Favorite Iris
- Subject: Favorite Iris
- From: L*@aol.com
- Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 12:59:54 EST
From: Lbaumunk@aol.com
I thought you might be interested to see the article I wrote for the Region 20
Newsletter:
FAVORITE IRIS OF 1998
Lowell Baumunk
What a memorable iris season it was! I'm sure we will never have 600 visitors
to our garden in any future bloom season. The iris were at their peak, and
the garden was in just about its best condition ever when the busses of
American Iris Society members descended on us as part of the national
convention.
A book could be written about all the wonderful varieties of bearded iris Barb
Lewis and I were privileged to grow this season at Iris Colorado, our garden
in Douglas County, but I am limiting my comments to a very few from each of
the types we grow. My observations are based solely on the single clump of
each variety as it grew in our garden in 1998;
PURE ARILS
The jewels of the iris kingdom. So difficult to grow, but so rewarding when
they do thrive and bloom. Here are my favorites of 1998.
iris korolkowii: My plant came from a seed I got from the Species Iris Group
of America (SIGNA) seed exchange. A lovely cream colored flower covered with
uniform light brown veining. Being a regelia, rather than an oncocyclus,
korolkowii is one of the hardier arils.
Judean Magic (Shockey 87): A tiny yellow amoena with a strong dark signal.
Round recurved form. Judean Magic has increased and bloomed for four years
now in our garden- definitely one of the stronger pure arils.
Judean Twilight (Shockey 82): Beautiful dusky blue standards. Contrasting
heavily veined falls. Great form on strong stalks of about 12".
Teucros (Van Tubergen). Teucros is one of many arils coming from the Dutch
bulb firm of Van Tubergen in the early years of the century, many of which
have not been registered with the American Iris Society. The Aril Society
International is currently in the process of belatedly registering Teucros and
a few others that are still in cultivation. Purple and white with veins and
signal, Teucros has thrived, increased and bloomed like no other pure aril
here. It won Best of Show at the High Country Iris median show in 1997.
Best pure aril in our garden in 1998: Teucros.
ARILBREDS
Derived from crossing the pure arils with other bearded irises. The goal of
the hybridizer of arilbreds is to transfer the exotic beauty of the aril
flower to a more vigorous plant. When considering arilbreds for awards,
judges must be careful not to compare them with the tall bearded iris, which
has more branching, more flowers and stronger stalks.
Energizer (Shockey 96): The one with the largest dark signal spot beneath the
beard. The huge signal contrasts nicely with the pinkish pastel petals.
Howard Shockey worked for many years to produce arilbreds with round aril
form, large signals and clear bright colors. He achieved that goal. His
hybrids grow strongly here in Colorado and require no special treatment.
Jonnye's Magic (Rich 92): Large and nicely formed flowers. White covered
heavily with purple veins.
Lancer (Shockey 95): Very pretty lavender with large dark red signals. Great
form and straight stalks.
Persian Padishah (Shockey 88): This one has more pure aril ancestry than the
other Shockey hybrids listed here. Persian Padishah is medium purple with a
large and very dark signal spot.
Sheba's Jewel (Shockey 94): Perhaps the culmination of Howard Shockey's
hybridizing program. It is the long sought-after pure white arilbred, and it
is graced with a large dark red signal. Beautiful! And it's vigorous.
Favorite arilbred of '98: Sheba's Jewel.
MINIATURE DWARFS
These delight us by giving the first bearded bloom each year, around the first
of April. This season in addition to the introduced varieties, we enjoyed a
bed of many different plants of iris pumila, the ancestor species of most of
our dwarf irises, in various shades of purple, yellow and white, grown from
SIGNA seed.
Atroviolacea (Todaro 1856): Consistently the first bearded iris to bloom
here. Very dark purple with thin blue beards. A charmer.
Cradle Days (A. Brown 60): Many of our favorite minis are the old ones. We
acquired Cradle Days from Long's many years ago, and it is great every spring.
Light yellow flowers with darker spots on the falls. The clump is covered
with bloom.
Doozey (Hager 94): White with a large bright purple spot on the fall. One of
the later miniature varieties. Wider petals than most MDBs.
Glow Gleam (Welch 58): Perky dark maroon flowers with bright gold beards.
Different species background from other dwarfs, and it definitely has a
different "look".
