by Sylvain Ruaud
The fall of the
Berlin Wall and the ensuing political upheaval had a major impact on the world
of irises. We have already seen what happened in Germany. Now we will see what
happened in the so-called People's Republics. The upheaval did not have the
same consequences everywhere; but where it did, it gave birth to a new and not
insignificant part of the iris world. This movement occurred in
Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia), Poland, Lithuania,
Slovenia, and, to a lesser extent, Hungary and Romania. The other countries were
only slightly affected, either because of their geographical and climatic
situation or because of specific or historical circumstances.
The cultivation of
irises in the Czech Republic began long before the 1990s. With meager options in genetic breeding stock, clever and ingenious people had created hybrids. Such was the case
of Vojtech Smid, who in 1985 succeeded in Florence with 'Libon', a
variety that, despite its success, was never registered, because at the time it
would have been suspicious to be associated with an American organization. But
also, from that time, the great botanist Milan Blazek tried to make
daring crosses, in line with his genetic studies. He was particularly interested
in Iris plicatas and late varieties. Due to being isolated in his own country, it took until 2013 to get his new varieties registered. They are still showing
their age despite their aesthetic interest. This is the case of the pink 'Jarni
Sen' (R. 2013). As soon as American varieties became widely available as breeding
material, many Czech amateurs began to work with them. Many of them immediately
proved their worth. Take the case of Pavel Nejedlo, who made a
masterstroke with the cross 'Desert Echo' X ('Rancho Rose' x 'Sketch Me') and
the three plicata varieties he kept from it: 'Moonlight Sketch' (1998), 'Spacelight
Sketch' (1998), and 'Sunlight Sketch' (1998); or of Jiri Dudek, whose few hybrids were appreciated wherever they could be seen. Witness: 'Papapubren'
(2003).
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Tall bearded iris 'Moonlight Sketch' Photo by Christine Cosi |
But the undisputed
leader of Czech iridophilia is Zdenek Seidl. This man of conviction is
interested in all classifications of irises. In 30 years of activity, he has
become famous and his varieties have won awards wherever they have been in competition,
be it in Munich, Florence, or Paris. From his first entries, whether the yellows 'Pozdni Leto' (1998) and 'Zlatohlavek' (1998) or the black 'Bratislavska Noc'
(1996), experts immediately recognized him as a remarkable breeder. As the years passed, his
talent has only grown. 'Nad Oblaky' (2019) triumphed in Paris this year, and
'Chachar' (2013) preceded 'Nad Oblacky' in 2017, before winning in Florence the following
year. Note his intermediate bearded irises, which are characterized by their small
size, well within the limits and appearance of the category.  |
Tall bearded iris 'Chahar'
Photo by Stephane Bolvin |
In neighboring
Slovakia, Ladislav Muska is the champion of change after the collapse of
the Soviet Union. He is the epitome of a knowledgeable amateur. Like many
hybridizers from Eastern Europe, he too started with a small pool of genetic stock for breeding.
The available gene pool increased as more modern iris hybrids began to be exchanged, and little by little he
was able to obtain the best American iris germplasm. His production was important and
he even managed to publish a small handmade catalogue which he distributed to
all his acquaintances in Europe and the United States, so that his varieties
were spread everywhere. Not all of these irises are masterpieces, but many deserve to be in the finest collections. Especially his rich plicatas
- 'Dreaming Clown' (1999) is the most famous and has even been used in breeding by Keith
Keppel. Another notable introduction by Muska is the mauve 'Elegaball' (1999) which won the Moscow
competition in 2003.
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Tall bearded iris 'Elegaball'
Photo by Sylvain Ruaud |
The successor of
Ladislav Muska is Anton Mego. This discreet man continues to offer the
world excellent varieties, both in terms of modernity and elegance of
appearance and originality of colour. It has been a little over 20 years
since his name first appeared in the iris world and there is hardly a year that
has not been a revelation. The first shock was 'Slovak Prince' (2003) with its
finely hemmed gold petals. It was an instant success in the USA, where in 2009
it won the highest possible award for a tall bearded non-American iris, the Wister
Medal. 'Clotho's Web' (2010) won Third Prize in the 2015 Franciris® competition.
