Photomontages of our 2016 Tall Bearded Irises

by Dawn Mumford

'Dazzling Gold' D. C. Anderson, 1977, 'Broadway' Keith  Keppel, 1979,  'Showcase' Schreiner's, 1973

'Orange Titan' J. T. Aitken, 2007, 'All My Dreams' Paul Black, 2009, 'Winning Hand' Joseph Ghio, 2011,'Barbara My Love' William Maryott, 1998, and 'Orangutan Orange' Brad Kasperek 2009 

I was a commercial artist in a past life (before marriage) and have always understood "Collages" to be pasted and glued objects fixed to a background to make a somewhat new abstract design. So strictly speaking what I make is really a "Photomontage" because it is digital pasting of similar objects together to make a new photo. The software I use calls it a collage but that isn't correct. It may be called collage because of the evolution of the English language. But back in my day it would be called a photomontage.

'Purple Pepper' D. C. Nearpass, 1986, 'Syrian Hills' Schreiner's, 2012, and 'Global Crossing' Robert Van Liere, 2011

This year I took pictures every day of the many irises that opened that day.  The pictures above were taken May 13, 2016.  Then I made montages of them.  I find these montages to be good in many ways.

1.  The montage is taken on the day the blooms open so it records bloom date.

2. I try to group the photos for the montage in colors that could later be used to plan iris beds.  
3. I know that I can use these irises in a single bed because I know they open at the same time.   

'Sea Of Joy' Schreiner's, 1985, 'Decadence' Barry Blyth, 2011, 'Gypsy Lord' Keith Keppel, 2005, 'Showcase' Schreiner's 1973, and 'Tumalo Sunset' Schreiner's  2009. 

This montage shows colors opposite each other on the color wheel so that is called a complimentary color scheme.  Using colors that are across each other in the color wheel will give you maximum contrast because orange will make the purple look darker and vica versa.  

'Master Touch' Schreiner's, 1980, 'Sea Power' Keith Keppel, 1998, 'St. Louis Blues' Schreiner's, 1979, 'Crowned Heads' Keith Keppel, 1996, and 'Snowmound' Schreiner's, 1976

This montage was taken May 31, 2016.   Sometimes some of my irises put out more than one open bloom at a time.  I love the effect. The visual appeal is dramatic. The one trouble is that they will all close together as well. This color scheme is called Analogous meaning they are colors close to each other on the color wheel. 

'Gay Parasol' Schreiner's, 1973, 'Polka' Thomas Johnson, 2009, 'Eagle's Flight' Schreiner's, 1985,'Elizabethan Age' Lowell Baumunk 2005

These flowers bloomed on May 14.  I guess you could say thy all are in one color family (red violet) but they are all subtly different or dramatically different. Again, I think a bed with these colors in it would be pretty. If you wanted more contrast you could add a yellow or an orange or pink.     

'Queen In Calico' James Gibson, 1979 'Vizier' Joseph Ghio, 1997, 'Fashion Diva'  Thomas Johnson, 2009, 'Romantic Gentleman' Barry Blyth, 2002, and 'Grand Classic' Richard Tasco, 2007

Arranging these photos together in a montage shows the slight difference in color of all these red wine colored irises.

'Modern Classic' F. Knocke, 1975, 'Highland Lord' Richard Tasco, 2009, 'Pledge Allegiance' Schreiner's, 1983, 'By Dawn's Early Light' Robert Van Liere, 2013, 'Blutique' Virginia Messick, 1998

There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of purples and blues in the iris world but that doesn't mean that they look the same.  The picture above shows some of the differences. 

'Sea Power' Keith Keppel, 1998, 'Grecian Sea' Anton Mego by Bruce Filardi, 2008, 'Slovak Prince' Anton Mego, 2002, 'Conjuration' Monty Byers, 1988, 'Skywalker' Schreiner's, 1996, 'Like Wow' Schreiner's, 2012

More blues and purples taken May 26, 2016. An interesting note about 'Conjuration', it is at least 50" tall here in our garden.    

