2012 Clarence G. White Medal Award 'Noble Warrior'

By Andi Rivarola

Here's yet another announcement of an AIS medal winner. Hope you like seeing their pictures and descriptions. This is the way I have always dreamed of seeing them, slowly in order to absorb their magnificence one by one.

This time the 2012 Clarence G. White Medal: 'Noble Warrior,' hybridized by Rick Tasco of California.

A complete list of winners in other categories can be found on the AIS website.

Here's a full description of this beautiful iris:

'Noble Warrior' (Richard Tasco, R. 2005) Sdlg. 01-AB-14-10. AB (OGB), 33" (84 cm), EM, Standards are creamy ivory, light yellow midrib and veins that lighten toward edge; style arms golden yellow; Falls are slightly recurved, golden yellow, burgundy red (RHS 187B) veining, darker on hafts and around signal, lightening toward bottom, large round burgundy red signal; beards wide golden yellow in throat, narrow bronzed yellow in middle and end, tipped tiny insignificant burgundy overall; slight musky fragrance. English Eyes X Bagdad's Folly. Superstition 2006. AIS Awards: HM 2008, AM 2010.

Photo by Rick Tasco

I contacted Rick Tasco because I did not have a picture of 'Noble Warrior' to share with all of you, and since I had his attention I also asked him why he decided to work on Arilbred irises and what were his goals. 

Here's what he wrote back:

"I started to hybridize arilbreds because I lived in locations where they grew well, the Valley of the Sun in AZ, and the lower Sierra foothills in Central California.  There aren't many arilbred hybridizers out there and not enough arilbreds are available, so I saw a field that needed more varieties.   I enjoy their unusual patterns and characteristics.

One of my goals in hybridizing arilbreds was to get veins and a large signal on the falls.  'Noble Warrior' is a step towards my goal.  I'm still working for more and bolder veins and a larger signal.  I'm never satisfied."

(AR) Arils

The aril irises include some of the most amazing plants in the genus Iris, from the largest flower (over a foot in length) to tiny dwarfs (the whole plant only a couple of inches high). Arils can also be the most challenging plants to grow, requiring exacting conditions, but the glorious exotic flowers and the pride of achievement compensate for the effort. Arils have been crossed with their easier cousins the true bearded irises to create arilbreds, a separate horticultural class that brings easier culture but retains some of the exotic traits of the pure arils. Arils tend to come from areas of restricted rainfall. They are often referred to as desert iris. But depending on the species these "deserts" can range from high Himalayan plateaus to coastal Mediterranean climates. Most require a dry summer dormancy.

Aril iris are so named because of the fleshy collar on one end of the seed that is believed to be food for ants. When the ants carry it off they plant the seed. Aril Iris have distinctive beards, different from the better known bearded Irises. In some cases the beard may be a broad patch of short hairs that appear like velvet. Many of the Oncocyclus types have large black spots below the beard that rivet the eye. The color palette of the flowers has often been compared to Oriental rugs and may have been an inspiration to the artisans since they both originate in the same parts of the world such as Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, etc.

The Clarence G. White Medal

The highest award given by the American Iris Society strictly to Aril and Arilbred Irises with 1/2 or more aril content

History from Clarence Mahan:

This medal is restricted to irises of one-half or more aril content that clearly exhibit at least two readily recognizable aril flower characteristics as defined and approved by the Aril Society International. It is named in honor of Clarence G. White (1869-1957).

Clarence G. White was born in Cleveland, Ohio. After attending Harvard University, he worked for the White Sewing Machine Company, which had been founded by his father. Later he operated his family's plantation in Florida. His experiments with potato growing in Florida have been credited with being the basis for establishing the potato business in that state. He moved to Hawaii in 1905, and there he owned and operated a large pineapple plantation. He was involved in many philanthropies and civic activities. He moved his family to Redlands, California in 1919, and he began raising flowers and extending his works of civic philanthropy. It was at this time that White developed an interest in and irises.

More on the Clarence G. White 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.

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 Morgan-Wood Medal 'So Van Gogh'

By Andi Rivarola

Here's yet another announcement of an AIS medal winner. This time the 2012 Morgan-Wood Medal: 'So Van Gogh,' hybridized by Marty Schafer and Jan Sacks of Massachusetts.

