New Pacifica Varieties

Question: How have the Pacificas become so popular in the western horticultural trade? As a group, wild iris plants have serious limitations that can discourage all but the more devoted (or lucky) gardeners from making them part of their landscape design.

• short blooming seasons of 2 - 3 weeks
• stalks unbranched; usually one flower per stalk
• growth as single plants, with only a few leaves
• leaves that die back once blooming is done
• a limited color range
• cold sensitive - confined to frost-free zones

Answer: Hybrids! Hybridizers are part artist, part craftsmen, with living systems as their canvas, palette and materials. By thoughtful crossings from parents with desirable features, they work to develop offspring ready to fill the landscaper's needs.

Occasionally, an unusual iris species plant becomes a gardening favorite, like the Douglas iris strains "Canyon Snow", or "Mendocino Banner" (below). But most successful strains are hybrids. Here is a sample of the nearly one thousand new Pacifica varieties that have been named, introduced and registered during the past few decades.