Offering the best new irises for the connoisseur and for the backyard gardener.
International Iris
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 he hopes to showcase the work of two additional American hybridizers.
Postage included in price. Minimum order $40. Send check, made out to Bruce Filardi, to:
4244 NE Royal Court, Portland, OR 97213-1668
Please note that supplies are limited on all new introductions.
In 2017
IMPERTINENT
received the award as
Best Border Bearded
at the
AIS National Median Convention!
This award follows its recognition as
Best Border Bearded at the International Competition
(Concorso dell'Iris)
in Florence, Italy, in 2014!
Impertinent
(BB - Filardi '11)
(2 views)
Please watch for these new introductions in the display gardens at the American Iris Society National Convention this year!
until further notice, please mail to my home address:
4244 NE Royal Court
Portland, OR 97213-1668
bfilardi [at] comcast.net
Lord of the Dance
Raspberry Kiss X Safari Sunset
Ruby Starburst
Whispering Spirits X Spice Lord
Ferris Wheel
Tanzanian Tangerine X Sneezy
Petrified
Rock Climber X Geode
excellent form and stunning color!
Azafrán (IB)
Esmeralda X Marksman
Didicoy
Magic Lamp X Owyhee Desert
Fairy Bridge
(Chief John Jolly x Entangled) X Keppel sdlg
Tyrian Silk
Trick of the Light X (Some Enchanted Evening x Good Looking)
Whiskers
Child of Royalty X Obsidian (3/4 plicata)
Pastelegant (IB)
Cameo Queen X Heartland
Smoky Sky (IB)
Contemporary Art X Brash
2018 & 2019 Introductions
(TBs unless otherwise noted)
($15 each, incl. postage)
Lost in the Fog
Champagne Frost X
(Sugar Magnolia x Gladys My Love)
three IBs, $6 each:
Carmenere
Filardi '21 $25
Chianti Classic X Sharp Dressed Man
Anees (BB)
Filardi '21 $30
Detroit City X Queen's Circle
<=== Snow Diamond
Filardi '21 $25
Uptown Lady X Crest of the Wave
Belted Earl
Filardi '21 $25
Art Deco X Silk Brocade
Rockin' Elizabeth
SA - J. James '21 $25
Crest of the Wave X Absolute Treasure
Fussbudget
Filardi '21 $35
Ruby Leopard X Gentlewoman
Lotsa Spots
Filardi '21 $35
Tanzanian Tangerine X Sneezy
Alexander the Great
Filardi '21 $35
Captain Crunch X Seakist
Battlestar Galactica
Filardi '21 $40
Starship Enterprise X My Ginny
High King
Filardi '21 $35.
Ravenous X Safari Sunset
Stiff Upper Lip
Filardi '21 $35
Brave Face X Obsidian
Splendid Sun (SDB)
Filardi '21 $10
Sono Qui X Marksman
Emoticon (SDB)
Filardi '21 $10
Sono Qui X Circus Dragon
In 2021
PINK PERCEPTION
received the award as
Best Pink Iris at the International Competition
(Concorso dell'Iris)
in Florence, Italy
Pink Perception
favorite recent introductions:
Coracle
Filardi '22 $35
Pewter and Gold X French Lilacs
Dark Symphony
Filardi '22 $35
Twilight Tear X Sharp Dressed Man
Justify
Filardi '22 $40
Carmenere X Underworld
Vaguely Noble
Filardi '22 $35
Passion for Lace X Coffee Trader
Venetian Gold
FIlardi '22 $25
Queen Empress X Enjoyment
and 3 wonderful medians:
Enchanted Ring (IB)
Filardi '22 $20
Martian X (La Troienne x Dark Drama)
other recent introductions:
Better Than Ice Cream (BB)
Filardi '22 $30
Whispering Spirits X Ghio 88-180P
Fake News
Filardi '22 $35
Goldkist X Candy Cane Cutie
Graustark
Filardi '22 $35
Noble Contessa X Candy Apple Classic
Jack of Hearts
Filardi '22 $40
Red Triumph X Barbaro
Cascade Glacier
Filardi '22 $35
Got Milk X Bubbles Galore
buds!!
photo: Tula Top
Sea of Bliss
Filardi '23 $40
Legerdemain X Fancy Stuff
Pink Pigeon
Filardi '23 $40
Roses in May X Pink Perception
Olaf (BB)
Filardi '23 $35
Araruna X Bubbling Mirth
Lightkeeper
Filardi '23 $40
(Salzburg Echo x Ghio 98-3F)
X Henry the Eighth
Lady in Lilac
Filardi '23 $40
Enjoyment X Don't Stop Believing
Charm Offensive
Filardi '23 $40
Fine Romance X Soul Mate
Glymjack
Filardi '23 $40
Aureoles X Stolen Sweets
In 2023,
PEWTER AND GOLD
received first place (tie) in the
TBIS Popularity Poll!
New Introductions for 2024
Coat of Colors
Filardi '24
Amarillo Frills X Lost and Found
Manifest Destiny
Filardi '24
Pewter and Gold X Gypsy Lord
Plum Sangria
Filardi '24
Don't Stop Believing X Carmenere
Send Me an Angel
Filardi '24
(Passion for Lace x My Beloved) X
(Legerdemain x Fancy Stuff)
Thunderlord
Filardi '24
Carmenere X inv. Aitken seedlings
$60 each, incl. postage
