Schreiner's Iris Gardens Open Garden Announcement 2009

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Look what turned up in the Inbox today . Click on the Invitation for more details

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Tall Bearded Iris 'BLACK FOREST'

Black Forest bloomed at home late last week which is unusual as it is not renowned for re-blooming. It is the Iris that is acknowledged as the Progenitor of the great Schreiner Blacks
It has quite a nice scent and it ticks all the ID boxes apart from only reaching a stem height of 26"(66cm) yet Schreiner's have it listed as 33"(84cm) in their 1948 catalogue which featured BF on the cover. Whilst it is not uncommon for re-blooming irises to be shorter in the Autumn flowering there is some contention as to the height listed by Schreiner's and comments listed below could shine some light on this issue.
I have had BF growing at home for many years and have to say that this is the first time it has re-bloomed which probably has more to do with the long warm extended Autumn we are having rather than plant genetics.

From the publication "Iris as we Bloomed Them and as we Liked Them",
Second Edition 1946 Robert Schreiner, Schreiners Iris Garden St Paul, 7, MINNESOTA
"The Darks" page 17
'This is the first season that Black Forest has blossomed outside Minnesota. We introduced this iris as the deepest "black" iris in existence. The immediate approbation our iris brought forth was not only gratifying, it justified our feelings about this iris. It is not a tall or large iris'.

Schreiners Iris Lovers Catalog 1948
BLACK FOREST (Schreiners 1945) M 33"(84cm)
In Hybridising we have tried to develop an Iris "Black as Pitch" and Black Forest is the most striking development we have flowered. It is several registers darker and deeper in color than any named variety we grow or have seen. Fresh blooms of the other famous blacks are all definitely lighter toned when directly compared. In color it is a rich, silky, ebon-blue-black. The overall effect with the blue beard and solid haft is truly like the sable vested night. For so deep a color it is bright and gleaming, decidedly not a dull iris. The flowers are a medium size, the stem is not tall about 33 inches (84cm). Well substanced flowers, well carried, modified flare to nicely proportioned falls. See front cover (shown below) for Illustration $10.00

The measured height of the plant growing a home challenges Schreiner's Catalog description and the following information has made me comfortable that we have correctly ID this cultivar

'Cooleys' list Black Forest in their 'Irises for 1955' Catalog
"Black as pitch" says the introducer. A rich silky ebony-blue-black, the effect of which is intensified by a very solid haft and a blackish blue beard. Medium in height with flaring falls. HM AIS 1946 AM 1948. Of equal interest are the comments made just beneath this listing is the reference to 'Black Hills' an Iris introduced by Orville Fay in 1950 " Very tall ebony black Iris with lots of bloom, widely spaced on the stem. We have grown it to a height of 4 feet.(122cm) Just about the same depth as Black Forest, larger and twice the stature. (This in my opinion would indicate that the stem height of BF would be in the region of 24-26 inches or 61-66cm)

The Iris Year Book 1947 Published by the Iris Society (BIS)
A Second Iris Odyssey By G L Pilkington page 28
15th June Dr. Grave's planting at Concord New Hampshire
BLACK FOREST (Schreiner) ; of dark irises this is the deepest in colour and best in form, in my opinion. Flaring falls ; adequate branch but dwarf. Height 20 inches. It grows taller in some localities I believe .

The Tall Bearded Iris, Nicholas Moore 
The first Schreiner black of note was BLACK FOREST, which achieved a greater blackness, perhaps through having a beard as black as the rest of the flower. It is a fine flower but not very large blue-black but short stemmed, but good for the front row of the border. Although so dark, it gleams and glints. Introduced in 1945, opinions are divided as to whether or not this is a real advance on SABLE.

Irises, Judith M. Berrisford Author, Pub. 1961 pg.28
BLACK FOREST (Schreiner,1945) 33" M-L
A glistening ebony-blue-black iris with a dark beard.Good form with neat, flaring falls and not over-large flowers.Scented. Unfortunately this iris is not reliable in flower, being apt to bloom only in alternative Years

The Iris Book , Molly Price Author 2nd Edition Pub.1973 pg.28
Border Bearded Irises
Standard tall bearded irises must by definition, be at least twenty eight inches tall. In the past the heights of some excellent seedlings were stretched a bit by the hybridizer in order to qualify them for registration as tall bearded. 'Black Forest a perfectly beautiful little twenty-four inch satiny blue-black variety now classed as a border iris was one of these. No one could blame the hybridizer for such a slight exaggeration, since there was no alternative classification.

