color changing iris???????

[canesisters]

Several years ago someone gave me a bunch of iris. These were the ones that bloom the basic, light purple, all one color blooms. I planted them around the pine tree in the driveway circle and they have greeted me every spring with a happy lavendar show.
Last year - one of them bloomed yellow. ???????
This year - 5 yellow plus one that is dark maroon with a white center!!!????!!!????

Is this possible????
:rainbow-sun

 

[897tgigvib]

One of 3 things happened:

1) In among the bunch of Iris your friend gave you were small pieces of Rhizomes of the other varieties.

2) Someone is playing a joke on you and tucked some other varieties in your Iris patch, or maybe as a gift or something.

3) Those purple iris made seeds that volunteer sprouted and grew.


:rose


Try taking one of those purple iris rhizomes and plant it elsewhere. Keep an eye on it for several years, see what it does.

 

[canesisters]

Hummm..... I love the idea of a secret-gifting-garden-friend. :happy_flower As long and I'm making up garden friends.... I suppose I can hope that this one will sneak over and mow the grass one day too!
I think I'll go with that idea and just thank my s.g.g.f. if any more colors show up.

 

[Kassaundra]

I don't know how possible it is, but when my Gma moved to OK from NM she swears she dug up yellow iris she had growing (the only iris she had growing in NM) and moved it w/ her when it came up and bloomed in OK it was purple. I personally have never had an iris to change color, but she swears hers did.

 

[Detlor Poultry]

I just recieved a color changing Iris (sorta). I bought a Tennison Ridge Iris, a very unique, beautiful and bizarre variety, and recieved Rare Treat - which is a totally different color - instead!

By the way, like my new signature?

 

[Detlor Poultry]

You know, it is plausible. Any white Hydrangea turns lavender (one specialized type turns deep blue) when exposed to a higher pH in the soil, so perhaps Irises do something funny like that too.

 

[vfem]

First of all, Delt... LOVE the sig! It's about time I changed mine.

Secondly, back to the point, about 4 years ago I was given a box full of iris as a surprise. I planted them all and it took until the second year to get blooms. I had yellow, maroon and 2 shades of purple. Last year I noticed another shade of reddish purple and white. This year I noticed a white with a purple center and a new purple with an orange center.

Basically, I'm sure there were small pieces of rhizome in there from other varieties that too years to get to size to actually make a full blooming age plant.

I hope next year something else pops up! I regularly split the iris in the beds and try to spread them around... I have more then 40 now, which would look awesome, but I gave 8 of them away to trade for chickens!!!!

 

[Detlor Poultry]

First of all, Delt... LOVE the sig! It's about time I changed mine.

Thanks! I changed it again, adding solicitations and endorsements, and the link to my page, which I changed as well. It's very poetic now, if'n I do says so myself.

And I have to concur that it was probably a case of immature Rhizomes maturing. All that I know about Irises (be it ever so humble) suggests that they don't change color. Unless you kill them. Then the leaves fade to yellow, then tan, and the flowers get shrivelly.

 

[canesisters]

Nope - I'm sure it is my own personal secret-gifting-garden-friend!
I came home Sat afternoon and there was a pile of iris (over 20 plants) and a pile of day lilies (maybe 50 or more) next to my fence. Not sure where they came from. Got the iris' in the ground Sunday and the lillies in water till tonight.
:rose

 

[momofdrew]

Nope - I'm sure it is my own personal secret-gifting-garden-friend!
I came home Sat afternoon and there was a pile of iris (over 20 plants) and a pile of day lilies (maybe 50 or more) next to my fence. Not sure where they came from. Got the iris' in the ground Sunday and the lillies in water till tonight.
:rose

wow You are lucky to have a personal secret gifting garden friend...I could use one of those too... I'd put a thank you note on the fence with a yummy something as a gift back to whomever that was...