Showing posts with label iris hybridizers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iris hybridizers. Show all posts

Monday, July 18, 2022

Smokin Heights New Introductions 2022

by Mel and Bailey Schiller

The rains have arrived. It is so nice to have a few muddy patches around our garden. We are forever thankful for the natural rainfall we receive. The weeds are growing, and the pastures around our house are greening up with grain crops and pasture paddocks. 

The irises we replanted in April are starting to show signs of growth. Also, weeds seem to like this newly planted area! Here we offer a peek at our new Smokin’ Heights introductions for the coming season. Our family is proud of these hybrids and hopes you admire them like we do.



'Haunts My Soul' TB (B. Schiller 2022)

'Haunts My Soul' was registered in 2020 and was scheduled for release in 2020, but we accidentally threw out half of the stock thinking it was a not-so-nice sibling. But, never mind…onward and upward.

E41-1: ('Italian Master' X 'Captain Thunderbolt') TB (M. Schiller 2022)

We fell in love with this seedling at first sight. It has the same pattern as ‘Captain Thunderbolt’, but in maroon colouring! Name applied for is  'Zoophonic Dancer'.

E23-3: (('Sassy Talk' sib x 'Power and Design' pod parent sib) X 'Woven Sunlight') TB (B. Schiller 2022)

This one will not go unnoticed in the garden; you can see it from a mile away. It is like a beacon of light! Name applied for is 'Equally Wild'.

E23-6: (('Sassy Talk' sib x 'Power and Design' pod parent sib) X 'Woven Sunlight') TB (B. Schiller 2022)

A sibling to 'Equally Wild', this is Bailey's favourite of the cross because of the high contrast between the ground colour and plicata edge. Name applied for is 'Fancy Like'.

E23-11: (('Sassy Talk' sib x 'Power and Design' pod parent sib) X 'Woven Sunlight') TB (B Schiller 2022)

Bailey had great success with this cross. The pod produced some very different seedlings. This was another that was too good not to introduce. Bailey loves the green tones to an iris as the colouring is very different. He likes different! Name applied for is 'Sandsear Storm'.

F50-6: (Blyth A117-1 X 'Boston Cream') TB (B. Schiller 2022)
A delightful broken-coloured plicata. Of course, this is another example of “different" as far as irises are concerned. Splotches, dots and blotches...what is not to love? Name applied for is 'Lunacy'.

E14-1: ('Emblematic' X Blyth Z85-:('Tender Heart' sib x sib) TB (B. Schiller 2022)
A very tasteful iris in the perfect colour! Form is awesome. Name applied for is 'She Be Magic'.

E37-3:('Volcanic Glow' X 'Inside Job') TB (M Schiller 2022)
A sibling to last year's 'Nordic Lover', worthy of introduction this year. Hot summer tones in colouring in a very unique luminata-plicata pattern. Name applied for is 'Deva Summer'.

Looking over the field, it appears the growth is very slow at the moment when compared to the same time last year. We are expecting a big year with both first- and second-year seedlings blooming. We are already seeing some bloom stalks in the second-year plantings which have not been replanted. We cannot wait for spring!
 

Monday, May 16, 2022

This N That

by Mel and Bailey Schiller

Time has run away from us these past months, and I realized it is our turn for a World of Irises blog post. Last week was a blur. We replanted around five acres of iris rhizomes and hired some help to get the job done. It was amazing to complete in seven days what normally stretches over months!

With that hard task behind us, we would like to share some of the reselect seedlings from the past season. Some of these hopeful varieties could be registered and introduced in the future. 

-
C188-1
(‘Seeking Attention’ x Y105-B)

Oh yeah! This bloom is the epitamy of why Bailey hybridizes. Broken coloured flat seedling....the only goal in his mind! This seedling is a good start in the right direction. 

  H63-B

The seedlings re-selected are awesome for their first bloom: excellent branching, height, colour, bud count, and growth habit. We won't have a lot of work to do if they keep growing and blooming like this! 

H14-F
(‘Chaos Theory’ x ‘Fiasco’)

Bailey is making wonderful progress on diversifying flat, novelty irises. The colours that are starting to come through are amazing—this is one to watch!

H163-3

This seedling has intrigued us since its maiden bloom. The standards are a particular draw with the odd blotchy placement of the unusual spots. This past season we have used this particular iris in our hybridizing. We hope to germinate seeds.

