"Talking Irises" DISPLAYING IRISES Using a variety of flowers, vases and arranging styles to beautify our homes

By Susanne Holland Spicker

     (Irises from l to r) 'EXTRAVAGANT' (Hamblin'84), 'JUMP FOR JOY' 

(Hager '99), 'CELEBRATION SONG' (Schreiner '93), 'POEM OF ECSTASY' 

             (Hager '97) with giant allium, ruffled poppy, roses and lupine make

              a colorful floral piece to beautify and bring the garden inside

I have found growing tall bearded irises to be very satisfying. The beauty they bring to the garden beds, the excitement felt when a new cultivar blooms, or the magic that happens when the rhizome planted a few years earlier is now a clump can't really be described--and displaying irises inside brings that beauty and thrill into our homes.

 Tall bearded iris 'LULLABY OF SPRING' (Schreiner '87)

with peony, lupine and columbine

The graceful blooms enhance any home or office, as the flowers lend themselves well to a variety of aesthetically pleasing displays. Here in zone 6, TB irises start to bloom when the late bulbs and the early flowering perennials are in bloom, making it easy to use a wide variety of companion plants in bouquets.

Early blooming tall bearded iris 'GLOBAL CROSSING' (Van Liere '12) 

with late blooming spring tulips, bergenia and English bluebells, 

and early blooming tree peony, clematis, and lupine  

'SUPREME SULTAN' (Schreiner '88) Photo at the home of Dawn Mumford

Dawn Mumford proves that a lone iris stem can be spectacular to behold in her magnificent display of 'Supreme Sultan'. 

'JESSE"S SONG' (Williamson '83)

A simple arrangement is also beautiful, using just one variety of 'Jesse's Song' in a tall, crystal vase, using the entire stem for height.

A variety of vases, containers, and arranging styles provide a myriad of ways to add interest in iris displays, as seen here in the collage of some of the ways Dawn Mumford has used in her home, as she arranges blooms from her flower garden in these lovely iris florals. For more about Dawn and her amazing iris garden, please visit ("Talking Irises" MUMFORD TALL BEARDED IRIS GARDEN - A LOVE AFFAIR).

Debbie Hughes uses space and greenery to make this stunning focal piece with TB's

Karina Gonzales makes a bold statement with this beautiful arrangement from her flower garden

Pictured below are a few of the favorites I've made using a variety of color palettes.

Tall bearded irises top to bottom: 'QUEEN'S CIRCLE' (Kerr '00), 'CLASSIC LOOK' (Schreiner '92),  'DUSKY CHALLENGER' (Schreiner '86),
  'ALTRUIST' (Schreiner '87) with various Dutch irises and lupine

'LONG EMBRACE' (Van Liere '10) with Pink Hawaiian Coral peony

'QUEEN'S CIRCLE' (Kerr '00), 'PROUD TRADITION' (Schreiner '90), 
'NO COUNT BLUES' (Schreiner '09) with lupine and 'snowballs'

Iris Societies around the globe give the opportunity to enter irises in floral displays. If you're interested, contact your local iris society for details. The following pictures from the Utah Iris Society show how creative one can get when choosing a vase, container, or prop for displaying irises. The variety of form and symmetry/asymmetry of the arrangements show how versatile a floral display can be. NOTE: Names of entrants and irises used weren't available at the time of publication. My apologies to those individuals and my congratulations for their beautiful displays.

Utah Iris Society, 2014 Awards

Utah Iris Society, 2014 Awards

Utah Iris Society, 2014 Awards 

Utah Iris Society, 2014 Awards 

Unlike a show where the display is being judged at a precise time and the blooms are at their prime, irises for arrangements needing to last up to a week or more should be chosen with the future bloom in mind. 

Some tips to remember when preparing and arranging flowers:

• Pick stems early in the morning, before the sun is out, or, if necessary, late in the evening, when their sugar content is at it's lowest level. 
• Cut the stem and then re-cut under water. This will keep the channel in the stem open for water to get to the bloom and keep it hydrated. 

