Jelly Roll bearded iris

Another Iris in Isolation

| Flower Roberts

I thought this beauty disappeared years ago. It reappeared when I thinned out a row of Cooley iris near the play yard gate.

Jelly Roll bearded iris

It had been crowded too much to bloom.

There are bully iris; Night Affair, Persian Berry, Banana Frappe’ and Shipshape from Cooley’s all fall into the bully category here. These varieties multiple rapidly and over-power the slow growers.

Two of the bullies; Banana Frappe’ and Shipshape

This is Jelly Roll. It now grows at the end of two tiers in my plant nursery section. Its only competition is weeds that I cannot seem to keep up with.

I love its orange beard and the slight blush of pink on its standards.

It has thrived in isolation and has doubled its clump size on both tiers.

I am so happy that I rescued Jelly Roll from that crowded row of bullies.

FLOW/Iris Rescuer

Iris Identification

| Flower Roberts

I try really hard to keep good records of which plants are where in the garden.

Sometimes the flowers move on me and I have to figure out who moved where.

So we are piecing together the history of a mystery iris.

I thought I got it from my dad.

I thought it had one name, he gave me another from his records.

Neither name matches this beauty.

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Its features match an iris I got from Cooley’s Gardens decades ago.  I thought it had disappeared.

After much discussion and comparison to photos on the American Iris Society website.

I am declaring this beauty ‘Jelly Roll.’

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Welcome back Jelly Roll!

Flower