Franciris 2019 Results

For the second time in three weeks, The World of Irises blog is pleased to report the results of an international competition, this time of The French Iris Society’s Franciris 2019. The competition took place in the Parc Floral de Paris, a public park and botanical garden located within the Bois de Vincennes in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, with the results announced on May 21.

Gary White, immediate past president of The American Iris Society, and Andi Rivarola, current first vice president, were on the judging panel in addition to Jerome Boulon, France, Lorena Montanari, Italy, and Fritts Lehmann, Germany.

First Place: ‘My Red Drums by Daniel Balland, France:

Image by Andi Rivarola

Image by Andi Rivarola

Martin (plaid shirt) receives his award--image by Sebastien Cancade

Second Place: ‘Marry the Night’ by Thomas Johnson, USA:

Images by Gary White

Third Place: NB-23-01 by Nicholas Bourdillon:

Image by Andi Rivarola

Nicholas Bourdillon receives his award--image by Sebastien Cancade

Fourth Place: ‘Church Lady’ by Tom Burseen, USA:

Image by Andi Rivarola

Fifth Place: ‘Locomotion’ by Thomas Johnson, USA:

Image by Andi Rivarola

Sixth Place: NB 14-34-01 by Nicholas Bourdillon:
Andi Rivarola writes: "In France, judges are required to elect the iris with the best perfume.

Our noses sampled all irises during the competition, and as a result, we elected the iris with the best aroma, which also happened to be one of the top ten — seedling NB 14-34-01 by French hybridizer Nicolas Bourdillon. What an exquisite lovely scent."

Image by Andi Rivarola

Seventh Place: ‘Mixed Signals' by Keith Keppel, USA:

Image by Sebastien Cancade

Eighth Place: ‘Belle Fille’ by Marky Smith, USA:

Image by Andi Rivarola

Ninth Place: ‘Howla Pena’ by Tom Burseen, USA:

Image by Andi Rivarola

Tenth Place: ‘Luminager’ by Hugh Stout, USA:

Image by Andi Rivarola

For more information about The French Iris Society click to open the link; for more information about The American Iris Society do the same thing.

IRISES, the Bulletin of the AIS - Summer 2017 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 edition, which you will receive via U.S. Mail very soon. 

The Summer 2017 issue of the AIS Bulletin will also be available soon for online viewing and accessible via the Emembers section of the AIS website. On the cover this edition, ‘Bluebird Of Happiness’ (Paul Black 2012, TB).

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.

Find a wonderful display of the 2017 Convention Award Winner Winners, on pages 2 and 3.

You will see a selection of notes on Section Happenings on page 10 and International Iris News on page 11.

Youth Views by Cheryl Deaton on pages 14 and 15.

Louisiana iris inspiration on pages 16 and 17.

A wonderful report on the Des Moines, IA Convention starts on page 18 and it extends all they way to page 37. You will not miss this section and that's a very good thing. 

Jean Morris reports on the Median Iris Society's Mini-Convention held in Lafayette, Indiana on May 18-20, 2017 on page 40.

Yours truly reporting on the Spuria Iris Society's Mini-Convention held in the Los Angeles area, on May 5-6, on pages 42 and 43.

A very detailed and beautiful tribute to iris hybridizer Charlie Nearpass by Dr. Donald Spoon on pages 45 to 49. 

Young hybridizer David Toth recalls his early beginnings and inspiration in "Thinking Beyond Borders" on pages 50 to 52. 

Gerry Snyder reports on Judging Irises in Paris on page 54. 

More Des Moines, Iowa Convention Award Ceremony images can be found on page 67. 

There's a lot more to see and read in this edition of IRISES, either in digital or print formats. If you are an AIS member know that you will receive the print edition soon (it's in the hands of the U.S. Post Office), or if you are an e-member, then that version will be a available online soon. 

AIS Blog WORLD OF IRISES Five Year Anniversary

By Andi Rivarola

It is not often that we dare to take time to look back at our history and accomplishments (or lack thereof) and find that we're looking at it with a sense of amazement and surprise. 

I remember imagining an AIS Blog over five years ago and how providing such service would help the AIS tap into the huge online plant/flower audience. It wasn't a marketing idea, at least in my mind, as much a way to share the knowledge of irisarians with the many iris enthusiasts that I have come to know online from around the world. 

Could it be done? 

Well, the answer to that question is here, five years later. An amazing array of intelligent, giving, caring people have been a part of this blogging team, a group willing to share their personal experiences of growing, caring, and experimenting with the iris plants we all love. 

The result has more than met my initial expectations, and I hope that you have caught our sense of excitement and enthusiasm with what we share in the World of Irises.

Happy 5th Year Anniversary AIS Blogging Team!  You are the ones that make this blog happen. I hope this humble post will convey my huge sense of gratitude. 

Thanks too to former members of our blogging team Jim Hedgecock, Jim Murrain, and Evey Blalock, and to our occasional posters J. Griffin Crump and Mike Unser.  

I thought it would be fun to list a few of the subjects this group has covered both in words and images: tall bearded irises, median irises, spuria irises, Louisiana irises, historic irises, Pacific Coast Native irises, AIS National Conventions, species irises from around the world, new publications, updates on IRISES publications, irises and snow, bog irises, international iris news, aril and arilbred irises, hybridizer news, news of the AIS, the evolution of irises, confessions of an iris lover, winter in our garden patch, reblooming irises, novelty irises, biographies of hybridizers, hybridizers of our AIS past, Siberian irises, tending the iris crop, award winner announcements, iris color terminology, and so many other subjects I can't list them all.

Get to know the Bloggers

If you want to get to know the bloggers, follow their posts, ask questions in the comment section located at the end of each post; or go to The American Iris Society Facebook page and post your comment there. 

We see through their eyes, as each blogger brings out with their post their own relationship with irises, in words and pictures that are unique to them, and in the interim they help you and me gain some knowledge too.