City of Florence - International Iris Competition

The City of Florence, in collaboration with the Italian Iris Society has promoted, since 1955, an International Iris Competition. This Competition takes place at the Iris Garden at Piazzale Michelangelo and is held to decide the winner of the Gold Florin and other prizes donated by various civic and tourist organizations in Florence. The Committee for the International Competition is appointed by the Board of the Italian Iris Society. The prizes assigned for the various categories will be awarded to the best plants as judged by the International Jury.

1^st Category: Tall Bearded Irises

1^stPremio Firenze (Gold Florin) of the Tourist Organisation
2^ndTuscany Region Prize
3^rdSilver Plate of the Florence Industrial Organisation
4^thItalian Iris Society Silver Medal ‘Piero Bargellini’
5^th-10^thHonourable Mention

Special Prizes:
- Comune di Firenze Silver Plate for the best red variety
- Chamber of Commerce Prize for the best commercial variety
- Louise Branch Prize for the best branched variety
- Amici dei Fiori Cup for the best Italian variety
- Florence Garden Club Prize for the most original colour
- Perugia Garden Club Cup for the best scented variety
- Arezzo Garden Club Prize for the best late variety
- Giorgio Saviane Prize for the best early variety
- Rora and Luciano Bausi Prize for the best deep blue variety
- Leila and Paolo Tarini Prize for the best violet variety
- Laura Tancredi Prize for the best pink variety

2^nd Category: Border Bearded Irises (May)

- Premio Società Toscana di Orticultura

The Competition will take place in May

RULES
All entries and papers should be addressed to:

Concorso Internazionale dell'Iris - Società Italiana dell'Iris
Via Bolognese, 17 - 50139 FIRENZE – Italy

Competitors are asked to comply with the following rules of entry:
1. - Applications should be received no later than 20th September of the year of entry. An iris is considered as having entered the Competition when the documents have reached the Secretary's Office.
2. - Send one or two rhizomes (not more) for every variety entered. Each rhizome will be cultivated in the Iris Garden at the Piazzale Michelangelo under the supervision of the experts of the Iris Society and must be cultivated for three years in order to allow the resident Judges to observe it during flowering for three seasons.
3. - Each variety must not be presented more than once.
4. - No competitor may send more than six varieties of each category.
5. - All rhizomes must be in perfect health and as such certified by the phytopathological inspector of the country of origin.
6. - As the Florence Competition is a blind competition, the competitor must choose a code number to be used in place of the true name of the variety.
7. - Apply a tag with the code number to each rhizome.
8. - Enclose a card for each variety with: code number and description of the variety (height, flowering period, colour and particular instructions for cultivation, if necessary).
9. - Enclose a sealed envelope for each variety, which has the code number written on the outside. Inside the sealed envelope, and only there, has to be written:
- the name of the variety or the seedling number (if still not registered)
- a complete description of the variety
- the name and address of the hybridiser
10. - Every competitor must sign the Entry Form which has the clause “Each variety must not have been registered or commercialised earlier than 3 years from date of entrance”.
11. - Each competitor is asked to specify on the Entry Form his preference for disposal of the surplus rhizomes after the judging and a period of two year's growth and exhibition.
12. - Should the hybridiser's entry be placed by the judges in the first ten, the hybridiser is required to name and register his variety (if not already registered) within the year of the award.
13. - Any variety entered must be a creation of the competitor himself, and not the property of another hybridiser.
14. - Upon arrival of the rhizomes, each plant will be assigned a competition number, and the rhizome will be planted in the Iris Garden with this number. When the plant arrives, a receipt will be sent to the competitor.
15. - Two years after the Competition, the plants will be moved to another part of the Garden. At that time, and not before, the hybridisers can collect their varieties or dispose of them. By June of the second year after the judging the rhizomes of the varieties which have not been collected or for which no precise instruction have been given, will become property of the Italian Iris Society. The owners who wish to have their plants sent back will have to pay packing and shipping expenses.
Even if the exhibitor gets his own plants back after the Competition, he is however, obliged to leave three rhizomes for each variety in the Iris Garden.
16. - Should the number of entries in any category not exceed ten, the plants will be held over to be judged the following year.

THE COMMITTEE

For further information contact:
Mrs. Valeria Romoli c/o Società Italiana dell'Iris
Via Bolognese, 17
50139 Firenze - Italy