The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Mitchell Medal Winners

'LINE DRAWING' and 'CORRALITOS CREEK'

The Mitchel Medal is restricted to Pacific Coast Native (PCN) irises. It is named in honor of Sydney B. Mitchell (1878-1951). Prof. Sydney Mitchell was an educator. He became Acting Librarian at the University of California during WW I, and later founded and became first director of the Graduate School of Librarianship at that university. He was also one of the organizers of the American Iris Society.

Tom Craig wrote this of him: "Sydney looked upon plant breeding as a long term international effort in which individuals from all over the world should co-operate and add generation after generation to a real human achievement. He made me feel a real part of this and more particularly a part of a special work started by William Mohr and carried on by himself. Sydney generously gave flowers and plants of seedling for further encouragement with this work."

Mitchell was also interested in the native irises of the West Coast, and promoted them at every opportunity. He took great pride in the plantings of PCNs in his own garden. He had a large collection of various forms of I. innominata and I. douglasiana. 

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, two medals will be award in this area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

‘Line Drawing’

'Line Drawing' (Joseph Ghio, R. 2009). Seedling #IP-159S2. CA, 14" (36 cm). Midseason bloom. Standards white ground lined dark blue; style arms deep blue; falls white ground, dark blue lines overall, intense blue stitched edge, green-gold dotted signal. 'Like Clockwork' X seedling #FP-265U, 'Foggy Days' sibling. Bay View 2009.

 

‘Corralitos Creek’

'Corralitos Creek' (Joseph Ghio, R. 2013) Seedling #MP-163A4. CA, 14" (36 cm). Late midseason bloom. Standards white, slight blue at distal edge; style arms dark blue; falls white, blue line radiates from signal to deep blue edge, deep blue halo signal. Seedling #KP-155L: ('Da Vinci Code' x seedling #IP-156S3: ('Foggy Days' x seedling #GP-404K3: ('Bar Code' x seedling #EP-153C2: ('Ocean Blue' x 'Star of Evening')))) X seedling #KP-154, 'Costanoa' sibling. Bay View 2013.

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 in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Randolph-Perry Medal Winners

 'RYUGAN' and YARAI'

The Randolph Perry Medal is restricted to interspecies irises (SPEC-X). It is named in honor of Dr. L. F. Randolph (1894-1980) and Amos Perry (1871-1953).

Dr. L. F. Randolph, or "Fitz" as he was affectionately called by his many friends and associates, Dr. Randolph was chairman of the AIS Scientific Committee from 1945 to 1956. The work he and his students Jyotirmay Mitra and Katherine Heinig did on iris chromosomes produced many published monographs and provide the basis of our scientific understanding of the genus. He conducted a number of extensive iris species collection expeditions and brought back new species and many new forms of other iris species, especially of I. pumila.

Amos Perry was born into a family of nurserymen. Perry was one of the first hybridizers to use the tetraploid irises 'Amas,' I trojana, I. mesopotamica and I. cypriana. He introduced scores of new bearded cultivars, but he was more interested in Siberian irises and iris species. He probably created more new hybrid interspecies irises than any other iris breeder. His new hybrid irises often had names that indicated their species parentage, such as 'Chrysogana' (I. chrysographes x I. bulleyana); 'Tebract' (I. tenax x I. bracteata); 'Longsib' (I. longipetala x I. siberica); and 'Chrysowigi' (I. chrysographes x I. hartwegi).

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, two medals will be award in this area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

RYUGAN (Hiroshi Shimizu by Carol Warner)

'Ryugan' (Hiroshi Shimizu by Carol Warner, R. 2008) SPEC-X (Pseudata); 33" (84 cm), Very early. Standards light lemon yellow; style arms lemon yellow, ruffled tips brushed light wine-purple; falls light lemon yellow lightly sanded wine purple, signal deep yellow, speckled and sanded deep wine surrounded by deep wine eyelash pattern. 'Gubijin' X mixed JI pollen. Draycott 2008.

YARAI (Hiroshi Shimizu by Carol Warner)

'Yarai' (Hiroshi Shimizu by Carol Warner, 2011) SPEC-X (Pseudata); 27", Very early bloom. Falls light yellow background lightly veined and speckled wine red, presenting an orange appearance; standards more heavily wine red; prominent deep yellow signal. 'Gubijin' X unknown (mixed JI pollen). Draycott 2011.

