Do you know of a topic or an upcoming event that SPCNI members would like to be aware of? A special iris-related announcement? An award winning photo (or one that deserves an award)? An especially helpful newspaper article? Let us know, so we can post it here. Send the information to Debby Cole, SPCNI President: 7417 92nd Place SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040, or forward it to SPCNI webperson Steve Ayala: 929 Pepperwood Lane, Petaluma, CA 94952.

Wild Iris Trek 2010

SPCNI's 2010 Trek will take place in the hills near Roseburg, Oregon, on June 14-15 - the height of the wildflower season. Each day, buses will ferry the 48 lucky participants to see especially good sites for Iris chrysophylla, I. innominata, I. tenax and several hybrids. Friends, Native Plant Society and Species Iris members are all welcome. Deadline to register is May 1, 2010. Click on Kathleen Sayce's Iris tenax photo for a downloadable registration form.

November 16, 2009

Special Offer During 2010

    All new and current SPCNI members who buy a triennial membership during 2010 will received an added bonus!

February 10, 2010

Three New Resource CDs

    Three new CDs will help your understanding and appreciation of Pacifica iris. Contact the Society secretary for your copies.

    Registrar Ken Walker has assembled a new, expanded Photo CD with twice as many photos as the old one. Images of species and hybrids are in separate folders, each image framed and labeled. ($9 US, $12 outside the USA).
    Kathleen Sayce has scanned all copies of the SPCNI ALMANAC through 2007, together with the index and checklist. An invaluable collection. ($15 US, $18 outside the USA).
    Jay and Terri Hudson's Power Point presentation: "INTRODUCTION TO SPCNI" pulls together the most attractive photographs of Pacifica iris in various settings. Ideal for a club or meeting presentation. ($9 US, $12 outside the USA).

March 16, 2010

Special Offer During 2010

    All new and current SPCNI members who buy a triennial membership during 2010 will received an added bonus!

February 10, 2010

American Iris Society - 2009 Awards - Californicae Section

Here are the winners of the AIS awards for outstanding Pacifica iris for 2009. For the winners in all categories, check http://irises.org/pdf/AISawards2009final.pdf . Further information is available on the AIS website.

2009 Sidney B. Mitchell Medal.   Winner - Mendocino Blue (Robert & Janet Canning).   Runners-up - Star of Wonder (Joseph Ghio), Mocha Melody (Alphild Lind), and Rancho Corralitos (Joseph Ghio).
Awards of Merit.   Bar Code (Joseph Ghio), Dot the Eyes (Joseph Ghio).   Runners-up - Admiral's Pride (Vernon Wood), English Rose (Joseph Ghio), Ocean Blue (Joseph Ghio), Steamer Lane (Lois Belardi), Different Strokes (Joseph Ghio).
Honorable Mentions.   Rodeo Gulch (Joseph Ghio), Chalk Hill Road (L. W. Beeman, deceased, by Anna & David Cadd), Sunol Grade (Joseph Ghio), Violet Vixen (Vernon Wood), Battle Line (Joseph Ghio), and Jolon (Joseph Ghio).   Runners-up - Seeing Eye (Joseph Ghio), Pinole Prince (Vernon Wood, by T. Hudson), Little Survivor (Elena Laborde), Around the Bay (Joseph Ghio).

November 16, 2009

Naturalized Iris at Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens

    Mike Monninger found lots to photograph during an early April visit to the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens in Claremont, California. A photo series he shares with us here gives us a good sense of how well Pacifica iris and PCI hybrids can fit into a naturalized landscape scheme.

April 6, 2009

SPCNI's 2009 Online Photo Contest

The results are in! Three experienced photographers and our web site's visitors all have recorded their opinions. Click on the photo on the left to see which Pacifica iris photographs they selected as the best of 2009.

February 16, 2009

Caring For and Dividing Wild and Hybrid Irises

    Pam Peirce answers gardening questions submitted to the San Francisco Chronicle. One of her replies (July 16, 2008) includes several helpful ideas for growing Douglas iris in a home garden. Click on the photo to see her article.

July 16, 2008

Armchair Vacation to American Native Iris

    The US Forest Service's Rangeland Management Botany Program invites us on a fascinating tour - Our Native Irises: The Pacific Coast Native Irises.   This online excursion is loaded with information, maps, photographs (many from SPCNI) and additional reading on each one of our West Coast native iris species. It's part of the Forest Service's - "Celebrating Wildflowers" website, so you'll enjoy retracing your steps to follow some of the other sidetrail links. Click on the photo to start your tour.

June 30, 2008

SPCNI ALMANAC - Complete Index

    Terri Hudson recently finished putting together a complete Index to the SPCNI Almanac, covering the years 1973 through 2006. The file is in .pdf format, and requires Adobe Acrobat to open (available free online). Those wanting frequent reference might print out a paper copy to keep on hand.

July 29, 2007

Douglas Iris cover watercolor

Artist Pamela Glasscock provided a dozen watercolors of California coastal wildflowers to illustrate the 2007 annual report of the Sonoma County Community Foundation.   Click on the photo to see her Douglas iris rendering on the cover.

