A Thoroughly Modern English Iris Collection.

Bryan Dodsworth

My father, Bryan Dodsworth, died in June 2009, he was 89. During the last ten years of his life he had continued to manage the iris garden at the Old Rectory single-handed and his enthusiasm for hybridising was undimmed. This is borne out by the detailed records that he left in his battered 'Red Book', with entries right up to the end of 2008.  He received his last Dykes Medal in 2001 for 'Darley Dale' when he was over eighty, bringing his tally to twelve, a record that is unlikely to be bettered. Bryan's aim as a hybridiser was to create a plant that would perform just as well on the show bench as in the garden. His legacy is to leave an extraordinary Collection of Irises – he has been described as the creator of the 'Quintessential Modern British Iris'.

Prior to his death my father had neither discussed the future of the garden with the family nor with Barry Emmerson whom he had mentored for nearly twenty years. At his funeral Barry kindly offered his expertise to the family at a time when we were struggling to know what we should do for the best. This was a lifeline and Barry's enthusiasm offered real encouragement, and I resolved then and there to accept the challenge, but with hindsight was probably unaware of the level of responsibility that this entailed.

We hatched a plan! Barry was familiar with the 'Red Book' with its detailed hybridising log and bed plan and we both thought this was the best place to start and should be relatively straightforward, but after initial scrutiny it soon became clear that the task would be much tougher. We had not banked on Bryan's attention to detail, his coding system influenced no doubt by the secretive nature of his wartime work. We have still not cracked this, despite several serious efforts to do so five years later. This setback drove us to log, label and map each plant in the iris garden, and introduce a simple numbering system which is still in active use today. The process took the best part of four months and involved numerous visits and proved to be pretty arduous. We experimented with different labelling systems, Dymo being the best. In May/June 2010 I started photographing individual irises and recording the photos against the plant numbers. This process continued throughout the 2011-13 flowering seasons. By the end of 2013 we had a reasonably comprehensive record, but this was far from complete due to a number of plants that refused to flower, influenced no doubt by the fact that regular splitting of rhizomes had taken a back seat as my father grappled with a pernicious outbreak of oxalis which drove him to despair and which still makes managing the garden really tricky today, not least from a distance of some 130 miles. Bryan's final task in 2008 was to dig up approximately twenty yards of plants along the boundary wall with the church and attempt to spray the oxalis. This was a gargantuan effort, but alas was only partially successful, and after carefully reinstating the plants in 2010, I regret that the oxalis is now as bad as ever.

Plant identification was the next challenge! Here Barry's extensive knowledge has been invaluable. We have had a reasonable degree of success with the 'named varieties' which are located along the church wall. The 'pinks' are still to be bottomed, but we feel pretty confident with the rest. Bryan left a comprehensive slide collection, with most slides named. The main problem, however, is with the colours, and there is predictable difficulty with the 'blues' and 'purples' where the slide images are unreliable. We managed one day in the Bridgford garden in 2014 looking at the named varieties. Barry drove from Suffolk and I met him there from Norfolk, we had grouped the slides into colours, and then with Bryan's ancient handheld slide magnifier compared these with individual blooms gathered from the garden. We had some positive ID, and some where further work is required, but the exercise proved to be a success, despite the fact that it rained all day, and we were
working from Bryan's leaky greenhouse.

The seedlings however present a different challenge altogether as we tackle at least six beds grown between 2003-2008. The 'Red Book' should have given us a head start, but difficulty in deciphering the planting layout and bed plans has made it hard to pinpoint individual plants, and this gets more tricky as time moves on. However my father's slide records during the last ten years are good and we remain confident of further success. Over the last couple of years I have started to move a number of seedlings to my garden in Norfolk, which will allow them to be evaluated properly, and the best retained. This is very much work in progress and more work is required next year or two to complete the task.

Barry continues to use Bryan's breeding lines in his own hybridisation programme. His recent success with 'Iceni Sunset' which was awarded the Dykes Medal in 2014 is a great accolade. I started hybridising in 2012 and will see the first results in 2015; I also produced a number of crosses in 2013 and 2014 and believe that some of these could be interesting. Bryan's records of crosses made each year, and his scoring system of the results, are still available and provide a clear insight into what he was trying to achieve during the last ten years of his life when he went largely below the radar in the iris world. What is clear is that it was during this period that he made some of his best crosses and most are entirely unknown to the iris world let alone  the general public. I am mindful that my father will be watching my own results, with a critical eye; in turn I will endeavour to adopt the same rigour and ruthlessness that resulted in his naming less than fifty varieties in as many years from over 100,000 seedlings. I am in no doubt that the majority of my own efforts will end up on the compost heap, as he would expect, but I do have some confidence that with excellent breeding lines to choose from, and aided by Bryan's current record of crosses made, it should be possible to produce something reasonably respectable before too long.

Looking to the future, there are three priorities. The first is to ensure that there is a comprehensive collection of all the extant named varieties in my Norfolk garden; the plan is that these will form the basis of a new National Collection of Bryan Dodsworth's Irises; I have been in contact with Plant Heritage, and this is subject to their approval. This is an Autumn project.  The second is to raise the profile of my father's irises in the context of promoting and championing the British Iris  at a time when interest is at a very low ebb, and the number of British hybridisers of Tall Bearded Irises can almost be counted on the fingers of one hand. Barry and I set up The English Iris Company in 2013 to do this  and have just started to make some of the best varieties available to the public, some for the very first time [www.englishiriscompany.com].  Finally, I am keen to take up my father's baton and highlight within the horticultural press the importance of form and structure in Tall Bearded Irises at a time when the commercial growers are focused almost exclusively on new colours and flower shapes, irrespective of the structure of the plant on which the flowers are carried. This means, I believe, that many modern introductions are substandard, and of poor quality, with flowers that fail to open properly, and with some that are unsuited to UK growing conditions. Then, there is the question of colour..... I will not exhaust your patience further and save this topic for a further article.

