Looking forward to the responses on this thread. My 8 yr old son only wants to grow Blue irises.

littlebit

Above the Clouds
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Adoregon
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Blue Skirt Waltz
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Color Me Blue
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Friendly Seas
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Princess Caroline De Monoco
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Thirst Oasis
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OREGON SKIES and NAVAJO JEWEL are what I have in mind when I want light blue.

GMason, those are beautiful pics. Good job, indeed!

David

For some that grow carefree and need no pampering, plant SWING AND SWAY and BREAKERS.

Walter Moores

I adore Best Bet for a bi-color blue. Reminds me of a business suit.

Anyone grown Sky and Sun? I was considering getting it, liked its mug shot.
Jen

Jen -- I'm not growing it currently but the times I have seen it in person, it reminds me of turquoise.

As far as interesting blues, I like Codicil as it has really nice blue/black beards to go with its blue stands and falls. Someone has recently posted a picture of it, so I won't.

I like Yaquina but I agree it does appear purple during certain times of day but my camera always captures it as blue.

Another blue if you like Navy is to consider the short (not median) Deep Pacific.

Roni

I feel that iries want to be blue. There is nothing more satisfying to me than a blue iris and I have just ordered a bunch of old ones and historics to see how I liked them. Codicil is one, though I haven't seen a bloom yet.

A smaller one that has pleased me a great deal this year and last is Baby Blue Marine. I first saw it posted here on the Iris Forum. I can't believe how much I like the intermediate irises.

Mariah and Color Me Blue are really blue.

Shadow

Mariah

Color Me Blue
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That "Adoregon" is tremendous. Thanks for the picture there. The good news is that I see that I can order it. (It's in my Mid-America Garden catalog).

It's a must for this late summer's planting.

THIS FORUM IS STUPENDOUS!!!!

Yeah, JMC, I agree. I think GMason just doubled the national ordering of Adoregon.
Personally I think iris want to be purple. I, however, prefer blue. or yellow. or pink. or orange.

Oh you guys, these are all beautiful!! I love that ADOREGON!! Too bad I already ordered from Mid-America!

River Runner--good medium blue
Clearwater River--good light blue
I just got these last year and was very impressed with the bloom this spring.

Here's what Best Bet looks like this morning{{gwi:1027360}}

And my bluest Iris, TB Kelat Skies{{gwi:1027361}}

Beautiful pictures..........
Tall bearded
Sky Search...great grower
Honkey Tonk Blues
Full Tide
Siletz Bay
Hilltop View
Sapphire Hills

I like Mary Frances.

BLUE RHYTHM (Whiting 1945)
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CODICIL (Innerst 1985)
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DEVIL'S LAKE (Schreiner 1999)
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MARIPOSA SKIES (Tasco 1995)
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PARISIAN BLUE (Schreiner 1965)
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SILVERADO (Schreiner 1987)
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My Bethany Claire is just the loveliest wisteria color. And it rebloomed for me this year. Just gorgeous.

Bethany Claire reblooms in Kansas as well.

Over Alaska is a bitone but it screams BLUE!!!! The photo
is true to the color.
OVER ALASKA
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Jen,
I have SKY AND SUN. It did well for me but it isn't as blue as MARIAH, BABBLING BROOK, or LIKE THE WIND. SUMMER HOLIDAYS is a similar blue to SKY and SUN and a reliable rebloomer. I get very few reliable rebloomers so believe me, SUMMER HOLIDAYS reblooms as reliably as it gets!

SKY AND SUN

SUMMER HOLIDAYS

MARIAH

BABBLING BROOK

LIKE THE WIND

Thanks for this beautiful thread. I have also been growing blue irises. They were purchased in two groups, then transplanted, and mixed up, and now I couldn't distinguish one blue from another for sure. The two groups purchased at different times stayed separate.Every time one blooms I try to compare it to a picture or description from a catalog. The colors of the various pictures are not consistant. Eventually I decided I wouldn't let it bother me if I don't know which is which, but now when I see some performing better than others I should like to know. Maybe someone can help sort out this mess.

First group:
genteel, blue anew, feedback, sugar blues purchased from Nicholls Gardens

second group:
Yaquinq blue, fall rerun, Blue suede shoes purchased from Aitkens

Because it's very hot here, many of my irises are lighter than the pictures I've seen posted here.
Thanks.

I just found out the name of this one!
Here's Azure Skies:

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Wow I like that one with blue beard.

I was looking on line for blue irises. Glad I stopped in here before I ordered. Gorgeous pictures, that Azure Skies with the blue beard is fantastic. Mariah, too. Truly breathtaking irises shown here. Thanks! But now I will have a hard time deciding.

Lots of gorgeous blues. Which ones clump up and bloom best? One I have that is a fantastic clumper is Breakers. Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing it bloom this year. I'll have to go check.

This is my favorite blue, RAPTURE in BLUE: true light blue self with a small 'translucent' beard.
It is a very late iris, and extends the bloom season admirably.
Laetitia

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What about "Blue Crusader" and "Thunder Spirit"?
Very rich dark blue. I don't know how to put a picture in my post but you can google these two.

Or you can go to my Yahoo photo book where I have photos of my irises that I have purchased from shows. You will find photos of both of these in there.

