'Navy Flirt' First Bearded Iris of 2015

Last year at the GRIS sale I purchased some potted rhizome of this miniature dwarf bearded (MDB) iris.  I know these came from our local master of the medians, Wendy Roller. Though of course the MDB is not a median. Medians are all iris between MDB and TB (tall bearded) iris.

'Navy Flirt' (Tutmark, R. 1964)

New Iris Intros and Your AIS Local

It's that time of year.  Waiting for catalogs to arrive is being replaced by the online reveals of new iris introductions. Own of my favorite growers (Mid-America) is rolling out their 2015 intros via Facebook.  Click on the photo os the intro below to go the Facebook page

'Join In' SDB Black 2015

Recently I started reconstructing my photos following a hard drive crash. While my interest in iris is old, my serious attempts to grow them started about 10 years ago.  Like a kid in the candy shop, I planted many rhizomes.  Then I planted many more. I became obsessive and took on Smaug-like qualities.

Thanks to my friends at the Greater Rochester Iris Society (GRIS), my tastes are beginning to mature.  I read more carefully about growth habit and realize that with some limited space I need to make choices.

The MDB above is lovely, but not particularly unique.  The photo of the clump interests me more. If 'Join In' performs like this in upstate New York, it would make a great addition to any garden.  That's a big "if" and the only way to find out is to try it, or find someone who grows it in similar climate and soil.  That's the fun of growing and sharing successes and failures.  An American Iris Society (AIS) local chapter can facilitate this and be fun as well.

Neil Houghton