Offering the best new irises for the connoisseur and for the backyard gardener.
International Iris
P.O. Box 18124
Portland, OR 97218-0124
bfilardi [at] comcast.net
2013 Introductions:
Banana Cream Pie
Queen Empress (Filardi '07)
The Bauer Garden during iris season
Rock Climber (Filardi '12)
International Iris/Bruce Filardi
from the SDIS Newsletter, April 2010
Bruce Filardi started hybridizing in 1996. As soon as he fell in love with irises, he fell in love with hybridizing. His first inspiration was when he had a day off from work one day in May of ’95, saw an ad for Schreiner’s, and hopped in the car to drive an hour south from Portland to Salem. Instead of the casual half-hour visit he expected to make, he spent several hours there with his camera, first in the display gardens and later wandering through the seedling fields. The range of colors and patterns was mesmerizing, and the first thing he wanted to breed was a green iris.
As years went on, Bruce became friends with many of the “big names” in the Portland/Salem area, but he never had the confidence to name and register any of his seedlings. He finally registered some in 2005, and Barbara & Terry Aitken introduced his ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ and ‘Pewter and Gold’ in 2006, and four more in 2007: ‘Banana Cream Pie’, ‘Queen Empress’, ‘Enchanted Circle’, and ‘Twilight Tear’. Terry Aitken told Bruce that if he really wanted to introduce more than four in a year, then he should put out his own catalogue, and this is when Bruce started thinking about International Iris, which he originally planned to call Swordlily Gardens. [“Swordlily” is a literal translation of the German word for “iris”: Schwertlilie.]
Bruce speaks German so was able to communicate with German hybridizer Manfred Beer, who speaks no English. He finally had the opportunity to meet Manfred and friend Margitta [“Gitta”] Herrn, along with German hybridizer Günter Diedrich and his wife Rosi, at the National Convention in Portland a few years ago. Two years later, Bruce was the guest of Manfred & Gitta in Germany, where he got to see the Diedrichs again, and also met Wolfgang & Barbara Landgraf. An inveterate traveler, Bruce had also met and visited Anton Mego and his wife Viktoria on a trip to Slovakia; and when he was invited to judge at the International Iris Competition in Florence, Italy, he met Lorena Montanari and her husband Giorgio. On all these occasions, as happens when fanatic hybridizers get together, seedling photos were shared and discussed. Bruce saw many striking and worthwhile irises which he knew would never be seen in America.
International Iris slowly came into being as a way to distribute Bruce’s own work, and more importantly as an outlet for the work of Europe’s great hybridizers who really had no distribution process. In 2009 and 2010, irises were introduced by Beer, Diedrich, Filardi, Landgraf, Mego, and Montanari. The most popular in 2009 were Landgraf’s ‘Landgraefin Elisabeth’, Montanari’s ‘Ferragosto’, and Filardi’s ‘Crest of the Wave’. In 2010, the favorites have been two from Mego, ‘Bratislavan Prince’ and ‘Zlatovláska’. In 2011, new hybridizer Cynthia Bauer (Portland, OR) has her first two introductions, and in 2012 we hope to showcase the work of two additional American hybridizers.
(TBs unless otherwise noted)
Tall Bearded 2013 Introductions: $45 each; $40 each with order of 4 or more different new intros. Postage included in price. Send check, made out to Bruce Filardi, to P.O. Box 18124, Portland, OR 97218-0124
Median Introductions, 2013
Across the Garden (IB)
Buckpasser (IB)
Soldier Girl (SDB)
Early Sunbeams (MDB)
Just Dotty (27" Spec-X)
below: detail of a fall
So bright! Spectacular, eye-catching; calls to you from across the garden!
elegant & beautiful
in camouflage! (broken color)
very bright, very early; one of the first signs of spring
We are very proud of these bright, cheerful median intros! $15 each. Special collection of Across the Garden, Buckpasser, and Just Dotty for $35.
<==Wagging Tongues
<==Soaring Softly
Susanna Innerhofer-Hirschmann ==>
<== Precious Metals
Rubies All Around ==>
<== Landgraefin Barbara
Maskenball==>
<==Kiddushin
Kingmaker==>
<==Boundless Love
Grand Duke==>
<==Barbaro
Barcarole==>
very unusual broken color markings
(Cover Page X Eyes Right)
(Louisa's Song X Next Millennium)
(Pond Lily X Planned Treasure)
(Sheer Ecstasy X Local Color)
(Blushing Clouds X Goldkist)
(Jesse's Song X Bonnie Davenport)
(Landgraefin Elisabeth X (Buga Gera x Romantic Gentleman))
(Boogie Woogie X Instant Hit)
(Different Flavors X (Hotdogs and Mustard x Burst))
(Whispering Spirits X Spice Lord)
(Splashacata X Slapstick)
(Paris Fashion X Keeping Up Appearances)
(Paul Black X Some Enchanted Evening)
((J. Craig aphylla sdlg x Tanzanian Tangerine) X Brash)
(New Leaf X T. Johnson plic SDB sdlg)
(Spice Lord X Brash)
(Sono Qui X Marksman)
(Ice Etching X Bright Child)
Barbaro really has the reddest "garden effect" of any we've ever seen!
Barcarole is a beautiful flower from two stunning parents.
I crossed two of my favorite pastel irises to get this beautiful result.
Knockout garden color! Photos don't quite capture it...
Named in honor of the wedding of Barry & Sandie Finkel. My photo doesn't do justice to this smooth red-bearded white.
Nice, tall (46") spaceager from interesting parentage.
Fantastic, ruffled form -- just like its mother -- from talented German hybridizer Wolfgang Landgraf; named in honor of his charming wife, Barbara, who passed away late in 2012.
Pretty, unusual light blue plicata.
Hybridizer Manfred Beer is considered by many to be the best TB hybridizer in Germany. He feels that this beautiful new intro is one of his best ever. Flawless show branching.
A superb iris; highly recommended. Excellent growth, distinctive appearance, and an unusual beard. This is a spaceager even for those who don't like spaceagers!
Just beautiful!; smooth ruby red plic markings on creamy white ground. Great form & growth. Proving to be an outstanding parent.
Hues of shiny gold & copper; unusual and eye-catching.
Striking color with ruffles & lace; fine work from Günter Diedrich in Germany.
Subtle Appeal (SDB)
interesting genetics for hybridizers; pale yellow-green S over light blue plic-dotted F
(Dream Seeker X Denali)
Sun Beacon (SDB)
Introduced by popular demand of neighbors -- ordinary gardeners -- who love this for its shocking bright color, despite simple form.
((Tooth Fairy x Captive Sun) X Lumalite)