Veri-Gay (Welch 53): Brown falls, very bright yellow standards. Veri-Gay
makes a lovely statement in the spring garden with its multitude of tiny
glowing blossoms.
Our favorite Miniature this year: Veri-Gay.
STANDARD DWARFS
Hybridizers have been very busy with the SDBs. New and distinctive varieties
are appearing every year. It's an exciting class with charming well-
proportioned plants and innovative hybridizing. We eagerly anticipate the SDB
season each spring.
Captive Sun (B. Jones 94): Colorado native Bennett Jones has been a top
hybridizer of dwarfs for a long time. Captive Sun is white with a large
yellow spot on the falls and a light blue beard.
Jazzamatazz (H. Blyth 86) While considering all the wonderful brand new SDBs,
my eye kept being drawn back to Jazzamatazz. None of the others made such an
impact in the garden. It's yellow with brown on the falls and the perfect
placement of white near the center of the flower to give it tremendous
dramatic effect. It produced an outstanding clump this year.
Kiss Me Quick (B. Blyth 96): A distinctive pink plicata on a strong plant
with lots of flowers.
Spin Again (Black 95): Soft yellow standards, white falls, lavender beards.
Good stalks, strong clump, pretty flowers.
Starbaby (M. Smith 93): A perfect purple and white plicata. Wonderful form
and flower presentation.
Favorite Standard Dwarf: Jazzamatazz.
INTERMEDIATES
Intermediate bearded irises are generally the progeny of one tall bearded and
one standard dwarf parent. They possess many of the best qualities of both.
The entire range of colors and patterns is present on nicely proportioned
plants covered with bloom. Our grouping of newer IBs is terrifically colorful
each spring.
Firebug (Gatty 94): Firebug possesses some of the color effect of its SDB
parent
Jazzamatazz on a larger scale and with its own particular charm. Yellow
standards, brown falls.
Imperative (Black 97): I couldn't believe the first flower of this when it
opened this spring. Very dark and very smooth with a dramatic red-orange
beard.
Londonderry (Keppel 96): The most delicate of pastel pink blends. Soft and
sweet.
Protocol (Keppel 96): Winner of the Walther Cup, the AIS' top award for brand
new irises, Protocol has white standards and very bright yellow falls. The
clump was covered with bloom. Protocol made the other irises near it look
better by contrasting with them vividly.
Raspberry Blush (Hamblen 75): A blend of very pink and pinker. Bright and
harmonious.
Favorite IB of 1998: Protocol.
TABLE IRIS (MTBs)
So called because they make nice cut flowers for the table. I dislike the
"official" designation of the section, the oxymoronic "Miniature Tall Bearded"
or MTB. Table iris are unmatched for the grace of the stalks. The flowers
are small and numerous.
Crystal Ruffles (Dunderman 86): Tiny white beautifully formed flowers.
Outstanding proportion in the stalks.
Inner Fires (Witt 83): Doesn't really belong with the table iris, but where
else can it go? Larger and less delicate and blooms much earlier, with the
standard dwarfs. But regardless of how poorly it fits into any
classification, it's a terrific iris. Brown blended into a dramatic gold
center.
Little Clown (Dunderman 93): Table Iris should be charming and perky. Little
Clown is certainly one of the perkiest. Small bright gold and brown flowers.
Manisses (T. Varner 87): White standards, white falls heavily veined purple.
Very pretty.
Favorite Table Iris: Little Clown.
BORDER BEARDED
Blooming at the same time as the Tall Bearded, but somewhat smaller. The best
are proportionately smaller in all aspects of the plant.
Brown Lasso (Buckles-Niswonger 75): The only Border to win the Dykes Medal,
Brown Lasso has the look of a classic. Bright yellow standards and iridescent
purple falls bordered brown. It has an excellent effect in its clump.
Combustion (Stahly 95): Very dark purple with orange beards.
Ingenious (B. Blyth 95): Australia's Barry Blyth has been working on bringing
the typical "spot" from the miniature iris pumila onto larger irises. His
course has been: pumila to the Standard Dwarf Jazzamatazz to the Intermediate
Zing Me to the BB Ingenious (and a couple of others). Ingenious is quite
dramatic, a medium to dark purple with a larger darker spot of the falls.
Lasso Lane (Wasmundt 94): A darker version of its parent, the famous Brown
Lasso. Lasso Lane is quite distinctive and attractive. A well-proportioned
Border Bearded.
