Showing posts with label Chad Harris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chad Harris. Show all posts

Sunday, August 27, 2023

The American Iris Society Announces the 2023 Payne Medal Winner

'KOTO HARP STRINGS'

The Payne Medal is restricted to Japanese irises (JI). It is named in honor of W. Arlie Payne (1881-1971). W. Arlie Payne was at first especially interested in peonies, but in the late 1920s, he "discovered" Japanese irises. He started hybridizing Japanese irises in 1932. Over the next three and a half decades, he raised many thousands of seedlings. One of the most exceptional aspects of his breeding program was that it was developed in the early years using only six cultivars of the Edo type. Payne took line breeding to a new level of intensity. The American Iris Society awarded Arlie Payne its coveted Hybridizers Medal in 1964. When he died at the age of 90, in 1971, he was universally revered as the world's premier breeder of Japanese irises.

Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

Japanese iris ‘Koto Harp Strings
Photo by Neil Houghton

'Koto Harp Strings' (Chad Harris, R. 2015) Seedling 08JE1. JI (6 falls), Height 48 in. (122 cm), Very late bloom. Style arms white, flared upright white crest edged violet-blue; Falls violet-blue, predominant sharp white ray pattern to within ¼˝ of edge forming a distinct rim, small soft yellow signal. 'Night Angel' X 'Frosted Intrigue'. Introduced by Mt. Pleasant Iris Gardens 2016

The World of Irises blog will be posting classification medal winners as soon as the hybridizers are notified. The entire list of winners, including Award of Merit and Honorable Mention, will be published on the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

The American Iris Society Announces the 2023 Williamson-White Medal Winner

 'BLACK CHERRY SORBET'

The Williamson-White Medal is restricted to miniature tall bearded (MTB) irises. It is named in honor of E. B. Williamson (1877-1933), his daughter Mary Williamson (1909-1987) and Alice White (1886-1969). Although others had introduced irises that fit into the miniature tall bearded iris class before Williamson, he and his daughter were the first to breed them as cultivars in a distinctive class of irises. They were apparently byproducts of breeding for tall bearded irises. In the early 1950s, Alice White of Hemet, California began a crusade to gain recognition for the assets of these wonderful smaller irises. She organized table iris robins and wrote many articles for the AIS Bulletin and gardening magazines promoting their virtues.

Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

Miniature tall bearded iris 'BLACK CHERRY SORBET'
photo by Heather Haley

'Black Cherry Sorbet' (Chad Harris, R. 2015) Seedling 08MTB2. MTB, 22" (56 cm). Early bloom. Standards black cherry-red (RHS 183A); style arms buckskin tan (164B); falls orchid (186C) ground heavily veined black cherry-red (187A); beards bright lemon yellow (13A); slight spicy fragrance. 'Redrock Princess' X 'Butterscotch Wine'. Introduced by Mount Pleasant Iris Farm in 2016.

The World of Irises blog will be posting classification medal winners as soon as the hybridizers are notified. The entire list of winners, including A
ward of Merit and Honorable Mention, will be published on the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.
 

Monday, August 29, 2022

The American Iris Society Announces the 2022 Payne Medal Winner

'FLAMINGO WALTZ'

The Payne Medal is restricted to Japanese irises (JI). It is named in honor of W. Arlie Payne (1881-1971). W. Arlie Payne was at first especially interested in peonies, but in the late 1920s, he "discovered" Japanese irises. He started hybridizing Japanese irises in 1932. Over the next three and a half decades, he raised many thousands of seedlings. One of the most exceptional aspects of his breeding program was that it was developed in the early years using only six cultivars of the Edo type. Payne took line breeding to a new level of intensity. The American Iris Society awarded Arlie Payne its coveted Hybridizers Medal in 1964. When he died at the age of 90, in 1971, he was universally revered as the world's premier breeder of Japanese irises.

Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

Japanese iris with light pink style arms and darker crests, pink falls and yellow signals.
'Flamingo Waltz'
Photo by Chad Harris

'Flamingo Waltz' (Chad Harris, R. 2013) Seedling 00JF1. JI (6 F.), 36 (91 cm), Early bloom. Style arms light pink (RHS 75D), crest darker pink (75B); Falls pink, signal soft lemon-yellow (7B) turning to green in throat. 'Saigyozakura' X 'Hime Kagami'. Introduced by Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm in 2014.

