There is a white reticulate iris, Andrew, but I forget it's name! Natascha is very pale but I would suggest waiting until the on-line catalogues are uploaded in the summer to browse the various pictures that vendors have for sale.

I have Natascha, Andrew, and she's almost white. I have a good selection of Iris reticulata if you feel like looking at my list. You might like 'Harmony' which is very reliable.

I must say that Iris histriodes 'Lady Beatrix Stanley' is the loveliest of all my selections, though. See photo recently posted. (I also like 'Clairette' - pale blue with a definite purple fall).

then there is george and gordan one is blue the other purple but cant remember which way round they are. pauline is more purple and also devine.
shelia ann germany , lady beatris stanley and katherine hodgkin are all nice histrioides ones.

ive recently got pixie and aldia and they should be out soon. i posted a picture of their label last weekish.

George is purple and Gordon blue. There are so many of them that we will soon be like the snowdrop fanatics ;-)))))

Thanks for your recommendations so far.

Bulba - was 'Frank Elder' the one you were trying to think of? I see there is a new variety called 'White Caucasus', but they are a bit more pricey.

Spritz - are you saying that 'Harmony' is a better doer than 'Joyce'?

Sbg -I think 'George' may well fit the bill for the blue-purple colour.

I will definitely be waiting until later in the year before making my order as the section of garden to receive them needs a revamp in the autumn. Having seen several good 'uns at the RHS Show yesterday, I'm doing my research while they are still fresh in my memory.

I wouldn't class 'Frank Elder' as a white, Andrew, much more a grey/blue. Look out for 'Sheila Ann Germaney', similar to Katherine Hodgkin but a much clearer colour.

Harmony is a nice one. I put a picture on the other day.

i posted shelia ann last week. she is nice. I laso have harmony photos from a few years ago.
thanks for the colour reminder BA, I actually cant tell the difference between blue/purple.

Yes, Andrew - I think 'Harmony' is a really good one - better than 'Joyce' in my garden. Good shape and colour and seems to have a long life! I have 'George' too - and he's a beauty. A rich purple with a gloss on the petals. Tall, too.

I like them all but how does one get them to flower next time around. All the straight I. reticulata ones we have ever grown disappear without trace after one season. It makes them rather expensive. This does not apply to Katherine Whatserface or Frank Doodah or Sheilagh Ooojits. They come back every year for us.

Great names for new varieties there Owdboggy. It would make it easy to go into a nursery or Garden Centre and say, "Have you got any Katherine Whatserface?"

My latest reading on the subject explains that the bulbs have a netted coating, and that this needs to dry out for the bulb to flower again the following year. By that reckoning, I don't think anyone will see last year's bulbs flowering this year!

some of mine have buds but they are the ones in pots so better drainage. oh and the ones in the upper part of the rockery.

Mine have returned every year - so far! Carol Klein says they don't - but they do in my garden! I read somewhere that planting them deeply was a good idea.

If you all remember, we had the discussion about disappearing irises a year or two ago and I did a survey of where GoYers live, soil conditions etc and wheather or not they could keep these bulbs going for more than a year. The conclusion was totaly inconclusive! There was no detectable pattern at all. The survey came about because I never believed that anyone could have such problems. We don't.

Bulba - I think this is one of the great gardening mysteries along with, why do some people have trouble getting liriope to flower, and why do slugs eat my doronicums when all the books say they have no pests?

So that's where my new doronicum went - I wondered why I couldn't find it...

Slugs eat mine too!
I wonder Andrewr re your comment on the netting drying out. In the flooding this year, I had some I. Katharine whatsherface planted (area hadn't flooded in 5 years I've lived here, so didn't think it would) - I found 3 bulbs sitting on the surface during frosty November all dried out and sprouting. Strange!!

dont get me going on non flowering liriope andrewr ;o)
I dont have many problems with getting them [iris] to re flower mind early days for this year :o)

Sbg - I had trouble with liriopes for years as well. In the end, I found HEAVY feeding did the trick (I use concentrated chicken poo)