'HISTORIC' OLDIES, DYKES MEDAL WINNERS BEFORE 1958 cont.

                                                                by Dawn Mumford

This post will show irises that won the Dykes Medal from its first year, 1927, to 1957.  My appreciation to everyone who took such nice photos and allowed us to use them. 

Starting with the oldest first we have...

"San Francisco' by Mohr Dykes Medal 1927
Photo courtesy of Mike Unser

'Dauntless' by Connell Dykes Medal 1929

Photo courtesy of Mike Unser  

'Rameses' by H. P. Sass Dykes Medal 1932 
Photo courtesy of Mike Unser

'Coralie' by Ayres  Dykes Medal 1933 
Photo courtesy of CRIRIS

'Sierra Blue' by Essig Dykes Medal 1935 
Photo courtesy of  CRIRIS

'Mary Geddes' by Stahl-Washington Dykes Medal 1936

Photo courtesy of Mike Unser 

'Missouri' by Grinter Dykes Medal 1937
Photo courtesy of Mike Unser

'Copper Lustre' by Kirkland Dykes Medal 1938
Photo courtesy of  CRIRIS

'Rosy Wings' by Gage Dykes Medal 1939
Photo courtesy of Mike Unser

'Wabash' by Williamson Dykes Medal 1940

Photo courtesy of Mike Unser

'The Red Douglas' by J. Sass Dykes Medal 1941 
Photo courtesy of Mike Unser

'Great Lakes' by Cousins Dykes Medal 1942

Photo courtesy of Mike Unser

'Prairie Sunset' by H.P. Sass Dykes Medal 1943

Photo courtesy of Mike Unser 

'Spun Gold'  by Gultzbeck Dykes Medal 1944

From The American Iris Society Wiki
photo courtesy of Betty Higgins 

'Elmohr' by Loomis Dykes Medal 1945 

Photo courtesy of Mike Unser

'Chivalry'  by Wills Dykes Medal 1947
From The American Iris Society Wiki
photo courtesy of Kent Pfeiffer 

'Ola Kala' by Sass Dykes Medal 1948

Photo courtesy of Mike Unser

'Helen McGregor" by Graves Dykes Medal 1949 
From The American Iris Society Wiki
photo courtesy of Kent Pfeiffer 

'Blue Rhythm'  by Whiting Dykes Medal 1950
From The American Iris Society Wiki
photo courtesy of Carlos Ayento  

'Cherie' by Hall Dykes Medal 1951

Photo courtesy of Sherry Austin 

'Argus Pheasant' by Deforest Dykes Medal 1952

Photo courtesy of Mike Unser 

'Truly Yours' by Fay Dykes Medal 1953

Photo courtesy of Mike Unser 

'Mary Randall' by Fay Dykes Medal 1954

Photo courtesy of Mike Unser 

'Sable Night' by Cook Dykes Medal 1955
Photo courtesy of Mike Unser

'First Violet' by Deforest Dykes Medal 1956
From The American Iris Society Wiki
photo courtesy of Terry Laurin 

'Violet Harmony' by Lowry Dykes Medal 1957

 Photo courtesy of CRIRIS

Well, there you have it.  Between the last article and this article we have  the complete list and pictures of all the'historic" Dykes Medal Winners from 1927 until 1984.  (If you missed my last post, it includes 'historic' irises that won the Dykes Medal between 1958 and 1984.  Click here to see it: http://theamericanirissociety.blogspot.com/2014/07/tall-bearded-iris-oldies-dykes-medal.html).  

I'm sure that there are some that really caught your eye and made you think about planting them. 

Do you grow any of these iris?  Which ones are your favorites?  

                 

Amoenas: Iris Color Terminology

By Renee Fraser

When I received my first Schreiner's Catalog in the mail about fifteen years ago, I was bewildered by all of the terminology in the iris descriptions.  What could the word "self" possibly mean in relation to an iris?  And amoena looks like a type of tidepool creature.  Plicata, although fun to say, sounds like either a musical term or a type of pasta.  As I pored over the catalog, I slowly began to learn the differences.  For those of you who are new to irises, I hope this series of short posts on iris color classes will speed up the learning process.

An AMOENA  is an iris with white standards and colored falls.  It's my very favorite color pattern, and was the first color type of iris I ever bought from a catalog.  The iris below is called 'Fashion Passion', a tall and vigorous bloomer in here in Southern California.

'Fashion Passion" Burseen, 1992

 Perhaps the most famous amoena is 'Wabash', an historic iris that is still among the most popular irises in commerce.  The falls on this iris seem to have a neon glow.  I'm still searching for a photo of this iris I saw years ago that made my eyes wide with desire.  When I find it, I'll share it with you.  For now, look at this gorgeous clump from the Delaware Valley Iris Society.  

"Wabash" Williamson, 1936   Photo by CA Moyer

A favorite of mine is 'Ringo', even though it does not like me much.
I love the white rim around the falls.

"Ringo" Shoop, 1979 Photo by Betty Jacobs

Above all other flowers, I am smitten with red amoenas.  I am still looking for one with solid red falls that will grow well for me.  Although 'Looky Loo' has sanded instead of solid falls, it comes very close to my idea of flower color perfection.

"Looky Loo"  Ernst, 2005

Something about that frothy white whipped cream on top makes me amoena crazy.  Do you have a favorite amoena?  What color would you like to see in the falls with that lovely white?