I would just like to learn a bit about these guys and if anyone has experience with them and are there are any vendors who focus on growing Pacific Iris? There doesn't seem to have anywhere near the same level of interest for these guys as there are for the beards, so I'm just wondering is it the location of most Iris enthusiasts? Do Pacific Iris take up lots of room for few flowers? Is their season really short? Have the hybridizers not really focused to much on them? Is it their growing zones the limiting factor?

http://www.leonineiris.com/l9i...

This web site has a bit of information on them. Joe Ghio does a lot of hybridizing with them also.

The main reason you don't see as much interest in Pacificas is that they tolerate a fairly narrow range of climatic conditions. They need cool, wet winters and warm, very dry summers. Basically, the climate of the Pacific Northwest, coastal California, and a limited number of other places scattered around the globe.

I'd love to grow them, but they can't survive the winters here or, most years, the summers either.

Thanks iciris and Kent 🙂
I figured the range must be one of the main reasons it. I just find it odd I live in the Pacific Northwest and I really haven't seen them.... well only once in an Iris club's garden.

Well, if we ever move to the Oregon coast, I would probably want to focus more on them. I really never knew they came in such a range of colors.

For now, living inland at 3500' in elevation, I will stick with tall beardeds. I like some of the others as well, but my main focus will be on tall beardeds since I want to do some interbreeding.

I like the tall beards too Evelyn such a great spectrum of colors. I just recently kind of discovered the Pacificas and realized how hard it is to find them. There only seems to be one local vendor ( who Iciris mentioned) who focuses on them. I checked their list and they seem to mostly be out but the local iris club will be having a sale this Saturday and they mentioned they will have some so fingers crossed

Rebekah said:I just find it odd I live in the Pacific Northwest and I really haven't seen them.... well only once in an Iris club's garden.

Well, size might be a factor as well. They are relatively small, most of them seem to be somewhere between 6 and 18 inches tall.

Irises are very commonly grown around here. Obviously, no one grows Pacificas, but they could grow Standard Dwarf Bearded Irises. Even though SDBs are far more easily grown than TBs here, frankly, I hardly ever see them in other people's gardens. Even Intermediate Bearded Irises, which were practically invented in Nebraska through the Sass brothers' efforts to create irises that are better suited to local climate than TBs, aren't seen much.

That is interesting Kent, because when I go home to Michigan now I notice that lots of people have large plantings of the SDB's in the verge between the street and the sidewalk. It looks really nice.

😕 no luck, no Pacifics but there were plenty of nice people and I Added five more Irises to my garden Silverado, champange girl, ginger swirl, martel and Staring

I now have two Pacifica's to date so Ill see how they do. Really hoping the both bloom this spring.

Rebekah, They've been a bit finicky for me. They either do really well, or they die. Not much in between..
Send for a catalog from Joe Ghio. His only web presence is a FB page.. but he's one of the top hybridizers of Pacific Coast Iris..
Here are a few of his seedlings from our shows..


'Tour de California'


There's another hybridizer in San Jose who is getting some beautiful results. I'm not sure if he's introduced any yet.. but he's getting turquoise in them... which I find pretty exciting..
Gary Knipe seedling

Sherry thank you for sharing! These are absolutely spectacular!!! Wow, yeah I read something about working with turquoise and how difficult it is because it requires the right pigment on multiple layers. Your right it is exciting!

I might try a few Pacificas, maybe next year. On the map of where they will grow, I'm just above cut off line, although I noticed there's a nursery selling them online in Sequim, which is considerably north of us. To be fair though, Sequim is located in one of those odd little pleasant microclimates that doesn't match up with what the rest of us in the area experience.

Sherry ~ They are beautiful!

I live in the Northeast, Zone 6b, and have entertained the idea of growing them in containers, to shelter them from the winter cold and the summer rain. But lack of any information about their container culture for my kind of climate has so far discouraged me from doing it.

Garry has at least one Pacifica registered, PREMONITION OF SPRING (a very early PCI), but he still hasn't had a seedling with turquoise that meets his demanding standards. I have PoS, and it seems to be a strong grower, for a PCI. (Believe me, I have had my share of difficulties with them.)

Pacific Coast Iris (Iris 'Premonition of Spring')

Like Sherry, my PCI's thrive or die. But when they thrive, they make an abundant display of smaller flowers that sometimes look like they're from outer space. So unique, so beautiful, and the bloom season lasts for weeks. If your conditions allow for their growth, then you should absolutely look into ordering some and giving it a go.

Richard I think I missed you photos, Beautiful! Such works of art.