Beyond the Bloom

By Chad Harris

When people first think of an iris they envision blooms and the many colors of the rainbow they come in. In fact Iris is known as the Greek goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. Here I would like to be your messenger to open your mind and eye to look beyond the bloom.

Bearded iris give a bold look to the garden

If you site your bearded iris right with good air circulation they give a bold almost agave look to the garden.

Like stain glass the leaves will glow with the sun

Using Iris pallida variegata in the garden will brighten up an area. If you can, site it so the sun shines through for you to enjoy the stain glass effect. Who needs a bloom with this look?

‘Amethyst Echo’ carries the soft foliage of a full fountain Siberian iris

Broad and upright leaf of ‘Swans In Flight’ gives strong texture

‘Banish Misfortune’ with its thin graceful arching leaves gives an airy look

Siberian iris for most are easy to grow and should be a go to iris for majority of gardeners. The graceful foliage whether upright or fountain, comes in all sorts of shades of green, from blue-green to lime-green. However you need to get out to the farms before and after bloom to inspect the plants. Then you can chose which color and texture is needed for your garden.

With its thin grass like foliage Iris graminea, a Spuria,

makes for a fine filler at only a foot tall

Spuria hybrids make for a bold statement
across many different climate zones

If sited correctly the Spuria family are very tough plants. They are one of the few iris that will thrive for a long time in the same place without division. Many different species are smaller and make for great shorter grass like mounds as fillers for the garden. The newer hybrids come in a range of size from a few feet tall to five feet and greater. With their stiff upright foliage they make a bold statement in the garden.

Iris ensata ‘Hekiou’ showing the full fountain form

Japanese iris ‘Little Bow Pink’ a top award winner has beautiful upright foliage

Japanese, Iris ensata are more temperamental to grow with a very narrow cultural window. However if you have the right conditions, these late blooming iris will give a grace and charm to your garden. Plants can be two feet tall to six feet with majority of them three to four feet tall.

Spec-X ‘Ally Oops’ is a vigorous plant with a full fountain look

‘Holden’s Child’ gives a strong bold look to the garden

Specie crosses are made to get vigorous plants that are tolerant of varied conditions in the garden. Many growers will list these as Spec-X.

A newer Spec-X is called “Pseudata”, these plants are the cross of a Spec-x ‘Gubijin’ x Iris ensata.

Spec-X ‘Violet Swallows’ has a nice glow to the plant in the early spring

‘French Buttercream’ emerges early in the spring
with bright yellow foliage greening up later.

I am very enthused with these new hybrids as they can bring a unsurpassed brightness to the early spring garden. These plants will green up later in the season with stronger light of the sun.

Plants of the new Spec-X shine in the early Spring fields with their yellow foliage

This chameleon effect may not be as strong in other parts of the country for the lack of cloudy Spring days as compared to our days here in the Pacific Northwest.

‘Gerald Darby’ with its upright purple based foliage is a handsome plant

Iris laevigata ‘Seiran’ is easy to grow in containers

Many of these iris that I have been speaking of can be grown in containers.

Container grouping on the patio deck

Grouped together on the patio or deck can make for a dramatic scene, mixing all of the different textures available.

Here I have barely touched on the 250 plus species of iris that may be grown and what they can bring to the garden beyond the bloom. There is an iris for water, desert, sun, shade, and everything in between.  Meet with your local farm, iris club, or at the National level of The American Iris Society to learn what can be successfully grown in your own area.

Overcoming Climate—An experiment with Iris attica and Iris hartwegii australis

Kathleen Sayce, May 2017

Gardening on the coast in the Pacific Northwest, I grow many hybrids and several species of iris in the Pacifica (Californicae) group of beardless iris. The vigor of tall bearded iris is daunting—miss a year to divide and transplant, and my garden is overrun. I had to use explosives to clear areas (Joke! It just felt like black powder was more effective than a spade). 

Iris attica flowers, after seven years, three in the ground, four in a planter.