A complete list of winners in other categories can be found on the AIS website.

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

'So Van Gogh' (Marty Schafer/Jan Sacks, R. 2005) Sdlg. S97-20-10. SIB, 30" (76 cm), EM Standards and style arms medium blue-violet (RHS 90B to 91B), darker veining and edges (89B at darkest); Falls are yellow (13C), lighter at edge, darkest at signal, veined blue violet (89A to 90B), darkest at tip, signal yellow, veined deep blue-violet, blends into F. 'Sarah Tiffney' X 'Banish Misfortune.' Joe Pye Weed 2005. HM 2008, AM 2010.

(Photo by Schafer/Sacks)

The Morgan-Wood Medal

History by Clarence Mahan 

This medal is restricted to Siberian (SIB) irises. It is named in honor of F. Cleveland Morgan (1882-1962) and Ira E. Wood (1903-1977).

F. Cleveland Morgan was a pioneer Canadian breeder of Siberian irises and a founding member of AIS. Some of his magnificent cultivars still enhance gardens around the globe. Three of his best known irises are 'Caezar', 'Caezar's Brother' and ‘Tropic Night'. Educated in England and Switzerland, he was a director of the Henry Morgan Company and a patron of Canadian arts. Morgan's association with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts spanned a period of forty-five years, including 8 years as president of that institution. The museum held a special exhibition in 1961 to display more than six hundred works of art that he had donated.

AIS instituted the Morgan Award for Siberian Irises, the predecessor to the Morgan-Wood Medal, in 1951.

More on the Morgan-Wood 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.

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.

2012 Knowlton Medal Winner 'Crow's Feet'

By Andi Rivarola

We are happy to announce the winner of the 2012 Knowlton Medal: 'Crow's Feet,' hybridized by Paul Black 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:

'Crow's Feet' (Paul Black, registered 2006). Sdlg. K187A. BB, 27" (69 cm), EM,Standards and style arms white, style crests edged peach; Falls are white, lined with closely spaced purple veins from beard to edge, outer quarter sanded purple between veins, narrow white rim 2/3 way around upper part on each side, outer edge of haft veined medium peach-plum; beards white tipped orange; ruffled; slight musky fragrance. G33A: (B139D, 'Color My World' sib, x Taunt) X 'Snowed In'. Mid-America 2006. Honorable Mention 2008; Ben Hager Cup 2008; Award of Merit 2010.

Border Beardeds are essentially small versions of the TBs.  They are in the same height range and bloom size as the intermediates, but bloom with the tall beardeds. Good BBs have round, ruffled petals that complement their small size. The highest award for this class is the Knowlton Medal.

Knowlton Medal

The highest award given by the American Iris Society strictly to Border Bearded Irises.

History by Clarence Mahan

This medal is restricted to border bearded (BB) irises. It is named in honor of Harold W. Knowlton (1888-1968).

Harold Knowlton of Auburndale, Massachusetts, was a tireless promoter of the border bearded class of irises. Bennett Jones wrote in The World of Irises: "Harold Knowlton was among the first to make deliberate selections of smaller plants. Two of his 1950 introductions, 'Pearl Cup' ... and 'Cricket'... display the desirable features we still seek in modern border irises."

Knowlton was the seventh president of the AIS (1953-55) and served the society in several important positions. He was highly regarded as a leader, planner and organizer and reorganized the AIS awards system and instituted the first Handbook for Judges and the handbook for new members; What Every Iris Grower Should Know. He also compiled and edited the 1959 Check List. The AIS awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal in 1955.

More on the Knowlton 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.

2012 Dykes Medal Winner 'Florentine Silk'

By Andi Rivarola

We are happy to announce the winner of the 2012 Dykes Medal: 'Florentine Silk,' hybridized by Keith Keppel 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:

'Florentine Silk' (Keith Keppel, R. 2004). Seedling 99-116A. TB, height 40" (102 cm), Mid-Late bloomseason. Standards peach (M&P 9-A-4), slight orchid (41-E-5) basal infusion; style arms peach, orchid midrib; falls medium violet (41-J-9), narrow pinkish buff (42-D-3) edge; beards light blue at end, base lavender white, carrot red (10-C-10) in throat. 96-45E, 'Crystal Gazer' sibling X 'Poem Of Ecstasy'. Keppel 2005. Honorable Mention 2007; Franklin Cook Cup 2007; Award of Merit 2009; Wister Medal 2011.

