TALL BEARDED IRIS SUPER ACHIEVER AWARD, PART ONE

by Dawn Mumford 

     Each spring we enjoy watching our iris garden's rebirth after the cold freezes and snows of winter.  It is so fun to see all the newly planted rhizomes bloom for the first time.  It is also fun to see the older irises that open each year so faithfully.  It is like seeing old and dear friends. Neal, my husband, and I have what we call "The Super Achiever Award”. Although it isn't a bonafide award with a trophy or certificate, it is recognition by us for doing a good job.  This award goes to those irises that really go the extra mile to grow vigorously, bloom more, rebloom more, make a pretty mound or just show off.   It seems to be the same ones almost every year unless they have just been divided.  I would like to show you some pictures of those extra nice irises.  I highly recommend these because you can rely on them to perform well if your climate is similar to ours.        

We are in zone 6b in northern Utah fairly close to the Idaho border.  Our home is 4,300 feet elevation and there are three 9000 ft peaks east of our garden just a few blocks away.  Average rainfall is 16 to 18 inches of rain per year.  We are classified as a desert with only Nevada being dryer.   We also have temperatures that go over 100 in the summer and sub zero in the winter.  Irrigation is a must and we do plant our rhizomes with about 1 inch of soil over the top for protection from the extreme temperatures.                                                                                                                

                                  Neal and Dawn Mumford's Iris Patch                                                                                                                         

This post is especially for those of you who may have very little space for irises, since you will want the ones that grow vigorously.  I will show the pictures and explain why we gave that iris our award.  

I usually take close-up pictures of iris because, let's face it, my weeds won’t show and the flower itself is so intricate and fascinating. We don’t hire help, and my husband takes care of the iris alone. We have an orchard and 5 1/2 acres  of grounds and he is ill so we do have weeds.  I’m sure some of you can relate. That being said here are some pictures of some of our “Super Achievers.”

Here is our iris patch just waking up from a long winter. 'Jesse’s Song' is in the middle and 'Change of Pace' in the right corner.  That is 'Victoria Falls' is on the far right middle.  These three are almost always the first to bloom. What’s nice about 'Jesse’s Song' and 'Victoria Falls' is they bloom almost all season long, especially 'Jesse’s Song', which is first and last to bloom.  A super achiever indeed.  So both 'Jesse's Song' and 'Change of Pace' have been given our award.

                                        'Jesse's Song' (Williamson 1983)                                              Here is a collage of 'Jesse's Song' and notice all the buds that are still coming.  This iris is a very nice plicata. It was awarded the Dykes Medal in 1990.

'Change Of Pace' (Schreiner 1991) 

This striking iris always puts on a good show.  I think that it likes plenty of room to spread.  This clump has a 6 foot wide path on the right side of it.  The clump is always huge.  I like the beautifully arched standards and the plicata coloring. 

 'Many Thanks' (Gaulter 1989) 

Cooley's Garden sent out this iris to thank us for helping them celebrate their 60th anniversary Year in 1988.  This is me standing behind 'Many Thanks' on the level ground.  I am about 67 inches tall and as you can see 'Many Thanks' is at least 54" tall.  It is on sturdy stems that don't blow over except in the strongest of winds.  Both the shape and color are worth the Super Achiever award.

'Aegean Wind' (Schreiner 1991) 

This clump is always a Super Achiever.  It blooms and blooms and blooms. I also love the reverse bitone coloring with the dark blue-violet standards and lighter falls.  It is pretty planted by yellow or orange. 

'Edith Wolford' (Hager 1984) 

This bloom has been around a long time. Isn't it still lovely? It won the Dykes Medal in 1993.  It is very ruffled and has excellent form. I also love the glimmer on the petals.  The canary yellow and blue violet are so distinct from one another.  It is another one that is robust for us every year.

'Conjuration' (Byers 1989)  

This won the Dykes Medal in 1998. This iris is very healthy here and also very tall. Neal is 6' tall and 'Conjuration' is 50-57" tall.  It also withstands all but the strongest winds even though the stems are rather thin. The masses of blooms doesn't hurt my feelings either.
  

'Lemon Mist' (Rudolph 1971)

This delicate colored bloom is such a nice clean color.  It has a pleasing form. As you can see it looks good planted next to 'Shipshape' and 'Edith Wolford' or any nice lavender or purple bloom.
   

'Magical' (Joseph Ghio 2007)

The first time I saw this bloom in my garden in 2014 it just took my breath away.  The ruffling is extravagant and doesn't tear while opening.  It makes masses of blooms and photographs like a dream.  It is one of my newer Super Achievers.  

