President's MessageTed BakerFirst, I would like to welcome all those new members who have recently joined BCIS. I hope you will participate in as many activities as possible. Also, be sure to make yourself heard if you have ideas to make BCIS more effective or if you want to participate more fully in the running of the Society. We will be holding our Annual General Meeting on March 1, 2008 on Salt Spring Island (details on final page)--so please plan to attend if you can! As you will see from our third annual newsletter, BCIS has had a busy year. It started with the distribution of the second newsletter in January 2007 with its new format. I received many positive comments on Marshall's creativity and technical input. Thank you, Marshall. I also want to thank all those who contributed to this copy of the newsletter--I know you'll enjoy their contributions below! The visit to Salt Spring Island by Terry and Barbara Aitken was another highlight of 2007. Members came from as far away as Chilliwack to meet the Aitkens and we learned a lot about irises. The pottery bowl created by BCIS member Rita Alexandra was auctioned at the meeting to help offset Terry and Barbara's travel expenses. May and early June saw many of us taking in three wonderful garden tours. This year, they were mainly organized by local members--so thanks to Gordana Lazarevich in Victoria and Penny Santosham in Penticton. (Their reports are below.) Also, thanks to those members who so generously shared their gardens with us. The final tour was to Chilliwack to see the gardens we had visited in 2006. We were fortunate to have Jean Witt and Debby Cole from Seattle on the tour with us. They continued on with their 10-day tour and visited members on Salt Spring and the Sunshine Coast. Thank you Jean and Debby for sharing your extensive knowledge with us. We had limited success with the iris auction, and plants sold for bargain prices. Consequently, this year we are pricing the plants rather than having an auction and more members are taking part. We had generous donations of plants from Paul Black and Thomas Johnson of Mid-America Gardens, and the Yakima Valley Iris Society. It was with sadness that we reported the sudden passing of Ketty Hughes in November. Ketty was a charter member of BCIS. Changes in BCIS--as in all good gardens--are evidence that we are maturing during our first two years. In 2007, Joyce Prothero took over membership duties; Marion Vaughan became the Regional Director of the Lower Mainland; and Tannice McKillop has followed Dee Fitton as secretary. During her time as secretary, Dee was instrumental in raising the profile of BCIS by sending out press releases to local newspapers in areas where we were planning an event. Membership continues to grow-if gradually--and we currently have 111 members. But it's not about the numbers; it's about the wonderful time we have growing irises, learning new information, renewing friendships, and making new friends. Every member is important to our Society, and much appreciated. Please take advantage of what BCIS has to offer and participate in as many activities as you can in the coming year. I wish you and your family the best of gardening success in 2008, and I look forward to visiting with many of you to share our love of irises. In Memoriam: Ketty HughesJanuary 6, 1945 - November 2, 2007As many of you will know from a previous e-mail, Ketty Hughes died suddenly at her home in November. Ketty lived on Salt Spring Island with her husband Philip since 1996. She was a wonderful and passionate gardener, treasurer of the Salt Spring Island Garden Club, and a member of several other gardening groups. Ketty was a founding member of BCIS. She generously offered her home for meetings and her garden for tours. The last meeting held at her home hosted Terry and Barbara Aitken visiting from Vancouver, Washington. Ketty was excited to win HALEAKALA, a Siberian iris introduced by Marky Smith in 2006, as a door prize. Her garden was on the first BCIS garden tour on Salt Spring. Ketty did not have an excess of irises but used various types effectively throughout her garden. Ketty will be missed by all who knew her. Our thoughts are with Philip and the rest of her family. Visitors to BCISWe were privileged in March 2007 to welcome Terry and Barbara Aitken to Salt Spring to give a joint presentation to members of BCIS and the Salt Spring Island Garden Club. Members from as far away as Chilliwack attended. Terry is the immediate Past President of the American Iris Society and Barbara is the President of the Reblooming Iris Society. Terry talked about the virtues of reblooming irises and showed some wonderful pictures. The next day, BCIS members met at the home of Ketty and Philip Hughes for a potluck lunch, and another informative and enjoyable question-and-answer session with Terry and Barbara. Ketty Hughes with Barbara and Terry AitkenIn early June we were fortunate to have a visit by Debby Cole and Jean Witt from Seattle. As many of you know, Debby is President of the Society for Pacific Coast Native Irises and last year Jean celebrated her 60th year as a member of the American Iris Society. Jean is renowned for her work with species and hybridizing other types of irises. They met with BCIS members from Salt Spring at the home of Molly and Henry Pauls near Chilliwack. Once again, we greatly enjoyed the wonderful display of Siberian irises in the Pauls' garden. We then went to see more Siberians at the garden of Ali van Klei. Henry Pauls and Jean Witt with SUGI URI Siberian IrisTwo days later, Debby and Jean arrived on Salt Spring and we toured the gardens of Joyce Prothero, Josie and Philip Lake, and Betty Pellet. In Joyce's garden, we saw a collection of Pacific Coast hybrids, and in Betty's garden there was a wonderful clump of I. tenex, a Pacific Coast Native. Having such knowledgeable