Williamson-White Medal 2018

The American Iris Society

Announces

The 2018 Williamson-White Medal

'Holiday In Mexico'

'Holiday In Mexico'--image by Riley Probst

'Holiday In Mexico' (Riley Probst, R. 2011) has an early midseason bloom period. Standards and style arms bright yellow; falls flared, white ground veined bright red-purple extending to 1/8"yellow edge; beards white, yellow in throat; slight fragrance. 'Mini Wabash' X 'Welch's Reward'. Fleur de Lis 2012.

This medal is restricted to miniature tall bearded (MTB) irises. It is named in honor of E. B. Williamson (1877-1933), his daughter Mary Williamson (1909-1987) and Alice White (1886-1969). Although others had introduced irises that fit into the miniature tall bearded iris class before Williamson, he and his daughter were the first to breed them as cultivars in a distinctive class of irises. They were apparently byproducts of breeding for tall bearded irises. In the early 1950's, Alice White of Hemet, California began a crusade to gain recognition of the assets of these wonderful smaller irises. She organized table iris robins and wrote many articles for the AIS Bulletin and gardening magazines promoting their virtues.

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.

2018 Cook-Douglas Medal Winner

 The American Iris Society

Announces the

2018 Cook-Douglas Medal Winner

‘My Cher’

This 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. 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. Geddes Douglas was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1902. Douglas's historically most important hybridizing achievements were with dwarf irises. Working with stock from Paul Cook, Douglas's crosses of I pumila with tall bearded irises created the race of irises that came to be known as 'lilliputs.'

'My Cher'--image by Paul Black

'My Cher' (Paul Black, R. 2011) flowers in the midseason to late bloom. Standards mid brassy old gold, subtle grey white textured veins, base light grey violet, darker along midrib; style arms warm white, mid yellow crests, falls large white luminata patch blending to mid violet blue becoming darker toward edge, narrow brassy old gold blended band; beards orange in throat, light orange in middle, light orange yellow at ends, hairs based white, white dart at end of beard; slight spicy fragrance. 'Trust In Dreams' X 'Astro'.

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.

2018 Sass Medal Winner

 The American Iris Society

Announces the

2018 Sass Medal Winner

'Cat In The Hat'

This medal is restricted to intermediate bearded (IB) irises. It is named in honor of Hans Sass (1868-1949) and Jacob Sass (1872-1945). Both of the Sass brothers bred all types of irises that would grow in Nebraska, but their early fame as hybridizers came for their work producing intermediate bearded irises. Crossing dwarf irises with tall bearded irises, they were the first American breeders to develop many new colors and forms in the intermediate class. They saw the great advantage of intermediate bearded irises on the windy prairie, and the value of a type of iris that filled out the bloom season between the early dwarf irises and the later tall bearded irises. 

'Cat In The Hat'--image by Paul Black

'Cat In The Hat' (Paul Black, R. 2009) is a late midseason to very late blooming IB. Standards medium raspberry, overall network of darker veins; style arms medium pinkish-raspberry; falls cream, very wide medium raspberry plicata band covering 2/3 of petal, medium raspberry plicata lines and dots over center 1/3 and wide stripe from end of beard to 2/3 of way down center, variable amount of markings on center; beards orange, white at end; ruffled; slight musky fragrance. Introduced by Mid-America in 2009, it won an Honorable Mention 2011 and an Award of Merit 2014.

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.

2018 Knowlton Medal

The American Iris Society Announces

The 2018 Knowlton Medal Winner

'Sheer Excitement'

This medal is restricted to border bearded (BB) irises. It is named in honor of Harold W. Knowlton (1888-1968) of Auburndale, Massachusetts, a tireless promoter of the border bearded class of irises. 

'Sheer Excitement'--image by Rick Tasco

'Sheer Excitement' (Richard Tasco) blooms in the early midseason. Standards violet (RHS 83B) veined lighter, lightening toward slight tan edge; style arms cold white, faint violet blush toward fringed crest, slight yellow blush on top of crest; falls slightly darker pansy-violet (83A) sanded and veined lighter toward slight tan edge, very bright primrose yellow (4A) areas becoming white areas on sides of beards; beards tangerine, white at end; luminata pattern; citronella fragrance.

While Mr. Tasco has won many medals including the Dykes, this is his first median medal award.

The World of Irises blog will be posting once a day all of the 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.