Lestv said:I only have 11 of the first 50, and 9 of the second 50. Guess I am planting to the beat of a different drum!
Don't feel bad, I only have 7 out of the entire 100(+) and have been growing irises since I was a kid in the 70's.
The rules determining which irises are or aren't on the ballot are heavily slanted towards those which have won awards, particularly Dykes and Wister medal winners. Most irises disappear off the ballot before the average gardener even has a chance to grow them. This, combined with the fact that it takes a minimum of seven years for an iris to win the Dykes Medal, means the list is mostly populated with older varieties. 'Montmartre' might be the newest variety, introduced in 2008.
Also, only irises introduced in the US are eligible for AIS awards so there's almost no Australian or European varieties on the ballot. Keith Keppel introduced 'Decadence' in the US for Barry Blyth and I think it's Barry's only iris on the list. So, if you grow mostly newer and /or non-American irises, you won't see many of your favorites.