 
I118-1
(‘Shaman's Magic’ x ‘Onlooker’)

We have also taken a fancy to arilbred irises. We love them and are striving to introduce our very own into this range. This particular cross only had the one bloom this past season, but we look forward to seeing more of this one next season. 

F8-4
(‘Dark Matter’ SDB x ‘Leopard Print’ SDB)

This little cutie looks like it may shape up to be a broken coloured SDB. We noticed it blooming and it gets to stay for another season.

Last season we experienced the unbelievable loss of my son and Bailey's brother. This season has been a blur and photos have not been the best quality. We hope for a much better season all around in 2022. 

We are also organizing seeds and cross tags from 2021. We managed to successfully produce over 180 crosses that will be planted into germination boxes over the next couple of weeks.  It is still incredibly warm here with next to no rain in sight. The seed will be going straight into boxes and we will water them daily from there. They stay outdoors to get exposure to cold temperatures, frost and hopefully some natural rainfall. 

In 2022, our work at Smokin Heights will be part of the National Iris Convention. It is being held in South Australia and our garden will be on tour Sunday. (Albeit the garden is open every weekend through October for those wishing to pay us a visit.) We sincerely look forward to your company.

Here in the Southern Hemisphere, winter is on its way sooner or later. We look forward to opening Facebook and seeing all the wonderful posts of iris photos from all over the Northern Hemisphere. We are blessed that telecommunications have advanced so far so we can share experiences between countries. 

Happy blooming season everyone!












 







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Monday, March 14, 2022

Smokin Heights Top 10 Bearded Iris Varieties for 2022

 by Mel and Bailey Schiller

This past season has seen many downs compared to the ups in our life.  We are having "first anniversaries" of my son and Bailey's brother Braiden's passing in late September, 2021. Iris season will never be the same again. On March 5th, we celebrated what would of been Braiden's 26th birthday. As a family we are on an emotional roller coaster, yet life must go on.

Bailey and I have had the irises to occupy our minds for the season. We have done our very best to cope. However, photos are lacking, information is lacking .... Some days it is just too much. The ground is extremely dry and dusty. Autumn weather suggests that winter won't be too far away. We're having extremely cool to mild days with cool evenings. Daylight-saving time will be coming to an end in April. We have started to re-plant the seedlings and will push on to finish before it gets too cold.

As in prior years, we produced a record number of irises which were our best sellers from this past season. We concluded sales as Bailey is back at university and we need all the time we have available to replant our seedlings and our main field.

The following are the top ten bearded irises from our sales list for season 2021/2022.  I must say we were shocked to see the increased sales of border bearded and intermediate bearded irises in the listing! As Australian iris growers and hybridizers, we advise our customers in selecting plants well suited to their growing conditions. Some parts of our beautiful country get hit with extreme wind, and the median-sized border and intermediate irises are perfect for spring colour in these adverse conditions. Some gardeners do not have a protected garden where everything can be successfully planted and thrive. Each of us must find the right plants and work with what we have to create our little piece of heaven at home. 

We shall begin at number ten and work our way to the top-selling iris at number one:


Number 10 - 'Coralina' is a delectable tall bearded iris bred by Thomas Johnson and registered in 2014. We love this peach-toned iris with all its gorgeous ruffling. It produces stunning clumps of bloom in spring.


Number 9 - Tall bearded iris 'Celtic Tartan' is a pretty luminata introduced by Keith Keppel in 2015 This pretty iris is an easy grower; and for those who love the luminata pattern, it is a favourite!


Number 8 - 'But Darling is a beautifully formed tall bearded iris introduced by Schreiners in 2016. It performs beautifully in our garden and makes a statement. Visitors to the garden comment regularly on the beauty of this iris.


Number 7 - Border bearded iris 'Boy Genius' was introduced by Joe Ghio in 2012. This would have to be a favourite amongst our collection of border bearded irises at Smokin Heights. We think this iris is stunning!


Number 6 -  In 2003, Barry Blyth put forth intermediate iris 'Romeo's Passion.' This little beauty is our  favourite red IB. The silkiness of the bloom draws your eye. In a large clump it is stunning!


Number 5 - 'Kissed By Fire' (Mel Schiller 2019) is a easy grower that puts on a gorgeous display! Bailey and I were unsure when I introduced this iris, purely because the breeding was a little older than the others I had bred. We are glad we went with our gut instincts and introduced it. It has proven to win gardeners' hearts over and over!  


Number 4 -  We love the banding on the falls of  tall bearded 'Trill Ride' (M. Sutton 2015). The great depth of colour shines through. It has proven to be a fantastic growing variety that produces large rhizomes quickly. 


