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Pacific coast irises

wrighttwrightt Posts: 231
in Plants

Does anyone know where I can get Pacific coast Irises? I have a few and they are wonderful growing in shade but Broadliegh gardens, where I bought them, no longer seem to stock them anymore and I would love a few more colours as I only have a purple/ Blue coloured one and I have just read that they look lovely against rhododendrons.

Posts

  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 36,829

    Just checked their site and they are still advertising them. I am going to be at Tatton next Thursday and they will be exhibiting there too so I will check them out.

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 36,829

    I have just taken this extract from the British Iris Society, copied and pasted it here:

    Pacific Coast Iris (PCI)

    The Pacific Coast, or Californian iris are members of the beardless group, and comprise a number of iris species, mainly I. innominata, I. douglasiana, I. tenax and I. munzii, all of which are endemic to the west coast of North America. It would be difficult to grow most of the species in the UK, but hybrids bred from inter-species crossing are usually quite easy in British gardens. They are best grown from seed, which should be sown in trays in the autumn, and left outside over the winter. Germination is high, and under the right conditions, some plants can be expected to bloom in 18 months, exhibiting a variety of colours, and even with delicate tracery in the petals. A warning. Mature plants hate being moved, and this exercise should only be undertaken in September/October, when they are forming new roots, and disturbance is minimal. Otherwise, they are very accommodating.

    I hadn't realised that the name covered several types of iris.

    http://www.chilternseeds.co.uk/item_719c_iris_innominata_seeds

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • YviestevieYviestevie Posts: 7,063

    Try Kellways they specialise in Iris, just google them they have a very good website.

    Hi from Kingswinford in the West Midlands
  • wrighttwrightt Posts: 231

    Dear all

    Checked the Broadleigh brochure and they are not on there when i try it on their web site they send me to minnature ones, CheckedChiltern seeds and they only sell seed for one miniature one and have often bout form Kellways but they do not sell them either. I am going to Tatton and will look for them there but do not hold out a lot of hope. A Spanish company used to sell them but they don't either anymore.

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,295

    Pacific coast irises is a bit broad for searching for plants. Have you tried searching individually for the species Ladybird lists in her post?

    I would always search for a species rather than a group of species. Speaking generally here, I don't grow irises except a couple of natives



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • wrighttwrightt Posts: 231

    Tried I. innominata but if I click on any of the uk sites I just get nothing but the name as nobody seems to have it. I will try some of the others and will speak to Broadleigh when I am at Tatton on Wednesday. 

    I grow the native ones but only one will grow in shade whereas the pacific coast ones will nearly all grow in shade and the ones I have are lovely, under my deciduous trees. 

    Thanks to all of you who have tried to help

  • ruthbaumbergmlIogWCCruthbaumbergmlIogWCC Posts: 1
    I have grown pacific coast hybrid irises from a packet of seeds bought at Chelsea in 2010. Got 4 different colours and good clumps of each. Very easy from seed!
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