The Caparne-Welch 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.
Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.
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| 'Rivulet' photo by Keith Keppel |
'Rivulet' (Keith Keppel, R. 2011) Seedling #06-216C. MDB, 7" (18 cm). Midseason bloom. Standards and style arms light blue (M&P 42-AB-7); falls paler and creamier blue (42-A-6); beards yellow orange on white base in throat, white at end. 'Fib' X 'Microwave'. Introduced by Keith Keppel Iris 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.