Bratislavan Prince' (2010) came in first in the 2015 Moscow International TB (Tall Bearded) Iris Competition. 'Horske
Oko' (2015) is arguably the first 'pansy-flowered' iris, and 'The Majestic'
(2017) is a milestone in modern, exotic colouring reminiscent of aril irises.
There is no doubt that Anton Mego can still be counted on to renew iridophilia.
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Tall bearded iris 'Slovak Prince'
Photo by Heather Haley |
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Tall bearded iris 'Clothos Web'
Photo by Christine Cosi |
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Tall Bearded iris 'Horske Oko'
Photo by Christine Cosi
|
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Tall bearded iris 'The Majestic'
Photo by Christine Cosi |
Further south, in
Slovenia, part of the former Yugoslavia, is the home of Izidor Golob,
who combines his hybridizing skills with a cheerful personality. He did not
wait for political turmoil to take an interest in irises, registering and introducing his first unusual-for-the-time 'Mojka', an apricot iris, in 1978, followed by a series of rather
unpretentious but successful cultivars, such as 'Majski Dotik' (2009), whose
pedigree includes a pleasant white variety bred by the aforementioned Czech
Milan Blazek.
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Tall bearded iris 'Majski Dotik'
Photo by Sylvain Ruaud |
One does not
necessarily imagine that irises are available in Lithuania—but they are. Thanks go to Laimonis Zakis, a talented hybridizer who has been
working on this plant since 2006, after a trip to Florence, but who refuses to
register his varieties, which unfortunately keeps him on the fringes of the
rest of the iris world. Many of his varieties would deserve international
distribution, but this is out of the question as long as they remain
semi-clandestine. The flower of 'Abavas Perle' (circa 2010) gives an idea of
his production.
The main part of
this Eastern European survey is Poland. It is the largest and most populous
country and the one where iris cultivation has expanded the most. In truth, hybridizers are not particularly numerous there, but they appeared at the end
of the Soviet bloc and have been renewed regularly since that time. One of the
very first was Lech Komarnicki. An interesting and uncommon character,
this former dramatic artist became interested in irises as soon as he left the
stage and retired to his property in western Poland. He began by hybridizing
tall bearded irises -- 'Poranna Mgielka' (2010) is an example of his work -- but he had many misadventures with them due to
the harsh and humid climate of his region. He has preferred working on Siberian irises and interspecific crosses.
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Tall bearded iris 'Poranna Mgielka'
Photo by Lech Komarnicki |
He was followed by Zbigniew Kilimnik, Henryk Polaszek, and, more recently, Józef Koncewicz
and, above all, Jerzy Wożniak. The last named had a brilliant but short
career. He was considered the most
skilled hybridizer in his country, and his reputation spread far beyond Eastern
Europe to Western Europe. But he soon disappeared (reorientation? death?).
Actually, the only truly active and productive hybridizer left is Robert Piątek. This fifty-year-old water and forestry official is now one of the
most renowned European hybridizers. He works in all categories of bearded irises,
but with a preference for tall bearded irises; and every year he graces us
with at least half a dozen new varieties. These flowers began to spread all
over the world and he entered them in various competitions: Florence, Paris,
Munich . . . . He chooses names with Anglo-Saxon connotations to make them more
accessible than if they had strictly Polish names. He addresses all flower
patterns, as most hybridizers do today. Sticking to a few lines is no longer
necessary because of the possibilities offered by crossing modern varieties.
However, he has a special affection for pastel colors and plicatas of all
kinds.
Before we leave
Poland, let's greet Kat Zalewska, who is slowly making a place for
herself in an area where women are not so numerous. The magnificent rose 'Axis
Mundi' (2018) shows, if not the centre of the world, at least a real emerging
talent.
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Tall bearded iris 'Axis Mundi'
Photo by Kat Zalewska |
Eastern Europe
continues to open up to iris growing. Romania could be the next area of
expansion, as well as Hungary. We should be talking seriously about this in a
year or two. But already this part of the world has become a major focus for
this area of horticulture.
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