Spuria News -- Summer 2012

By Andi Rivarola

Presenting the latest edition of Spuria News, the Newsletter of the Spuria Iris Society, published twice a year and available to Spuria Society members.

Here are few of the topics on this edition:

2012 Eric Nies Medal Winner, and Other Awards
Spuria Fundraiser for 2012
This, That and a Few Other Things, by Brad Kasperek
Which Comes First: The Flower or The Garden Plant, by Brad Kasperek
A Blast From The Past, by Darol Jurn
Missouri Rambling, by President Jim Hedgecock
2012 Spuria Introductions (pictures included)
News About a New Digital Program
2016 Spuria Iris Society Mini-Convention
2012 Popularity Poll
Paypal in Our Midst

And much, much more.

For information about membership with the Spuria Iris Society, please visit Society's website.

(SPU) Spuria Irises

Spurias are tall (2 to 5 feet in height) and elegant, and have very attractive foliage. The shape of the bloom often suggests orchids and the colors range from white and yellow through blue, wine and brown, often with bright yellow signals. This horticultural class is equivalent to the botanical Series Spuriae. The highest award is the Eric Nies Medal.

2012 Eric Nies Medal Winner 'Solar Fusion'

By Andi Rivarola

We are happy to announce the winner of the 2012 Eric Nies Medal: 'Solar Fusion,' hybridized by Lee Walker of Oregon.

A complete list of winners in other categories will be announced soon.

Here's a full description of this beautiful iris via the Iris Wiki:

'Solar Fusion' (Lee Walker, R. 2004) Sdlg. 93-2-19. SPU, 47" (119 cm), ML Standards are medium yellow base, medium yellow veining over maroon, ruffled; style arms yellow with maroon tip; Falls medium to deep yellow with faint maroon veining extending to a faint maroon rim, light ruffling. 'Dena's Delight' X 'Highline Coral.' Wildwood Gardens 2005. HM 2008.

Eric Nies Medal

The Eric Nies Medal is the highest American Iris Society award given strictly to a spuria Iris. The Eric Nies Medal is actually a plaque. Legend has it that Ben Hager, who had won almost every medal possible, complained that they all went into a drawer and the he wished he had something to hang on his wall. The Spuria Society fulfilled his dream.

History By Clarence Mahan

This medal is restricted to spuria (SPU) irises. It is named in honor of Eric Nies (1884-1952).

Eric Nies was born in Saugatuck, Michigan, the son of Dutch immigrants. He graduated with a BS degree from Michigan State College, where he was a star pitcher on the baseball team. In 1913, he and his wife Grace moved to Los Angeles, California, where he taught high school botany and agriculture for many years. He was a man who was praised for his beautiful singing voice, his wit and his charm.

Soon after Nies moved to California, he became interested in irises of all types. He obtained his first spuria irises from Jennett Dean, who operated one of the first iris specialist nurseries in the U.S. Spurias were his special interest. His first cross was with I. orientalis with 'Monspur'. He interbred seedlings from this cross, and in the second generation there was a virtual explosion of color: blue, lavender, brown, bronze and cream. Some of these early cultivars, the forerunners of great advances in spuria irises, are 'Bronzspur', 'Saugatuck', and 'Azure Dawn'.

More on the Eric Nies Medal, such as its history and past medal winners, can be found on the Iris Wiki.

For more information on AIS Awards, please visit our website.

This, That, and a Few Other Things

By Brad Kasperek

Greetings from the top of Utah - I'm b-a-a-a-a-ack!  I've heard lots of interesting rumors about what happened to Kathie and I, but reality wasn't quite as interesting. Neither of us died, were in a serious accident or were at death's door, but we both had health issues that brought abrupt changes to our quality of life. Physical recoveries and mental adjustments to the realities of our aging took time. Anyway, we plan on re-opening Zebra Gardens this year and even introducing our first two spurias.  Nothing too exciting, but I believe one of them will offer something new in color combinations. I've had to reevaluate and reduce my previous iris hybridizing goals to decide where my major interests now lie.  The result was a decision to make spurias my primary focus for the future.  Don't everyone groan at once!