In 2010, the North American Rock Garden Society’s western study weekend was in Medford, Oregon. Gardens on the tour included Baldassare Mineo’s rock garden, Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery, and a dozen private rock gardens in the area. A tiny bearded iris, Iris attica, came home with me. I planted it in the sunny end of a flower bed; it flowered the next year, and then began a slow decline. Four years ago, I removed it from the garden and planted it in a styrofoam box. 

In this new container, deep and well drained, tucked under an east-facing eave, Iris attica flourished and flowered. Which was when I discovered that squirrels, chipmunks and/or voles were eating the flower buds as they began to emerge and show color. [These varmints also ate my rainlilies.] But the plant was now sturdy and healthy; despite no flowers, Iris attica thrived in its new home. 

A working method to grow Iris attica in the Pacific Northwest:  a planter, a dry outside location (under eaves), very porous planting mix, and protection from animals during flowering. 

Last year we rebuilt the cold frame and added a band of heavy 1/2 inch wire mesh about a foot high all around the edge. This spring, when I saw buds emerging on Iris attica, I put the box in the cold frame; the mesh band was already open for spring. The result you can see, sans nibbling, is a planter packed with flowers. When it is done flowering, the planter will go back outside again. 

So, you are wondering, what is the link to Pacifica iris? 

I also have Iris hartwegii australis in my garden. This was grown from wild-collected seed, collected many decades before it was a listed species, then grown in a garden, and seeds from that plant passed to me. It flowered once and has been declining ever since. It’s native to mountains in southern California, which means the long wet winters here are probably wetter than it likes. It might quite like a box under the eaves. 

Iris hartwegii australis, ready to go into its new planter. Note the extensive root system--many more roots than on hybrid PCI plants. 

Richard Richards told me this about its native habitat:  

        “I. h. a. grows in its native range in decomposed granite with superb drainage.  It gets maybe 15 inches of water, occasionally in the form of snow, from November to April.  In the summer it gets a thunder shower about once a month.  There are often two or three inches of plant litter, mostly pine needles, above the young shoots in the late winter, and it grows up through this litter.” 

This spring, I dug up a sprawling clump of Iris hartwegii australis and tucked it in a styrofoam planter with a highly porous mix of coarse pumice and potting soil. I added some fresh compost and biochar for more soil carbon. I dressed the top of the planting mixture with granite gravel (chicken scratch), as its home mountains are geologically old granites of the Transverse Ranges in southern California.  Tucked along the eaves, the rainfall should be cut to under 40 inches, more like its home. This planter is close to a hose bib, and gets half days of sun (when we have sunshine). Summer soaking to mimic thunderstorms in the mountains is easy. 

Granite chips added on top, to help keep the soil mix in the planter in heavy rain, and in this case, to remind I. hartwegii australis of its natal home in the Transverse Ranges, southern California. 

My hypothesis is that native plants in these boxes do better than in thin-walled, dark-colored plastic pots, because the planting mix is deep and cool. I also grow Erythronium, Lilium and other bulbs in these boxes, where they can live for several years without transplanting. PCI seedlings do very well, though their roots will push through the styrofoam if left in there too long. In the winter, the well-insulated walls also protect the roots from freezing—just as in the ground. 

I’ll report back in a year or two on how this iris likes the planter. Or sooner, if it goes toes up!

Larry Gaulter's Small Iris Garden

By Bryce Williamson

For the newcomer who might want to hybridize iris, you might be a bit put off when you hear that Schreiner's plants 50,000 seedlings, or that Keith Keppel raises 10,000 each year.  Rest easy, potential hybridizer!  Even a gardener  with limited space can successfully hybridize new and beautiful plants.  This post and the next will tell the story of two Region 14 hybridizers who were, and are, successful regardless of space limitations.

 'Drury Lane'   Photo by Alain Chapelle

When I joined the American Iris Society as a teenager, Larry Gaulter was a fixture of the region. He had been Regional Vice-President for a year and was serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Iris Society. At meetings of the Clara B. Rees Iris Society, Larry and his wife Frances would drive down from Hayward in the company of Walt and Vi Luihn.