Top Border Bearded Iris at Iris Colorado in 1998: Brown Lasso.
TALL BEARDED
The dominant section among bearded iris. Because we grow so many TBs, I'll
discuss more varieties.
Acoma (Magee 90): Hybridized by Littleton's Tom Magee. The runner-up for the
Dykes Medal and the pride of Colorado iris enthusiasts. Acoma is a
beautifully formed light blue and white plicata with "adobe" beards.
Arctic Express (Gatty 96): The white iris with everything: form, branching
and a lot of ruffling. The state of the art.
Dusky Challenger (Schreiner 86): Does everyone grow this one? It's worthy of
all the acclaim it's received. Wonderful form, huge flowers, great branching,
incomparable depth of color. When grown well, Dusky Challenger is still the
most dramatic of the bearded irises.
Flights of Fancy (Keppel 93): A pastel luminata-plicata. Light yellow
standards and dictinctively patterned lavender and white falls. A notable
hybridizing achievement, Flights of Fancy won't be confused with any other
variety.
Good Vibrations (Schreiner 97): An orange and white beauty with all the
qualities we have come to expect from Schreiner introductions. Sure to win
many awards if it grows around the country like it does here.
In Reverse (Gatty 93): Unusual combination of purple standards and nearly
white falls. Tall strong stalks. A great looking iris, it has performed well
here year after year.
Kathleen Kay Nelson (Hager 93): Start with superb form, bud count and
branching, then add bright metallic dark purple flowers with white centers and
white beards. Did I mention that the plant is vigorous and strong? Kathleen
Kay Nelson is a delight to grow and to behold in the garden.
Mind Reader (Keppel 94): A dramatic purple and white luminata plicata. The
white center of the flower gives it an "otherworldly" quality. Our clump in
the convention garden had a lot of flowers.
Overjoyed (Gatty 94): Yet another of the late Joseph Gatty's introductions
appears on this list. Overjoyed is a yellow to white blend, the yellow
becoming stronger in the falls. The form is extravagantly wide and ruffled.
A gorgeous iris.
Top Tall Bearded of '98: Kathleen Kay Nelson.
HISTORICS
We had our best display of Historic Iris (iris introduced more than 30 years
ago) ever this year. For the Convention, we planted 45 "Great Iris of the
Forties", and we scheduled the other historics we grow so that they could be
viewed as second year clumps. Choosing the best is problematic, since many
different eras, types and styles of iris are included in the designation
"historic". Older iris that are still commonly grown tend to be distinctive
and hardy; worthy of a place in any collection. What follows are some that
did very well here and for varying reasons captured my imagination in '98.
Note that a few Historic Iris have been mentioned under the Pure Aril and
Miniature Dwarf headings.
Fairy (Kennicott 1905): Tall, wispy and oh-so-delicate. A faint lavender and
white plicata.
Helen McGregor (Graves 1943): I hadn't seen this Dykes Medal winner until I
ordered it for our Forties bed. It has quite a distinctive rounded flower
form, wonderful plant habits and branching (like most of the tall beardeds
from the forties) and a bright cool light blue color. I can't wait for next
spring to see if I still like it as much.
Maytime (Whiting 1947): A soft pastel blend. I always think of Maytime in
the sunny window of the old depot in Rocky Ford, where it was displayed during
the Loomis Iris Society show one year. In fact, our original rhizome came to
us from the Arkansas Valley.
Monsignor (Vilmorin 1907): A distinctive purple on white pattern on a well
proportioned smallish plant. Lived in our garden for a few years as a "name
unknown", being part of the very interesting collection of historic iris we
found on our property when we moved here in 1991.
Oyez (White 1938): It's a classic arilbred and is very widely grown. White
with beautiful red-maroon veining throughout. Definite aril form.
Favorite Historic Iris: Helen McGregor.
BEST OF THE BEST
Sheba's Jewel receives this designation for 1998. I can think of no other new
iris of such distinction and absolute beauty. Sheba's Jewel represents an
incredible accomplishment in hybridizing by the late Howard Shockey, as he
began with the fertile arilbreds of C. G. White and relentlessly pursued his
goals to develop improved and more beautiful iris from them. I hope all AIS
judges will make an effort to grow and observe Sheba's Jewel over the next few
springs and keep in mind the criteria for judging arilbreds. In my opinion it
is an arilbred that should be considered seriously for the Dykes Medal when it
becomes eligible.
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