A Unique Iris Planting in New Orleans, Louisiana

by Patrick O'Connor 

Members of the Greater New Orleans Iris Society have been hard at work curating a unique iris planting in New Orleans City Park. The planting is three-quarters of an acre and provides the space and opportunity for volunteers to maintain an extensive collection of species and hybrid Louisiana irises. 

We recently created an eight-minute video to support recruitment and membership efforts. It highlights the range of irises and club activities.

Video Link

For more information about Louisiana Irises and the Greater New Orleans Iris Society, please visit our website: http://www.louisianairisgnois.com

A Growing Iris Resource on YouTube: Part II

 By Heather Haley

In this post, I'll continue sharing the story of 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. 

Prior to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, AIS had organized some virtual meetings, but it had not conducted online training classes. Uncertainty and the need to keep everyone separated disrupted many AIS activities for local affiliates, its regions, and the organization as a whole. Some of the AIS officers met to discuss what could be done. It was decided that AIS could conduct virtual presentations to communicate and connect with its membership. With this decision, the AIS Webinar Series was born. 

Some of the officers present volunteered to prepare the first webinars in the series. A previous blog post described webinars by Gary White, Bonnie Nichols, and Jody Nolin during 2020. Some of these early webinars were also Judges’ Training sessions. Like many others stuck at home, I was thankful for opportunities to become more knowledgeable and involved in the AIS Judges’ Training Program during the pandemic. 

In 2021, the second year of the pandemic, AIS faced another year of uncertainty. With a second national convention in peril, all AIS sections and cooperating societies were invited to give presentations in the webinar series. Most of them accepted, and the webinar series continues to this day. 

The following describes some of the webinars that volunteers prepared, delivered, recorded and posted to the AIS YouTube Channel during 2021.

"The Philosophy and Methods of Discovering and Naming New Species: An Example From the Irises of China," with Prof. Carol Wilson, Ph. D.

Professor Carol Wilson was introduced by Dr. Robert Hollingworth, chairman of the AIS Scientific Advisory Committee. Dr. Wilson received her Ph.D. in the Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, where she researched evolution of the Pacific Coast irises. Afterward she completed postdoctoral research on haustoria in African mistletoe in the family Loranthaceae, a project based at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew and the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. After serving in faculty positions at Portland State University and Claremont Graduate University, she returned to the University of California, Berkeley as a research scientist, where she continues her work on irises and mistletoe. 

"Our Desire for Order: Historical Taxonomic Inderstanding of Iris and Current Hypotheses of Evolutionary Relationships (Phylogenies)" with Prof. Carol Wilson, Ph. D.

Dr. Robert Hollingworth, chairman of the AIS Scientific Advisory Committee, returned to introduce Dr. Carol Wilson for her second webinar. For more information about Dr. Wilson's research, travel log, and phylogenetic trees, check out her website The Genus Iris.

"Growing Aril and Arilbred Iris" with Howie Dash

Howie Dash is president of the Aril Society International and a member of the AIS Board of Directors. Howie originally grew arilbred irises in the Hudson Valley of New York and moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico 11 years ago where he compiled an extensive collection of aril and arilbed irises. He has hybridized tall bearded and arilbred irises since 2010. His first arilbred introduction, ‘Chihuahua Night,’ pictured on the left, was in 2019.

"Managing Pests and Weeds in the Iris Patch" with Bob Hollingworth

Bob is an Emeritus Professor from Michigan State University. He is the current President of the AIS Foundation; chairman of the AIS Scientific Advisory Committee; and current editor of The Siberian Iris, the Bulletin for the Society for Siberian Irises. Bob is also the hybridizer of the American Dykes Medal winner, 'Swans In Flight', a Siberian iris, and the first and only beardless iris (so far) to win the American Dykes Medal.

