Peter Jackson Expands Louisiana Iris Breeding in Australia

as a “time of observation,” when he couldlearn to carefully evaluate seedlings. Heregistered and introduced his first hybridsin 1997, ‘It’s Lilac Time,’ and ‘OaklandsJewel’.Jackson says he has gotten to thepoint now that he plans his crosses verycarefully, in part simply due to space limitationsimposed by growing seedlings inpots.GoalsAmong his goals is “to produce a highquality red, a ruffled near black, and toexperiment with veining and spray patterns.”He has always been attracted tothe red Louisianas, mentioning ‘AnnChowning’ as a favorite, noting, “I lovethe deep currant red and also the contrastof the bright gold triangular signals.”Peter has selected “the reddest LAthat has appeared in my seedling patch,”for further observation and refinement.This cross of ‘Lucy Payens’ x ‘GladiatorsGift’ is a bitone with bright red falls(which he admits need further work).The same cross produced a lower growingiris of intense yellow with heavy rufflingof strong substance, which mightbe introduced later.Breeding for red also produced‘Coonawarra Claret,’ one of Jackson’sguest irises that bloomed for the 2002Society convention in Little Rock. Introducedin 1999, ‘Coonawarra Claret’is a deep velvety wine red, which contrastsnicely with cream style arms and adeep gold star signal. His near-blackbreeding line has produced ‘Storm Boy’and ‘Iron Man,’ with several seedlingsunder evaluation.‘Coonawarra Claret’ resulted froma cross of ‘Gladiator’s Gift’ x ‘DesertJewel.’ ‘Gladiator’s Gift’ (J. Taylor, 90)shows up again and again in Jackson’scrosses, as it does in much of the breedingwork being done in Australia andmuch of the American west coast. Healso makes quite a lot of use of ‘LucyPayens’ (J. Taylor 92) as well as Taylor’sfamed ‘Margaret Lee’ (R91).The gardening public has been quitetaken with two of Peter’s cultivars whichare not from his dark red breeding. ‘It’sLilac Time’ (R. 97) is a very soft lavenderbitone with complementary creamand lilac style arms, and it is reported tohave a pleasing fragrance. A deep rosepink with an umbrella form, ‘Bright Parasol’(R99) sports a raised spear signal onall petals.Among Jackson’s favorite namedLouisiana irises are the previously mentioned‘Ann Chowning,’ and several introductionsby fellow Australians, includingHeather Pryor’s ‘Garnet StormDancer’ and ‘Venus Vortex,’ a deeppurple with a huge white spray patternthat Jackson proclaims “stunning—verydramatic!” He likes John Taylor’s ‘Undercover’(R 96), a dark violet, as wellas Taylor’s ‘Daintree’ (R 97), a “beautifulbright yellow with great form and ruffling.”Compact ProgramJackson’s breeding program has beencarried on in a tiny back yard garden inAdelaide, the capital of South Australia.The Jacksons grow over 120 varieties ofLouisianas, plus his seedlings—all of thisdone in 500 pots. “People are amazedat what we can fit into our back yard,but it’s a case of making sure that everythingis in its place,” Jackson says.Jackson Irises. From left, top, ‘EncounterBay’, which has just received an HCfrom the Victorian Iris Society in Australia;‘It’s Lilac Time’, among Peter’sfirst, a 1997 registration.Above, from top: ‘Storm Boy’, a deeppurple; ‘Burra Burra, a red-brown blendregistered in 2001; and the spectacularlyruffled, light lavender blue ‘QueenAdelaide’, registered in 2001.W I N T E R 2 0 0 2 | S L I N E W S L E T T E R 5