Stevens Bros. Bastia Hill, Wanganui, 1957-1958 Catalogue
BLACK FOREST (Schreiner,USA)
This famous black iris is a rich silky ebony blue-black, very lovely with its dark blue beard and solid unmarked haft. For so deep a colour it is bright and gleaming. The flowers are medium size and the well branched stem reaches nearly three feet. Very free flowering, and a real monotone in the deepest colouring. Late 3/6

The World of Irises Chapter 6 pg.131, Bennett C Jones. 
"Black Forest a 1944 Schreiner introduction was also relegated to the newly established border class and these two irises, (Pink Ruffles and Black Forest) though larger than what was later accepted as ideal for the class, became the criteria for the border plants"

'The World of Irises' page 70 Keith Keppel also writes about 'Black Forest'
"The Schreiner's had crossed The Black Douglas with a dark seedling from red breeding and this cross resulted in Ethiop Queen introduced the same year as Cook's Sable. Ethiop Queen crossed onto Dymia gave Black Forest, short of stature but with a depth of blackness previously unknown in the eupogons. It is interesting to note that a parent of Dymia is Harmony a satiny dark blue purple with a dark beard thought to be out of I.aphylla. Contemporary thinking is that I.aphylla carries a factor that intensifies color in its seedlings (Schreiner's 1958)

National Iris Gardens Beaverton Oregon 1949
BLACK FOREST (Schreiner 1945) M 33" HM AIS 1946 Dramatic new Iris. A smouldering purple under-glow add unexpected brilliance to this silky ebon blue black. A dark blue beard and solid haft intensify this monotone.

Fairmount Gardens Massachusetts 1950
BLACK FOREST (Schreiner 1945) M. A very deep richly colored iris of silky ebon blue black. The blue beard and solid haft add to the depth of color.The well substanced flowers are medium in size and well proportioned to the height of the stalk H.M AIS 1946 A.M AIS 1948 24"

Tell's Iris Gardens Iris Catalog 1951
BLACK FOREST (Schreiner 1945) (Dymia x Ethiop Queen) Not large or tall but very dark almost black A.M 1948

Lyon's Irisland Van Nuys, California 1953
BLACK FOREST (Schreiner 1945) Rich, silky ebony blue-black with a deep blue beard the same as the flower. Even the heart of the flower is as dark as deep night. The nicely formed fragrant blooms are of medium size on medium height stalks. Award of Merit AIS 1948 33"

M. Oliver Flower Farms and Milliken Gardens, Pomana, California 1958
BORDER BEARDED IRIS
Black Forest (Schreiner '45) L 26"
A Chic flower done in a gleaming blue black with matching beard. fragrant and floriferous. A.M '48

The Orpington Irises 1963
BLACK FOREST (Schreiner 1945)
Gleaming ebony blue black, even to the beard. Splendid form with neat flaring falls. Very free flowering. Scented. Height 2½ft

1949 AIS Checklist
BLACK FOREST TB-MLa-B1D Schreiner R R 1944 Fragrant (Dymia x Ethiop Queen), HM 1946, AM 1948.

The official height classification for Border Bearded Iris, 16 – 27.5" (40-70cm) tall, blooms with the TB’s

In the USA, Black Forest is available from Argyle Acres, Bluebird Haven Iris Garden,and Woodland Iris Garden.

 A Big Hat Tip to Carlos Ayento of Brighton Park Irises for the interaction of thoughts and discussion's concerning the above.

Photo Credit and Copyright Iris Hunter

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Wednesday's Words

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Photo Credit and Copyright Iris Hunter

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Tall Bearded Iris "Mrs ALAN GRAY "

Growing at home is the historic Iris, 'Mrs. Alan Gray'. Hybridized by Sir Michael Foster the man often called 'the father of Iris growing'. He made many valuable experiments in hybridization and collected an enormous amount of information which has been the foundation for most of the work carried out later by others. In the words of Mr. W J. Caparne " he was the classical authority and great exponent of the subject".Author of many short articles on Iris. He raised some fine seedlings using new strains from collected plants.

