On the Road Again: Lauer’s Flowers

By Bryce Williamson

The saga of visiting iris gardens in Oregon and Washington continues. When I arrived at Kevin Vaughn’s, we made the executive decision to both go to see Larry and Marcy Lauer in Independence, basically just a hop and a skip away from Kevin’s. I needed directions, of course, since I had always approached their garden along the river.

'King of the Road'

Larry and Marcy lived in Wilton, California for many years and there they met Jim McWhirter and Larry starting hybridizing. On his retirement from the United States Post Office, they headed north and ended up with an acre in Independence 10 miles south-east of Salem. 

The town is charming with many of the turn of the 20^th Century buildings being renovated. It has become a bedroom community for Salem as gentrification in Salem has forced many people to live miles from the Oregon capital. From my first visit to this garden to my last, the changes in the town are striking—where there was open space around the garden, new housing is almost to the property line. You will see the change in the next picture taken last year and the image below it taken the year before.

Larry has had many awarding winning irises, but his most widely grown iris is the Dykes winning ‘Stairway to Heaven’. More recently, Larry has become increasing interested in reblooming irises and is focusing his current projects on that area. Larry has also been working a line for red amoenas, an interest of Kevin too, so they had much to talk about.

 

Larry Lauer with Kevin Vaughn in the seedling patch

In the last several years, I have greatly admired Larry’s ‘King of the Road’, but it seems to have slipped through the cracks of the American Iris Society awards. A warm, satisfying color combination, it also attracted the attention of Schreiner’s and they have it listed in their catalog. I had to look for it for two years to find plants to buy, but it is now happily growing in my garden.

 

The image is from two years ago before the two story homes went up next door.

Another Lauer introduction that is happily growing here is ‘Blinded by the Light’, a very bright and very early orange. Oddly orange colored tall bearded irises don’t seem to be in fashion these days.

'Blinded by the Light'

While I visiting mainly to see Larry's seedling and introductions, he grows many new irises and some of them that impressed me included the following three. 

'Dark Storm'--Rick Tasco

'Ocean Liner'--Keith Keppel

'Jungle Mist'--Paul Black

The last iris looks quite green in the garden and when I had a commercial nursery, I always found "green" irises sold well and were in high demand.

Among Larry's introductions and seedlings, I took pictures of the following; the first two remind me of Gaulter colors and patterns.

Lauer B-10-31

Lauer B-44-1

Lauer B-76-31

Lauer E-53-2

Lauer F-17-4

'Higher Ground'---Lauer 2019

After a too short visit to the garden, it was back on the road again. I needed a good nights sleep since I had caught an early flight from San Jose to Portland and I knew tomorrow with visits to Schreiner's and Mid America would be a long day.

Reblooming Irises: An Autumn Feast

By Virginia Spoon

Our garden in northern Virginia, zone 6, at an elevation of 1100 feet with alkaline soil, is almost a perfect location to grow bearded irises. In the autumn the colors of the reblooming irises blend with the leaves of the mountain maples, the black gums, persimmons and dogwoods.

Mountain Maples in the fall in our backyard.  Image by--Ginny Spoon

Reblooming SDBs, 'Eric Simpson' with 'Ray Jones' in background.  Image by --Ginny Spoon

As I am writing this article in mid October, the rebloomers are putting on quite a show along with the changing leaves. Our weeping cherry tree is changing color and the winterberries are starting to lose their leaves while our resident Mockingbird is tirelessly guarding his hoard.

The weeping cherry tree and winterberries at Winterberry Gardens. Image by --Ginny Spoon

Each day brings a new surprise while stalks appear as if by magic. I thought 'Lord of Rings' matched the changing leaves of the cherry tree so well. 

'Lord of Rings' (George Sutton 2003) reblooming in October at Winterberry--Image by-Ginny Spoon

It is so peaceful to wander around the garden and enjoy the sounds and colors  and even the smells of autumn. Our Katsura tree now smells like burnt brown sugar and somewhere nearby, someone is burning leaves. A customer called a few days ago and asked about fragrant irises that matched their color. I remembered a few, but I had some rebloomers open and I checked the fragrance of 'Persimmon Pie' and remembered why we named it that. Also, 'Mango Parfait' was reblooming and it smelled like a fresh mango.

'Mango Parfait' (Don Spoon) reblooming in October at Winterberry. Image by--Ginny Spoon

What would a fall garden be without the chrysanthemums? There are perennial mums that come  back every year and their colors blend in well with the rebloomers. Ours grow beside our entrance and I must remember to plant some among the irises next spring.

