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Penny Carnathan
Penny’s a Nurture And Hold (NAH): Nah, I won’t pull that out yet, it’s still got a green shoot. She likes dragonflies, lady bugs and new stuff only after weeding, pruning and fertilizing.
Kim Franke-Folstad
Kim’s a Want It Now (WIN): Everything pretty, everything now. She will resort to full-spectrum insecticides in desperate situations, and believes it’s her duty and right to buy new plants every weekend.
Both advocate Plant Choice (SOMEthing besides crotons. Please!), lots of color and low maintenance. We don’t agree on everything, but we’re smart enough to learn from each other - and from you.
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The new big blue iris is at Home Depot—breaking news alert (now with shopping update)
Posted Mar 17, 2010 by Loren Omoto
Updated Mar 17, 2010 at 07:28 PM
Remember Neomarica caerulea ‘Regina’, Giant Apostle’s Iris? The stunning new iris from Brazil that does so very well in Florida?
Our own dear Farmer Rick sent an email to let us know it’s in Home Depots now! The bad news is, he sent it last Thursday and I didn’t see it until just now because it went to my Junk Mail box. (Note to Junk Mail Filter: Farmer Rick emails good; Better Living Through Colonics emails bad!)
If they’re not in flower, I can’t imagine they’ve all been scooped up. He says 20 per store were sent out. Here’s what they’ll look like on the shelves. (Thanks for the photo, Rick.)
Here’s the shopping update:
I stopped by the HD at Dale Mabry and I-275 in Tampa after posting Rick’s alert, and that store has two or three dozen, at least. But if you want them, I suggest going before Saturday. The garden centers are getting a lot of weekend traffic.
This store got 90 of them last week. They’re in 5-gallon pots (I think they’re 5-gallon!) and they’re $14.99. They had a display of them out front labeled Giant Iris, and a few more inside. They’re nice-sized, healthy-looking plants. One I bought is 3’3’’ tall, the other 2’10”.
What you can’t see on these, or the ones in Farmer Rick’s pics, is the buds. Some are just beginning to open. (I didn’t buy those.) Most have two buds. Look harder and you can find three, and if you’re really lucky, four. The buds seem to move up the leaf, and change appearance as they mature. If you’re new to irises, here’s what a pretty new bud, low on the leaf, looks like. Some are even less obvious than this.
And here’s a more obvious one, much higher up the leaf.
The clerk I talked to (she bought hers on Monday) said people have been asking for them for weeks. Another reason to shop before Saturday. There’s a lot of conflicting information about them. She said she’d read they like water, so she’s planting in the wettest part of her yard. (I don’t have a wet part of my yard). The daughter of the man who introduced them in the U.S. told me they do well in sun or dappled shade, but the foliage looks better in the latter. And I haven’t read anywhere that they’re water hogs. My walking irises certainly aren’t.
Since they’re an FNGLA “plant of the year,” they should be pretty hardy and well-suited to life in the Sunshine State. There’s absolutely no debate about how beautiful they are.
If they make it in my yard, I think it’s a good bet they’ll make it anywhere.
If you find them at your HD, please share! Who wants to drive across this vaaaaaast county if they don’t have to!
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Reader Comments
Posted by (Iluvpumpkins) on March 17, 2010
Penny, I want some and that is my daughter’s Home Depot. Let us know the price. Pumpkin
Posted by (RickBrown) on March 18, 2010
This Iris CAN grow in a dry site and also tolerates shade or sun. Very adaptable to many sites. Too cool for Brazilian Red Hots. 3 more weeks. Ray and Littletunias will last well into the summer and possibly survive it and thrive in the fall if it is not as hot as last years October. Ouch! Bulbine in stores for the weekend. Thanks for shopping our plants and The Home Depot.
Posted by (kgardens) on March 18, 2010
OK - the grandson and I will add a HD run to our Costco run this AM. I’ll let you know what I find. Kay
Posted by (Chip) on March 18, 2010
Wow we asked for color and Rick has delivered!
....“Chip”
Posted by (RickBrown) on March 18, 2010
they are on the back half of the second table from the right at Riverview Home Depot and with buds on them.
Posted by (kgardens) on March 18, 2010
Thanks Farmer Rick! Landin and I are leaving NOW!