Number 3 - The unusual smokiness of this blue orchid-pink 'Dragon Kiss' (Barry Blyth 2013/14) wins gardeners over every time. Oh, and we have discovered people love collecting irises purely for the names. People who collect dragon-themed things add this one to their collections time and time again!


Number 2 - Tall bearded 'Beside Myself' (Barry Blyth 2016/17) is a pretty plicata with large blooms. It has wormed its way into gardeners' hearts. Gardeners don't always want a solid-coloured iris. Plicatas are definitely a top choice to add variety to the garden colour scheme. 


Number 1 - 'A Certain Girl' was the most popular iris sold at Smokin Heights for season 2021/2022 . This exquisite iris was introduced by Barry Blyth in 2018. A tall bearded, it has gorgeous yummy colouring for the romantic cottage garden look. In our garden it gets extremely windy and as it is a tall stemmed variety it can topple easily.  This past season it put on a wonderful early display with plenty of growth.  


We would like to thank our followers, customers, friends, and most of all the gardeners of Australia for trusting and believing in Smokin Heights to deliver our product throughout Australia. We thank those who have lifted our spirits in times of despair, who have messaged, phoned or emailed, sending uplifting powerful messages, and those who have given warm hugs and just been there for us this past season. 

We thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. We look forward to enjoying photos of irises blooming in the Northern Hemisphere and to one day returning to the U.S.A for iris season!  

Monday, February 3, 2020

ITALIAN IRISES, GREAT AT LAST!


By Sylvain Ruaud

Italian iris hybridizers have in recent years done more interesting work, which is also the case for French hybridizers. Augusto Bianco gradually elevated his business to the rank of the most important in Europe, and has distinguished himself several times in major competitions. People like Luigi Mostosi, Roberto Marucchi, Lorena Montanari and Tiziano Dotto have been joined by young people eager to find their place in the sun. At the commercial level, several new specialized nurseries have opened up these last few years, which shows the growing appetite of Italians for iris. We will try to explain how Italy procured its current place in the world of irises.
 
'Mew Pizzica"--image by Augusto Bianco
At first, that is to say in the years after the second world war, Italy created a place quite original. Whilst elsewhere in the world hybridizers were becoming aware of the need to register their varieties via AIS, in Italy it wasn’t the case. Hybridization was the prerogative of some great aristocrats who saw it as a hobby that could enhance the beauty of their gardens. Their creations were hard to come by and they did not see the need to formalize their introductions via registration, so it was an activity much more for fun than scientific or even commercial. They were few, these gardeners who practiced hybridization. The first was Mary Senni, a lady of American descent who married Count Giulio Senni in 1907 and who, in the 30s to 50s, played a prominent role in public dissemination of information on the progress of iris hybridization in Europe and the United States through the articles she published in the Journal Il Giardino Fiorito. Countess Senni was in close contact with the most important breeders of the time, so that in 1931 a variety was dedicated to her by the French breeder Millet. She practiced hybridization in her Roman garden and her own varieties were favorably received by connoisseurs.


Later, several other ladies followed suit. Starting with Gina Sgaravitti. She made herself known with 'Beghina' which could be found in many European gardens. Of Venetian origin, her marriage with Teresio Sgaravitti brought her to Rome where she had to look after a large garden. Over the years, the garden became a sort of nursery, with even a catalog exclusively devoted to iris. Flaminia Goretti, wife of George Specht, dedicated her life to iris and it is thanks to her, in large part, that the Florence Iris Garden, the International Competition and the Italian Iris Society was created. Nita Radicati, wife of Stross, took part in the creation of Iris Garden of Florence and directed the Review "Il Giardino Fiorito". Together with her friend G.G. Bellia, she is behind the creation of the San Bernardino di Trana Experimental Garden, near Turin, which has since become the Giardino Botanico Rea, houses a superb collection of historical irises and has just been rehabilitated. Those who are interested in literature may know the Italian writer Italo Calvino, whose story "The Baron Perched" has toured the world. Many people do not know that his mother, Eva Mameli Calvino, made her name in the field of botany and, in particular, in the field of irises. During the 30s - 50s she devoted a large number of articles to them in the Journal Il Giardino Fiorito. She also experimented with hybridization, even sending many of her new seedlings to the new Florence Competition she helped launch. These ladies have remained very little known outside the small circle of Italian iridophiles, and this situation is largely due to the fact that, until recently, hybridization was, in Italy, considered a hobby, practiced by intellectuals and others in high society.

