Sunday, November 16, 2014

British Dykes Medal Tall Bearded Iris GOLDEN HIND




The Iris Yearbook (BIS), 1931.
List of Prize Winners.
Yellow standards and yellow falls :-
C.O.M. : To Mr. H. Chadburn for the iris Golden Hind. It really is a startling bit of colour. Picture the deepest buttercup yellow and add the warmth of a faint tint of orange and you will have the tone that floods the whole of a very neatly-formed flower.Unfortunately, as shown it was very dwarf and although the judges recognised this might be due to it being a first year spike, they could not do more than give it the bare recognition of a certificate of merit on this occasion. See illustration, page 15. (below).

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, April 1935, Number 57.
Iris Observations and comments from the South. Sam Graham, Georgia.
Probably the greatest improvement was most noticeable in yellows. Happy Days, Lady Paramount, Alice Harding, Eclador, California Gold, and Alta California are all wonderful iris. A newcomer is Golden Hind' an English introduction. As I saw it in McDade's garden it was quite outstanding especially its color; the best I have seen in any yellow. Had it better form and taller stalk I could conceive of nothing finer in the deep yellows. It is one iris I must have.

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, July 1935, Number 58.
Iris Notes of 1935, Mrs Thomas Nesmith.
Golden Hind impressed me as a brilliant yellow of very deep tone, set off by the intense orange-yellow beard, but the flowers although 'well formed, are not large and the short bloom stalks are most disappointing.

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, October 1935, Number 59.
Iris Pilgrimage, 1935, Bruce C. Maples.
Golden Hind comes from England. It is a stylish flower and clump. No, it does not have a tall stalk but the whole thing, plant, stalk and flower is symmetrical and I could not gaze on the beauty of it and recognize any defects. A good ,warm yellow.


Courtesy Yearbook I.S. (E) 1931.


The Iris Yearbook (BIS), 1936. 
Notes on Bearded Irises, H. Chadburn.
GOLDEN HIND.
In the Autumn of 1926 I was the first purchaser of Iris W. R. Dykes. There were then only three plants available and the price was, I believe the highest ever obtained for an iris viz., £21. The following June, Iris W.R.Dykes flowered and I was not pleased with my purchase. It had been brought as the most wonderful yellow self that had ever been raised. Originally Iris W. R. Dykes was a yellow self, but by time it flowered for me the brown streaks had appeared, and the most impressive point about this flower was its size.
The blemish in Iris W. R. Dykes was the direct cause of Iris Golden Hind coming into existence. I would endeavour to produce a W. R. Dykes that was a pure self. This started my hybridising. Gold Imperial was the chosen mate, because it was the purest and deepest yellow I had come across. It also had to a certain extent, a crispness of substance. That Gold Imperial was made the seed parent instead of W. R. Dykes, I have no opinion to give. This particular cross does not germinate well ; only four seedlings came up, and Golden Hind was the only one that was pure colour. It was also the first iris that I was to exhibit. This cross was made every year and from a large sized seed pan, about 12 germinated, and if kept to the following year, there would be another 12. Usually the parts were robust, and soft rot the only enemy.
From this cross all colours appear. Pink, red and blue, and after five years of raising this seed, there have only been three worth retaining,viz. : Golden Hind, Mabel Chadburn and another very fine yellow, as deep as Hind, but with quite another character. This I do not expect to show as it has faults that may be eliminated with further breeding breeding. This seed as also produced all shades of yellow between lemon and that of Golden Hind. The fault which troubles me most in Golden Hind is that it continues to grow strongly until late autumn. It is then too advanced for the coming winter. This defect is inherited from Iris W. R. Dykes. Golden Hind is a strong grower and of rapid increase. It does not fade or bleach. The colour becomes deeper with age. It has a better constitution than Iris W. R. Dykes, but there is a tendency to increase too much. But by flower will be produced by planting a medium-size rhizome.
I am not using Iris W. R. Dykes any further as I have obtained what I require from it. And the faults of this iris are so definite that they should not be handed on to another generation.
Golden Hind is an excellent seed parent, but it will not accept pollen from Iris W. R. Dykes.
I raised the following cross :- G. P. Baker X Gold Imperial, Gold Imperial X G. P. Baker, 200 of each, my object being a good stalk and better coloured flower. Out of the 400 seedlings only three had satisfactory stalks. The colour and constitution of these three plants was good. They have now been crossed with Golden Hind and some will flower this June.

Quality Gardens, Iris, Freeport, Illinois. Iris 1937
GOLDEN HIND (Chadburn 1934) M . 38". The sensation of the Chelsea show three years ago. The large flowers a real dazzling buttercup yellow, with a faint orange tinge and the flower is greatly enriched by a vivid orange beard . The stems are strong and widely branched . $15.00 Dykes Medal, English Iris Show, 1934.

Iris Culture for Amateurs Country Life Ltd, 1937, L. F. Pesel & R.E Spender.
Chapter II, Bearded or Pogon Irises, Tall Bearded Irises.
The picture of another yellow Golden Hind, raised by Mr. Chadburn, which received the Dykes Memorial Medal in 1936, should be studied for the form of its single flower. It is a cross between W. R. Dykes and Gold Imperial (a very pure yellow raised by Miss Sturtevant), and the latter was used as the seed-bearing parent. It is a good and well-balanced flower with a smoothness that is highly attractive.

