American
Iris Society - Region 7 spans Tennessee and Kentucky, with USDA
climate zones that range from 5 to 8, from mountains to valleys, plateaus,
and the Mississippi floodplain. Soil types range from clay to gravel
with wonderful loess in the western part of Tennessee. Weather is
everything and anything, the only thing we know for sure is that it can
change abruptly from drought to deluge and back again in summer, and from
subfreezing to balmy in midwinter.
Before the big commercial iris gardens on the
west coast dominated the iris scene, the region was a center of top notch
hybridizing, producing several Dykes medal winners in the 1930s and 1940s
- Dauntless, Copper Lustre, Mary Geddes, and Chivalry - and, in 1978, Bride's Halo.
The iris is the state flower of Tennessee, although we aren't exactly in agreement as to which iris!
The region currently includes 14 AIS affiliate clubs
and continues the tradition of producing and growing irises that thrive in
our "interesting" climate.
