Parade of Irises 2019

If we can judge by the green, this will be an especially good year for irises up on Sweet Gum Hill.  If you would like to compare this year to prior parades, you should click here: http://www.petrulionis.net/2018/05/thus-begins-parade-of-irises-2018.html
and here: http://www.petrulionis.net/2017/05/the-early-irises-of-sweet-gum-hill-mid.html


One reason this year is so special: the very first to emerge was a new variety, a long blossoming small plant with many dark pink blossoms exhibiting blaze orange beard. We assume it to be a variant of Radagast that resulted prior to its isolation.  Let's hope this is a stable variety but only another year or two will tell for sure. Of course, this pink version with the blaze orange beards and with pink standards arranged in a triple grouping, and falls with small purple leopard spotting, has just been named "Rosie Cotton Gamgee."

May 4, 2019  "Rosie Cotton Gamgee" 

Rosie Cotton Gamgee takes her bow on May 10:

Next up, this purple/blueish iris opened.  In past years we have named it after an early blue wizard. Upon further reflection, and considering its temporal proximity to Rosie above, we have renamed this true blue Iris with the golden heart, silver beard, and early-pointed-later-rounded dark purple falls, "Samwise the Brave."

Samwise The Brave  opened May 6

Samwise the Brave on May 7

Samwise The Brave on May 8

Samwise on May 19

On May 10, we watched the first opening of Elrond.  We assume Elrond is a cross between Saruman The White and Galadriel, having a little of both in its blossom features. This is its second year since isolation. The cultivar has more than doubled and it is now time to begin spreading rhizomes. 

Elrond on May 10

May 11 Elrond

They bloom so quickly, you can almost watch them open!

May 11, something new!  Sometimes I am reminded how much pure luck goes into the rearing of irises!  Without any planning at all, two new varieties of iris popped up out of what we thought was an isolated cultivar of Samwise The Brave.   Lots of things could have happened. A stray insect might have crossed a cultivar with another iris. Or an unstable variety might have produced some rhizomes that were slightly different in color and feature for reasons of genetics that are beyond me to explain. But these new irises are slightly different. (compare them with Samwise The Brave in the background of the next photograph),

Isildur has the yellow beard and a cleft patch of silver in the center of the falls, and with purple along the edges.

The other variety that came from Samwise the Brave is Arathorn, which opened on May 16.  Compare Arathorn's silver beard with Isildur's bright gold beard in the background below.   Arathorn is also a deeper purple and has solid white falls, except the edges are purple.

Isildur on May 14

Isildur on May 15:

A clump of Isildur on May 18:

Arathorn on May 16:

A clump of Arathorn on May 18:\

There is a bed here we call Isengard, comprised mostly of these very large white irises with yellow beards and anthers. On May 11, we had the first blossom this year of the Iris we call "Saruman The White."

Saruman The White on May 16:

Isengard in its glory, May 17:

Isengard at its seasonal peak:

"Saruman The White" is our largest iris and the variety isolated in the bed we call Isengard.  The blossoms reach chest high and are larger than an adult's hand. They have smoldering golden beards, yellowish anthers, and pure white standards and falls.

"Lúthien Tinúviel" emerges from last year's mix-it-up plot. This is its first year in isolation, we'll keep our fingers crossed that it continues to come back in the same form. Some, unfortunately, we lose to the grey havens of genetics as the cultivar continues to change. But we have isolated Lúthien Tinúvie and it is a beauty! Delicate small blossom of a very light lavender color standard and fall, with a yellow anther and beard on very tall stems.




Lúthien Tinúviel opens on May 17:

Lúthien Tinúviel May 21:

First blossoms of "Mithrandir," on May 17:

At first glance, one might mistake this variety with "Saruman The White."  They have similar markings. But Mithrandir's falls are more translucent, almost grey in most light. The anther and beard are more golden than blaze orange, and the whole plant is much smaller. These blossoms are half the size of Saruman, bloom much later and last longer.

Mithrandir:

"Bilbo Baggins of Bag End"  emerges on May 17.  This is smaller than most in stature but packs many a powerful surprise, as you get to know it better, including the deep purple falls, the lavender standards the gold and silver beard, the white anther, and the ability to survive in almost any soil condition. May be easily confused with Samwise The Brave, but for more gold in the beard.

