In the Heart of Europe

 by Sylvain Ruaud

 

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the ensuing political upheaval had a major impact on the world of irises. We have already seen what happened in Germany. Now we will see what happened in the so-called People's Republics. The upheaval did not have the same consequences everywhere; but where it did, it gave birth to a new and not insignificant part of the iris world. This movement occurred in Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia), Poland, Lithuania, Slovenia, and, to a lesser extent, Hungary and Romania. The other countries were only slightly affected, either because of their geographical and climatic situation or because of specific or historical circumstances.

The cultivation of irises in the Czech Republic began long before the 1990s. With meager options in genetic breeding stock, clever and ingenious people had created hybrids. Such was the case of Vojtech Smid, who in 1985 succeeded in Florence with 'Libon', a variety that, despite its success, was never registered, because at the time it would have been suspicious to be associated with an American organization. But also, from that time, the great botanist Milan Blazek tried to make daring crosses, in line with his genetic studies. He was particularly interested in Iris plicatas and late varieties. Due to being isolated in his own country, it took until 2013 to get his new varieties registered. They are still showing their age despite their aesthetic interest. This is the case of the pink 'Jarni Sen' (R. 2013). As soon as American varieties became widely available as breeding material, many Czech amateurs began to work with them. Many of them immediately proved their worth. Take the case of Pavel Nejedlo, who made a masterstroke with the cross 'Desert Echo' X ('Rancho Rose' x 'Sketch Me') and the three plicata varieties he kept from it: 'Moonlight Sketch' (1998), 'Spacelight Sketch' (1998), and 'Sunlight Sketch' (1998); or of Jiri Dudek, whose few hybrids were appreciated wherever they could be seen. Witness: 'Papapubren' (2003). 

Tall bearded iris 'Moonlight Sketch'

Photo by Christine Cosi

But the undisputed leader of Czech iridophilia is Zdenek Seidl. This man of conviction is interested in all classifications of irises. In 30 years of activity, he has become famous and his varieties have won awards wherever they have been in competition, be it in Munich, Florence, or Paris. From his first entries, whether the yellows 'Pozdni Leto' (1998) and 'Zlatohlavek' (1998) or the black 'Bratislavska Noc' (1996), experts immediately recognized him as a remarkable breeder. As the years passed, his talent has only grown. 'Nad Oblaky' (2019) triumphed in Paris this year, and 'Chachar' (2013) preceded 'Nad Oblacky' in 2017, before winning in Florence the following year. Note his intermediate bearded irises, which are characterized by their small size, well within the limits and appearance of the category.

Tall bearded iris 'Chahar'
Photo by Stephane Bolvin

In neighboring Slovakia, Ladislav Muska is the champion of change after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He is the epitome of a knowledgeable amateur. Like many hybridizers from Eastern Europe, he too started with a small pool of genetic stock for breeding. The available gene pool increased as more modern iris hybrids began to be exchanged, and little by little he was able to obtain the best American iris germplasm. His production was important and he even managed to publish a small handmade catalogue which he distributed to all his acquaintances in Europe and the United States, so that his varieties were spread everywhere. Not all of these irises are masterpieces, but many deserve to be in the finest collections. Especially his rich plicatas - 'Dreaming Clown' (1999) is the most famous and has even been used in breeding by Keith Keppel. Another notable introduction by Muska is the mauve 'Elegaball' (1999) which won the Moscow competition in 2003. 

Tall bearded iris 'Elegaball'
Photo by Sylvain Ruaud 

The successor of Ladislav Muska is Anton Mego. This discreet man continues to offer the world excellent varieties, both in terms of modernity and elegance of appearance and originality of colour. It has been a little over 20 years since his name first appeared in the iris world and there is hardly a year that has not been a revelation. The first shock was 'Slovak Prince' (2003) with its finely hemmed gold petals. It was an instant success in the USA, where in 2009 it won the highest possible award for a tall bearded non-American iris, the Wister Medal. 'Clotho's Web' (2010) won Third Prize in the 2015 Franciris® competition. Bratislavan Prince' (2010) came in first in the 2015 Moscow International TB (Tall Bearded) Iris Competition. 'Horske Oko' (2015) is arguably the first 'pansy-flowered' iris, and 'The Majestic' (2017) is a milestone in modern, exotic colouring reminiscent of aril irises. There is no doubt that Anton Mego can still be counted on to renew iridophilia. 