people as Debby and Jean answer our questions about growing different kinds of iris was a wonderful opportunity. After their visit to Salt Spring, Debby and Jean traveled up Vancouver Island and over to the Sunshine Coast where they had a successful session with BCIS members and members of other gardening clubs. A Little About CISEd JowettImmediate Past President of CISThe Canadian Iris Society, now referred to as CIS, was originally formed in 1946 to promote the growing and introduction to the genus Iris. This is still the intent today. In the beginning, everyone referred to the iris flowers as flags, and it seemed the only common colors were blue or lavender. Since then, the hybridizers have done wonders both in flower form and colour. In the early years, the society only purchased those irises that had won either a medal or honorable mention in a competition. The focus was to help the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton start a garden to introduce this wonderful flower to the public. Over the years, with joint efforts and the Gardens giving us land to grow irises, we were able to hold annual public sales. Later, we decided to hold silent auctions for our members to obtain more recent introductions. We began to send irises to the Niagara Horticultural School for their gardens, and to several other communities for their city gardens if requested. Not too many years ago, we started holding official shows under the rules of the AIS (American Iris Society). This was to give our Canadian hybridizers a chance to have their seedlings recommended by AIS judges, similar to our American counterparts. When government support for the Royal Botanical Gardens ceased and the Gardens had to reduce staff, we found ourselves with no place to grow our irises. Putting our heads together, we tried a hosting program where members grew newer varieties and the extra plants were auctioned to raise funds; however, this did not work well because of high shipping costs. This past year we tried a share program where members bid on a percentage of the plants CIS purchased. For its first time it worked, but not as well as we had hoped. These programs give members a chance to obtain newer cultivars without going through all the import requirements and also gives us more irises for our money. We learned a great deal from our first share program, and it should be even better this year. We are also looking at other ways to serve our members better. Our goal now is to obtain newer cultivars rather than medal winners. We encourage our members to make suggestions about what they would like to see or have us do. If you would like to know more about the Canadian Iris Society, you can visit our website at www.cdn-iris.ca/. We would be happy to hear from you! BCIS Display GardensKate Brewitt, BCIS member from Ontario, has suggested that we start a display garden program. The American Iris Society has had a display program for years and it gives members a chance to visit gardens they would not normally see. Gardens on display would be listed annually in a newsletter or bulletin and be posted on our website. The information would include a short description of the garden; dates of best bloom; location; and contact information. Out of courtesy, people who wish to visit a garden would need to call in advance. Before you decide whether or not you want to include your garden, consider that you do not have to have many irises. BCIS members are gardeners and love to see a few irises in a garden setting. Also, visitors are not there to judge your garden or your gardening capabilities; they are visiting to enjoy your garden and to learn. And remember, when people visit your garden, they always feel more comfortable if they see a few weeds. It reminds them of home! You don't have to have your garden in perfect condition for people to appreciate a chance to visit. If you would like to take part in this program, please send your information to Ted Baker and we will include it in the April Bulletin so people can visit during the coming bloom season. This is a great way to promote irises and BCIS! Art Auction: Garden's MarvelGarden's Marvel by Barry Rafuse Barry Rafuse, a BCIS member from Vernon, generously offered to paint a picture of irises as a fundraiser for BCIS. We are selling the painting Garden's Marvel by "open auction." This means you can contact Jean Addison--who is in charge of the auction--and she will tell you what the highest bid is at that time. Bids on the painting will be accepted by letter or e-mail from October 2007 until March 31, 2008. Jean Addison can be contacted at 121 Graham Drive, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 1Z7 or jeanaddison@shaw.ca. Painting Details: Original mixed-media painting (acrylic and oil pastels) framed to art gallery standards with metal frame and acid free mat under glass. Painting is on acid- free watercolour paper, 22 by 30 inches. The frame size is 28 by 36 inches. This type of painting would sell for $700 to $800 in the galleries representing Barry's work. About Barry Rafuse: Barry uses mixed media and his style can be described as loose and assertive, with a strong bias towards abstraction. Brush strokes, pastel markings, and texturing produce motion in his work. Barry is largely self-taught but has taken many courses from leading Canadian artists and at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design (ECIAD). He is represented by six galleries in Vancouver, Prince George and the Okanagan. Barry is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and for over two decades has competed and exhibited in juried shows in BC. He was recently commissioned to complete a 10' by 10' piece for the new Vernon Centre for the Performing Arts. American Iris Society ConventionPortland, Oregon: May 2006Kate BrewittToronto Region Iris Society Editor/Secretary, BCIS