To make the connection between the beginning of iris hybridization and the modern period, I only see Giuseppe Giovanni Bellia, a Turinese iris lover, and a part time hybridizer. His unregistered introductions were spread from the 1960s to the 1980s with varieties that remained confidential and only present in some precious Italian collections.
  
The emergence of Augusto Bianco, occurred in the early 1990s when we see iris hybridization taking off.

Nevertheless, Italian varieties have long been reserved for hobbiest for their country of origin. They had trouble making themselves known beyond the Alps. My garden has for a long time been proud to have many new Bianco irises, acquired through friendly exchanges. Many of these irises were never recorded due to all kinds of reasons (fragile plants, flowers without much interest, colors fading rapidly in the sun...), but after this period the most successful iris then had a European destiny, even global. The triumph of 'Vento di Maggio' (2011) at the Florence competition in 2013 is the culmination of an already long career for Bianco, marked by solid and elegant varieties.
 
'Vento di Maggio'--image by Augusto Bianco
The awakening of Italy was first manifested in 1999 when 'Settimo Cielo' (V. Romoli, 1999) took the lead over the American iris 'Swingtown' in the Florentine competition.

Several other breeders have also made themselves known by collecting additional awards in the Florence competition.

Here is the list, from 1996 to 2003:

                      Antonella Affortunati : 'Samuele' ; 'Bagnolo' ; 'Battiloro' ; 'Capoliveri'
                      Mauro Bertuzzi : 'Nebbia di Romagna' ; 'Recondita Armonia' (2) ; 'Fiore di Maggio' ; 'Macedonia' ; 'Notte di Lugo' ; 'Anemico'
                      Tiziano Dotto : 'Egeo'
                      Stefano Gigli : 'San Giovanni' ; 'Castelfranco' ; 'Viola di Nuovo' ; 'Ale Viola' (2) ; 'Amico Mio' ; 'Barbablu' ; 'Tramonto' ; 'Vinaccia'
                      Roberto Marucchi : 'Libarna' ; 'Sorriso di Alice' ; 'Cheyenne my Dog' (2); 'Mattinata Fiorentina'
                      Lorena Montanari : 'Valeria Romoli' ; 'Fratello Sole' ; 'Ballerina Silhouette'
                      Luigi Mostosi : 'Citta di Bergamo' ; 'Traffic Light’
                      Stefano Paolin : 'Vymarna'
                      Valeria Romoli : 'Buongiorno Aprile' ; 'Verde Luna' ; 'Celeste Aïda' ; 'Zefiro Rosa'; 'Agrodolce' ; 'Luna Rossa'
                      Leonardo Urbinati : 'Montefiore'
                      S. Volani : 'Tabarro'
 
'Ballet Silhouette'--image by Christina Cosi
Since 2003, Italian breeders have expanded in numbers and established themselves well in the competition for the Fiorino d'Or

  • Mauro Bertuzzi (see above) : 'Tenue Tenerezza' ; 'Aria di Maggio'
  • Angelo Bolchi : 'Lingua di Drago' ; 'Voglio Tempo'
  •  Davide Dalla Libera : seedling DAL 758-4/7 ; seedling DAL 08-4/2 ; 'Spicy Violet' ; 'Red Surge'
  • Tiziano Dotto (see above) : 'Sara' ; 'Esabella' ; 'Baba Jaga' ; 'Almast'
  • Angelo Garanzini : 'Pietra Focaia' ; 'Anima Cara' (3) ; 'Rubizzo' ; 'Anima Triste'
  •  Simone Luconi : 'Lucomone I°' ; 'Donella G.'
  • Roberto Marucchi (see above) : seedling U 39-1
  •  Lorena Montanari (see above) : seedling 7/06 A ; 'Come un Uragano' ; 'La Vita e' Bella' ; 'Buon Compleano' ; 'Il Canto delle Sirene'
  •  Valeria Negri : 'Notte Profumata'
  •  Stefano Paolin (see above) : 'Canto del Cherubino'



For a long time, confined to their Florentine competition, the Italian breeders have only recently tried to make themselves known internationally, and their irises have been brilliantly represented elsewhere in Europe. This is how Angelo Garanzini's 'Cielo Alto' ranked second in Paris in 2015.

The long list above proves that in Italy, now, irises have reached an important level. And this is confirmed by the fact that several new nurseries have opened recently, which shows that it is not only professionals (or semi-professionals), but that the general public is also interested.
Nevertheless, it remains a good idea to suggest that all hybridizers take systematic registration of new varieties to heart, as many of the ones mentioned here have still remained in anonymity.