Tall bearded iris 'Slovak Prince'
Photo by Heather Haley

Tall bearded iris 'Clothos Web'
Photo by Christine Cosi

Tall Bearded iris 'Horske Oko'
Photo by Christine Cosi

Tall bearded iris 'The Majestic'
Photo by Christine Cosi

Further south, in Slovenia, part of the former Yugoslavia, is the home of Izidor Golob, who combines his hybridizing skills with a cheerful personality. He did not wait for political turmoil to take an interest in irises, registering and introducing his first unusual-for-the-time 'Mojka', an apricot iris, in 1978, followed by a series of rather unpretentious but successful cultivars, such as 'Majski Dotik' (2009), whose pedigree includes a pleasant white variety bred by the aforementioned Czech Milan Blazek.

Tall bearded iris 'Majski Dotik'
Photo by Sylvain Ruaud

One does not necessarily imagine that irises are available in Lithuania—but they are. Thanks go to Laimonis Zakis, a talented hybridizer who has been working on this plant since 2006, after a trip to Florence, but who refuses to register his varieties, which unfortunately keeps him on the fringes of the rest of the iris world. Many of his varieties would deserve international distribution, but this is out of the question as long as they remain semi-clandestine. The flower of 'Abavas Perle' (circa 2010) gives an idea of his production.

The main part of this Eastern European survey is Poland. It is the largest and most populous country and the one where iris cultivation has expanded the most. In truth, hybridizers are not particularly numerous there, but they appeared at the end of the Soviet bloc and have been renewed regularly since that time. One of the very first was Lech Komarnicki. An interesting and uncommon character, this former dramatic artist became interested in irises as soon as he left the stage and retired to his property in western Poland. He began by hybridizing tall bearded irises -- 'Poranna Mgielka' (2010) is an example of his work --  but he had many misadventures with them due to the harsh and humid climate of his region. He has preferred working on Siberian irises and interspecific crosses.

Tall bearded iris 'Poranna Mgielka'
Photo by Lech Komarnicki

He was followed by Zbigniew Kilimnik, Henryk Polaszek, and, more recently, Józef Koncewicz and, above all, Jerzy Wożniak. The last named had a brilliant but short career.  He was considered the most skilled hybridizer in his country, and his reputation spread far beyond Eastern Europe to Western Europe. But he soon disappeared (reorientation? death?). Actually, the only truly active and productive hybridizer left is Robert Piątek. This fifty-year-old water and forestry official is now one of the most renowned European hybridizers. He works in all categories of bearded irises, but with a preference for tall bearded irises; and every year he graces us with at least half a dozen new varieties. These flowers began to spread all over the world and he entered them in various competitions: Florence, Paris, Munich . . .  . He chooses names with Anglo-Saxon connotations to make them more accessible than if they had strictly Polish names. He addresses all flower patterns, as most hybridizers do today. Sticking to a few lines is no longer necessary because of the possibilities offered by crossing modern varieties. However, he has a special affection for pastel colors and plicatas of all kinds.

Before we leave Poland, let's greet Kat Zalewska, who is slowly making a place for herself in an area where women are not so numerous. The magnificent rose 'Axis Mundi' (2018) shows, if not the centre of the world, at least a real emerging talent.

Tall bearded iris 'Axis Mundi'
Photo by Kat Zalewska

Eastern Europe continues to open up to iris growing. Romania could be the next area of expansion, as well as Hungary. We should be talking seriously about this in a year or two. But already this part of the world has become a major focus for this area of horticulture.

Iris Competition Newcomers

 by Sylvain Ruaud

All those who are interested in irises have noticed that in recent years the results of the competitions held in Europe have given pride of place to varieties developed by native hybridizers. This is a new phenomenon and marks a fundamental evolution of the iris world. Indeed, we were used to all competitions being won by American or Australian varieties. This was true since the end of the Second World War and the resumption of trade. At first, there was only the Florence competition in Europe, which soon reached a reputation of excellence. Every year it was the occasion for hybridizers from all over the world to measure themselves against others. 

At the beginning, American varieties reigned supreme, while European breeders were still recovering from the world war and were learning about hybridization on the job. These were only western breeders, British, French, and Italian, few in number and aware of the delay accumulated by their seedlings since the end of the 1930s. This is revealed in the list of winners of the Florin d'Or. The competition started in 1957, and the first European variety to be crowned was 'Rosso Fiorentino' (Specht, N.R.) in 1973! And the following ones were 'Libon' (W. Smid, N. R.) in 1985 then 'Ikar' (A. Volfovitch-Moler, 1995) in 1995, of which it is however excessive to speak about European iris because it is originating from Uzbekistan!  From this moment the successes of European varieties became frequent: nine in twenty years (with a clear Italian supremacy: one counts six Italian varieties among these nine winners). 