Wills Cigarette Cards Album Garden Flowers New Varieties 2nd Series, 1939. #18 GOLDEN HIND


Bulletin of the American Iris Society, October 1938, Number 71.
Official Variety Notes, 1938.
'GOLDEN HIND' (Chadburn).-A superb yellow of the fine rich warm tone with an orange ,beard, flaring falls and excellent form. Not tall, but tall enough for its large flowers. (Canada.) Low growing but a gorgeous mass of real yellow. (Pa.) Not very large or tall, but for color unsurpassed. Sets a standard for color in new yellows to come. (Ill.) Richest buttercup yellow, but stalk and branching below par. (Mass.) Has not been beaten for richness and depth of color, but is excelled by other yellows in height, form and size. A very popular iris in the garden. (Ill.) A lovely rich color of yellow when well grown, otherwise it makes a poor appearance. (Tenn.)


Stevens Bros. Bulls, New Zealand. Catalogue of Irises 1938-39.
Novelties and Recent Introductions.
GOLDEN HIND (Chadburn)
This remarkable deep golden yellow which has created such a sensation in England. It is the deepest toned golden yellow in commence today. The constitution is vigorous and it is a quick increaser. 2½.ft..........................................................21/-

Cooleys Gardens, Silverton, Oregon, 1938.
GOLDEN HIND Each $10.00
No yellow iris in commerce contains the deep buttercup tone of this English origination. There are larger new yellows, but certainly there are none so nearly the ideal in clear rich color. The tone deepens at the haft, due partly to the vivid orange beard. Stems seen last season were three feet in height and finely branched. While not a large iris. Golden Hind
is sufficient in size to merit a place amongst the most recent sorts.

 Schreiners Iris Gardens Riverview Station, St. Paul, Minnesota. Irises for 1940.
GOLDEN HIND (Chadburn 1934) M. 30"
One of the most colorful rich yellows, being a bright clear buttercup yellow. Not large, it has a richness and depth of color possessed by few of the very newest varieties. Floriferous and rapid increaser; stunning color.
$1.00 : 3 for $2.25

The Iris Yearbook (BIS), 1942.
Bearded Flag Irises-An Initial Thirty, F.Wynn Hellings.
2. GOLDEN HIND. A splendid yellow self, good increaser and regular bloomer, of good form and proportion, a good doer in all districts. The stem only just tops 3 feet; a few inches longer would be an improvement.


'Golden Hind' growing against the house at 'Greenhaugh'.


The Tall Bearded Iris,  Nicholas Moore, 1st. Ed. 1956. 
Yellow Irises.
Of the other yellows GOLDEN HIND is still a popular flower. It's raiser, Haworthe Chadburn, was a painter who preferred sombre and purple landscapes, but devoted his spare time to raising nothing but yellow irises. He bought W.R.DYKES when it was introduced in 1926, at the price of Twenty guineas, and from his many seedlings eventually produced GOLDEN HIND, a rich yellow of orange tone. Later on there were other offspring of this line, and the three final introductions bear comparison even with many later irises. MABEL CHADBURN is a rich lightly ruffled yellow, JOAN LAY a deep orange-yellow of particularly good habit for the garden, and the latest, GRACE TETLEY, a rich buttercup yellow with a slightly green tinge.

Irises, Harry Randall, Chapter 7, A Cavalcade of Colours. Yellow Irises.
After the appearance of Golden Hind (Chadburn 1934) there was not much scope for more intense colouring in the yellow irises but its seedling Mabel Chadburn (1939) had better form and won the Dykes Medal in 1941.

AIS Checklist 1939
GOLDEN HIND TB-E-Y4D (Chadburn 1934) Orpington 1934 ; Bunyard's Irises 1938 ; Schreiners 1939 ; Registered 1931 ; (GOLD IMPERIAL X W.R.DYKES) C.M., I.S. (E) 1931; Garden Chronicle 3rd Se. 89 : 457.  13th June. 1931 ; Year Book I.S. (E) 30. 1931 ; Silver Medal  I.S. (E)1934 ; Dykes Medal England Yearbook I.S. (E) 1934 ; A.M., A.I.S. 1937 Bulletin American Iris Society 66: 87, September, 1937 ; A.M., R.H.S. 1936 ; J.R.H.S., 62 : 3, 131. March 1937 ; Silver Gilt Medal, Chelsea ; F.C.C., R.H.S. 1939.





 This Iris and the story of its hybridiser makes it one of my favourites.Top photo taken a few hours after blooms had opened fully. Bottom photo shows darker colours taken in different location, different environment and different soil.  
In New Zealand  you find 'Golden Hind' growing successfully a lot in the ground beneath the eaves of older houses where the soil is a lot dryer than other parts of the gardens which has the effect of slowing 'Golden Hind's' rampant growth, and Mr. Chadburn covers this problem in the above 1936 article, 'Notes on Bearded Irises' . 
Its a high health plant with a light green foliageBloom stalks are generally just 30-32 inches in height. Blooms are sensational and hues become darker as the flower ages. Form also becomes more dog-eared with age. Fertile. 

More on Mr. Chadburn and his yellow Irises in a later post.


A Major hat tip to Lyyne and Les Atkins, owners of the most amazing Greenhaugh Garden and Nursery for allowing me the freedom of her garden. 

Also a major hat tip to Phil Edinger for his succinct observations, and discussions which are always appreciated. 
As always clicking on the above images will take you to the larger, higher resolution version.

Reproduction in whole or in part of this post, its opinions or its images without the expressed written permission of Terry Johnson is strictly prohibited.
Photo credit and copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.








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