The Dykes Medal is the overall top award of the American Iris Society (AIS), given to a single iris each year. Irises are eligible as a Dykes Medal candidate for three years following the winning of a classification medal. Only AIS registered judges may vote for this award. For more information on AIS Awards, please visit our website.

The Iris at the End of the Rainbow: the Favorites of Walter Moores

By Renee Fraser

Sometimes when I'm out in my garden enjoying my irises, I wonder about the men and women who create such beauty.  What did they think when they first saw THIS flower open?  Out of all of the irises they have hybridized, which are their very favorites?  I also notice that the irises of particular hybridizers do well for me.  Could it have something to do with the climate the flower was born in? 

Since I have recently become acquainted with a number of both avocational hybridizers and those who also run commercial gardens, I asked them to share their favorite iris introductions and tell us a bit about how they became interested in hybridizing.  

The inspiration for these questions was 'Flying Down to Rio' by Walter Moores.  I have always loved amoenas (irises with white standards at the top) and bicolored irises, and this one is exceptionally pretty with its orange beard. So I asked him about this flower, and it turns out it's his favorite too! So we will begin with Walter Moores.

'Flying Down to Rio' 2006

Walter is an avocational hybridizer who gardens in North Mississippi, about seventy miles south of Memphis, which is at the southern edge for growing bearded irises with success.  He says he likes to try irises that people claim cannot be grown there. Those of you who live in this climate know the challenges.  Evey's Blissful Garden is a website devoted to helping gardeners in this climate choose appropriate plants, and wouldn't you know it, the site features Walter's irises! 

Walter says "sometimes I think I was born in an iris patch.  From my earliest recollections of flowers, I remember irises.  My dad had a huge planting of irises rowed out in the front of the house which was some distance from the road.  He had all colors but didn't know they had names.  My grandmother also had irises in her flower beds.  I remember taking bouquets to my teachers in elementary school just to hear oohs and ahhs and to get praised.  But it was not until I stumbled across an iris show in a Fort Worth mall in 1966 that I got serious about irises.  I had never seen modern irises before and was immediately smitten by them.  I joined the Fort Worth Iris Society on the spot and have never wavered from my love for the genus iris.  It was there that I first learned that some irises produced seed.  I was taught hybridizing by a member of the society and made my first crosses in 1967.  My first introductions were offered to the public in 1977, and I have rarely missed a year registering or introducing an iris.  Some of my irises are now historic, and it is amazing to me to find one of those 1977 introductions, 'Pepper Blend', still listed in catalogs today.  Another perennial favorite is 'Purgatory', introduced in 1987."  

Walter has grown and hybridized siberians, ensatas, spurias, arilbreds, species and species-cross irises, as well as bearded irises.  He loves them all, and thinks the most interesting gardens feature a variety of different iris types.

'Brown Recluse' 2013

An example of his efforts in breeding new species irises include this beauty, which is an unusual color for a fulva iris.  Look at that branching. Good branching allows the flowers to open without crowding, a very important goal in iris hybridizing.

'Pharaoh's Host' 2012

Another favorite of his is an arilbred, 'Pharaoh's Host'.  An arilbred iris is created by crossing an aril iris, native to the Mediterranean region, with a bearded iris.

A few of his favorite tall bearded introductions include 'Ascii 
Art', which remains very popular among gardeners today,  'Lemonade Springs', 'Miniver Rose', and 'Yalobusha Desert'.  Walter named the last to reflect the fierce growing conditions he faces in Yalobusha County.

'Ascii Art' 1997
Photo by Marilyn Campbell

'Lemonade Springs' 2004

'Miniver Rose' 2007

'Yalobusha Desert' 2011

Early on in his career, Walter was known for hybridizing reblooming bearded irises, but for the last few years, when he works with tall bearded irises, his focus is on zonals with different color backgrounds within the zones (see 'Bright New Day' for an example of a zonal pattern). In his current hybridizing efforts he is looking for "that elusive pink zonal." 

