- Shall we ever see Autumn Sunset again? This old 'red' blend
out of Rosy Wings X Rameses, registered in 1939 by E.G. Lapham,
appears in the genealogy of some of our best and most dependable
modern reblooming irises, such as Immortality, Earl of Essex,
and Queen Dorothy. Is someone still growing it? Will someone
be growing it twenty years from now? What a shame if it is lost
forever.
- And how about Morning
Splendor? Considered the most splendid dark red purple iris
in existence when introduced by J. Marion Shull in 1923, it was
one of the first American bred irises out of the species Iris
Trojana (the renowned Lent A. Williamson was the pollen parent),
won international fame and awards, and soared to the top of the
popularity polls conducted by the newly formed American Iris
Society. Morning Splendor did not rebloom in cold climate areas,
but threw an occasional autumn stalk in warmer areas. Crossed
with King Tut it produced Autumn Flame, which is in the background
of such modern beauties as Corn Harvest, Harvest of Memories,
Spirit of Memphis, Grace Thomas, Jennifer Rebecca, and Earl of
Essex. Through another line, three generations back, it can be
found in the ancestry of one of the best red rebloomers of the
1980's, Gideon Victorious. But where can Morning Splendor be
found?
- The long awaited Historical Iris Preservation Society (HIPS)
is poised to become a reality with the publication of proposed
bylaws, establishment of a regular publication to be edited by
Anne Lowe, creation of a nominating committee, and formal election
of permanent officers. With the Reblooming Iris Society (RIS)
now leading all AIS sections in membership, perhaps it can also
lead the way in collaborating with the new organization to ensure
preservation of historical rebloomers--at least those rebloomers
which have not already been lost. What is an historical reblooming
iris? I am not going to get into a moot argument about whether
the cutoff date is 1950, or 1945, or 1939, etc.. .with the type
of progress iris hybridizers have made over the past five decades,
an iris introduced last year can quickly disappear from gardens
as improvements rapidly come on the market. It does seem to me,
however, that there are two reasons a remontant iris might be
considered important historically. First, those irises which
are mentioned in historical iris literature as having reblooming
tendencies, or which we know were grown specifically because
they were prone to rebloom, surely merit saving for posterity.
Second, an iris which has been an important ancestor of modern
rebloomers, whether it was a noted rebloomer in its day or not,
should be viewed as an important historical rebloomer.
- Examples of the first type of historically important remontants
would be the Iris biflora mentioned by Gerarde (if we could ever
determine what iris he described,) Allies, Mrs. Alan Gray, Crimson
King, Kochii, Gracchus, and Nepalensis, the most commonly mentioned
"autumn blooming" irises in the years before AIS was
founded; and Autumn King, Jean Siret, Lieutenant de Chavagnac,
Autumn Queen, Ultra, Polar
King, Better Autumn King, September Morn, Autumn
Elf, Southland, Jane Krey, Martie Everest, and Sangreal,
to name some of the remontants most widely grown in the twenties
and thirties.
- It is more than likely that some heated discussions could
ensue if we tried to get consensus on which irises are important
in an historical sense because of their famous reblooming progeny.
There are, however, some irises that most, if not all, of us
will agree upon. The first that comes to mind is Gibson Girl.
This great "progenitor" of reblooming irises appears
all over the pedigree charts of modern, dependable reblooming
cultivars, e.g. Violet Miracle, Immortality (through both I Do
and English Cottage), Radford Red, Gideon Victorious, Earl of
Essex, Spirit of Memphis, Harvest of Memories, Lemon Reflection
- to name just a few
- Others that I would suggest have earned designation as meritorious
"stud" irises for modern rebloomers would include Autumn
Flame, Joseph's Mantle, Flora Zenor, Autumn Twilight, Autumn
Sensation, October Shadows, Autumn Snowdrift, Green Dragon, Fall
Fairy, Autumn Elf, Grande
Baroque, Memphis Lass, Polar King, Replicata, Western Hills,
Rainbow Gold, August Gold, Leora Kate, Fall Gold, Radiant, Welch
H503, I. pumila Schect, Echo Valley, Savage, Lovely Again,
Dore, Rameses, Fall Majesty, and Happy Birthday... for a start!
- Which cultivars would you like to add to this list?
- For sake of discussion, if you could name only five irises,
which would you say were the most important "stud"
irises in the development of modern rebloomers? After learning
what others have to say I might change my mind but I would like
to suggest these: Autumn Elf,
Gibson Girl, October Shadows, Autumn Sunset, and Grande Baroque.
- Shall we let the important historical reblooming irises disappear
in the manner of so many of the wonderful roses of the last century?
I am suggesting that we need to act now to keep this from happening.
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