One of the first plants that I got for free at my first PNW plant exchange, several years ago when we first moved here, was a number of different Pacific Coast Iris hybrids. They've been divided once since then, and are blooming now.
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| This one was labeled 'Broadleigh Rose.' |
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| It starts out more orange when it first opens, and ages to a lighter shade. |
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| I've lost the tag for this one. It's pretty, but I prefer the colors in 'Broadleigh Rose.' |
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| I love the veins on all of them. |
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| I featured this one, called 'Fruit Market,' in a recent post. It was the first to start blooming. |
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| Like 'Broadleigh Rose' the flowers age to a lighter shade. |
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| Do you notice anything odd about this one? It has four falls, instead of three like all the others. |
I wonder if that makes it lucky, like finding a four-leaf clover.
I remember being surprised that there were Irises that were West Coast natives. I always thought of Irises as exotic things. Dividing and transplanting them can be tricky, but so far I've had fair luck with that. They're ok being out of the ground overnight as long as the roots don't dry out, and as long as you dig them at the right time of year (late winter/early spring). I usually put the divisions into a pail of water if I know I won't be able to get to them the same day that I dig them up.
You can read more about Pacific Coast Irises at this link:
Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris.
