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.

Iris Serendipity

By Bryce Williamson

Serendipity, meaning a fortunate happenstance or pleasant surprise, was coined by Horace Walpole in 1754. The notion of serendipity is a common occurrence throughout the history of scientific innovation such as Alexander Fleming's accidental discovery of penicillin in 1928, the invention of the microwave oven by Percy Spencer in 1945, and the invention of the Post-it note by Spencer Silver in 1968.

In the world of iris hybridizing, serendipity also plays an important role. In his recent blog, “Arilbred Irises: A Little History,”  Tom Waters wrote about “the iris 'William Mohr' that was essentially sterile….And occasionally 'William Mohr' would reward such persistence by producing a seed or two. We now understand that these seeds were the result of unreduced gametes, where an ovule is produced by bypassing the normal cell division.” From those beginnings, the Mohr class was born, a class of irises grow that with relative ease and have flowers with many aril characteristics. Today's Mohr types irises, as seen below, have come a long way in flower form and patterns.

Perry Dyer (Black '17)--Paul Black image

Confederate (Tasco '17-- Mohr type aril-median)

Photo by Rick Tasco

Unreduced gametes have also shaped other tall bearded irises of today. Snow Flurry is perhaps the most famous of those creations. Other hybridizers have followed this path.

Snow Flurry (Clara Rees)--photo by Rick Tasco

Writing on his Facebook page in 2016, noted iris authority Keith Keppel wrote that “in the 1930's, hybridizer Paul Cook crossed the greenish yellow diploid species Iris imbricata with a diploid ‘pallida pink’ seedling. A resultant seedling was then crossed to a tetraploid blue, and he obtained a seedling with standards somewhat darker than the falls.”

Then serendipity intervened and “He accomplished two things: (1) bringing imbricata genes into the tetraploid TB mix and (2) producing a blue with noticeably darker standards, the start of a reverse blue amoena. Interesting to note: he had begun the imbricata project hoping it would aid in the clarification of blue TB pigments; instead, he started a reverse amoena line."

Iris imbricata photo by Lloyd Baumunk

Mr. Keppel goes on to write, “A good hybridizer makes a cross for a purpose; a great hybridizer recognizes when something unexpected appears, goes off on a tangent, and develops something entirely different. Four generations from the initial imbricata cross, Cook introduced Wide World (1954) and the reverse amoena rush began.

Wide World (Cook)--photo by Milan Blažek 

               “As time went on, depth of color and degree of contrast increased. Breeders began crossing these reverse amoenas with carotene pigment (oil soluble, warm colors) carriers and the reverse amoenas evolved into all manner of combinations of "reverse bicolors". Although many breeders were involved, it was George Shoop who made the most (and the most innovative) introductions of this new genre....his beloved 'dark tops.'"

Crowned Heads (Keppel)--photo by Jeanette Graham

Spring Tidings (Shoop) photo by Colleen Modra

Mood Ring (Keppel '17)--photo by Brad Collins

George Sutton Y-5-B image by Mike Sutton

These serendipity events may have value even today. In recent years, Mr. Keppel has been involved in what could be seen as an exercise in futility. He has been using “Iris albertii, a diploid species, (that) seems not to be in the general gene pool of modern tall beardeds.”

Iris albertii--photo by Keith Keppel

As he writes, “So.....why not....cross with tetraploids and see what happens? Easier said than done. Of many crosses made, only one....Smash X albertii....yielded seed: six seeds with two germinating and one lasting to bloom, 05-4A. If nothing else, the albertii shoulder patterning came through!

Smash (Craig)--photo by Vicki Craig

Keppel 05-4A--photo by Keith Keppel

Keppel 12-120A--photo by Keith Keppel

A good grower, 05-4A blooms prolifically, but is a problem in crossing. About every third cross produces a pod. About every third pod is not a false pregnancy, but would have 1 to 3 seeds. Further problem is, the seed doesn't germinate.” Then once again serendipity intervened when “one year three volunteer pods formed that had much larger seed than what I had been getting from the crosses made. Three pods...six seeds total....one germinated. That one is 12-120A, taller (about two feet), considerably larger flower than its parent, making me think the unknown parent must be a tall bearded. And, it has limited fertility. Will it lead to anything different? Anything worthwhile? And if so, will I still be around to see it?

“The pleasures of iris hybridizing do not fall within the realm of instant gratification!”

Editor's Note: The image of Iris imbricata is designed to show what the species looks like, but it is doubtful that the clone shown is actually the iris used by Paul Cook in his hybridizing.