by Jean Richter
Black Hope (Austin 1963)
Lloyd Austin is no longer with us, but we have a rich
legacy in the things he left behind: the treasure trove of information in his
catalogs, and the beauty of his iris. Austin’s catalogs were unique in the iris
world – jam-packed with text and filled with pictures, they were equal parts
encyclopedic knowledge and corny hucksterism. Some of his claims were a bit
grandiose (some of those supposedly flat iris never managed to bloom as flat in
the garden as they did in the pictures), but one can forgive a bit of
exaggeration given the sheer volume of information he provided.
He gave detailed descriptions, printed accurate pictures,
gave extensive information about culture and bloom seasons, and put in a
delightful array of “secret variety games” to enable sharp-eyed customers to
get additional discounts. The addition of color to his catalogs in 1952 added
another dimension to the information available. For many aril enthusiasts, the
pictures in his catalogs were the best indicators of what these rare iris
should look like. In fact, even today some of his catalog pictures are the best
available images of varieties long vanished from commerce. The color
reproduction in these catalogs was for the most part quite accurate, with the
notable exception of green iris. Many a budding iris enthusiast got a bit of a
letdown when ‘Green Pastures’ bloomed with a color considerably more drab than
the gaudy bright green it’s portrayed as in Austin’s catalogs.
Austin’s catalogs were particularly helpful to hybridizers.
He was very encouraging to would-be hybridizers, giving parentage and fertility
information (particularly for arils and arilbreds), selling hybridizing kits,
hybridizing manuals, and even iris seed.
In the end, however, it is Lloyd Austin’s iris introductions
themselves that provide his most enduring legacy. Sadly, many of the aril and
arilbred iris he collected or hybridized for introduction are no longer
available. Many of the extant varieties require the usual amount of careful
culture common to this group of iris, though ‘Turkish Topaz’ (1962) is a happy
exception to this general rule. A collected regelia hybrid, it grows and blooms
for me with no special care, and grows so well for Superstition Iris Gardens
that it practically naturalizes there.
Turkish Topaz (Austin 1962)
More of his reblooming varieties remain in commerce, and I
have had very good growth and rebloom from a number of them, including ‘Winter
Flame,’ ‘Rip Van Winkle,’ and ‘Dark Mystery’ (1962). Those space age iris that
so entranced me that day at Bluebird Haven have a somewhat undeserved
reputation for poor growth. While some of his introductions do require a bit of
coddling to succeed, I have had very good growth and bloom from ‘Unicorn’ (the one that started it all), ‘Horned
Flamingo’ (1963), ‘Pink Unicorn,’
‘Horned Rosyred,’ ‘Horned Rubyfalls,’ and ‘Flounced Premiere’ (1961).
Horned Flamingo (Austin 1963)
Lest we forget, Lloyd Austin also introduced a large number
of regular old tall bearded iris. I have had very good success with a number of
these as well, including one of his best known introductions, ‘Tangerine
Carnival’ (1957), the impressive ‘Black Sultan’ (1966), and the free-blooming,
large-flowered ‘Crimson Colossus’ (1963).
Black Sultan (Austin 1966)
Crimson Colossus (Austin 1963)
Even if you’re a staunch space-ager-hater, there are many
Lloyd Austin introductions you might enjoy growing – give some a try!
Spooned Lace (Austin 1963)
If you would like a PDF of a scanned Lloyd Austin catalog,
email me at jeanmarierichter@gmail.com -- we've scanned a number of his catalogs,
and several of his manuals.
[This article appeared in somewhat different form in Roots
-- The Journal of the Historic Iris Preservation Society, Spring 2008, and the
American Iris Society Region 14 Bulletin, Summer 2016]
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