'Supreme Sultan' (Schreiner 1988)

I'll end this blog with one more Super Achiever that didn't win by the number of blossoms or by the size of the clump but by the massive flower itself.  It is on ramrod stiff stems and the flower is 7 1/2 " x 5". This variegata (yellow standards with deeper falls which or solid tones of brown, purple or red) is flamboyant and frankly shows off.  I love that it has arched golden ochre standards and solid rich mahogany-red falls. It grows very well here.  Note the size with Neal holding the clipboard behind it and compare it to his hand which is considered large or extra large.  

We have had a lot of snow and cold temperatures this winter.  I am yearning for mid May to June when our garden will once again look like this.

What irises have you found to be especially pretty and hardy in your garden?  I would love to hear your comments.   

AIS Blog WORLD OF IRISES Five Year Anniversary

By Andi Rivarola

It is not often that we dare to take time to look back at our history and accomplishments (or lack thereof) and find that we're looking at it with a sense of amazement and surprise. 

I remember imagining an AIS Blog over five years ago and how providing such service would help the AIS tap into the huge online plant/flower audience. It wasn't a marketing idea, at least in my mind, as much a way to share the knowledge of irisarians with the many iris enthusiasts that I have come to know online from around the world. 

Could it be done? 

Well, the answer to that question is here, five years later. An amazing array of intelligent, giving, caring people have been a part of this blogging team, a group willing to share their personal experiences of growing, caring, and experimenting with the iris plants we all love. 

The result has more than met my initial expectations, and I hope that you have caught our sense of excitement and enthusiasm with what we share in the World of Irises.

Happy 5th Year Anniversary AIS Blogging Team!  You are the ones that make this blog happen. I hope this humble post will convey my huge sense of gratitude. 

Thanks too to former members of our blogging team Jim Hedgecock, Jim Murrain, and Evey Blalock, and to our occasional posters J. Griffin Crump and Mike Unser.  

I thought it would be fun to list a few of the subjects this group has covered both in words and images: tall bearded irises, median irises, spuria irises, Louisiana irises, historic irises, Pacific Coast Native irises, AIS National Conventions, species irises from around the world, new publications, updates on IRISES publications, irises and snow, bog irises, international iris news, aril and arilbred irises, hybridizer news, news of the AIS, the evolution of irises, confessions of an iris lover, winter in our garden patch, reblooming irises, novelty irises, biographies of hybridizers, hybridizers of our AIS past, Siberian irises, tending the iris crop, award winner announcements, iris color terminology, and so many other subjects I can't list them all.

Get to know the Bloggers

If you want to get to know the bloggers, follow their posts, ask questions in the comment section located at the end of each post; or go to The American Iris Society Facebook page and post your comment there. 

We see through their eyes, as each blogger brings out with their post their own relationship with irises, in words and pictures that are unique to them, and in the interim they help you and me gain some knowledge too. 

Tetraploid Arils, Anyone?

by Tom Waters

'Tadzhiki Eclipse'

If you're a gardening enthusiast with a keen interest in irises or other perennials, you've probably come across the term tetraploid. There are tetraploid daylilies, for example, and in the iris world you'll see the term used to describe some miniature tall bearded (MTB), Siberian, and other types of iris. But what is a tetraploid and why does it matter if a variety is tetraploid or not?

Plants and animals are made up of cells, and in the nucleus of each cell are structures called chromosomes that carry the organism's genes. These chromosomes come in sets. For almost all animals and many plants, there are two sets of chromosomes in each cell. Humans, for example, have two sets of chromosomes, 23 in each set. At conception, each person receives one set of chromosomes from their mother and one from their father. One can't really think of any simpler way for an organism to inherit genes from both parents.

There are more complicated ways, however, especially in the plant kingdom. Some plants have four sets of chromosomes, two sets coming from each parent instead of one. These are tetraploids. (Plants with just two sets are called diploids.)

What are the consequences of having four sets of chromosomes instead of two? One consequence is that tetraploids are frequently (not always) larger than their diploid counterparts. In the 19th century, garden tall bearded irises were all diploids. Around 1900, plant collectors found tetraploid tall bearded species in the Middle East, and brought them into European and American gardens. The new plants attracted attention because of their taller stems and larger flower size. (There was no knowledge of chromosome numbers at the time, so iris growers and breeders were aware only of the difference in appearance of the new plants.)

The tetraploids were so popular with iris breeders that by the middle of the twentieth century, virtually all new TB varieties were tetraploid. This is still the case today.