Bryan Dodsworth's irises are alive and well. I remain indebted to Barry Emmerson for his guidance and support and whose encouragement has made this possible. 

~ 'Taking on an Important Iris Collection'. Simon Dodsworth

Bryan Dodsworths Irises can be viewed at The English Iris Company when they have their National Gardens open days on the 4th and 5th June 2016. Be sure to visit the gardens to walk amongst and see these irises at their very best.

As always clicking on the above images will take you to the larger, higher resolution version.
Major Hat Tip to Simon Dodsworth for sharing the with us all the well written article and the super photo's.

Reproduction in whole or in part of the article and photo's without the expressed written permission of Simon Dodsworth is strictly prohibited. Photo credit and copyright Simon Dodsworth © .

Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited.  

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Tall Bearded Iris TAJ RANI

'Taj Rani' is a very classy iris that has every chance of becoming another of Barry Blyths small but growing list of disappearing gems. Thirty eight years old and some will claim this contemporary iris as Historic because of the thirty year rule, and technically it is, but as I have already stated in one of my September 2012 post "When groups of  Irises emerge with characteristics sufficiently different from those that have gone before, the subject of a classification that is determined by a time line needs to be addressed."
The one really important classification that 'Taj Rani' definitely is, 'it's rare', only grown in three gardens that I know of in New Zealand and I received an email reply today from a ex-commercial grower in Australia who I knew catalogued this iris a few years ago and message stated "I no longer grow Taj Rani. I have found better irises of that colour and it probably was never a huge seller in its time. It probably continues in a number of backyards." So the only known Southern Hemisphere commercial source bites the dust you might say, and I have never seen it commercially listed in any other country. 
The late New Zealand irisarian Shirley Spicer used 'Taj Rani' in her breeding program and it is the pod parent of her 2001 tall bearded introduction 'Bright Fine Gold', and I  know Hooker Nichols used 'Taj Rani' in the breeding of his 1991 introduction 'Diddler' and 'Diddler' (Taj Rani x In Tempo) is the pod parent of 'Scene Stealer' so 'Taj Rani' was/is in the States somewhere perhaps!! 

It's not hard to like this iris a massive amount, with good branching, high plant health, nice clean foliage, reasonable vigour, strong stalks, amazing sooty black purple buds that open into a shimmering smooth voluptuous lavender self with a unique lavender beard tipped tangerine- get it and enjoy it- you can even get to call yourself a conservationist- if you can find it available for sale anywhere that is!!

Tempo Two, Barry and Lesley Blyth, East Road, Pearcedale, Victoria, Australia, Season 1983-84
 TAJ RANI  (Blyth '78 Aust.) M 32" . Some 15 years ago we grew a lovely Iris called Lavender Diadem and ever since we have been looking for an improved version, until now none of the hundreds of imported varieties or seedlings have been even near it until Taj Rani first bloomed. It is a silky smooth satin lavender self with perfect form, beards are lavender tipped tangerine. Branching is good. A lovely Iris that has to be seen to be appreciated (Orchid Song x Fond Wish).

Bay Blooms Nurseries, Cambridge Road, Tauranga Spring / Summer 1988 Catalogue.Bearded Iris.
TAJ RANI A silky smooth satin lavender self with perfect form, beards are lavender tipped tangerine.Branching is good. A lovely Iris that has to be seen to be appreciated.

AIS Checklist 1979
TAJ RANI    (B. Blyth, R. 1978). Sdlg. J21-1. TB 32" (82 cm) M.     Ruffled satin lavender self; tangerine beard. Orchid Song X Fond Wish., Tempo Two 1978/79.

Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. 
Photo credit and copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.

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DWARF IRIS PROMOTION Walter Welch

DWARF IRIS PROMOTION

Walter Welch

It is my belief that when the breeders of any particular class of iris fails to put out new varieties, that class will gradually become stagnant and inactive. That has been the reason for the slump in dwarf interest in the past. Therefore it is necessary that our hybridizers continue with new production to keep this interest alive.
In the past our hybridizers like Caparne, Burchfeild, and the Sass Brothers worked with the chamaeiris species almost entirely because this species was available and gave the best performance though it was lacking in color and pattern range. The Sass Brothers used only Socrates and its seedlings for all of their varieties, and chamaeiris gave only purples, yellows and a few rare whites.
I. pumila and other dwarf species had never been in this country before our time. Apparently the first pumilas were seed sent to Bob Schreiner, who grew them and selected Sulina, Carpathia and Nana; though these were not registered with the AIS. Later our Robin members  on Europe such as Hansel-Mayer, Eckers Berlin, Hugues de Balzer went into the wild and collected and sent species to me and I distributed them to our breeders.
The species I.pumila apparently has the widest color range of any iris. But I.pumila won't grow well in some areas, like in California, and down south in Georgia, Arizona and Texas. In pumila we have the true blue, purple violet, white, yellow and such patterns as the spot pattern with gives us amoenas,variegatas, Pinnacles, neglectas, and from these colors and patterns the variations are unlimited.
So if we can get all of these colors and patterns up into the chamaeiris forms, with that performance which is inherent in this species, we will have a dwarf that is everything.
I have a plan which will achieve this, which will not only give us the the dwarf of the future, but keep our breeders busy for half a century like the AIS has done with the Talls, and this will put our dwarfs on the map and keep it there. So here is my plan.
This new dwarf will be called Chammy Dwarf. In other words it will become like the present chamaeiris varieties but with all of the colors and patterns known in the pumilas. So how do we achieve this miracle???
First we cross the particular pumila onto a tall bearded iris, to get a Lilliput, with the form desired among it's seedlings. No Doubt this will to big and coarse, with the usual faults known in the Lilliputs. But the important thing is color or pattern. Next we cross this Lilliput with a Chamaeiris "tool" which we have developed and tested for giving a desirable form from this coarse Lilliput, smaller and more dainty.
This tool will take some time to develop, but it can be done. No doubt it must be a white form, which will be neutral in color yet pass along the color of the Lilliput. I am working on this and making some progress. We will need a spot tool also, as spot requires a full dosage of spot factor to give good expression, An anoema tool will be the best. At present we have a tool in yellow, which I call Little Yellow but will test this further.
And as usual with development of a specific color or pattern if or when this cross does not give full satisfaction, we can sib cross the two best seedlings to improve it. This is not a case of quick results. It can take perhaps three generations in some cases, which is six years ordinarily, but remember we are creating relatively a new species, and it is worth the trouble.
No doubt some of us will find a more easy way to achieve certain things. For instance by selection of a certain tall as a mother plant for a more desirable Lilliput. Or perhaps a reverse cross like tall upon pumila may be desirable. Anyway the selection of a tall parent can make a big difference on size of plant, branching, and especially form of bloom. All of this must be worked out as there are no rules to follow. This is a new approach.
Several things can be calculated. For instance, pumila has an inhibitor that will erase all anthocyanin pigments from the progeny, leaving the yellow if present, in the seedlings. But if yellow is avoided, only the pumila colors will be present.It erases only the anthocyanin, not anything else.
Just imagine if we can get a true blue in a chamaeiris form, a black, brown, violet, red, purple, amoena, Pinnacle, maybe yellow standards and blue falls. All of this is possible in our Chammy Dwarfs. And when we get all of this in a plant that will perform well in vast areas, our dwarfs will continue as with the Talls today.
At present we have two Chammy Dwarfs, by chance. These are 'Fashion Lady' and Lilli-White. Both are still in bloom here, full of bloom, not damaged by the freezing apparently, and the only one in bloom in my border where it is planted with all my varieties. This has been a lesson for me.

