The flowers of our Walking Irises (Neomarica gracilis).
It all started when I asked Mom a year or so ago to buy some Iris plants so we could start propagating them. My plan was to use these Irises as bog or marginal plants in the future Koi pond and water garden. That way when the pond and water garden are built there would be plenty of Irises ready to use without the need to buy more.
Our Walking Irises in bloom in the nursery.
So that's how these Irises came to exist in the farm. But the flowers don't resemble the ones I've seen in some online pictures growing near bodies of water so my only conclusion is that this is not the Iris I wanted. However, since they look good just the same they are a very welcome addition in the garden.
The flower of our Giant Apostle's Iris (Neomarica caerulea).
But once again I was at a loss as to what type of Iris these are. I've been wanting to write about them but I don't exactly know their actual names. But the wonders of the internet never cease to amaze. I wasn't even googling for this type of plant when lo and behold there it was staring at me on my monitor, a flower that looks exactly like the blooms of our no-name Irises.
Our Giant Apostle's Irises temporarily placed in front of the front porch of our humble house.
Now I know. Our mysterious Iris is called the "Walking Iris" or the "Apostle's Iris" from the genus Neomarica with sixteen different species. It is native to Central and South America as well as the tropical regions of western Africa. This plant belongs to the family Iridaceae so technically it's still an Iris but quite different from its true Iris cousin which is from the genus Iris. To be specific ours is the Neomarica gracilis and the other is the Neomarica caerulea.
More young Walking Irises in the nursery.
I could only blame myself for not getting the plant I was looking for. It could have helped a lot if I had been more specific when I asked Mom to buy some Irises. I should have said 'Water Iris', now that would have been clearer. The ones we have don't even like wet soil so they'll definitely feel miserable in the future Koi pond and water garden. Anyway, there are plenty of spaces waiting for them in the upper garden where they can thrive in peace and multiply as they desire.
And so the search for the Water Iris is still on. But wait! I have no budget left for more plants.....grrrr!
4 comments:
Your garden is looking more and more beautiful. With this walking iris, your garden looks more like the rooftop Secret Garden of 1-U that I visit frequently. They have a row of walking irises under the shade. They also have the yellow variety. It is interesting how the Walking Iris got its name - how the young plant only start flowering after it has at least 12 leaves (as in the 12 Apostles). Seems like it propagate by 'walking'!
I haven't seen this here yet, beautiful, maybe because i don't frequent many nurseries. But the yellow ones are very common, my mother has it and there's a lot of it at the 5th Floor Window grounds. I often talk with the gardener and he said it entails lots of work as the flower stalks must always be trimmed after blooming to make the plants beautiful again. Otherwise, the spikes look lanky and bend down, sometimes they just grow roots there if neglected. You write very well SR.
These walking irises are beautiful. Sometimes mistakes could be blessings in disguise.
Hello Autumn Belle,
Thanks for the kind words. I read that one way it multiplies is when the flowering stalk bends and touches the ground it will develop roots. So in a way it propagates by 'walking'.
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Hello Andrea,
Hmmm... I wonder where my mother bought these irises and not able to get the yellow one if it's a common variety.
I write well? Bola.... hehehe... but thanks also.
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Hello One,
Yes, mistakes could be a blessing too. Somehow my mother who buys these plants for me makes so many mistakes even if I arm her with pictures of how the plants and their flowers look like, the botanical name, plus the list of common names.
But all her "mistakes" are good since she ends up buying a close relative of the one I'm looking for. Eventually we end up with two or three, the "wrong" and the "right" plants.
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