An Iris to look out for this bloom season is Terry Aitkens 1986 Intermediate Iris 'Maui Moonlight'. This iris is a tough little beauty that has great plant health and takes no time at all to form a large robust clump. Lemon standards, with nicely ruffled and well proportioned lemon horizontal falls. It's great branching is just how it should be for all intermediate irises, couple this with multiple flowering rhizomes that have 2 or 3 stems per rhizome, producing a very bright and clean lemon effect when viewed as a clump. A big favourite in our garden.
IRISES A Gardener's Encyclopedia, Claire Austin
Iris 'Maui Moonlight'(T. Aitken 1987)
Everything about this lightly ruffled iris is lemon : the beards, and the scent. Height : 58cm (23") Bloom; Midseason. Parentage Lemon Rings X Dream Affair. Hans and Jacob Sass Medal 1993.
IRIS Flowers of the Rainbow, Graeme Grosvenor
Maui Moonlight, (Aitken 1987) 58cm. Soft lemon-yellow with very vigorous plant habits
Perry Dyers CONTEMPORARY VIEWS – 1992 . The SUN BELT AWARD Runners-up
I’ve usually got my ear to the ground and know what’s coming up, but I sure missed a beat on MAUI MOONLIGHT (Aitken 1987, IB) and didn’t get it the first couple of years it was on the market. The description is rather uneventful – a smooth light yellow self. But to grow it is a rewarding gardening experience. Perfect proportions, with wide, compactly formed flowers with just a hint of gentle waving, on 20-24” stalks that have exceptional branching, well positioned, with well-timed buds and flawless plant habits.
AIS Checklist 1989
MAUI MOONLIGHT J. T. Aitken, Reg. 1986 Sdlg. 82M22. IB, 23" (58 cm), M ; Lightly ruffled bright lemon yellow. Lemon Rings X Dream Affair. Aitken's Salmon Creek Garden 1987. HM 1989, AM 1991, Sass Medal 1993.
Sold in New Zealand by Richmond Iris Garden in Nelson and Kiwi Iris Delights in Auckland (all links above in New Zealand Iris Growers) .
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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