The above article was composed by Walter Welch in 1976 for the Minnesota Iris Society.

AIS Checklist 1959
LILLI-WHITE    (Welch, R. 1957). Sdlg. L-56i. SDB 12" L. W1.    Pure white self, white beard. (Blue Shimmer x Carpathia) x J-538: (Bouquet x (Fiancee x Fairy))., Welch 1958. HM 1958.


Heritage Irises would like to wholeheartedly thank Sue Marshall of Iris of Sissinghurst for kindly permitting the use of the above image of Lilli-White. Sue writes this morning that due to a late spring Lilli-White has just come into bloom.

Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. Photo credit and copyright of Lilli-White is Sue Marshall and Iris of Sissinghurst ©.

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Tall Bearded Iris PRETENDER

 Pretender is Paul Cook's so called blue variegata that came to fame before his 'Progenitor' breeding programme.


Iris Culture and Hybridizing for Everyone. Wilma L Vallette, 1961.
A few diploid variegata had blue-violet or red-violet falls, such as Nibelungen, but most tetraploid variegata and have a reddish or brownish ones. The two exceptions are Decennial (Williamson ‘30) and Pretender. The latter came from two seedlings which both go back three or more times to Blue Boy [Ref 1] a chance seedling of aphylla, and Mr Cook is said to suspect that it's unusual combination of colours-yellow standards, violet falls-is due to some sort of interaction between genes from aphylla and variegata. Pretender is said to throw unusual seedlings, which though not too good, often have big splotches of people cover and the yellow standards, not all like a flecking caused by virus, which Mr Cook believes may also be due to aphylla-a belief strengthened when he learned that crossing Pretender with yellow or light blue pumilas gives violet or purple, showing any aphylla violet in it is not affected by pumilas inhibitor any more than that of dark violet aphylla itself. Decennial may also stem from aphylla, thanks to Mr Williamson's habit of using mixed pollen.

When we remember the clear bright blue in Snow Crystal and Blue Shimmer, which both stem from aphylla, and the blue beard adorning many of its descendants, it might seem worthwhile trying to combine it with variegata as well as blues. In them, the appearance of a violet or purple fall means that yellow is not beneath this "spot", which must be the case with Pretender, since even the light each around at spot is white, not yellow. Regardless of the fact that Louvois x dominant white gave 11 creams with white spots, as if spot was inhibited, the fact that with these few exceptions all variegata have red or brownish red "spots" shows that yellow is present beneath them, else the colour would be purple to violet not red. However, Pretender’s violet falls may not be entirely due to aphylla, as this tetraploid species could not possibly have been involved in the older diploids with purple falls-perhaps in them yellow failed to appear in the centre of the falls by natural segregation, the same as in variegata itself. 

Longfield Iris Farm, Bluffton, Indiana. Williamson Iris, 1952.
PRETENDER (Cook 1951). This Iris has proved to be the best of a series of seedlings Mr. Cook calls his "blue falled variegatas." The modified variegata coloring is both distinct and pleasing. Standards are soft medium yellow, without suffusion of other color; Falls are solid velvety purple with narrow margin of lighter color. Those who find the yellow and red of the usual variegata too harsh to use in the general Iris planting will like the more harmonious colors of this new bicolor. 35 inches. $12.00

Cooleys Gardens Silverton, Oregon. Iris for 1954
PRETENDER (Cook, 1951) Each $12.00
The best of a series of "blue-falled variegatas" from the originator of Amigo, Indiana Night, Pink Bountiful, Dreamcastle, Tranquil Moon and a multitude of famed varieties. Standards are soft yellow, falls solid velvety blue-purple with narrow lighter margin. Genuinely different ! 35 inches tall with large flowers. HM AIS, 1952.

Page 55, Schreiners 1957 Iris Lovers Catalog.
Courtesy Schreiners

Schreiner's, Route 2, Salem, Oregon. Iris Lovers Catalogue, 1957.
We are delighted with a most accurate reproduction on page 55. Marked boldly with two distinct color hues, yellow and violet, this iris is a standout for original coloring. H.M '52 A.M. '55 .....................................$7.00

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, October 1953, Number 131.
Region 9 Varietal Report, Hurbert Fischer, R.V.P. III.
Notes taken during the 1953 Iris Season.
Pretender-an iris that is different with soft yellow standards and blue purple falls.

