Which were your first iris? We built out house in the mid 70's and one of the things I decided to plant first were some irises. I saw an ad in the Sunday classified for iris for sale so we went to look. I remember getting Radiant Apogee, Seashell Music, Whole Cloth, and a few others. We also got a start of Son of Star which was more money because it was newer. Then I learned there was a man in my home town who grew 300+ named irises. His name was Ray and we became fast friends, ordering together, swapping rhizomes, and spending many hours discussing our beloved iris. My first order from him included Dream Lover, Gay Parasol, and Beaux Arts. Then one Sunday we were in Salt Lake City and drove by the UAGC building and spotted a sign reading "IRIS SHOW TODAY". We went in and that was when the bug really bit. It was a Utah Iris Society Show and we saw gorgeous irises and met some very nice people. Now 40+ years later many of our friends are gone but we have added new members/friends. We have a wonderful group of people. They had a stack of catalogs at the show and I took some addresses and sent away for my first catalogs which I read and reread many times. I ordered some TB's from Keith Keppel and some medians from Paul Black while he was still in Oklahoma. I've always been a fanatic about keeping records and labeling my plants. To each his own but I have never had room in my garden for noids.....just my preference. Now I'm at the point in my life when I am only adding a few new things each year and cutting way back on the numbers grown. What were your first???????