The World of Irises blog will be posting classification medal winners as soon as the hybridizers are notified. The entire list of winners, including Award of Merit and Honorable Mention, will be published on the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Payne Medal Winners

'COLUMBIA DEEP WATER' and 'DALLE WHITEWATER'

The Payne Medal is restricted to Japanese irises (JI). It is named in honor of W. Arlie Payne (1881-1971). W. Arlie Payne was at first especially interested in peonies, but in the late 1920's, he "discovered" Japanese irises. He started hybridizing Japanese in irises in 1932. Over the next three and a half decades, he raised many thousands of seedlings. One of the most exceptional aspects of his breeding program was that it was developed in the early years using only six cultivars of the Edo type. Payne took line breeding to a new level of intensity. The American Iris Society awarded Arlie Payne its coveted Hybridizers Medal in 1964. When he died at the age of 90, in 1971, he was universally revered as the world's premier breeder of Japanese irises.

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and only for this year, two medals will be awarded in each area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

'COLUMBIA DEEP WATER' (Chad Harris)

'Columbia Deep Water' (Chad Harris, R. 2012) Seedling 02JC1. JI (6 F.), 48 (122 cm). Late bloom. Style arms multiple pale blue-violet (RHS 91B), flared upright crests of dark blue-violet (90A); Falls iridescent red-violet with deep blue-violet (88A) undertones, faint neon powder blue-violet (93B) rays radiating from signal to within 1/2" of fall edge; signal bright yellow (5A). 'Night Angel' X 'Frosted Intrigue'. Mt. Pleasant 2013.

'DALLE WHITEWATER' (Chad Harris)

'Dalle Whitewater' (Chad Harris, R. 2010) Seedling 02JC3. JI (6 F.), 48" (122 cm), Late bloom. falls heavily sanded pale blue-violet (RHS 92B), pale ray pattern of pastel blue-violet (92D) extending into faint 1/2" light purple (90C) band, signals off-yellow, slight green cast (3A); style arms multiple upright white, edge and crest medium blue-violet (92A); rolling ruffles. 'Night Angel' X 'Frosted Intrigue'. Salmon Creek 2011.

The World of Irises blog will be posting classification medal winners as soon as the hybridizers are notified. The entire list of winners, including award of merit and honorable mention, will be published in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Founders of SIGNA Medal Winners

'BLUE RIVULETS' and 'SUSHI'

The Founders of SIGNA Medal is restricted to species irises (SPEC) and is named to honor the founding members of the Species Iris Group of North America (SIGNA).

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, two medals will be award in this area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

BLUE RIVULETS (Chad Harris)

'Blue Rivulets' (Chad Harris, R. 2012) Seedling #O7LAK1. SPEC (laevigata), 30 (76 cm). Midseason bloom. Standards white, center blue-violet (RHS 104C) vein; style arms blue-violet, white center line rib, crests same, edged white rim; falls white, blue-violet veins radiating from lemon-yellow signal almost to fall edge. Parentage unknown, seed from SIGNA, 2004, Shimizu. Iris laevigata. Mt. Pleasant 2013.

SUSHI (Jill Copeland)

'Sushi' (Jill Copeland, R. 2013) Seedling #T-1. SPEC, 39 (99 cm). Early midseason bloom. Standards and style arms white (RHS 155B); falls cream to very light yellow (3C to 4D), signal lines violet (83A-83B). I.pseudacorus X self. Ensata 2013.

The World of Irises blog will be posting classification medal winners as soon as the hybridizers are notified. The entire list of winners, including award of merit and honorable mention, will be published in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

Monday, October 26, 2020

On the Road Again: Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm

By Bryce Williamson 

Taking my leave of Aitken’s Salmon Creek, I decided to head back to Highway 14 and up the Columbia River gorge to my next and final stop of the 2019 iris trek to Oregon and Washington. While looking for a good lunch spot, I drove into several of the little towns around the Columbia, found them charming, quaint, and full of interesting small shops, promising to myself that on a less pressured trip I would take time to explore. In one of those little towns, I found busy, ethnic eatery. Looking back, I cannot help but wonder if they will still be in business if and when this horrible Corona 19 pandemic ends?

After getting back on the road, I knew that when Highway 14 narrows from four lanes to two that I was getting close to Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm. Cutting to the left across the highway into the driveway, I waved to Dale, busy mowing grass, I parked as I always do, by the barn, and I first stopped to admire the changes to the nearby pond, and then went down to the garden.

The 2018 trip was highlighted by two things. I enjoyed the large clump of my ‘Jesse’s Song’ integrated into a border. I had saved the image for later use in The American Iris Society’s photo contest, but it did not place.