Walter adds "I think irises are one of the reasons I have enjoyed a long life.  New seedlings inspire me each bloom season, and I plan to continue for as long as I am able."

'Moonlight and Wine' 2011
Photo by Rick Tasco

Which of these lovelies is your favorite?  Do you grow any irises by Walter Moores?  If you do, how do they perform in your climate?  

If you would like to know more about iris hybridizers, I recommend Classic Irises and the Men and Women Who Created Them by Clarence Mahan (yes, the same 'Clarence' for whom the lovely reblooming iris is named).  Stay tuned for more posts on hybriders from different parts of the country and the jackpots they found at the end of their rainbows.  

My Favorite Irises of Spring 2012

     Since my retirement, I have scaled back the number of irises I grow, and I find that I enjoy each one more now.  I now have time to really evaluate the varieties that I think are lovely.  I also had time to visit a number of iris gardens this year, including Sutton's, Superstition, the Probst-Trio garden, Fred Kerr's garden, and Napa Country Iris.  Finally, I went to the American Iris Society's spring Region 14 Meeting at Aptos.  I took photos of some of my favorite irises in these gardens this spring, and here they are.

     'Adriatic Waves' (Keppel '09). While some of the recent Keppel introductions don't seem to really like me a lot and seem to pout rather than grow, this one grows well and produces a fine stem. I really like the wide, blocky form.

     'Broadband' (Tasco '02).  This one is really growing on me--not as flashy for color as some of Rick's other introductions, but it does have very nice, wide form.  Another interesting thing about the variety is that it can produce good and wide warm-toned plicata seedlings when crossed to brownish plicatas.

     'Engagement Ring' (Ghio '11). This was very popular at the Spring Regional/TBIS meeting with its lovely color pattern.  It's new, so still a bit expensive for me to add it to my collection now that I have tightened my belt in retirement.

     'Genealogy' (T. Johnson '08).  The parentage indicates this is from a yellow amoena (an amoena is an iris with white standards on top) and a blue neglecta (neglectas are blue irises with lighter tops, see 'Jerico Springs' below).  The result is quite pleasing.  Sort of a better approach to a brown-toned bitone, a color range rare in many iris gardens today.

     'Jerico Springs' (Nicodemus '10). This is not just another neglecta: the texture veining on the falls sets this one apart from the rest. This is the iris I liked best this year of all the new things that I grew.

 'Magical' (Ghio '08). Both last year and this year, I have been very impressed with this creamy pink that has wonderful branching and bud count. There is some talk, premature, of course, that this iris might be Dykes Medal quality.

     'Mardi Gras Rose' (G. Sutton '12). If I were still buying introductions, this would have been on the must-have list. It is not a knock-you-dead color, but rather an elegant, soft lavender-rose affair. Great shape for the flowers and the stalks have wide branching and lots of buds.

     'Magical Realism' (Williamson '08). Yip, one of my own creations. This almost did not survive—out of 3000 seedlings, disease reduced the numbers to around 60. It was blooming at the end of a row, and I selected it on a whim. Each year it gets better and I love the color contrast, but I have had a love affair with red-black colors ever since Plough's 'Study in Black.'

     'Spice Trader' (J. Painter '10).  Browns seem to be out of fashion, but I really liked this in the early garden.  (The odd blemish below the beard has to do with opening in 40 MPH winds.) It is very bright and colorful and it was not showing any frost damage in its home garden despite a late frost there, so it may be good for colder areas.

     'Strawberry Frosting' (M. Sutton '10). This laced soft pink has impressed me two years in a row. Others have questioned whether the pale colors might fade out in warm areas, but I think it is lovely, as you can see here.


   Anyone who has read my previous posts knows that I am a huge fan of visiting other iris gardens.  The wise gardener should try to get out and see what irises look like before buying.  As always, this blog is just a snapshot, and I am sure had I had visited a week later, I would have found others that I liked at least as much.  Did you visit any gardens this spring?  Which irises caught your eye?