Bilbo Baggins of Bag End:

Bilbo Baggins of Bag End on May 19:

Radagast is a multi-colored iris with beige or brownish falls, pink standards, lots of white, some yellow, purple anther and beard, with yellow and peach colored veins. It seems to look different in every light.   Radagast opened very late in the season this time and is now isolated.

Radagast on May 18:

Beginning its blossom as a dark reddish purple bud, this iris rises to what you see below. We had been calling it by the wrong name. Now informed by our resident expert in iris naming conventions, it has been decided. This red iris, hiding an immense treasure of gold in its beards, will be called Smaug. Smaug shows dark maroon falls with immense gold beards and white and burgundy veins.  The standards are lighter burgundy and his blossoms are on tall stems.

Smaug:

Smaug on May 19:

Smaug takes his bow on May 21:

Something arises in the mountains to the east of Gondor, in the dread keep known as Minas Morgul!  The Witch-king of Angmar begins his blossoming each season as a jet black bud.  But even in the bud can be detected the smoldering heart of a ring wraith. Later, the blossom will become a copper color and then a deep red, all surrounding a smoldering heart of blaze yellow.

The Witch-king of  Angmar on May20

Witch-king of Angmar opened morning of May 21: 

Difficult to believe that this deep burgundy color iris developed from such a coal black bud. 

Witch-king of Angmar fully open on May 21:

Galadriel is our most yellow iris. Tall and regal, yellow standards, yellow anther, beard, and bright yellow falls with slight silver veining, Galadriel produces many blossoms per plant. We have had this cultivar in isolation (and in our mix-it-up beds) for three years. 

First blossom of Galadriel on May 19

A stand of Galadriel on May 20:

First blossoms of "Faramir, Captain of Gondor" opens on May 20.  Similar to other sons of Gondor, this iris is a lighter shade of lavender than Strider's, even lighter than Boromir. "Faramir Captain of Gondor" has a dark golden beard, with oxblood fading to purple falls edged in lavender. 

Farimir, Captain of Gondor on May 21:

Celeborn, a father's day gift last year, opens for its first time on Sweet Gum Hill. 

Not remembering what its official trade name is, we call this variety Celeborn (means "tall silver tree." It has bright yellow standards, altogether very ruffled, yellow beard, white falls, and forms large blossoms on tall elegant stems arising from silverish green leaves. 

Celeborn opens on May 21: 

Celeborn on May 22: 

Legolas Greenleaf, a variety with pure white standards and falls which are deep purple in their centers, oxblood at their collar edges and white along the bottom edges, all done up with sliver/lavender lining, opened on May 22. 

Note the intricate coloration inside the blossom below.   Legolas Greenleaf, fully out now on May 23, is just about the most beautiful flower that is cultivated up here on Sweet Gum.  The thistle might be a little more dramatic, but of course, "Ya kenna tell a thistle where ta grow, kin ya?" 

First blossoming of "Éowyn Warrior of Rohan" on May 23

"Éowyn Warrior of Rohan" is a showy ruffled variety with yellow falls, tangerine standards, a blaze orange beard, in big double handsfull of blossoms occurring all at once on a stem. She is not to be overlooked or underestimated (ask the Witch-king.) Nor is she to be told that her place is home, hearth, and shieldmaidenhood. This iris is one of the most beautiful blossom in the garden. We are attempting to isolate it for a stable cultivar. Perhaps a field full of these are in order someday.

"Éowyn Warrior of Rohan" develops blossoms all at the same time on the same stem. Most iris judges prefer this to an iris which blossoms once every other day. But my own 'druthers would be a flower that blossoms every three days so there would be irises in all varieties at the same time. Unfortunately, nobody ever asked me. 

May 23. Many of the bearded irises are finishing up their season. Some of the smaller varieties, like those named for hobbits, are still producing blossoms. After all, Bilbo was eleventy-two by the end of the trilogy! We still expect some stragglers, almost thrown in as afterthoughts to the plot. But the parade is still going strong. Here come the dwarves (Siberian Irises are named for dwarves.) Like most flowers up here, this naming convention is not shared broadly. Some varieties have mixed through cross pollination. Others we purchased and have forgotten the names. But the dwarves and most of our best irises came to us the way irises should come. Some nice person said, "Hey, would you like a bulb of that one?"


