visited BlueJ iris

11 years ago

We went to Denver to visit DH's parents, and Blue J iris was sort of on the way, so we stopped on the way home. They aren't set up with fancy presentation gardens, but they have a lot of iris with name tags you can see in the flesh. I am kind of new at really thinking about the iris I plant, and we decided to do this on the fly, so I really wasn't prepared to ask good questions of Mr. Jedlicka when I spoke to him, or even able to really remember the names of many iris I really wanted to check out. Still, I highly recommend to all to go somewhere where you can see named iris bloom, because it is really easier to tell what you are looking at and what you are purchasing that way. A lot of iris seemed to be not so washed out as they look in photos, and you could compare the size of blooms, and how they grow. It was a cloudy day, so the colors really looked rich. I could really see which iris had the sturdy stalks, as it is a very windy place out in the middle of nowhere on the plains, with a railroad overpass and a trailer court for neighbors. But they can really grow iris! The wind was really blowing, but the presentation garden is surrounded with spruce trees so it was a little quieter than the area where they had the main growing beds and their seedlings. Mr. Jedlicka told me that he wasn't going to get much hybridizing done this year, as his daughter helps him to do it, and she isn't arriving until after her kids are out of school. All his iris, like mine, are perversely blooming three weeks ahead of their usual time, so it is a hard year.

Here is a link that might be useful: BjIris

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Comments (5)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
and Blue J iris was sort of on the way

===>> yeah.. i have been on trips like this .. and all of a sudden.. i am 100 miles off track.. lol ...

can you define 'sort of' .. lol ...

i like purple and pink.. and its seedling for sure..

i have also used such side trips as payback for inlaw visits ... lol ..

ken
hosenemesis
11 years ago
'Most Stunning' indeed. I would love to get that iris. I just ordered 'Repartee' from them, and I'm anxious to see it bloom. Red and white amoenas are my favorite irises, and they don't seem to do well here, so I keep trying older ones.
Renee
aseedisapromise
Original Author
11 years ago
Actually, Ken, it only added an hour to the driving. And instead of coming north through Wyoming, we could go through Rapid City and have better choices for dinner. A win all around. Actually I'm not sure if "purple and pink" was a Jedlicka iris or not, because I didn't take the shot, but the seedling pic is.

I liked Most Stunning as well, Renee. Pretty impressive clump. I guess it was its time to shine. Here is the clump of Repartee they had in the presentation garden. I think it was getting done with bloom. A lot of their early iris were getting done. Have you ever tried or seen Double Agent? It isn't white on top, but that is what I was looking for, but I couldn't remember the name at the time.

It's interesting how different iris do better in one location over another. I felt better to see Blue J's clump of Total Recall had the many robust fans, just like mine, and very little bloom, just like mine. Nothing like yours, for sure. Hope Repartee does well for you.

Repartee

Double Agent
aquawise
11 years ago
I have quite a few. Have a look!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Iris
hosenemesis
11 years ago
I bought Double Agent for my mom and it bloomed for the first time this year. She really likes it. I'm hoping for rebloom on it too. Repartee is very nice. If it doesn't work out, I'll get Most Stunning. I's just starting to learn which irises do well in Southern California and which do well in colder climates. I can't grow Impressionist or Starship Enterprise, but friends in Utah and Minnesota can.

A lot of my irises turned to paper as buds this year. Sweet Musette didn't get any blooms at all- just stalks with papery buds. The first bloom of irises had most blooming down in the foliage as well. What an odd year for irises.

Renee