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 in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Founders of SIGNA Medal Winners

'BLUE RIVULETS' and 'SUSHI'

The Founders of SIGNA Medal is restricted to species irises (SPEC) and is named to honor the founding members of the Species Iris Group of North America (SIGNA).

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, two medals will be award in this area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

BLUE RIVULETS (Chad Harris)

'Blue Rivulets' (Chad Harris, R. 2012) Seedling #O7LAK1. SPEC (laevigata), 30 (76 cm). Midseason bloom. Standards white, center blue-violet (RHS 104C) vein; style arms blue-violet, white center line rib, crests same, edged white rim; falls white, blue-violet veins radiating from lemon-yellow signal almost to fall edge. Parentage unknown, seed from SIGNA, 2004, Shimizu. Iris laevigata. Mt. Pleasant 2013.

SUSHI (Jill Copeland)

'Sushi' (Jill Copeland, R. 2013) Seedling #T-1. SPEC, 39 (99 cm). Early midseason bloom. Standards and style arms white (RHS 155B); falls cream to very light yellow (3C to 4D), signal lines violet (83A-83B). I.pseudacorus X self. Ensata 2013.

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 in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Mohr Medal Winners

'HEART OF HEARTS' and 'PARABLE'

The Mohr Medal is restricted to irises of one-quarter or more aril content that do not meet the more restrictive requirements of the Clarence G. White Medal.

It is named in honor of William A. Mohr (1871-1923). About ten years before his death, Mohr began working with irises. He obtained the tetraploid Asiatic species, as well as regelia and oncocyclus irises, and communicated with other iris hybridizers such as Ellen Sturtevant and Samuel Stillman Berry. The two greatest achievements of William Mohr's hybridizing programs are probably his plicatas and his innovative and beautiful arilbreds. His great plicatas are 'Los Angeles' and the iris that won the first American Dykes Medal, 'San Francisco.' Mohr's most important arilbred iris is the magnificent 'William Mohr.' 

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, two medals will be award in this area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards. 

HEART OF HEARTS (Paul Black)

'Heart Of Hearts' (Paul Black, R. 2015) Seedling T132C. AB (OGB-), 24" (61 cm), Midseason to late bloom. Standards icy blue-white, mid old gold base and up ¹⁄₃ of rib; style arms light violet-blue, mid gold edge, ice white crest; falls mid-light lavender, mid auburn hafts and blended veined margin around black cherry signal veined darker, light gold haft veins; beard hairs based grey-white, tips mid grey-brown. 'Galaxina' sibling. 2015 Mid-America.

PARABLE (Thomas Johnson)

'Parable' (Thomas Johnson, R. 2011) Seedling TX155AA, AB (OGB-), 20 (51 cm), Early bloom. Standards and style arms blue violet; Falls red violet veined darker blue, strong black signals; beards dark navy overlaid brown; clean purple base foliage; slight fragrance. 'Puddy Tat' sibling X 'Kalifa's Robe'. Mid-America Gardens 2011.

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 in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 C. G. White Medal Winners

'RARE BREED' -  'DRAGON'S EYE'

'SHAMAN'S MAGIC'

Since 1993, the Clarence G. White Memorial Medal has been awarded to the best arilbred iris with 1/2 or more aril ancestry. When Clarence G. White began his work with aril irises, little was known about the complexity of iris genetics. White assembled the largest collection of aril irises in the world, and conducted thousands of breeding experiments to obtain viable, fertile seedlings. One of his goals was to develop strong, pure Oncocylus hybrids.

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, two medals will be award in each area; however, three medals are to be awarded due to a tie vote between Dragon’s Eye and Shaman’s Magic. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards. All images by Rick Tasco.

'Rare Breed' (Richard Tasco, R. 2011) Seedling 03-AB-02-51. AB (OGB), 33" (84 cm), Late midseason bloom. Standards parchment tan (RHS 159A) veined darker, chrome yellow (15C) at base of midribs; style arms chrome yellow, slight red band along ridges, large crests lightly veined red on front; falls red orange, lighter toward edge, chrome yellow veins around beard, slight chrome yellow edge veined red, small oxblood-red (183 A) signal at end of beard; beards golden brown, 1" wide and thick. 'Sheik' X 'Bagdad's Folly'. Superstition 2011.

