MORE PHOTOMONTAGES OF TALL BEARDED IRISES

By Dawn Mumford

I received some very favorable comments about the photomontages in my last blog in November.  To see it press this link: Photomontages of our 2016 irises .  I created over 75 of them so I thought I would share a few more.  During iris bloom season it is so nice to go out to the garden each day and photograph those irises that have bloomed that day.  It is a very accurate way of recording what day an iris bloomed and even what time of day. Because I created the montages on the day I took the photographs I knew that those irises bloomed the same day. I also enjoy grouping the irises in colors that complement each other. That can be used in planning colors in beds. 

‘Fiery Temper’ Keith Keppel, 2000, could rebloom in some areas under some conditions.  ‘Starship Enterprise’ Schreiner’s, 1999, ‘Starring’ Joseph Ghio, 1999. These irises bloomed on May 17^th 2016.  The colors are rich and dramatic.  As is in most cases the full lush beards are a nice finishing touch on each of these irises. 

‘Goodnight Moon’ Schreiner’s, 1995,  ‘That’s All Folks’ William Maryott, 2004, ‘Tut’s Gold’ Schreiner’s, 1979, (Historic) can Rebloom, ‘Neutron Dance’ Barry Blyth, 1987 , ‘Neutron Dance’  is classified as an Amoena in the iris world.  That means white standards and colored falls. Yellow brings sunshine to the garden.  It will always stand out so a little goes a long way if you don’t want to draw too much attention away from your other irises. These all bloomed May 15, 2016

‘Purple Ritz’ Lesley Painter, 2002, has purple based foliage, ‘Gold Trimmings’  Schreiner’s, 1993 (Historic), ‘Fancy Stuff’ Opal Brown by Margaret McCrae, 1998, ‘Silver Years’ Ben Hager, 1979 (Historic), ‘Old Flame’ Joseph Ghio, 1973 (Historic)
These all bloomed May 29, 2016 

‘Fancy Stuff’ Opal Brown by Margaret McCrae, 1998, ‘Blue Note Blues’ Richard Ernst, 1996 (Historic) Very Fragrant, ‘Dusky Challenger’ Schreiner’s, 1986 (Historic) Dykes Medal Winner 1992, ‘French Lavendar’ John Painter, 2010, spicy fragrance, ‘Be Original’ Joseph Ghio, 2008, ‘Paris Fashion’ Keith Keppel, 2002, ‘Paul Black’ Thomas Johnson, 2002, very fragrant, ‘Grecian Sea’ Anton Mego by Bruce Filardi, 2008, fragrant
These bloomed May 22, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. which means the sun was directly overhead.  It isn't my favorite time to take pictures because they can be washed out by the overhead sun.  I like 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. the best.  

‘Blanka’s Peak’ David Miller, 2006, Fragrant, ‘Wink And A Smile’ Paul Black, 2011, Fragrant, ‘Jesse’s Song’ Bryce Williamson, Plicata, 1983, (Historic) Dykes Medal Winner 1990 (a must for every garden)
These were taken May 11, 2016, 3:05 p.m.

‘Designer Gown’ Joseph Ghio, 1985 (Historic), ‘Picture Book’ Joseph Ghio, 2006, purple based foliage, ’Gladys Austell’ Lionel Austell, 2009, ‘Concertina’ Intermediate Bearded, could rebloom, George Sutton, 1999, horned, ‘June Krausse’ Schreiner’s, 2009
Pictures were taken on May 14, 2016 at 10:13 a.m.

‘Fragrant Lilac’ Ben Hager, 1984, (Historic), Very fragrant, ‘Paul Black’ Thomas Johnson, 2002, very spicy fragrance, ‘Sentimental Mood’ Schreiner’s, 1988 (Historic), ‘Sweet Serenade’ Schreiner’s, 2011, ‘Dusky Challenger’ Schreiner’s, 1986 (Historic) Dykes Medal Winner 1992
These photographs were taken June 3, 2016 at 8:31 a.m.