 Larry with Melba Hamblen   Photo by Glenn Corlew

Larry lived in a tract home with a small back yard. Over time, he took over part of the back yards of the homes to either side of him.  From that limited space, a series of fine irises emerged, irises that I am convinced that did not receive enough praise while he was still alive.

Here are some wonderful Gaulter irises for you to judge for yourself.

 'Mademoiselle'   HIPS Archive

'Mademoiselle' was Larry’s first Award of Merit winner. From Schreiner and Whiting breeding stock, it would be a foundation of his lavender/orchid/blends.

'Claudia Rene'  Photo by Robert Schreiner

'Claudia Rene', named for one of his daughters, was in bloom at the first Region 14 Spring Meeting I attended.  The first day of the meet, the flowers were faded, but the next day fresh flowers opened, and as a new introduction it was bargain-priced at only 20.00.  I had to have it, and its seedlings were a mixed bag: many were rough, but quality also emerged.  My first introduction, 'Baroque', was a 'Claudia Rene' child.  Other hybridizers like Joe Ghio also used 'Claudia Rene' to great success.

'Laurie'    Photo by Wisconsin Iris Society

From 'Claudia Rene', Larry introduced 'Laurie',  and for years 'Laurie' and 'Babbling Brook' vied for the Dykes.   Sadly, 'Laurie' did not win. Twenty years after introduction, a well grown stalk of  'Laurie' still looked modern and fresh.

'Mary Frances'   Photo by Susanne Holland Spicker

Larry would finally win the Dykes Medal for 'Mary Francis', one of those irises that grows and blooms everywhere.  Still popular today, it has become an enduring classic.

Two other Gaulter irises have also become classics.  'Skating Party' won an Award of Merit and it has endure as a great white iris.

'Skating Party'   Photo by Susanne Holland-Spicker

For color and pattern, though, Larry's 'Persian Berry' is still unmatched.  It won an Award of Merit and is still widely grown and appreciated.

 'Persian Berry'  Photo by by Marilyn Campbell

I always enjoyed 'Drury Lane' for its bright color combination, but it never caught on with the public like some of Larry's other creations.

Larry was a positive role model for others—he became an early supporter of Don Denney and Jim McWhirter. That duo revived Cottage Gardens and many of their early introductions contain Gaulter irises as parents.

For Larry’s support of others within Region 14, the Region 14 Lifetime Achievement award bears his name. When looking at photos from the 1950’s onward, Larry and Frances can be seen in gardens throughout the West Coast.

It was somewhat fitting that Jim McWhirter would introduce Larry’s last introduction, the Award of Merit winning 'Alexander’s Ragtime Band'.

'Alexander's Ragtime Band'   Photo by Country Delight

It should be no surprise that both  'Mary Frances' and 'Skating Party' have been voted onto the Tall Bearded Iris Society’s Hall of Fame.

During his lifetime Larry  won a Dykes Medal, the Hybridizers Medal, and the AIS Distinguished Service Medal.  Not bad for someone working in a limited space in a backyard garden!

Recent Louisiana Iris hybrids

by Ron Killingsworth

It is always great fun to receive pictures of seedlings of Louisiana irises from the various hybridizers during the bloom season.  We are lucky to have many hybridizers in New Zealand and in Australia so we actually have two bloom seasons, one here in the USofA and one "down below".  The Louisiana iris discussion group on Yahoo is a great way to keep up with the latest and greatest hybrids.

'Bayou Renegade' by Joe Musacchia (2015)

Joe Musacchia lives about as far south in Louisiana as you can drive unless you have one of these neat little Italian cars that can cross the ocean.  Joe (know by friends as Cajun Joe) has produced lots of Louisiana hybrids and is the VP of the Society for Louisiana Irises.

