'HOT CHILI'
The Nies Medal is restricted to spuria irises. It is named in honor of Eric Nies (1884-1952). Eric Nies was born in Saugatuck, Michigan, but soon after Nies moved to California, he became interested in irises of all types. He obtained his first spuria irises from Jennett Dean, who operated one of the first iris specialist nurseries in the U.S. Spurias were his special interest. His first cross was Iris orientalis with 'Monspur.' He interbred seedlings from this cross, and in the second generation there was a virtual explosion of color: blue, lavender, brown, bronze and cream. During his lifetime, Nies was recognized as the world's foremost breeder of spuria irises. Marion Walker took over his seedlings and breeding lines after he died in 1952.
Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.
'Hot Chili' (J. Terry Aitken) Seedling #07SPU-2. Height 52" (132 cm). Late midseason bloom. Standards and style arms red chili pepper; falls same, yellow zonal spot, gold dart signal. 'Innovator' X 'Countess Zeppelin'. Introduced by Aitken's Salmon Creek Garden in 2014.
The World of Irises blog will be posting classification medal winners as soon as the hybridizers are notified. The entire list of winners, including Award of Merit and Honorable Mention, will be published on the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.
The recognition of 'Hot Chili' with the Eric Nies Medal is well-deserved. The legacy of Eric Nies and his passion for spuria irises continues to shine through cultivars like 'Hot Chili.' Could you provide more insight into Eric Nies' pioneering contributions to the development of spuria irises? Tel U
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