The second, and more exciting part of the 2019 trip was to see the new iris species ‘Azure Blue’.



Chad, in a recent exchange of emails, reports 'Azure Blue' is alive and that he was able to get seed from it this year, seed that is now planted. I don’t know where Chad Harris gets all his energy to maintain such a large garden, but it is always a treat to visit. One of these days, I will even get to the garden for Japanese iris bloom.

Because the garden is further north and located in an unusual climate pocket along the river, the tall bearded irises tend to bloom later in this garden.




'Belle Fille' 

'Blinded by the Light'

Siberian 'Pretty Polly'

Siberian 'Ships Are Sailing'

'Bingo Marker' MTB

Siberian 'Concord Crush'



'Wishes Granted'

After viewing irises, Chad, Dale, and I sat on the patio and had time for pleasant exchange of ideas and information. Dale is a county official and his insight into dynamics of the area was interesting.

As we were talking, I mentioned that since I had never driven all the way up to Bonneville Dam and that was on the agenda since I was staying at the Best Western Columbia River Inn. That in turn lead to their recommendation that I go back to the Washington side of the river to the town of Stevenson for dinner at a Mexican cantina, El Rio. To get back and forth between Washington and Oregon, it is necessary to cross the Bridge of the Gods.

Bridge of the Gods

But their strongest recommendation was that the next morning I should drive back to Portland Airport on the Oregon side of the gorge on Columbia River Highway Scenic Highway and stop and see the various waterfalls. I took their recommendations to heart and the following images are from that morning’s drive.





Vista House on the scenic highway

Little did I know when I flew home making plans for another trip in 2020, a trip that was not going to happen in these troubled times. I am cautiously hopeful that I will be able to visit next year.



 

 

 

Monday, June 22, 2020

My Love/Hate Affair with Pseudatas

By Bryce Williamson

I had read about pseudatas in the Bulletin of The American Iris Society, but had not grown any. Then at the Region 14 Fall meeting in Chico, a poor, lovely plant of Tsukiyono was cryin' for a home and I thought, "Why not?" Having learned my lesson of buying things and then not planting them, I potted it up and then subjected it to neglect. In fact, at one point, I was certain that I had killed it.

'Tsukiyono'
Chad Harris wrote a post for The World of Irises post, "Iris ensata, Iris laevigata and Pseudata in Containers" and I had an attractive, empty clay pot and decided to try to salvage the variety. After three years, it rewarded me with bloom and I was thinking, "Three buds? I've wasted my time and water."

And then it keep blooming, blooming, and blooming some more.

That encouraged me last year to add more pseudatas to the container garden. Pseudatas are, as Chad Harris writes, “...a cross between plants with Iris pseudacorus backgrounds and Iris ensata (Japanese, Hanashobu). The iris world is very fortunate that Hiroshi Shimizu shared many years of his work finding a good pod parent (‘Gubijin’) so all hybridizers could explore the possibilities that this cross may bring to the garden."

Though I have a true Mediterranean garden--the soil goes dry during the summer between waterings--I am finding these irises have a definite place in the pageant color in the yard (or in this case pot) after bearded irises are finished. Give them a try. If you don't have a area in the garden that stays damp, you can grow a few in pots and use them as an accent on a patio or walk.

My thanks to Brock Heilman and Chad Harris for the theft of images!





Tuesday, August 27, 2019

2019 Payne Medal


The American Iris Society
Announces
The Payne Medals 2019
'Cascade Rain'
'Indigo Angel'

The 2019 Payne Medal is a tie:

'Cascade Rain'--image by Chad Harris

'Cascade Rain' (Chad Harris, R. 2007) Sdlg. 02JH1. JI (3 F.), 40" (102 cm), Midseason late bloom. Standards white sharply edged purple (RHS 86A), lightly stippled same; style arms white edged light blue-violet (93D), large upright crest washed same blue-violet; Falls white ground heavily stippled blue violet (89B), blue violet wash covering ¾ of petal intensifying to sharp ¼? blue violet edge, yellow green (2A) signal. 'Hekiun' X 'Peacock Strut'. Aitken, Mt. Pleasant 2008. Award of Merit 2015