(1) See my previous column.

(2) Varieties receiving an additional award (1996/2012):

1997 = 'Piero Bargellini'
1998 = 'Te alla Pesca'
2000 = 'Rosa Vanitosa'
2001 = 'Marcel Hayat'
2003 = 'Bianca Micheletta';
2004 = 'Dolce Acqua'; 'Dragone'
2005 = 'Tango Bond'
2009 = 'Certosino'; 'Ci Sei';
2011 = 'Tenebroso'; 'Sahariana'

Subsequently the following varieties have been awarded:

2017 = 'Tropical Delizia'; 'Campo di Marte'; 'Rosso di Sera'
2018 = 'Mille Tre'; 'Mille Due'; 'Valdarno'; 'Long Play'.
 
'Long Play'--image by Augusto Bianco
(3) Winner of the "Premio Firenze"





Monday, September 30, 2019

THE ITALIAN LADIES


By Sylvain Ruaud


In Italy iris hybridizing is not a new activity. But as you are about to find out, over the years it has taken its own — very original — dimension. Everywhere else in Europe it is men who have dedicated their lives to irises, certainly with enthusiasm and passion, but also as a legitimate business concern. In Italy, women were the ones to start the work. Primarily as a hobby, but secondarily to ensuring sustainability. Many of us have long ignored what was happening beyond the Alps during the first half of the twentieth century. And that may have been kept a mystery if it wasn’t for a recent Bulletin by the Società Italiana dell'Iris. I read an article written by Patrizia Verza Ballesio that brings attention to the mystery about these ladies. I do not read italian enough to be able to make a true translation of this article, but at least I understand enough to satisfy my curiosity, especially since reading the little book "Iris tra Botanica e Storia" I had already learned a little more. Here are the portraits of these women hybridizers so little known.
Mary Senni


In the collection of Parc Floral de Vincennes in Paris I discovered a variety of tall bearded iris called 'Verlaine' by Mary Senni. This beautiful flower in bronze tones pleased me, but I was even more taken by the name of the hybridizer. Who was this Mary Senni? I figured that this person was someone known by hybridizer Armand Millet, in 1931, since he chose this name for one of his novelty irises: 'Mary Senni' is a charming pale purple iris, very feminine in appearance.




Thanks to Signora Ballesio for giving us a brief portrait of this great lady. "Mary Gayley (1884-1972), of American descent, married Count Giulio Senni in 1907. In her garden called Grottaferrata she cultivated mostly roses and irises. During the 30s to 50s, she played a prominent role in publicizing information on the progress of iris hybridization in Europe and the United States through articles she published in the magazine "Il Giardino Fiorito". She was in close contact with the most important hybridizers of the time, so much so that Millet in 1931 dedicated one of his irises to her. At the same time, she practiced hybridization herself in her Roman garden. In 1937 she managed to create an international iris competition in Rome, which was quickly interrupted by the war.” Known and appreciated in Britain where her articles were often published, the British Iris Society awarded her in 1959 the Foster Memorial Plaque for her contribution to the advancement of knowledge of the genus Iris.
Gina Sgaravitti


I was eager to know who Gina was. For twenty years I cultivated the variety 'Beghina' knowing nothing else than the name of its creator. This is what Patrizia Verza Ballesio says about her: "Angela Perocco, known as Gina (1907-1995) is of Venetian origin. Her marriage to Teresio Sgaravitti brought her to Rome where she had to look after a large garden that over the years was to become full of irises and roses.” She became a producer of perennials and even created a catalog exclusively devoted to irises called "Iris di Via Appia," it presented a wide choice of the best American and French irises of the 40s and 50s as well as a dozen of the owner's personal seedlings. She was a very organized hybridizer who meticulously noted the coordinates of her irises and their location in a garden — despite the years, they remained identifiable.

Flaminia Specht
The name Flaminia Specht first came to my attention when I read the winners of the 1973 Florence Competition and her 'Rosso Florentino' was awarded the Golden Florin. Her maiden name was Flaminia Goretti (1905-2004) and her husband's name was George Specht. (1) "She devoted her life to the iris and the results of her efforts are still appreciated today; it was thanks to her determination and tenacity, combined with that of another Italian-American, Nita Stross, that the Iris Garden of Florence, the International Competition and the Italian Iris Society were created. Many of her irises, such as 'Ala d'Oro', 'Napoleone', 'Chianti', 'Zabaione' have been present for years in the catalog Guido Degl'Innocentis.


