Aside from dependability, what are you looking for in an iris?

I've personally learned to pay a great deal of attention to where they are from. I've done well with Grace Sturdivant's iris, and French breeders like Cayeux. They come from places it rains. A long time ago, I was warned off of Sass iris for the opposite reason - they didn't have to breed in the rot tolerance I need. I've tried Eleanor Roosevelt enough times to agree it doesn't like me.

Flavescens is an old survivor. Quaker Lady is my all time favorite. I prefer Mme. Chereau to Swerti simply because the Swerti flower form bothers me.

It's a start.

Its started last year when we had lots of rain in spring with not a lot sun and almost all of them rotted except for Pallida (sp?). It was my grandmas. I got flavescens this year so I'm hoping it's a good 'ol boy, too. So, since I'm new to trying to get old iris, how do I find out how they bred for rot tolerance? Should I be concerned about zone issues, too? Even for the old dudes?

I'm glad I found you to talk to! THANKS!

Dani

'Loreley' grows like an absolute weed here and I've loved it from the start. However, if you're looking for a tall plant it doesn't really fit the bill. They say it would probably be classified as an MTB (miniature tall bearded) if it were introduced today.

It had 11 stalks it's second year here and was started with a single fan. Add to that, that it's standards have BC (broken color)/irregular splotches of veining and sometimes the flowers can appear almost flat (considered a "new" development in iris breeding).

I would definitely recommend it. Oh, and it pulled runner-up for our show last year against all the modern, colorful, ruffled things.

Here's a shot from last year:
{{gwi:1019282}}

Are you sure you want to stick before 1915? There are quite a number of dependable historics that are more recent. The Schreiner introduction before 1947 grow well for me since they were still growing Iris in St. Paul, Minnesota before moving to Salem.

Many of the Cayuex after 1915 are also great. Beotie and Madame Louis Aureau are two fabulous ones. The Lemon Irises (Honorablie, Mme. Chereau, Celeste, etc.) are also extremely dependable and rot resistant. You might to try some of the Goos & Koenemann Iris as well. Indian Chief is weed anywhere.

Sass can be a bit difficult to grow, as well as many of the DeForest Iris.
Carlos

I guess that I thought if they'd been around that long and lived, they ought to be good iris! Nice and rational, right? *sigh*

I have some picked out, but now I will look into who bred them and that will help me decide, I think. I will be looking into the ones suggested too and I thank you for taking the time out to answer my question. I appreciate it!

Dani

Alright, I went thru my list.

Neglecta, I germanica, florentina should all be okay (already have pallida & flavescens), right? I've also got the Lemons set aside and a Goos.

What about:

Demi-deuil
el dorado
elsinore
her majesty
jacquesiana
monsignor
Mrs. George Darwin
Plumeri
Romeo
Snow Tree
W.J. Fryer

Dani

How about extending your cutoff a decade or two? Indian Chief (1929), California Gold (1933), and William A. Setchell (1938) have survived on their own in neglected gardens all over Dallas.

The cut off was just a rough guesstimate. Not set in stone. Just a jumping off point. If you've got more rot resistent ones, go for it! I'll take a look at them!

Dani