From the Cornell Extension Bulletin 112 June 1925 Austin W.W. Sand
Mrs. Alan Gray (Foster 1909) Colour effect a light phlox purple self. S.Light phlox purple, reticulated slightly darker. Falls phlox purple reticulated the same on lighter area along beard. Beard dense white, yellow tipped at the base.
The plant is moderately vigorous and has medium foliage. The tall straight stemmed flower stalks, which have very short lateral branches are freely produced.
The dainty smallish flowers are produced early in the season and occasionally again in late fall.. The papery spathe valves and the short-pediceled flowers are characteristic. This sort is good for cut flowers and for mass planting effect. Rating 76

From the 1928 Catalogue A.H. Burgess & Son
Waikanae, Wellington. New Zealand
Mrs. Alan Gray
Flowers of a delightful lilac shade. Usually bears a second crop of flowers in the Autumn. Late 3 ft

And I could go on with many descriptions from many catalogues but there seems to be some contentious issues regarding this Iris. In December 2006 I received an order of Historic Irises from Maritima Nursery, North Otago. As the nursery had now closed the order was for any interesting Historic and Aril Irises that were available for sale and I was somewhat surprised to receive an Iris labelled MABEL MARY. The 2005 Maritima Catalogue had this to say about the Iris listed as; BEARDED IRIS HISTORIC.
Introducing for Mary Brosnahan
MABEL MARY (M.R. Brosnahan 2005)
This is probably a re-introduction as it was first listed by Otepopo Garden Nursery, Spring 2000 as Iris pallida- pink form. Some of us still believe thats how it should of been registered. however we lost the battle and it has been introduced as a TB cultivar. It is a lovely garden Iris looking very like Iris pallida except for its pinkish purple colouring.

You may ask why I mention this, well a year later (2007) this Mabel Mary iris flowered and I found to my dismay that the Iris I had growing for all those years as 'MRS ALAN GRAY' was 'MABEL MARY'!!!!!! The big question is just how did Sir Micheal Foster and for that matter Jean Stevens get it so wrong ??? Perhaps it can be summed up by acknowledging that buying Irises today from some is like dealing with a lost ball in the high weeds!!

I firmly believe that the application to register the iris 'Mabel Mary' should have never been accepted as it is a iris with a lost label and had already been listed as 'Mrs Alan Gray'. There are many references that could of been checked which would have avoided this situation and it is my strongly held view to maintain the integrity of the Iris checklists, that if an Iris has no provenance it should not be accepted for registration.Tagging a registration 'Found growing in a garden' is not research nor does it establish that it is a new hybrid or cultivar. This post is the first in a series of 7 or more articles, that will be featured on this blog over the coming months and will deal with the problems of some new Iris registrations that have occurred in New Zealand in the last few years.
Perhaps I should write to the AIS Registrar/Recorder and suggest there could be a requirement for a new determination in the checklists, that of a Registered Synonym.

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Celebrating our first year milestone

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The blog is celebrating its 1st year in the digital world. A lot could be said by others about this moment but for me its been a great time for learning the digital nuances that applies to blogging.
Meeting interesting people that have visited the blog who have become friends and colleagues is the big plus.
As the blog has used only 7% of its allocated 1024MB free space, visitors can rest assured that there is a lot more Irises with commentary to come.


Thanks to you all for visiting and making it a success and I'm looking forward to another great year

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Tall Bearded Iris "AUTUMN CIRCUS "

I was told by an Iris friend a few years ago 'You need to grow this blue and white plicata iris'
Its was a bit like saying Las Vegas needs another Casino or Taupo needs another Motel, I mean just how many Blue and White plicata's does a garden need?
Well my friend was right and this classy variety presses all the right buttons when determining a excellent plicata garden Iris. Shorter than most Tall bearded Irises, it has good clean foliage, increases well, with plenty of bloom stalks with a impressive bud count and what's more if you treat it right it will be back in the Autumn with another great show of blooms. What more could you ask for?? A five Star Iris from a Legendary five Star Hybridiser.I am somewhat surprised that this Iris is not voted in Official Tall Bearded Iris Symposium of the American Iris Society, which determines the One Hundred Favourite Tall Bearded Irises for 2008, but unfortunately the variety does not meet the selection list criteria.

