MTB 'Honorabile' - questions (need help, please ;o)

One of our members has submitted another image for Miniature TB 'Honorabile' http://plantsdatabase.com/go/33172/

Before I release it from the queue, I'm trying to complete the details of the entry.

The AIS Iris Checklist has this information for the variety:

HONORABILE "I1939 X @ 1840/LEMON/?/?/S YEL, F VEINED MAROON

A few internet sources list this as an 1840 intro, but I'm not sure how that reconciles to the checklist's date of 1939.

Also, some places list it as 'Honorabile Lemon' - is that correct, or is 'Lemon' a synonym for it, a parent of it, or a description of its scent? (Help!!!)

Hi, Terry
Do
you know of a place that shows pictures of heirloom iris?
Tall Bearded iris.
Thanks
Teresa

Teresa, I don't; truth be told I don't have any expertise in the Iris genus.

However, there is an organization you might be interested in: the Historic Iris Preservation Society (HIPS), which publishes a bi-annual journal, Roots.

Contact: Membership Secretary, HIPS, Ada Godfrey, 9 Bradford St., Foxborough, MA 02035.

(I got this info from here: http://www.monticello.org/chp/iris.html) I think HIPS has a website, but the URL I found didn't work (neither did the AIS site's link, which makes me think it may be a temporary server problem.)

Hope that helps!

Terry,

Lémon was the name of the man who introduced HONORABILE in 1840. The 1939 date that appears in the online AIS database refers to the particular Check List in which that cultivar's registration information can be found.

You can find the HIPS website at:
http://www.worldiris.com/public_html/level1/TOC.html
and a list with links to all iris photos on the HIPS site (including HONORABILE) at:
http://www.worldiris.com/public_html/Frame_pages/QFix.html

Hope that helps,

Laurie

Well, duh! Silly me: I should have thought of the parenthetical reference being to the breeder, considering that's how they list the more modern varieties...thanks!

The 1939/1840 dates threw me for a loop, since their key says that "I" followed by year ("I1939") indicates year of intro, so I started thinking perhaps Lemon was one of the parent plants...

At any rate, I'm glad it's now straight in my mind (and hopefully straightened out in the PDB, lolol.)

Terry, have you been to Iris Gardens in TN? I have a order booklet from them and I think I want to vist this Spring.
I have a sister in Madison and we might just make it a daytrip.
Teresa in KY

Teresa, I have been to Tn. Iris Gardens.

Janice Frizzell (the owner) helped me select some irises for my MIL two years ago. Nice lady with a small (at that time) operation. Definitely worth calling ahead to time your trip to when they're in bloom - you can pre-order if you'd like and she'll have them dug, then you can walk around the gardens at a leisurely pace.

Terry, I got my booklet out and it said Iris City Gardens.
Primm Springs, TN It looks like they have a lot. Could it be two sellers?
Japanese
Louisiana
Tall bearded
Dwarf
Siberian

Terry, I saw Honorabile's picture in the newsletter this morning. What a very pretty boy. Another for my wish list!

LimeyLisa Kay

Iris City Gardens and Janet Frizzell's garden are, indeed, two separate commercial operations. ICG sells primarily beardless irises, though they do also offer some beardeds. I believe Janet deals primarily with beardeds.

Laurie

Ahh, my mistake - not enough coffee when I answered. Laurie's right, they are two different operations - i was thinking of Tennessee Iris Gardens (Janice's business), which is only about 20 miles from me. I've not been to Iris City Gardens - yet ;o)

(Laurie you are also "on the money" about what Janice sells - I think she deals only in beardeds unless she's expanded her offerings since I last visited her website.)

I am looking mostly for Tall Bearded. Do you have a website?
Thanks,
Teresa

Here's her entry in the Watchdog: http://gardenwatchdog.com/c/1809/ - it has a link to her site and her email address ;o)

I love that World Iris link! Most sites only show modern introductions and not the old big Historiacals I love. thanks for posting it!

Many of the iris growers have links. I Googled iris a couple of years ago and found Sutton, Iris City Garden, Enchanted April, Iris Test Garden, Cooley's, and Shriner's. You can also buy iris starting in about July at eBay.

'Honorabile' is the correct name for an heirloom iris known to many of us as 'Bacon and Eggs' for the rare coloring; the maroon veining is very variable, from slight veins to nearly solid. A favorite!