‘Well Endowed’ Joseph Ghio, 1979, (Historic) 8-9” top to bottom bloom size!  ‘Lemon Cloud’ Lesley Painter, 2007, Fragrant, ‘Decadence’ Barry Blyth, 2004, Gold Trimmings Schreiner’s, 1975 (Historic)
Pictures taken June 10th, 2016 at 10:55 a.m.

‘Louisa’s Song’ Barry Blyth, 1999, slight sweet fragrance, ‘Queen’s Circle’ Frederick Kerr, 1999  This one is said to be an amoena pattern (white standards with anthocyanin or carotenoid pigmented falls) but with the “Emma Cook pattern” this is defined as an amoena pattern with white, yellow, pink, peach, or orange standards and narrow anthocyanin pigmented bordered falls. ‘Rain Cloud’ Duane Meek, 1977, (Historic), ‘Global Crossing’ Robert Van Liere, 2011.These pictures were taken May 15, 2016 at 6:01 p.m. I like the shadows and depth of colors at that time of day.  

‘Heartfelt Beauty’ Margie Valenzuela, 2012, slight fragrance, ‘Elizabethan Age’ Lowell Baumunk, 2005, luminata pattern meaning the reverse pattern of a plicata, with darker ground color and white edges, veins and around beards, ‘Adriatic Waves’ Keith Keppel, 2008
These pictures were taken May 16th, 2016 

‘Blue Note Blues’ Richard Ernst, 1996, pronounced sweet fragrance, ‘Blenheim Royal’ Schreiner’s, 1990, ‘Adriatic Waves’ Keith Keppell, 2008, ‘Skywalker’ Schreiner’s, 1996, slight fragrance, ‘Versailles’ Keith Keppel, 2006 Sibling to ‘Parisian Dawn’,Full Tide’ Opal Brown, 1972 (Historic)
These photographs were taken June 13th, 2016

‘Dawn Glory’ Schreiner’s, 1982 (Historic) ‘Sweeter Than Honey’ Robert Van Liere, 2011, ‘Autumn Leaves’ Keith Keppel, 1972, (Historic), ‘Supreme Sultan’ Schreiner’s, 1987, listed as a variegata having  yellow standards and maroon or brown falls, huge bloom, ’Chocolate Shake’ James Gibson, 1981 (Historic) Pictures were taken June 12th, 2016, 12:26 p.m. 

'Strawberry Shake' Keith Keppel, 2011 'Romantic Gentleman' Barry Blyth, 2002 'Embrace Me' Robert Van Liere, 2008, 'Eye for Style' Barry Blyth, 2006, 'Wearing Rubies' Barry Blyth. 2000, Reblooms, Fragrant 'My Beloved' Joseph Ghio, 2008 'Dinner Talk' Barry Blyth, 2005, 'Fashion Diva' Thomas Johnson, 2009, 'Starring' Joseph Ghio, 2000
This montage was created especially for this blog as a salute to Valentines' Day.  The blooms didn't all open on the same day so may or may not bloom at the same time.   

Happy Valentines Day!

Photomontages of our 2016 Tall Bearded Irises

by Dawn Mumford

'Dazzling Gold' D. C. Anderson, 1977, 'Broadway' Keith  Keppel, 1979,  'Showcase' Schreiner's, 1973

'Orange Titan' J. T. Aitken, 2007, 'All My Dreams' Paul Black, 2009, 'Winning Hand' Joseph Ghio, 2011,'Barbara My Love' William Maryott, 1998, and 'Orangutan Orange' Brad Kasperek 2009 

I was a commercial artist in a past life (before marriage) and have always understood "Collages" to be pasted and glued objects fixed to a background to make a somewhat new abstract design. So strictly speaking what I make is really a "Photomontage" because it is digital pasting of similar objects together to make a new photo. The software I use calls it a collage but that isn't correct. It may be called collage because of the evolution of the English language. But back in my day it would be called a photomontage.

'Purple Pepper' D. C. Nearpass, 1986, 'Syrian Hills' Schreiner's, 2012, and 'Global Crossing' Robert Van Liere, 2011

This year I took pictures every day of the many irises that opened that day.  The pictures above were taken May 13, 2016.  Then I made montages of them.  I find these montages to be good in many ways.

