2018's Top Blog Posts

2018 In Review

The last year was an important one for The World of Irises. In late October, our number of views passed one million, a significant milestone. During the year, we have had posts of all types of irises. It is useful to look back and note the most viewed The World of Irises posts. Here are the top ten for 2018.

If you missed any of these blog posts, just click on the title and it will load the article for you.

The most viewed post of the years was "Talking Irises" - THE 2018 TALL BEARDED IRIS BLOOM SEASON: A SPECTACULAR SHOW! By Susanne Holland Spicker. This was a guest post and we miss Susanne’s colorful articles as she had been on a sabbatical from writing.

Image by Susanne Holland Spicker

The second most viewed post was “The American Iris Society Announces the 2018 Dykes Medal Winner.”

In third place was “The Diversity of Color in Louisiana Irises - 'Unusual' Colors" by Ron Killingsworth

That post was followed by “Photo Essay: A Visit to Schreiner's Iris Gardens” By Mike Unser.

Next was Tom Waters’s important post about the complicated issues of fertilizing:  “Fertilizing Irises.” This post lead to many serious discussions and some of us have changed our gardening habits based on its information.

Tom Walter’s post about fertilizing was followed in views by Keith Keppel’s “New Color Combinations in Plicatas, part 2."

Bryce Williamson’s post about the new and yet unnamed iris species was next: "New Iris Species Azure Blue."

Next in line was Ginny Spoon's post about East Coast reblooming irises: "Reblooming Iris: A Love Affair." 

That was followed by Chad Harris’s article “Iris Ensata,Iris Laevigata, and Pseudota in Containers.”

And rounding out the top ten viewed posts of 2018 was Keith Keppel’s part 1 of “New Color Combinations In Plicatas.”

IRISES: The Bulletin of the AIS - Fall 2018 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 Fall issue of the AIS Bulletin will be available for online viewing soon, and accessible via the Emembers section of the AIS website. The print copy has been mailed via the U.S. Post Office. On the cover this time, the Winner of the 2018 Dykes Medal, 'Haunted Heart,' by hybridizer Keith Keppel (R. 2010, TB). Congratulations!

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 area of the AIS website for more details.

Starting with beautiful pictures of all the 2018 Award Winners, on page 2 and 3, then it continues on pages, 58 and 59. 

AIS President, Gary White says goodbye, after three years at the helm, on pages 8 and 9.

The list of AIS 2018 Awards is on pages 10 though 16. 

Don't miss the invitation to submit an article for the AIS 2020 Centennial publications. Details are on page 17. AIS NEEDS YOU!

On pages 18 and 19 you will find detailed information about the 2019 AIS San Ramon Convention, and the registration form. 

Section Happenings are on pages 20 and 21, followed by dates of future AIS Conventions. 

On pages 22 and 23 beautiful images and article about International News, compiled by Bruce Filardi.

Interested in garden photography? Here's an article for you by Neil Hoghton, Ready for Your Close-up? on page 24.

Youth Views are on pages 25 through 27, compiled by Cheryl Deaton. 

Remembering Friends gives us details on the life of talented long time AIS-member Perry Dyer, on page 28. 

A detailed article that can't be missed, Coming to Terms with Arilbred Medians, by Tom Waters, on pages 30 through 38.

Scarlet Ayres, gives us information about New Mexico's The Big Dig, at the Mesilla Valley Iris Society, on pages 40 through 43.

And, lastly, having soil issues? Please read, Improving Your Garden Soil, by Wilbur Bluhm, on pages 44 through 47.

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

There's a lot more to see and read in this edition of IRISES, either in digital or print formats.

Happy Gardening!

Dykes Medal 2018

 The American Iris Society

Announces the

2018 Dykes Medal Winner

First awarded in 1927, the Dykes Medal is the highest award of the AIS, 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 registered judges may vote.

‘HAUNTED HEART’

Image Keith Keppel

From (Royal Sterling x (Last Laugh x (Electrique x Romantic Evening))) X (Hello It's Me x Reckless in Denim)), it is described in Keith Keppel’s 2010 catalogue: “From the cross of two Blyth seedlings comes this ethereal beauty. Pale pinkish grey to heliotrope grey standards, falls a bit deeper, with shadowy, ghostly emanations of deeper veining from the heart, paling as they move outward. Inconspicuous heliotrope to ibis pink beards. A very subtle, very lovely flower with superb ruffling and heavy substance.”

Congratulations to Mr. Keppel for winning the Dykes the second year in a row.

The World of Irises blog will be posting once a day the other medal winners as soon as the hybridizers are notified. The entire list of winners can be found at http://irises.org/About_Irises/Awards_Surveys/AIS_Awards.html, the AIS Encyclopedia and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES. Pictures can be found at http://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards2018.