'Salzburg Echo' Schreiner's, 2009, 'Overjoyed' Joseph Gatty by Keith Keppel, 1993, 'Expose' Joseph Ghio, 2003 

I don't have a lot of yellows but I love the ones that I have.  

'Batik' (Border Bearded) Allan Ensminger, 1985, 'Millennium Falcon' Brad Kasperek, 1998, 'Kinkajou Shrew' Brad Kasperek, 1999, 'Ocelot'z Lot' (Border Bearded) Brad Kasperek, 2012, 'Blutique' Virginia Messick, 1998, and 'Tiger Honey' Brad Kasperek, 1993,

I have started collecting "Broken Color" iris like those pictured above.  I find them fascinating.  I now have about 29 of them. 

There are many software programs that you can use to make collages or more correctly photomontages.  The one I use is no longer available but a search on line reveals lots and lots of programs that work. Smilebox and Shutterfly both have one.  

I have found collages or photomontages to be extremely useful as explained previously in this blog. Give them a try. Let me know if you do them and which software you have. How well does it work and how easy is it to use? If you comment on this article it will let others know what other software is out there and tell me and others who read this blog about it.      

Arilbred Irises: A Little History

Tom Waters

'Brash and Bold' (Black, 2009),
William Mohr medal 2106
(arilbred median)

The story of arilbreds begins in the late 19th century, when the exotic aril iris species of the Middle East found their way into the gardens of European plant enthusiasts. Sir Michael Foster, England's foremost iris expert at the time, tried his hand at crossing the arils with the more familiar tall bearded (TB) irises. His motives were mainly exploratory; at the time, no one knew if the arils and bearded irises were compatible, or whether desirable garden plants might result from crossing them.

Although these early arilbreds were interesting plants, showing features of both parents, they were also quite sterile. Arils and TBs were just too distantly related to produce fertile offspring when crossed. One might expect hybridizers to simply give up on the idea, but many kept trying. The allure of the arils, with their huge globular blooms, often strikingly marked with velvety signals, veins, and stippling, was not something to be lightly set aside. Also, the arils themselves were difficult to grow in England and much of the US, demanding very dry conditions when dormant in summer and winter. So the great hope was that crossing arils with TBs could produce an aril-like bloom on a plant that could grow in any garden where TBs grow.

The famous iris breeder William Mohr, working in California, produced an arilbred iris that seemed close to fulfilling this dream. Named for him posthumously in 1925 by his friend and fellow iris expert Sidney Mitchell, the iris 'William Mohr' was an instant sensation. Its large blooms and wide falls, inherited from its aril parent Iris gatesii, proved irresistible in an era when most TBs had relatively small, narrow flowers.

'Elmohr'

Like the other arilbreds of similar pedigree, 'William Mohr' was essentially sterile. But it was so popular that hybridizers all over the country kept making crosses with it, ever hopeful. 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. Usually it was TB pollen used in making these crosses, so the resulting seedlings were 1/4 aril. 'Mohrson' and 'Grace Mohr' were the first introduced, in 1935, launching a tradition of working "Mohr" into the name of these arilbreds. One of these, 'Elmohr' (P. A. Loomis, 1942) became the first and only arilbred to win the Dykes Medal. In this way, William Mohr became associated with the "quarterbreds" (arilbreds of 1/4 aril ancestry), even though he himself never produced any irises of this type.

Although less widely appreciated than the famous 'William Mohr', there was actually one truly fertile arilbred in cultivation at this time, 'Ib-Mac' produced by the Dutch firm of Van Tubergen and introduced in 1910. Unreduced gametes were once again involved, as its aril parent Iris iberica produced an ovule will two sets of aril chromosomes instead of the usual one. 'Ib-Mac' thus ended up as a balanced tetraploid, with two sets of aril chromosomes and two sets of bearded chromosomes, a configuration that is usually fertile.

