photo: AB: welcome home, kid.....I've sought you for 20 years

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Twenty years ago, I lost most of my at-that-time introductions and also my iris collection in a flood.  Last October, at our Region 13 fall regional meeting, it was time for the business meeting, and Carla Lankow said, "Let's go upstairs and visit with Jean Witt, who is having a chat with Patrick, a new member who is interested in arilbreds and chromosomes and such."  Sometime during the chat, Jean asked me what I was working with in irises.  For some reason, Carla said, "Elm, since you're interested in shorter arilbreds, I have one I think you'd like.  I don't know where I got it, but it has survived all kinds of neglect.  Its label reads TORCH SINGER."  I guess I had a shocked look on my face.  I finally managed to tell them that I had introduced that little iris and had been looking for it for years.  Carla is married to George Lankow, whose late wife Carol was a noted hybridizer of medians and winner of several medals.  I remembered that Carol had grown my Torch Singer and my Childsong in her garden, so that is probably how it finally got to Carla.  Anyway, Torch Singer is home again, and 1 fan bloomed.  It is pictured below.  The standards had not yet unfolded, but I wanted to show its coloring.  It is from an SDB and a Henry Danielson arilbred:  (Stars Over Chicago X Diligence).  Its beard is lavender at the tip and turns tangerine in the throat.

 

Elm