I recently reviewed Beardless Irises: A plant for every garden situation and now Schiffer publishing is offering a Giveaway of this beautiful, fascinating and useful book.
I have been reading Beardless Irises: A Plant for Every Garden Situation by Keven C. Vaughn and published by Schiffer. My own experience with beardless irises is with Siberian irises which are one of the most beautiful and easy care flowers in the world, and Japanese irises which often have a flatter flower and are truly spectacular. I never knew that beardless irises ranged from the sweet and petite, to the tall and stunning spurias.
I never knew anything about Pacific coast native irises which we cannot really grow in our area because of the winters, but amazingly Louisiana irises, and spuria irises are definite possibilities. I will never take the iris family for granted again.
Vaughn is a scholar, hybridizer and has a PhD in plant genetics. He gives us common gardeners the information about whether a particular type of iris will thrive in our climate, as well as the usual cultural info about soil, fertilizer and sun requirements, but the book is also rich in the stories of hybridizers and their work. If you like to know how a stunning plant came to be, or even how to create your own hybrids, this is the book for you.
If you would like a chance to win a copy of this book with its stunning photographs of the many varieties and cultivars of beardless irises, all you have to do is leave a comment below. Perhaps you have a favorite iris to mention. I will have a drawing for this book on Wednesday, August 19. Good luck!
Beardless Irises add grace & beauty to our garden.
love crested iris
I love seeing them all over town in Spring. Then I know winter is truly gone for a while! Would love to learn more about them!
A couple of years ago I planted Dwarf Iris in my rock garden. They performed very well and have spread. Yellow and purple beauties. Give them a try!
I am looking forward to seeing the Iris in my newly planted Iris garden, and to seeing the ones you gave me! If I win the book, I may even be able to give some names to them.
I am a recent transplant to Franklin County and am planning a cutting garden for 2016. Irises will be a most welcome and beautiful addition!
I love iris.. it was even my wedding flower, long before I really grew gardens!
Beautiful! They are such a beautiful part of Spring!
I have some iris in my front yard, always love that they herald spring.
They are so elegant a flower. I planted one at our old house and never got to enjoy it, time to find a spot here!
Hi Pat, don’t enter me into the drawing because someone else should win. I get too much already. I wanted to tell you how pretty your garden is though. Simply lovely. My blackberry lilies haven’t done much for two years. I wonder if I should live them this fall and put them elsewhere. Maybe they are too crowded with other things. I think I’ll ask Fairegarden what she thinks. Happy Bloom Day my friend!~~Dee
Oh I definitely prefer these to the bearded ones…
The irises on the cover look gorgeous! I would love to learn more about them!
Yes they are lovely.
I am a new follower of your blog but this book just makes me nostalgic and yearn for my mother’s beautiful garden. I don’t know the type of irises she grew but they were just spectacular. She passed away a few years ago and the garden went to seed but the memories will be with me forever.
I am constantly trying to give away Siberian iris. I only require that folks dig them out themselves. Wish I was as fortunate growing the bearded variety which seem to be very temperamental.