'Rosso Fiorentino'

'Libon'

'Ikar'

In Germany, in a competition that is less demanding and judged by a popular jury instead of a professional one, the success of American varieties is obvious, but this is explained by the formal beauty of the varieties presented, which always meets with success in front of a jury that is less sensitive to horticultural qualities. In France, out of eight competitions in almost half a century, there have been only two American victories, which tends to confirm the above assumption! However, in general, European varieties manage to hold their own against irises from America or Australia. In Italy, native varieties, which are always numerous to compete in their own country, have won seven times in twenty years (1999/2018) (1), in France, European varieties have won seven times out of nine, despite a strong external representation (2). In other countries, this analysis is not possible because a competition reserved for local varieties is held at the same time as the international contest.
 
These competitions, which allow local breeders to measure themselves against their colleagues from all over the world and to measure the progress they are making, has brought to the forefront a certain number of newcomers who we can expect to equal or even surpass their elders in the next few years. In France, three new hybridizers have made themselves known. They are Stéphane Boivin, Nicolas Bourdillon and Martin Balland. The first one shone for the first time at the FRANCIRIS© competition in 2015 with 'Aime Bay' (2015). The second was the star of the 2019 competition with 'Beauté de Sologne' (2020). As for the third, he triumphed at the 2019 contest with 'My Red Drums' (2016) and in 2022 'Sylvain Ruaud' (2018) received two secondary awards. Outside of France we can talk about (among others): Pia Altenhofer in Germany, and Simone Luconi, in Italy. 

'Sylvain Ruaud'

The first, who lives in Neuendettelsau, near Nuremberg, in Bavaria, began by distinguishing herself by giving her irises names that do not evoke any reality: they are made up of an assembly of letters. It is a bit to onomastics what abstraction is to painting! But if that were all there was to it, we would not leave the realm of anecdote! The talent of this person is revealed in the success of her results and also in the fact that she is not satisfied with operating in one category of iris. On the contrary, she is interested in all bearded irises, from the smallest to the largest, and her results are brilliant everywhere. She obviously has a particular liking for light brown tones, very fashionable it is true, but my favorite is certainly 'Cattalomak' (2016), delicate purplish pink. She was noticed at the Florence competition, among others with her 'Humpogroll' (2021), rich descendant of 'Zlatovlaska' (Anton Mego, 2009). Let's wait for the continuation of her work.

The second of the selected newcomers is Simone Luconi, who lives in the southeast of Tuscany, in the town of Cortona. He has only registered seven varieties so far, six of which were noticed at the competition in Florence! That is to say that this new breeder must be taken into consideration. We will certainly hear about him in the years to come. To illustrate this opinion, let us appreciate the photo of 'Mimmamaria' (2021) or 'Kalsifer' (2021).
 
These are only two examples of the arrival of new hybridizers in the small European world of irises. Because they are rather numerous. In France in particular, but perhaps even more so in Italy where they do not hesitate to send to Florence their numerous novelties like 'Guarda l'Oceano' by Angelo Bolchi (2022). But the phenomenon is expanding and is manifesting itself in several other European countries, in some of which there were no breeders until now.
 
(1)
1999 'Settimo Cielo' (Valeria Romoli, 1999)
2006 'Recondita Armonia' (Mauro Bertuzzi, 2007)
2010 'Ale Viola' (Stefano Gigli, Not registered.)
2012 'Cheyenne my Dog' (Roberto Marucchi, 2013)
2013 'Vento di Maggio' (Augusto Bianco, 2011)
2018 'Anima Cara' (Angelo Garanzini, 2018)
 
(2)
2000 'Samsara' (Lawrence Ransom, 1997)
2003 'Belle de Nuit' (Richard Cayeux, 1999)
2007 'Solovinyaia Noc' (Nina Miroshnichenko)
2015 'Barbe Noire' (Richard Cayeux, 2012)
2017 'Chachar' (Zdenek Seidl, 2013)
2019 'My Red Drums' (Martin Balland, 2016)
2022 'Nad Oblaky' (Zdenek Seidl, 2019)

BEFORE THE WAR: Irises in Ukraine

By Sylvain Ruaud

During the time of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR, 1922–1991), it was difficult to share information about the cultivation of irises. In some countries, public authorities did not encourage this kind of leisure activity. A lot of energy and astuteness were required to obtain Western varieties and carry out crosses. Also, the cold continental climate of Russia is not very favorable to the culture of iris. Hybridizing irises in these conditions was not an easy task. Attempts were hardly conceivable except in the southern areas (now Ukraine and Kazakhstan), and it was in these regions where iris hybridization was practiced by some daring people.

Nina Miroshnichenko, in Jytomyr, west of Kiev, was the first of them. We do not know how she obtained the American or European varieties she used for crosses. Although Nina didn't have many, she knew how to use them. Between 1970 and 1980, we learned that Ukraine could be a land of irises. As soon as the Iron Curtain disappeared, Ukrainians enthusiastically embarked on hybridization in less favorable climatic conditions. Some Russians did exactly the same, to the point of putting their nation in the forefront for the number of creations each year. This beautiful adventure has continued since the beginning of the 21st century and Ukraine has developed closer ties to the countries of the European Union but the magnitude of contributions is not regularly discussed in the West. As the spotlight shines on the iniquity and horror of what is happening in this country, we can take a look at the culture and hybridization of irises in Ukraine and the different actors.

