RANKING THE IRIS LEADERS OF 1924 
R. S. STURTEVANT 
Secretary of the American Iris Society 
A Retrospect and Critique of the Recent Annual Meeting of the American Iris Society at Washington, D. C. 
HIS season I have been most fortunate in seeing Irises 
in many gardens, and in the maze of novelties intro- 
troduced, and to be introduced, there are still to be 
found varieties as fine and as clearly outstanding as 
Lent A. Williamson, Mme. Gaudichau, Queen Caterina, Am- 
bassadeur, and Shekinah. Slowly from the haze of five weeks’ 
observation of new Irises by the dozen, certain landmarks have 
appeared. It is hardly fair to whet your curiosity, but in the 
gardens of American breeders I found seedlings yet unnamed far 
more outstanding than 90% of the much heralded foreign in¬ 
troductions of even as recent a date as 1923. The pendulum 
is swinging away from mere size and height, and garden effect 
is becoming more valued. One wearies of Prospero or Lent A. 
Williamson when they are planted in quantity, and turns grate¬ 
fully to Bluet or Silver Mist, to pick examples from the other 
extreme. 
Old and New Beauties and Some Striking Whites 
HE range of color is being extended and there is sharper competition 
even among the once rare pink, red, clear yellow, and white varie¬ 
ties, while other classes have increased many fold. For many years 
Montezuma (Farr) stood alone, a rich yellow with the markings of a 
plicata, a surprisingly attractive thing when well-grown; but now comes 
Jean Chevreau (Cayeux) with light yellow standards and creamy falls; 
and Loudon (Fendall) an even lovelier variety which won an Honorable 
Mention at the Washington Show of the American Iris Society, May 
27th and 28th. 
Mercedes (Verdier) and Mary Garden (Farr) were pinnacled for many 
years, then dethroned bv such competitors as Mme. Chobaut, Mme. 
Louesse, and Mme. Denis (all Denis seedlings); and now Zouave (Vil- 
morin), Lona (Sass), and Jubilee (Sass) lift their heads on high. Here 
there is not so great a change in color, as in size and perfection of form. 
As to the other plicatas it is probably largely accident that Damozel 
(Morrison), Truth (Sturtevant), Dimity (Bliss), and Pocahontas (Farr) 
seem particularly worth growing. 
White Knight and the often miffy Kashmir White 1 happened upon 
in widely separated gardens in wonderful form. Though my acquain¬ 
tance with them is of long standing, I had never imagined them in such 
ample robes. Argentina and Edith Cavell seem to have much in 
common, neither at their best as I saw them, and 1 fear they may prove 
unreliable. Taj Mahal was also not up to the mark apparently, but 
Milky Way and White Queen were splendid, the first almost a plicata 
with its big blooms faintly reticulated at the haft and the second small, 
but 1 judge more valuable for everybody’s garden than La Neige. 1 
was sorry to miss Theseus and Bolingbroke, but 1 am satisfied for the 
nonce. 
things like Elberon, Rugajo, Caporal, and Ruby Queen 1 should like 
to compare as mass plantings before I bought them. 
The Gold Group 
TN YELLOW, Gold Imperial is as fine as when it received an award 
f last year at New York. Chalice fills a very similar place as a deep 
yellow in the garden; Primrose and Flutterby give a rather bicolor effect 
with their lighter falls; and Autumn Glow and Yellow Moon are of the 
lightest tones but true seifs. “Though I say it as shouldn’t,” there seem 
to be no named varieties at all comparable. 1 was not fortunate enough 
to see Chasseur, the French yellow; but from description it is not a clear 
color; and the much lauded Citronella is heavily washed with chestnut 
on the falls. It will, 1 expect, be many years before we evolve a real 
competitor for Citronella, but 1 should hesitate to recommend it to one 
of those unobservant gardeners who self-complacentlv goes through mv 
collection of hand-picked novelties saying “ 1 have all these. Can’t you 
show me something different?” What can one do when such discourtesy 
is shown to Halo, and Mile. Schwartz, Mother of Pearl, and Ballerine? 