MemberHave you ever been to an American Iris Society Convention? My partner Terry and I hadn't until May 2006. We had heard all kinds of stories from Terry's Aunt Verna about how much fun they were and how nice the people were but everyone reminisces about a holiday with vigor and enthusiasm. We could not imagine what a group of iris lovers would do for a week; after all, how long can one talk about irises? Finally, we bit the bullet. We were told that if we wanted to attend a convention, the 2006 National Convention in Oregon would be the one. We signed up and we waited. Actually, I fretted. I hate flying and we would be taking two planes: Toronto to Vancouver, and Vancouver to Portland, Oregon. This had better be one darn good convention! The weeks leading up to the convention saw Aunt Verna and our friend Lyn displaying more excitement than we were. They eagerly told us how much fun we would have while they regaled us with remembrances from conventions they had attended. I wondered to myself, "Could it be that much fun?" Then, when Terry hurt his back and we could not get a room in the convention host hotel I thought, "This is going to be a disaster." In the end, I was so very wrong. From the moment we got there until the moment we left, we were treated like royalty. People took us by the hand and introduced us to others whose names we had heard but couldn't put a face to. They showed us where the silent auction was to be held and where the dinners would be served. We were escorted to the person in charge of the Geek Dinner and were told it was a must-do while there. We chatted to all and sundry about irises as well as many, many other things--it's amazing how much iris-lovers have in common, besides irises! Bus capitan Nancy with Terry Laurin The organization of the convention was tremendous. Buses sat waiting and warm for us every morning. No one was lost and no one was ever left behind. We had a wonderfully knowledgeable bus captain named Nancy. We could ask her any question about Oregon and she would have an answer. In one case, she even sought out the answer and advised us the next day. And even though it rained every day, our spirits were not dampened. We tromped through mud and puddles, wearing the latest fashions in rain gear, to view the beautiful gardens at Aitken Salmon Creek Garden, Collier's Garden, Cooley's Iris Garden, Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm, Mid-America Garden, Mt. View Iris Gardens, Schreiner's Iris Gardens, and Wildwood Gardens. We laughed about how wet we became and we commiserated over "another rainy day" but we all agreed--the flowers were to die for! As for the hotel, it turned out we got the better deal. Not only did the hotel provide us with a free breakfast every morning, they had a happy hour every evening with free appetizers and one free drink. The best part, though, was meeting Ted Baker--and I'm sure you will all agree-he's one of the nicest men you will ever meet. (Are you blushing, Ted?) Cooley's Garden in Silverton, Oregon AIS ConventionAustin, Texas: April 14 - 19, 2008Kate BrewittWould I go to another AIS convention? I sure would! Those AIS people know how to put on a party! That's why Terry and I, along with Ted Baker, are going to Austin, Texas from April 14 -19, 2008. We've never been to Texas and, since we live in zone 5a, it should be a treat. Texas is US zone 8 (the same as Canadian zone 9). With 26 degree temperatures in April, Austin is subtropical compared to Aurora, Ontario! This year's convention guarantees a 3-day lineup of seven gardens to visit: San Marcos Tourist Centre Garden, John Dromgoogle's The Natural Garden, Roger and Marney Abel Garden, Bannock Baptist Church Garden, Lee and Sandy Schroeder Farm, Bushy Creek Community Centre Garden, and Ed and Janet Murphy Garden--plus meetings, awards dinners, judge's training, a geek dinner, a silent auction and more. If your interest has been sparked, check out their website for more details: www.irisarian.com/lonestar2008. This time around I understand the excitement previously shown by Aunt Verna and Lyn. I can hardly wait to see Texas in April. I know it will be worth the next few months of fretting about the nerve-racking double flight…again! Hope to see ya'll there! BCIS Iris WorkshopJenny CreeOn a bright, sunny morning in May we gathered at Ted Baker's nursery, surrounded by a rainbow of flowers, for an iris workshop. Ted shared his knowledge of the iris genus with us; what we learned was both interesting and useful. Ted demonstrated lifting and dividing large clumps of iris. We were shown an easy method of sterilizing the rhizomes in a 10% solution of bleach and water. The rhizomes were washed in a tub of water and then immersed in the 10% solution and left to dry in the sun. (Good hands-on experience, this!) We learned to write the name of the iris on the trimmed leaf of the plant with a marker pen before washing. We watched Ted deadhead iris correctly and remove a finished flower stem at the rhizome by flattening the stem against the soil, first one way and then the other, until an audible snap could be heard and the stem came away cleanly in his hand. We all tried our hand at this method and I, for one, didn't find it easy. I determined I would go home and practice on my own plants until I had perfected the technique. We deadheaded and divided Siberians, learned how to support floppy-stemmed iris unobtrusively, and absorbed valuable advice on feeding and nurturing our plants. Photos by Yvonne Gibbon The day finished with a visit to Joyce Prothero's woodland garden on a hillside where she grows and breeds Pacific Coast Iris. Joyce was very knowledgeable regarding PCI's and we all enjoyed the cool shade under her trees. Our thanks to Ted and Joyce for a really informative and enjoyable day. BCIS Victoria Garden TourMay 26, 2007Gordana LazarevichA