Crossing 'William Mohr' with 'Ib-Mac' produced the fertile arilbred 'Capitola' (Frank Reinelt, 1940). Many hybridizers now began using 'Capitola' pollen on TBs, a much surer way to produce quarterbreds than hoping for the occasional seed from 'William Mohr'. These quarterbreds were also colloquially referred to as "Mohrs".

The frustration for hybridizers of this era was that although one could produce quarterbreds by crossing 'William Mohr', 'Ib-Mac', or 'Capitola' with TBs, there was no easy way to get more arils into the mix. The quarterbreds only showed moderate aril characteristics, and did not go very far in capturing the appeal of the aril species themselves.

'Oyez'

The great breakthrough in arilbred breeding came from the work of Clarence G. White in the 1940s. Based in southern California, he was able to grow many pure arils and use them extensively in his hybridizing. His early hybrids, such as the perennially popular 'Oyez' (White, 1938), were infertile diploids, but eventually fertile arilbreds began to appear among his seedlings. The first to be introduced was 'Joppa Parrot' (White, 1948). In the decade that followed, a steady stream of fertile arilbreds in a remarkable range of colors and patterns issued from White's garden. We do not know exactly how this happened, because by this time White had given up on keeping records of his crosses, claiming it took too much time away from making the actual crosses. Most likely it was the sheer volume of his breeding program that made these breakthroughs possible. With an enormous number of seedlings, even unlikely events such as unreduced gametes are bound to happen from time to time. The fertile C. G. White arilbreds were later shown to be balanced tetraploids (like 'Ib-Mac' and 'Capitola') with two sets of aril chromosomes and two sets of TB chromosomes.

The 1950s saw the founding of the Aril Society International (ASI). Despite the name, its membership was largely concentrated in southern California, with a few in New Mexico and elsewhere. The ASI in its early years provided a much-needed framework for defining the arilbred class and encouraging the breeding of arilbreds with clear, strong aril flower characteristics. To be classified as an arilbred, an iris could have no less than 1/4 aril ancestry. Hybridizers had often crossed the early quarterbreds back to TBs, sometimes for several generations, promoting the progeny as "arilbreds", although their aril genes had in most cases dropped by the wayside, leaving plants that were for all intents and purposes just TBs. The ASI cooperated with the American Iris Society to establish the C. G. White award for best arilbred in 1961. In 1969, the William Mohr award was added for arilbreds of less than 1/2 aril ancestry, restricting the C. G. White award to those that are 1/2 or more aril. This further encouraged hybridizers to focus on arilbreds with strong aril characteristics. Both these awards attained medal status in 1993.

With the "fertile family" of C. G. White arilbreds firmly established, arilbred breeding at last came into its own. As breeders continued to work with these fertile arilbreds, they improved both in gardenability and in the form, color, and pattern of the flowers themselves. The original C. G. White hybrids typically had only a small diffuse signal patch, and veining that was indistinct and blended. Through the extended effort of dedicated arilbred hybridizers, we now have arilbreds with huge, dramatic signals, striking crisp veining, and an extraordinary range of bright clear colors.

'Anacrusis'

Most fertile arilbreds today derive almost entirely from the original C. G. White introductions. A few notable additions to the family appeared subsequently: 'Welcome Reward' (Sundt, 1971), Henry Danielson's fertile regeliabreds such as 'Genetic Artist' (Danielson, 1972), and Harald Mathes's fertile arilbred medians beginning with 'Anacrusis' (Mathes, 1992). Fertile arilbred seedlings produced by Samuel Norris from his tetraploid arils crossed with TBs also appear in the pedigrees of some modern arilbreds.

The fertile "C. G. White type" arilbreds have also opened up other new areas of arilbred breeding. Crossed with TBs, they have given us quarterbreds that are much more aril-like than the old "Mohrs", and crossed with the standard dwarf bearded (SDB) irises, they have produced the charming arilbred medians, which are at least as popular as the taller quarterbreds today.

The history of arilbred breeding has progressed from an early period of difficulty and frustration, through the breakthrough of C. G. White's "fertile family" to a modern era of continual improvement and expanding diversity. What will the future bring?

