I buy most of my bulbs from Van Engelen.. http://www.vanengelen.com/
I've had good success with them. They're the parent company to John Scheepers and sell in larger numbers, as a rule.. 100 I. reticulata 'Harmony' for $14...

Van Engelen is my go to source for lots of bulbs, especially little bulbs I like to plant in drifts.

Harmony is a lovely blue & grows very well.

I have been getting mine from Garden mail order catalogs and I did not know there were nearly as many varieties and colors as there is. I am going to have to order from more specialty bulb places. I have ordered from Brent & Becky's and Holland Bulbs but mostly for things I knew I wanted and could not find anywhere else.

Considering placement of some I.histriodes Katherine Hodgkin, do any of you know if the foliage continues to grow like I. reticulata? Lucy, @irisarian , I'm thinking you may know...

As cute as I. reticulata are in the front of the garden, the way those leaves keep growing afterwords keeps me placing them in the middle and back of the garden. Since there is hardly anything else growing at that time, they still show off well, but those leaves reach 18" or more and make the front of the border look like unmowed grass.

I don't notice leaves after bloom, but have grape hyacinths in the same area & they might mask the iris leaves.

Love it, Bonnie! Is that Katherine Hodgkin?

Yes, it is. I bought two different colors of pale blue last fall. I bought a lot and put bunches in marked gift bags for my gardening friends and planted a few of each in my garden. I am getting emails and calls from them remarking on the joy these little bulbs are bringing to their gardens. It is like double the fun of growing bulbs. smiles

Great friend--the people are lucky to have you.

too. What a nice gifting Bonnie!

I noticed on my walk-a-bout that there are some I. reticulate ready to open !.....maybe this afternoon

Neal, here's a pic of Katharine Hodgkin leaves, 12 to 16 inches tall.

Thanks Evan! That answers my question- they are like I.reticulata in that regard, good to know before filling an area next to the path with them.

Your welcome. Now to get the weeding done.

I recently discovered that the world of reticulata irises is a whole lot bigger than I imagined. Thanks to a dedicated Canadian breeder, there's now a whole cosmos of amazing colours.

http://www.reticulatas.com/HTM...

I've been following these folks on facebook, amazing work they're doing! Several of their varieties are being propagated in Holland, I wonder when we'll start seeing them on the market?

His website mentions that "Brent and Becky's" website will offer them in North America. Lucky you... I'm sure you'll see them sooner than we will in Australia!