"Exploring the Iris Encyclopedia" with Bob Pries

Bob Pries created the AIS Iris Encyclopedia in 2007 and has been its manager in the years since, continuously adding to its depth and importance. By education, Bob is a botanist. His interest in irises is wide ranging and encyclopedic. Bob has served on the AIS Board of Directors, and has served as president of the Species Iris Group of North America, the Dwarf Iris Society, and the Aril Society International, as well as heading up several AIS committees. This webinar focused on iris information and content that is available in the iris encyclopedia and in the online library. (The library contains a nice selection of videos showing iris gardens, hybridizing techniques, and cultural information you might be interested in too.)

"Louisiana Irises: The Wild and the Tamed" with Patrick O'Connor

Patrick is broadly interested in plants native to Louisiana and the Gulf South with emphasis on Louisiana irises. He has grown and hybridized Louisiana irises since the late 1970s and has registered around 120 Louisiana iris hybrids with AIS. In 2018 his hybrid ‘Deja Voodoo’ won the Society’s Mary Swords DeBaillon Medal, the highest award given to a Louisiana iris cultivar. He is the past president and a charter member of the Greater New Orleans Iris Society. Patrick is also a past officer and board member of the Society for Louisiana Irises.

If you have not done so already, consider subscribing to the AIS YouTube Channel. You can show your support for this growing iris resource, and receive updates when AIS adds new videos for you to enjoy. 

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 DeBaillon Medal Winners

'WHEN PIGS FLY' and 'ROOSTER'

The DeBaillon Medal is restricted to Louisiana (LA) irises. It is named in honor of Mary Swords DeBaillon (1888-1940). Mary DeBaillon realized how varied Louisiana irises were and what lovely garden plants they were. Mary DeBaillon amassed the largest collection of Louisiana irises in the world. She was tireless in promoting these irises as good garden plants and in encouraging any who would listen to grow them. She gained considerable fame as a naturalist and native plant collector.

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, two medals will be award in this area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

'WHEN PIGS FLY' (Patrick O'Connor)

'When Pigs Fly' (Patrick O'Connor, R. 2012) Seedling 10-34. LA, 30-32 (7701 cm), Midseason late bloom. Standards pale amber on opening fading to pearl-white; style arms cream-white; falls same as standards, deep yellow dagger signal outlined in bright violet radiating out about half the length and width of falls. 'Percolator' X 'Bellocq'. Zydeco 2013.

ROOSTER (Ron Betzer)

'Rooster' (Ron Betzer, R. 2013) Seedling 05-49-4. LA, 29 (74 cm), Early to midseason bloom. Standards light yellow, slight claret streak through middle, lightly feathered edges; style arms claret, some yellow on edges; Falls yellow, rusty-red veining and sometimes a rusty-red wash, claret rim and serrated edge, yellow blotch overlaid light green steeple signal. 'Shining Times' X 'Our Dorothy'. Iris City 2014.

The World of Irises blog will be posting classification medal winners as soon as the hybridizers are notified. The entire list of winners, including award of merit and honorable mention, will be published in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

Mary Swords DeBallion Medal 2018

The American Iris Society

Announces

The Mary Swords DeBaillon Medal 2018

'Deja Voodoo'

This medal is restricted to Louisiana (LA) irises. It is named in honor of Mary Swords DeBaillon (1888-1940). When Mary DeBaillon realized how varied Louisiana irises were and what lovely garden plants they were, she amassed the largest collection of Louisiana irises in the world. She was tireless in promoting these irises as good garden plants and in encouraging any who would listen to grow them. She gained considerable fame as a naturalist and native plant collector.

'Deja Voodoo'--image by Patrick O'Connor

'Deja Voodoo' (Patrick O'Connor, R. 2011) Seedling 08-11. LA, 32 (81 cm), Midseason bloom. Standards, falls and style arms deep purple; bright yellow arrowhead signal; lightly ruffled. 'German Coast' X 'Henry Rowlan'.

The World of Irises blog will be posting once a day all of the medal winners. 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.

Joint American Iris Society and Society for Louisiana Irises Convention in New Orleans

by Patrick O'Connor and pictures by Ron Killingsworth

Plan now to attend the joint convention in New Orleans.  Perhaps this garden on the tours will tempt you!