'Solovinaya Noch' (Miroshnichenko, ca.2007) 

Translation: Nightingale Night

 In the list of hybridizers published in the Iris Encyclopedia I found at least twelve names of Ukrainians who were active at the time of the war that concerns us all. Most of them operated around Kyiv or in the western part of Ukraine, the part most oriented towards the West.

 The oldest is certainly Alexander Trotsky, from Mikolayiv, a large city northeast of Odessa. He was succeeded by his son Mikhailo. Between them, they have registered about 70 varieties, mainly tall bearded irises, between 2000 and 2020, like the very nice soft blue 'Nebsnaya Pesnia' (2012).

'Nebsnaya Pesnia' (A. Trotsky, 2012)

Translation: Heavenly Song

 It is mainly since the independence of their country that Ukrainians have taken a passion for iridophily. Since that time, several amateurs have tried their hand at hybridization; such as the following:

Marija Konovalenko, near Kyiv, with about 30 tall bearded irises of very classical workmanship, such as 'Kniazhyi Grad' (2018).

'Kniazhyi Grad' (Konovalenko, 2018) 

Translation: Book Graduate

Gennadi Mamchenko, near Chernyiv, northeast of Kyiv, (see 'Zupyny Posmishku', 2012).

'Zupyny Posmishku' (Mamchenko, 2012)

Translation: Stop Smiling

Volodymyr Vasyliev, near Mikolayiv, (see the original 'Boginya Solntsa',2020).

'Boginya Solntsa' (Vasyliev, 2020)

Translation: Goddess of the Sun

Borys Pravdyvy, from Kyiv, rather specialized in standard dwarf bearded irises but whose tall bearded plicata 'Sharada' (2012) is one of the most appreciated varieties in his country.

 

'Sharada' (Pravdyvy, 2012) 

Translation: Charade

Some others became professionals, as follows:

Svitlana and Vladimir Yakovchuk live near the town of Soumy, near the Russian-Ukrainian border, one of the first to be invaded. They created a large number of varieties—including standard dwarf bearded, intermediate bearded, and tall bearded—which they market themselves. For example, the yellow 'Gilka Zolota' (2010) is floriferous and well-branched and meets criteria used in the West.

 

'Gilka Zolota' (Yakovchuk, 2010)

Translation: Golden Christmas Tree

Alla Chernoguz, from Kyiv, has been active mainly in the field of standard dwarf bearded and tall bearded irises for about 15 years. A good example of her work is the yellow amoena 'Soniachni Klarnety' (2010). Some of the irises from this breeder are found in Western Europe.

 

'Soniachni Klarnety' (Chernoguz, 2010) 

Translation: Sound of Clarnett

Andrii Troshkin, breeder and producer located in the western suburbs of Kyiv. He sells his own varieties as well as the irises of his Ukrainian and foreign colleagues. His irises seem to meet the current Western criteria, such as 'Zolotoi Piedestal' (2016).

'Zolotoi Piedestal' (Troshkin, 2016)

Translation: Golden Pedestal

Evgenyi Nazarov, also from Kyiv, is a new breeder who seems to be particularly gifted as with this 'Shovkova Vual' (2020), which should however be judged "on the spot", but that is not the case.

'Shovkova Vual' (Nazarov, 2020)

Translation: Voile de Shovkova

Igor Khorosh, from Ternopil, west of Kyiv, perhaps the best known of all, because he came to France on the occasion of the "Franciris ©" competition, and is the creator of a remarkable series of varieties whose names, in English, evoke their origin, like 'Ukrainian Christmas' (2019), heavily laced like its American relative.

'Ukrainian Christmas' (Khorosh, 2019)

All of this hard work was before the current situation, which upset Ukraine, most of all, and also the whole world. We are concerned about the fate of each of the breeders mentioned. Some, who were active on the Internet at the beginning of the conflict have now fallen silent. Others continue to call for help. The world of irises is not spared from the drama and no one knows what it will be like in Ukraine when all this ends. But one thing is certain. After the Second World War, French iris growers, who had spent five years repurposing their nurseries to producing food for their fellow citizens, replanted their beloved rhizomes and recreated these flowers which also contributed to the recovery of their country. Ukraine, which knows how to resist so well, will certainly know how to bloom again.