1.  The montage is taken on the day the blooms open so it records bloom date.

2. I try to group the photos for the montage in colors that could later be used to plan iris beds.  
3. I know that I can use these irises in a single bed because I know they open at the same time.   

'Sea Of Joy' Schreiner's, 1985, 'Decadence' Barry Blyth, 2011, 'Gypsy Lord' Keith Keppel, 2005, 'Showcase' Schreiner's 1973, and 'Tumalo Sunset' Schreiner's  2009. 

This montage shows colors opposite each other on the color wheel so that is called a complimentary color scheme.  Using colors that are across each other in the color wheel will give you maximum contrast because orange will make the purple look darker and vica versa.  

'Master Touch' Schreiner's, 1980, 'Sea Power' Keith Keppel, 1998, 'St. Louis Blues' Schreiner's, 1979, 'Crowned Heads' Keith Keppel, 1996, and 'Snowmound' Schreiner's, 1976

This montage was taken May 31, 2016.   Sometimes some of my irises put out more than one open bloom at a time.  I love the effect. The visual appeal is dramatic. The one trouble is that they will all close together as well. This color scheme is called Analogous meaning they are colors close to each other on the color wheel. 

'Gay Parasol' Schreiner's, 1973, 'Polka' Thomas Johnson, 2009, 'Eagle's Flight' Schreiner's, 1985,'Elizabethan Age' Lowell Baumunk 2005

These flowers bloomed on May 14.  I guess you could say thy all are in one color family (red violet) but they are all subtly different or dramatically different. Again, I think a bed with these colors in it would be pretty. If you wanted more contrast you could add a yellow or an orange or pink.     

'Queen In Calico' James Gibson, 1979 'Vizier' Joseph Ghio, 1997, 'Fashion Diva'  Thomas Johnson, 2009, 'Romantic Gentleman' Barry Blyth, 2002, and 'Grand Classic' Richard Tasco, 2007

Arranging these photos together in a montage shows the slight difference in color of all these red wine colored irises.

'Modern Classic' F. Knocke, 1975, 'Highland Lord' Richard Tasco, 2009, 'Pledge Allegiance' Schreiner's, 1983, 'By Dawn's Early Light' Robert Van Liere, 2013, 'Blutique' Virginia Messick, 1998

There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of purples and blues in the iris world but that doesn't mean that they look the same.  The picture above shows some of the differences. 

'Sea Power' Keith Keppel, 1998, 'Grecian Sea' Anton Mego by Bruce Filardi, 2008, 'Slovak Prince' Anton Mego, 2002, 'Conjuration' Monty Byers, 1988, 'Skywalker' Schreiner's, 1996, 'Like Wow' Schreiner's, 2012

More blues and purples taken May 26, 2016. An interesting note about 'Conjuration', it is at least 50" tall here in our garden.    

'Salzburg Echo' Schreiner's, 2009, 'Overjoyed' Joseph Gatty by Keith Keppel, 1993, 'Expose' Joseph Ghio, 2003 

I don't have a lot of yellows but I love the ones that I have.  

'Batik' (Border Bearded) Allan Ensminger, 1985, 'Millennium Falcon' Brad Kasperek, 1998, 'Kinkajou Shrew' Brad Kasperek, 1999, 'Ocelot'z Lot' (Border Bearded) Brad Kasperek, 2012, 'Blutique' Virginia Messick, 1998, and 'Tiger Honey' Brad Kasperek, 1993,

I have started collecting "Broken Color" iris like those pictured above.  I find them fascinating.  I now have about 29 of them. 

There are many software programs that you can use to make collages or more correctly photomontages.  The one I use is no longer available but a search on line reveals lots and lots of programs that work. Smilebox and Shutterfly both have one.  

I have found collages or photomontages to be extremely useful as explained previously in this blog. Give them a try. Let me know if you do them and which software you have. How well does it work and how easy is it to use? If you comment on this article it will let others know what other software is out there and tell me and others who read this blog about it.      

