美国 日本鸢尾协会 – 面向全球园艺爱好者开放

协会背景与定位

美国日本鸢尾协会 (Society For Japanese Irises, SJI) 于 1962 年在美国成立, 是美国鸢尾学会 (American Iris Society, AIS) 下属的专类分会, 致力于日本鸢尾 (Iris ensata) 这一原产亚洲的鸢尾属植物的栽培、杂交与推广。协会会员多为日本鸢尾爱好者, 同时也包括部分专业的鸢尾育种家与园艺学者, 成员分布在全球多个国家。Iris ensata 在所有鸢尾属植物中花期最晚, 通常在高大的有髯鸢尾 (tall bearded iris) 花后数周才开放, 即每年 6 月底至 7 月初, 株高可达 3 至 4 英尺 (约 90 至 120 厘米), 单花直径可超过 10 英寸 (约 25 厘米), 因此在栽培养护条件满足时往往成为花园的视觉焦点。

会员与服务

协会面向全球园艺爱好者开放, 美国本土会员分单人与双人会籍, 三年期会费分别为 25 美元与 31 美元, 年度会费为 10 美元与 12 美元, 青少年 (Youth) 会籍三年期 9 美元、年度 4 美元。海外会员三年期与年度会费分别为单人 50 美元、20 美元以及双人 62 美元、24 美元。会员可获得每年两期《SJI Review》季刊, 内容涉及鸢尾品种、栽培技术、杂交、展览与各种鸢尾相关主题; 享受协会组织的全国年会、花园巡游、展览花园、专题讲座等活动的参与权; 拥有 AIS 年度人气投票权, 可投选年度最受欢迎的日本鸢尾品种; 以及借阅协会幻灯片与图书库的资格, 涵盖稀有种源、绝版文献与杂交记录等园艺档案资料。新会员可通过邮寄纸质入会表或 PayPal 两种方式办理会籍手续。

展示花园与会员网络

协会在全美运营一个公开的展示花园网络 (Display Gardens), 这些花园的主人在花季愿意对公众开放, 是爱好者了解日本鸢尾品种差异、栽培要点以及新品种评估的最直接途径。访问展示花园需提前通过信件、电话或邮件与主人预约, 不得擅自入内或携带幼儿与宠物, 也不得采花或拔除所谓”杂草”, 以免影响主人正在进行的杂交评估。各展示花园主人在花季还会向访客解释栽培要点, 部分主人会展示自己正在评估待发布的新品种。展示花园在马里兰、马萨诸塞、俄勒冈、南卡罗来纳、华盛顿等多个州分布, 多与商业苗圃结合, 例如马里兰的 Draycott Gardens、马萨诸塞的 Greywood Farm、俄勒冈的 Wildwood Gardens、华盛顿的 Cascadia Iris Gardens 等。

奖项体系与出版

协会负责推选年度 Payne Medal (佩恩奖章), 这是美国鸢尾学会授予日本鸢尾类别的最高荣誉, 获奖者随后有资格角逐 AIS 的 Dykes Medal (戴克斯奖章), 即整个鸢尾属的最高奖项。1992 年及之前的最高荣誉称为 Payne Award, 之后提升为奖章级别。2025 年的 Payne Medal 颁给了 Chad Harris 于 2018 年推出的 ‘Pink Playmate’; 2024 年颁给 Chad Harris 2015 年推出的 ‘Columbia Crest’; 2023 年颁给 Chad Harris 2016 年推出的 ‘Koto Harp Strings’。其他常设荣誉还包括 Award of Merit (AM) 与 Honorable Mention (HM)。协会出版的《SJI Review》一年两期, 记录品种介绍、杂交进展与会员栽培经验。

