TALL BEARDED IRIS SUPER ACHIEVER AWARD, PART THREE

         BY DAWN MUMFORD 

Iris season in Utah has just ended and it was glorious.  I had so many blooms that bloomed for the first time and were stunning.  In my next blog I will share with you some of my favorite new ones, so stay tuned. For now, let's finish the irises my husband and I like to recognize and call Super Achievers. Those are the irises that can always be counted on to bloom well, resist disease, provide beautiful blossoms, make big clumps. We call them our Super Achievers. We like to share this information so those of you who have similar conditions and climate zones (6b) can try planting some of these to get good results. 

Here as promised is part three of the Mumford Garden Super Achievers.  (To review part two click here.here  )  To review part one click here.

I made collages out of each iris and tried to include a distant shot, a shot from a few feet away, and a close-up or two so that you could see the full effect of the iris.

'Babbling Brook' (Keith Keppel, 1965)

This beautiful light blue self is over 40 years old and still stands up well with even the newest irises.   The form is good and the color is just as you see it here.  It is 38" tall and blooms in mid season.  It won a Dykes Medal in 1972.  It has always "super achieved" in our iris patch.    

'Bayberry Candle' (Caroline DeForest, 1966) 

This is one of two irises I have that have a hint of green in it. Admittedly it is olive green but none the less it is unusual.  The colors are more muted than those I usually pick but it takes wonderful pictures and is a welcome addition during mid season bloom.  I can count on it to draw the visitors eye in the garden.  

'Boysenberry Buttercup' (Larry Lauer, 1997)

With 'Best Bet' and 'Edith Wolford' it its pedigree it isn't surprising to get a lovely child.  This iris blooms very early.  Its bloom gets me into the garden, hunting the iris map and trying to mark any unmarked irises. 'Boysenberry Buttercup' has a strong sweet fragrance. It has always performed very well for us here with lots of buds and blooms. 

'Burst Of Joy'  (Schreiner's, 2009)

This was a bonus from Schreiner's one year.  It has bloomed reliably every year since I received it.  My mother-in-law loved the color orchid and she would have loved this iris.  

'Dracula's Kiss' (Schreiner's, 2009) 

This bitone iris is stunning.  The form is good as well as the health of the plant. There has been quite a buzz about this cultivar and I am another to sing its praises.  There is the benefit of purple based foliage which most people find desirable.  

'My Oh My' (Schreiner's, 2007)

This late blooming iris is a welcome mass of apricot color.  The beard is lush and a perfect compliment to the bloom.  

'Rhinelander' ( Schreiner's, 2006)

This lavender bloom is an iris that fades as it ages but on its way, it fades so gracefully.  (I wish I could say the same!)  It fades to a color that makes it look almost antique.  The mass of blooms in the collage above has both old and new blooms in it and still makes a lovely statement.  It is a late bloomer that I recommend if you have similar climate to ours.  

'Rondo' (Schreiner's, 1972)

This red-violet stitched plicata is a child of 'Stepping Out'.  It makes a huge clump and the blooms have great substance.  The stems are 40" tall.  

'Salzburg Echo' (Schreiner's, 2009)

I received this iris by mistake.  I ordered almost exclusively from Schreiner's and Cooley's from 1985 until about 2005.  I ordered a Dykes Medal winner from Schreiner's but got 'Salzburg Echo' instead. When I contacted Schreiner's they told me to keep this one and sent me the iris that I had originally ordered.  I love that kind of service. The best thing about this iris is the heavy substance and beautiful form. 

I have been accused of having a mini Schreiner's garden and I understand why. Schreiner's has been a wonderful company to order from. I just didn't know about all the other wonderful vendors that are out there.  The last ten years I have been ordering from a larger number of vendors.  In my next post I will show you some lovely new blooms from many vendors.

'Victoria Falls' (Schreiner's, 1977)

This beautiful blue iris is one the first to bloom and keeps blooming almost until the very end.  The white spot is distinctive and helps you spot this beauty quickly.  When I put this in the landscape I will put it next to two other irises that have sturdier stems that 'Victoria's' 40 inch stems can lean on.   

We have many more that are Super Achievers but the past 3 blogs give you plenty of samples of what does well here.  'Champagne Elegance', 'Song of Norway', 'Designer Gown' and 'Skating Party' are also super achievers, but I haven't yet found time to make collages for them.

We have been growing irises for pleasure since the mid 1980's.  For that reason there may be some older ones that are harder to find.  You may need to contact the Historic Iris Preservation Society for suggested vendors who may carry the older varieties.  For the link press here .  (My husband and I don't sell any irises). 