The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, New Orleans, LA

The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden is one of New Orleans’ brightest attractions.  Like the City, it is both old and young.  Designed initially to display a permanent collection of over fifty sculptures by twentieth-and twenty-first century American, European, Latin American, Israeli and Japanese artist, the nearly five-acre garden was dedicated by the New Orleans Museum of Art in November 2003.  It sits in a prime spot in historic City Park, adjacent to the Museum and not far from the confluence of Bayou St. John and the remnant of Bayou Metairie where the park’s extensive system of bayou-like lagoons beings.

Located in one of the Park’s oldest sections, the Sculpture Garden is itself transected by a lagoon and crossed today by modern bridges that offer beautiful views of the Garden.  The original landscape design for the Garden called for Iris pseudacorus, the European native, rather than Louisiana irises.  Hurricane Katrina took care of the anomaly.  The magnificent Live Oak trees survived, but the lingering brackish water destroyed much of the under-story planting in City Park, including the pseudacorus in the Sculpture Garden.

Live Oaks and Spanish moss

A virtual blank slate was created along the lagoon banks.  Several iris growers and enthusiasts were among the volunteers who emerged to participate in the Garden’s – and in the Park’s – rebirth.  These growers donated Louisiana iris rhizomes by the thousands. The plants were maintained in pools and tubs and planted out by multiple groups of volunteers in several waves over a couple of years.

State Flower of Louisiana

 

Coincidentally, the Garden occupies the site of an historic iris garden that was created during the frenzy of iris activity in 1930s New Orleans not long after the plants were “discovered” in the wild and promoted for the benefit of modern horticulture.  Dubbed a “Rainbow Memorial,” the original plantings are long gone, but it is fitting that the Sculpture Garden created a path for the return of native irises.

Lagoon in Sculpture Garden

 Today, the Garden boasts fabulous new sculptures and is embellished by Louisiana irises in every imaginable color along the banks of the lagoon.  A permanent Display Garden features named cultivars to accompany extensive mixed plantings.

Each Spring, the Sculpture Garden, along with the Greater New Orleans Iris Society, hosts a Louisiana Iris Rainbow Festival.  The Festival is a one day event that features music and presentations on the irises.  It offers the public an opportunity to stroll among the fabulous sculptures and the beautiful irises and to enjoy the Sculpture Garden at a particularly beautiful time of the year.  Admission to the Besthoff Sculpture Garden is free, a rare and wonderful gift to visitors and New Orleans residents alike.

The New Orleans Botanical Garden offers the richest, most varied display of plants in the City.  Opened to the public in 1936 as part of a Works Progress Administration project, the Botanical Garden’s twelve acres are home to 2,000 varieties of plants surrounded by the Live Oaks typical of City Park.  City Park is the sixth largest urban park in the country and boasts the nation’s largest stand of mature Live Oaks.

Theme gardens in the Botanical Garden are dedicated to aquatics, roses, native plants, ornamentals, trees, shrubs and perennials and shade plants.  The Conservatory of the Two Sisters features a simulated tropical rain-forest and a magnificent fern collection.  Irises are scattered throughout the Garden and include a planting of recent cultivars near the Shade Garden.

The Art Deco style is evident in the Botanical Garden, which also features sculptures by the celebrated WPA artist Enrique Alferez.  His original sculptures are spotted throughout, but two new and exciting garden attractions were added last year:  the Helis Foundation Enrique Alferez Sculpture Garden, with additional sculptures by Alferez, and a beautiful arrival garden with a green wall and an infinity water feature.

Front of Museum of Art

To learn more about City Park in New Orleans go to their website.

To learn more about the 2018 AIS and SLI convention in New Orleans, visit the convention website http://www.2018irisconvention.org

To make reservations at the convention hotel, visit the Hilton New Orleans Airport Hotel website (http://group.hilton.com/American-Iris-Society

For more information on the American Iris Society here.