Perennial mums at Winterberry. Image by-Ginny Spoon

Rebloomer, 'Doubleday'(George Sutton 2001) Image by--Ginny Spoon

  Winterberry Gardens, our woods in autumn --image by Ginny Spoon

Enjoy the crisp fall weather and all of the sights, sounds and smells because ... Winter is coming.

Our resident Mockingbird guarding the winterberries in winter. Image--Ginny Spoon

                               

Developing More Color Patterns Into Rebloomers

by Ginny Spoon

'Little John' -- photo by Ginny Spoon

One of the goals of an iris hybridizer is developing new hybrids with richer colors and new color patterns. When we crossed 'Damsel' with 'Queen Dorothy' one of the results was our 'Little John'. It was a cross of a non reblooming iris with one that was a reliable rebloomer  (Queen Dorothy) in our colder zone 6. 'Damsel' is a lavender pink with a tangerine beard and has not been reported to rebloom in any zone, so that is what we call a rebloom carrier. You can see by the photo that is where 'Little John' gets its lovely color combination.  'Queen Dorothy' is a plicata and have gotten  plicatas and variegated flowers out of crosses with 'Little John'.

'Liquid Amber' -- photo by Ginny Spoon

Taking our 'Little John' and crossing it with another warm climate rebloomer, 'Lady Juliet' (zone 7), we got our reliable zone 6 rebloomer 'Liquid Amber'.  Don has long admired the West Coast hybridizer, the late  Monty Byers, who used cold climate rebloomers for crosses with the warmer zone rebloomers to develop better form and color patterns. Raymond Smith from the Midwest and Lloyd Zurbrigg from Canada and then the east coast also used this method to produce more modern cold climate rebloomers.

'Daughter of Stars' -- photo by Ginny Spoon

Our Wister Medal 'Daughter of Stars' is a good example of a cross with a cold climate rebloomer ('Clarence') by a carrier ('Mind Reader') producing not only a zone 6 rebloomer but a lovely luminata pattern as well. The lovely pink 'Vanity' by Ben Hager is another carrier that has been reported to rebloom in the warmer zones is in the parentage of many cold climate rebloomers. 'Starring' a beautiful non rebloomer by 'Daughter of Stars' produced a lovely cold climate rebloomer, 'Starring Encore'.

'Starring Encore' -- photo by Ginny Spoon

Immortality' --  photo by Ginny Spoon

Taking Midsummer's Eve X Fancy Woman (another carrier) we got BB 'Twiggy' a much better formed pink.  Both 'Twiggy' and our 'Love Goes On', both prolific rebloomers here, have produced early rebloomers with more saturated colors and more modern form. 'Love Returns' (Twiggy X Love Goes On ) is a good example. 'Midsummer's Eve' has 'Immortality' in its parentage.

 'Vanity' -- photo by Ginny Spoon

Don tried over 25 crosses of pinks with the cold climate rebloomer 'Immortality' before he finally got our BB RE 'Midsummer's Eve' While not the best form, 'Midsummer's Eve' has been the parent of many reliable and beautiful cold climate rebloomers.

 'Twiggy' -- photo by Ginny Spoon

'Love Returns' -- photo by Ginny Spoon

I have to relate a story about when 'Little John' was just a seedling. When Don was first hybridizing, and before we were married, he planted his seedlings surrounding his office of the Georgetown Observatory on the campus at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. where he taught Biology and Ecology. He also planted his excess seedlings in the Historic Colonial Farm in Accokeek, MD just across the river from Mt. Vernon. 

When the seedlings were blooming we would go and evaluate those we thought worthy of introduction. When I first saw 'Little John' it was love at first sight. We didn't have any tools with us and I wanted to take a piece home with me, but the ground was so dry that it was as hard as concrete. I would not be deterred so I took a rock and chipped out a few rhizomes and planted them in our garden in Cross Junction, Virginia. The next spring, we had a show stalk with 9 buds and perfect branching. Don said, "Get the shovel, we are going to get the rest!"

   

            Future introduction, reblooms in zone 6 -- photo by Ginny Spoon

This is a cross of a reblooming seedling from Daughter of Stars X Autumn Explosion. So, from a cross of a non rebloomer back in the parentage that produced a strong cold climate rebloomer, then crossed on another cold climate rebloomer, we have quit a lovely pattern and color combination on a reblooming iris.