Spuria Iris 'Ode to a Toad'

In the Winter 2011 issue Jim Hedgecock wisely encouraged spuria hybridizers to acquire a selection of spuria species irises and to incorporate them into their hybridizing programs. The hope for outcome would be an increase in colors and patterns within the hybridized spuria genotype. This is great advice and new hybridizers should make it one of their goals to do some of this hybridizing. However, it appears to me that the pattern diversity within the I. Spuria species is much more limited than in bearded irises. Thus we should also continue working to fully identify the recessive characteristics of the existing genotype (color, pattern, size, ruffles, frills, etc.). This is what happened and continues to happen in the hybridizing of bearded iris. Look at the variety there!

Spuria Iris 'Ibex Ibis'

Once again for at least the 1000th time I relearned the hard way that if I think I know what I'm doing - I probably don't. These delusions exist only because I wasn't smart enough to ask the right questions when I should have.  After my experience with hybridizing bearded irises I assumed hybridizing spurias would be similar -wrong!  It seems that every technique or process I used with bearded irises was just far enough off the mark to impede my success with spurias in both producing seed and getting it to germinate. Seed germination has been the bane of my spuria hybridizing and I've tried everything I could think of to improve my results, but I always planted the seeds in POTS. Last year, Iris, the goddess of the rainbow must have smiled on my hybridizing efforts because we harvested almost 21,000 spuria seeds which was a huge increase over all other years. So I quickly created a convoluted plan to test several new methods of improving germination and producing seedlings large enough to transplant by mid-May. The crosses with the highest number of seeds were split into three groups: green seed to freeze, green seed to chill and dried seed to soak at the end of December. On the 2nd and 3rd of this January we potted these seeds up in 77 - 2 gal pots and stored them in my bedroom to await their later transfer to the greenhouse. I'll let you know the results in my next column. They should be good for a laugh at least.


So with this work out of the way I finally decided it might be a good idea to check with Dave Niswonger to see if he could provide any help with my germination problems. Dave told me that the most important factor affecting spuria seed germination was how many soil particles were in direct contact with the seed. Thus he plants his in a seed bed made of loamy soil without any added peat moss or other organic material and gets around 75% germination. Incorporating organic material would reduce germination by reducing the seed to soil contact.  Additionally, he said to NEVER POT the seeds up because potting mixes have very poor soil to seed contact!  Now why didn't I ask him for this advice six years ago!!!  Or even six months ago!  As "they" say - the only stupid question is one not asked.

Spuria Iris Seedling 5SP-11A

My early years of hybridizing tales of woe will become an article at a later date after I have some confidence that I finally know how to hybridize spurias in northern Utah. One thing that I'm certain of is that geographical location, temperature zone, length of growing season and the amount, form and timing of precipitation makes an enormous difference in the culture of spurias whether gardening or hybridizing.  It's my impression that this sort of information isn't adequately documented or mentioned in articles or on our website.  Do you believe this information would be valuable if someone (ah! that elusive someone) would try to compile it?  Please contact me at zebrairis@gmail.com if you think this is a worthwhile project.

Have a wonderful bloom season!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - ^ - - - - - - - - - - ^ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Brad Kasperek at the 2006 AIS National Convention

Editor's Note: It is with great honor and pleasure that with this article we bring you a new area of exploration to World of Irises - the Blog of The American Iris Society -- Guest Bloggers. Brad Kasperek is the first, and there's a reason for it. He is a hero of mine, for having had the courage to "boldly go" in pursuit of his fascination with Broken Color irises. I mean, the name of his business says it all, "Zebra Gardens - Irises of a Different Stripe."

I can never forget how surprised I was to hear Jim Hedgecock say at one of his presentations that with only about 800-Spuria iris varieties registered, the field of spuria iris hybridizing is quite open, and the opportunities endless. So, I feel that Brad's work will bring new life to the world of Spurias.

I'm very glad Brad explains about his and Kathie's health issues at the beginning of this article because as someone who followed their work closely, I was worried. So, Brad and Kathie, glad you're back on your feet and in the garden because the result will be, as we all know, beautiful irises. Welcome back!

I hope we can get to hear more from Brad in the future. I will follow his steps into spuria iris hybridizing adventures with great interest.

A similar version of this article first appeared in the Winter 2012 Edition of Spuria Iris News, the newsletter of the Spuria Iris Society.