To visit the Society for Louisiana Iris website click here

The Louisiana Iris Species Preservation Project

By Patrick O'Connor

In 2015, the Society for Louisiana Irises adopted a proposal by Charles Perilloux of Baton Rouge to create a “Louisiana Iris Species Preservation Project.”  At the 2016 SLI convention, procedures and plans for the project were approved, and work has begun.

The problem that has precipitated the need for the project is the disappearance from the wild of many of the forms of the five generally recognized Louisiana iris species which comprise the Series Hexagonae:  I. hexagona, I. brevicaulis, I. fulva, I. giganticaerulea, and I. nelsonii.  When the modern “discovery” and introduction to these plants to horticulture occurred in the 1920s and 1930s, they were already recognized as endangered.  Dr. John K. Small first encountered these irises in Louisiana in 1925, and his subsequent publications in the Addisonia: Journal of the New York Botanical Garden were entitled “Vanishing Iris” and “Salvaging the Native American Irises” (both 1931).

I. fulva 'Ouachita Half Moon' (Thomas Barham)

I. fulva 'Shangri-la Pass" (Benny Trahan)

I. fulva dwarf from Illinois

In Louisiana the irises are not currently threatened everywhere.  One can still see large stands of native irises in freshwater swamps and low wild areas.  But the extent of these natural spaces has diminished markedly over the years.  The current city limits of New Orleans, for example, once contained massive fields of irises, but development has destroyed them all.  Louisianas are often seen in roadside ditches, but one pass of a road grader or a crew spraying herbicide wipes them out.  I. hexagona, the first to be given species designation based on specimens from South Carolina, apparently is entirely gone from its state of origin.

I.. brevicaulis from Gary Babin in Baton Rouge

I. brevicaulis from Point Coupee Parish, LA

It is not just numbers of plants that are threatened.  When a population is destroyed, any unique forms that may have developed in the area are also eliminated.  The Louisiana Iris Species Preservation Project is focused precisely on the need to preserve the range of colors and forms found among the native Louisiana irises. 

And the variety is remarkable.  The species fulva and brevicaulis probably are more varied than the others, no doubt due to a much wider geographic range.  Both extend well into the North, whereas hexagona and giganticaerulea are limited to the Southeast and Gulf Coast states.  I. nelsonii is restricted to a few square miles in South Louisiana near the town of Abbeville.

I. nelsonii 'Bronco Road' (Benny Trahan)

I. nelsonii 'Young's Coulee (Benny Trahan)

It is instructive to see the ranges of these irises displayed on county level maps.  The website of the Biota of North America Program presents beautiful distribution maps of all the irises species native to North America.  Take a look at:  http://bonap.net/NAPA/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Iris 

I. hexagona from South Carolina

I. hexagona from Florida (Benny Trahan)

Interestingly, the BONAP site recognizes a sixth Louisiana iris species:  I. savannarum.  Savannarum was one of the species names applied by Dr. Small, but most authorities have abandoned it, lumping these irises, found mainly in Florida, with I. hexagona.  BONAP, by contrast, shows hexagona as having a more restricted range from North Florida and up the coast to South Carolina.  I. savannarum, following Small, is an iris that extends from North Florida down to nearly the Everglades.

Saving the variety of species forms for posterity requires a long term and systematic effort.  It will have to be implemented in phases and will take several years to achieve the full scope envisioned.  In years past, many specimens have been “rescued” by those attracted to their unique beauty, but “saved” plants sometimes are forgotten and effectively lost as people pass from the scene or interests change.   Without intervention, much of the genetic diversity of Louisiana irises will be lost to future generations.

I. giganticaerulea 'Barbara Elaine Taylor' (James Taylor)

I. giganticaerulea from LaPlace, LA

The approach of the Louisiana Iris Species Preservation Project is to create permanent collections of representative examples of the colors and forms of each species from throughout its geographic range.  Once established and thriving in the collections, plants would be made available to individuals and organizations consistent with guidelines adopted for the project.