'EAGLE'S FLIGHT' (Schreiner '86) 
with assorted purple alliums, lupine and 
Coral Hawaiian Pink peony in bud or just opening stage

• Choose stems that have buds showing color, or ready to open. 
• Keep in draft-free areas, out of direct sunlight. 
• Use a floral preservative, changing the water every day or two, if possible. 
• Deadhead spent blooms when necessary. 
• Keep in mind where future blooms will open to insure a pleasing display, as shown in these examples. 

Day 4 of the arrangement 

 A formal display of early blooming TB's.  Plicata 'LEANNA' (Meininger '97) 

and luminata 'DAUGHTER OF STARS' (Spoon '01) go well with beardless 

Siberian Iris Caesar's Brother, peony Yoshina Gawa, giant allium and lupine.  

 Beautiful true blue 'BABBLING BROOK' (Keppel '66), and

white, flounced and lovely 'MESMERIZER' (Byer '91), with dutch iris, 

peony, allium and lupine.

 'JESSE'S SONG' (Williamson '83)

The first iris to bloom this particular year with the late daffodils and tulips

Simple sprays ready for the grave site on Memorial Day. 

Voluptuous 'WEDDING BELLE' (Keppel '07), plicata 'EPICENTER' (Ghio '94), 

and velvety dark self 'SPECTACULAR BID' (Denny '81)

The complimentary colors of blue 'ABSOLUTE TREASURE' (Tasco '06) 

and luscious coral 'SOUTHERN MORNING' (Metler '11) 

with English bluebells and lupine

A harmonious informal spring bouquet of tall bearded irises, from left bottom to right: 'JENNIFER REBECCA' (Zurbrigg '85), 'SWEETER THAN WINE' (Schreiner '98), 'LATIN LOVER (Shoop '69), 'RASPBERRY WINE' (Schreiner '01), 'CLOSE UP' (Tompkins '72),

'LADY FRIEND' (Ghio ''81), 'CUPID'S ARROW' (Ghio '90)

There is no limit to what you can do when preparing a display of your irises. From the smallest miniature bearded irises to the tall bearded irises, or the stately Japanese irises, and every other iris variety, with hundreds of thousands of color combinations, companion plants, vases, and containers or props, formal arrangements, a stem in a vase, or a spring bouquet--the possibilities are endless!

Do you like to display your irises at home? If so, I'd love to read your comments and see what you are doing with your iris blooms.

OLDIES BUT GOODIES

                                                           by Dawn Mumford

On May 31st of this year we enjoyed some visitors to our iris garden.  There were about 20 members of the American and Utah Iris Societies.  They took pictures, smelled the aromas, looked at the flowers and "talked iris."  I invited our guests to come in the house when they were done in the garden to have some chilled bottled water.  I asked one of the gentlemen if he particularly liked any of the irises and he replied that he had made a list.  He was interested in those irises that were 30 years old and older.  According to him, that is how old they had to be to be considered "historic."  It was at that moment that I realized how many I had that fit into that category.  I hadn't looked at our irises that way.  We have been growing irises since the 1980's and many were several years old when we bought them.  That visitor made me look at my irises in a new light.  I would like to share some of my favorite "oldies but goodies." here today.

'Aztec Treasure' ( R. and L. Miller 1984) 

This bitone shows nice ruffling on both the falls and the standards.  

'Praise The Lord' (Boushay 1972) 

This self has rich blue color and contrasting white beards. 

'Gold Trimmings'  (Schreiner 1975)

Despite its age this iris has graceful ruffling and good branching.

  'Chartreuse Ruffles'  (Rudolph 1976)

I like the subtle coloring of this lilac, white, and chartreuse (green and yellow) bloom.

I don't advocate ridding the garden of new irises to plant only older varieties.  But there are lots and lots of beautiful older irises that we should protect and not get rid of just for the sake of having something newer and marginally better.  I grow the newer irises too and they are wonderful, but I have the luxury of plenty of room to put in the new ones without getting rid of the old ones.  If you don't have the space for both old and new then you have a hard choice to make. 

'Invitation'  (Schreiner 1982)

This amoena has little ruffling or lace but has an elegant color combination.



 'Heather Cloud'  (B. Hammer)  has much the same color combination as 'Celebration Song'. 