Fledglings and Old Timers in Lavender 
and Rich Dark Tones 
A MONG the rich dark tones and in the pale lavenders 1 am quite at 
sea. The Dominion race is decidedly out-standing and Mr. Ware- 
ham is but one of the American breeders with seedlings of a similar 
origin. Cardinal, Moa, Duke of Bedford, Canopus, and of course 
Dominion, 1 have seen as well established plants; Glamour, Bruno, 
Yeoman, Tenebrae and many others merely as fledglings. Pachyderm, 
New World, Rosy Youth, and Mabel Taft are at least equally fine. 
And there you are I Shut your eyes and take your choice. Twelve or 
fifteen of them, 1 think, I can recognize even at this short acquaintance 
and if they were not so costly I should say get every one. With L’Aiglon 
(Shull, FI. M. 1924), No. 145 (Williamson), and Valkyrie we have equal 
depth of rich color, but distinctive form and carriage, and another year 
or so will see other additions as fine. 
In the lavender seifs and bicolors, matters are unbearably confused. 
I did my best to register the differences between Regan, Antonio, and 
Angelo for one group; between Halo, Neptune, and Lord of June, for 
another; between Hermione, and Ann Page; Lionyza and Caterina; Leon- 
ato and Souvenir de Letitia Michaud, and many more. All are big and 
up-standing, the last two of almost staggering size; and, when we con¬ 
sider pallida and cengialti hybrids (in not very different coloring) con¬ 
fusion is worse confounded. San Gabriel and Balboa possess 
some distinction of color, Horizon also is unusually self-toned, and some 
will find Furstin Longay attractive. 
A Blue Bouquet and Some Odd Effects 
Anent Pinks and Reds 
S O-CALLED pink Iris are becoming numerous, and I have seen the 
entrants, but will leave Wild Rose, Georgia, and Pandora still 
running The field is open in this class. Is it because we each have a 
special mental impression of what a pink Iris should be that brings so 
many disappointments? I am satisfied with my lilac, my mauve, and 
even my rose Irises; my pink beauty is still visionary. 
Among the reds also much remains to be done. Pioneer looks prom¬ 
ising and I was most taken with Blank (unfortunately Mr. Dykes has 
used a name already doubly current in our catalogs). In the deeper 
tones 1 vibrate between Opera, Seminole, and Karen, all 
are best and far more brilliant than Ambigu and Grevin. 
Dianto and Imperator verge onto the magenta of Dorman 
and Edouard Michel, the old and rather untamed beauty. 
Morning Splendor, which was shown in color on the cover 
of the June Carden Magazine (although any reproduction 
fails to get its lustre), is hardly to be surpassed, a well- 
borne monstrous flower of exceedingly deep red-purple. 
Garnet and Acherson are the color of Archeveque, but 
talk and Robert Wallace is at least worth trying; while 
I T HAS become impossible to review new introductions in a mere article, 
but I want to mention a list of rather blue-in-effect varieties and some 
odd colored ones which you may, or may not, like but will certainly 
find distinct. For blues I start off with Chester Hunt as perhaps the 
oldest, and add Bluet, Blue Bird, E. H. Jenkins, Corrida, Baronet, 
Blue Lagoon, and Du Guesclin. Few of them have perfection in 
detail and all are very different one from another. As to odd colors 
try Sarabande and Fedora; Afterglow, Rachel Fox, and Ochracea; 
May Morn, Cameo, Quaker Lady, and Steepway. New colors are 
to the fore and Miss Sturtevant at least plans to list some cream 
buffs and golden browns this coming year. 
With the American Iris Society to centralize the 
interest, it becomes each year more possible for 
the gardener to get advice. There are now many 
collections in different parts of the country where 
novelties may be seen. Never has the gardener been 
offered such an opportunity for varied color combina¬ 
tions, but also never have there been quite so many 
pits for the unwary. 