商业苗圃与杂交育种资源

协会的苗圃名录列出美国境内的日本鸢尾商业苗圃作为推广与采购指南, 主要分布在马里兰、马萨诸塞、俄勒冈、南卡罗来纳、华盛顿等州, 苗圃主多为长期育种者, 例如俄勒冈的 Chad Harris 是近年 Payne Medal 获奖品种的主要培育者之一。会员可通过协会获取特殊出版物《The Japanese Iris》, 由 Currier McEwen 为 SJI 编辑, 内容涵盖日本鸢尾简史、栽培方法与多张彩色整页图版, 是任何日本鸢尾栽培者都必备的参考文献。杂交育种记录、亲本信息与展示花园的花期图片均通过协会档案供会员查询, 协助新品种的注册、命名与推广。

Origins and Section Status

The Society For Japanese Irises (SJI) was founded in 1962 in the United States as a specialty section of the American Iris Society (AIS), dedicated to the cultivation, hybridizing and promotion of Japanese iris (Iris ensata), a beardless iris native to Asia. Its members include amateur gardeners as well as professional hybridizers and horticultural scholars from around the world. Native to Asia, Iris ensata is the last iris to bloom each season, generally opening several weeks after the tall bearded iris in late June or early July. Plants reach 3 to 4 feet (about 90 to 120 cm) in height with individual flowers exceeding 10 inches (about 25 cm) in diameter; when its narrow cultural window is met, the Japanese iris becomes a showpiece of the late-spring garden.

Membership Categories and Benefits

Membership is open to enthusiasts worldwide. Domestic single and dual memberships are offered in three-year terms at US$25 and US$31, with annual renewal at US$10 and US$12; youth memberships are priced at US$9 (three years) and US$4 (annual). Overseas single and dual memberships cost US$50 and US$62 for three years, and US$20 and US$24 annually. Members receive two issues per year of the SJI Review covering varieties, culture, hybridizing and exhibiting; participate in national meetings, conventions, garden tours, display gardens and special programs; vote in the AIS Annual Popularity Poll; and borrow from a library and slide collection of books, publications, rare species and hybridizing records. New members may join by mailing a printable form or via PayPal.

Display Gardens Network

The Society maintains a network of Display Gardens across the United States whose owners agree to open their plantings to the public during the bloom season, allowing visitors to study a wide range of cultivars and to learn directly from gardeners who grow them. Visits must be arranged in advance by mail, telephone or email, with no drop-ins; small children and pets are discouraged; and flowers, faded or otherwise, may not be picked, since they may represent intentional crosses. Hosts are happy to answer questions about cultivation, and some will show hybrid seedlings under evaluation. Display Gardens are located across multiple states, including Maryland (Draycott Gardens), Massachusetts (Greywood Farm), Oregon (Wildwood Gardens), South Carolina (Carolina Daylilies; Three Shovels Farm) and Washington (Cascadia Iris Gardens).

Awards and Publications

The Society administers the annual Payne Medal, the highest AIS award for a Japanese iris, named for W. Arlie Payne; Payne Medal winners then become eligible for the Dykes Medal, the highest honor an iris can receive from the American Iris Society. Before 1992, the award was given as the Payne Award before being elevated to medal status. The 2025 Payne Medal went to ‘Pink Playmate’ (Chad Harris 2018); the 2024 medal to ‘Columbia Crest’ (Chad Harris 2015); the 2023 medal to ‘Koto Harp Strings’ (Chad Harris 2016). Other AIS honours tracked by the Society include the Award of Merit (AM) and the Honorable Mention (HM). The Society publishes the SJI Review twice yearly, documenting cultivar profiles, hybridizing notes and cultivation experiences from members across the country.

Commercial Sources and Hybridizing Resources

The Society maintains a list of specialty nurseries in the United States that supply Japanese iris plants, located in Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, South Carolina and Washington. Many of these growers are themselves hybridizers, with Chad Harris of Oregon prominent among recent Payne Medal recipients. The Society also offers the special publication “The Japanese Iris,” edited by Currier McEwen for the SJI, which covers a brief history of the plant, growing guidance, and many full-color plates; it is considered essential reading for any grower of Japanese irises. Hybridizing records, parentage information and bloom-season photography of display gardens are accessible through the Society’s archive to assist members in registering, naming and introducing new cultivars.

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