cloudy but mild day greeted 19 members of the BC Iris Society attending the 2007 Victoria Garden tour. The geographic span of the five locations on the tour ranged from Prospect Lake in the north, to central areas near the University of Victoria and in Oak Bay, to Government House in the south. Jenny and Doug Cree's Garden in Victoria Each of the gardens we visited had its distinctive character. There was, however, also a commonality that transcended the individual: enthusiasm, and a sense of pride in the design of each garden displayed an intense passion for the aesthetic beauty of irises, other plants, and nature in general. Such beautifully designed landscapes were manifestations of hard work and the investment of many hours on the part of each host. The tour began at 9:30 a.m. in the garden of Jenny and Doug Cree (seen above). Beautifully crafted, raised, curving beds distinguished the overall design. Each bed displayed different combinations of flowers skillfully balanced in terms of colour and height. Exquisite irises of all imaginable colours, shapes, and sizes--Bearded, Siberians, Dutch, and Pacific Coast among others--were featured prominently in each garden bed: deep purple SUPERSTITION; yellow with tan streaks TIGER HONEY; white and pale blue PREMIER EDITION; SOCIAL EVENT, BATIK, ROCKSTAR, HONEY GLAZED, STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, and CHAMPAGNE ELEGANCE were just a few of the numerous varieties on display. This garden, just a little over three years old at the time of the tour, presented an explosion of colour and a riot of flowers. The visitor was left with impressions of a remarkable English-style cottage garden. The visit to the Prospect Lake area included a stopover at the orchid greenhouse of Paul Hansen. Paul is one of the best orchid growers in the province and is currently acquiring judging credentials for the American Orchid Society. He grows over 3000 different orchid species constituting most orchid genera, plants acquired over the years from different sources around the globe. At the time of the visit, PANSY orchids and MILTONIAS were in full bloom. The group then walked over to adjoining Echo Valley Farm--an organic vegetable and fruit farm--for lunch. The group then visited the property of Randy and Janice McEwen (photo above) where yet a different landscaping extravaganza awaited them. The picturesque layout of the woodland garden--with elements of an English garden featuring a pond--created quite a unique effect. The garden was dominated by a huge weeping willow, complemented by pink and white Hawthorne trees, Dogwood, and variegated Pseudo Acorns, among others. Rare Alaskan ferns constituted one of the specialties in the garden and were displayed alongside Siberian irises, ornamental onions, and borders of lavender. A planting of I. douglasii, a Pacific Coast Native, was effectively displayed against dark green foliage in a shaded area. The last stop on the tour was Government House on Rockland Avenue, the residence of British Columbia's Lieutenant Governor. The expansive property, located in an established area in historic old Victoria, supports some 22 different styles of garden (English Country Garden, Sunken Rose Garden, Herb Garden, Rock and Alpine Garden, etc.) of which the Iris Garden has been in preparation and planning by the Friends of Government House Gardens Society since 1994. (See photo.) While leaving some of the irises around a large rock as originally designed by donor Joy Flint, the volunteer gardeners are developing additional beds. One of them will be called the BC Iris Society Bed to recognize the donation of irises from Ted Baker and others. DARK VADER, MAUI MAGIC, SEASON TICKET, and PRINCE OF BURGUNDY represent a few of the spectacular hybrids lovingly featured by the volunteer gardeners. The hosts for this delightful and informative portion of the tour were Val and Howard Smith, and Karen Phillips. The BC Iris Society wishes to extend its sincere thanks to all those who participated in making this tour possible. It was great fun. Hybridizing: Do-It-Yourself InstructionsKeith KeppelI encourage everyone to make a few iris crosses, simply to see what it entails. Besides, it's fun. Each seedling in a cross will be somehow different from all others. The challenge, of course, is to discover a hybrid which is different…and pretty…and a good plant. If nothing else, you begin to appreciate the work required to introduce a new variety! With luck, you can see results from your crosses in two years. Start this spring by selecting the varieties you want to cross and, with tweezers, take the anther with pollen from one bloom and brush it on the stigmatic lip of the other bloom. When seedpods begin to split in summer, save the ripe seeds. Plant them in fall and most of them should germinate next spring. When seedlings are big enough to handle--and as early as possible--set them out in well-prepared soil in full sun, keeping them watered so they grow through the summer. The following spring, at least some of them should bloom. Short season in parts of BC, poor soil, or competing weeds may throw the schedule off a year. Keith Keppel Hybridizing Irises in Salem, Oregon Taking good care of seedlings is work. Remember, it takes no more space and energy to grow potentially good seedlings than it does to grow inferior ones. That's why you should use the best varieties available and never cross two varieties with the same fault. Newer irises are generally--though certainly not always!