Florida Iris

Hello everyone:

Thanks to everyone who responded to my Listserver test.  I'm on and its
working.

My interest are LOUISIANA IRIS, REBLOOMING BEARDED IRIS and JAPANESE IRIS.
 The Louisiana Iris do very well in southwest Florida.  I started acquiring
Louisianas in fall of 94.  I had bloom on CLASSICAL NOTE (Taylor '91) full
waxy yellow; & JOHN'S LUCIFER (Taylor '87) large, flat, deep red black
flowers in late December.  NATURAL WONDER (Taylor '91) waved flat dusty pink;
& CAJUN COOKER (Hager '90) flat rich deep scarlet with velvet pile bloomed in
January.  February frost got the scapes on JERI (Bertinot 85) and
EXTRAORDINAIRE (Dunn '92).  At this writing bloom scapes are still coming.

Of the five species  that make up the Louisiana Group, Iris hexagona is found
is southwest Florida.  There are wild populations not far from where I live.
 I collected last spring a good assortment of varied color forms of the
species:  white, pale light blue, light blue, blue, and blue violet.  Many
with veining in the petals.  My intention is to breed these with the
Louisiana hybrids.

My other iris love  is the reblooming bearded.  Living in the subtropics, it
is my opinion you can avoid the vernalization needed to bloom bearded iris
with rebloomers.  I lived in south Texas on the border.  There I started my
reblooming tropical line of irises.  However, moving around does not promote
a good breeding program.  Any recommendations on rebloomers?

I grew my first Japanese Iris when I was a youth in the early sixties.  I
like these exotic iris and trying to see if they will do any thing here.  Any
recommendations here? 

Robert Turley
LaBelle, FL  Zone 10a
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Robert M. Turley
Extension Agent - Citrus / SWF
University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service
Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences
Southwest Florida Research & Education Center
P. O. Box 5127, Immokalee, FL  33934
Ph:  941-657-5221 / Fax:  941-657-5224
E-Mail:  RMT@gnv.ifas.uf.edu

Member:  American Society For Horticultural Science, Florida State
Horticultural Society, Rio Grande Valley Horticultural Society, Southwest
Florida Institute of Horticulture, American Hemerocallis Society, American
Orchid Society, American Dianthus Society, American Hibiscus Society, Turley
Family Historical Society.

Hobby:  Pollywog Gardens & More, 755 Caloosa Estates Drive, LaBelle, Florida
 33935;  Ph/Fax:  941-674-1161; E-Mail:  RMTurley@aol.com;  Orchids,
Daylilies, low chill Bearded Iris, Louisiana Iris, Japanese Iris, Natives,
Tropicals, Citrus, Lycoris, Zephranthes, Amaryllis,  other warm climate bulbs
& perennials.
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