STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 11
FLORICULTURE: the study of the efficient production of the plants that produce showy, colorful flowers and foliage for human enjoyment in human environments. It is a commercially successful branch of horticulture around the world.
Mike Bale discusses the Oklahoma Iris Society with the Kiwanis.
Growing up in a flower shop I pretty much know the basics, especially when it comes to roses and carnations. I was recently exposed to the world of irises. I had no idea how many color variations, actual names, and the registration process involved. I just always thought they were neat.
Mike Bale with the Oklahoma Iris Society has one of the most beautiful public iris gardens in the state right here in Stillwater. With over 1,000 named varieties on his property, he ' s been featured in Oklahoma Gardening magazine, appeared multiple times in the Perkins Journal and has hundreds of flower lovers coming to tour his gardens yearly.
There are currently over 80,000 registered iris in the nation. For the first time ever, Mike just registered six of his own irises with the American Iris Society. Naming each breed of the flower is quite a task. A lot of people use song lyrics, movie quotes and titles, or animals. Coming up with something super original can be tricky, and you must always check the register first to see if a name has already been taken.
Fortunately for Mike, he was able to name some after his grandchildren. Lexi ' s Purple Tiger and Dancing Zoey will forever be known as a beautiful breed of iris. My favorite iris on his property is a pink ruffled one named " As You Wish ". Since The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies, I appreciated the name. Another fun one is " I Pink I Can ".
The meticulous cross pollination to create different breeds of iris is
Mike Bale discusses the Oklahoma IrisSociety with the Kiwanis. fascinating. If you don ' t have natural pollinators on your property such as bees and hummingbirds, you can do it strategically by hand. Not only can you create multi-colored blooms, you can also come up with actual patterns on the petals. There ' s so much science that goes into the breeding process of new varieties that it ' s easy to see how people can nerd out over irises! It truly is an art form.
Mike is headed to Montana for the Iris Convention in June, so I ' m sure he will come back even more inspired for the next iris season. Until then, you can enjoy a song about irises. " Purple Irises " by Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton hit the airwaves last fall.
STORY BY: JENNIFER JALBERT Stillwater Oklahoma Magazine
PHOTOS by JENNIFER JALBERT
The meticulous cross pollination to create different breeds of iris is fascinating.
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 11