RONALD WILLIAM BUSCH 1935-2012

RONALD WILLIAM BUSCH 1935-2012 New Zealand iris breeder Ron Busch passed away peacefully on the 21 August 2012 at the age of 77. Earlier this year he was awarded the Dykes Medal, the highest iris hybridising accolade, for his 2008 introduction 'Norma of Irwell' named after his lovely wife, Norma. Ron worked at the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) at Lincoln, Christchurch, improving potatoes and other vegetables. As a passionate plantsman, Ron's interest extended from plant breeding at the DSIR to his efforts...

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Tall Bearded Iris FLORAL ACT

Hard to believe really that this good looking Australian bred tall bearded iris will be classified as historic in 2 years time. A strong grower that has good bud count and medium size blooms that arrive mid-season. According to its registration description its supposed to be a blue and white amoena but it's more of a near amoena with the standards washed ever so slightly with the lavender blue colour of the falls and this stylish iris is topped off by its tangerine beard. It is somewhat bemusing to read the registered checklist...

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New Zealand Tall Bearded Iris IRWELL GAMBLER

It's very rare to find a twenty first century New Zealand bred Iris growing in America yet here we have one. Photo taken of 'Irwell Gambler' growing in the garden of Betty Jacobs, Bakersfield, California. Betty writes "After the plant arrived in the States it took three years to bloom finally doing so in the Spring of 2011 -- and WOW!  How I loved it!" I have seen 'Irwell Gambler' growing in several New Zealand gardens and been impressed with it's strong growth, good branching, good bud count, and it's...

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BLISS IRISES A New Web Site is Born

"Mr Bliss has given us marked improvements on then existing forms over a wide range of colours. This improvement is not so often a matter of size and height as it is of branching, poise, and a freedom of flowering, factors of utmost importance in the development of varieties for the garden. We have a strong tendency to over emphasise qualities that are of importance on the exhibition table, and to forget that the Iris is fundamentally a flower for the hardy garden. In that Mr Bliss has rarely made this mistake his varieties...

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Tall Bearded Iris FESTIVE SKIRT

This vigorous Pink and White amoena can sometimes rebloom for me at home. 'Festive Skirt' is taller than its pollen parent 'Sunset Snows', with larger blooms that have extremely clean snow white standards with flaring falls of a good cocoa salmon pink that gradually lightens to a pale whitish pink towards the edge, subtle orange beards complete the package.... All and all a better 'Sunset Snows'. Frank Hutchings was renowned by some breeders for his work with Pink Amoena's which was equaled to Jean Stevens pink amoena breeding programme...

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