Rhonda

Here is a link that might be useful: My Yahoo Photo Book Of Irises

I love the blue of Full Tide.

Does anyone grow an iris called Charisma? Not only is it a beautiful blue, but it is noted for its perfection of form.

Blue iris are my favourites, but wishy washy, "trying to be blue" ones infuriate me. So I agree that this is an important subject still.

I love the blue of STAR SAILOR and I used to have an iris named TOUCH OF SKY which was very blue.
Also I find alot of good blues in the siberian iris.
A great siberian dark blue is RIVERDANCE.

Your best option is to visit commercial iris farms.
Photos NEVER seem to realy capture the blue iris well,
and commercial catalogs are airbrushed often.

Does anyone grow Japanese iris they find to unfurl a true blue?

ALSO iris colors change and fade as the flower ages.
I like to get out to see my iris as they newly unfurl.
This seems true of many daylilies too, especially red or purple ones.
Stangely, I find blue delphiniums often improve color as they age.

Both my husband and I love blue iris. We only had a few bloom last year due to a damaging Spring freeze, but I can tell you that Open Sea, and Sudden Impact had a IMPACT when they bloomed for the first time for us. I can hardly wait to see them again this year, Spring permitting. We also have full tide and it went nuts with increase and was beautiful, but not as intense a blue. Open Sea has a large flower and we couldn't get enough of it, then Sudden Impact bloomed and it kept the beauty going on longer.I even ordered more so we would have large clumps faster.

Blue irises are my favorite. The bluest I have is "Mer du Sud" by Cayeux. It is also a strong grower.

For light blue, "Double Bubble" by Ghio has been great.

"Blueberry Bliss" by Schreiner is deep blue--it might look purple to some but looks navy to me. Nicely fragrant. It is a tremendous grower here in Zone 8 for me. Link to pic by me: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/110622/

I found Keppel's 'Open Sea' while wandering at Schreiner's last Spring and was blown away by how really blue it is...

Here is a link that might be useful: photo of Open Sea

Hi Everyone.

The picture of open sea looks a little too good to be true.
Still if Mareas saw it live and found it to be BLUE, not lavender or violet than I would try it. Last year in
Ontario, Canada we had a VERY hot dry june.
The iris did bloom but the extra buds in the sockets ended up drying, like Egyptian mummies in a desert.
Also all the light blues like RAPTURE IN BLUE faded fast to near white. Well we've had the most snow since 1976
this winter. I hope a cooler June will follow.My bluest blue remains STAR SAILOR although the Schreiner photo
simply does it little Justice. I'd love to see them breed that blue into something like SEA POWER. Schreiners
Blue Temptation was'nt anything as spectrum blue as their photo. Making Waves is quite blue in my desert, I mean garden.

Sudden Impact gets a vote here.

None of the above has beaten Sapphire Hills yet. Mary Frances is not blue at all. Breakers is closer to violet than to blue.

That's the color, Patrick! Beautiful.
Renee

I haven't seen any that I would really consider true blue, but some are getting close. Some that I have in my collection that are pretty blue are Adreatic Waves, by Keppel, Stars and Stripes Forever, by Van Liere, Can't Touch This, by Schreiner and Pledge Allegiance, by Schreiner. Keppel's Brilliant Idea has a pretty blue edge too. Van Liere has two on his web page that look really blue, but I haven't seen them. One is called Out of the Blues, and the other is called Shelter from the storm. Wonder if anyone has seen them in person.

Stellar Lights

Enjoyed this thread! I have the bug bad now too, but avoided buying blue and orange. The pics on the Iris sellers sites just did nothing for me (mostly). But I just went to my Mom's (80 miles away) and saw an absolutely gorgeous stand of blue in full bloom. And wow, it was spectacular, the gardener was outside so I stopped to inquire of the name. They were passed down in her family from her Grandma she appeared to be in her 60's so Historics. And she told me she has over a dozen different ones to come back in June and she would give me some of each! Gardeners are so awesome and generous! Best people on the planet! Anyway, long way around to the point... blues are on my to buy list... Rena'

The same thing happened to me, Rena'. I saw blue in someone else's garden and swooned. So far none of my blues have taken my breath away- still waiting! I saw a photo of a clump of Cascadian Rhythm, and that was a sight for sure. I'm waiting to see Walking On Air, which I think may be more purply, and a seedling sent to me by Mr. J. Griffin Crump, a hybridizer. I may also try Pacific Tide soon. It's a light blue and it reblooms.
Renee

Oh I really like the Cascadian Rhythm, so pretty! The only one (so far) on my want list that I haven't bought yet this year is Orangutan Orange. I love the BC's, they are probably my favorites (for today anyway) lol. Rebloomers & fragrance together are awesome. So many to buy so little time! lol

Rena'

The bluest iris I've seen just recently at Napa Iris Farm. Both Absolute Treasure and Stan Coates(white edged blue) are true sky blue and very impressive planted in mass. Sapphire Hills is truest blue of medium blues. Rapture in Blue,Acqua Fresca, Delta Blue,Seaswell and Abiqua Falls and Joyful Skies(close) all have lavender overtones i.e. what Crayola would call blue-violet. I've got yet to see a darker "true'blue.

this is the bluest iris I have. I don't know the name of it.