'Dragon's Eye' (Richard Tasco, R. 2015) Seedling 08-AB-04-06. AB (OGB), 26" (66 cm), Midseason late bloom. Standards cold white, mimosa yellow (RHS 8B) at base, few bright canary yellow veins on midrib; style arms bright canary yellow (9B), darker on rib top; Falls mimosa yellow, darker surrounding signal, large oval shaped dark burgundy signal, darker veins lighter around beard, some dots and streaks at edge of signal; beards golden yellow in throat, bronze yellow ends; slight fragrance. Seedling 05-AB-03-05: (01-AB-13-01: ('Sheik' x 'Bagdad's Folly') x 'Noble Warrior') X 06-AB-05-50: ('Noble Warrior' x 02-AB-26-03: ('Energizer' x 'Bagdad's Folly')). 2015 Superstition.

'Shaman's Magic' (Richard Tasco, R. 2014). Seedling 10-AB-07-02. AB (OGB), 33" (84 cm). Midseason to late bloom. Standards creamy parchment (RHS 155C), veined gold, darker at edges, amber-maize at bottom of midribs; style arms light old gold (162A), red blush along midribs; falls golden yellow edges veined red, red wash, some red dotting bleeding out from signal, signal large oval shaped burgundy-black, recurved; beard hairs based light yellow, tips golden brown, chevron shaped. 'Aztec Prince' X 'New Vision'. Superstition 2014.

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 in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Caparne-Welch Medal Winners

 'ELF ESTEEM' and 'FAIRY FIREFLY'

The Caparne-Welch Medal is restricted to miniature dwarf bearded (MDB) irises. It is named in honor of William John Caparne (1855-1940) and WalterWelch (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.

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, two medals will be award in this area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

‘Elf Esteem’

'Elf Esteem' (Paul Black, R. 2015) Seedling S259A. MDB, 7.5" (19 cm). Midseason to late bloom and rebloom. Standards green-white fading to white; style arms white, mid violet in heart; Falls white, dark burgundy spot bisected by white wedge stripe from beard to edge, white rays over haft surrounded by olive-brown veins; beards mid lavender; slight sweet fragrance. Seedling 0262CR, 'It’s Not Over' pollen parent, X 'Replicator'. 2015 Mid-America.

‘Fairy Firefly’

'Fairy Firefly' (Terry Aitken, R. 2016) Seedling 05M7D. MDB, 5" (13 cm), Midseason bloom. Standards brilliant orange crush orange; style arms brilliant orange; falls brilliant orange, red-orange spot, orange zonal spot at hafts; beards brilliant orange. 'Hot Coals' sibling. Salmon Creek 2015.

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 in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Cook-Douglas Medal Winners

'STOP AND STARE' and 'PORTLAND PINK'

 The Cook-Douglass 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 1950's, 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.

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, two medals will be award in this area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards. 

STOP AND STARE (Thomas Johnson)

'Stop And Stare' (Thomas Johnson, R. 2014) Seedling# TD258A. SDB, 13" (33 cm), Early bloom. Standards white, lemon tints, slight gold halo that fades with age; style arms white; falls large black spot with wide white band, small white dart below beard; beards yellow-orange, tipped white; slight fragrance. 'Capiche' X 'Riveting'. Mid-America 2014.

PORTLAND PINK (Paul Black)

'Portland Pink' (Paul Black, R. 2015) Seedling# T234A. SDB, 15" (38 cm), Late to very late bloom. Standards mid pink; style arms mid-dark pink; falls mid peach-pink, darker haft and line from beard ½ way down petal, green-tan textured veins; beards dark tangerine-pink; slight spicy fragrance. 'Shorty' X seedling# R203A: (seedling# M166A, Inspired sibling x 'Love Spell'. 2015 Mid-America.

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 in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Williamson-White Medal Winners

'MOOSE TRACKS' and 'HOOSIER BELLE'

The Williamson White 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.