--better than old ones. If you are going back to an older variety to try and recapture some lost color or pattern or vigor, cross it with a newer variety to bring form and pizzazz up-to-speed. When the seedlings bloom, discard ruthlessly the ones that aren't improvements. That's one way that raising seedlings is simpler than raising a family--you can't compost the kids who don't measure up! Tag crosses with the names of the parents. Keep track of information when you save and plant the seed, and line out the seedlings in rows about 30 cm apart. You will learn from both your mistakes and successes. It is most frustrating when you grow something truly outstanding and have no idea how you got it, so you can't repeat your stunning success. Use parentages of named varieties to guide you; this is one reason pedigrees are available. Our modern tall beardeds are about 25 generations away from the species, making crosses all the more unpredictable. But knowing what the parents and grandparents looked like does give us clues as to how to proceed. Look at the parentages of new irises you admire but can't afford. What varieties were used to produce them? Varieties showing up consistently are good candidates for inclusion in your crosses, as are other varieties with these good breeders in their lineage. Garden plant genealogy is a great wintertime project for planning spring crosses. Basically, the safest crosses are like times like: crossing two favorite blues, or two stunning pinks, etc. Most of the progeny will be decent looking and you could get a stunner or two. Wild crosses--such as pink amoena times a black plicata--are likely to throw not-so-pretty offspring in the first or second generation(s). The trick here is to take the best ones, interbreed them to allow various genes [amoena, plicata, tangerine, black, etc.] to regroup, build up, and express themselves again, often in a little different combination than you've seen before. Of course, you need to select for branching, good growth, bud count etc. at the same time. Usually, like begets like. If you start with poor quality, you can expect poor quality in the next generation. As I said before, use the best you can find that fits within your breeding plans. This especially includes good growers: disease resistant; with healthy, attractive foliage; reasonable rate of increase; branching that holds the flowers above the foliage and far enough apart that blooms don't bunch; and stems strong enough to stay upright. And, of course, flowers in number, size, and form that make the whole process worthwhile. After all, how many iris cultivars are grown strictly for their foliage? Now get busy and have fun! Pacific Coast Iris Hybrids: Growing TipsJoyce ProtheroFor those of us living along the Pacific Coast and gardening in lightly wooded conditions with neutral-to-acid soil, growing Pacific Coast Iris (PCI) is as simple as attuning ourselves to their natural cycle of activity and dormancy. For others, understanding that cycle and approximating the growing conditions associated with winter rains and summer droughts is all that's required. The westward-facing slopes of the coastal mountains from northern California to southern Washington contain the native habitats of seven or so species of Pacific Coast Iris. Iris tenax, the northernmost species, is found in southwest Washington State and probably would also have been in southern British Columbia before being scoured out during the last Ice Age. Adjacent PCI species interbreed readily to produce fertile hybrids that have great variability in the colour and form of flowers, the size and shape of leaves, and the habit of plants. Human intervention, inadvertently or deliberately, has increased the opportunities for interspecific crossings and the opportunities for additional hybridizations, thus adding to the variability among modern PCI cultivars. Growing PCIs should be relatively easy for most mild-climate gardeners because the majority of PCIs available from nurseries are likely to be hybrids, and hybrids tend to be more adaptable than the parent species. However, it is important to appreciate that the annual growing cycle of PCIs begins with the fall rains, culminates in late-spring blooms and, under dry conditions, includes a period of summer dormancy. This cycle leads to the following recommendations for care: Transplanting and dividing: PCI roots resent disturbance, particularly during dormancy. Hence, dividing or transplanting is best done just as root growth resumes in late September or early October. Grooming: PCIs are evergreen but, as with all "evergreen" foliage, some of the older leaves wither and dry as newer leaves mature. If drought forces PCIs into summer dormancy, most or all of the leaves may die. After having tried both the "do nothing" and the "cut-down-all-foliage-in-the-fall" approaches, I've decided to groom each PCI hybrid on an ad hoc basis, removing the shriveled foliage every few months as it becomes unsightly. Spent flower heads should be removed promptly unless seeds are desired. Propagation: Vegetative propagation through plant division is the only way to replicate a particular PCI hybrid. Division is best done in the early fall, just as new root growth begins. Divide by lifting a mature plant (or a portion thereof if you're super-cautious), separating the clump into segments of three or more fans, and then promptly replanting or potting the divisions. Propagation through seeding introduces unbelievable variability in offspring and an adventure in propagation not to be missed--but that's another story. Seeds ripen in late August and can be sown immediately or stored in a dry location for planting later in the fall or the following spring. For ease of monitoring growth progress, I sprinkle seeds into small pots containing a porous seeding mix and cover the seeds with a thin layer of grit. Again, seedlings are best left undisturbed until the following fall. Before then, if seedlings are at least 4" high, transplanting can be attempted if root disturbance is minimized. (Please see Joyce's article on propagation of PCIs from seeds in the colour insert.) Pests. My PCIs seem to be deer-immune, but the young leaves and flowers