   

'Extravagant' (Hamblen 1983)

This is one of my last to bloom and still surprises me with its beauty.

'Chocolate Shake'  (Gibson 1982)

This one doesn't increase well for me but I like how unusual the colors are.



'Lemon Mist'  (Rudolph 1971) 

Blooms and blooms here and increases yearly.

'Gay Parasol' (Schreiner 1974)

This one is not a big bloom but has beautiful form and color.



   'Geniality' (O. Brown 1981)

There is nothing old fashioned about this bloom.   

"Beyond'  (Gibson 1979)

A 35 year old plicata (stitched or stippled margin color on white or dots or peppering).

 'Showcase'  (Schreiner 1972)
Lots of color contrast in this plicata.

' Bayberry Candle'  (C. DeForest 1969)

 'Desert Mist'  (Williamson 1980)

'Sky Hooks'  (Osborne 1980)

What are some of your favorite older irises?  If you have limited space, how do you make the decision on which ones to grow?   How do you choose your irises?  Is it based on color, form, time of year it blooms or by the hybridizers and the year?  Is it by hardiness or cost?  In the past I have just chosen irises based on color and form but I am learning to pay more attention to the name of the hybridizer and the year it was introduced.  It is a surprise to me that I have chosen so many historics.  And remember, each year more historics are added to the list!



"Talking Irises" TALL BEARDED IRIS HYBRIDIZER RANDY BROWN AND A VISIT TO HIS PHENOMENAL GARDEN

By Susanne Holland Spicker

A trip to Randy Brown's iris garden proved to be one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had in recent memory.  Although there were high winds the day I visited, his 300+ irises were at their peak and standing tall in the garden.  Randy says that due to freezes earlier in the year, his seedlings and other new irises were adversely affected, either not blooming or having shorter stalks and smaller blooms. However, I found his garden of lavishly ruffled and laced irises a thing to behold!  

A member and past judge of the Utah Iris Society, Randy has taken first place in the Utah iris shows several times.  This year he took two 1st Places for "Best Arrangement," and also won "Best Seedling" for this nice seedling:

What do you think Randy should name this "Best Seedling" winning iris? 

Randy's iris garden consists of a good mix of his seedlings and newer varieties from a myriad of hybridizers.  Along with the hundreds of irises, he has peonies, daylilies, bleeding heart, lupine, hellebores, poppies, and the biggest rhubarb plants I've ever seen!  He is a beekeeper as well. He uses 16-16-16 to fertilize, and it was evident by the size and vigor of the iris and perennials that it agrees with them. Randy has been raising irises for about 30 years, hybridizing off and on for 20 of those years. He states he has never bothered to introduce one of his seedlings, but that he may some time. Of his thousands of seedlings, he's kept hundreds.The seedlings I saw were remarkable,  with excellent substance and form, and lots  of buds--even in a bad year!  Here are some of his beautiful seedlings:

Which one of Randy's seedlings is your favorite? His rows of TB's are also filled with   many beautiful blooms from various hybridizers. I'm sharing a few of my favorites:

"Parisian Dawn" Keppel 06

"Bewitchment"  Ghio 04

"Out To Lunch" Blyth 07

"Lovely Senorita" Schreiner 02

"Cardinal Rule" Ghio 07

"Gitano" Keppel 07

"Dark Drama" Keppel 05

"Honor Flight" Kerr 09

"Dinner Talk" Blyth 05

"Bubbling Waves" Ghio 06

"Rio Rojo" Schreiner 09

"Engagement Ring" Ghio 2011

Randy says the Utah Iris Society will have their next event Saturday, August 3rd. It is their annual iris sale and auction, held at the Sugarhouse Park Garden Center, 1602 E 2100 S., Salt Lake City, Utah. Table sales begin at 10 am, with rhizomes selling for only $3--what a deal!  At 1 pm new introductions from Keppel, Ghio and others will be auctioned off. 

Looking over the colorful rows of irises, many in showy clumps, was spectacular! Seeing them would make an iris lover even out of the most ardent critic.  I'd like to thank Randy for his hospitality and willingness to spend time with a fellow iris lover.  He's an inspiration to me.