Varietal Comments from Region II
Mrs. Glen Suiter, Caldwell, Idaho
Pretender-A splendid, very different variety. Blue purple falls and yellow standards. Performing like a veteran on a first year plant. A stunner and no mistake.

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, October 1954, Number 135.
Region 9,Notes and Varietal Comment - Joplin Area
MRS. JAMES A. SAPP, Mo.
Pretender-A new race of variegatas-yellow standards and blue falls good.

Report and Varietal comments from Region 3.
Comments from J. Donavan Bolger, Morristown, Pa.
Amoena and Near Amoenas
Pretender - Pale yellow standards and deep blue falls edged yellow. Not too crazy about it.

Varietal report Hurbert Fischer, R.V.P. III.
Pretender (Cook) - Unusual and startling with soft yellow standards and velvety purple falls.

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, October 1955, Number 139.
Region Two, New York.
Mrs. W. B. Melnick.
In my own garden, Pretender stole the show, the first and last to bloom. It has medium sized flowers and tall stalks with good placement. There is lovely contrast between the bright yellow standards and I would almost say "purple" falls, though catalogs describe them as "blue".

AIS Checklist 1959
PRETENDER    (P. Cook, R. 1951). Sdlg. 7746. TB 35" M. Y4.    Yellow amber and prune-purple bicolor. Cook 1339 X Cook 5042., Longfield 1951. HM 1952; AM 1955.

[Ref 1] Blue Boy an Intermediate iris registered to Sir Michael Foster 1913. A free flowering Aphlla, Standards are violet the Falls velvety purplish violet with striking blue beard.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version.
Major Hat Tip and "Merci beaucoup" to Catherine Adam for her sharing with you the amazing photos of the historic Tall Bearded Iris 'Pretender'.

Reproduction in whole or in part of these photo's without the expressed written permission of Catherine Adam is strictly prohibited. Photo credit and copyright Catherine Adam © .


Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. Copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.

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ADVANCE NOTICE 'BLISS IRISES' THE BOOK

BLISS IRISES
FAMILY AND FLOWERS;
THE JOURNEY TO A NATIONAL COLLECTION

Anne Milner
Watercolours by Fern Harden

Anne Milner presents her family history intertwined with the history of Bliss irises, which are now part of the Plant
Heritage family of National Collections of plants worth preserving.

The collection was featured in the second series of The Great British Garden Revival
on BBC2 in January 2015.

Bliss Irises combines family history and gardening in a unique and very personal journey. Initially triggered by interest in her great, great grandfather who built the Bliss Tweed Mill in Chipping Norton, Anne Milner discovered Arthur J. Bliss, a cousin of a grandfather, and his work with early 20th century irises. Having travelled to New Zealand and South Africa, Arthur had many adventures before becoming famous in the horticultural world for breeding and introducing Dominion , an iris that took the world by storm when it was first introduced in 1917. It has since gone on  to be found in the pedigree of hundreds of modern irises.

With stunning photographs, watercolours and line drawings throughout, the second part of Bliss Irises focuses on the flowers themselves and details the range of irises registered by Anne Milner s ancestor Arthur Bliss.

Bliss Irises will appeal to readers with an interest in irises, historic plants and family history, as well as those with a more general interest in gardening and horticulture.

ANNE MILNER learned her love of plants while helping her father in his garden as a child. She started researching her family history in the early 1980s and discovered her Uncle Arthur and his irises. She has no formal gardening training but has been enjoying gardening for over 40 years. 

TO BE PUBLISHED 28th August 2016

£14.99

ISBN 9781785892981

Distributor: Troubador Publishing Ltd, 9 Priory Business Park, Wistow, Kibworth, Leics LE8 0RX

BIC subject category : WMP Gardening: plants

Paperback 234x156 mm 256pp Portrait.

ADVANCE INFORMATION
PLEASE CONTACT ALICE GRAHAM
Tel: 0116 279 2299 Email: marketing@troubador.co.uk
TROUBADOR PUBLISHING LTD. 9 PRIORY BUSSINESS PARK, KIBWORTH, LEICESTER LE8 ORX

It is hoped that the book will be ready for sale at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in early July, where Bliss Irises will be sharing a stand (PH309) with Sarah Cook and her Sir Cedric Morris Irises. Please make sure you visit the Bliss Irises Web Site http://www.blissiris.co.uk

Update: The Book can now be pre-ordered from the Book Depository click on the link here for further details.

Book Image credit and copyright Anne Milner © .

Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. Copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.

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Tall Bearded Historic Iris DEMI-DEUIL

    
 Demi-Deuil bred by Fernand Denis was eventually in 1931 placed on the American Iris Society 'Black List' one of the most crazy surveys in the Iris world, and in my opinion it was the iris equivalent of 'Burning Books'. It was a decade of 'Iris Shaming'.
William Caparne was so concerned with the American Iris Society encouraging the discarding of older Iris varieties for the best new varieties that started in "The Flower Grower" in 1919-1920. In his article 'On Discarding Irises' I think he summed up his concerns well in the following paragraph.
 There are various ways of looking at flowers, as at most things; 1st, by themselves; 2nd, in company with others; 3rd, en mass; and each of these ways demands separate methods of mind. In the mass we can and do arrange colours to agree and to tell with effect. In a group, small or large, we had better do so, but the individual is at home to us and has all its points and characters available to be read, delighted in and conversed about. It is indeed very beautiful, but it by no means follows that these beauties either shine or are even exhibited in company. And, if you want them to, you must make special arrangements as you would for a concert performer; don't put him or her into a crowd with several other pianos going, and then discard him as over-rated, not up to the mark, etc. I think it is distinctly part of the business of the Iris Society to help people to see more beauty in things beautiful and in this connection it is well to remember the old saw that "the better is ever the enemy of the good and the best can kill both".

  Demi-Deuil is a iris of distinct character, is a strong grower and is still admired by growers with taste. Should it have been registered today there is a strong possibly it would be classified a Table Iris

Cayeux et Le Clerc, Quai de la Mégisserie, 8, Paris.
Demi-Deuil (Denis 1912).
Coloris distinct à fond blanc tigré et zébré violet pensée.