The Long History of Irises in France

By Sylvain Ruaud

Whether we like it or not, it was in France that the horticultural culture of irises began. Men have always been drawn to irises. They were amazed by the richness of this flower and the variety of their colors. It is not for nothing that they gave it the nickname "plant of the rainbow", but their wonder increased when they realized that they could indefinitely vary colors, sizes, and shapes, just by choosing the parents at the time of crossing.

This discovery was a real revolution. It is the work of a French aristocrat, Marie Guillaume de Bure. Although apparently without having a professional life, this descendant of an illustrious publishing family had enough money to live on his income and to indulge his passion for irises without fear of what the future might bring. Like everyone else at that time, he was ecstatic about the variety of iris colors obtained by the natural pollinations; and he said to himself that it was possible to select the most beautiful - or the most original - among the flowers from the intervention of pollinating bees. Thus, his selection of work started in the 1830s; and his first choice was a plicata variety, which he called iris 'Buriensis.' This iris is now extinct (unless it has naturalized, which is likely), but the work of a few researchers has shown that it must be quite similar to the variety called 'True Delight' (Sturtevant, 1924). Today nobody discusses the appearance of iris 'Buriensis', but a recent study suggests that this variety was much older than the date originally indicated. Rather than the 1830s, we should talk about the 1810s, which places the origin of iris horticulture even earlier than we thought!

'True Delight' photo by Mike Unser

Monsieur de Bure was followed very quickly by other French nurserymen, in particular Henri Antoine Jacques, gardener of King Louis-Philippe in his castle of Neuilly in the west of Paris who found a most famous iris called 'Jacquesiana', from the 1840s. It was then a family of prolific and inspired nurserymen, Jean and Jean Nicolas Lémon, who brought a large number of varieties to the market. These plants met with tremendous success and many of them still exist today, 170 years after their selection.

'Jacquesiana' photo by Mike Unser

These first famous plants were created by natural pollination and then selected by the nurserymen. As for the crosses made by human hands, we will have to wait a little longer. French supremacy in the iris world went through a major crisis caused by the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, then the revolutionary episode of the Commune de Paris (1871). During these few years of estrangement from French specialists, British horticulturalists took up the torch and rapidly advanced iris horticulture. It was not until the years 1880/1890 and the preeminence of the Verdier family that France came back to the fore.

Victor Verdier was the nephew of Antoine Jacques, the gardener of King Louis-Philippe. He and his sons picked up the family torch. Their activity was essentially that of nurserymen, marketing the varieties of their colleagues, such as the Lémon or their uncle Jacques. Nevertheless, what we know from them are some very famous varieties, such as 'Clio' (1863), or 'Nuée d'Orage' (1905). This last variety can be considered the end of an era. During the half-century following these introductions, essential events occurred in the history of irises, such as the transition to tetraploidy, to which many French hybridizers largely contributed.

'Nuée d'Orage' photo by Mike Unser

Admittedly, it was not them who were at the start of this discovery; but when these irises gained enough interest, hybridizers immediately focused on them as well. During the eclipse of the French gardeners, their English colleagues, worried that they would no longer discover new colors in their irises, called on the large blue irises taken from the Near or Middle East. Very soon, however, they found themselves at a dead end: Middle Eastern irises only produced flowers in shades of blue. Hence the idea of ​​crossing them with European irises. However, the first crosses were very disappointing. There were few successful fertilizations and seedlings proved sterile. At the time they could not explain these phenomena, and it took much perseverance by the hybridizers who continued to try their luck, before another Frenchman, Marc Simonet, appeared and solved the mystery by counting the iris chromosomes.

'Demi-Deuil' and 'Madame Chobaut' photos by Mike Unser

This period of uncertainty, which lasted for over thirty years, marked a fundamental stage in the history of irises. The efforts of French hybridizers were decisive and horticulturalists such as Ferdinand Denis and Alexandre and Lionel Millet, inspired by their British colleagues, brought large-flowered irises from Turkey and crossed them with "small"-flowered irises, producing the fertile and richly colored flowers that we know today. Ferdinand Denis had a very productive career. In tall beardeds (TBs) alone, he registered over 70 varieties. Among these, the famous 'Demi-Deuil' (1912), unusual 'Madame Chobaut' (1916), and the pale blue 'Andrée Autissier' (1921). As for the Millet firm, their work was just as productive, producing the essential 'Souvenir de Madame Gaudichau' (1914) and 'Mary Senni' (1930).

'Souvenir de Madame Gaudichau' photo by Mike Unser 

It was during this period of transition that two exceptional French hybridizers came to the fore: Philippe de Vilmorin and Ferdinand Cayeux. They have had very different careers. Philippe de Vilmorin was a flamboyant character, inspired by irises, but only hybridizing with the zealous and faithful intervention of Séraphin Mottet, his chief gardener. Mottet made the crosses, Vilmorin made the decisions. Together they created splendid flowers which marked their time, like 'Caprice' (1898), 'Oriflamme' (1904), and 'Ambassadeuer' (1920). But their reign was short-lived, pioneer Philippe de Vilmorin died prematurely.

