April 21st, 2007
Iris ‘Raspberry Wine’
2003-04-27. Austin, Texas. (zone 8)
In 2007, ‘Raspberry Wine’ has been the only named bearded iris that I still own that bloomed. Over the years since I first fell in love with bearded iris, my yard has gotten shadier and shadier. Bearded iris are definitely sun-loving plants.
I’d give up on fancy bearded irises except every time one opens, I fall in love all over again. ‘Raspberry Wine’ is no exception. I really like the color and the proportions of this flower. It just needs more sunlight than I can offer it here. Given the poor conditions for irises in my garden the last couple of years, I’m delighted that it flowered at all.
I received ‘Raspberry Wine’ as a bonus iris with my order from Schreiner’s.
Schreiner 2001 M 37″ Claret self. “This vigorous wonder has inherited superb growth habits from its parent Madeira. Seedling BB 326-1”
Parentage:
Madeira X Y682-2: (T453-B, Thriller sib x T449-A: (R183-A, sib to Stardus Memories pod parent, x R208-A: ((Sailor’s Dance x unknown) x Yaquina Blue pollen parent)))
In 2005 ‘Raspberry Wine” won an Honorable Mention award from the American Iris Society. Oddly enough, I couldn’t find ‘Raspberry Wine’ in Schreiner’s Iris Gardens online catalog just now, even though they developed this iris. It is available from Rainbow Iris Farm in Iowa.
Dateline: 2001-08-03
Planted.
Dateline: 2003-04-27
First flower ever. A very nice reddish purple that looks really good next to the golden yellows of the heirloom irises. The flower is a bit small, on small plants; but this is probably because it is blooming so late and it’s been very dry all month.
‘Raspberry Wine’ bloomed with a pretty shape and color, but has not proven vigorous here in central Texas…yet. In the two years that I planted it, it only bloomed this second year. The rhizome divided, but one half rotted, so I’m currently left with a small rhizome. This fall I’m going to move it to the front iris bed in hopes that it’ll do better there. 2007-04-20. Of course, I never got around to moving it.
Dateline: 2003-08-12
Two rhizomes have rotted and one medium one is left in front of the transplanted ‘Thriller’.
Dateline: 2004-04-30
First flower.
Dateline: 2006-09-13
Dug up the bed that had various named bearded irises. Tree roots had made it very dry and cloddy. Amended with half a bag of Texas hardwood mulch and as much sifted compost. Dug in Bulb Booster. After soaking in bleach solution replanted remaining small rhizomes with roots. From left to right, possibly these. Unable to tell: Raspberry Wine, Incantation, Jazzed Up.
Dateline: 2007-04-20
First flower. The actual first bud on the stalk blasted but the second bud started opening yesterday (4/19) and was completely open by today. There might be a third small flower on the stalk. The stalk is only about 24 inches tall and leaning desperately toward sunlight. The rhizome is still medium.
by M Sinclair Stevens
April 21st, 2007
I thought I had heard that here in Austin we don’t get enough cold for bearded iris. If it’s a matter of sun, I will give them another go — saw two big patches, one dark purple, the other a rather unfortunate shade of (urine) yellow this morning, about four blocks away. All the ones I brought with me from Kentucky died away.
April 26th, 2007
Re: Starship Enterprise or something else?
Thanks for those other iris possibles…it’s the peach-colored standards that have really thrown me for a loop. The Starship Enterprise I have – which just came up and bloomed on the other side of my iris bed – has such obvious white standards, and the standards on the other one were very much a peach color.
I got my bearded irises from Park’s a couple of years ago in one big collection, and knowing their (lack of) efficiency, they probably sent a couple of the wrong ones. I’m enjoying their mistake, however! 🙂
Have you guys gotten a lot of rain down there lately? Dallas is really enjoying a wet spring so far…lots of wild weather too. The flowers are loving it.
April 30th, 2007
Do you think this one would be ok in the UK. I’m thinking it wouldn’t like the winters.
I have no idea since I garden in Texas and don’t have any experience gardening in the UK. They are pretty different climates. Perhaps you should ask your local iris society. Or an expert at the RHS website. — mss