A New Script for Rebloom
By Mike Lockatell, AIS Region 4 Reblooming Iris Chairman

Click HERE for the full text of the article (pdf)

American Iris Society Region 4—The Newscast August 2012 p. 10-11

Good Culture Ensures Rebloom--From Iris Austin, June 2012

Read the full text HERE

Reblooming Bearded Irises

Reblooming Bearded Irises have existed for decades.  Unlike “Encore®” Reblooming Azaleas, these special perennial plants received minimal attention from Iris fanciers.  Public notice finally arrived in the late nineties due to a feature story appearing in Martha Steward Living Magazine.  Product demand forced major producers to list selections in their yearly catalogs.

Spring only flowering bearded irises cannot become a reblooming one.  Remontants (rebloomers) are bred for spring and fall flowering.  As hybridizers such as the late Dr. Lloyd Zurbrigg formerly of Radford, VA and Durham, NC retired, concrete performance data and new development saw a significant decline over the past decade.  Since rebloom origins are difficult to pinpoint, only a handful of dedicated breeders across the US and Canada are actively working for new color breaks and patterns plus better fall reliability.  One current goal is to move the fall bloom sequence up to late August or early September.  Such progress would allow gardeners in colder climates the chance to enjoy these marvelous heirloom plants in fall flower.

Gardeners should use extreme caution in ordering plants from mail order catalogs and print media ads.  Growers fail to make the distinction between warm and cool season varieties.  West Coast selections may not grow or flower in fickle Mid-Atlantic growing conditions.  Consult reputable local growers for the best choices in performance and fall bloom reliability.

Mike Lockatell                                            

Roots & Blooms, LLC                                   

The Joyce Lockatell Memorial Garden

500 Pantela Drive

North Chesterfield, VA 23235

(804) 330-2916

CMarti8855@verizon.net

rootsandblooms.us

The Great Clarence Mystery

Mike has published an article proposing a solution to the "Great Clarence Mystery"--the unknown parentage of one of the most breathtaking of Lloyd Zurbrigg's reblooming irises. "Clarence" was a finalist for the prestigious Dykes Medal, but failed to win it due to uncertain antecedents.

The article was published in "Irises: The Bulletin of the American Iris Society" vol 92(2), April 2011, and appears HERE by permission.

Rebloom Seeks Good Fortune (Published in American Iris Society Region 4 Newscast, March 2012)

Mike's article linked here recently appeared in the March 2012 issue of The Newscast,  the newsletter of Region 4 of the American Iris Society.

Winter Weeds on the Attack

A mild winter is a mixed bag.  Homeowners have hopefully enjoyed lower heating bills.  Landscape contractors and arborists continue to work without the threat of freezing temperatures in an effort to get a jump start on the upcoming spring season. 

Since the groundhog in PA made his annual declaration in early February, winter daytime temperatures remain above normal.  Winter weeds such as chickweed, henbit, Bittercress and dandelions have been on a rampage in plantings beds and lawns.  Bittercress continues to make new appearances in the suburban landscape.  Like its fellow noxious broadleaf weeds, gardeners should not ignore its existence in the yard. 

Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) germinates and grows into a basil rosette with small dark segmented foliage.  It has a mounded appearance composed of pinnate leaves with alternate 1-2-3 parts of round to kidney shapes leaflets.  Petioles are prominent and hairy.  Flower stems are erect and smooth sporting little foliage.

Small (2-3mm in diameter) white blooms have four tiny petals.  They are arranged in dense racemes.  (The floral structure is on a smaller scale similar to hyacinth flowers.)  Long and narrow purple seed heads can measure up to l.5 cm to 2 cm in length.  Its fruit are known as “Siliques” and can explosively spread seed as much as 10 feet from the parent plant.  Any contact such as walking, raking, weeding, lawn mowing activates seed dispersal. 

Heavy hairy Bittercress infestations are mainly evident in early spring.  Home gardeners can easily forget about this broadleaf weed’s presence around the landscape during the remainder of the growing season. Control measures require timely post emergent herbicide applications in spring and fall.  This weed’s unique and efficient seed distribution mechanism can NOT be underestimated.  If Bittercress infestations are manageable, mechanical removal is highly recommended before and during flowering.  The same advice is helpful for henbit, chickweed and annual bluegrass control. 

Avid home gardeners are strongly advised to contact your local Cooperative Extension Office to discuss the latest recommendations to curb this aggressive broadleaf weed.  Be vigilant now to avoid later pain.