'Caprice' and 'Ambassadeur' photos by Mike Unser

Ferdinand Cayeux, a businessman as much as a genius horticulturist, largely dominated his time. He was admired by the world of irises which had recognized in him an exceptional character. His irises have been cultivated all over the world and varieties like 'Jean Cayeux' (1931) or 'Madame Louis Aureau' (1934) are still alive today in many collections. He made the “iridosphere” take a huge leap forward. His influence lasted until World War II when it brought his work to a halt. When peace returned, the American hybridizers had reclaimed the first place in the world because they made considerable progress.

'Madame Louis Aureau' photo Mike Unser

The Cayeux family had passed the torch to Ferdinand's grandson, Jean, also an excellent hybridizer, who was talked about for 50 years by producing real monuments like 'Condottiere' (1978) or the long series "tricolor" varieties that got started by 'Bal Masqué' (1991).

'Casque D'Or' (J. Cayeux, 1957) photo by Mike Unser

At the end of the war, the French hybridizers had practically disappeared. Apart from Jean Cayeux there was no one left. It was not until the end of the 1970s that enlightened and daring amateurs came to make their contribution to the creation of new varieties. We owe this renewal to a man, Pierre Anfosso, who added his passion for irises to his vocation as a painter. It was in 1979 that he made his appearance in the “iridosphere,” with varieties that were recognized by all such as 'Echo de France,’ his homage to the work of Barry Blyth. He communicated the iris virus to all his family, and outstanding varieties are attributed to his son Pierre-Christian, his daughter Laure, his wife Monique and his daughter-in-law Vivette. Both French and American iris enthusiasts regretted that this family had discontinued their iris creation at the end of the 1990s, and were delighted to see its rebirth in 2015.

'Echo de France' photo by Mike Unser

The 1990s saw the emergence of a new hybridizer full of talent and very eclectic in his fields of activity: Lawrence Ransom. This breeder with a very sure taste produced charming flowers of great quality but which remained confidential in their distribution. Two or three other people made themselves known in the same period, but in a more artisan than professional way. At that time it was Richard Cayeux, heir to the famous family, who largely dominated the French market, showing first-rate talent and obtaining numerous and superb varieties. Today he is a globally known and recognized hybridizer. His example served for several iris fanatics to embark on hybridization and marketing of their production. In this way, the number of new French varieties quickly increased and real talents were revealed. Their work focused on all types of irises, but primarily on TBs. Each year now, we see new hybridizers advance their work, but what limits their recognition at the global level is the weakness of their marketing network.

Nowadays if the supremacy in the world of irises still rests with the American hybridizers, it has a lot to do with a host of breeders from all countries of the world. Among these, are French breeders, who have regained an honorable place.

Classic Hybridizers: Eva Faught

By Mike Unser

Eva Faught was born in Shelbyville, Illinois, in 1888 to John and Eliza Fought (it is unknown why she spelled her last name differently from her parents). She spent her early professional years as a bacteriologist in Springfield, and relocated to Carbondale, IL, when the new offices of the State Department of Health were located there. It was here that she created a garden and started hybridizing with irises. She concentrated mainly on blue and white irises. She introduced irises thru the 1940s and 1950s. In 1955 she traveled abroad to England and then to South Africa, where she visited with her sister. A few years later she retired and moved to Cuernevaca, Mexico, where she built a small home in the style of the Midwest. She passed away in 1978 at the age of 90, having been cared for by an order of Mexican nuns in her final years.

Eva Faught was a very harsh critic of her own creations, and is said to have carried a machete with her during bloom season, ruthlessly slashing varieties to the ground that did not meet her exacting standards. Tho she was a prolific hybridizer and planted out thousands of seedlings each year, she only registered nine varieties from her garden: 'Cahokia' (1948), 'Carbondale' (1954), 'Eva Sloan' (1953), 'Illinois Sunshine' (1949), 'Lavone' (1954), 'Pierre Menard' (1948), 'Roxy' (1954), 'White Chalice' (1957), and 'White Peacock' (1944). It is unknown if the three from 1954 were ever introduced. Illinois Sunshine was a very popular yellow, but it was two of her blues, sister seedlings 'Cahokia' and 'Pierre Menard', that really brought her renown and a well-deserved place in Iris history.

