The American Iris Society Announces the 2026 Knowlton Medal Winner

  'KISS THE FROG'

The Knowlton Medal is restricted to border bearded (BB) irises. It is named in honor of Harold W. Knowlton (1888-1968) of Auburndale, Massachusetts, a tireless promoter of the border bearded class of irises. Bennett Jones wrote in The World of Irises: "Harold Knowlton was among the first to make deliberate selections of smaller plants. Two of his 1950 introductions, ‘Pearl Cup’ ... and ‘Cricket’... display the desirable features we still seek in modern border irises." Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

Border bearded iris 'Kiss The Frog'
photo by Heather Haley

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'Kiss The Frog' (Paul Black, R. 2018). Seedling W129B. BB, 26" (66 cm). Early to midseason bloom. Standards pale tan-grey, infused slate-violet rib, light tan-gold laced edge; style arms pale tan-grey, slate-violet ridge, crest edged gold-tan; falls mid wine triangular haft blending to mid violet washed over grey white ground becoming ¾˝ blended grey white margin, light tan-gold rim, grey-brown streak from beard half way down; beards rich grey-brown; ruffled; laced; pronounced spicy fragrance. 'Lost World' X seedling U69, mid blue sibling: ('Ink Patterns' x 'Alberta Clipper'). Introduced by Mid-America in 2018.

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 American Iris Society Announces the 2026 Wister Medal Winners

'SUNGLASSES NEEDED' - 'BRIGHT AND SHINING STAR' -

'ARIZONA CAVE PAINTING'

The Wister Medal is restricted to tall bearded (TB) irises. It is named in honor of John C. Wister (1887-1982). Three medals are awarded each year. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

John C. Wister led the organizing meeting that created the American Iris Society and became its first president, a position he held for 14. He guided the Society through its formative years. He was widely recognized as a man of rare management skills, leadership ability, and the highest ethical standards. R. S. Sturtevant wrote of him: "Probably few current members realize that the AIS started through the efforts and initiative of one man, John C. Wister...."

Tall bearded iris 'SUNGLASSES NEEDED'

Photo by Riley Probst

'Sunglasses Needed' (Steve Kelly, R. 2018). Seedling TAFCS 12-13. TB, 31" (79 cm), Early midseason bloom. Bright yellow self; beards bright gold; slight fragrance. 'That’s All Folks' X 'Coffee Song'. Introduced by Rockytop Gardens in 2019.

Tall bearded iris 'BRIGHT AND SHINING STAR'

photo by Jeanette Graham

'Bright and Shining Star' (Paul Black, R. 2020). Seedling Y23B. TB, 32" (81 cm), Early to midseason bloom. Standards white; style arms pale smoky violet, mid brass-gold crests; falls white, mid grey haft veins, narrow mid purple stitched plicata band and narrow line from beard to edge; beard hairs based white, tips mid yellow; pronounced spicy fragrance. 'Out of the Dark' X seedling L81A, 'Out of the Dark' sibling. Introduced by Mid-America Gardens in 2020. 

Tall bearded iris 'Arizona Cave Painting'
photo by Riley Probst

'Arizona Cave Painting' (Douglas Kanarowski, R. 2020). Seedling #0601. TB, 38" (97 cm), Early to midseason bloom. Standards pastel yellow, pale peach midrib and base; style arms pale peach; falls pale sky blue, outer rim lightly stained pale apricot on distal edge, second rim pale ivory-blue, wider blackberry innermost band, large ivory zone, pale apricot-sandstone shoulder; beards fiery orange; slight spicy fragrance. 'Pop Idol' X 'Jelly Bean Parade'. Introduced by Mariposa Iris 2020.

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 American Iris Society Announces the 2026 American Dykes Medal Winner

'ALABAMA BLUE FIN'

First awarded in 1927, the American Dykes Medal is the highest award of the American Iris Society (AIS). It is named for William Rickatson Dykes (1877-1925) and is awarded to no more than one iris per year. Irises are eligible as a Dykes Medal candidate for three years following the winning of a classification medal. Only AIS-accredited judges may vote. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

Inter-species hybrid iris 'Alabama Blue Fin'
photo by Judy Schneider

'Alabama Blue Fin' - (Jill Copeland, R. 2016) Seedling Y-4. SPEC-X (pseudata), 38" (97 cm), Late midseason bloom. Standards cream-white; style arms edged light yellow, midrib darker, tips mid yellow; falls very light yellow washed violet, heart shaped signal violet-blue in throat blending to yellow to the center of petal then edged by violet-blue band with short sharp pointed lines into petal. Seedling GXS-2: ('Gubijin' x 'Sushi') X 'Christina’s Sister'. Introduced by Ensata Gardens in 2017.

