Ok, teach me. Are the beards a judging point? Is that why your pix are so focused on a tiny spot? I would think the whole flower was important?

for one thing, the details of the beards can help identify an iris if you trying to find it's name.
They are just fun to photograph too, trying to capture the details and colors, textures.
I do not know anything re judging, I'll leave that to someone else

Hi Kit ~ Want some irises?

Evelyn

I found some photos in the archive.. not only beards, but also some other parts

"Tantalizing"


American Maid


Astrobubbles


Brilliant Disguise


Brilliant Idea


Gypsy Lord


Starship Enterprise


Twilight Rhapsody


Vienna Waltz


Smart Money


scolia maculata on 'Stairway to Heaven'


misumena vatia on 'Spring Madness'

Kat - when this thread was started we were just highlighting some iris that had extraordinary beards. It had nothing to do with the judging of an iris. There were a lot of space agers, those with horns and spoons and flounces, coming out at the time and Brilliant Idea was very popular at the time so it was just a fun topic.

Lestv- my grandson just left tarheel to come home- I had understood it was a fun thread, but it did make me wonder if there was an importance to it. NO Evelyn! I am trying to keep some noids living my sister handed me a paper bag full of...chuckl, it has me irritated the blades are limp, but I can guarantee that heat, water and that loose soil in the raised beds are contributing. Since I was looking for a thread that claimed 'all about irises' was here somewhere to read up on current plants- which I admit defeat to finding- I dropped in to gaze at what you guys are growing and showing. Waving hi at all!

Texas is definitely tough and rough on iris, bit my very favorite hybridizer of iris lives there. If you ever need help with getting your iris in shape let us know. In general we are really good at helping others grow iris!!

They were handed to me in a paper bag, chuckl, 6 to 8 mo out of the ground, some without any green blades. They are alive, but no iris I have ever seen behave this way. I think the fennel is holding them up. I will eventually get a place protected enough to get them out of there...I have so many moles...

If I ever get blooms, I will show them off to you guys

They look healthy.