Re: gaudy and showy

Ian raises some good questions about iris breeding. After my initial
spurt of interest in the "newest and best" irises, I realized that
I prefer irises that are not so "fat" as to obscure the essential
iris shape. In silhouette, a bearded iris should (for my taste) show
an elegant, bell-shaped form, with the falls distinct and with an
airy lilt. Many modern TBs seem only to be a mass of color; from a
distance you can't see individual petals, and the falls are so wide
and ruffled that they merge into a single mass.

I think there's room in the iris world for all kinds; but the classic
shape seems to have been completely abandoned in TB breeding. That's
a shame. Many of the historic irises suit my taste better, but alas
they often lack substance and the color range is not as great as with
the new ones.

I like just enough ruffling to give the petals a lilt, without obscuring
the basic shape.

You can see the "fatter is better" mentality in the way irises are
traditionally photographed: straight on to one of the falls. This angle
gives no clue to the iris's distinctive shape, although it does expose
a greater surface area of color the camera lens. I guess that's what
matters. To me, a photo taken at an angle, to reveal the curving line
of the falls, is much more attractive and provides more information
about the shape of the flower.

It would be a shame if TB irises were reduced to the role of providing
a mass of color in the garden; other plants can do that so much better.
An iris should look like a sculpture. IMHO.

I think there are enough iris growers who agree with this point of view
so that TBs with a more classic form could be marketable; the problem is
with judges who are afraid to endorse such an iris when their colleagues
are sure to scoff, "that thing! It's so *narrow* and *doggy*!"

BTW, I think the excessive fattening of the TBs is one of the reasons
so much interest has shifted to Siberians in reason years. Many gardeners
prefer more "natural" less "stiff" flowers these days; the Siberians
still have some measure of the elegance the TBs have lost.


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Tom Tadfor Little         tlittle@lanl.gov  -or-  telp@Rt66.com
technical writer/editor   Los Alamos National Laboratory
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Telperion Productions     http://www.rt66.com/~telp/
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