Lee R. Bonnewitz,Van Wert, Ohio, Peonies and Irises,1926.
DEMI-DEUIL (Denis)
We are told this French name means 'half-mourning' so you must not expect this Iris to contain bright colors. S. pansy-violet shaded copper; F. red-violet with white markings; yellow beard stippled brown.Two rhizomes at 45c each, five or more rhizomes at  40c each.

Carl Salbach Irises,Creston Road Berkeley, California,1926.
Demi-deuil (Denis). A very odd dark plicata. White ground almost covered with dull purple veins and dots. 50c.

U.S. Department of Agriculture The Farmers Bulletin
 Issued January 1926. Garden Irises.

Lee R. Bonnewitz,Van Wert, Ohio, Peonies and Irises,1928.
DEMI-DEUIL (Denis)
This Iris originated in France, has pansy-violet, red-violet and copper tones, and it's name when translated in English is "Half Mourning." It is valuable as a novelty only............$0.38

The Dean lris Gardens, Moneta, California. Choice Iris, Price List for 1921-1922.
The Largest Collection West of the Rocky Mountains and one of the Largest in the United States.
Introductions of English and French Origin.
Demi-deuil (Denis). S. amber yellow, heavily veined and dotted deep livid purple; F. white, veined and dotted dark dull purple. A dark Plicata of unusual color. Each, $1.00.

Bearded Iris Tried at Wisley 1925-1927, Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society.
Class VI a (1)
Varieties with standards of shot shades, pale blue or lavender, the yellow being scarcely perceptible .
Planted in the General Collection
DEMI-DEUIL 26 inches. June. 

AIS Checklist 1929.
DEMI-DEUIL TB-S8D (Denis 1912) Maron 1919; Denis 1920; Earl Woodward Sheets,1928; Class VI a (1) Journal Royal Horticultural Society, Trials January 1928; Commended, Royal Horticultural Society 14th June 1916; Journal Royal Horticultural Society,42; Parts 2 & 3,Trials.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version.
Major Hat Tip and "Merci beaucoup" to Catherine Adam for her direction and help with the French language catalogue listing, and sharing with you the amazing photos of the historic Tall Bearded Iris 'Demi-Deuil'.

Reproduction in whole or in part of these photo's without the expressed written permission of Catherine Adam is strictly prohibited. Photo credit and copyright Catherine Adam © .

Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited. Copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.

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THE EVOLUTION of the BEARDED IRIS Arthur J. Bliss

THE GARDEN

November 5th, 1921.

THE EVOLUTION of the BEARDED IRIS

The very considerable developments, during recent years, in the characteristics of this 

fascinating flower are but the harbingers of even more extensive developments in the not distant future.

IMPROVEMENT in our principal garden flowers is always going on. At times it may be slow or even seem to cease, then, perhaps, a new species may be introduced, or it may be simply that a freer imagination is applied to the task, and once more the flower sets forth on its onward course towards that ideal of perfection which will always be just beyond. When a flower is in its most active period of development one is tempted to try to forecast its future. Not too far ahead, for that can be little better than random guessing. But for the immediate future we can have every confidence, and even certainty within limits, in the light of the knowledge that Mendel's laws have given us, and especially if we have records of the ancestry of our present varieties. In fact, breeding will some day become an exact science, and when all the characters of a flower have been analysed and their factors and their interrelationship determined (as Miss Saunders and Miss Wheldale have already done for the colours of Stocks and Snapdragons), flowers will be made to order. The Iris is now in such an active period of development. Let us roughly analyse its characters and see wherein has been the improvement that has made the Iris of to-day so greatly superior to the earlier varieties. We may then see perhaps what further possibilities there are on these lines in varying combinations, and gather suggestions of improvement in other directions that appear to have been so far neglected or overlooked.

We deal chiefly with the individual flower. For those whose ideal in the garden is masses of harmonious and contrasting colour the florist's ideals of perfection of the individual flower are no doubt scarcely understandable, but it is in the flower—its size, form, colour and substance— that the progress has been made. These are the essential characters—habit, height and freedom of flowering, though by no means negligible, are of secondary importance in displaying the flower to best advantage.

In freedom of flowering the Flag Iris of to-day is, perhaps, no better than the earlier varieties, and there are, indeed, some with the highest qualities of size, form and colour that are all too shy, but on the whole the free-flowering qualities have been at least maintained, and this is a notable achievement, since increased size and quality is so often accompanied with fewer flowers. There is, then, every indication that the Iris of the future will not only be as free flowering as those in the past but will surpass them.
The introduction of Trojana has given us generally a taller and wider branching habit, well adapted for specimen plants. The type of the older varieties, however, was often equally freely branched, but with shorter and less spreading side stems, thus holding the flowers closer, and these are more suitable for massing. The two types, as they each have their use, will be maintained side by side in the future, but the tendency is towards the wider branching habit, as it displays best the larger and finer formed flowers of the newer Irises.
The general height of Irises has also been increased, so much so that except for special positions 2ft. is a minimum, and the average is between 2ft.6in, and 3ft, The introduction of Ricardi, Junonia and Mesopotamica has produced still taller plants with noble spikes 5ft. high, but as yet the flowers are poor in form and colour, and the constitution of these varieties is so weak and uncertain that they are of no use for general cultivation at present. There is no doubt, however, that these drawbacks will be overcome in time and that the average height of Irises will be between 3ft. and 4ft.

It is in the individual flower that the greatest and most remarkable advances have been made. We must try to see what it is that constitutes this general improvement. There can be no single or exclusive ideal of beauty for any flower; but that there are some principles which, applied in various ways, will give several or many different types of beauty, each ideal in its own way, no one could doubt if they compare the best of the newer Irises with the older varieties. And I think that the main principle is symmetry or balance. A f.lower may be small or large, and its form may vary within limits, and yet it may be beautiful if perfectly proportioned. Again, in colour, the ultimate criterion of excellence seems to be richness and purity—harmony and contrast being much more elusive and indefinite.

