What a picture. You have a picture that has an iris by all the major hybridizers of today. And there were still some irises that I have never seen before, like Keppel's "Strawberry Shake". Amazing.

Thanks Carl. I will enjoy iris pictures on a cold winter day next January. That bed needs to be dug and replanted this year.

One of ugly facts of growing iris. Digging. And always at the hot time of the year. I have at least three beds that need to be dug this Summer and two beds that need to be dug in the fall. We have a friend that had a commercial iris garden. Now he does daylillies. I think it was the digging that made him quit irises.

If you are talking about Bill Maryott, he does plenty of digging with the daylilies now too, just in a bit cooler location! He just felt he got about as far as he could go with breeding iris and wanted to try his hand at daylily hybridizing. He's made quite a name for himself in that endeavour!

Fer shure and certain he has done that, Sue.

You caught me. It is indeed Mr. Maryott. I thought his irises had some of the best form and he had some unique colors. I think what Bill likes about the daylilles is the challenge of the hybridizing. But he did tell me that he didn't miss digging the iris in the middle of July. There is just a little irony that he won the Dykes medal for "That's All Folks" after he quit irises.

I thought that was great for him!
@coboro, I used to live in San Jose, (moved away 3 years ago) right on the border of Milpitas as a matter of fact, and I wold visit Maryott's iris gardens on Bird Ave. when my kids were little. I have visited his daylily gardens a couple of times now. Last time I saw him was in 2011. He sure loves what he does!