A beginning has been made.  Charles Perilloux chairs the SLI committee overseeing the project.  A list of over 50 specimens, often named irises, has been compiled, and many have been assembled in a planting in New Orleans.  The Greater New Orleans Iris Society is taking a lead role in maintaining an initial core collection using space made available by City Park in New Orleans. “Stewards” have been identified who eventually will maintain duplicate plantings of some or all the irises on the Preservation List. 

The Project is in need of Stewards outside Louisiana.  It is important to identify and maintain forms from the full range of the Series Hexagonae.  At present, some species forms from around the country have been obtained, but all the Stewards reside in Louisiana.  Some of the species, such as some hexagonas (or savannarums) do not thrive in Louisiana growing conditions, and a special effort is needed to create plantings in other states and regions.

The Greater New Orleans Iris Society website has a page on the Species Preservation Project that outlines the organization and procedures of the effort.  http://www.louisianairisgnois.com/SpeciesPreservation/  An upcoming article in the SLI publication Fleur de Lis addresses this also.

The GNOIS website also displays in one place pictures of many of the irises currently included on the Project’s Preservation List.  One often hears about the progress made over the years in hybridizing Louisiana irises and about the color breaks that have been achieved.  A glance at the assembled pictures of the many species forms is an eye opener.  Many of the color breaks we have welcomed were initially supplied by Mother Nature.  As wildflowers, the Louisiana irises were already a remarkably varied group of plants, and the native forms need to be preserved.

Louisiana Irises That Make Me Happy

By Patrick O'Connor

Amazing progress has been made in the relatively few years in which Louisiana irises have been hybridized.  Those stalwarts who collected wild irises in swamps and along bayous and who began hybridizing in the 1930s and 1940s would be hard pressed to recognize some of the newer hybrids.  Even those working in the 1980s and 1990s surely would be surprised by their change in appearance and pleased with improvements in performance as a good garden plant.

I generally like the new irises and have been impressed by almost all.  Those marked by the greatest transformation in appearance of the flower, however, are not necessarily the ones I am happiest to see every year.  Don’t get me wrong.  Ruffling is great.  Green styles can be pleasing.  Signals on all parts add nice variation.  Strong substance generally is a plus.  Who can argue that a high bud count is not better than a lower one?

There is something to be said, however, for old friends, old forms, and for simplicity and grace.  I think those qualities may be what makes me happy to see some favorite irises each year and to resist any urge to move them out to make way for the new.

This blog will be about some iris hangers-on.  A few are actually old, but others simply hearken back to the time before the ruffling revolution, which really began not so long ago.  Even some new irises channel the quintessence of the wild ones and reinforce a prime directive for Louisiana irises:  There are a variety of pleasing forms, not a single model for a good iris.   And, it should be added, it is the appearance and performance of an iris in the garden that is the real test of its quality.

'Plum Good'

A good place to start is ‘Plum Good’ (Nelson, 2001).  This iris was developed by the late Ira S. Nelson, probably in the 1950s, but was only registered by his widow Barbara many years later.  The intensity of the plum red color and bright yellow arrowhead signal make this one striking iris.  The form is a bit open and slightly flaring, creating a bold but airy effect in the garden.  Many old irises drift away, but iris gardeners have refused to let this one go.

'Acadian'

If red is your color, ‘Acadian’ (Conger, 1956) remains appealing.  It was registered as “violet rose” but I don’t see that.  To me, the falls are distinctly red heavily overlaid with wine veining.  True, the standards are a lighter color, and violet rose may be accurate, but the overall effect of the flower is a textured red.  I don’t know of anything else quite like it even after all these years.

'It's A Boy'

Dorman Haymon’s ‘It’s A Boy’ (Haymon, 1989) is an overlooked iris.  It is a clear lavender blue with a strong yellow arrowhead signal outlined deep blue.  The flower form is open.  The registration blurb tags this iris as blooming at midseason, but after three years I have yet to find that accurate.  It is one of the last irises of the season, and it thus recommends itself to the procrastinating yet discriminating hybridizer.  ‘It’s A Boy’ provides a very beautiful and welcome surprise when the bloom season seems almost over.