Thorin Oakenshield, blossoms on May 23.  Fairly straight laced, Thorin Oakenshield is not one for extravagance in dress. But if you look very closely you can see the mithril chain he wears in the veins around his white beard. 

A clump of Thorin Oakenshield on May 24:

"Boromir Bearer of The Horn of Gondor" blossomed today for its first time. This iris emerged just as you see it, from an isolated cultivar of yellow irises.  We will certainly attempt to isolate this one. Perhaps we can have a new variety. This one has grape purple falls and light blue standards. Similar to Farimir, the shade of Boromir's standards is bluer and the shade of the falls is darker.

Today, May 25, "Thranduil Elfking" blossomed.  Very similar to the markings of "Legolas Greenleaf," but with a smaller height, a lighter tone of purple in the falls,  and with much less elaborate oxblood color in the veining and anther, "Thranduil Elfking" emerges from tiny stalks and leaves.  Another difference is more obvious. Legolas Greenleaf has ruffled petals in its standards and falls, while Thranduil Elfking's falls are rounded. 

"Gimli Elf-friend" blossomed on May 25.  Gimli Elf-friend is another variety of Siberian iris, Gimli Elf-friend's distinguishing features are lavender color in the petals, the tone of the falls fade almost to white at their edges, and the dead giveaway, the beard still has some coppery red on both sides of the corn silk yellow above the shield. 


Gimli Elf-friend on May 25: 

A clump of Gimli Elf-friend on May 26:

As it happens every year, just when you think the bearded irises have all come to blossom, just when you believe that the Siberian Irises will finish out the parade, there are always one or two stragglers. But they are worth the wait! 

Next up is Arwen Undomiel. Arwen has a color pattern similar to Luthian Tinuviel's, except that this varietal's petals are quite ruffled, and the blossom is gigantic. Double blooming and scented, faintly smelling like a gardinia, Arwen Undomiel blossoms quickly, near the end of the plot. 

Arwen Undomiel opened on May 27:

 Balin Lord of Moria is a regal Siberian Iris, lots of purple accouterments, but guarding a wealth untold, yes lots of gold, but look closer and you can detect the bling, bling, bling of mithril. For that precious metal, Balin's team "delved too deep." 

"Balin, Lord of Moria" on May 27:

And now I have a confession.   I have been remiss in following the naming conventions of the Irises of Sweet Gum. Mea culpa.  Our expert returned from school and set me straight. The following iris begins its budding in a jet black case. Once it opens, we can see the markings of the Dunnedain, a ranger from the North.  Something so dark purple that it almost looks jet black.  The black bud quickly unfurled overnight and at dawn we faced the uncontested reign of a new king.  


Strider blossomed on 5/27.    This iris has ruffled petals in massive blossoms and with a very sweet scent. 

The last bearded iris to open we call, "Eldarian Telcontar."  With the falls following the color of his mother (Arwen) and the standards following the coloration of the maternal grandfather (Elrond) and his great grandmother (Galadriel), Eldarian is quite a colorful iris. And thus with Eldarian Telcontar, the plot of the trilogy as well as the plot of the parade are ended for this third age of Sweet Gum irises. 

Eldarian Telcontar blossomed on May 30:

And finally, deep into June, after the end of all things, we find something wild.  Sandy was busy thinning out red raspberry bushes, deep in a garden that passed, long ago, into a bed of tangled berries, when she looked down and discovered a new variety of Siberian Iris!  Now everyone knows nothing survives the onslaught of raspberry vines. And everyone also knows that Siberian Irises only come in various hues of the purple/blue/lavender color grouping. And yet this one not only survived the berry vines but it is a probable result of cross pollination several years ago. "Durin The Deathless" looks delicate, but is evidently quite robust. This iris has thin white petals with yellow beard, all on a tiny stalk emerging from what must be considered small even when talking about Siberian Iris foliage.  We immediately moved it to a new bed where we hope it will continue to flourish. 

Durin the Deathless on June 6:

August 4   The Very Last (we believe) iris in bloom this year is Witch-king of Angmar. Note that there is one more dark black bud. There may be an iris blooming in the second week of August!