One must be cautious, however, in associating tetraploids with large size. Size is determined by many factors. One of the very smallest bearded irises, the dwarf species Iris pumila, is a tetraploid although the blooms are only a few inches above the ground!

The great importance of tetraploidy in plant breeding is not that tetraploids are sometimes larger, but rather that more genetic combinations are possible with tetraploids than with diploids. With four copies of every gene instead of two, there are just many more possibilities!

One extraordinary aspect of tetraploid breeding is that hybrids between different species or types may be fertile if the parents are tetraploid, but sterile if the parents are diploids. The standard dwarf bearded irises (SDBs), for example, are fertile hybrids between tetraploid TBs and the tetraploid dwarf Iris pumila. So tetraploidy makes possible whole new types of fertile hybrids that simply could not exist otherwise. This is the main reason some hybridizers have taken such an interest in tetraploids.

'Bronze Beauty Van Tubrgen'

So now we come to the topic of this post: tetraploid arils. I love aril irises, with their exotic color patterns and dramatically shaped blooms. Most aril species are diploids. (I'm referring to pure arils here, not the arilbreds, which are a mix of aril and bearded ancestry.) In fact, the oncocyclus arils (the type that usually comes to mind when one thinks of arils) are all diploid. Crossing them with bearded irises, when it can be done at all, produces sterile hybrids.

Think of the possibilities that could open up if there were a family of tetraploid arils, like the family of tetraploid TBs!

Aril hybridizers have been thinking of that possibility for decades, and there are in fact some tetraploid arils, just not very many yet.

First, although all the oncocyclus species are diploids, there are two Regelia species that are natural tetraploids: Iris hoogiana and Iris stolonifera. A classic hybrid from these two species, 'Bronze Beauty Van Tubergen' (Van Tubergen, R. 2001) is also tetraploid. These are all lovely irises, but being Regelias, they do not have the oncocyclus characteristics, like huge globular blooms and big velvety black signals, that are the allure of aril irises for most people.

'Dunshanbe'

Second, a few arils with some oncocyclus ancestry are "accidental" tetraploids. Occasionally, a diploid parent produces a tetraploid seedling by chance. 'Persian Pansy' (Austin, 1960) and 'Tel Hashi' (Kellie, 1968) came about this way, but both seem to be lost now. 'Dunshanbe' (Wilkes, 1977), a seedling of 'Persian Pansy', is still being grown however, and is quite lovely with a dark sheen and nice veining. Its makeup is still more Regelia than oncocyclus, however.

Third, some breeders have created tetraploids deliberately using the chemical colchicine, that interferes with cell division, sometimes converting a diploid plant to a tetraploid. Usually, the plants created this way are unstable and sometimes unhealthy, but they can be crossed with other tetraploids to produce stable, reliable plants. 'Werckmeister's Beauty' (Werckmeister, 1992) came from this approach. In the 1980s, Sam Norris and John Holden created many tetraploid arils of predominantly oncocyclus makeup using this method. Alas, few have survived to the present day, and none are available commercially. Lawrence Ransom used one of these to produce 'Tadzhiki Eclipse' (Ransom, 1997) and 'Tadzhiki Bandit' (Ransom, 1997), both of which are still being grown in Europe and the US. 'Tadzhiki Eclipse' is, I think, the most oncocyclus-like tetraploid aril one is likely to be able to acquire today.

'Werckmeister's Beauty'

Through a little patience and diligence, I have acquired a small collection of tetraploid arils from the plant sale of the Aril Society International, occasional offerings of commercial growers, and the generosity of fellow aril hobbyists. I encourage others to do the same, especially those who live in the western US or other regions where pure arils can be grown without heroic measures being taken on their behalf. These are arils, not arilbreds, so they may need a little special attention regarding soil and siting. I have found them easier than most other pure arils, however.

If you are a hybridizer, you can cross them with each other to expand the family, or cross them with tetraploid bearded irises to create brand new types of fertile arilbreds.

Even if you are not a hybridizer, you can enjoy their bloom and know that you are helping preserve a very important group of plants, which may someday become the progenitors of new breeds of irises we can only imagine today.

If you can grow aril irises, have you tried any of the tetraploids? I think they are worth seeking out.

'Tadzhiki Bandit'

"Talking Irises" TALL BEARDED IRISES--GARDENING IS NO RESPECTER OF AGE: "Garden Inspiration for the Young Gardener in Your Life"

By Susanne Holland Spicker

'NAPLES' Johnson 2001

One of my first recollections as a child was my grandmother's flower garden. I still remember the array of colors, the intoxicating fragrance and its sheer beauty. I credit her for planting the seed resulting in my passion for flowers and gardening.

