Re: CULT: Tagging iris
I haven't tried this, but I've seen it done. Thin aluminum can be cut with a common household shears and written on with a hard stylus, probably a piece of dowel sharpened in a pencil sharpener by laying the aluminum on several layers of newspaper. Where do you get the aluminum? Chimney flashing is too thick.
Something more on the level of the inside of beverage cans might work better, or you might have to find something thinner yet.
Like I said, I haven't tried it, but I know several growers who use this technique. I would be tempted to go over the lettering with a Stabilo Write-4-All pen (available from nursery supply houses) for greater legibility. Even after it weathers away in a year or so, the original lettering would stay.
Your old irises will probably mostly wind up on the compost heap. I'd keep not over a half dozen plants of each variety, and then if you buy other historics of similar description you may get lucky and eventually have an identifiable named variety blooming at the same time. Looking at pictures just gets you
into the ball park.
It's fun, but for an inventory of a commercial iris farm you are better off to just buy modern stock from commercial IRIS growers. You will find that this is what brings the customers to you. They already have the old stuff growing at home, or they can buy old unnamed stuff at the flea market for $1 a pop -
which is one way you can get rid of your excess.
That said, tracing back old varieties is good and useful experience, and the detective work is lots of fun. I once recouped some of my time by selling a comic detective story on the discovery that much of the stuff from a similar lot turned out to be Alcazar.
James Brooks
Jonesborough, TN
comeback@usit.net
"mapleshade.welcome" wrote:
> Hi
> My name is Charlene and my husband and I bought an 1820 farmhouse in Selkirk Ny about 3 years ago. In cleaning and clearing the yards and gardens, I have probably found 500+ iris plants. There are several different types. Bearded, hybrids, common, siberian.
> I wanted to grow and sell produce and perennials; but we've been considering having an iris farm.
> My main question is...does anyone have any great ideas on how to tag or mark an iris so I'll know the colors when I replant? I have 9 (+?) different colors now with many that I'm sure won't show due to being so over crowded in the little bed they are in now. Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.
> Sincerely
> Charlene
> mapleshade.welcome@gateway.net
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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