When I was in Nebraska last June (2014) with my parents, we visited the Fridhem Cemetery. We had long admired the big stand of irises near Gust and Augusta Rudeen’s grave but had never seen them blooming. Actually, the stand is probably too old and thick to bloom. We dug up a few rhizomes to take home and see if we could get them to thrive.
Dale and I replanted the ones I brought home in two sets, neither of which are doing very well. The plants seem stunted and discolored, and only one managed to bud out, but it has so far failed to bloom and now I don’t think it’s going to at all. It has had the same partial bloom for over a week now. All our other irises are doing great so it’s a bit puzzling.
Mom, on the other hand, has had much better success with her plants.
I am pleased to report that what I am calling the “Augusta Mathilda” iris is white with a pale yellow interior. It’s possible that these plants date back to the early 1900’s. Gust died in 1907 and Augusta died in 1915.
It would be cool to separate out a few more rhizomes next time we’re out there and distribute them to more Rudeen descendants.
