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Friday, May 13, 2011

Pacific Coast Native Iris in the Cascadia Garden

 Iris douglasiana May 2009

Iris douglasiana May 2010 

Iris douglasiana May 2010

 Iris hartwegii May 2010

 Iris hartwegii May 2010

Iris tenax May 2009

Iris macrosiphon May 2010

Pacific Coast Hybrid Iris May 2010

 Pacific Coast Hybrid Iris May 2010

Pacific Coast Hybrid Iris May 2010

I love Pacific Coast Native Iris (PCNI) best among the Iris in my garden in Seattle.  I like the evergreen foliage.  I like the small size & the fact they don't need staking.  I love the flowers.  To my mind, many garden Iris have grotesquely large & gaudy flowers.  Compared to these, PCNI seem pure & simple.  There are 11 species of PCNI, most of them found in California.  Many are hard to obtain.  Not all flourish in Seattle.  PCNI are also hybridized.  The hybrids are not always as appealing to me as the species.  I've grown Pacific Coast Hybrid Iris from seed I got from the Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris (SPCNI).  You can see the results above.  I like Iris douglasiana best.  I'm also pleased with Iris macrosiphon & Iris hartwegii.  These 3 are robust in my garden.  Most hybrids are created from Iris douglasiana & Iris innominata.  In my garden, PCNI bloom in May.

PCNI in the Cascadia Garden
Iris chrysophylla
Iris douglasiana
Iris hartwegii
Iris macrosiphon
Iris purdyi
Iris tenax

9 comments:

  1. So pretty! I have some of these hybrids in my garden, got them last year at a local plant swap. They are the only irises I have right now. I used to have bearded irises in a previous garden, but haven't really felt the need for them in my current one.

    Your pictures are great!

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  2. These irises are beautiful! Lovely photographs.

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  3. Wow, what a great native. Is it short like Iris cristata? Those are somewhat evergreen, too. Irises bloom so short a period . . . it leaves you wanting more!

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  4. Iris douglasiana is the tallest of the PCNI in my garden. The leaves are about 18", the flower stalks about 14". I just went outside with the tape measure.

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  5. I also prefer iris botany. The nature is so beautiful ...

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  6. Iris may well have a short flowering period, the ones which you show us today would earn their keep in any garden.

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  7. Gorgeous pictures! Are they in bloom now? Mine are just finishing up.

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  8. Two of the hybrids have just started to bloom in the past few days. I'm surprised that bloom times in Seattle & Long Beach, CA are that close together.

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  9. Awesome photos! I am very inspired from your post. I really like it..
    Thanks for sharing with us..

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