Olympic Coast Garden, a photoblog
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Olympic   Coast  Garden
Journal Entry    October 1, 2009

Pacifica Irises

These irises are commonly known on the West Coast of North America as either Pacific Coast Irises or as Pacifica Irises. In Great Britain they are often called Orchid Irises because of their rich colors and fine detailing. Although these irises bloom in the spring, the best time of the year to transplant them is now in autumn, as the weather cools, and the fall rains begin.

Starting at the lower left and moving clockwise, the names of these are ‘Bar Code,’ ‘Ocean Blue,’ ‘Epicure,’ and ‘Mandalay Bay,’ with an un-named seedling iris in the center. The hybridizer of these is Joseph Ghio who offers them through his nursery, Bay View Gardens. Because his website focuses on his tall bearded irises, you won't find much about his Pacifica irises on the website. The best way to find out what he offers and to purchase them is to mail him two dollars for a hard copy of his catalog. The new issue comes out in March, and you need to place your order before the end of summer. The Pacifica irises are sent out in October and November.

Although we do not currently offer these on our nursery's website, we plan to add them to it within another year. Over the past four years we have picked up and been propagating about forty named varieties. If you want a diverse selection of flower colors, at a good price, Bay View offers a “landscape special,” of fifty choice but un-named plants for $58.50 (in 2009).

For anyone who might already be growing these irises and wants to try growing new plants from their seeds, here is a link to a page that tells how to do it, http://www.kcis.org/kcisdwnld/KCIS_Growing_Pacific_Coast_Iris_from_Seed.pdf.