Let us then sum up the qualities in the flower of the modern Flag Iris. Already it is, on the average, larger—much larger—than the older varieties, and so long as the symmetry and balance of the flower and its substance and colour is maintained no limit can be set, and it may be that even larger flowers will be attained. There are, however, already in existence flowers so large in comparison with the species that have helped to produce them that the work of the immediate future will be in perfecting the form of these giants and producing them in the full range of Iris colours (the pure yellow standard variegata type is still comparatively small) than in any appreciable increase of size. These include such varieties (to mention only a few) as Lent A. Wiliamson (the finest and largest American variety), Vilmorin's Magnifica and Ambassadeur, Hort's Ann Page, Yeld's Asia and Prospero. Denis' Mdlle. Schwartz, and my Titan, Cardinal and Bruno. Nevertheless, the Iris will eventually be larger even than these. In substance likewise there has been a very great advance, of which Dominion was the first and is still the most remarkable example. Many of even these largest-sized Irises have great substance and stand firm through sunshine or rain to the last. It may be noted also that this increase of substance is always combined with, and is probably partly the cause of, the richer colouring of these flowers. The only one of the old standard varieties that has anything like such substance is pallida dalmatica Princess Beatrice.

When we compare the newest with the old varieties, the most obvious improvement in the form is in the broadening of the segments. And it is the most important In this the old florists were right, but when they laid it down that the circular outline was the one and only ideal form they fell into the error of pushing things to extremes. For though it is true that a circle is the logical conclusion of the principle of broadening a surface in proportion to its length, beauty is not based on logical conclusions. The Iris, like all flowers has a distinctive form of its own with three upright standards and three either hanging or spreading falls. In the perfect flower these two sets of petals must be balanced One of the effects of the introduction of Trojana has been to give us oblong unbalanced flowers. Not even the beauty of colouring of Isoline can compensate altogether for its lack of refinement of form. This defect is now being bred out by mating Trojana hybrids with broad-petalled varieties, and in the near future we shall have perfectly proportioned flowers with all the size of Trojana and Macrantha. Such, indeed, are already in existence, and they demonstrate beyond question that size is no bar to refinement of form.

Mr. Hort's ANN PAGE and Mr Yeld's  PROSPERO
'The Garden' 1921.

The form of the standards still needs much improvement. They are always of less substance than the falls, but they should have enough to stand up stiff and not flop in hot sunshine. They should curve outwards from their base, meeting again at their tips. At present few Irises do more than approximate to this ideal, and 1 do not see any special tendency yet to an improvement in this direction. But when such flowers, having finely arching standards, are compared with those having flatter or overlapping or open or erect standards and it is realised how essential this character is to the beauty of form, its selection will be more carefully attended to in the future.

The falls are more nearly approaching perfection, in smoothness and in outline. Their disposition gives scope for varying types—the flat hanging, the rounded drooping, and the spreading or "flaring" (to use the American term). The standards with revolute edges displaying the interior of the flower is often an effective and beautiful type, especially when the style arms are of a contrasting colour, and this form strengthens the standards though it gives a narrower appearance to the flower. Even the type with open cupped standards is sometimes pleasing when it is accompanied, as it usually is, with broad-hafted spreading falls. All these types are being developed, but not, I think, with any definite selection. It is in the colouring that the greatest general advance has been already made, and yet it is also in colour that we may expect the most important developments in the near future.

The richness of the colouring of the falls of the most recent varieties and seedlings already in existence far surpasses anything seen in all but a very few of the old varieties, such as Jaquesiana or Maori King, and this richness is accompanied by a velvety or satiny surface which seems very likely to be due to their extra substance. This will undoubtedly be a feature of all Irises in the future. In all the self flowers we have, now, purer and brighter colours, but there is still scope in this direction, especially in deeper coloured self-violet pallidas, and these may be expected very soon. The range of colour is also extending, and colours are now beginning to appear (as in many other florists' flowers since the adoption of Mendelian methods in breeding) of art blends, soft and delicate in the standards, contrasting harmoniously with warmer, richer tones in the falls Vilmorin's Isoline, Mount Penn, Wyomissing and others of Mr. Farr's seedlings, M. Denis' Troost and Deuil de Valery Mayet, and, in deeper tones, Vilmorin's Opera are examples, and are being added to and surpassed.

Among other new colour developments may be mentioned Miss Sturtevant's Shekinah, a luminous yellow self of pallida form and habit, and Citronella with soft yellow standards and crimson veined falls, also of pallida size and form and exceptionally free flowering. From these it is only a step to a true yellow-ground plicata in fact, a slightly different but similar series of crosses such as produced these should produce it, and it may be even now in existence. Plicatas are now appearing in giant size and more perfect form, and with a wide range of margin colour and often finely spotted. Flowers with yellow standards and white falls are likely to appear someday. Crusader and Blue Bird show that we may hope for a flower at least as near blue as the Monspur or the Sibirica sanguinea hybrids, and though the crimson Iris is still far off, we may at least hope for a substantial advance towards it in the near future.

All these forecasts are, in the light of the knowledge that Mendel's laws have given us, well within sight. There are other possibilities, hints of which have been given by chance seedlings— that may perhaps be mutations—which may be realised some day but in the more distant future. I will mention but one. The seedling I have named Samite, a self-cream white, is remarkable in several characters, and I hoped to get new types from it, but all the more obvious crosses that I made were failures. 
One chance cross, however, most unexpectedly produced a series of seedlings, all of which were more or less of the Tigridia type, with small weak open standards and very broad falls spreading almost horizontally, and some with abnormally broad hafts that, together, almost formed a cup, as in Tigridia. Furthermore, the hafts are covered with comparatively large and defined spots. The resemblance to a Tigridia is certainly far away, especially in colour, but it is suggestive. And it is from such suggestions that our flowers give us that new types come rather than from our unaided imagination. At any rate, it is safe to say that for all the great improvements already, obtained the Iris is yet only at the outset of its career, and there are still infinite possibilities of its development.