'Boiled Crawfish' by Roland Guidry (2016)

Roland Guidry lives in Hammond, LA, about 45 miles east of Baton Rouge.  He has recently started hybridizing Louisiana irises again and produced this lovely red one.  He has a really nice white one, 'Cajun Popcorn' (2016).  Roland is a board member of the Society for Louisiana Irises.

'Flaming Hot' by Ron Betzer (2016)

Ron Betzer lives in Lafayette, LA, known by some as the Louisiana iris capital of the world.  There are certainly a lot of Louisiana irises in that area and some of the first and famous hybridizers of Louisiana irises lived in that area.  Ron has produced quite a few interesting Louisiana irises over the years.  He lived in CA for a long time but when he retired he moved back to LA.  One of his seedling he brought back from CA was named in honor of both states, "Cala" (Betzer 2008).

'Kenny's Keeper' by Benny Trahan (2016)

Benny Trahan lives in Slidell, LA, almost in MS.  This area was hard hit by hurricane Katrina.  Benny has a huge collection of species Louisiana irises and loves to cross species of Louisiana irises to produce hybrid irises with more of the species form.  There is another Louisiana iris, similar to this one in name and odd coloring, 'Finders Keepers' by Frank Chowning (1961).

'Finders Keepers' by Frank Chowning (1961)

'Key Lime Pie' by Kevin Vaughn (2016)

'Your Easter Bonnet' by Kevin Vaughn (2016)

Kevin Vaughn has hybridized just about everything that has pollen on it. He has produced many award winning Louisiana iris hybrids.  Kevin, a PhD "weed scientist", lived for a long time in MS but has moved to Salem, OR, where he continues his fine work.  He is a past president of the Society for Louisiana Irises.

'Kiss My Grits' by C. Dufrene (2016)

 Cindy Dufrene lives in Carriere, MS, an has produced many Louisiana iris hybrids.  This iris has a very "southern" name, you kinda have to be from the south to understand the name.

'Metairie Ridge' by Pat O'Connor (2016)

'Remoulade' by Pat O'Connor (2016)

Pat O'Connor, a great friend of mine, lives in Metairie, LA, just northeast of New Orleans.  Pat has hybridized many Louisiana irises and loves to name his irises after things/places/events of south Louisiana. 'Metairie Ridge' must be near where he lives.  'Remoulade' is an interesting south Louisiana ingredient/condiment.  Google it to find out more.

'Moomba Flare' by Peter Jackson (2016)

'Signals From Space' by Peter Jackson (2016)

'Swirlygig' by Peter Jackson (2016)

Peter Jackson lives "down under" and has hybridized very many Louisiana irises.  It is always interesting to see the names given to the hybrid irises from Australia.  So many Louisiana irises have typical Louisiana names, it is fun to guess at where the names given "down under" originated.

'Nadine Sarah' by D. R. Grieves (2016)

D. R. Grieves also lives in Australia and registered 15 Louisiana irises, all of them very pretty.  I would guess the name is someone special to him.

'Trip The Light' by Heather Pryor (2016)

Heather Pryor and her husband, Bernard live in West Hobart, TAS, Australia, and they have produced very many beautiful Louisiana irises hybrids.

The Louisiana irises have "come a long ways".  They hardly resemble the species found in the marshes and swamps of south Louisiana in the early 1900's.  Some still love the old "open form" and the "spidery" look, while others like the move full form with ruffles and and flourishes.  I like them all!

To learn more about Louisiana irises visit the Society for Louisiana Irises web site.  To learn more about other species of irises, visit the American Iris Society.

IRISES, the Bulletin of the AIS - Spring 2017 Edition

By Andi Rivarola

A warm welcome to those who are seeing IRISES, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society for the first time. If you are a member of The American Iris Society I hope you enjoy this new edition, cover below, which you will receive via U.S. Mail very soon. 

The Spring 2017 issue of the AIS Bulletin will also be available soon for online viewing and is accessible via the Emembers section of the AIS website. Note: to access this area of the website 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.