Cooley's 1999 Iris Fanciers Catalog
AUTUMN CIRCUS Hager (1990), TB, E 34" RE,
 Not-too-tall plicata with white ground standards and Falls. Blue-violet peppering on standards intensifies to near solid edging . Blue violet plicata edge on falls and distinct blue violet veining from the white beards. Bluish signal . Plenty of increase to accommodate fall re-bloom. HM1994

AIS Checklist 1999
AUTUMN CIRCUS (Ben Hager, R. 1990) Sdlg. RE4889StpPc. TB, 34" (86 cm), E & RE (Sept-Oct/CA) S. white, lightly peppered blue violet to solid edge; style arms deep violet; F. white, bold lines radiating from white beard, blue violet plicata edge. T3711Pc: (Space Odyssey x Socialite) X Earl of Essex. Melrose 1990. HM 1994.

Available from Schreiners and Cooley's in the US of A and Aulden Farm in the UK.
In New Zealand the iris is available from Amazing Iris Garden
All these commercial growers are listed under Iris Links

Click on any photo to view a larger image

Photo Credit and Copyright Iris Hunter

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Take it as Red

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5.42am this morning.What a beautiful way to start the day

Click on any photo to view a larger image
Photo Credit and Copyright Iris Hunter

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Tall Bearded Iris "WINE AND ROSES "

Still flowering today after a week of banging out blooms and more buds to come. A Re-Bloomer for sure from the hands of David Hall a Legendary Hybridiser!!! An Iris of significant Historical interest, the first Iris with this colour pattern, a breakthrough at the time.Great Parent (Pollen parent to 'Latin Lover') and Ron Busch used this Iris in his breeding program and it appears in the parentage of his Iris 'Brookside' .

Cooley's Iris Gardens, 1963
WINE AND ROSES (Hall 1963)
A break much sought after by hybridisers has been a combination of clear rose pink and deep violet purple. The older 'Tally Ho' was a step in this direction and 'Pagan Princess' can likewise be included. Now here is the flower which brings these colours out in truly splendid fashion-ruffled, flaring, clean and sharp contrast! The edging of rose pink around the velvety falls exactly matches the standards. There is a warm glow at the heart of the flower and the beard is red-orange-- not amply displayed because of the angle of our photograph. Large blooms; well branched. 35 inch stems. No 59-26....................Each $25.00

Photo plate courtesy Cooley's Gardens Catalog 1963

Schreiners Iris Lovers Catalog 1965
WINE AND ROSES (Hall, 1963) M. 36"
This stunning novelty has a startling contrast- the standards are clear rose pink and the falls are deep wine with a margining the same rose pink of the standards. The flowers are ruffled, flaring and a study in contrast done with a flair. A welcome new color pattern, entirely different from any other iris. HM 64

AIS Checklist 1969 

WINE AND ROSES (D. Hall, R. 1963). Sdlg. 59-26. TB 35" M. V3. S rose-pink; F violet-purple edged rose-pink. From two sdlgs. of same coloring., Cooley 1963. HM 1964, JC 1964, 1965, AM 1966.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version.
Photo credit and copyright Iris Hunter.

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New Zealand Tall Bearded Iris "IRWELL DESERT SANDS "

There has been some inquiring interest by a few New Zealand visitors to the blog about this Ron Busch variety. Do hope this helps.The photo is a scan of hard copy photos sent to me by Ron. The above variety is slightly lighter lemon colouring than depicted in this photo but shows the plicata markings which will help with ID. Click on photo to view a larger image


AIS Checklist Description
IRWELL DESERT SANDS (Ron Busch R. 2007). Sdgl. 316-9559 TB. 38" (97 cm), M. S. and style arms lemon; F. lemon ground, light cinnamon plicata markings over all, cinnamon shoulders; beards cinnamon orange.Parentage Unknown.

Photo Credit and Copyright Ron Busch

Note: There is no Iris registered as 'Irwell Dessert' this name has been double checked with the AIS electronic directory. Perhaps if one was to be kind, this issue could be considered an excellent example of the exhibitor's limited knowledge of New Zealand Iris nomenclature and a judge that has not being kept fully informed of the latest breeding advances with newer New Zealand varieties.
I have removed "Question's that need to have answer's" section from this post as I believe to receive answer's would be unrealistic and the problems within the New Zealand Iris Organisation regarding Wrongly labeled Irises is systemic and will not change anytime soon.
I will be highlighting the problems over the coming months.

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