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Iris Terminology
AMOENA - White standards with falls a different and contrasting colour.
BICOLOUR - Standards light coloured; falls a different or darker colour.
BLEND - Combination of two or more colours, smoothly or unevenly applied.
FALLS - Lower three petals of the flower; designated F.
FLOUNCES - The end of the beard has a petal-like appendage much like a standard.
FORM - Flowers of good balance and proportions.
GLACIATA - Flower has no purple or red pigment and is a very clean white, pink or yellow.
HAFT - Area of the fall extending from the heart out about 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches.
HORNS - The end of the beard is elongated and uplifted to a point.
LUMINATA - Recessive to plicata, ground colour, stylearms and beards are all the same colour; area at the haft & surrounding the beard must be free of all plicata marks.
NEGLECTA - Light blue standards, darker coloured falls.
PLICATA - Stippled, dotted or stitched margin colour on lighter ground colour.
REVERSE - Any of the above with the standards darker than the falls.
RIM, EDGE - A thin edge of colour around the falls and perhaps also the standards.
SELF - An Iris of one solid colour.
SIGNAL - A patch of contrasting colour at the tip of the beard.
SPOONS - The end of a beard is uplifted, rounded and enlarged.
SPOT - A different coloured area on the falls; may cover most of the fall.
STANDARDS - Upper three petals of the flower; designated S.
STYLEARM - The three small upright structures in the middle of the flower.
SUBSTANCE - The strength, endurance & weather resistance of the petals.
TEXTURE - The surface of the petals; shimmering, velvety, diamond dusted, satiny etc.
VARIEGATA - Colours mixed together in a random way, stripes or splotches.
VEINS - Lines that are a contrasting colour or darker colour than the petal.
REBLOOMERS:
Some Iris will bloom after the regular season of bloom. These are called rebloomers. They most often rebloom in the fall, but can sometimes bloom earlier and more often. If they have rebloomed in southern Ontario I have noted this. Other varieties that have been registered as reblooming are also noted. Warmer areas can have rebloom on plants that won't rebloom here. The season can greatly affect the quality and quantity of rebloom. Extra water and fertilizer in the summer can also encourage rebloom. The rebloom is over a long period of time, so don't expect the massed display as in spring.
The following are among the best rebloomers in my garden. Zone 5b Canadian or Zone 4 USA. We have cold, wet springs and killing frost near the end of October.
Tall Bearded: Cantina, Clarence, Immortality, Pink Attraction, Queen Dorothy, Rosalie Figge, Total Recall
Miniature Tall Bearded: Lady Emma
Miniature Dwarf Bearded: Forever Violet
Intermediate Bearded: Blessed Again, Lo Ho Silver, Precious Little Pink
Standard Dwarf Bearded: Baby Blessed, Blueberry Tart, Forever Blue, Frankincence, Hot, Little Showoff, What Again
Note: Not all of the above named Iris may be available in this years offerings. Please check in the Iris Variety pages to see what can be ordered.
PARTS OF THE BEARDED IRIS:
RELATIVE SIZES OF THE BEARDED IRIS FAMILY:
2012