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.

IRISES: The Bulletin of the AIS - Summer 2026 Edition

By Andi Rivarola

A warm welcome to those who are seeing IRISES, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society for the first time. If you are a member of The American Iris Society I hope you enjoy this new issue.

The Summer 2026 issue of the AIS Bulletin will be available online soon, accessible via the Emembers section of the AIS website. The print copy is being mailed via the U.S. Post Office. 

On the cover, 'Tracks Of My Tears' (Paul Black 2021, TB) photo by Claire Schneider.

Note: to access this area of the website, you must have a current AIS Emembership. (AIS Emembership is separate from the normal AIS membership.) Please see the Electronic Membership Information are of the AIS website for more details. 

CONVENTION COVERAGE

• 12  2026 Newark Convention by Claire Schneider
• 17  New York Botanical Garden by Patricia Eisenberg
• 20  Brooklyn Botanic Garden by Howie Dash
• 23  Presby Memorial Iris Garden, Montclair, New Jersey, May 21, 2026 by Jill Bonino
• 26  Rutgers Gardens by Carolyn Honnette
• 29  Phanaticville: The Grand Finale by Robert Treadway
• 34 The Bertrand Farr Exhibit at the Marriott Hotel, Newark Airport by Andi Rivarola
• 36  The Youth Perspective by Taavi, Bennett, Jacob, and Steven Cordes
• 40  2026 Convention Award Winners by Linda Wilkie
• 42  Seen in NY/NJ

OTHER FEATURES

• 44  2027 AIS National Convention
• 46  Region 15 Spring Garden Trek & Meeting "Iris Roundup", Phoenix, AZ by Andi Rivarola and Claire Schneider
• 52  2026 Annual Regional Trek-Las Cruces, New Mexico by Andi Rivarola
• 55  Honorary Awards of The American Iris Society by Andi Rivarola
• 56  Spotlight on Hybridizers-The Return of Bill Maryott by Bryce Williamson
• 60  Spotlight on Hybridizers-The Next Generation: Dylan Just by Bryce Williamson
• 64  The Magic of Botanic Gardens-The Missouri Botanical Garden by Andi Rivarola and Gary White
• 69  Request for Guest Beardless Irises Society for Siberian Irises and AIS Region 6
• 70  Iris Bloom (?) 2026 in the Midwest by Jim Morris
• 73  Project BLOOM: Growing Iris Education, One Presentation at a Time by Scarlett Ayres

There's so much more on this issue in a total of 100 pages, filled with beautiful iris photos. Don't miss it!

./././

Support the work of The American Iris Society by becoming a member:

Not a member of the American Iris Society? Please see our website for information about becoming one: http://irises.org/
Happy Gardening!

• The Annual Print Membership receives the printed version of Irises, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society, published four times annually.

• Annual E-membership participants can view the online version of Irises, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society. Also, has access to the online iris checklist.

• The Annual Full Membership receives both benefits described above.

• Participate in AIS’s Webinar Series featuring AIS experts from around the U.S.

• Get connected with AIS members via our Facebook Group Iris Lovers, and other social media channels.

• Get to know about lesser known irises, such as species, spuria, Japanese, Louisiana, Siberian and other beardless irises.

• Support AIS's Mission of education, conservation, research, preserving historical archives, and outreach projects.

• Did you know that The American Iris Society is the registration authority for all rhizomatous irises worldwide?  

• The Iris Encyclopedia is available 24-7, 365 days a year, and filled with a wealth of iris knowledge. Stop by for a visit!

IRISES: The Bulletin of the AIS - Spring 2026 Edition

By Andi Rivarola

A warm welcome to those who are seeing IRISES, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society for the first time. If you are a member of The American Iris Society I hope you enjoy this new issue.

