The American Iris Society Announces the 2022 Cook-Douglas Medal Winner

'COCONINO'

 The Cook-Douglas Medal is restricted to standard dwarf bearded (SDB) irises. It is named in honor of Paul Cook (1891-1963) and Geddes Douglas (1902-1993). Paul Cook's work with dwarf irises was truly pioneering. His early breeding of dwarf irises led to a series of I. arenaria hybrids, the most notable being 'Keepsake,' 'Tampa,' and 'Promise.' He was the first to use the true I. pumila in his breeding programs, and this resulted in the introduction of the first of the great stud irises in the standard dwarf class: 'Baria,' 'Fairy Flax,' and 'Green Spot.'

Geddes Douglas was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1902. Douglas was a chemist and businessman. In the early 1950s, he founded the Geddes Douglas Garden Center in Nashville. He became a leader in the Tennessee Nurserymen's Association, and served a term as president of the Southern Nursery Association.

Previous awards winners can be found at: https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

 

'COCONINO'
photo by Sutton's Iris Gardens

'Coconino' (Marky Smith, R. 2009). Seedling 04-11S. SDB, 13" (33 cm), Early bloom. Standards oyster cream (RHS 160D); style arms pale grey, crests oyster cream; falls blackened mulberry (slightly blacker than 79A), cream (160B) wire rim, cream feathers around beard; beards yellow orange in throat, yellow tipped cream in middle, cream at end; ruffled. P. Black seedling B279A,'Puddy Tat' sibling X seedling 02-09A: ('Ajax The Less' x ('Captive Sun' x 'Minidragon' sibling)). Introduced by Aitken's Salmon Creek Garden in 2012.

The World of Irises blog will be posting classification medal winners as soon as the hybridizers are notified. The entire list of winners, including  Award of Merit and Honorable Mention, will be published on the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.