Nita Stross


The name of Nita Stross, born Radicati, (1910-1995) is firmly attached to many activities related to irises. Including the creation, in the property of her husband, of the Garden of Mugnano. She added the importation of American varieties and the distribution of a mail-order catalog "The Iris of Mugnano" distributed in the 60s. She took part in the creation of the Iris Garden of Florence and the direction of the magazine "Il Giardino Fiorito." She joined her friend G.G. Bellia in the creation of the San Bernardino di Trana Experimental Garden, near Turin, which has since become the Giardino Botanico Rea, which houses a superb collection of historical irises.

Her dedication to the iris world are remarkable, including the creation of her own varieties. They were rather numerous and one of them, 'Il Cigno', a beautiful white iris, won in 1963 the second prize of the International Competition of Florence. Many of her irises were used by another 60s Italian breeder, Giuseppe Giovanni Bellia.
Eva Calvino


Those who are interested in literature know well the Italian writer Italo Calvino, whose story "The Baron in the Trees" is known worldwide. But, they do not know that his mother, Eva Mameli Calvino, made her name in the field of botany and, in particular, in the field of irises. She was successively professor of botany at the University of Cagliari, Sardinia, then Director of the Experimental Floriculture Station of San Remo. Her interest in irises can be seen in the large number of articles written for the magazine "Il Giardino Fiorito" during the 30s — 50s. She was also a founding member of the Italian Iris Society. Finally, she also tried to hybridize and to send several of her new varieties to the Florence International Competition that she helped launch.


So here are five ladies, almost unknown in irisdom today, but who brought so much to the iris world in general and, in particular, to its Italian sphere, a heritage that deserves to be preserved. In fact, if they have remained so little known outside the small circle of Italian irido-philes, it is largely because, until recently (2), hybridization was, in Italy, considered a pastime, practiced by intellectuals and aristocrats who granted their acquaintances a modest attention, not considered it necessary to record them, and for whom the marketing of iris has been nothing but a little anecdote.


(1) In fact it would be George Specht who would be the breeder of 'Rosso Fiorentino'

(2) The first registration of an Italian variety took place only in 1997.

Monday, September 10, 2018

Our Future Iris Hybridizers



by Ginny Spoon

Who will carry our iris hybridizing program into the future? One way we can insure new varieties of irises in the years ahead is to nurture our young members of the American Iris Society and teach them how to hybridize.  As a retired professor, Don still enjoys teaching, and he finds time to teach anyone who wants to learn to hybridize an iris along with a genetics lesson as well.

Don Spoon (left) teaching Ray Jones to hybridize in May of 2007.  Photo by - Ginny Spoon

'Kaw' (Ray Jones 2014) Photo by - Ginny Spoon

As you can see, that lesson was well taken. Teaching them to make careful records of their crosses, how to mark the cross and how and when to plant the seeds is also important.

From the left: Don Spoon, Ramon Jones and Mac Shawe. Photo by - Ginny Spoon

Ray and Mac may not be our youngest members, but they inspire others with their enthusiasm to learn.

Kristen Lang with her mother. Photo by - Ginny Spoon

Kristen Laing, who is now 19 years old, became our youngest garden judge in Region 4 at age 12. She also does some hybridizing. 

 Colin Campbell first learning to hybridize in 2012. Photo by - Ginny Spoon

Colin became and AIS judge at age 15 and he has been teaching other youth members how to hybridize. He has also registered and introduced his first irises at age 19. Anyone who has met Colin knows how enthusiastic he is about irises. 

Colin's first introduction, 'My Missus Carter' 2018. Photo by - Colin Campbell


No, the fairies don't make crosses, but sometimes an insect can pollinate it. These young people inspire us.  Photo of Winterberry Gardens with our local dance troupe. Photo by - Ginny Spoon

Ross Eagles (left) and Don Spoon enjoying the irises in the rain. Photo - by Ginny Spoon 

Ross Eagles came with his family to visit us one day and caught the iris virus. Don taught him a few things about hybridizing and now Ross has his first seedlings. One of them garnered an EC and Best Seedling at the spring show in Fredericksburg, VA.

Here is the iris that was Ross' Best seedling and EC winner. Photo - by Ross Eagles

Our youth members at work. Photo by - Ginny Spoon

No matter what your skill, be sure to teach our young people what you know. They can't learn everything on the internet and our world will be all the poorer without the skills being passed along.