Kay
Posted by (Janna) on March 18, 2010
I’m so excited about the new Regina iris! Thanks for the great info, Penny and Rick. Guess I’ll just have to be patient for three more weeks until the Brazilian red hots are in. I’m saving their garden spots! I’ll look for the bulbine and marmalade this weekend. The Northdale HD did not have the marmalade last week, but I’ll keep checking back. They DID have the Cuban Gold Duranta in the “SausEdge” from Rick’s flower farm and those were SUPER easy to plant.
Posted by (kgardens) on March 18, 2010
SCORE!! The irises were just where Rick said they would be. It was kinda’ funny because I zoomed in and swooped down on the iris table like it was Black Friday. Only I was alone at the iris table. You have to admit they are rather unassuming plants without the bloom. There were about 12-15 plants left. I only picked up one plant but it is very full. There must be 8 fans in the pot. No buds. I was going for youth and vitality assuming buds will follow. Also, a cat palm jumped in my cart on the way to the register.
Thanks for the scoop, Penny and Rick.
Posted by (Kim Franke-Folstad) on March 18, 2010
Still lots of giant irises at the Home Depot at 275 and Dale Mabry. I got two and picked up another one for Penny. They all look pretty good, although a bit wind-whipped in places.
Definitely more pleasant to shop on a weekday than to deal with the weekend crowds. (I’ve started stopping by the HD at Florida and Busch on my way home from work. The nursery seems a bit smaller than the one on Mapledale, but the associates are very nice.)
Speaking of wind-whipped—it was a hair-raising experience out there this morning. When will this weather give us a break?!
Posted by (Chip) on March 18, 2010
No shopping for me thank you. I am harvesting my garden today so I will have room to put new stuff down. I am about 1/3 through with the onion’s and still have carrot’s and the rest of the Brussels sprouts sweet peas, dill and lettuce and collard green’s still to go. I don’t know how farmer’s do it my respect for them grows daily. It is all worth it though we have been eating out of our garden for mouths. Now I can wait for my corn! ....“Chip”
Posted by (Iluvpumpkins) on March 18, 2010
Home Depot on Florida Ave had lots of the Iris’s and they were very beautiful plants. Pumpkin
Posted by (Kim Franke-Folstad) on March 18, 2010
Pumpkin—Is that the store at Florida and Busch? I stopped there last night and didn’t see them!
Posted by (Iluvpumpkins) on March 18, 2010
Yes. They had them inside upfront of the store and made a beautiful display. Pumpkin
Posted by (Iluvpumpkins) on March 18, 2010
Sally and I split one last year into 4 pieces and they all bloomed. Pumpkin
Posted by (mangoman) on March 19, 2010
The color in those is incredible!!! I will have to look for those the next time I stop by. I think I have a nice spot for them too…
Chip, tell me how your corn goes. Have you already planted it?
Posted by (kgardens) on March 19, 2010
Well, I stopped by my Home Depot on Bloomingdale and 301 this morning because…well, just because. What a difference a day makes! They had received new shipments of all the spring annuals and tons of other stuff: Diamond Frost Euphorbia, Blue Eyed Grass, Bulbine in bloom! Just lots and lots of very healthy lush new plants were there. No feral cat palms (very funny, Penny) jumped in my cart but a few other things did. Really, I need to stay home and plant this stuff. They are ready for the weekend shoppers for sure. Kay
Posted by (Chip) on March 19, 2010
Still harvesting and clearing out the old getting ready for the new. I want to have all my beds ready for to plant on the next full moon. Hopefully my corn will be ” Knee high by the fourth of July ” timing with corn I have found to be very important. I love that blue and If I can find the time I am headed to H.D. to pick up a few for the front yard with everybody out sprucing up there yards they may be gone by the time I can get there!....“Chip”
Posted by (Janna) on March 19, 2010
There you are, Mangoman! I wanted to tell you that I have several plants growing from the skullcap seeds you gave me last year. The white plumbago and chinese hat plants are hanging in there, too.
Thank you everyone for the shopping updates. I’m going to hit the Northdale Home Depot tomorrow morning, so I’ll let you all know what they have!
Posted by (Kim Franke-Folstad) on March 19, 2010
I will be bulbine hunting tomorrow. (Is it the weekend yet?)
Wish me luck at Mapledale HD!
Posted by (Iluvpumpkins) on March 19, 2010
Yes Penny, Just separate the fans and plant. Pumpkin