SHOW US YOUR PURCHASES 2020

These Bearded Iris arrived today from Sissinghurst......

Classic Look


Scotney Castle



Melennium Falcon


with a free one included...

Rocket

 

It certainly caught my eye, Sienna's Blossom, and it'll got into a very large ceramic container a few feet away from Acer "Katsura". It's not arrived yet but I am expecting in the next two weeks.

 

These were waiting in a box on my doorstep when I got home tonight from Manchester......

Or Et Dentelle


Huat le Voiles


Deliciexu Caramel


and another free one.....
Fogbound


I've only got another two pots left empty on the wooden bench of named Bearded Iris giving a total of 68 named varieties, with two named varieties ordered, and then about 23 unnamed varieties in pots in another section of the Patio. So, next year should be interesting.

 

Just ordered some bare roots of........

Leucanthemum "Banana Cream"


Leucanthemum "Laspider"

 

Hi, Purple Streaks,The original unnamed 20 came as a kind gift from a GC member abroad but, having caught the "Bug" after seeing how big and beautiful the flowers were, I started increasing the collection by buying from Cayeux Iris in France who have around 890 different Bearded Iris varieties, plus they grow other species.
But I have also bought from Sissinghurst, as you mentioned, Chailey Iris, English Iris, Farmer Gracy. Cayeux have the biggest collection of all and, in fact, a lot of the aforementioned buy from Cayeux to sell on while also increasing their own stock. Sissinghurst give a brilliant service although their digital catalogue can be confusing as it wasn't up to date registering a lot of the Iris as being out of stock when a phone call proved otherwise and they were more than willing to help but they must lose customers because of it. I must add that certain other UK Iris growers such as Wootens were also out of stock during August which seems strange as the prime Iris rhizome availability is late August and all through September. Cayeux provided an up to date digital catalogue while also producing a paper catalogue which was a great help.
So there are different varieties of Bearded Iris with different colour effects such as Amoena, Bi-colour, Variegata, Plicata, Exception. There are also late, mid-season and late flowering, tall and short. The size of the flowers and the colours are just startling and in the flowering season just catch your attention.
Sissinghurst, and other growers, sell Kent Bearded Iris which are those Iris bred and grown in Kent and I have one or more of them.
But, like all Gardeners,, I choose the ones where the colours and shapes catch my attention and, at the moment, my collection stands at 93 most of which should flower next year.
I buy bare root and they are best bought around August/September when the growers separate their selling stock from the main rhizome while anything earlier should be bought in pots but is more expensive. They are sometimes called and sold as Iris Germanica but that is wrong and one other correct name is Pogon.

 

Hi Purple Streaks, I did contemplate joining the Iris Society but, to be honest, I couldn't see any benefits offered justified the annual membership fee of £14............and I could buy two nice Beared Iris for that money! I have to say that the UK Iris growers don't seem so definitive or organised towards retail sales for some reason and one Company is selling their plants at a fixed price of £13.50p while others are selling basically the same from around £7 onwards and, again, the UK Iris Growers seem to have a lot smaller stock collection of Bearded Iris to sell from.

 

That's a great buy, Mazambo