The American Iris Society
Announces
The Caparne-Welch Medal 2018
‘KAYLA'S SONG’
'Kayla's Song'--image by Virginia Spoon
'Kayla's Song' (Donald Spoon, R. 2008). Standards
lavender blue (RHS 92B); style arms same edged tan, darker at midrib; falls
lavender blue, plum violet (77A) spot, darker (79B) veins; beards light
lavender-blue tipped yellow orange (23A) deep in throat; slightly ruffled;
slight spicy fragrance. 'Crown Of Snow' X 'My Kayla'. Winterberry 2009. Award
of Merit 2015.
This medal is restricted to miniature dwarf bearded (MDB)
irises. It is named in honor of William John Caparne (1855-1940) and Walter
Welch (1887-1980). Caparne worked extensively breeding various dwarf iris
species and was the first iris hybridizer to concentrate on smaller irises.
Most of the dwarf iris cultivars grown in gardens in the first quarter of the
20th century were products of Caparne's hybridizing efforts. Walter Welch was
the founder of the Dwarf Iris Society. After moving to Middlebury, Indiana, he met
Paul Cook and began hybridizing irises. He shared Cook's enthusiasm for dwarf irises,
and set out to develop new forms for the garden.
The World of Irises blog will be posting once a day the
other medal winners. The entire list of
winners can be found at http://irises.org/About_Irises/Awards_Surveys/AIS_Awards.html,
the AIS Encyclopedia and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES. Pictures can be
found at http://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards2018.