'Indigo Angel'--image by Ensata Gardens

'Indigo Angel' (Bob Bauer and John Coble, R. 2011) Sdlg. J02H-1. JI (6 F.), 36 (91 cm), Midseason bloom. Style arms dark purple, slight light rim on crests, upright form; Falls white ground sanded with blue-violet halo and veins, veins turning red-violet at ends fading into red-violet edges, white wire rim. 'Night Angel X 'Sapphire Crown'. Ensata 2011. Honorable Mention 2014, Award of Merit 2017

This medal is restricted to Japanese irises (JI). It is named in honor of W. Arlie Payne (1881-1971). W. Arlie Payne was at first interested in peonies, but in the late 1920's, he "discovered" Japanese irises. He started hybridizing Japanese in irises in 1932. Over the next three and a half decades, he raised many thousands of seedlings. One of the most exceptional aspects of his breeding program was that it was developed in the early years using only six cultivars of the Edo type. Payne took line breeding to a new level of intensity. The American Iris Society awarded Arlie Payne its coveted Hybridizers Medal in 1964. When he died at the age of 90, in 1971, he was universally revered as the world's premier breeder of Japanese irises.

The World of Irises blog will be posting once a day all of the medal winners. The entire list of winners can be found at the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

2019 Founders of SIGNA Medal

The American Iris Society
Announces
The Founders of SIGNA Medal
'Lakeside Ghost'

This medal is restricted to species irises (SPEC) and is named to honor the founding members of the Species Iris Group of North American (SIGNA).

'Lakeside Ghost'--image by Chad Harris

'Lakeside Ghost' ( Chad Harris, R. 2011) Seedling #07LAK3. SPEC (I. laevigata), 37 (94 cm). Midseason bloom. Style arms smoky red-violet (RHS 83C), crests pale blue-violet (92C); falls (6) pale blue-violet randomly speckled dark blue-violet (93B) giving smoky blue-violet effect. Parentage unknown, seed from SIGNA 04 Shimizu. Aitken's Salmon Creek 2012. Honorable Mention 2015, Award of Merit 2017.

The World of Irises blog will be posting once a day all of the medal winners. The entire list of winners can be found at the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.




Tuesday, January 1, 2019

2018's Top Blog Posts


2018 In Review

The last year was an important one for The World of Irises. In late October, our number of views passed one million, a significant milestone. During the year, we have had posts of all types of irises. It is useful to look back and note the most viewed The World of Irises posts. Here are the top ten for 2018.

If you missed any of these blog posts, just click on the title and it will load the article for you.

The most viewed post of the years was "Talking Irises" - THE 2018 TALL BEARDED IRIS BLOOM SEASON: A SPECTACULAR SHOW! By Susanne Holland Spicker. This was a guest post and we miss Susanne’s colorful articles as she had been on a sabbatical from writing.

Image by Susanne Holland Spicker


That post was followed by “Photo Essay: A Visit to Schreiner's Iris Gardens” By Mike Unser.

Next was Tom Waters’s important post about the complicated issues of fertilizing:  “Fertilizing Irises.” This post lead to many serious discussions and some of us have changed our gardening habits based on its information.

Tom Walter’s post about fertilizing was followed in views by Keith Keppel’s “New Color Combinations in Plicatas, part 2."

Bryce Williamson’s post about the new and yet unnamed iris species was next: "New Iris Species Azure Blue."

Next in line was Ginny Spoon's post about East Coast reblooming irises: "Reblooming Iris: A Love Affair." 

That was followed by Chad Harris’s article “Iris Ensata,Iris Laevigata, and Pseudota in Containers.”

And rounding out the top ten viewed posts of 2018 was Keith Keppel’s part 1 of “New Color Combinations In Plicatas.”




Monday, April 30, 2018

Quest for Pink I. ensata


by Chad Harris

The quest for a strong pink Iris ensata has been a breeding goal for many modern hybridizers. The Iris ensata pink is a pastel violet as there are only three colors found with this iris to work with; violet-blue, violet-red, and Alba (white). This color is most notable in the iris garden when compared to a true pink rose seen side by side with the iris.


Many problems with this color line are plaguing us due to previous breeding’s in Japan; most evident is from the Ise line. This line of breeding has given us good clear pastel pink tones. However, the plants were bred to be shorter with their blooms lower than the foliage height. The flower form of the Ise style also is problematic with drooping falls found normally with very little substance.

A row of seedlings all blooming down in the foliage

 
A more modern hybridizer of Japan that worked with pinks gave us some bright colored flowers with substance. However his selection of plants has given us a stumbling block of poor plant performance, by purposely selecting weaker plants. As there were no records kept, no one knows why he did this.

