Each year, the American Iris Society (AIS) and its qualified, registered judges make specific awards to Iris varieties. These awards are a very useful tool in selecting iris that have the best growing qualities. ie., flower form, colour, number of buds and stems, substance etc.

Since Award winners typically set the standards for irises, they form the basis of the varieties that we select to grow and offer to our customers.

We have listed the awards won by each variety in our descriptions. Here is an example:

Florentine Silk, (TB), (K. Keppel '05), ML, 40", HM '07, AM '09, WM '11, DM '12 is a Tall Bearded Iris and was introduced by Keith Keppel in 2005 for sale to the public. It blooms from Mid to Late (ML) in the Tall Bearded bloom season and is typically 40 inches tall. It received it's Honourable Mention (HM) Award in 2007, the Award of Merit (AM) in 2009, a Wister Medal (JW) in 2011 and finally the Dykes Medal (DM) in 2012.

The Dykes Medal is the top award for all classes of Iris. Remember, since it takes at least 7 years to achieve a Dykes Medal (DM), the newer varieties are still in the running. Try your luck in selecting the best for your garden.

Have a look at the Dykes Medal Winners that we grow.