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, two medals will be award in this area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

 

 MOOSE TRACKS (Lynda Miller)

'Moose Tracks' (Lynda Miller, R. 2014) Seedling #2010E. MTB, 18"-20" (46-51 cm). Midseason to late bloom. Standards medium gold, veined smoky plum; style arms gold, smoky plum accents; falls black veined over white becoming solid maroon-black at bottom of petal; beards dark gold. Seedling #104A, unknown X 'Rayos Adentro'. Salmon Creek 2015. 

HOOSIER BELLE (Charles Bunnell)

'Hoosier Belle' (Charles Bunnell, R. 2011) Seedling #G30-5. MTB, 20-22 (5136 cm), Midseason bloom. Standards light lilac lavender, sometimes aging to near white; style arms very light lavender; falls dark violet, prominent white hafts extending midway, distinctive white rim; beards white; slight spicy fragrance. Seedling #D21-2: ('Oshel Blue' x 'Lucky Mistake') X unknown.

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 in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

 

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Sass Medal Winners

'BACKLIT BEAUTY' and 'CODE OF HONOR'

The Sass Medal is restricted to intermediate bearded (IB) irises. It is named in honor of Hans Sass

(1868-1949) and Jacob Sass (1872-1945). They bred irises, peonies, daylilies, lilacs, gladiolus, lilies and other garden plants. When they became charter members of the AIS, they had been breeding irises

for more than a decade. Their irises were famous for being strong growers because they used 'Amas' and I. trojana as tetraploid stud irises instead of the tender I. mesopotamia and I. cypriana.

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, two medals will be award in this area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

BACKLIT BEAUTY--image by Richard Tasco

'Backlit Beauty' (Richard Tasco, R. 2010) Seedling #01-IB-49-01. IB, 25" (64 cm), Late midseason bloom. Standards rosy spectrum violet (RHS 82B) lightly veined white, color blends out to white edges and side bottoms; style arms white, slight lilac blush near midribs; falls darker bishops violet (81A) lightening toward edges, lightly veined around beards to shoulders, bright canary yellow at top of petal; beards white base tipped tangerine in throat and middle, canary yellow at end; lightly ruffled, luminata; slight fragrance. 'Spirit World' X 'Iced Wine'. Superstition 2010.

CODE OF HONOR--image by Mid-America

'Code Of Honor' (Thomas Johnson, R. 2013). Seedling #TB91A. IB, 25" (64 cm), Midseason bloom. Icy blue-white self; beards medium blue; slight fragrance. 'Bluebeard's Ghost' X 'Mythology'. Mid-America 2013.

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 in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Knowlton Medal Winners

'BANDED ROSE' and 'GRAPENUT'

The Knowlton 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. Bennett Jones wrote in The World of Irises: "Harold Knowlton was among the first to make deliberate selections of smaller plants. Two of his 1950 introductions, ‘Pearl Cup’ and ‘Cricket’... display the desirable features we still seek in modern border irises." 

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, two medals will be award in this area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

'BANDED ROSE' (J. T. Aitken)

'Banded Rose' (J. Terry Aitken, R. 2011) Seedling #04T30B. BB, 24 (61 cm), Late midseason bloom. Standards copper-rose; falls light peach wash at hafts blending to pale cream around orange beards, 7/8" band of copper-rose. 'Banded Gold' sibling. Salmon Creek 2011. 

'GRAPENUT' (Michael Sutton)

'Grapenut' (Michael Sutton, R. 2012) Seedling #W-999-A. BB, 24 (61 cm). Midseason to very late bloom. Standards tan, dark purple midribs; style arms tan, purple stigmatic lip; falls dark violet, near black, lighter at edge; beards beach brown; ruffled. 'Secret Service' X 'Midnight Thunder'. Sutton 2013.

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 in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Wister Medal Winners

'FOOTBALL HERO' - 'DON'T DOUBT DALTON'

'BELLE FILLE' - 'VOLCANIC GLOW' 

'BLUEBIRD OF HAPPINESS' - 'DON'T STOP BELIEVING' 

The Wister Medal is restricted to tall bearded (TB) irises. It is named in honor of John C. Wister (1887-1982). Three medals are awarded each year. Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, six medals will be award in this area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

John C. Wister led the organizing meeting that created the American Iris Society and became its first president, a position he held for fourteen years. He guided the society through its formative years. He was widely recognized as a man of rare management skill, leadership ability, and the highest ethical standards. R. S. Sturtevant wrote of him: "Probably few current members realize that the AIS started through the efforts and initiative of one man, John C. Wister...."

