Recent On Gardening columns have presented the most popular groups of garden plants. I first highlighted four groups, but I now count five: California natives, dahlias, irises, roses and succulents.
We focus this week on irises, in recognition of the Monterey Bay Iris Society’s Annual Iris Show. This MBIS event will be at the London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St., Santa Cruz. The show schedule is 1-6 p.m. April 23, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 24.
Plant shows are scheduled at the time of the year when the featured plant is in peak bloom. The shows provide opportunities for growers to display the results of their careful cultivation, for the sponsoring societies to promote interest in the plant genus, and for gardeners to both observe high-quality specimens and identify varieties to add to their own gardens.
These events can be regarded as a study session in preparation for the gardener’s visit to the related plant sales. In this week’s example, the MBIS’s Iris Show in late April is the prelude to the Society’s Rhizome Sales on three weekends in August. While the sales will display attractive photos of blossoms to be generated by the less attractive rhizomes, the shows enable interested gardeners to observe the actual blossoms.
The Iris genus is a member of Iris plant family (Iridaceae), which includes 66 genera, including the familiar freesias, gladioli and crocuses. The Iris genus includes about 300 species. Taxonomists have organized these species into several sub-genera, each of which contain numerous species. The broad categories are bearded, aril, and beardless irises.
Bearded irises are characterized by bushy, hairy growths (“beards”) on their lower petals. This highly popular group includes some 30,000 hybrids. They are available in different heights: Miniature Dwarf Bearded (MDB), Standard Dwarf Bearded (SDB), Intermediate Bearded (IB), Border Bearded (BB), Miniature Tall Bearded (MTB), and Tall Bearded (TB).
Aril irises, native to the Near East, have sparse beards and other distinguishing characteristics. Crosses of arils and the more common bearded irises are called “arilbreds.”
Beardless irises include: Spurias (SPU), Siberians (SIB), Japanese (JI) And Louisiana (LA). Other groups of beardless irises are the Pacific Coast Natives (PCN), which are native to America’s west coast, and the Species irises.
Irises are noteworthy for their wide range of blossom colors. Most bearded irises are in the purple and blue range, with yellow, pink, orange, and white breeds also available. Only true red blossom color has been the hybridizers’ elusive vision.
Iris blossoms are available in 11 named color patterns, where the top three petals (“standards”) are one color, and the bottom three petals (“falls”) are often another color.
The MBIS’ Iris Show will include several different divisions of irises, not all the existing kinds but a selection broad enough to demonstrate the variability of the genus. The blossoms on display will be examined by judges who have been certified by the American Iris Society and who will award trophies in several different categories.
Show visitors also will be invited to vote for their favorites, using their own individual criteria. The highest vote-getter will receive the People’s Choice Award.
Today’s column includes a few examples of the vast number of hybrid irises. The descriptions are from the American Iris Society’s Iris Encyclopedia. The photographs have been provided by Mikey Lango, one of the judges of the MBIS’s Iris Show.
The Show also will include an Artistic Division for competing floral arrangements of irises. The categories are Pot of Gold, Rainbow Spectrum, and Spring Duet. The creative entries will demonstrate ideas for presenting irises as cut flowers.
Advance your knowledge
To scan the many species within the iris genus, visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Iris_species.
To learn more about irises, explore the highly developed website of the American Iris Society (irises.org), which includes the Iris Encyclopedia and other resources.
The Cactus & Succulent Society of America will present the webinar, “Exploring the Best of Our Wonderful Mammillarias; ‘Normal and Their Strange Variations,” 10 a.m. Saturday. Last week’s On Gardening column featured one of the many species of the Mammillaria genus, which is favored by collectors and a good choice for cacti for beginners. Presenter Karen Ostler has been growing cactus since 1979. She has been the Show Chair for the Sunset Succulent Society for 16 years, actively involved in the major CSSA and Intercity Shows, and a member of several cactus & Succulent societies.
The Garden Conservancy will host the webinar, “Reimagining Vita Sackville-West’s Sissinghurst: A Garden Rediscovered,” at 11 a.m. April 28. The exceptional Sissinghurst Castle Garden, developed by Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson from 1930 to 1960, is today one of the most famous gardens in England. For background on the garden, visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sissinghurst_Castle_Garden. Webinar presenter Troy Scott Smith, one of Britain’s best-known Head Gardeners, will describe efforts to recapture the vision of the garden’s creators while balancing the visits of hundreds of thousands of annual visitors and climate change. To register for this fee-based webinar, browse to www.gardenconservancy.org and click on “Virtual Programs.”
Another reminder: The Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai will hold an in-person sale of bonsai trees and bonsai-related items, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday outdoors at the Live Oak Grange Hall, 1900 17th Avenue, Santa Cruz. For information about this event, growing bonsai, and membership in local bonsai clubs, visit santacruzbonsaikai.com.
Enrich your gardening days
Irises are attractive and easy-to-grow garden plants, well-suited for the Monterey Bay area. If you would like to add irises to your garden, visit the MBIS’s Iris Show for ideas to pursue, and mark your calendar for the MBIS’s Rhizome Sales in August, which is iris planting time.
Enjoy your garden!
Tom Karwin is past president of Friends of the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and the Monterey Bay Iris Society, a Lifetime Member of the Monterey Bay Area Cactus & Succulent Society, and a UC Master Gardener.