Many hybridizers in the United States have recently introduced clearer pinks with strong growth habits, displaying the blooms above the foliage. I regret not showing photos of these at this time as they are still in the American Iris Society’s award system.

The following are some older pink iris’ that can be readily found on the open market for your garden.  Many are the same that I started with in my own breeding program over thirty-five years ago with a quest for pink. Which is your favorite?

 'Coho' (Harris 2005)

 'Dirigo Pink Milestone' (White 2000)

 'Geishunka' (Mitsuda Reg. by SJI 1995)

 'Hime Kagami' (Hirao 1976)

 'Honour' (McEwen 2001)

 'Joy Peters' (Ackerman1990)

'Joy Peters' (Ackerman1990)

'Pink Dimity' (Reid 1987)

 'Pinkerton' (Bauer-Coble 1999)

 'Reisyun' (Shimizu 1996)

 'Saigyozakura' (Mitsuda 1986)

Satozakura (Kamo 1993)

All images by Chad Harris

Monday, February 5, 2018

Iris ensata, Iris laevigata and Pseudata in Containers

By Chad Harris

Iris ensata and laevigata have been cultivated with container culture for centuries. In Japan several different flower forms and indoor display regulations were specifically formatted for container growing of Iris ensata. You may also find that growing these water lovers and the new hybrid “Pseudata” in containers easier, as you will have better control of the rich moist soils that they demand.

Soils: A good soilless container potting medium should be used. Here at Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm we use ‘Miracle-Grow’ with 6 month feeding. We use it not only for the patio container, but also for the germination of the seed of our breeding lines.

Container: A one gallon container is the minimum, for a single or double fan plant. This will keep the plant for one growing season, requiring yearly transplanting.


One gallon containers need to be transplanted yearly for the health of your plant and container.

I highly recommend that a larger container be used; three to five gallon will be optimum for two to three year growing seasons. Note that the size of containers for starting seed is a one half gallon.


Seedlings in half gallon containers.

The seedlings are grown for one to two years in this size before being transplanted out to the field.
Light: Full sun with a minimum of six hours to bloom properly. Areas with more intense sun and or heat will find that morning sun and afternoon shade will benefit both the plant and the bloom. While the plant wants to be in the sun the root zone needs to be kept cool. With a large collection this can be achieved placing the containers close to each other while shading the outside containers with planks boxing them in. The smaller collection the shading can be achieved by double potting.



Shading the poly container by double potting.

Placing the smaller container into a larger heavier decorative ceramic container, this is the method that we use on our patio. One could also use a very large decorative container that could hold several smaller poly or plastic containers. A clump look with many different varieties can be achieved without mixing them up, losing their names.


Iris ensata in containers.

Water: These plants are water lovers and should not dry out, keep evenly moist. During the summer this may demand a daily watering. A deep tray filled with water will allow the plant to stay completely hydrated for longer periods of time. For larger collections a child’s wading pool could be used, or a box made of planks lined with a pool liner. Drill holes into the sides one to two inches from the bottom for overflow drainage. The rhizome of the plant should be above the waterline, this is critical for Iris ensata especially during the winter months. Iris laevigata can grow with its crown under water with two inches covering; however it is best to start the new plant above the waterline to help prevent rot. You can gradually submerge the plant after new growth appears. Pseudata (being half Iris ensata) I would play it safe and would grow as Iris ensata, with the rhizome above the waterline.


Iris ensata in containers.

Fertilizer: Use a slow release for acid loving plants mixed into the potting mix. Or use a water-soluble and add directly to the water. Do not use Bone Meal in any application as this will change the PH and can kill these acidic loving plants.

Iris  laevigata in patio containers.

Transplanting: Repot right after bloom, discarding the old soil, roots, and rhizome. The new rhizomes are in a full growth mode at this time through the summer and fall until the winter sets in.


First frost: time to cut the foliage back.

Winter Care: After a light freeze, cut all of the foliage off at container level. Mild winter areas (USDA Zone 8-9) containers can remain out in the pools and or above ground. Colder climates the containers should be lifted from the flooding pools or trays and buried in a prepared bed with a good mulch cover. In the spring return the containers to the flooding pool, lightly fertilize after new growth starts to appear.

For the many that have tried to grow these water lovers in their garden and have failed, give container growing a try. It is definitely easier to maintain their demanding cultural needs of a rich moist soil. You may also be able to push the envelope of where they have not been grown before surprising your iris club at your next show. Give one a try.