   My Grandmother's flower garden in 1970, taken with my first camera--

a little Kodak Instamatic. How I wish I could turn the time back and get a 

picture of it today with a modern digital camera. It was beautiful! 

It's no coincidence she had a mother and grandmother who shared their love of gardening with her. It is easy to stimulate a child's interest when they see you having fun and enthusiastically immersing yourself in an activity you are passionate about.  

'SWEET MUSETTE' Schreiner 1986

Later, my parents continued that legacy--one that I hope I have passed on to my children and grandchildren. 

 'MIDNIGHT REVELRY' Schreiner 2005--My daughter Emily
choosing an iris she wants to plant in her own garden

Tall bearded irises were among my family's favorite flowers. I think my story is not unlike many: parents and grandparents helping to cultivate the love of plants of all kinds. Gardening is an activity that is no respecter of age--the very young to the very old can participate.

'PHOTOGENIC' Ghio 2006  'ARISTOCRACY' Keppel 2006
'SOUTHERN MORNING' Metler 2011
My granddaughters Eliza and Paige in the garden picking flowers to make arrangements. 

Some interesting facts about gardening and what it teaches:

• Patience. Waiting for plants to grow and then bloom takes time, sometimes more than a year
• Creativity. Planning a garden with a color scheme or a bed with companion plants encourages creativity
• Responsibility. Planting, weeding, watering and general care takes commitment
• A sense of accomplishment. Seeing a plant grow from a seed or rhizome to fruition gives a feeling of success
• Family devotion. When we spend quality time together by participating in a common interest, we foster love and respect

'QUEEN IN CALICO' Gibson 1980

'MARY FRANCES' Gaulter 1973

Eliza has an interest in irises. She helps water, weed and deadhead the blooms. 

                               This year she's going to start planting. 

"Children who first encounter irises in childhood have an uncanny way of growing up to be lovers of all things iris--to grow them and possibly even hybridizing them." (Pat Otterness, "Kid's Eye View," TALL TALK, Spring 2012)

'SKYHOOKS' Osborn 1980

"Research has even found that kids involved with gardening and the outdoors perform better in school and have greater confidence. We can empower our youth by involving them in all aspects of gardening." ("Make Gardening A Family Affair")

'THEATER' Keppel 1981

The American Iris Society (AIS) has a youth program. It encourages interest in irises, with emphasis on growing, and possibly hybridizing irises for our young gardeners. For more information on this program, go to AIS Youth Program.

'DREAM TEAM' Johnson 2007

In the words of Cheryl Deaton, "I hope everyone who has the opportunity to interact with our youth...will take a moment to...encourage their interests in irises. They are...the future of The American Iris Society." (IRISES "Youth View" Summer 2014)

'RINGO' Shoop 1979
Eliza has enjoyed the flower garden since she was a two year-old. Now ten,
she, with other young gardeners, may be the future of the American Iris Society

In summary, encouraging children and youth to play an active role in gardening, specifically irises--by planning an iris bed, choosing the rhizomes, planting, caring for, harvesting the flowers, and arranging the blooms or even hybridizing them--makes for an enjoyable and productive hobby.  As adults, we can plant a seed that can enhance their lives on many levels.

'BUBBLING OVER' Ghio 1992

If you have experience involving or encouraging youth to garden, I'd love to hear what you've done! 

For more information on kids in the garden here are some excellent links:
https://www.fix.com/blog/kids-gardening-for-health-and-fun/

https://spray-n-growgardening.com/

www.ksl.com/?sid=15496447

www.gardenforever.com/pages/learn-to-grow.html

2016 Society for Louisiana Irises Convention in Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana

By Ron Killingsworth

The annual Society for Louisiana Irises (SLI) convention will be held in Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana, from Wednesday, April 20th through Sunday, April 24th, 2016.  Make your reservations now!

The event will be at the Hilton Garden Inn at 2015 Old Minden Road, Bossier City, LA 71111.  Reservations can be made by calling (318) 759-1950.  You can also access their website at Hilton Garden Inn Bossier City, and be sure to use promotion code "SLI".

Attendees will have time to visit many beautiful sites in the Bossier City area. If you are interested, the SLI board meeting will take place on Wednesday from 6 PM to 9 PM in the hospitality suite.  