Brad was kind enough to provide me the descriptions of the two newly introduced spurias:

'Ibex Ibis' (Kasperek 2012), SPU, 45", M. Light medium lavender standards, stylearms and rim around fall with a bright yellow fall center darkening to gold at the arm crest, 5 to 6 buds.

'Ode to a Toad' (Kasperek 2012), SPU, 38", M. Rich, red-brown maroon standards and mottled purple & brown style arms. Rich, orange-gold falls rimmed and modestly veined in smoky maroon, 4 to 5 buds.

Andi Rivarola
Word of Irises - the Blog of The American Iris Society, Editor
AIS Social Media Manager

My Favorite Irises: Jim Hedgecock Tries To Choose

In his recent article included in the April issue of IRISES, The Bulletin of The American Iris Society, Hybridizer Jim Hedgecock from Gower, Missouri, explains his trouble picking his favorite spuria irises from the many available in his own garden, and we can see why. Take a look at some of the ones included just for the Spring Issue of IRISES, and why he likes them:

Jim says about these, "‘Blueberry Sundae’ (2000). This is one of Dave Niswonger’s best ever spurias in my book. I love this subtle, pale blue blend. It is one of those unique spurias that you won’t mix up with others in the garden.

‘Piper May’ is a 2009 Charlie Jenkins introduction that has exploded in popularity. The standards are reddish purple with falls that are bright yellow with stitches and striations of reddish purple over the lower two-thirds of the petals. 

‘Mythical Nights’ (Hedgecock, 2009) is one of my first introductions, and I am partial to it because it has such clean, dark navy and blue purple blended flowers. There aren’t very many in this color range in spurias. 

‘Elfin Sunshine’ (Jenkins, 1998) is one of my favorites because it blooms almost two weeks ahead of the main spuria crowd. This little showoff just captures everyone’s heart. The small flowers on short stalks are pale yellow blending to dark yellow." 

The full article contains more information about Jim Hedgecock's hybridizing work and more of his favorite spurias.

For more information about spuria irises, tips on how to grow them, and a directory of commercial sources, check the Spuria Iris Society website.

IRISES is a quarterly publication available in print or digital formats to members of The American Iris Society. For AIS membership information please see our website here.

IRISES Spring Issue

If you can't wait to read and look at the exciting iris pictures on every issue of IRISES, well you don't have to wait much longer. Here's the cover of the spring issue of IRISES, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society.

As you know, IRISES is published quarterly and sent to members of the AIS via either printed format or shared with e-members via a digital reader. So, now no matter where you live in the world you can enjoy perusing this magnificent magazine cover to cover as soon as it's released.  To find out how easy it is to become a member of The American Iris Society, click here.

The featured articles in this issue of IRISES include:

• My Favorite Irises: by Jim Hedgecock, Missouri (front cover is a clue)
• Selling Irises at the Farmers Market: by Pat McNeal, Maryland
• Basic Bearded Iris Pests and Deceases: by Editor Kelley D. Norris, Iowa
• An Iris Dream: by Naomi DiVincenzo, Colorado
• The Genetic Domain on TB irises: by Dan H. Meckenston, Kansas
• The Quest for Orange: by Heather Pryor, Australia
• Illumination: by Keith Keppel, Oregon
• 2012 Photo Contest Rules

And some of the regular sections are:

• Section Happenings
• Milestones
• Youth Views
• In Your Backyard
• Photographing Irises
• Convention Information

We hope you will receive this issue of IRISES in the next couple of weeks, and or check The American Iris Society website to find out if the electronic copy has been posted.

We appreciate your support, and hope to see you at the National Convention to be held in Ontario, California on April 16 - 21.

My Earliest Bloomers

Spring came early to Southern California this year, as it has in many places in the country. Although it may seem hard to believe, these photos of the tall bearded reblooming iris 'Recurring Dream' (Hager, 1992) were taken on March 13.

The next iris to join the party was 'Lady Friend.' It was moved to this spot last year because I expected it to bloom next to the red Japanese Blood Grass and the pinkish-red gazanias nearby. They may catch up to her, but they had better hurry.  

I did not expect 'Recurring Dream' to bloom at the same time as 'Lady Friend,' and I have not adjusted to this color combination. Perhaps it will grow on me.