"Talking Irises" TALL BEARDED IRISES: IN FULL BLOOM--A Wonderful Combination of Color and Form

By Susanne Holland Spicker

         Spring 2016  "In Full Bloom"

(Tall bearded irises l to r) 'EVER AFTER' (Keppel '86),  'MONTMARTRE' (Keppel '08), 'RANCHO ROSE' (Gibson '75), 'NEW LEAF' (Ghio '97), 'EPICENTER' (Ghio '94), 'ARTIST'S TIME' (Schreiner '74), (Back, l to r) 'BOLD EXPRESSION' (Ernst '03), 'ARTISTIC WEB' (Tasco '10), 'CITY LIGHTS' (Dunn '91) 

From mid-May through mid-June, a wonderful combination of color and form unfolds in my zone 6 flower beds. Tall bearded irises are in full bloom, and with companion plants that coincide with their bloom, the gardens are a sea of color for more than a month. It is my favorite time of the year!

(Tall bearded irises, from top l) 'EVER AFTER' (Keppel '86), (Group photo, l to r) 'CHINESE TREASURE' (Blyth '83), 'POND LILY' (Jones '95), 'DATE BAIT' (Meek '85), 'CUPID'S ARROW' (Ghio '90), 'RINGO' (Shoop '79), 'JENNIFER REBECCA' (Zurbrigg '85), 'RASPBERRY WINE' (Schreiner '01), (top r) 'QUEEN'S RANSOM' (Van Liere '12), 

(2nd row) 'NIGERIAN RASPBERRY' (Kasperek '95), 'WEARING RUBIES' (Blyth '00), '00)(Bottom r) 'ROLE MODEL' (Denny '88), 'QUEEN IN CALICO' (Gibson '80)

(Tall bearded irises top l to r) 'DEEP CURRENTS' (Johnson '09), 'OXFORD COUNTESS' (Blyth '07), (background) 'MING LORD' (Blyth '06), 'LENTEN PRAYER' (Schreiner '98), (Bottom l to r) 'PLUM PRETTY WHISKERS' (Spoon '03), 'ARTIST'S TIME' (Schreiner '74), 'EMBRACE ME' (Van Liere '08)

Tall bearded irises are spring's "universal companion plant" because of the plethora of colors and color combinations these "queens-of-the-garden" have. I have found there are several of these tall beauties to go with any perennial I have, or can even think of. The combinations are endless! I always keep my eye out for perennials that not only go well with the irises, but ones that bloom at the same time, with similar light, water, and fertilization requirements.

(Tall bearded irises top l to r) 'BUBBLING WAVES' (Ghio '06), 'GLOBAL CROSSING' (Van Liere '12), 'BY DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT' (Van Liere '12), 'PROUD TRADITION' (Schreiner '90), 'BUBBLING OVER' (Ghio '92), 'EMBRACE ME' (Van Liere '08), 'CLASSIC LOOK' (Schreiner '92), 'CROWNED HEADS' (Keppel '97), 'CITY LIGHTS' (Dunn '91)

(Tall bearded irises l to r) 'HAPPENSTANCE' (Keppel '00), 'SWEET

SERENADE' (Schreiner '11), 'ASCII ART' (Moores '97), 'HEATHERIDGE' (Gatty '85), 'BUBBLING OVER' (Ghio '92), 'WINNING EDGE' (Ghio '97)

(Tall bearded irises top l to r) 'DESIGNER LABEL' (Ghio '03), 'LACED COTTON (Schreiner '80), 'ELISA RENEE (Gaulter '83), 'SLY FOX' (Wood '97)

(Tall bearded irises l to r) 'BOLD EXPRESSION' (Ernst '03), 'MAGHAREE' (Blyth '86),'PURPLE SERENADE' (Schreiner '05)

Someone once said there was "nothing more heaven-like than a field full of irises." I echo that sentiment.  As spring approaches, the anticipation of the beauty that unfolds is indescribable! I look forward to the gardens when "in full bloom."