A. J. BLISS.

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New Zealand Tall Bearded Iris BEYOND RICHES

'Beyond Riches' is an iris introduced by Alison Nicoll, Richmond Iris Gardens, New Zealand, and certainly has inherited the genes from the pod parent George Shoop's 'Prince George', with an extra large dollop of added zest and wow!!
 Standards are a lilac white with a distinctive gold edge, hafts are veined leading to a solid magenta purple with a mandarin orange coloured beard. Large slightly fragrant blooms on well branched stems, that carry a upmarket sophisticated bling look with a dash of Parnell. A very nice iris with good plant health, a sister seedling to the New Zealand Dykes medal winner, 'Atavas'.

Richmond Iris Gardens, 376 Hill St., Richmond, Nelson, New Zealand
Specialist Growers and Hybridisers of Beautiful Bearded Irises Catalogue, Issue 62, 2012-13.
BEYOND RICHES: [A. Nicoll ’07] Standards, pale lilac blue with fine gold edge. Falls, Purple blend on magenta, white area around tangerine beards.

New Zealand Iris Hybridisers Cumulative Checklist 2015
BEYOND RICHES    (Alison Nicoll, R. 2007) Sdlg. A00T2-1. TB, 30" (76 cm), ML    S. light pale lilac-blue, fine gold edging; style arms lilac blue, darker lilac center, gold tips; F. rich magenta and purple blend, white area around beard, fine gold edging, gold and violet veins; beards tangerine; lightly frilled, ruffled; slight sweet fragrance. Prince George X Outrageous Fortune. Richmond 2007/08.

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William Rickatson Dykes,THE BEARDED IRISES.

       THE GARDEN.
September 15, 1923

THE BEARDED IRISES
W. R. DYKES, M.A., L.-ès-L.

SOME weeks ago there appeared in these columns an article on Bearded Iris species, which summed up what was known of them about thirty years ago, at the time when Baker compiled his Handbook of the Irideæ The so-called species were described in the order in which they appeared in Baker's book, and in many cases the wording of the descriptions was identical.
Since 1892, however, much research work has been carried out, and our knowledge of the wild species of Iris and of natural and garden hybrids between them has grown very considerably. This growth has been made possible by the examination of the very numerous dried specimens of wild plants which are preserved in the various herbarium collections and by the cultivation of living plants from known localities. Thus we now know the difference between I. pumila and I. Chamæiris. The former has practically no stem and a long perianth tube between the ovary and the flower, while the latter has a stem which is at any rate always longer than the tube.

Colour alone is no guide to specific difference, and both these species may have either yellow or purple flowers. The curious thing is that in some localities there is apparently very little colour variation, while in others every plant seems to be different.
Thus I. Chamaeiris on Mount Coudon behind Toulon is all yellow or yellow flushed with brown, while at Roque-haute on the coast of Herault there is every variation. I. pumila in the Deliblat in Hungary is always purple, while on the Geissberg outside Vienna and on the Dalmatian coast near Zara and Sebenico there is infinite variety.

Many of the plants sold as pumila are in reality Chamæiris, but no one who has once seen the ripe seed-pods of I. pumila will ever again confuse the two species. The capsules are literally on the ground, broad at the base and tapering to a conical point to which is still attached the long, withered perianth tube and the remains of the flower. The ripe capsule splits open, not from the apex, as in I. Chamæiris, but below the apex, as in I. arenaria and in the species of the Regelia group.

I. Chamæiris is found only in South-Eastern France and in Northern Italy I. pumila in Austria and Hungary, Croatia, Greece and Southern Russia.

In Sicily there is a rather delicate species like a large I. Chamæiris, but with the long tube of I. pumila. It looks not unlike a natural hybrid between the two species, but it can hardly be so, because artificial hybrids between them are quite sterile and differ in some slight but well marked details. 
For some unknown reason Balkan Irises have sharply keeled spathes — the green or membranous sheaths in which the buds are contained. There are, in fact, quite a number of Balkan species with keeled spathes, which have counterparts in Western or Central Europe, in which the spathes are either shapeless or merely rounded. Thus I. spuria and I. graminea correspond to I. Sintenisii and I. Urumovii. In the same way the Balkan I. mellita and I. Reichenbachii correspond to I.pumila and I. Chamaeiris. Of both there are yellow and purple forms, which have been described as distinct species. Thus serbica and bosniaca are merely yellow forms of I. Reichenbachii, while balkana and Athoa are purple. I. mellita is dwarf like pumila, but has sharply keeled spathes and is the species of which one variety from Skutari, opposite Constantinople, is in cultivation under the name of rubromarginata. I. Reichenbachii has a stem from 3ins. to 9ins. in height and a comparatively short tube. I. mellita has a long tube and is nearly always stemless.