This is another unexpected bloom.  A neighbor grows 'Superstition,' an almost-black iris, and I thought it would look fabulous next to my new pale yellow Austin rose 'Symphony' with almost-black violas.  I went over after it was done blooming and dug up a few rhizomes- of the wrong iris.  A nice, tall NOID (no identification) now blooms in 'Superstition's' spot.

Here is a photograph of all three of my earliest bloomers.  I eliminated all purple from my garden two years ago.  Purple is invasive.

Early blooming iris varieties are a wonderful sight in the garden.  Iris foliage in the early spring is a beautiful sight on its own, and stands up well to other non-blooming perennials as a statement in the garden.

I had no idea what to put around this pond, and it sat there looking sad and barren until I hit upon the brilliant idea of putting in plants with my favorite spiky foliage.  Louisiana iris 'Spanish Ballet' (a gift from my friend Judith Gasser) is in the foreground and a historic iris that has been on the property since, oh, maybe the 1940s, is planted in the clump at center.  I'll be sure to post photos when they bloom, but they are there for the foliage.

From the other direction:

And from the other side of the pond.

Spuria irises purchased at the San Fernando Valley Iris Society plant sale wait for me to finish the masonry on a new iris bed in front of the plunge pool.  I planted them in coffee cans with the bottoms removed.  The plastic lids underneath have holes poked into them for drainage.  When I remove the plastic, the irises will slide right out without too much trauma (she says with great confidence and no experience).



Other irises are ready to bloom within a week or two.  Hager's 1992  'Total Recall,' Keppel's 2002 'Telepathy,'  Holk's 1995  'Rose Teall,'  Gibson's 1994 'Frequent Flyer,' Gaulter's 1976 'Persian Berry,' Burseen's 1992 'Fashion Passion,' and Begley's 1988 'Tennison Ridge' are all getting ready to roll.  'Northwest Progress' (Schreiner, 1997) is a good sport; it will be blooming at the same time as the ajuga I put in to match its colors.

In other parts of the country, standard dwarf bearded irises and species irises are the first to bloom.   Which are the first in your part of  the world?  Do you grow any early bloomers in your garden? 

Spuria Irises-Where Do We Go From Here

I have traveled all over the U. S. doing seminars and judge's training sessions. Many of these were on spuria irises. I have been hybridizing tall bearded irises for over 30 years and spurias for 15 or more. When I look at where tall bearded irises have progressed to in 30 years, I all I can say is "WOW." When I look at spurias, I see improvements, but the WOW factor just isn't there.

Neurotic (Hedgecock 2011) Is this a new color break in Spuria irises?

As hybridizers of spurias, we need to develop some goals in our programs. It is absolutely okay to just make crosses and see what happens, but what are you hoping to get from that cross? I hope many of you will answer better form, better substance, and certainly new colors and patterns.

I often ask spuria people that know more than a little about these irises, "Do you think there are patterns that can be exploited in spuria irises?" My most common reply is, " I don't know of any."

I know of one hybridizer that wants to produce a line of spurias without signals. I see this as a very doable goal, especially since I have several dark seedlings that have virtually no signals. Another wants to work in the miniature spuria field.

The important thing is to pick an area you think you like and get started. Look for spurias that have some of the traits you are looking for in your finished product and start hybridizing.

Are there patterns in spuria irises? Undoubtedly there are, but they haven't been established at this time.

One area that I find most interesting is the signals on the falls. One question that always come up is, "Are there color bands on the falls or do the signal patches simply expand to nearly the fall edges?" My opinion is that there are definite bands of color that are separate from the expanded signals colors. This is quite apparent in some varieties. This is a possible pattern that could show much promise in future breeding efforts.

When I started crossing spurias, I noticed that there were some varieties that had dark solid standards and falls with a large signal patch and edges of the same color as the standards. I borrowed a term from tall bearded irises and started calling these dark tops. I made some crosses with these as a possible pattern and the results were, at least some of the seedlings came in this pattern in varying colors. I believe this is a pattern that can be exploited.

We only have approximately 750 spuria cultivars to work with and a number of these are no longer in commerce. Using promising seedlings in your program is so very important. If you think you see something that makes your seedling different, by all means use it in your crosses.

I want to hear from anyone about your spuria seedlings and what you are doing in your hybridizing efforts. Together, we can make one of the world's greatest irises a house hold name.

God Bless you and your gardens.

Respectfully,
Jim Hedgecock
President Spuria Society