'Velvet Memory'

Color distinguishes ‘Velvet Memory’ (Morgan, R, 1994) and I look forward to seeing its face every year.  Richard Morgan registered it as “dark red violet” and I can’t disagree as far as that goes.  But there is something about the tone that is distinct.  I have called it violet purple but that probably is no more accurate.  I’m not sure that my pictures or monitor capture the color or that any other iris has duplicated it.

'Morgan's Dixie'

My current favorite Richard Morgan iris is ‘Morgan’s Dixie’ (Morgan, by Melody and Jerry Wilhoit, 2009).  It is a short bright gold that is edged terracotta.  It provides a vivid-to-nearly-blinding patch of orange in the garden.  This, as they say, as one that you can’t pass by, but partly that’s because it reaches out and grabs you by the ankles.  I cannot imagine a replacement for this one.  ‘Morgan’s Dixie’ proves that an iris does not have to be tall to stand tall.

'Creole Canary'

Double Louisiana irises may be an acquired taste and if so, I have acquired it.  They are oddities, really, and perhaps are best enjoyed if few in number.  One I like is ‘Creole Canary’ (Granger, 1976).   It is “double” in the extreme, having six falls and a bunch of extra petaloids too numerous to count precisely.  One might say it’s a mess.  It is, but I enjoy looking at it every year.

"Henry Rowlan'

‘Henry Rowlan’ (M. D. Faith, 2000) is hardly an oldie, but it demonstrates that a clean, simple form devoid of ruffling (much less doubling) retains a strong appeal.  This is a gorgeous velvety purple iris that I never expect to replace.  The contrasting bright yellow of the crown signal is striking.  Someday this totally unruffled form may represent the new novelty iris.


As might be expected, I am attached to several of my own hybrids.  I still like these, but they may not grab others.  They include  ‘Barataria’ (2002), ‘Little Woods’ (2004), ‘Gentilly’ (2003), ‘Cocodrie’ (2013), ‘When Pigs Fly’ (2013) and ‘Zydeco’ (1999).

'Baratria'

‘Barataria’ is one of those irises that do not have show stalks, but they are produced in such profusion that a clump provides a color blast approaching that of a blooming azalea.  The day-glo rose color and contrasting white styles are an early highlight in the garden.  ‘Little Woods’ is a softer color – a warm rose – that is best appreciated close up.   The styles and signals have a subtle greenish cast and a line of deeper rose decorates the center of the falls.  One of the best smaller Louisiana irises.

'Little Woods'

'Cocodrie'

‘Cocodrie’ defies the demand for overlapping petals but its flaring form, orange color and decorative signals underline the Louisiana standard that many forms are fine.  This is another iris that slows your stroll down the garden path.  ‘When Pigs Fly’ exerts the same pull with a unique combination of pearly pink and yellow signals outlined by bright fuchsia.   This iris was named for its possibility of winning a Dykes, but at least there is no mistaking this one for any other.  It’s a fun iris.

'When Pigs Fly'

‘Gentilly’ is a favorite due to its soft peach tones and tastefully decorated styles showing a hint of green but tipped rose, and with a yellow signal outlined deep orange.  That may sound busy but the color contrasts are subtle, not garish.  This iris is best enjoyed out of the full blast of all day sunlight.  It definitely does benefit from partial shade.

'Gentilly'

‘Zydeco’ returned to form this year when planted again in a garden bed rather than under water culture.   There aren’t many, but a few Louisiana irises prefer to grow in a garden bed rather than in the bogs I create with drainless containers.  ‘Zydeco’ is a bright burnt orange self that deserves to be treated the way it wants.

'Zydeco'

Perhaps eventually I will tire of some of these old iris friends, as I have others.  I do like to think they retain some of the character of their wild ancestors.  It has become clear that the genetic possibilities for development and transformation of Louisiana irises are practically limitless.  Someday they may be unrecognizable as products of the natural world.   I hope that future Louisianas maintain qualities that reflect the essence of their natural heritage, and that we will not be entirely dazzled by beautiful images more likely to inhabit the far end of a kaleidoscope.