Reblooming Irises: A Love Affair

By Ginny Spoon

When I first joined the American Iris Society in 1991, I learned about reblooming irises at our local chapter of AIS, the Chesapeake and Potomac Iris Society. Irises that bloom both spring and fall were the ones that I wanted most of all. That is where I met Don Spoon, who outbid me on every single iris that I wanted at the auction after the national convention that year. Although frustrated by those efforts, I managed to buy more rebloomers at our club sales over the next several years. Many of our own members in Region 4 were also iris hybridizers and had introduced reblooming irises. They included Charlie Nearpass, Clarence Mahan, Lloyd Zurbrigg, J. Griffin Crump and yes,  Don Spoon.  Sterling Innerst and Joan Roberts were also in our neighboring Region 3, and have introduced many lovely reblooming irises.

'Durham Dream' (Lloyd Zurbrigg)--image by Ginny Spoon

As the years went by, and my garden grew, I knew that irises were my favorite perennial. Not only do they come in all sizes and different kinds, but there is an iris of some kind blooming in the garden almost every month of the year.

'Lucy Doodle' reblooming MTB (Charlie Nearpass)--image by Cindy Rust

'Autumn Rose' (Ginny Spoon)--image by Ginny Spoon

The white reblooming iris in front of 'Autumn Rose' is my first introduction, 'Autumn Ivory', made possible when Don Spoon brought pollen from his garden and taught me how to hybridize.

Our Winterberry Iris Gardens--image by Ginny Spoon

One fall, we had almost a third of our garden blooming with reblooming irises. It was a glorious sight and one I will always remember.

 'Daughter of Stars' (Don Spoon)-- image by Ginny Spoon

As some of you may have guessed, I married Don Spoon and have now gotten back all those irises that I wanted in that auction, and more besides. We both love and hybridize irises, especially the rebloomers in our northern Virginia garden.

Cheerleading Reblooming Iris Hybridizing: Zone 6

by Betty Wilkerson

It's winter.  Time for me to grab the pom poms and start cheering for irises and reblooming irises in particular. I tend to think of myself as the number one cheerleader for raising and breeding rebloomers for the colder zones!  Many of the things that rebloom freely in Australia and the west coast of the US of A, will not rebloom in my zone 6 garden.  I've tested many throughout the years.

Once again I will attempt to encourage and support young people to join the small group of people working toward better rebloomers and better acceptance of rebloomers in the colder zones .  Why not grow irises that provide a second, and sometimes more, round of blooms?

After some 31 years of trial and error and lots of research, here is what I propose might be the best avenue to pursue in a breeding program.  Since most, if not all, of the plant habits come from the pod parent, it is important to start a program with a healthy plant that is disease resistant with good branching and required bud count.  Use strong rebloomers with good form, like 'Lunar Whitewash,' 'Gate of Heaven,' and Wilkerson seedling # 2130-01Re, as the pollen parent.  It is thought this is the best way to pass on form while having a good chance of rebloom.

'Lunar Whitewash' (Innerst 2003)

'Lunar Whitewash' and a seedling (Innerst 2003)

'Gate of Heaven' (2004)

2130-01Re (Wilkerson seedling)

Some of my best parents for rebloom have been seedlings 2130-01Re and 2025-01Re and also 'Star Gate' and 'All Revved Up.'  

2025-01Re (Wilkerson seedling)

'Star Gate' clump (Wilkerson 2004)

'Star Gate' (Wilkerson 2004)

'All Revved Up' clump (Wilkerson 2007)

'All Revved Up'  (Wilkerson 2007)

Some irises with the strongest rebloom characteristics, like 'Over and Over' and 'Immortality' have a more tailored form. The solution to this problem is to use the irises with good form as the pollen parents, as stated above, while using the more tailored ones as the pod parent.  It's also fun and educational to do reverse crosses, or do the cross both ways.   'Over and Over' can give good form, too, if used with a more modern formed rebloomer.  I've a spot that 'Immortality' likes and I'm happy to have blooms each fall.

We would like to see more advancements within the rebloom group, by bringing them closer to the wonders of the more modern oncers.  It's a tough goal, but we need it to be done.  Just make sure your seedlings are an advancement of the rebloomer in your garden.  Keep the parents in your garden and compare yours to the best currently available that perform in your garden. I stress "in your garden" because only you have your growing conditions.