(Tall bearded irises front to back) 'GARDEN BRIDE' (Chapman '98), 'FABULOUS ONE' (Nicodemus '06), 'FANCY STUFF' (Brown '01), 'BOLD EXPRESSION' (Ernst '03), 'PURPLE SERENADE' (Schreiner '05), 'CHAMPAGNE ELEGANCE' (Niswonger '87), 'MIDNIGHT REVELRY' (Schreiner '05), 'LATIN LOVER' (Shoop '69)

Do you have a favorite iris bed?  Are there combinations of companion plants, or irises that go well together that you have planted that have wonderful combinations of color and form?

'DAUGHTER OF STARS' (Spoon '01)

I would love to hear from you--I'm always interested in what others are doing in their iris gardens!

IRISES, the Bulletin of the AIS - Fall 2016 Edition

By Andi Rivarola

I hope you enjoy the new edition of IRISES, cover below, which you will receive via U.S. Mail very soon. 

A warm welcome to those who are seeing the gorgeous cover of this issue of IRISES, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society for the first time.  

The Fall 2016 issue of the AIS Bulletin will be available soon for online viewing within 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.

Some article display news: page 2 and 3 have some awesomely large pictures of the 2016 Award Winners. It's a welcome change from New Yorker and guest Editor Jane Milliman, who has become the new Editor of IRISES starting with the first issue of 2017. 

Don't miss a wonderful recap of all the activities in the various AIS Sections, such as The Novelty Iris Society, The Median Iris Society, the Species Iris Group of North America, The Reblooming Iris Society and others. On pages 12 & 13. 

What a tender obituary on dear Jean Witt, on pages 14 and 15. If you didn't know her, you will know much more about her after reading this. Don't miss the note about her watercolor work. It's fascinating. The obituaries continue on page 16 on the passing of Rholin "Keith" Cooley, from you guest it, the famous Cooley's Iris Gardens in Silverton, Oregon. 

On pages 18, 19 and 20 you will find a wonderful and very descriptive article by Sheryl Campbell, called, "Shenandoah & Potomac Iris Society Beautifies the Valley" You will be visiting two wonderful gardens, the State Arboretum at Boyce, and the Glen Burnie Gardens at the Museum of Shenandoah Valley, Winchester, both in Virginia. Enjoy. 

"To get to the irises, you walk through the Pollination Garden observing butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds visiting their favorite flowers."

Tom Waters, from New Mexico, knows his Arils/Arilbreds and this impressive article on "Classification of Arils and Arilbreds," will provide you with much information about their nomenclature and perhaps inspire you to grow some in your garden. On pages 21, 22 and 23.

Joe Ghio gives us his take on "Tall Bearded Iris Future," and what will motivate upcoming hybridizers to continue the work as did Joe, Keith and others. Wonderful article, on pages 24 and 25. 

Meanwhile in Virginia, Mike Lockatell writes about reblooming SDBs and how "SDB Seedlings Save [the] 2015 Fall Season." Lovely images of some of his seedlings accompany the article. Don't miss it. On pages 26 through 29.

The 2016 Award Winners are listed commencing on page 31.

Young and wise, Colin Campbell, describes his introduction to iris hybridizing with amazing close up images. From removing pollen from the pollen parent, to placing the pollen on the stigmatic lip of the pod parent iris. You can read about it on pages 38 through 40. Colin's article is called, "An Introduction to Hybridizing Tall Bearded Irises."

"A little bit more about pollen. Exposure to bright sunlight can be harmful to the pollen grains, so it is important to keep your pollen containers covered when you are out hybridizing in the garden."

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 as mentioned above. 

Happy gardening!

