Iris Germanica

..Anyone who knows me well is aware of my collection of Botanical Prints. I am extremely fond of this print, Turpin 1828 original botanical engraving Iris germanica of which I have two but as they are hand-coloured no two prints are the same.(I have cropped the large white border that surrounds this image)The sharp stipple engravings are from the French medical reference book entitled Flore Medicale. The multi-volume publication was illustrated with images by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin and authored by F. P. Chaumeton, J. L. M. Poiret,...

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Red Sky in Morning

..Red sky in morning, shepherds take warning.More rain today!!!! Sunrise sure makes the winter colourfulNew Lambs are not too happy!***...

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Historic Iris 'ALCAZAR'

When first introduced Alcazar had clearer color, more vigour, more adaptability, better branching, bigger size, better substance, and better disease resistance than its contemporaries. At the time nearly every other garden iris of its day was diploid, Alcazar was one of the first garden tetraploids, having a chromosome count of 2n=48. The significance being when introduced it represented a great advance over other garden irises of the time, and this is due in no small way to Alcazar's, I.trojana parentage. G. G. Whitelegg &...

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Aril Iris Plant Sale

..For all those visitors lucky enough to live in America and Europe the 2008 Aril Plant sale is on.In Accordance with past practice the ASI plant sale is for ASI members only. New Members are Welcome and a Membership application can accompany order. Dues for individual are $10.00 annual or $28.00 triennial, Family $13.50 annual or $33.50 triennial, $150.00 lifetime payable to Aril Society InternationalThis is a great way to start a Aril Iris collection for a reasonable price. Take a look!!Order priority is based on postmark date, not...

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Stevens Bros. Catalogue 1951-52 Colour plate

..I guess you could say Jean Stevens wrote this post for me. Just click on the above to view a larger image and a great description. 6 more Jean Stevens Varieties for you to view. Colour Plate insert from Stevens Bros. Catalogue 1951-52***...

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New Zealand Tall Bearded Iris 'SEARCHLIGHT'

It is a another big thanks to Sarah Cook in England that New Zealander's get to see another of the great irises of Jean Stevens breeding lines which got major raps when first released 60 years ago. Photo was taken three weeks ago in Merian Park, Botanical Garden,Brüglingen, Switzerland. STEVENS BROS 1948-49 Catalogue Since the introduction about twenty years ago of the first really large tall yellow iris,there have been many hundreds of this yellow colour raised; and slowly through the years,size of bloom depth of colour, form...

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Historic Tall Bearded Iris 'SUSAN BLISS'

Whitelegg-Orpington Chislehurst, Kent, 1923-1924. Lovely pink iris, strongly recommended. Flowers exquisite shade of lilac rose, very freely produced on strong branching spikes. 3' 6". This and 'Dream' are best of pale pink varieties A.H Burgess and Son, Waikanae Wellington, 1929 catalogue. SUSAN BLISS-- An exquisite pink-toned Iris. Well shaped flowers of a delicate shade of pale lilac rose. One of the best. Mid-season 3 ft. Irises grown by Robert Wayman, Bayside, New York, 1930-1931. SUSAN BLISS 85-86 (Bliss 1922) 40 inches....

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8th Week Anniversary

..Its our 8th week Anniversary of the blog. In that short period of time I have displayed 22 pictures of New Zealand Bred Irises. It took a tri-annual New Zealand Iris booklet from 2001 - 2007 to display 22 NZ Bred Irises photos, this is a disappointing 7% of all photos that they published within that period. What the hell were they thinking???? A total of 93 NZ Bred Irises were registered within this time frame, so what do most of these new irises these look like?? Knowledge Grows Only When Its Shared. Post more on this later.***...

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Legendary New Zealand Iris Hybridizer 'Ron Busch'

..Amazing Tall Bearded un-named seedlings from the garden ofNew Zealand's Ron Busch.Yes you guessed it they are flats!!!!These shots scanned from photos.Welcome to the magical world of Ron Busch.© All Photo Credits Ron Busch***...

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A Legend in Iris Hybridizing 'Arthur Bliss'

Whats the up side in having a blog?. People from all over the world visit it and leave interesting comments about Historic Irises. One such visitor has a collection of Arthur Bliss, one of the Legends of Iris Hybridizing, so over the next few weeks I will be highlighting his introductions and maybe some visitors to the blog will be able to help find some more of his irises. The above 1935 advertisement features Arthur Bliss Introductions apart from Melchior, bred by R. Wallace The iris 'Duke of Bedford' an Arthur Bliss introduction...

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Tall Bearded Iris 'HARLEQUIN'

. . From the 1955 Schreiner's Iris Catalog: Technically a plicata, this fantastic "believe it or not" Iris looks like an Oncocyculus hybrid. The heavy silvery falls with perky horizontal flare are not only veined like a butterfly's wing but bizzarrely stippled and dappled chocolate and purple to match the feathery standards. Exotic, sophisticated, never to be forgotten, its weird beauty makes garden visitors exclaim." Photo enhancement on the left courtesy Schriener's Iris Lovers catalog 1956. HARLEQUIN Stevens Bros Catalogue 1949-50 A...

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New Zealand Louisiana Iris 'Frances Elizabeth'

On Friday night I found another big piece of New Zealand Irises breeding history that I had thought was lost in New Zealand. An advertisement in the Weekend Gardener Magazine caught my eye, titled 'LOUISIANA IRIS, THE IRIS PATCH', Portland Road, RD8, Whangarei, Phone 09 432 2659 so gave them a ring. To my amazement Louisiana Iris 'FRANCES ELIZABETH' is in their Catalogue, I ordered it immediately.(I cannot find another NZ plant nursery that currently catalogue's this plant) So whats the fuss you might say,Why is it so special? In...

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