These four species, pumila and Chamæiris in the west and mellita and Reichenbachii in the Balkans, are never more than a foot in height, and the only other species which are certainly natives of Central Europe seem to be I. aphylla, I. variegata and I. pallida, of all of which there are many local varieties. All those who have grown them know how readily and persistently they all set seeds, while it is comparatively rare to see a pod on any so-called germanica, lurida, flavescens or sambucina, and rarer still to find more than one or two seeds in them.
I. aphylla, as its name implies, loses its leaves entirely in autumn ; so, too, do I. variegata and I. pallida to a very large extent. This is only what we should expect of plants which are natives of countries like Central Europe with a rigorous winter climate.
I. aphylla has a host of synonyms, such as biflora, bisflorens, bohemica, hungarica, furcata, etc., some alluding to its habit of flowering a second time in the early autumn, some to the branching habit of the stem, which forks characteristically below the centre, and others to the various localities in which it is found. It is characteristic, also, of I. aphylla to have spathes of thin membranous texture either wholly green or more or less flushed with purple. The colour of the flowers is usually a deep purple, though both yellow and almost white forms are not unknown.
I. variegata comes from Hungary, Croatia and the Balkans, and is the source of the yellow colour in our garden Bearded Irises. In the wild plant the standards are yellow and the falls more or less closely veined with some shade of brownish purple on a yellow or creamy ground. The spathes are green and remain persistently so, even when the flowers are fully developed.
In I. pallida, on the other hand, they are always wholly scarious or papery, even long before the buds emerge from them. It is interesting to remember that all such plants as sambucina, squalens, lurida and even germanica have spathes which are scarious in the upper part and green or herbaceous in the lower part, an indication that they are hybrids which owe their origin to a cross between a species with herbaceous spathes and a species with scarious spathes.
Another fact, which appears only to have come to light in the last ten or fifteen years, is that in the only two localities where I. variegata and I. pallida are both known to grow wild, namely, near Bozen in the Tyrol and on the Velebit Mountains above Carlopago on the Croatian coast, natural hybrids also occur identical with those to which such names as squalens and sambucina have been given. In such hybrids it is easy to see the struggle for mastery of the purple of pallida and the yellow of variegata. Moreover, it is quite easy to raise these hybrids in our gardens by crossing the two species.
I. germanica is frankly a puzzle. All we know for certain is that it has never been found undoubtedly wild anywhere. Moreover, it is extremely reluctant to set seed under any conditions, and it has a habit of making its new growth in the autumn, which would mean that its foliage would suffer in a continental winter and the plants remain flowerless, as they not uncommonly do even in this country in a season of late frosts and in exposed situations.
Again, there is not one germanica but several. The common form in this country is bluer than those we find in Southern France. The variety Kharput was sent to Foster from the town of that name in Northern Asia Minor and is naturalised near Srinagar in Kashmir, while atropurpurea grows in masses at Beaucaire, opposite Tarascon on the Rhone, and at many other places in the South. Moreover, it was found growing abundantly at Khatmandu in Nepal a hundred years ago! Three years ago I found an Iris growing high up on the rocks between the two arms of Lake Como, in a position where I felt sure it must be wild and not an escape from cultivation. When the plants, which I brought home, flowered they proved to be Kochii, but, unfortunately, they will not set seed, as we should expect them to do if Kochii were a wild species. No form of germanica has been known to reproduce itself from seed. The few seedlings that have been raised are all dwarf plants, resembling I. aphylla more than any other species.
Another puzzle about germanica is that each purple form seems to have a corresponding albino form. The so-called germanica alba is one, another even whiter was found growing by the roadside in Istria, while the well known florentina is another. This is the albino of a slender form of germanica which is used along with pallida in the manufacture of orris root near Florence. Streaks or patches of purple not infrequently occur in flowers of florentina and also in the other albino forms of germanica.
Florentina has nothing whatever to do with I. albicans, which is the albino of the Arabian I. Madonna. I. albicans and I. Madonna can easily be picked out of a collection in winter by their curiously twisted leaves and by the fact that the tips are always browned by the frost. Albicans has been transported all over the world as an ornament for Mohammedan graveyards, while Madonna was only discovered in, and introduced from, South-Eastern Arabia less than twenty years ago.
I. pallida has many local forms. Near Bozen it is a sturdy plant 3ft. high with a stiff stem and very glaucous leaves. In Dalmatia it is much more slender, with either green or glaucous leaves and flowers of every conceivable shade of purple, using that unsatisfactory word in its very widest sense. Ciengialti and Loppio are only two forms among a vast number to be found on the eastern coast of the Adriatic, and the so-called pallida dalmatica is almost certainly of hybrid garden origin and not a native of Dalmatia. It is much nearer to the Bozen form than to anything that grows in Dalmatia. Moreover, it very rarely sets seed and, when it does, gives a long series of variations.
Another old garden plant, flavescens, is similarly almost certainly of hybrid origin. It seldom sets seed and is quite distinct from I. imbricata, with which it has been confused. The latter is a plant from the south-western shores of the Caspian, and was once grown at Kew under the name of obtusifolia. The flowers are of a curious greenish yellow, sometimes streaked with purple, and the spathes are very large, green and inflated. In cultivation a purple-flowered form of it has appeared. Neither flavescens nor imbricata are found growing wild in the Balkans.
I. kashmiriana is a difficult plant to flower in this country. It wants a thorough roasting in summer, and has a purple counterpart, which seldom finds its way beyond the borders of Kashmir. The white form is used for decorative purposes by the natives, as is also albicans, and the purple form is as neglected as I. Madonna.
The so-called plicata can hardly be a wild species. It does not come true from seed, and it is not known to occur in the wild state anywhere. It seems rather to be a seedling or hybrid of I. pallida and is, in fact, a pallida in which there is some factor which prevents the purple colour from spreading all over the segments of the flower. The colour is confined to the veins and usually to the extremities of the veins near the circumference of the petals.
In Asia Minor and in the hill country to the north of Mesopotamia there are undoubtedly several little-known or unknown species of Bearded Iris. Specimens have occasionally been in cultivation, but never apparently for very long, nor has anyone tested their validity as species by raising them from seed. Moreover, the specimens seem always to have come from inhabited areas and not from regions in which it was obvious that they were wild plants. Probably, now that we are once more at peace with Turkey, it will be possible to obtain further specimens and to decide how many species there are.
At present the claims of I. trojana to specific rank seem undeniable. It has a tall branching stem, long, narrow pointed buds and comparatively narrow foliage. It is supposed to have reached the Vienna Botanic Garden from the neighbourhood of Troy, but it is obvious that a plant from such a locality might not necessarily have been a native of it if, as now seems probable, Irises were in cultivation as garden plants when Minos reigned at Cnossus in Crete about 1600 B.C. However, I. trojana seeds readily and reproduces itself with those slight variations in the tone of colour in the flower which we expect to find when raising a species from seed. It is probably to I. trojana that we owe the tall, branching habit of many of the newer hybrids. W.R.D.

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