The garden tours will be on Thursday.  The first stop will be the Newton/Taylor garden located outside of Mooringsport, LA.  Mooringsport is about 15 miles north of Shreveport, which in the NW corner of the state of Louisiana.  The Newton/Taylor property was a family "camp" for many years before Ray Taylor and Eric Newton moved there in 1996.  Ray is a horticulturist and Eric is a landscape architect, so this is a gorgeous gem of a garden.  An acre of gardens includes collections of Japanese Maples, Camellia japonica, sassanquas, many varieties of roses, spring flowering shrubs and perennials including Louisiana irises. You will also see many unusual trees, including palms.  Vast bulb plantings that predate Ray and Eric's tenure bloom profusely in the spring.

The bus will then travel a few miles down the road to Plantation Point Nursery located on historic Caddo Lake.  This is an opportunity to see and photograph about 80,000 Louisiana irises grown in just about every conceivable method.  This is also the location of guest irises and seedlings from various hybridzers.  Bobbie and Stan have built a double gallery old plantation style home facing the lake.  There are several ponds with irises growing around the edges.  Louisiana irises can be found in dug beds, raised beds, among the other landscape plants, in marshes and on the edge of Caddo Lake.  Tours will be conducted of Plantation Gourmet Coffee, located on the grounds, and guests will be able to watch coffee being roasted and sample the results.

'Red Velvet Elvis' growing near the Koi pond where giant storks watch over the fish

'Fringed Gold' in the foreground with Bobbie and Stan's double gallery home in the background

Visitors will also be able to view recent additions such as Stan's Zen Garden, the Moss Steps waterfall, Bobbie's bog garden and Stan's tissue culture lab in "The Gator".

"Hardy" gladiolas and large poppies grow well with Louisiana irises!

Caddo Lake is natural, and many bald cypress trees grow in the lake.  It covers acres from NW Louisiana into NE Texas.

Louisiana irises growing on the edge of historic Caddo Lake with bald cypress trees in the background.

Louisiana irises abound at Plantation Point Nursery.

Thousands of Louisiana irises near the Crawfish Pond at Plantation Point Nursery with Caddo Lake in the background.

Massive planting of Louisiana irises with bald cypress tress and Caddo Lake in the background.

Hundreds of blooms greet visitors to Plantation Point Nursery in Mooringsport, LA.

Visitors will also find hundreds of Louisiana irises separated by color.  Lunch will be served on the patio of the "Big House".  Visitors will be treated to an authentic "Cajun" catered lunch and entertained by a Cajun music band.

On Friday, April 22nd, the bus will depart from the hotel for the R.W. Norton Art Gallery and Gardens in Shreveport, LA.  Established in 1947 by the R. W. Norton Foundation, the gallery and gardens are on 47 acres in south Shreveport.  Visitors will see flowing streams, an extensive xeriscaped experimental garden, a large ginger collection, a collection of camellias and over 60 varieties of maple trees.  Of course there is a large planting of Louisiana irises in one of the gardens.

R.W. Norton Art Gallery and Gardens offers plenty of "water features".

Of course you will find plenty of art and sculptures at the gallery.

Visitors will see many different types of flowers, trees and plantings.

Convention guests will then load up on the bus for a two hour trip through the farms and forest of central Louisiana as we head for our destination of The Caroline Dormon Nature Preserve near Saline, LA.  Briarwood, as it is mostly known by locals, is the birthplace and home of Caroline Dormon, a world renowned naturalist, author, artist and the first woman to be hired by the US Forestry Service.  

Enjoy the view at the big pond at Briarwood.

Visiting the home of Caroline Dormon is like traveling back in time. The Briarwood Nature Preserve has certainly accomplished its mission of keeping the preserve the way it was when she lived in this tranquil place.  Dr. Dormon collected many Louisiana irises from the wild in south Louisiana and moved them to her gardens at Briarwood.  One really wet spot called the "bog garden" contains many of the original plantings by Dr. Dormon.

Briarwood, as a nature preserve, has many places for water fowl.

 The "Reidhimer Pond" has recently undergone much work and is the home for wood ducks and other wildlife.

Mountain Laurel in many colors can be found along with hundreds of native azaleas.

Convention guests will be treated to state-wide famous BBQ in the guest center.  Many trails are available for walking and "people movers" are ready to transport those who are unable to walk the trails.  Wildflowers abound in their natural settings.

Louisiana irises growing in the bog garden at Caroline Dormon Nature Preserve.

The second "log cabin" built by Caroline Dormon at Briarwood houses many of her various collections.

There will be an American Iris Society approved iris show at the hotel on Saturday, April 23rd, consisting of beautiful Louisiana irises.  The schedule of events and a registration form can be downloaded from the website of the Society for Louisiana Irises.

Make your reservations now to attend this wonderful convention and have a chance to visit the Shreveport area as well as Bossier City and the surrounding area, known as "Louisiana's Other Side".