The Iris Garden: Premio Firenze -- Florence, Italy

Part I: The Start of a Beautiful Garden
By Andi Rivarola

Just as many of us in the U.S. were enjoying the gardens near Portland, Oregon during the National Convention of The American Iris Society, Italians and other European iris lovers were attending their own world iris gatherings. This post is about one such event, The Iris Garden and "Premio Firenze," in Florence, Italy.

The Iris Garden in Florence located at the Park Michelangelo was created to host the Annual International Competition, and its main prize, the “Premio Firenze” (Florence Award), was given for the first time in 1954. Crucial to the development of this event were Mr. Flaminia Specht and  Ms. Nita Stross Radicati, members of the Friends of Flowers Society. Active hybridizers, it was their energy and drive that brought the event to Florence, a city with an interesting historic relationship with the iris.

The then Commissioner of Fine Arts and Gardens, Piero Bargellini, immediately sensed the importance of the initiative, he worked actively to support it and he pushed for the municipality to assign an area on the eastern side of the park.

The Garden was an original project by architect G. Zetti and opened in May 1957, after plant donations were made by many foreign growers, including a large collection of historic irises donated by The Presby Memorial Iris Garden in Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.

In 1967 the lower area was built to house a pond in marshy ground surrounding the Japanese and Louisiana irises.

Mr. Saverio Pepe Enjoying the view

The Iris Garden is run by the Italian Iris Society, founded in Florence in March of 1959 mainly for the purpose of managing the garden designed to accommodate the International Iris Competition and protect the numerous collections of plants it received.

More on Part II...



Note: This article was original posted in Italian by Saverio Pepe, a resident of Florence, who kindly gave permission to use his material and images for this blog post. 

Translated by Andi Rivarola 

IRISES, the Bulletin of the AIS - Spring 2014 Edition

By Andi Rivarola

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."                                  Marcel Proust

I just read the above quote and had to share it with all of you, not just because it made me smile when I read it, but also because it expresses such joyous feeling. Thank you gardeners, flower lovers, iris lovers who follow the news we report from The American Iris Society and for all your contributions in the many ways that you express yourselves.

I was just given the message, IRISES is available online. In fact, why I don't share the entire message:

The Spring 2014 issue of the AIS Bulletin is now available for online viewing within the Emembers section of the AIS website.

Note: to access this area you must have a current AIS Emembership. AIS Emembership is separate from the normal AIS membership. Please see the Electronic Membership Information area of the AIS website for more details.

This leaves no doubt as how to access this and other issues online. For those receiving the printed version, it's on its way to you, and you should receive it soon.

Kathleen Sonntag, our new AIS IRISES Editor clarifies something new right off the bat: issues are now named after each season. This issue is called Spring 2014, instead of being named after a month. I know, we have changed this many times before, but in fact to name each issue after a season sounds very interesting and appealing, doesn't it?

So, welcome to the Spring 2014 edition of IRISES, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society. Hope you will enjoy several of the articles on this extensive issue:

• Photographing Iris in Complete Focus, a great guide loaded with tips by Ken Walker.
• The 2014 AIS Photo Contest is formally announced, by Janet Smith.
• Don't miss the fantastic picture of iris Winogradowii, by Dr. Radionenko, on page 9.
• The current Youth Views article presents a very enthusiastic youth group from the Santa Rosa Iris Society; and read about two Regions which groups account for more than 100 children involved. Wow.
• Section Happenings keep us appraised of the activities at The Dwarf Iris Society, the Historic Iris Preservation Society (HIPS), The Median Iris Society, and the Spuria Iris Society. 
• The Novelty Iris Society, oh wait, you don't know about this. You need to read the news on page 17.
• Preserving Small, Historic Irises, by Charlie Carver.
• Rebloom Looks For New Avenues, by Mike Lockatell.

And, there's so much for to this issue, and I am happy to let you discover the rest of the articles. I know you will find them interesting. Remember that if you are an emember you can access this issue online NOW.

For those new to The American Iris Society, as a member you receive the printed quarterly edition of IRISES via mail, or if you are an e-member, then you will be able to read the entire publication online. The latter is a very convenient option for overseas iris enthusiasts. For more information, please go to our website's membership information section.  

IRISES, The Bulletin of The American Iris Society -- October/November 2012 Edition

By Andi Rivarola

I hope you are member of The American Iris Society at this time, because it means that you will receive the new issue of IRISES, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society, either in the mail or digitally (if you are an e-member).  

This issue's cover features the 2012 Dykes Medal Winner, 'Florentine Silk,' by hybridizer Keith Keppel. What an amazing looking iris it is. Do you have it in your garden yet?

So, what do we cover in this issue? Here are a few sections that caught my attention.

For starters, our AIS President Judy Keisling gives a tender and kind reflection on her years as head of the society, and reviews some memorable moments.

Editor Kelly Norris explains the virtues of the new column, Standard and Falls. 

Jim Morris, current VP and incoming AIS President says adieu to an attentive audience in his column about News of Sections & Cooperating Societies, and introduces us to the new AIS 1st VP and column writer.

AIS Marketing & Public Relations Co-Chair Bob Pries writes a detailed and informative article on Frequently Asked Questions About E-membership.