'FOOTBALL HERO' (Lynda Miller)

'Football Hero' (Lynda Miller, R. 2014). Seedling# 8010A. TB, 36" (91 cm). Midseason bloom. Standards butter yellow; style arms same, accented violet; falls plum-purple, pale smoky orchid edged; beards gold; slight musky fragrance. 'Hoosier Dome' X 'Saturn'. Salmon Creek 2015.

'DON'T DOUBT DALTON' (Tom Burseen)

'Don't Doubt Dalton' (Tom Burseen, R. 2014). Seedling# 011-297A. TB, 35" (89 cm). Early to late bloom. Standards pure white, red-purple random splattering; style arms white, washed gold; falls pure white, yellow-gold washed hafts, random dark purple splatters; beards poppy orange (RHS 32A), tattered and feathered white horns, gold stems; flared and ruffled; slight sweet fragrance. 'Miles Keith' X seedling# 09-79: (seedling# 07-167: ('Sammie's Jammies' x 'Enchanter') x 'McSeedman Sees Red'). Burseen 2015.

'BELLE FILLE' (Marky Smith)

'Belle Fille' (Marky Smith, R. 2011). Seedling 08-05B. TB, 34" (86 cm). Early to late bloom. Standards hyacinth violet (RHS 87A), primrose ruffled edge and base; style arms cream edged and rimmed yellow, crests lilac touched yellow; falls Vatican purple (83A), thin cream edge, cream white area surrounding beard, rudimentary luminata cream veining just below white heart, surrounded in turn by 1/4" bright yellow ring bleeding out to brown shoulder, small white dart below beard; beards white base, hairs tipped yellow at end becoming solid golden poppy-orange (25A) in throat; heavily ruffled, luminata pattern; pronounced sweet fragrance. Seedling 06-23L. Salmon Creek 2015.

'VOLCANIC GLOW' (Keith Keppel)

'Volcanic Glow' (Keith Keppel, R. 2011) Seedling 05-78B. TB, 36" (91 cm), Midseason bloom. Standards aureolin (M&P 10-L-2), central area flushed cedarwood (6-G-10); style arms aureolin, slight cedarwood flush; falls Zanzibar red (8-L-5), velvety wash, narrow aureolin edge; white heart and dart below beard, heart edged bright golden lemon (9-L-2/3); beards white base, tips golden lemon; luminata. 'Montmartre' X 'Lip Service'. Keppel 2012.

'BLUEBIRD OF HAPPINESS' (Paul Black)

'Bluebird Of Happiness' (Paul Black, R. 2011). Seedling# P218B. TB, 45" (114 cm). Midseason to very late bloom. Standards dark base and midribs blending to mid blue edges, darker blue textured veins over upper 2/3; style arms mid blue; falls mid blue fading to pale blue, darker at edge, mid blue textured veins; beards orange; pronounced sweet fragrance. Blyth seedling# N24-5, 'Blue Rising' sibling X 'Paul Black'. Mid-America 2012.

'DON'T STOP BELIEVING' (Thomas Johnson)

'Don't Stop Believing' (Thomas Johnson, R. 2013) Seedling TA80A. TB, 42 (107 cm). Late bloom. Standards and style arms clear mid pink; falls milk glass white, pink hafts and edge; beards salmon-pink in middle, lilac-blue end; sweet fragrance; ruffled; lightly laced. Seedling TW3A: ('Ballet Royale' x 'Corps de Ballet') X 'Secret Affair'. Mid-America 2013.

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 in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Dykes Medal Winners

'DARING DECEPTION' and ‘RECKLESS ABANDON’ 

First awarded in 1927, the Dykes Medal is the highest award of the American Iris Society (AIS). It is named for William Rickatson Dykes (1877-1925), and is awarded to no more than one iris per year.* Irises are eligible as a Dykes medal candidate for three years following the winning of a classification medal. Only AIS registered judges may vote.

*Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and only for this year, two medals will be awarded in each area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

Tall bearded iris 'DARING DECEPTION' (Thomas Johnson) image by Paul Black

'Daring Deception' (Thomas Johnson, R. 2012). Seedling#!TB127B. TB, 35" (89 cm). Midseason bloom. Standards white, light violet wash up midrib; style arms white; falls plush violet, wide white band, white spray on either side of beard; beards tangerine; slight fragrance. 'By Jeeves' X Blyth seedling# O77-A: ('Hold My Hand' x 'Brave Face'). Mid-America 2012. 

Tall bearded iris ‘RECKLESS ABANDON’ (Keith Keppel)

'Reckless Abandon' (Keith Keppel, R. 2009). Seedling 04-147A. TB, 38" (97 cm). Midseason bloom. Standards center sulphur to citron yellow (M&P 10-J-1/2) changing to warm white texture veined yellow toward outer portion, narrow 1/8" dandelion (9-L-4/5) edge; crests dandelion (9-L-4); falls burgundy black (much deeper than 56-H-12), large central area white to cream strongly veined burgundy black; beards solid deep chrome to cadmium yellow (9-L-7/8). Blyth seedling L304-1, 'Platinum Class' sibling, X 'Pirate Ahoy'. Keppel 2010. 

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 in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

The Beginnings of Tall Bearded Irises

by Bob Pries

My first blog! I thought I might start off with some thoughts about another beginning which occurred about 200 years ago. For years I wondered what the first tall-bearded irises actually looked like. Here is what I've found.

Circa 1820, E. Van Berg of Neuenkirche, Germany and Marie-Guillaume de Bure of Paris, France began naming cultivated varieties from the bee crosses appearing in their gardens. Van Berg did not introduce his selections into commerce. On the other hand, De Bure is noted for the first named and introduced cultivar ‘Buriensis’---which he named after himself. It was said to have a plicata pattern similar to the later ‘Madame Chereau’ but larger with more rosy markings outlining the white flower.

Although considered an “amateur” in 1848, De Bure was said to have the largest collection of irises in France. The book “The World of Irises” (available through the American Iris Society Storefront) credits De Bure for setting in motion the train of events which led to all present-day iris societies. It makes me wonder, "How many bearded irises did De Bure have in his collection?" By 1830, De Bure’s work had inspired fellow Parisian Henri-Antoine Jacques, the horticulturalist famed for introducing the Bourbon Roses. Perhaps his only surviving cultivar is ‘Aurea.’ Jacques in turn, inspired Nicolas Lémon of nearby Belleville, France (which was later annexed into the city of Paris).

Lémon was noted for growing thousands of seedlings. He did not bother with hand pollination and was quite happy with the work the bees produced. Nonetheless in 1840 he put irises on the map by offering 100 varieties for sale to the public.

 

This plate appears within Portefeuille des horticulteurs. Vol 2 (1848) with a nine page description

Between 1840-1850, Lémon continued to offer hundreds of irises for sale each year. To find descriptions of these irises we must go to the French literature. I am greatly thankful to Sylvain Ruaud and other members of the Société Française des Iris et plantes Bulbeuses for providing links to these descriptions of the Lémon varieties. Readers can find these by going to Lémon’s hybridizer page in the Iris Encyclopedia where you will find lists of his cultivars and linked references. The following plates show more of Lemon’s irises.

This plate appears within Bulletin du Cercle Général dHorticulture (1856)

American plant catalogs of this period rarely gave descriptions of these bearded hybrids and usually only offered collections of fifty or one hundred “germanica” irises. Although these bearded hybrids were often referred to as Iris germanica, it is likely that all of them had only Iris pallida and Iris variegata in their backgrounds. Experimental breeding between the two species by Sir Michael Foster, (of Trinity College in Cambridge, England) showed this to be the case. Since both species had chromosome numbers of 2n=24, their offspring were all fertile with each other also. Germanica irises grown in gardens at the time were probably ‘Grandmas’ Blue Flags’ a sterile triploid.