International News feature iris news from Italy and Australia, on page 14

Youth Views on page 15 focuses on Coloring Contest Winners, Photo Contest winners of the Clark Cosgrove Memorial Award for Youth Achievement and more. 

New taxonomic arrangement of the Genus Iris? James Waddick's article, Comments on Crespo et al, on pages 20 and 21 exposes this dilemma. 

Enjoy a second article about genetics through, Still Confused About Genetics?  — a reprint of Dr. Currier McEwen's column from Spuria News dated 1967. 

Our own blogger, Susanne Holland Spicker, has a fantastic article on subjects we know her to do so well: growing irises and capturing them for the rest of us to enjoy. It's on pages 24 — 27, Tall Bearded Irises: Companion Plants with Pink, Red and Purple Irises.  

Don't miss the inspiring story of Cindy Rust, in Tell Me a Story, A Hybridizing Adventure — on pages 28 through 31. 

"Although I am just an ordinary person myself, I inherited an extraordinary way of seeing ordinary things." 

You won't miss the 2020 Centennial Iris Competition rules in the centerfold, pages 32 and 33. Thank you to the IRISES editors for giving it an extra push.

Bob Pries takes us to the origins of the Iris Encyclopedia with a write up on pages 34 and 35 — Confessions of an Information Junkie. 

"The river of information on the Internet is miles wide but only inches deep."

Considerations for Cool Season Tall Bearded Reblooming Iris Judging on pages 36 through 40, is an thoughtful examination of judging reblooming irises, by Mike Lockatell. 

Is your group interested in hosting a National Convention? If not sure, read Hosting an AIS National Convention by Paul Gossett on pages 43 through 45. It's an excellent source of information. 

Lastly information on Des Moines, IA the site of this year's National Convention of The American Iris Society on pages 46 and 47. 

There's a lot more to see and read in this edition of IRISES, either in digital or print formats. If you are an AIS member know that you will receive the print edition soon (it's in the hands of the U.S. Post Office), or if you are an e-member, then that version will be a available online soon. 

Happy gardening!

Dwarfs for Every Garden

by Tom Waters

The dwarf bearded irises (those classified as miniature dwarf bearded, or MDB) are a charming addition to any garden. With blooms held eight inches (20 cm) or less from the ground, they are the daintiest of all the bearded irises. They are also the earliest to bloom. In my garden, the first ones open a full two months before tall bearded season.

Almost all MDBs grown today fall into one of three categories. All three groups owe their existence to the eastern European species Iris pumila, which came to be used by American hybridizers in the 1940s.

'Liitle Drummer Boy'

The first category is Iris pumila itself. This tiny species is seldom more than 4 or 5 inches (10-12 cm) in height, with just one bloom per stem. (Actually, the stem is often almost nonexistent, most of the height being in the perianth tube formed by the flower parts themselves.) It comes in a range of colors from white and yellow to blue, violet, and purple, usually with a darker colored spot on the falls. There are a number of cultivars produced by hybridizers or selected from wild forms for their garden value. Some of my favorites are 'Little Drummer Boy' (Willott, 1997), 'Hobbit' (Miller, 2004), and 'Royal Wonder' (Coleman, 2013).

'Hobbit'

'Royal Wonder'

The next two categories came about as a consequence of the creation of the first standard dwarf bearded (SDB) irises in the 1950s. As I discussed in an earlier blog post, the SDBs were the result of crossing Iris pumila with tall bearded irises (TBs). The SDBs averaged about 12 inches (30 cm) in height and would typically have 2 or 3 buds. They are regarded as medians, not as true dwarfs, because of their larger size and occasional branch, something not seen in traditional dwarf irises.

'Alpine Lake'

Shortly after the SDBs appeared, hybridizers crossed them back to Iris pumila to produce irises of truly dwarf stature, but with a little something extra from their TB ancestry: plicata pattern, for example, or wider petals and more flaring form. These were the most common type of MDB in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. 'Knick-Knack' (Greenlee, 1961), 'Zipper' (Sindt, 1979), and 'Alpine Lake' (Willott, 1981) are good examples of this type.