TALL BEARDED IRIS - A NEW PERSPECTIVE

BY DAWN MUMFORD

It finally dawned on me (pun intended) that I had been limiting myself by taking pictures that look similar to iris vendor catalog shots.

The pictures in vendor catalogs generally show you a close-up looking at the middle of a fall or looking between two falls. This is a good way to show us the primary characteristics and coloring of the iris so that we know what we are buying.

But why continue to take pictures as if I am a vendor when I am not? I am not going to publish a catalog or send out a brochure. I can have more freedom, options and artistic ability if I take a variety of different poses from different distances.

'Elizabethan Age'  Lowell Baumunk, 2005

This photograph has four open blooms, a different perspective, and several buds as well as several blurred clumps in the background making for an interesting color combination and artistic composition.  'Elizabethan Age' is so stately and loves to bloom with its identical quadruplets.

'Be Original' - Joseph Ghio, 2008 & 'Versailles'  Keith Keppel, 2006          

In contrast, I took these pictures in the traditional "catalog pose". I love them both and think it's a great way to photograph each bloom, but the purpose of this article is to explore other perspectives as you will see below.

   

'Prague'  Thomas Johnson, 2004

Notice in this photograph I am capturing two blooms at once as well as two flanking buds. This was 'Prague's' second year blooming in our garden and I especially enjoyed peeking at the underlining of the falls.

'Victoria Falls'  Schreiner, 1977

'Victoria Falls' makes a wonderful splash of blue when photographed from eight feet away. As long as you have no heavy winds, you will love this flower.

'Mink Pink'  Brad Kasperek, 2011
 'Winning Hand' Joseph Ghio, 2011

Foreground has 'Mink Pink' by Brad Kasperek and in the distance 'Winning Hand'. I believe this picture is more enjoyable because of the combination of flowers.

'English Charm'  Barry Blyth, 1989

I was pleasantly surprised by the blend of colors from our maiden bloom of this flower. This iris has flowers tipped every which way but they are "charming".

'Drama Queen'  Keith Keppel, 2002

'Drama Queen' never takes a bad photograph. I deliberately sharpened the focus on the front flower and blurred the one behind. To me, this makes the picture more artistically pleasing.

'Romantic Gentleman'  Barry Blyth, 2002

'Romantic Gentleman' was also a maiden bloom this year. I would have taken more pictures of this iris with it's lovely color and branching, however, this bloom is particularly susceptible to white spots from rain and we had a lot of rain during its bloom period.

Don't forget to take some far away shots and even some panoramic ones. I can't think of a better way of showing the garden setting. Another advantage is the weeds don't show as much.

'St. Louis Blues'  Schreiner,  1979

'St. Louis Blues' is fairly old but look at the contrasting beards, the branching. and the rich blue color.

'Happenstance' Keith Keppel, 2000

This image has one image superimposed on top of the other. I think it adds novelty.

'Shouting Match' Keith Keppel, 2013

This was a maiden boom and I appreciate one in front of the other.

'Eye for Style' Barry Blyth, 2006

This pretty bloom branches itself beautifully as if competing for attention.

Do you find yourself producing photos that conform to the conventions of the iris catalogs? Try some different angles and see how you like the results. Let me know your results or better yet publish them or send me a copy. Have fun and experiment a little with some new perspectives.

2016 A GOOD YEAR FOR TALL BEARDED IRIS

By Dawn Mumford 

2016 was a good iris year for us.  The conditions in Utah were ideal (except for some strong winds that blew sporadically throughout the season).  We had an exciting season because we had so many "first time to bloom here" irises or "maiden" irises. Here are a few:

'Bravery' (Joseph Ghio, 2011)

This iris is very dramatic; it was very popular in our garden. The blue/white standards are a perfect contrast to the purple/black falls. To add even more contrast there is a bright tangerine beard.  This is a favorite. 

'Ocelot'z Lot' (Brad Kasperek, 2012)

This is a border bearded.  This is one of those irises that turned out even better than the advertised picture in the catalog or on the web page. I have come to have a real fondness, love even, of the broken colored irises that Brad is so famous for.  