It was probably not until about 1885-1890 that fertile tetraploid Iris germanica was collected from Amasia, Turkey and Foster started entering true germanica irises into breeding. Lémon’s irises were all diploid, while Foster's ‘Amas’ was tetraploid. Thus, the early diploid irises really formed a fertile family distinct from today’s tetraploid tall bearded. The Lémon hybrids had more affinity to today’s diploid miniature tall bearded than to our modern tall bearded. The few that remain of the earlier group provide a delicate charm and grace to modern landscapes. I would love to see more images of them in the Iris Encyclopedia.

The Classic MDBs

 by  Tom Waters

The world of dwarf and median irises was revolutionized in the 1950s when Paul Cook and Geddes Douglas crossed the dwarf species Iris pumila with tall bearded irises (TBs) to create what became known as standard dwarf bearded irises (SDBs). The new SDBs were not only lovely, varied, and useful garden plants in their own right; but they were fertile parents, leading to all sorts of new avenues for hybridizers.

Hybridizers soon tried crossing the SDBs back to both of the parent types, TBs and I. pumila. Crossing SDBs with TBs produced a whole new style of intermediate bearded irises (IBs), whereas crossing SDBs with I. pumila produced a new style of miniature dwarf bearded irises (MDBs).

'Bee Wings'
photo: El Hutchison

By ancestry, these new MDBs were 1/4 TB and 3/4 I. pumila. From I. pumila, they inherit daintiness, earliness of bloom, and floriferousness. The TB ancestry lends them a greater variety of color and pattern, and a bit more width and polish in flower form. Dwarf breeders and growers were delighted with these creations; and they became quickly popular, all but replacing the earlier dwarfs from I. lutescens breeding in just a decade or so.

'Alpine Lake'
photo: Tom Waters

The first MDB from SDB x I. pumila breeding to win the Caparne-Welch award was Alta Brown's 'Bee Wings' (Brown, 1959), which won the award in 1963.  By 1990, six others from this type of cross won the award. Especially notable among them were 'Zipper' (Sindt, 1978), a deep yellow with a stunning blue-violet beard, and 'Alpine Lake' (Willott, 1980), a soft near-white with a diffuse blue spot. I refer to these as "classic" MDBs, because they set the standard for the class during this time of great progress and interest.

'Zipper'
photo: Jeanette Graham

Another popular type of MDB was produced by crossing SDBs with each other and selecting irises that were small enough to fall under the height limit of the MDB class (currently 8 inches). These had the advantage of showing all the color patterns of TBs, including plicata and tangerine pink. Although both types were popular, hybridizers breeding specifically for MDBs preferred the SDB x I. pumila cross, which produced a much greater proportion of early-blooming, MDB-sized seedlings.

After 1990, the SDB x I. pumila cross gradually fell out of fashion, with most of the new MDBs coming from SDB x SDB breeding. The reason for this is two-fold. First, the SDBs had been steadily progressing in color, pattern, and form; and the classic MDBs from SDB x I. pumila could not really keep up. Second, fewer breeders were breeding specifically for MDBs and growing I. pumila for that purpose. Most breeders were instead working with their established SDB lines, which sometimes produce MDB-sized plants "by accident," as it were. So the SDB x SDB cross would do double duty, producing both SDBs and MDBs.

'Wee Dragons'
photo: Jeanette Graham

Classic MDBs are still being produced, however. My favorite recent one is Lynda Miller's 'Wee Dragons' (Miller, 2017). The recent Caparne-Welch winner 'Kayla's Song' (D. Spoon, 2008) is of complicated ancestry, but its overall appearance makes it likely that it too is 3/4 I. pumila and belongs in this category.

Although it is clear that the MDBs from SDB x SDB breeding will continue to dominate the class with their modern form and exciting color patterns, the classics should not be completely forgotten. The advantages of early bloom and guaranteed dainty size in all gardens should not be set aside too quickly. And since this type of cross is not often made these days, we don't have a very full picture of its potential when modern SDBs are involved.

'Kayla's Song'
photo: Ginny Spoon

Although my own hybridizing interests are focused elsewhere, I make some SDB x I. pumila crosses each year and donate the seeds to the Dwarf Iris Society seed sale, in the hopes of encouraging interest in the classic MDB cross.

If you grow MDBs, keep your eye out for classic MDBs that have I. pumila or one of its cultivars as a parent. They will delight you with their early bloom and daintier looks.