Iris color

Theladygardens@aol.com Theladygardens@aol.com
Sat, 02 Feb 2013 13:21:16 PST
I imagine she hasn't divided them for years.  What happens is they get  
pollinated, she doesn't remove the seed pods, the pods pop open and spill all  
among her hybrid iris.  The iris that come up are the strongest toughest  
throw backs to a natural iris color, either yellow or sometimes lavender/blue 
or  white.  The only other way this could happen is from a chemical spray of 
 some sort.  Chemical sprays usually deform the flowers as well as mess 
with  the colors, but less likely to turn them all the same yellow. To keep 
your  hybrid iris, you must remove the seed pods or ovary which are under the  
flower.  It's the thick part above the stem but under the flower. I had a  
lady in my garden who insisted that hers had changed over the years and she  
always removed the seed pods. She was so adamant that I finally asked her  
to show me on one of my blooming plants how she removed it.  She carefully  
took off the flower petals and left a very pregnant seed pod on the stem.  
Carolyn in Los Gatos, CA



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