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 ability in the right growing conditions to quickly form a good clump. A brilliant and very flashy variegata with its bright lightly ruffled lemon standards with bold rich plum falls that are enhanced by the softer plum toned ruffled edge. The ring of white striations surrounding the lemon beards contributes to the very masculine look.

Waimate Iris Garden, Final Catalogue 2007
New Introductions
Irwell Gambler, Busch 2007 (NZ), Heather Pryor's choice. Lemon standards. Plum red falls with paler edge and white veining around the beards.

New Zealand Hybridisers Checklist 2011
IRWELL GAMBLER  Ron Busch Reg., 2007. Sdgl.8888/1 TB, 38″, (97cm), M. S. and style arms lemon; F. plum red, ¼″ paler edge; 1″ area of white veining around  lemon beard. Snow Spoon X Extravagant. Rossmore Gardens 2007. Waimate Iris Garden 2007.

Snow Spoon is the pod parent so there could be good breeding lines for space age irises if someone is interested in giving it a go.

Commercially grown in New Zealand by several growers and occasionally sold on Trade Me
Clicking the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version.

Huge Hat tip to Betty Jacobs for the use of her photo and candid comments
Photo credit Betty Jacobs
Copyright Iris Hunter

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Space Age Iris "SNOW SPOON"

Just one of the stand-out irises I will look forward to this blooming season. Lets face it there has to be some payback to make all the weeding worthwhile. Ben Hager's "Snow Spoon" is a visual treat and several clumps grow at home among 'Graham Thomas' the Yellow David Austin roses. Irises with unusual decorative extensions to the beards are known as 'Space Age Irises'. Extensions to the beards range from horns (points) to spoons and flounces, and are so called because the ends of the horns expand to a larger petaloid, spoon or flounce like addition. 

I have always enjoyed the opinion's of Ben Hager and his published thoughts on Space Age Irises.
"The word 'Novelty' which once meant a newly introduced iris, has recently been drafted to describe irises that are basically divergent in pattern, form or habit from the mainstream of iris development. Among the first publications to mention these iris types was the report Les Iris Cultivès from the first international conference in Paris 1922 [Ref 1]

Its would be fair to say that there is still a large number of Irisarians that still think of these irises as a spectacle of deformity and should have been sent to the compost, I would have to disagree, but that's no big surprise.

Breeders of today should further the advancement of the irises of the future by working for the miracle of combining beauty with novelty. Even without such a miracle,there is a place in our lives for the curious and the frivolous. Without diversion from the routine, life is dull. Consider these nonconformists of the iris world, for narrow is the path that leads to boredom" [Ref 2]

The Space Age Iris have come to be accepted by even the conservative American Iris Society and have awarded the varieties 'Thornbird'(1997), 'Conjuration'(1998), and 'Mesmerizer'(2002), all hybridised by the late Monty Byers, a California breeder, the Dykes Medal. Space Age Irises are the non-conformist of the Iris world and long may they live.

Photo shows mature spoons 

AIS Checklist 1989
SNOW SPOON (Ben Hager, R. 1982). Sdlg. SP3453Wh. TB 38" (97 cm) M. White; yellow beard, white spoons. SP3228Wh: (D. Meek cream sdlg. x Lamia) X SP3094YSp: ((SP2638Hr: Spooned Blaze x Caro Nome) x (SP2635Hr: Kingdom x Spooned Blaze))., Melrose Gardens 1982.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version.

Reproduction in whole or in part of this photo without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited.

Photo credit and copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises © . 

[Ref 1] 'LES MONSTRUOSITÉS CHEZ LES IRIS' page 197 of the report 'Les Iris Cultivès'.
[Ref 2] Edited extracts from 'The World of Irises' chapter 20 Novelty Irises

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