Ok, who is your favorite hybridizer? I know that tastes change and there is a "new" hot hybridizer. I want to know by shear number of cultivars what that hybridizer is.

Ok, so I went through my database and found lots of "Entry" errors. Like just putting "Johnson" in the name column when I know I have three different ones (Thomas, Larry, & I think Barbara), so I will need to fix all of these errors.

So here is my list via the sheer numbers.

#1. Innerst 120 (was there any doubt? Nope.)

#2. Schreiner 83

#3. Keppel 55

#4. Blyth 37

#5. Ghio 32

#6. Black 29

#7. Thomas Johnson 21

#8. Joan Roberts 19

#9. Ernst 17

#10. Kasperek 14

#11. Spoon 11

#12. Sutton 10

#13. Crump, Gibson, Hager, & Tasco at 8

#14. Burseen, Kerr, & Lauer at 6

#15. Larry Johnson, Lynda Miller, & Zurbrigg at 5.

#16. Aitken, Baumunk, Bianco, Byers, Ensminger, Maryott, & Nichols at 4.

Interesting stuff. (Note: I have one Leslie Blyth that is NOT included in the numbers above)

I cannot say a hybridizer is my favorite by the numbers I have because I really have gone by the bloom I want more than who created it. I love Lucille Pinkston's iris, but doubt I will ever be able to get more than two of hers as they are very hard to find. I really like Burseen's iris, but don't think I will ever collect them all.
In other words my numbers would be misleading!

I know this is a "backwards" measure of "your" favorite hybridizer. Still, it has a validation of sorts. I would have thought that Ghio would have been higher on my list and that Keppel would have been my number two. I also think that my collection is some what based on my fellow iris lovers in my region and now ATP'ers. I have traded alot of stuff and it can depend on whats available/what I like that makes the cut.

Can't say, yet. Almost all of my Iris were received this year and it will be at least next year, more probably the year after, when I see blooms before I can choose a favorite hybridizer.

Here's how my numbers stack up.
1. Blyth = 91
2. Keppel = 65
3. Ghio = 54
4. Schreiner = 45
5. Black = 41
6. T. Johnson = 32
7. Sutton = 25
8. Tasco = 17 Tie
8. Van Liere = 17 Tie
9. Ernst = 14
10. Kerr = 11
11. Cayeux = 9

Oops, think I didn't quite get the concept, here. Well, the rationale still holds--can't choose a favorite because almost all of what I have was given to me this year, not sought out/purchased.

I have irises of probably more than a hundred hybridizers, even one whose first name is Iris. It would take a long time to list them.

Which hybridizer do you prefer, though, based on how many you have of that person's Irises?

I could quite see Blyth and Burseen as perferred hybridizers for me, but I have to agree with Debra that it will depend a bit on what ends up doing well for me here. I can say that the Burseen rhizomes I got this year (quite a few!) are a hardy breed.

On a worried note: we have had rain and rain and more rain. The long slow, ground saturating type, so I hope rot does not set in. I have had to add topsoil to a few washouts as well. The survivors will get gold stars from me!

not a fair assessment. I love Willott irises from Anthony and Dorothy Willott. Anthony has passed and Dorothy is not as active as she used to be. I will buy more if I can find them. I have more of the modern irises because they are more available. Irises from other countries may be a favorite of some but very hard to buy here. Mike Sutton has a little guy that I am looking for and he is now looking for it too so that I can find a source for it. I guess this thread is maybe which hybridizers irises do you have the most of?

Bonnie - I think it is more number of irises you have because you collect the hybridizer's iris. Your issue with Willott iris is the same I have with Pinkston. Like them, but very hard to come by. Greg, on the other hand, has been successful in collecting many of Innerst's iris - and so he has mort of Sterling's iris than other other hybridizer. If Burseen made a bunch of crazy SDB's to go with his TB's I might have gardens full of his blooms.

I don't have exact numbers, but I assume the largest # would be plants from Paul Black, mainly medians as you all would guess.

What Sutton cultivar is Mike looking for Bonnie?

Aaah, by George Sutton. registered in 2008 and introduced in 2009. It is an MDB.

Mike waited until his fields were not frozen and then waded through them when they were muddy. He found the tag for it but no plant. He is checking for a source and will email me.

In my case, the number, whether high, or low, has no real "meaning" as far as denoting a "favorite" hybridizer. I "like" Lapham, for what he did for reds, and Hall, for what he did for pinks, and the Sass brothers, for what they did for medians, and re bloomers, so I try to "collect" examples of their work. As to the "modern" hybridizers (those still alive, and working ). I like what Tasco has introed, as well as some of the stuff from the Jedlicas....but, I haven't grown enough "new' ones long enough to really have much of an opinion

I just listed the numbers of irises that I had for the top Hybridizers, and cut it off at the top 12, but since I had a tie for No. 8 It shows up as only the top 11. I have many many more irises, sometimes I only have one of a hybridizer's irises. I couldn't list them all. I don't think this necessarily indicates who your favorite hybridizer is, but if you seem to collect a lot of them it says something about liking their work.

Exactly what I was getting at. Sterling Innerst is most certainly not my favorite hybridizer based on esthetics, but he is by sheer volume. Maybe I did not phrase this thread correctly.

I can tell you that my top three favorite hybridizers are Blyth, Ghio and Keppel. I don't know how many I have of each of them -- but I can tell you that I have more of those three than all of the others combined. So for me, numbers do tell the story. I do not pursue hybridizers -- I pursue blossoms. My top three favorite hybridizers are the ones who consistently produce those blossoms.

1. Schreiner 38
2. Keppel 30
3. Ghio 25
4. Blyth 14
5. Black 13
6. Johnson 10
7. Tasco 10
8. Kerr 9
9. Hager 7
10.Sutton 5
Kasperek 5

I probably have 40-45 different hybridizers represented, and 21 are Dykes medal winners.

I really didn't pay much attention to hybridizers until a few years ago. I'm not surprised Schreiner is first. I've been ordering from them since the 80's, and they've been in business longer that any of the other folks. I suspect things will shift some in the coming years.