new 2020
Awards
2019 - Alan was awarded the American Iris Society's Hybridiser Award 2016 - Alan was awarded the
British Iris Society's Hybridisers Award
(see below) 2010 - Alan was awarded the
British Iris Society's Foster Memorial Plaque (see below) 2017
2016
2003
BIS Hybridisers
Award 2016
[from the
2016 British Iris Society Year Book] Chris
Towers In 30 years of dedicated In 30 years
of dedicated hybridising work, Alan McMurtrie has created, and made commercially
available, winter irises in an array of colours and patterns that were never, previously
imagined possible. Alan has so far spent 30 years developing his hybrids.
In 1985 and 1986 he travelled to Turkey looking for a diploid form of Iris danfordiae for use in hybridising. He was also looking for any other Reticulata
iris that would be more genetically diverse than existing available clones. Alan's work has required patience. Even after selecting a plant he considers
worthy of introduction, it has taken him 15 years to multiply
that 1 bulb to 200,000. Many new varieties
are being worked on for introduction once sufficient stock is available. He
brought some of his lovely irises to the R.H.S. Show at Vincent Square in
February and those that saw them were very impressed. It is hoped that they will
be included in the R.H.S. Winter Iris Trail to be planted at Wisley in 2017. Alan's
hybrid 'Sea Green' (97-CQ-1) was recommended for an Award of Merit by the Joint
Rock Garden Plant Committee. The committee also recommended Preliminary Commendations
for 'Eye Catcher' (98-NP-4), 'Storm' (98-NP-2), and 'Spot On' (87-DQ-1). There are
some lovely pictures of Alan's irises at his website www.reticulatas.com.
_________________________ The
Foster Memorial Plaque [from the 2010 British Iris Society Year Book] Anne Blanco White This is a
special personal award to those who contribute to the advance of the Genus Iris and for 2010 it goes to Alan
McMurtrie of Canada who richly deserves it. For some thirty years now he has
been working with reticulata irises - not exclusively as he has included Junos
and pogons as well as practically anything else that
took his fancy. Additionally, he has an extensive non-iris life style. Well
known in the Canadian and United States iris world, his collecting expeditions
to Turkey, started in 1985, netted him in particular his Çat
reticulata and a diploid I. danfordiae. He settled in to hybridise and one
concomitant of that was his record of crosses and selections and failures not
to mention alternative garden sites for plants which as he says himself, "could
do better if he tried". The early hybrids were interesting and some bore an
intriguing resemblance to I.
'Katharine Hodgkin'. But patient selection, crossings and back-crossings
steadily resulted in more spectacular colour combinations which had never
previously featured in these bulbs. This involved careful consideration of the
older, commercially available plants and could they be crossed with the new
ones to give later fertile offspring for further hybridising. Anyone who has
read his articles, let alone seen his website, will understand the excitement
of watching a new potential treasure open up. It is no joke trying to introduce
new bulbs to nurserymen and persuade them that they really will be worth the
time and work to bring them to a market so very used to the old regulars for
they need to be increased on a considerable scale and to remain healthy. Alan has managed this and with luck
they will soon be sought by more growers who would like more variety in colour
at this time of year. We hope his work will continue for many years and give
iris growers yet more treasures. |
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