Susanne Spicker mentioned in her blog what a banner year 2016 has been for iris here in Utah.  Our garden was no exception.  I have some pictures I can't wait to share next time. Here is a tease:

All but 'Femme Fatal' and 'Prancing Pony' were maiden blooms. 

Did you get any especially nice new irises this year?  I would like to hear about them.   

How Green is My Iris?

By J. Griffin Crump

Photography, soil conditions, and climate can all have an effect on how green an iris appears.  In the last post, we asked what the greenest of the green irises were, and we saw quite a bit of variety.   Actually, there are more irises in the green range than I could include in the prior post-- and one or two that I have to confess I overlooked -- so here are more, some with pronounced differences in the coloration of  the individual specimens, seemingly reflecting the conditions in which they are grown.

Veins

This striking seedling of Bob Van Liere tops the Veins category.  We certainly hope to see this one in commercial production.

 

Van Liere sdlg 24EM5

It was hard to decide into which category to place Mike Sutton's 'Return to Bayberry', but Colleen Modra's photo from Australia tipped the balance to Veins.

'Return to Bayberry' Michael Sutton  Photo by Colleen Modra

'Return to Bayberry' Michael Sutton

Chartreuse

Richard Ernst's 'Envy' leads the list in this category --  and a wide category it is, stretching from almost entirely yellow to almost green.

'Envy' Richard Ernst  Photo by Blue J Iris

Here's an early entry in the green class  --  Rex Brown's 'Green Quest', R. 1959.

'Green Quest' Rex Brown

And another early one, suggested by many, is L. Noyd's 'Pride of Ireland', looking just as it used to in my garden.  Registered as a border bearded iris in 1970, it was reclassified as a Tall Bearded iris in 1973 after receiving an HM in 1972 as a BB.

'Pride of Ireland'  L. Noyd

Still in the chartreuse category, but challenging the decision, is Keith Keppel's 'Secret Partner'.  And have a look at its varied appearance in different gardens!  It makes 'Thornbird''s variations look mild by comparison.

'Secret Partner' Keppel Photo by Mid-America Garden


'Secret Partner' Keppel Photo by Betty Jacobs


'Secret Partner'  Keppel

Barry Blyth describes his 'Devil's Own' as "brassy, greenish gold", and I'd agree, based on its appearance in France. 

'Devil's Own'  Blyth in Sologne, France

But in Oregon . . .

'Devil's Own' Blyth   Photo by Snowpeak Iris

The same goes for Monty Byers' 'Lichen' in Nebraska . . .

'Lichen' Monty Byers  Photo by Blue J Iris

vs. in the Loire Valley, France:

'Lichen'  Monty Byers  Photo by Sylvain Rouad in the Loire Valley, France

Here is Barry Blyth's 'Tuscana', as photographed by Chuck Chapman.

'Tuscana' Blyth  Photo by Chapman

And by Aurora Borealis Garden:

 'Tuscana' Blyth  Photo by Aurora Borealis Garden, zone 5a

Could some of these differences be ascribed to film or camera work?  Perhaps.


Olive

We arrive now at the olive category, and C. DeForest's 'Bayberry Candle', a justly famous historic iris.  

'Bayberry Candle'  C. DeForest

 followed by Bob Van Liere's 23GS24 which is to be introduced this year as Celtic Dancer:

Celtic Dancer  Van Liere  Iris4U

 'Ameila Bedeila' by Sterling Innerst has interesting olive hafts:

'Amelia Bedeila'  Innerst

And last in the Olive category, Anton Mego's 'Going Green'.  I'm an admirer of Mego's work, but I think that this one does still have a way to go before it can be called green.

 
'Going Green'  Mego

Blue/Green

Chuck Chapman's 'Ruth's Choice' is my choice for this category;

 
 'Ruth's Choice' Chapman

followed by Paul Black's seductive 'Green Oasis'.

'Green Oasis' Paul Black, 2013

and Bob Van Liere's colorful 24EM1

24EM1  Van Liere

Finally (and yes, yes, I know it's a Louisiana, but it's so green) is a new introduction called 'Reverchon Snowfall'.

According to Mary Swann-Young, on the Reblooming Iris Society page, Melody Wilhoit says Red Bud Lane will be introducing Hooker Nichols' reblooming Louisiana (LAB-5) as 'Reverchon Snowfall' this year. It has rebloomed in July for the Wilhoits, in central Illinois.  

'Reverchon Snowfall'  Hooker Nichols

So, there they are, their lovely colors at the mercy of the soil, the weather, and the camera.

Of one thing I'm confident:  They're gonna get greener.