Favorite Macro Photos of 2016, Part 2

By Mike Unser

I love photographing irises and capturing their beauty to enjoy all year long. I also love to do close up shots of them to highlight the incredible beauty of their architecture. Here is a selection of my favorites from the 2016 season. Click on the photos to see the full size version.

noid

'Black And Gold'

noid

'Oural'

'Pinata'

'Barely There'

'Goldkist'

'Little Dream'

Early Fall Rebloom in Kentucky, Zone 6

by Betty Wilkerson

Around September 1, 'Gate of Heaven' opened it's first beautiful bloom.  It has great form for an iris that reblooms in Kentucky.  I've tried using it in breeding, but so far none of the crosses took.  I dug a portion of it and transplanted to another position in the garden in hopes it will produce good pollen or at least take a good pod.  There are some California rebloomers that match this form, but none rebloom, on their own, here in Kentucky.    

'Gate of Heaven' (Zurbrigg by Friendship 2004) 

Two of my seedlings have bloomed nearly all summer.  This is the first time 1605-02 Re has bloomed during the summer, as it usually only blooms in the fall.  ((Victoria Falls x Vanity) x Love Lines) x (Champagne Elegance x Feed Back) is the break down for 1605-02Re.

1605-02Re (Wilkerson seedling) 

1907-10Re, a lavender self with a darker fall overlay, is a sibling to 'Cool Character.' Their parents are 'Blatant' x 'All Revved up.'  I've posted this one several times.  It is a prolific rebloomer, but I've not been able to get any takes as either pod or pollen parent.  As iris breeders often state, "there is always next year!"

1907-10Re (Wilkerson seedling) 

This summer I've had rebloom stalks on a couple of west coast irises.  'Carousel of Dreams' was among a group of irises reported to be reblooming in Joe Ghio's garden in early summer.  I ordered five or six and this iris was one of the group.  It started putting up a stalk almost immediately.

'Carousel of Dreams' (Gerald Richardson 2014)

The other iris from the west coast is 09-75C, a seedling belonging to Keith Keppel.  It's from 'Adriatic Waves' x 'Noble Gesture,' one of my favorite introductions of Keith's. Both of these had already set stalks on the west coast, and with a little water and fertilizer the stalks popped right up! These would need an especially long cool summer to set and produce rebloom stalks and this is rare. The year 2006, with it's six week long spring and mild summer, is the only time I recall a large number of sporatic rebloomers in my garden.  

09-75C (Keppel seedling)  

Then along came a couple of brand new seedlings.  This first one may or may not be 2611-04Re.  It grew and bloomed right at the edge of the clump and may have been from the clump next to it.  When I checked it out, it really looks like it's on the edge of 2611-04Re. Somehow, I'm not really buying it, but I will line both out and see what I have once they both bloom again.  'Star Gate's' beard looks even prettier on this one!  Love this one!

2611 (Wilkerson seedling) 

This is 2612-03Re ('Again and Again' x 'Echo Location') X 'Over and Over.'  I must admit it is starting to grow on me.  The first bloom was rather weather beaten and the standards were open, but this bloom shot was taken later and I really like it.  There is a second stalk that is starting to show color now.

2612-03Re (Wilkerson seedling) 

The always present, ' Over and Over' managed to put up stalks on all three of the new clumps.  Two clumps put up two stalks each.  One was planted, bare roots, last fall and it bloomed earlier in the summer, but the other two clumps, planted this spring, still with bare roots, are blooming October 1.

'Over and Over' (Innerst 2001)

Its been a good iris year here with lots of rebloom, and I hope you've had a nice reblooming summer and fall.  Let us know what rebloomed for you in 2016.  Make a few rebloom crosses next spring and see what you get.  If you cross two things that summer bloom for you, there is a good chance you will get some seedlings that summer rebloom, also.  Two fall or cycle rebloomers will usually give fall or cycle rebloomers.  Enjoy!

My Favorite Bloom Photos of 2016

By Mike Unser

I had so much fun taking iris photos this year. My own beds were full of great blooms, a nearby friend's garden was having its best bloom season ever, and I got to travel to Presby Memorial Iris Garden for their peak bloom, which was a dream come true. The following are those few photos, of the hundreds upon hundreds I took this year, that I thought were particularly beautiful.