Everyone,

Hello. I need more help with my Sterling Innerst cultivar search. I have identified five folks at "Dave's Garden" site that have cultivars that I need that I have only one or two sources for. I need to contact them. Please send me a Tree mail note that you are willing to help and I will send a reply mail with the info needed. Thanks!

Greg

Greg, I am getting in on things a little late. Are you looking for TB's or medians?

I am looking for cultivars hybridized by Sterling Innerst. Do you have any? I have a list online of what I need. It is a tad old, but will do for now.

http://www.dvis-ais.org/Hybrid...

thanks.

Greg

I looked at your list, but I don't have any of them, I can't believe out of all those, I didn't have one name. I'm sorry.
Why are you looking for iris from only Innerst? just curious.

Greg I only have two Innerst Iris and they are 'Hee Haw' and 'Smart' and I see them on your list of haves. Sorry I could not be of more help.

You have what we have now.

Thanks Lucy! You were one of the very first to help me out back in 2010/11. The "Carriwitched" you sent has been going like gang busters!

Grannysgarden (Bonnie) - Not an issue. I am keeping a spreadsheet of the more rare Innerst cultivars and have noted "Hee Haw". It is always good to have a backup plan. I had 8 rhizomes of Smart last season and lost all but two (rot), so I need to keep the sources up to date. The other cool thing is that I can also promote his work.

Frillylily - Two reasons I am collecting Innerst cultivars. One, it was a way of trying to limit the amount of irises I got as my yard is not very big. Failure on this point. The second was that Sterling was the president of my local iris society and I thought it a good idea to preserve his work. Alot of the old guard hybridizers started to pass away in 2010/11 and my effort was to not let his (their) work slip away. I also thought it would be much easier to collect them than it has been. The biggest surprise was how much of his stuff was held locally within the local iris society. Very little variety which was VERY shocking.

Frillylily - I also had a short article published in the Jan/Feb 2013 AIS Bulletin in the "My Back Yard" section that detailed my Sterling Innerst quest. Check it out! - Greg

note: IB 'Carriwitched always grows like gangbusters. The 'bad' year of iris growth in 2012, it had half the clump in bloom, while other IBs suffered.

Well this may sound like a duh question, but have you contacted other iris societies? Or published your request in any of their bulletins?

I had an article published in the American Iris Societies "Bulletin" in the Jan/Feb edition last year (2013). Not a single person responded to the request at the end of the article. Not even someone to say that they think the idea is great, good, bad, ect or that they have iris xyz which I already have.

I have been "talking" to folks in Australia, France, Canada, and the Netherlands about this and been taking most opportunities to find the missing cultivars. It is never ending. But it also is fun and lets me "meet" folks around the country and around the world that I would not have done so unless on this quest.

I think that's very cool, Greg.

I think a legacy garden is a wonderful way to educate and pay tribute to either a hybridizer, as you are doing, or to a mother who grew iris and passed on the love of the plant to her child. I am amazed by all the new beautiful iris and if I had room I would like to have them all. As it is I have to pick and choose which to grow and I cannot toss an old darling for a new beauty. I consider some to be old friends that have been uprooted, like me, for various reasons, and have put down new roots and made the best out of life. I will have to enjoy most of the new varieties by looking at their pictures posted on this site so keep the pictures coming!! Keep me in mind as a source for the two I have, Smart and Hee Haw, and I will keep my eyes open for any others by innerst. Good luck with your quest and keep us updated.