W. R. Dykes
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Full Description
TB 38″ M
From Cooley’s Gardens catalog for 1932: “No iris has come to us from any source that has carried greater advance publicity, and it is doubtful if any has created as much comment. Here is a yellow iris that ranks with the very largest in size, with heavy crepey texture, and a color of richest golden-yellow. The falls are usually stained and streaked lightly with purple. In some flowers this is not evident at all, but the beauty of the blossom is not marred in the least. It has flowered well in almost every section of the country, but it does demand perfect drainage. Cold temperatures do not seem to harm the plant. A great novelty.”
The story of W. R. Dykes as related by Laetitia Munro: “Up until it was hybridized, there were no yellow iris of its size. After many years of trying, W.R. bred this iris. W.R. was quite excited about it, but when he reported it to the AIS they believed he ‘faked’ it somehow. W.R. was killed in an auto accident before he could intro it. His widow Katherine introduced it with his name. But many think W.R. would have tossed it on the compost heap, once he saw the brownish mutations on the falls. Some think the original iris was clear yellow, and the brown streaks are from a virus that invaded the original mother rhizome, and is passed on to every one of its increase, but no one knows for sure.”
Comment: “The photo showing the heavy red coloration on the falls is from 2004 was grown in very rich, heavy soil. The lighter version was photographed in 2005 when it was potted in lean soil and growing in part shade. The stalk shot was taken in 2007 in very well drained, nutrient poor soil. Quite a difference in the expression of the broken color.” – Mike, WA