The Spring 2026 issue of the AIS Bulletin is available online now, accessible via the Emembers section of the AIS website. The print copy is being mailed via the U.S. Post Office. 

On the cover, 'Azurite' (Sass-Plough, R. 1960, TB), at the Sass Memorial Iris Garden, photo by Linda Wilkie.

Note: to access this area of the website, you must have a current AIS Emembership. (AIS Emembership is separate from the normal AIS membership.) Please see the Electronic Membership Information are of the AIS website for more details. 

• 14 Getting Started with Louisiana Irises by Brian Shamblin 
• 18 The AIS Special Medals Series: The Hans and Jacob Sass Medal by Gary White 
• 23 Get Out and Vote! by Linda Wilkie 
• 24 Affiliate Advice: Increasing Attendance at Meetings by Claire Schneider 
• 26 What do you know about the Historic Iris Preservation Society by Suzanne Butler 
• 28 Spotlight on Hybridizers-The Next Generation The Rieniets Iris Adventure by Bryce Williamson 
• 34 2025 AIS Popularity Poll Results by Howie Dash 
• 41 Hybridizing Irises by Terry Aitken 
• 44 Blazek Solves Age-old Iris Mystery by Robert Pries 
• 48 The Gerald Richardson Award-Redefined! by Andi Rivarola 
• 51 Changelog 2025 for the Handbook for Judges and Show Officials, Edition 9.1 by Claire Schneider 52 Six FAQs Answered by AIS Judges Chair, Lorene Crone, Tennessee by Claire Schneider 
• 54 Paper Art Featuring Iris by Olga Batalov 
• 56 Still More Book Reviews For Your Reading Pleasure by Jim Morris 
• 64 Are the Irises in Your Garden Correctly Named and Does It Matter? by Harriet Robinson 
• 69 2026 AIS Foundation Ackerman Youth Essay Contest by Debbie Strauss

There's so much more on this issue in a total of 100 pages, filled with beautiful iris photos. Don't miss it!

./././

Support the work of The American Iris Society by becoming a member:

Not a member of the American Iris Society? Please see our website for information about becoming one: http://irises.org/
Happy Gardening!

• The Annual Print Membership receives the printed version of Irises, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society, published four times annually.

• Annual E-membership participants can view the online version of Irises, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society. Also, has access to the online iris checklist.

• The Annual Full Membership receives both benefits described above.

• Participate in AIS’s Webinar Series featuring AIS experts from around the U.S.

• Get connected with AIS members via our Facebook Group Iris Lovers, and other social media channels.

• Get to know about lesser known irises, such as species, spuria, Japanese, Louisiana, Siberian and other beardless irises.

• Support AIS's Mission of education, conservation, research, preserving historical archives, and outreach projects.

• Did you know that The American Iris Society is the registration authority for all rhizomatous irises worldwide?  

• The Iris Encyclopedia is available 24-7, 365 days a year, and filled with a wealth of iris knowledge. Stop by for a visit!

Spuria News - Spring 2026

by Wayne Messer 

The latest edition of Spuria News, the Newsletter of the Spuria Iris Society, published twice a year and available to Spuria Iris Society members is on its way.

Here are a few of the topics in this edition:

Missouri Ramblin by Jim Hedgecock is encouraging spuria hybridizing and hybridizers

A Blast From the Past by Darol Jurn has spurias at a Fall Iris Show, as well as separate articles on growing spurias from seeds and spuria iris culture

Request for Spuria Guest Iris Rhizomes for the 2029 Spuria Convention, Ramona, California

2026 Introductions

For those new to spurias, they are tall (2 to 5 feet in height) and elegant, and have very attractive foliage. The shape of the bloom often suggests orchids, and the colors range from white and yellow through blue, wine, and brown, often with bright yellow signals. This horticultural class is equivalent to the botanical Series Spuriae. The highest award is the Eric Nies Medal.

The Spuria Iris Society is a section of The American Iris Society, and is dedicated to expanding the public's knowledge of spuria irises. For more information about growing spuria irises and becoming a member of the Society, please visit their website.

Happy Gardening!

SIGNA Journal - Fall 2025 Edition

by Wayne Messer

SIGNA - Species Iris Group of North America - is a Section of the American Iris Society that publishes the SIGNA Journal for members twice a year. SIGNA is devoted to species, like the Iris missouriensis on the cover of this issue, and species crosses.