The complete list of 2012 AIS Awards Winners is published as well as accompanying pictures.

Australian hybridizer Graeme Grosvenor's 40th year of hybriding tall bearded irises is reviewed and major accomplishments detailed.

And also worth noting is Australian hybridizer's Barry Blyth's article on Garden Judging and Breeding Principles.

There's so much more. Hope you will have a chance to read and be delighted with this new issue of IRISES.

For those new to the American Iris Society, as a member you may choose to receive the printed edition of IRISES, or you can become an e-member and read the entire publication online. The latter is a very convenient option for overseas iris enthusiasts. For more information, please go to our website's membership information section. 

Louisiana (LA) Iris Flower Form

By Ron Killingsworth

One of the most striking things about Louisiana (LA) irises is the diversity of flower form and size.   And although some iris species are divided into different height or size categories, LA irises are not.  They can be as short as 1-2 feet tall all the way up to over 6 feet tall.  Furthermore, LA irises are generally divided into nine different flower forms.  Some fall into more than one category, however.  For example, the flower forms "fully overlapping" and "ruffled" can often be combined to describe some of the more recent and spectacular hybrid LA irises.  So let us take a look at some of the LA iris forms.

This is the "upright standards" form, which is quite descriptive.  In this form the standards (the smaller three petals) stand up while the falls (the larger three petals) fall down.  Perhaps this is where the terms "standards" and "falls" originated.  Here are some pictures of irises that "fall" into this flower form:

'Barbara Elaine Taylor' (Taylor, JC 1954)

'Cassiopee' (Anfosso, L 1988)

'Chuck Begnaud' (Haymond, D 1999)

'Cocka The Walk' (Musacchia, J 2005)

Another form that represents more and more of the recent hybrid LA irises is the "ruffled form".  Most irises in the "ruffled form" also tend to fall into the "overlapping" form.  Here are some examples of the "ruffled form".

'Betty Ann' (Jackson, P 2008)

'Changing Shadows' (Norvell, Pat 2012)

'Mulberry Ripple' (Jackson, P 2008)

'Our Dorothy' (Pryor, B 1997)

'Simply Irresistible' (Pryor, H 1998)

Another LA iris form is "recurved form".  Irises with this form have falls that curve down giving a "rolled back" or recurved look. This form is relatively new and I could find only two good examples:

'Elaine Bourque' (Haymond, D 2007)

'Leather Bound' (Jackson, P 2011)

The "semi-flaring to flat" is described as irises having a slight upward arch to the standards but a slight downward arch to the falls.  Here are some I think fall into this category:

'Ann Weeks' (Weeks, J 2010)

'Exquisite Idea' (Pryor, H 2006)

'Word of Warning' (Pryor, H 2003)

The "umbrella pendant" form is somewhat similar to  the "recurved form" but in the umbrella form the falls and stands fall down very close to the bloom stem.  Again, it was difficult to find good pictures of this form.

'Mississippi Eavesdropper' (Jackson, P 2011)

'Ruth Sloan' (Sloan, Richard 1984)

'Lottie Butterscotch' (Sheppard, S 2007)

The "semi-double form" is often called the "cartwheel form" and represents a bloom that generally has all falls and no standards.  There is a difference between "double form" and "cartwheel form" but the difference goes beyond the scope of this article.  There are very few LA irises like this, and a number of hybridizers are developing irises of this form.

'Delta Star' (Grainger, M 1966)

'Double Encore' (Granger, M by Weeks, J 2010)

'Starlite Starbrite' (Granger, M 1985)

'Flareout' (Granger, M 1988)

The "overlapping form" is by far the most common in modern LA iris hybrids.  In this form the standards are quite large and the standards lie flat against the falls forming a dinner plate effect.

Here are some beautiful examples of the "overlapping form".

'Edna Claunch' (Wolford, Harry 2004)

'Endearing Thought' (Pryor, H 2004

'Nancy Tichborne' (Pryor, B 2010)

'Duck Lady' (O'Connor, Pat 2009)

The "open form" is without a doubt the most common form of the species LA irises and of the early hybridizing attempts.  It represents a form still cherished by LA iris lovers and flowers with this form still win major awards in bench judging. In the "open form" the standards are usually small and the falls tend to be much smaller than in recent hybrids.  This gives a lot of space between the petals and thereby the "open" form.

'Barataria Bay' (Davis, C 1959)

'Royal Sparkle' (Rowlan, H 1985)

'Tarnished Brass' (Chowning, Frank 1961)

'Violet Ray' (Dormon, Caroline 1949)

The Society for Louisiana Irises does not officially recognize the following flower form but I think it should be added, since more and more LA irises are like this: the "overlapping and ruffled" form.  Here are some irises I think would fit into this category.

'Birthday Suit' (O'Connor, Patrick 2010)

'English Turn' (O'Connor, Patrick 2012)

'Lime and Soda' (Jackson, P 2010)

'Nottoway' (O'Connor, Patrick 2005)

The real beauty of LA irises is their diversity of shapes and sizes.  The size of the iris with a bloom stalk can range from a couple of feet to over six feet, and the size of the blooms can range from a couple of inches to over eight inches across!  Surely you can find a bloom you like.  Which form is your favorite, and do you grow it in your own garden?