'Over and Over' (Innerst 2001 )

'Immortality' with Dahlias (Zurbrigg 1982 )

'Immortality' (Zurbrigg 1982)

Another reminder.  Rebloomers are going to be judged as garden irises, the same as the Dyke's Medal contenders. It will be rare that an early blooming rebloomer will make a show bench other than in the fall shows.  Typically we only have three fall shows: one in Region 4, one in California, and another in Georgia.  None in region 7.

If you choose not to work with rebloomers, at least make some regular crosses. One or two rows of seedlings across the back of your regular iris planting.  Some of the best irises have come from a small backyard.  You never know when something great may show up. 

In summary, I'd like to urge all people to remember the plant first and then their special interests.  It's really difficult, and frustrating, to bring plant health, branching and bud count back to your lines, so use a quality plant as the pod parent.  Some feel that rebloom counts as more or extra bloom. Personally, I think it's good to get a decent bloom count in both the spring and fall.  Will I hold back an otherwise good introduction due to slightly lower bud count?  No.  

Winter is a good time for research.   Read everything you can find about iris and rebloomers.  We need help!

Really Late Fall: Kentucky Zone 6

by Betty Wilkerson

My garden is a working/hybridizing garden with the goal of breeding some of the newest and best reblooming irises for the cooler zones 5 and 6. The 2016 bloom season has truly been one of the most beautiful iris years in my recent memory.  How lucky could I get? After a late spring and summer full of rebloom, I get early and late blooms!   Fall was in no hurry to leave my Kentucky garden, and I was in no rush to have it leave. There have been a couple of fall seasons when my body was weak, but my love affair with iris has not grown any weaker as the years pass. No hard freeze until November 11.  Thanks, Mother Nature!

'Luminosity' (Byers 1991)

 'Luminosity' is a bright beacon in the fall garden.  As the fall sun grows lower in the sky, more and more stalks appear in the clump.  It doesn't bloom this strong every fall, but when it does blooms there are usually several stalks.  The stalks are perfect this year, showing me it could be a good choice for future breeding.

Gate of Heaven (Zurbrigg 2004)

 'Gate of Heaven' was reported in an earlier version, but it did continue to bloom all the way to the freezing frost.  There were eight or ten fall stalks.  I've moved a clump of this and another of 'Immortality' near the new rebloom perennial bed and, therefore, easy to use in the spring, as that is when I do my breeding.  

2612-03Re (Wilkerson seedling)

2611-03re (Wilkerson seedling)

 Several of my reblooming seedlings performed well this fall.  2612-03Re will be a good one if the stalks can grow taller in the future.  It grew three stalks.  2611-03Re is one of my favorites from the 2611 cross as it has a brownish cast which pales after opening.  It has perfect branching, a great bud count and it's tall.

'Cool Character' (Wilkerson 2013)

 'Cool Character' was beautiful this fall.  The standards are a very pale lavender when first open and pales to pure white.  Falls are white with a band of purple.  Multiple tall, robust stalks with a great bud count.  I was a great contrast with 'Star Gate' which blooms beside it.

'Lunar Whitewash' (Innerst 2004) 

 'Lunar Whitewash' has been one of the great reblooming promises of the modern ages.  I've used it several times in breeding and will probably do so again before I'm finished.  The branching is not always poor, as expected, but it's not always good, either.  It bloomed this fall even though it had only been moved to this spot in the spring.

Below are three pink or pinkish irises that bloomed this fall.  Unfortunately, they probably used up most of their energy, and they may not bloom in the spring.  If I'd known the cold weather would be so long in raising it's frosty highlight, I'd have made some crosses early in the fall!  Such is not my practice.  Sherri's pretty chicken was at large in the one picture.  

'Cameo Blush' (Weiler 1998)

'Priscilla of Corinth' (Miller 1994)

'October Splendor' (Sides 1997)

'Cool Character,' (2013) Start Gate' (2005) & 'Echo Location' (2007) (Wilkerson)

The three in the last picture are all Wilkerson introductions.  They are some of my best creations.  I look forward to posting more reblooming seedlings as the 2017 year is near!  My 2016 seedlings will be sprouting between late February and late April, but most likely they will begin in mid March.

For winter research I recommend going into the Blog archives here, and going to The Reblooming Iris website @ www.rebloomingiris.com.  All of the iris groups on Facebook have a search feature that will help in iris research.  I also recommend looking at the websites of people who sell reblooming irises like http://www.walking-p-bar.com/ & www.schreinersgardens.com, not to buy, but to research what is available.