Re: Greetings (Rebloomers)

Cheryl wrote:

>The new ones this year will all be
>reblooming irises, which in zone 5 will probably not be the success they
>are in warmer spots. I'm particularly interested in knowing more about the
>rebloomers and anyone's experience with them. TIA

I can't resist putting my 2=A2 in=8A and would you believe, my list of
rebloomers for NY probably won't match Clarence's? Actually, I like his
list and agree that they all should, probably, maybe, do well for you.
(Rebloomers can break your heart -- when you absolutely, die for, got to
have,  a stalk for a special time or event -- phut!, nada.)
The iris I am listing here all do well in zone 5 and will perform above
that. I am going to get in trouble with the purists, those who have fought
and struggled to achieve a modern flower form in rebloomers=8A I am going to
include some in my recommendations that a lover of hyper-modern irises
would retch and gag at the sight of. (Actually, daylily fanatics are far
worse in this respect than lovers of iris. We had one lady tour our garden,
read the daylily tags and categorically state that she wouldn't be caught
dead with a hundred and forty eight of our 150 daylilies. SHE didn't have
ANYTHING in her garden more than 4 years old! Oh well.)

=46or what it's worth here goes:

In the small ones 'Plum Wine' is one of the most dependable I grow.
Increase will populate a entire back yard, yet it will continue to grow and
bloom if not divided. It is an all-over, dark, plum violet.

'Hot,' a fairly new Standard Dwarf  is an excellent performer and, if you
like fragrance, certainly qualifies there. It is a rich red-brown with a
nice gold edging.

If the name is not a turn-off, 'Lo Ho Silver' is a very good performer in
colder climates. This is an intermediate and, I think, sort of nondescript
in the color dept (silvery white with brown-yellow at the hafts) but makes
up for the so so color by its good garden qualities and dependable rebloom.

Also an intermediate, 'Blessed Again' will throw a stalk for me when nearly
all others fail. Last year was terrible for rebloom here in Virginia, yet
'Blessed Again' kept us in stalks all summer and fall. It is a white and
does not have great substance but this can be overlooked in view of its
other virtues.

On to the Tall Beardeds=8A

'July Sunshine' an older iris from 'Doc' Brown in Massachusetts is not well
known (I think you can get it from Friendship Gardens) but I honestly
believe it would rebloom in North Dakota! It is a pale yellow self.

'Pink Attraction' grows too short for a tall bearded in my garden but it is
excellent in northern states. They also get it to stretch up a bit --
perhaps my heat does it in? It is, as the name states, a pink and one of
the few that perform.

'Jean Guymer' is a parent of 'Pink Attraction' and you either like or hate
its color, (what I call 'dirty pink' but my wife tells me my color taste is
atrocious) but no one can dispute its ability to perform well in short
season areas.

'Autumn Bugler,' a rich dark purple, will please you with its ability to
throw autumn stalks in less than optimum conditions.

'Lichen' is a truly weird color, a full paragraph in the registration book
(I call it a green-gray-yellow) but whatever, it seems to be emerging as a
stellar performer in cold areas.

These are just a few, and you will get a different list from every
reblooming fanatic you ask. You won't go wrong with either Clarence's or my
list and others could add dozens more. A super guide to selecting
rebloomers for ANY climate is the 'Symposium' of the Reblooming Iris
Society -- somewhat infrequently published -- ask around local irisarians
to see if you can get a copy from someone who has a few back issues.

Must get off before I burn all available bandwidth.

Best regards,

Mike Lowe    mblowe@earthlink.net
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