A Growing Iris Resource on YouTube: Part VI

 by Heather Haley

In this post, I'll continue sharing an update for a growing iris resource on YouTube. The American Iris Society (AIS) uses its YouTube Channel to help organize and disseminate knowledge of the genus Iris, while fostering its preservation, enjoyment, and continued development. Many of the videos available are from the AIS Webinar Series, and their upload was planned for the benefit of all persons interested in irises.

In "A Growing Iris Resource On YouTube: Part I," I shared the origin of the AIS Webinar Series in 2020 as well as descriptions of recorded presentations that brought iris enthusiasts together during the pandemic. As the Webinar Series continued, I shared in Parts II, III, and IV. The following describes the remaining webinars that AIS volunteers prepared, delivered, recorded, and posted to our YouTube Channel during 2023.

Webinar #31  - “ Judging Bearded Irises as Garden Plants” with Stephanie Markham

Stephanie Markham is an AIS Master Judge and serves as the judges training chairperson for the region she lives in (AIS Region 1).  In this webinar, you can learn about holistic methods that judges use to evaluate bearded irises in the garden for AIS awards.

Webinar #32  - “All About Reticulata Iris & Creating Amazing New Colors and Patterns” with Alan McMurtrie

Alan McMurtrie is a hybridizer of bulbous irises, notably Iris reticulata hybrids. His groundbreaking work has earned him several awards, including the AIS Hybridizer Award in 2019. In this webinar learn about the amazing world of reticulatas; the first iris to bloom after snow disappears.

Webinar #33 - “Historic Iris of Japan” with Chad Harris

Chad Harris has been growing and hybridizing Japanese irises for 40 years, and has introduced more than 30  Japanese irises and 10 species cultivars or species hybrid cultivars. He is an AIS Master Judge, winner of the AIS Hybridizer Award in 2022, and the co-chair of the AIS National Convention in June 2024.  In this webinar, learn about Chad's nine-year effort to research and preserve a collection of historic Japanese irises.

Webinar #34  - “Knowing and Growing Siberian Irises” with Bob Hollingworth

Bob Hollingworth has been growing and hybridizing Siberian irises for more than 40 years. He received the AIS Hybridizer's Award in 1997, and his work includes 11 winners of the Morgan-Wood Medal and creation of the only Siberian iris to win the American Dykes Medal, 'Swans in Flight.' In this webinar, Bob expands on a previous judges training and discusses what it takes to grow Siberian irises and recent hybridizing activities that help us catch a glimpse into the future.

Webinar #35  - “The Exciting Irises of the Middle East” with Dr. Dr. Ori Fragman-Sapir

Dr. Ori Fragman-Sapir has been the scientific editor of the “Flora of Israel and adjacent areas” website and is the scientific director of the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens. He is an expert on the Mediterranean and West Asian floras, as well as on geophytes, plant conservation, and sustainable horticulture. In this webinar, learn about the native irises of Israel and the Middle East, with inclusions from Jordan and Syria.

Webinar #36  - “A Romp Through the Iris Family” with Bob Pries

Bob Pries, in his own words, is a “frustrated botanist who gave up academia to make a living.” Beyond that, however, Bob has used his botanical knowledge and his interest in the Iridaceae to create one of the greatest resources available in the horticultural world, the AIS Iris Encyclopedia (a.k.a. the "iris wiki"), which includes the Ben R. Hager-Sidney P. DuBose Memorial Online Iris Library. In this webinar, learn about cultivation, evolution, and biodiversity within the iris family: Iridaceae.

IRISES: The Bulletin of the AIS - Spring 2019 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 Spring issue of the AIS Bulletin is already available for online viewing, 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, a beautiful iris reticulata covered in snow as it awakens from a cold season.

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.

In this issue...

A wonderful read about A Few Irises in China, by Panayoti Kelaidis, on pages 16 through 18. Oh, so many lovely images of Iris chrysographes!

On pages 20 through 22, a reprint from our blog posts called, A New Iris World, on iris hybridizers in Eastern Europe by Sylvain Ruaud from France. 

On pages 23 through 25, yet another reprint from our blog posts, this time A View from Russian on Gypsy Lord and Children, by Sergey Stroganov. 

Ready for photography tips? Find them on the article by Neil Houghton called Job it Out, on pages 26 and 27.

And Maryann Schicker talks about Iris Identification Made Easy and Enjoyable, on pages 28 and 29.

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!

The Earliest Irises: Welcoming Spring

by Tom Waters

reticulata iris 'Katharine Hodgkin'

While I enjoy the rest and simplicity that winter brings to the garden landscape, by January or February I find myself looking ahead eagerly to spring. Most gardeners think of irises as late spring flowers, bridging the time between spring bulbs and summer perennials. But there are many wonderful irises that bloom much earlier, and help the impatient iris lover through the long wait for bloom.

I garden in what is now zone 6 in northern New Mexico. (The older USDA map had us in zone 5). Here the last frost is usually in May. Tall bearded irises bloom in late May and early June. But my iris season begins in February, or sometimes even earlier!