attract slugs; use your usual methods for dealing with these slimy pests. Even with that warning about slug predation, I will conclude by saying that if PCIs are grown in conditions approximating their natural environment, their need for care should be minimal. In my garden, they've proven to be cold- and drought-tolerant, immune to browsing by deer, and an anticipated source of floral diversity each spring. An Example of Variability in Hybrids of Pacific Coast IrisJoyce ProsperoThere is great genetic variability in the hybrids of Pacific Coast iris, as is illustrated by the parent-offspring photos above. As a member of the Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris, I have participated in SPCNI's annual seed exchange for several years. In February 2003, I received an envelope (ID #2201) containing 30 seeds produced as the result of a deliberate crossing of 'Pacific Miss' (Belardi, R. 1998) with 'Eyes Have It' (Ghio, R. 2000). These seeds were immediately scattered in a pot, covered with a thin layer of grit (to deter birds and slugs) and set outside to benefit from spring rains. Twenty-five seeds soon germinated; that fall, the 21 surviving seedlings were transplanted into individual pots. By November 2005, nine of the seedlings had been planted out in various locations in my garden, and the others given to friends. In my garden, some of the seedlings began to bloom in 2006, the rest in 2007. As is evident from the mugshots, the genetic variability of the hybrid parents 'Pacific Miss' and 'Eyes Have It' is reflected in the size, shape, and colour of the offspring flowers. The seedlings also differ in leaf size, plant habit, and flowering period. Growing Irises in McBrideGlenn and Sheilagh FosterWe usually tell people that McBride is in the "elbow" of BC across the border from Jasper National Park. In this location, our winter weather can be severe but we are able to grow several types of iris including tall bearded, medians, and Siberians. Some of the Siberians are so hardy they thrive in the grass surrounding our ponds. During the early summer of 2006, we delighted in irises that withstood our rather severe winter and bloomed profusely at the end of our vegetable garden. We wanted to grow some different varieties and learn more about these beautiful plants. A quick search of the internet led us to Ted Baker and the B.C. Iris Society. Ted provided us with contacts, information, and inspiration. He sent iris rhizomes from his own gardens. We received irises from several other sources around the province, perhaps as many as 30 new ones. To our delight, all but about 3 of the plants survived our winter. This was cause to rejoice so we carefully replanted them were we could watch their progress. In McBride, new iris starts can take a year or more to grow to the blooming stage so we didn't see flowers this past summer. Our soil is heavy so we rebuilt our beds to provide good drainage for the iris. They are such a delightful, hardy flower. We're grateful for the interest and support we've received and look forward to a good bloomin' show this coming year! Iris Growing TipsTed BakerTo trim or not to trim?You have probably read somewhere that if a clump of irises has stopped blooming, you probably need to lift and divide the clump. The instructions also likely tell you to trim back the tops and roots before replanting. This is the way to treat plants that are not being replanted right away. However, I have found that, if irises are to be planted soon after they are lifted, it is best not to trim the roots back. These roots will effectively start to provide water and nutrients to the plant. It could be tree roots!Trees add so much to a garden; however, they can be opportunistic. If you have a patch of irises or other perennials or shrubs that are not doing well, consider their location in relation to surrounding trees. With good soil, adequate water, and fertilizers in our gardens, tree roots flourish in these conditions. The only permanent ways to eliminate the tree from robbing the other plants is to cut it down or put up a root-proof barrier. For irises that like to be divided and have the soil rejuvenated every few years, it will help to dig to the rooting depth of the irises and trim back the tree roots. This reduces the tree competition for two to three years and then needs to be repeated. Some trees are more invasive than others, so you will have to experiment to see what works best in your situation. Weeding Siberians.To make weeding easy in the Siberian iris garden, mulch heavily with compost or well-rotted cow or sheep manure. I initially start with about four inches of mulch and then add more each year as required. If weeds do germinate, they are easy to remove manually or with a tool. The irises thrive with the mulch and they practically take care of themselves--one of the reasons I love Siberians so much! Ray Spiers at Cross Wind Gardens, Chilliwack, BC Okanagan Update: Fall 2007Penny SantoshamThe first Okanagan Iris Garden Tour--held on June 2nd--was the highlight of the season for our OK group (see our report below). Some gardens we visited were at bloom end but our home is 1000 feet above Penticton, my TBs were only halfway along, and there was abundant variety. It was exciting to meet for the first time as a group of Okanagan Irisarians--eleven of us, plus Ted Baker. Folks came south from Vernon and north from Princeton--over 200 km away. There are 16 OKs in our group and Ted reports that another couple from Kelowna joined BCIS in October. All of us enjoyed Ted's visit. He identified several mysterious, mislabeled irises and showed us how to break off the stalks of spent blooms at the base. We also discussed the possible U.S. iris garden tour next spring. A slight crisis occurred when we toured my irises and discovered a bloom stalk of BEFORE THE STORM (TB) lying on the