“Singular and beautiful colour”
“Irises have been compared to Orchids, and those who delight in singular and beautiful colour, and to whom greenhouses and hot-houses are denied, may find a substitute for Orchids in irises”
By William Robinson, from “The English Flower Garden,” 1892
Latest from our Noticeboard
Convention
Iris By Design The National Convention to be held at Trailways Hotel Nelson Friday 11th to Monday 14th November 2022 We have followed the usual format of...
Book Release – Why Irises?
It’s here, the eagerly awaited and definitive book on irises; many Iris lovers have waited a long time for Gwenda Harris to put pen to paper and give the world the...
Annual General Meeting
NOTICE OF NZ IRIS SOCIETY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Our President, Marilyn Fleming, has made the decision to cancel the proposed Committee and AGM meetings which were to...
Our Species
We all begin with a love affair and for most it is with the Tall Bearded Iris which comes in all hues except a true red and green, however the search to perfect these colours in the Iris continues today as it has done for the past 80 odd years.
Below you can see examples of New Zealand Irises.
Arils and Aril Bred Irises
The common characteristic of these very different species from which the term “aril” arises is a white appendage on one end of the seed. This appendage or aril varies in size in each species.
Tall Bearded Irises
It is a large genus containing, among several sub-genera, bearded or pogon iris, the most popular and most frequently grown iris. Thousands of named varieties have been developed over the last 100 years or so, in a wide range of colours and sizes.
Beardless Iris
There is a growing interest in the non bearded irises. Including these in your garden will extend the flowering season over almost the whole year.
Iris Society Benefits
Seed Pool
View the seed pool list here.
Society Membership
Join the New Zealand Iris Society for information, communication, socialising, a quality bulletin, excellent book and slide libraries, seed pool, robins, seminars and garden visits and much more …
Society Awards
The New Zealand Dykes Medal can be awarded every second year by the British Iris Society on the recommendation of the New Zealand Iris Society. To view previous recipients please follow the link.
Convention 2022
The Nelson branch of the NZIS invites members to
Iris By Design
The National Convention to be held at Trailways Hotel Nelson Friday 11th to Monday 14th November 2022
We have followed the usual format of meet and greet on Friday evening, bussed garden visits on Saturday and Monday and an in house day on Sunday including presentations, the auction and AGM.
Trailways Hotel at 66 Trafalgar St is right beside the Maitai river and only 5 minutes’ walk from the centre of town. Its sister motel Delorenzo’s is next door and together they offer 10% discount on accommodation if booking direct through their websites using the promo code 12345.
Cedar Grove Motor Lodge, Kings Gate Motel and The Sails Motel are all adjacent in lower Trafalgar St.
Gael Montgomerie
Convenor Nelson convention committee