 

Contents of this issue include:

Half Full or Half Empty by Bob Pries refers to the Iris Encyclopedia and its current lineup of species, species crosses, and irids to check out. You can help by adding photos of these plants.

Seed Pods on Iris x ampliflora by Dennis Kramb is his adventures triggering pod formation. No seeds yet, but he has suggestions.

Irises in Russia: Irises from section Tenuifoliae, by Nina Alexeeva describes and compares I. loczyi, I. tenuifolia and I. ventricosa, with photos and maps.

iNaturalist came up 3 times in this issue, including First Mastigostyla macbridei posted on iNaturalist! See the iNaturalist posting here: https://www.inaturalist.org/blog/115883

And, as you might expect, it concludes with photos of the 2025 SPEC and SPEC-X AIS Award Winners.

Become a SIGNA member and see these and all the other articles and photos. Now is also a great time to join because the SIGNA Seed Exchange is currently underway! Closes April 1st. While it is members only, you can join as you pay for your seeds. Here’s the link: http://signa.org/index.pl?SeedList. If you are new to the seed exchange, please read the instructions here http://signa.org/index.pl?SeedXchg before placing an order.

You can learn more about SIGNA and species here: http://www.signa.org/

Happy Gardening!

IRISES: The Bulletin of the AIS - Winter 2026 Edition

By Andi Rivarola

A warm welcome to those who are seeing IRISES, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society for the first time. If you are a member of The American Iris Society I hope you enjoy this new issue.

The Winter 2026 issue of the AIS Bulletin is available online now, accessible via the Emembers section of the AIS website. The print copy is being mailed via the U.S. Post Office. 

On the cover, 'Crepe Demeanor' (Jim Hedgecock, R. 2020, SPU), photo contest category 5 iris photo-MACRO, second place winner, photo by Tammie Clark.

Note: to access this area of the website, you must have a current AIS Emembership. (AIS Emembership is separate from the normal AIS membership.) Please see the Electronic Membership Information are of the AIS website for more details.

In this issue, the AIS Bulletin focuses in grand part on the 2025 AIS Photo Contest winners. We hope you like the images. Two double page spreads are featured on pages 2-3 and 50-51.

The 2025 AIS Honorary Awards are included in details on pages 12-17.

All of the 2025 AIS Photo Contest winners by category are listed on pages 18-24.

The 2026 AIS Photo Contest announcement is on page 25.

An article on New & Returning AIS Directors is featured on pages 26 and 27.

A fantastic article on how to put together a Club Display Garden can be found on pages 29-33.

If you ever dreamed on becoming an AIS Convention Guest Plant Chair, please read the write up on pages 34 and 35.

No registered for the AIS National Convention in New York and New Jersey? The registration form can be found on page 39.

Emeritus AIS judges have been approved by the AIS Board, and the article on pages 42 and 43.

Artistic Design is analyzed in detail on pages 44-49.

The Eric Nies Medal is explained on pages 52-55.

Traveling to the AIS Convention can be fun, as explained on pages 56-61.

There's so much more on this issue in a total of 100 pages, filled with beautiful iris photos. Don't miss it!

./././

Support the work of The American Iris Society by becoming a member:

Not a member of the American Iris Society? Please see our website for information about becoming one: http://irises.org/
Happy Gardening!

• The Annual Print Membership receives the printed version of Irises, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society, published four times annually.

• Annual E-membership participants can view the online version of Irises, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society. Also, has access to the online iris checklist.

• The Annual Full Membership receives both benefits described above.

• Participate in AIS’s Webinar Series featuring AIS experts from around the U.S.

• Get connected with AIS members via our Facebook Group Iris Lovers, and other social media channels.

• Get to know about lesser known irises, such as species, spuria, Japanese, Louisiana, Siberian and other beardless irises.

• Support AIS's Mission of education, conservation, research, preserving historical archives, and outreach projects.

• Did you know that The American Iris Society is the registration authority for all rhizomatous irises worldwide?  

• The Iris Encyclopedia is available 24-7, 365 days a year, and filled with a wealth of iris knowledge. Stop by for a visit!