Canadian Iris Society

xCanadian Iris Society

Welcome to the official Canadian Iris Society (CIS) website

Photos: A nice clump of Siberian irises; Trip to Paris (Schafer-Sacks 2009 introduction ... check back for new photos every now and then.

Welcome to the official
Canadian Iris Society (CIS) website

Who belongs to the Canadian Iris Society?
...outstanding iris specialists, gardening experts and horticulturists are all members but the Society is primarily for the amateur gardener who enjoys growing irises.

Mission Statement
The Canadian Iris Society (CIS) is a non-profit organization with the objective to encourage, improve and extend the cultivation of the genus iris and to collaborate with other societies for this purpose.

Love irises? Would you like to become a supporting member of the CIS? Please go to the Membership area of the CIS website for full information. Thank you for being a CIS member.

Looking for a Canadian local or regional iris club/society?
Connect with other iris people in your own area. For information on this please go to the Regional Iris Societies area of the CIS website. Listed here you will find local iris/regional iris societies listed by province, plus various special interest iris societies with a focus on a specific type of iris.

Iris Books: Looking for iris gardening books to help get through through the off-season? Check the books section of selected informative iris books for your wintertime enjoyment.
Go to: Iris Books section

CIS Newsletter: (early August 2010)

The Summer 2010 CIS Newsletter has been published and sent out to you (early August) if you are a current CIS member. We hope you find the latest issue useful, interesting and informative. The CIS Newsletter is published four times per year.

In this issue check for the complete listing of the annual 2010 AIS Awards. Also information on annual iris sales that provide CIS members and the public the opportunity to obtain some exciting new iris introductions for a great deal. ...and additionally your purchase helps support the CIS. (iris sales details are also found here on the CIS website)

CIS members receive the CIS Newsletter issues either electronically via e-mail distribution or via regular postal mailing. Bonus of the electronic version is that is comes to you sooner and has full color images throughout whereas the printed version is black and white only.

You may change your preference any time by communicating your choice via e-mail to the CIS Membership chairman: e-mail: cdn-iris@rogers.com

For information on becoming a member of the Canadian Iris Society (CIS) please go to the membership area of the website.

Happy Gardening in 2010!
CIS website updated: August 3 2010

Canada Weather
Check the weather anywhere in Canada from here:

Forecast: good gardening is out there on the horizon. Garden time is here! Enjoy.

Newer items of interest:

The IRIS FIX for 2010
We are pleased to announce the return in 2010 of "The Iris Fix". The "Iris Fix" is a free e-mail subscription service available between early May and the summer. Each day (usually) you will receive an iris photograph via e-mail to enjoy. This is provided by Don McQueen of London, Ontario from his collection of very nice iris photographs taken in and around his garden. When you have had enough, all you need do is send him an e-mail saying 'Thanks but no thanks" and he will remove you from the mailing list. To subscribe, contact Don at ddmcqueen@rogers.com

AIS 2010 Awards announced:
PAUL BLACK a 2003 tall bearded iris introduction by hybridizer Thomas Johnson. Dykes Medal winner 2010, Wister Medal 2009, AM 2007, HM 2005. At the 2004 AIS Convention in Fresno, California, this iris was voted most the popular iris seen in convention gardens from a hybridizer outside of the host region (AIS Region 14). For this it received the Cook Cup, an annual award of the AIS Convention. Height= 42inches Season= Mid-Late. This dark purple self demonstrates all around excellence. Show-bench stems bear 11-12 triple-socketed buds. Large flowers have excellent ruffled form and are smoothly saturated in dark purple color. The dark orange beards create a fascinating color combination and a pronounced spicy fragrance enhances its appeal. (photo courtesy of Rick Tasco)

Quick Tip on Iris Growing for July-August

Time to plant your new varieties of irises researched from iris catalogues and acquired from commercial sources or iris society sales. Also time to divide and replant your existing irises. Irises respond positively to this procedure every 3 years or so and they will grow better giving you better bloom in following years. At this time you may choose to refresh/replenish the soil. Irises consume soil nutrients and again they will benefit from this replenishment. Suggestion is to work only one clump at a time to more easily keep track of the variety name. Dig with a pitch fork and shake out the excess remaining soil. Then rinse off the remaining with a garden hose. Break and cleanly cut the clump into individual rhizomes, discarding the old growth and any diseased parts. A little practice on this and you will start to find it easy to assess the good from the bad. Inspect the rhizome for iris borers. Trim the leaf fan at two 45 degree angles to form a point leaving approximately 6 to 8 inches of leaf fan. Trim the roots to 4 to 6 inches. After trimming the leaf fans down mark the correct name of the iris onto the leaf fan with a “Sharpie” marker pen. Next disinfect the rhizomes in a 10 percent solution of water and liquid bleach for about 15 minutes. Not too strong on the bleach/water mix and not too long on the soak. Lay out the rhizomes in the sun to dry. Replant a group of 3 to 5 of the better rhizomes from each variety keeping care to maintain the identification of the variety. Garden signs with the plant names and a back-up map are good ideas. If you have iris rhizomes left over why not donate them to your local iris sale. Only correctly named, AIS registered plants, please. These sales help provide funds for the functioning of your iris society. If necessary store them temporarily in paper bags or open cardboard boxes in a cool dry place until auction/sale time.
Happy iris garden diggings. August 2010. CH

For more please see the Cultural Information area of the CIS website. Further items regarding iris culture are also available in the Editorial section of the CIS website.

Index CIS website:

We welcome you to explore our CIS website and hope that you will find it a useful resource of information on all things iris! Follow the links that appear across the top of every page to navigate the various areas of the website. Happy Gardening.

History - information on the Canadian Iris Society (CIS), includes historical background.
Calendar of Events - Calendar of Events 2010
Membership - 2010 CIS membership information
Admin/Contacts- CIS Board of Directors listing and contact information, CIS Board meeting schedule, past CIS Board meeting minutes, CIS Committees, CIS Constitution.
News news of events past, present and future
Editorial various Garden Diggings items
Awards - CIS Awards and also an explanation of the AIS iris awards and a detailed listing for the years 1996-2008 inclusive.
Articles Index - follow this link to find a sub-index of many interesting and useful iris related articles
Cultural Info - follow this link to find growing information/tips and advice on various types of iris: Bearded, Siberian, Japanese. Also a glossary of iris terms; helpful to the understanding of the terminology used when reading iris catalogues and or iris related articles.
Iris Sales Events - details on upcoming various iris sales events
Regional Iris Societies - a listing of Canadian local/regional iris clubs/societies and special interest iris societies
AIS Region 16 - section provided for AIS Region 16 (Canada) and related American Iris Society (AIS) information.
Links to further iris information on the Internet. Includes info on Iris-Talk an internet mailing list devoted to the discussion of garden irises. Lots of fun and interaction with people who love irises! Find out how to join in.

Contact the CIS by e-mail at: cdn-iris@rogers.com
Leave us a comment/message/question and we will get back to you ASAP. Many frequently asked questions regarding iris or growing iris are answered in the articles contained on this website. Please look for information on the website first.

Website created, produced and maintained by:
Christopher Hollinshead
Wolf Marketing Communications, Mississauga, Ontario Canada.
e-mail: wolf-com@rogers.com