'Cahokia' [above] is simply a perfect flower. It has a complex parentage involving three other classic irises: 'Santa Clara', 'Santa Barbara' and 'Purissima'. Cooley's Gardens catalog described it as: "Large exquisitely formed flowers of light butterfly-blue delicately veined deeper. There is no hint of lavender in the color and the haft is smooth and clean. Bright golden yellow beard." It really is an exceptional shade of blue, and the branching and growth habits are as good as the flowers are beautiful. The blooms are large on tall sturdy stems and often have three open at once. A high bud count keeps it blooming for a good while as well.

Pierre Menard is the name of a fictional author created in a short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. It is also the name of one of the most important irises in the history of the development of our favorite garden flower [above, from Cooley's Gardens catalog for 1959]. 'Pierre Menard' can be found in the background of most of our modern blues because, like 'Cahokia', breeders loved its unique shade of blue and used it extensively in the creation of new varieties. Syllmar Gardens catalog for 1956 described it as: "Very large blooms of medium blue with horizontal falls. Excellent form and outstanding substance. There is a lot of blue to its coloring and the entire flower posses a lovely enamel finish. Good branching and vigorous growth. A really fine iris."

Miss Faught had a shorter career than most in the iris world, but made a very big impact. The development of modern blues would not have been the same without her contributions.

Update: it has been brought to my attention that Pierre Menard was a French fur trapper who became the state of Illinois' first lieutenant governor. Thanks to Keith Keppel for the info!

Thanks to Pam Thompson for genealogical information. Info also from AISB #110 July 1948 and AISB #227 Fall 1978.

Hybridizer Profile: Chad Harris of Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm

By Renee Fraser

The highest award given to a Japanese iris (Iris ensata) is the Payne Medal, and this year it was awarded to the iris "Bewitching Twilight" by this column's featured hybridizer, Chad Harris of Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm in Washington State.  

Chad describes himself as a natural gardener with no formal training.   He is a fanatic for form, structure, and texture of the plant in whole.  For Chad,  "the bloom is just the icing on the cake.  I am a nut for the textural form of a plant, that is the way that I have landscaped the last two homes.  I think first what shape, color of leaf, how tall and wide the plant gets at maturity.  Then I think on bark, berries, flowers, fragrance, and the timing of each as a visual point in the garden.  Also you have to think about sun, water, and soil, and with this information your plant list for a particular spot can be narrowed down.  Mind you that this starts with the skyline, and canopy of the trees. So you can see that I shop for a plant to fill a spot, I don't buy a plant and try to figure out were to plant it."  

Excellent advice for all gardeners.  And look at the results!

Garden of Chad Harris

Garden of Chad Harris

As Chad points out, Iris ensata has two different foliage forms, upright and fountain, and so it is well-suited to many different garden needs.

As is the case with so many of us, Chad's early interest in irises was encouraged by his grandparents.  He visited public gardens with his grandmothers, and there he was exposed to the exotic Japanese irises. Years later he searched everywhere for this plant to use in landscaping a home garden, recalling that they would add much needed upright grass-like texture, as well as bloom between the spring Rhododendrons and the summer Roses and Fuchsias. That long summer search thirty years ago (before the Internet!) finally led him to Aitken’s Salmon Creek Gardens.  Terry Aitken did not sell Japanese Irises, but he kindly gave him one named variety and two seedlings by Walter Marx, and he referred Chad to another irisarian growing this elusive iris- Lorena Reid.  

After these visits to iris farms, and with the instruction of Terry and Lorena, Chad began to dab pollen using the irises he grew in his small city garden.  After a few Iris Conventions, he progressed from dabb(l)ing to developing a hybridizing program with goals.  Chad's first goals were focused on the extension of the bloom time, by using very early blooming plants and plants that bloom for a long time with good sequence, where a bloom shrivels up and gets out of the way before the next bud starts to open.  Chad believes this to be a very desirable trait that hybridizers and growers should watch for. 

Chad says " ‘Pleasant Earlybird,’ (1996) though simple in flower form, was one of my first introductions that conforms to these ideals. When grown well it has a very early bloom and a long continuation with one to two branches, carrying five to seven buds per stem."  He notes that "this plant in the cool NW marine climate can be in color for four to five weeks." 

'Pleasant Earlybird'

‘Coho’ (2005) was also introduced for its early bloom season, with five to seven buds per stem.  Personally, I am smitten with this pure pink, a color hard to come by in the more common tall bearded irises.

"Coho"

Chad moved from the city to a country farm 18 years ago, which gave him the space to be able to expand his hybridizing goals.  He has been working on an ever-blooming Iris ensata for cooler coastal climates.  Although he has had success with seedlings that would bloom all summer and fall until the killing freeze of winter, the blooms were contorted and would not open properly.  He  "out crossed" to a different line, and by 2012, good flower form and summer-long bloom resulted!  Chad cautions that "only time in the garden will tell if these plants will be introduced as garden-worthy reblooming plants."  