July 20, 2007

California's Sierra Iris having a good year

    A May 2007 report: "California's Sierra Iris" describes the short-term effect of "forest thinning" on Iris hartwegii populations in Nevada County, California.

May 19, 2007

Newspaper features developer of PCN hybrids

    A story by Jannie Dresser in the San Francisco Chronicle describes the work of local gardener Ryan Grisso and his efforts to produce new varieties of Pacific Coast iris hybrids. Click on the image to see her report. Close the window to return.

April 12, 2007

Southern Sierra Iris race recovering from drought

    Richard Richard's June 2006 revisit to Barton Flat in the San Bernadino mountains (site of the Society's 2002 MiniTrek), shows the local Iris hartwegii australis are recovering well, following abundant winter showfall and good spring rains.

August 31, 2006

WebSite Recognized 2006

    This notice arrived in June:   "Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris -   Your website has been selected as one of the best educational resources on the Web by StudySphere. StudySphere is one of the Internet's fastest growing sites of educational resources for students, teachers and parents. StudySphere has scoured the Internet to select only the finest sites to be included within its listing of educational links. Congratulations!"

June 28, 2006

Sunset Magazine Highlights PCIs

Check the May 2005 issue of Sunset for Lauren Bonar Swezey's article "Pacific treasure". You'll find tips on where to find those attractive hybrids, and suggestions on climate, light, planting, water, feeding, and maintenance to help locate and display Pacific Coast irises in your home garden.

May 28, 2005

Pacific Coast Native Iris Workshop

Santa Rosa's chapter of the California Native Plant Society divides and pots native iris and PCI hybrids for its 2005 fund raising plant sale. Click on the photo to see more. Close window to return.

December 12, 2004

Iris munzii Trek - Spring 2004

On April 25, 43 visitors attended a one-day Trek to a closed area of Sequoia National Park, home to a unique stand of Iris munzii. Click on the photo to see how it went. Close window to return.

May 22, 2004

New book on PCI garden iris

A new University of California Press book, Wild Lilies, Irises, and Grasses; Gardening with California Monocots, has practical gardening adivce on nine Pacifica iris species and a like number of hybrid PCIs. Click on the photo to learn more. Close window to return.

May 26, 2004

Pacifica Iris in the News

Some newspaper articles are so well researched and written that they deserve a better ending than the bottom of the birdcage. When you see one, let us know, and we'll try to post a longer-life copy here.     [Index of Online PCI Articles].

November 4, 2005

Two New Online Iris Photo Sites

Dennis Kramb of SIGNA (Species Iris Group of North America) is developing a new Photo-based database of wild iris species. At this time, it includes 21 photographs of 11 Pacifica iris species. Many of the most outstanding photos were taken by Ken Walker.

Mary Sue Ittner is gathering an outstanding series of Pacifica iris photos for the Pacific Bulb Society web site. Several were taken by Bob Rutemoeller.

Updated May 22, 2004

Calsibe Irises.

Pacifica irises may have evolved from Siberian irises isolated in the New World during the Ice Ages. Thomas and Christina Tamberg in Germany have had remarkable success growing Calsibe hybrids (diploid and tetraploid) of these two ancient relatives.   Click on the photo to visit their web site. Close window to return.

July 1, 2003

Sierra Iris subspecies. Are they real?

    Erin Riggs studied local populations identified as distinct subspecies of Iris hartwegii, for her graduate degree thesis at Portland State University. Her report appeared in the Spring 2003 issue of SIGNA, the journal of the Species Iris Group of North America.

The article opens in a new window. Close window to return.

April 12, 2003

Seed Collection - Legal & Ethical Reminder

    A letter from Carol Bornstein, of the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden, reminds members to check state and federal status before collecting seed from wild plants. Some iris species are listed as rare and endangered. Collecting seed from plants growing on public lands requires a permit.

The letter opens in a new window. Close window to return.

August 3, 2002

Gallery of Lee Lenz's Iris munzii-derived hybrids

    Dr. Lee Lenz introduced more than a dozen hybrids based on the species he named Iris munzii. Many show shades of blue rarely found in the Pacifica irises. Newly available photographs from the Robert P. Hubley collection give us an idea of the beauty of these introductions. (Richard Richard's report on I. munzii's wild populations is in the Fall 2001 Almanac.)

Click the photo to see the Lenz gallery in a new window. Close window to return.

Rick Tasco and Roger Duncan sent these photos of PCI and PCI hybrids in bloom at the Superstition Iris Gardens in Cathey's Valley, California. (Click photo to enlarge in new window. Close window to return.)

Canyon Snow	Chimes	Clarice Richards	Idylwild	Mendo- cino Blue	Susie   Knapp	Up All Night

Douglas iris places first in Dallas

Ginger McCausey sent a photo of her blue ribbon winning Iris douglasiana exhibited at the Iris Society of Dallas show on April 22. (Click photo to enlarge in new window. Close window to return.)

Updated: 16 November, 2009
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