have one iris,
it would be CRIMSON KING.  It is a triploid IB (Barr 1893) with very old
fashioned form.  It is a wonderful deep purple with an almost fuchsia sheen
and a bright white beard.  
     I got a clump of it from a friend of mine in San Mateo, California in
January of 1995.  I spread the clump around and nothing bloomed until the
fall.  But since it started blooming in fall of 1995, I have always had at
least one clump in bloom except for about two weeks each summer when the temps
get up over 100 F and maybe a week or two in winter when the temps go below
freezing at night and the buds get frozen.
      Unfortunately, from what I have heard on the list, CRIMSON KING does not
perform like this everywhere, and I'm not sure how to account for this.  My
guess is that it doesn't like to be divided and it likes lots of water.  The
clumps that don't get summer water rarely rebloom for me, but the ones that
get regular water rebloom often.
Mary Forte, Atascadero, CA Zone 9 (but too cold for citrus)
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