Reticulata Irises

Iris danfordiae

The earliest of all irises in my climate are the reticulata irises (sometimes sold as “rock garden irises”). They often bloom right through the snow! These grow from bulbs, resembling crocus corms. They bloom along with the crocuses too, which is usually March here. However, I have a warm flower bed along the southeast side of the house, where spring bulbs bloom a month or more before those in the main garden. Here the reticulata irises are in full bloom in February; in some years they begin late in January.

reticulata irises blooming in the snow

These are small flowers, about the size of crocuses, though a bit taller. Most of the widely available ones are shades of blue, violet, or purple, often with a contrasting orange or yellow stripe on the falls. The earliest of all is the yellow Iris danfordiae. This little charmer has almost no standards, the shape of the bloom being formed by its wide falls and style crests. Its bright yellow color is accented by small leaf-green dots.

reticulata iris 'Cantab'

The blue, violet and purple forms in commerce are mostly forms and hybrids of Iris reticulata and Iris histrioides. Some of my favorites are the light blue 'Cantab' and the dark blue 'Harmony'. There are also white ones, and a lovely pastel blend of sky blue, cream, and gray tones, 'Katharine Hodgkin'.

These wonderful irises are available inexpensively almost anywhere you can buy crocuses, daffodils, and tulips. In some gardens, they multiply from year to year. Elsewhere, they may dwindle away. (Planting deeply may help.) But they are inexpensively replaced and well worth it for the cheer they lend to the late winter garden. It’s surprising that they are not as widely grown as crocuses or snowdrops. They surely deserve to be!

Dwarf Bearded Irises

Iris pumila

Iris pumila

Among the more familiar bearded irises, the earliest to bloom are the miniature dwarf bearded (MDB). Although these grow from rhizomes like their tall bearded cousins, they are less than 20 cm (8 inches) In height! An established clump presents a carpet of color before the taller ones are even sending up their stalks. These are available in a wide range of colors, patterns, and flower shapes to suit every taste.

Iris pumila 'Steppe'

In my garden, the bearded iris season begins with the species Iris pumila. This little gem is native to eastern Europe, from Austria to the Caucasus. Bloom usually begins here around the beginning of April, and carries on for a full month. The dainty, perky blooms come in violet, blue, yellow, cream, and white, often with a contrasting darker spot on the falls. They have hardly any stem at all, blooming right on the ground, with the tops of the blooms just a few inches above the soil. There are some named cultivars of the species, such as the well-known 'Little Drummer Boy', 'Suslik', and 'Hobbit', as well as more recent introductions such as 'Steppe', 'Royal Wonder', and 'Wild Whispers'. To find this delightful species, you will have to turn to specialist nurseries, either iris enthusiasts are rock-garden aficionados who seek out wild plants from around the world. Beware that there is an unfortunate practice in the nursery trade of labeling any small bearded iris as “Iris pumila”; if you see such a label at a local garden center or home improvement store, it is almost certainly not the real species.

Iris pumila 'Royal Wonder'

Iris pumila comes from regions where it is cold in winter. It does fine in my garden, where winter temperatures down to around 0 F are normal, but growers in warmer-winter climates report that it does not persist well for them.

There are two similar species, Iris attica and Iris suaveolens, that come from the southern Balkans, Greece, and western Turkey. It seems these might do better in warmer gardens, but they are not widely grown. Again, you will need to seek them from specialists.

Iris suaveolens

MDB iris 'Rosa Brooks'

Easier to find are the hybrid miniature dwarfs, derived from Iris pumila but with some tall bearded irises in their ancestry as well. These tend to be a bit larger than Iris pumila, and bloom later. Their time is late April into early May in my garden. Although not commonly found at garden centers, many commercial iris growers list some of them. These are available in all the colors seen in Iris pumila, as well as other colors from their tall bearded ancestry, such as pink, orange, plicata, and sometimes contrasting red or blue beards! They are quite adaptable to different climates, although most appreciate a winter chilling.

Some favorites of mine are'Alpine Lake' (white with a gentle blue spot), 'Icon' (bright orange with a darker spot) and 'Dollop of Cream' (ruffled creamy white).

MDB iris 'Icon'

By the time the miniature dwarfs have finished, iris season is well underway, with medians and arilbreds beginning to bloom and the tall bearded not far behind.

MDB iris 'Alpine Lake'

MDB iris 'Dollop of Cream'

I do love the head start on spring these earliest irises provide, but I would grow them even if they bloomed later. Their charm and daintiness speaks to me, and I enjoy the variety and fun they add to an iris collection.

Iris reticulata - Always a charmer

By Mike Unser

Iris reticulata is always the first spring bulb to make an appearance in my PNW garden, beating even the snowdrops in bringing a cheerful spot of color. With our cold winters, dry summers and sandy soil these little gems are pretty care free here, making them even more welcome.




Above: I. reticulata "Katherine Hodgkin"
Below: I. reticulata "Cantab"




They are excellent additions to a rock garden but also do well potted. If you live in a climate with wet summers you can always toss their container under cover after the foliage dies back and bring it out again in late autumn. Look for them at your local garden center. Reticulatas are often sold alongside crocus and daffodil bulbs in the autumn.