ground with others chewed almost through. Out came mousetraps, garlic /soap spray, PlantSkid and every other deterrent we could think of. We had a very late dinner but no further attacks. Lydia and Harold Baumbrough once again generously gave hundreds of trimmed, washed, and labeled irises to our group. At the barbeque, Harold delivered a fascinating talk about his project to record plant species as they have appeared after the 2003 fires. He also noted that beds of irises can act as a fireguard. We also want to thank Greta Rae for sharing, and Kathleen Noble who lives in town and supervised the distribution of iris gifts and purchases. This season I had about 70% bloom success from 200 new-to-me irises planted in 2006. LAVENDER ROYALE (MDB) started mid-April and MULLED WINE (TB) went to July 18th. Twelve TB rebloomers from Vesey's in the Maritimes only bloomed once, but FOREVER BLUE (SDB) put on a lovely second show in September. The only Siberian that performed well was CEASAR'S BROTHER. I don't think the newer hybrids appreciate our dry summers and cold winters (down to -30). In July, I removed all Pseudacorus iris from our garden as we learned they are considered an invasive threat to our wetlands. I'll replace them with some alternative water irises recommended by Ted. Alfalfa pellets in 2006 planting holes didn't appear to make any difference to my irises. Next year, I am going to try Ted's practice of using a balanced fertilizer with micro-nutrients when bloom stalks appear. I'll continue to plant with bone meal and a sprinkle of wood ash. Hybridizing: Last September (2006) I planted two crosses (140 seeds) in clean egg containers and put them in the refrigerator for three months--they took up a lot of room. Nothing happened in the first month at room temperature, so I washed and nicked all the seeds and folded them in damp paper towels, then sealed them in ziplock bags. When a dozen sprouted, I planted them in individual peat pots. Most molded, were attacked by aphids, or damped off when they were attacked and killed by a fungus. I ended up with one healthy seedling of each cross and am hoping for blooms next spring. In September 2007, I planted 80 seeds from two crosses in four large pots and sunk them into the garden to let winter's cold and wetness accomplish the stratification--much easier! According to the American Iris Society, iris seeds can be viable for up to 18 years. Only one of 5000 new seedling crosses is marketable. Penny Santosham, Theresa Nolan and Barry Rafuse Summerland Ornamental Garden The Summerland Ornamental Gardens (10 acres with a heritage house) received help from some of the OK group in August. About 80% of SOG maintenance and financing is done by volunteers! Tom and I, Kathleen Noble, Teresa Nolet, and SOG's two gardeners dug, cleaned, divided, and labeled several hundred irises that sold like hotcakes at their fall sale! BCIS received great PR as Kathleen and I were featured in a large coloured newspaper ad for the sale. Next year we will help extend and add new varieties to the iris bed, a feature in the Xeriscape Garden. Heritage Iris Bed: My husband Tom was bitten by the iris bug during the tour and spent all of July making a Heritage Iris Bed in honour of Penticton's Centennial in 2008. He appropriated 32 varieties--all introduced before 1950--from my garden. Garden Club Presentation: In November, I gave my first iris presentation in Summerland. With suggestions from Ted and Tom, I learned how to put together a PowerPoint presentation with 45 slides and 70 photos. I gave dwarf iris rhizomes for gifts and hope to have attracted some new members for BCIS. Helpful hints!1. This winter deer broke off many of my venetian blind labels. A local manufacturer now gives me free edge trimmings: thick, 1½" wide, heavy plastic strips. 2. Garden products like bone meal are ½ price or less in September/October. 3. Yarrabee Garden and Iris in South Australia (www.yarrabee.net/) is a wonderful internet site for winter iris browsing. Final Words: At the local garden club show in June, Tom won first place in the iris category with a stalk of TIGER HONEY (TB). I took second with BLUEBERRY BLISS (TB). There were 2 entries! Okanagan Iris Garden Tour: June 2, 2007Penny SantoshamIn addition to the beauty of the irises, the Okanagan Garden Tour was an exciting first-time meeting for many of us in the OK group of BCIS. I was delighted with the turnout of 11 members plus Ted. We had folks from Naramata, Oliver, Princeton, Vernon, and Penticton. An early spring meant many irises were past their peak but the variety of gardens was wonderful and the weather cooperated with brilliant blue sunny skies and temperatures in the high 80s. We ended with a social and dinner at our home, with informative talks from Ted Baker and Harold Baumbrough, a local expert on native plants. Thanks, Tom, for manning the barbeque. Tom Santosham on the BBQ Summerland Ornamental Gardens (SOG) is a 10-acre public garden on a high hill overlooking Okanagan Lake, eight minutes north of Penticton. Originally a private estate, it is now owned by the BC Government and run by a volunteer society that provides 80% of the finances and garden work. As well as the heritage home, picnic areas, vegetable garden, and huge grassy fields bordered by flower beds, the Xeriscape Perennial Garden is a popular focus as it displays plants suitable to the arid/hot/windy/cold local environment. The iris bed is included in this area, situated on a sunny south-facing slope with minimum irrigation. Adjacent are penstemon and butterfly beds, all joined with bark-mulched paths and bordered by native stone walls dripping with sedums, stonecrops, and sempervivums. Entry to the Xeriscape area is through a lovely sunken semi-circular paved patio where a bench is shaded by a gnarled old fruit tree. Most of the irises are from the late 