007JB/07JBa Seedlings

Iris ensata comes in many flower forms, and one that Chad has worked on with great success is the nine to twelve fall or peony form (my favorite!).

‘Blushing Snowmaiden’ 2000

‘Amethyst Actress’ 2009

'Amethyst’s Sister’ 2012

He has also expanded his breeding program to include a multi-style arm form.  ‘Angelic Choir’ 2006, ‘Artesian Spring’ 2010, and 'Dalle Whitewater’ 2010, have been introduced, and he has several seedlings which are also being "lined out" for possible introduction.   Chad finds this form very pleasing:  "the full round six fall flower form is very much enhanced by a tight cluster of style arms in the center of the bloom creating a pom-pom, instead of the normal three open style arms." 

'Angelic Choir’

‘Artesian Spring’

'Dalle Whitewater’

Chad likes all of the flower forms, and he has also worked with plants that have three falls, sometimes called a single flower. ‘Freckled Peacock’ 2002, ‘Cascade Rain’ 2008, and seedling that is being watched for introduction (from the 08JD cross) that is a rich mid-blue self are below.  Just look at that blue!

‘Freckled Peacock’

‘Cascade Rain’

08JD cross

Chad says "perhaps one of the hardest things is to come up with is a new flower color. I am attempting to bring a soft cream yellow into the bloom, not unlike Dr. McEwen’s Siberian ‘Butter and Sugar’.  ‘Bewitching Twilight’ 2000, was the first to show this, however, it only does this when the sun is weak like here in the Pacific Northwest.  Each generation has been getting brighter creams in the style arms. What is intriguing me is the fact that the yellow signal is starting to bleed down the falls, thus creating a wash of cream. I am also starting to observe this coloring on the undersides of the falls."  

'Bewitching Twilight'

Creamy yellow seedlings

For further novelty in color, Chad is also working with the rayed pattern (when the veins are lighter than the falls) both in the blue-violet and the red-violet color tones that Iris ensata is known for. 

'Sunrise Ridge' 2007; 08JE/09JL Seedling

Chad is also beginning to breed new species of irises, including Iris laevigata and Species-X.

Iris laevigata is related to Iris ensata, and it is also a water-loving iris.  Chad finds that it can have lower water needs in the garden than Iris ensata, however.  He believes this may be due to the rhizome growth of Iris laevigata, which is more horizontal (enabling it to send out roots to new soils).  Chad points out that the rhizome of Iris laevigata is also twice to three times the size of Iris ensata and probably able to hold more moisture during dry periods.  Blooming a month before Iris ensata, Iris laevigata, like Iris ensata, comes in both the red-violet and blue-violet tones along with Alba or white.

In 2012, Mt Pleasant Iris Farm introduced its first laevigata, a breathtaking flower called ‘Lakeside Ghost’.   ‘Blue Rivulets’, introduced in 2013, has striking blue veins on a white ground.  Others are dark reds, 07LAK2, bright blues, 07LAK4, very wide whites, 07LAL2, and a six fall white, 02LA2, that has the upright bloom stem (02LA2 plant) habit that Chad is working for in this Asian species of iris.  Look at the statement made by that clump!

‘Lakeside Ghost’

‘Blue Rivulets’

02LA2 Clump

Another exciting development is Chad's work with a new Species-X plant that has lovely lime green foliage.   Chad says that "in the Pacific Northwest with our weak spring sun, we have found that these Species-X plants have very bright yellow foliage due to the lack of chlorophyll.  Being a foliage gardener myself I find that these plants are beautiful in and out of bloom, and will work wonderfully in the NW landscape with our dark gray spring skies. The down side is that most of the plants burn badly with our first strong summer sun, usually in mid-July. They do, however, eventually grow out of this burn stage with light lime-green foliage, but look bad for a good two weeks.   There are a very few (one in one hundred to two hundred) that do not burn, it is these plants that we will be looking at to possibly introduce in the near future.  Our thanks to Dr. Shimizu of Japan for finding ‘Gubijin’ that will cross with Iris ensata."   

I know that I usually get the hybridizer to choose a favorite flower, but Chad could not decide, so he chose a favorite cross.  Since he likes to share his results with others, this was a great idea.  His favorite cross in thirty years is 'Night Angel' x 'Frosted Intrigue'."   Here are the gorgeous results of that cross, reading from left to right, top to bottom:  'Artesian Spring', 'Columbia Deep Water', Seedling 02JC13, Seedling 08JE1, 'Dalle Whitewater', Seedling 08JE, and Seedling 08JE d.

Do Iris ensata grow in your zone?  Which of these beauties would you most like to try?  Or perhaps you would like to see more.  If so, you can see and read more at www.mtpleasantiris.com and at the Society for Japanese Irises website.