Thank you for the photos, Phillip. It's all very helpful.

Celia - the catalog and gift certificate still haven't arrived.

Right now this is my list, subject to change!

Afternoon in Rio (none of the ATP photos seem as dark or as beautiful)
Carnival Ride (all ATP photos are excellent and match Schreiner's online photo)
Fangnificent (no photos on ATP database)
Florentine Silk (excellent photos on ATP)
Gypsy Romance (similar to Fangnificent trio I talk about below)
Impressionist (great ATP photos)
In Living Color (purple falls in CA but blue in Iowa - any East coast experience?) I realize climate makes a difference.
Montmartre (whether it's wine, purple or dark lavender - I will order this one. I love it.)
Owyhee Desert (how is Owyhee pronounced?) (Highly recommended by Leslie)
Queen's Circle (fantastic ATP photos - true to Schreiner's photos)
Secret Rites (exceptional photos on ATP to all - my compliments to everyone)
Social Graces (so many great ATP photos!)
Vienna Waltz (great ATP photos)

These three (Fangnificent, Afternoon in Rio, Xanthippe's Halo) all have a lot in common and I just received Xanthippe's Halo from a very generous trader so I'm leaning towards having all three BUT some photos of Fangnificent are so light in color that I really wouldn't want it if it's truly light and not dark. Please tell me if yours was light or dark. Thanks.



If anyone has any input, negative or positive, I'd love to hear it.

Can't help you with Fangnificent -- just ordered it this year.

Carnival Ride and Florentine Silk are wonderful choices.

Impressionist, in my experience, is hard to grow. It needs its own perfect conditions -- hard to please.

In my head, I pronounce Owyhee-ow wee hee. A YouTube video has it being pronounced...oh why hee.

try this on for size.

http://www.3rd1000.com/history...

Owyhee = Hawaii

oh, btw.....(Alert Alert tooting of one's own horn Alert Alert)

I lived in Hawaii too

Very interesting information on the origin of the name. Thanks!

I did live on Hawaii for two weeks of vacation in 2002. That must count for something!

I spent two years there. Watched as they filmed the movie Tora! Tora! Tora!

Our neighbor's parents, who became our friends, went to Oahu for three months for 17 years. The weather was ideal while we were there on four of the islands but the neighbor's sister, who lived there many years, said it got very humid by May. It was still so beautiful.

Gypsy Romance is a wonderful plant!

Thanks so much, Lucy! Every bit of information helps me make my decisions easier.

Owyhee Hawaii. Rhyming! Both very beautiful too!

Thank you, Leslie. I found out that it was derived from the name Hawaii (or vice versa), by traders (not iris traders!).

Schreiner's added some more nice ones to it's summer sale. Sofia and Venetian Glass are included. I always go for the expensive ones I want when they are at the sale price. I feel better paying $5.95 than $14 in case the iris doesn't do well here. So, more iris are there for your consideration. Happy shopping!

I'll keep looking. Thank you for giving me names! Through trial and error I've found the expensive ones to be the best but not in the case of daylilies. Today I spent five hours cleaning the iris garden and will relabel each one tomorrow so I can work out some kind of color harmony with the new ones.

Each day I check the mail Jack brings home from the post office, hoping the catalog will be there and each day I'm disappointed. It's likely they won't have all I want by the time it arrives.

I like the chance to buy Kevin Vauhn's book on beardless irises, although the only type we grow are Siberians.

With bearded irises expense only indicates how long it has been on the market and how plentiful the variety is. Sometimes the expensive ones don't multiply quickly, less stock = higher price. And the newness of the cultivar means there are fewer gardeners growing it to get feedback from. Thankfully we've got some real connoisseurs here on ATP who try out all the new intros and can let us know how they're performing!

Arlene, can you order on line or over the phone with your gift certificate? It's a shame they're keeping you waiting!

Thanks, Neal. I'd order Montmartre if it were $5.95 or $15.00. I feel that way about a few of them. I realize the price vs. supply and the feedback issue yet this is a gift so I am going with gut feelings and ordering what I love most. Of course, I did that with daylilies and some were so disappointing while all was ideal with another vendor: live and learn can be joyful as well as filled with angst.

Edited to finish my response: I just might have to call them. Waiting 10 days for the catalog and gift certificate is much too long for me.

We plant-heads are used to waiting for growth and bloom but, when it comes to ordering? We want it NOW! Yeah, I would call them, too.

You're right! I'll call later to find out the amount of the gift certificate and then have my A list and B list in case they're out of the ones I want most.

That is a very good plan! And they are very good with phone orders. Good luck, and hope you get all the A-listers!