80s with a few newer gifts such as SILVERADO and ROSETTE WINE. There are some lovely, unregistered irises such as OKANAGAN LASS (ruffled gold self), and OKANAGAN BLIZZARD (ruffled white self). The bed is in transition; it was moved two years ago with a resulting mix-up in labels. It is slated for an extension next year and our group is hoping BCIS members will donate some newer varieties. While at SOG, both Warren Carrington-Hill and Ted Baker gave advice about iris maintenance. Teresa and Jerry Nolet's garden sits on an upper hilly tier of the West Bench above Penticton. The flat area of the half-acre property is adjacent to the road so passersby have an immediate visual treat to see a 15-foot wide sweeping border of irises and other perennials. Teresa, an antique expert with her own business, writes a local newspaper column so she has a limited amount of time for her garden. She explained that irises work well for her since they require minimum effort, especially with the addition of bark mulch between the clumps (not covering the rhizomes). After admiring gorgeous six-foot tall clumps of tall bearded EDITH WOLFORD and CRANBERRY ICE, only two years old, Ted declared the Okanagan the iris capital of BC. Teresa pointed out a three-foot hole in the middle of her border and explained that "night gardeners" had stolen a whole clump of irises the previous week. Her advice is to plant new acquisitions and special favorites in areas not accessible to NGs. Many thanks to Teresa for her hospitality and for the gift irises she dug for us. Theresa Nolan with Clump of Edith Wolford Linden Gardens is part of an old family orchard in Kaleden, overlooking Skaha Lake, 15 minutes south of Penticton. Ken and Margaret Hayter belong to BCIS and have worked for the last 10 years developing nine acres into a show garden with a retail nursery. They opened to the public in 2006 and our group was the first to enjoy lunch in Frog's Café, located in the beautiful new post-and-beam hall edged by a brick terrace and rainbow-hued beds of perennials. Before lunch, we wandered along mulched paths, across arching bridges, under specialty trees, through swaths of grass, and beside a lily-studded lake--all bordered by seasonal flowers. A field of purple and gold iris (probably AMAS and OLA KALA) was a mosaic of colour. Other beds featured scarlet poppies, multi-coloured spurred columbines, Shasta daisies, peonies, Sweet William and Jacob's Ladder, interspersed with patches of TBs such as TITAN'S GLORY, SUPREME SULTAN and SWING TOWN. Over lunch, Ted held a short BCIS meeting, then we all headed to the nursery for bargain purchases of unnamed blooming irises. Ted identified several, so prices went up the next day! Margaret and Ken's vision and hard work have created a stunning garden, already a favorite spot for celebrations and meetings. Anme Sing's one-acre, rectangular, level garden is on the bluffs east of Keremeos. Anme has divided the front three-quarters of her property into four long beds, each about nine feet wide, separated by concrete paths for easy access and viewing. Four hundred plus varieties of labeled TB irises and 250+ varieties of labeled daylilies are clustered in the beds with new acquisitions in curving areas at the front and rear of her house. The gardens are edged with countless annuals and perennials with an accent on Echinacea (Cone Flower) grown in a greenhouse at the rear of the property. Also notable were a lush vegetable garden, hibiscus with blooms the size of dinner plates, and heavily-laden fruit trees. One weekend each spring, Anme opens her garden to the public for viewing and ordering. Fans come from as far away as Kamloops and the Fraser Valley. Anme brings in new varieties of irises each year from around the world, but she sells all rhizomes for $5. We were warmly welcomed to her beautiful property, though Anme (a member of BCIS) noted that over half of her irises were finished--still an amazing display! A favorite of our group was QUEEN OF ANGELS [TB], laced white with a lavender cast. Anme also showed us ISSAC (GNUS FLASH x SO FINE), an iris she hybridized and named after her son. I ordered ten iris including BOOGIE WOOGIE, INGA IVEY, BEGUINE, SUNFIRE, and LIASION. Anme's garden just keeps getting better and better. Anme Sing's Garden, Keremeos, BC Last Stop: Tom and I live in the hills beside a small private reservoir called Farleigh Lake, 12 km west of Penticton. The first thing people notice is a 10-foot high wall of boulders supporting a bridge to our second floor, then all the flower beds edged with rocks from our house excavation. We garden on two acres beside the lake and play in the eight-acre bowl behind and above the house. Aside from 15 beds of every shape, size, and slope, there is an herb garden and a terraced vegetable garden edged with nasturtiums, purple cabbages and dwarf golden marigolds. One garden is for BIG plants like oriental poppies, huge fuzzy silver sage, towering perennial sunflowers, daylilies, rudbekia, and milkweed. Our grandchildren have an adventure playground with a wildflower bed for digging and cutting flowers. Other features are an outdoor shower, fire pits, lots of benches, and a seasonal creek shaded by willow trees. Because we are 1000 feet higher than Penticton, our 200 different irises were only half way through blooming, with MULLED WINE continuing until July 18th. There were lots in the Dykes Medal Bed including THORNBIRD (97), EVERYTHING PLUS (91), and CELEBRATION SONG (2003). Other favorites in bloom: luminata SPIRIT WORLD, rebloomer CANTINA, almost black SUSPICION, median PEACH ICE CREAM, rose shaded pink WHISPERING, GREEN GIFTED, and apricot FRINGE BENEFITS. Dwarf irises LAVENDER ROYALE and MAKING EYES were distributed as tour gifts. Ted noted all my labeling mistakes so I would be ready for tour #2 in 2009. The Invasive Yellow Flag
Iris -
|