 'Red At Night' (Richard Ernst, 1993)

This iris and 'Dynamite' are my irises that have the most pure red color without having the rust or brown in them.  It didn't fade and it withstood the rain without getting white measles. (which is a made-up term) 

'Eye For Style' (Barry Blyth, 2006)

Everyone raved about this iris.  It is justified.  This is a beige/pink (maybe mauve) color.  The lavender/blue blaze around the orange beard makes it more attractive. It has good substance, stays open a long time, and the branching is good. The pollen parent is 'Decadence' and so you may recognize the heavily ruffled form.

  

'Center Ice' (Joseph Ghio, 2009)

The standards are white with a pale blue edge tint that I find so attractive.  The falls are white with a rosy violet band.  The beard is pale yellow even if the catalog described it as cream tipped with white.  I would describe this iris as crisp.  Notice the bee trying to get in.  

'Golden Legacy' (Gerald Richardson, 2013)

This one is gold/buff with a violet base tint.  The falls are amber-gold, lighter below the yellow-orange beard.  This one got a little battered by the heavy sustained winds.  

'Louisa's Song' (Barry Blyth, 1999)

My heart swelled and my breath caught when I saw this iris. I love purples, lavenders, and orchid colors and this has it all.  It holds itself up proudly and the substance is heavy and this bloom stays open longer than usual.  Another favorite of mine. 

'Goodnight Moon" (Schreiner's, 1995)

This lemon yellow self is huge.  I think of it as generous.  The beards are a golden yellow.

'Heartfelt Beauty' (Margie Valenzuela, 2012)

The standards are pale lavender white. The falls are also pale lavender white with pale peach hafts. It has a beautiful red beard. 

'Peekaboo Zebu' (Brad Kasperek, 2005)

This iris from Brad is rich in red/purple color with white streaks.  It has tangerine beards.  Another broken color beauty to add interest to your garden. 

'Splurge' (Joseph Ghio, 2009)

When I ordered this I was afraid it would be too muted for my taste so this was a pleasant surprise.  The standards and style arms are pink. The falls are pink with deep coral on the shoulders with red violet veins and speckles. This was different but nice and not too muted.   

'Neutron Dance' (Barry Blyth, 1987)

This Amoena, white standards with colored falls, has fresh clean colors. It's standards are white but mine have a tiny rim of pale yellow,and the falls are deep yellow. The beard is also deep yellow.

'Dinner Talk' (Barry Blyth, 2005)

This was my first bloom of 'Dinner Talk'.  It had 4 falls but the subsequent blooms had the standard 3. It had luxuriant ruffles and a very heavy substance. This one will go on my new favorite list.  

'Persian Berry' (Larry Gaulter, 1976)

This 40 year old iris is so graceful and the blending of mulberry, lavender and orchid is glorious. The contrasting orange beard finishes it nicely. 

'Bubbling Waves' (Joseph Ghio, 2005)

Almost everyone who came to the garden this year asked what this one was. The color is described as simply blue.  The form is outstanding.  

'Slovac Prince' (Anton Mego, 2002)

The pod parent for this one is , 'Edith Wolford' and the Pollen parent is 'Queen In Calico'. The standards are pale lavender white with a tiny gold rim. It wouldn't be as attractive without that.  The falls are blue/purple with a lighter rim.   

'Pond Lily' (Evelyn Jones, 1994)

The standards are veronica violet , flushed deeper at midrib. The falls are also veronica violet with pink influence. The beards are tangerine.

This year I bought a new macro lens for my camera.  I had such a good time with it.  At first I cut everything off because I stood too close to the subject, but later I backed up some and was happier with the result.  It was fun to use it when I wanted more detail with a blurred background. 

Iris season was crazy and hectic and just wonderful. My husband and I just finished planting all the new rhizomes that I ordered from iris vendors. I look forward to many more maiden blooms next year or the year after, and there are still many from this year that I will show you in future blogs.

Happy gardening, and remember I love hearing comments from you because it is always fun to talk iris.