The third category came about from SDB breeding in an even more direct way. Sometimes crossing two SDBs produces an iris smaller than average. These small ones, if they are 8 inches or less in height, belong in the MDB class, since the definition for that class is based on height, not ancestry. Because so much work has been done to improve the SDB class over many decades, these are often the most "developed" dwarfs in terms of form and variety of color and pattern. Popular examples of this type are 'Dollop of Cream' (Black, 2006), 'Icon' (Keppel, 2008), and 'Beetlejuice' (Black, 2013).

'Dollop of Cream'

'Icon'

Generally speaking, the greater the amount of Iris pumila in a dwarf's makeup, the smaller, earlier, and more adapted to cold winters it will be. Those with less Iris pumila will have larger flowers with greater width and ruffling, a greater range of color patterns, and perform better in warm-winter areas.

There are no official designations for these categories, although hybridizers sometimes identify them by the number of chromosomes: Iris pumila has 32, the SDBs and their small MDB progeny have 40, and the SDB x pumila hybrids have 36.

How can you tell which of these categories and MDB belongs to? Alas, the only way to be sure is to look at the parentage on the Iris Encyclopedia or other resource. In most cases, this will lead you back either to SDBs or to Iris pumila, or else the parentage will be an SDB x pumila cross. If this sort of research interests you, my list of pure Iris pumila cultivars may help make sense of things.

I love dwarfs in all their variety, and happily live in a locale where all kinds grow well. Do you grow dwarfs in your own garden? Which kinds are your favorite?

Betty Ward Wilkerson

It is with sadness that The World of Irises announces the death of our longtime blogger, Betty Ward Wilkerson. Betty was a hybridizer and proponent of reblooming irises that grow and bloom in colder climates. Over the years, Betty shared her insights with our readers as she created new hybrids in her taxing climate in Kentucky, using the best of mild climate rebloomers with cold climate parents. She released her introductions through her Bridge in Time garden.

Summer Radiance

Her enthusiasm and expertise will be missed by all. Although in treatment for cancer, Betty had started a new blog when she became too ill to finish it. She stopped in mid-sentence, but we are posting it since it shares her last thoughts on reblooming irises. After working so many years to expand the reblooming gene pool, Betty wanted others to take up the banner of reblooming cold weather rebloomers. The World of Irises extends our sympathy to her family.

All Revved Up

In her unfinished blog, Betty wrote:

“Winter seems to come twice a year these days!  Guess I should be happy since that's twice as many musings and less hot sweaty garden days?  Not really!  I thought it was time I get down to one of my serious problems with irises and the way rebloomers reported.

About Tomorrow

“If I were to build a program by which rebloomers are reported throughout the country it would look something like this. 1:  All rebloomers would be listed according to the areas in which they were developed 2.  They would be reported based on where they have rebloomed.

“For instance, my own 'Cool Character' would be listed to for KY, CA and VA.  These are the areas that have reported so far and it's a relatively new introduction. As other states report, they would be added.

All About Tranquility

“You say this is not realistic?  It would take too much work on the part of the people that produce the catalogs?  I would have to agree.  It depends on too many variable, not the least of which is the interest of the people doing the work.  If a problem isn't important to their interests most people will not get involved.

“This is why the rebloom society has worked so hard to create the Reblooming Checklist and to keep it updated. This work has, primarily, fallen on the hybridizers and the reblooming royalty, the crew to which we owe this wealth of information.  The hybridizers use the information to create the next generations of rebloom.  Simple?  It's really a bit more complicated than you might expect.  There are a lot more ugly ducklings than you might imagine.  Just for fun, let’s look at some of the ugly ones first!  No?  Okay, I'll spare you the agony!

About Tomorrow

“Let's talk about…”

All photos by Betty Wilkerson except the final one by her son Chris.