by Matthew Appleby
HortWeek.com
01 June 2009

Cayeux, the French-based specialist Iris nursery, has scored a hat-trick by winning the American Iris Society Warburton Medal, three top places at the Florence International iris Competition and a silver gilt medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Owner Richard Cayeux won the Warburton Medal for international contributions to the furtherance of the genus Iris, presented last week in Kansas City.

Also last week, three Cayeux hybrids, all created in 2007 by Richard Cayeux, won first, second and seventh place at the Florence International Iris Competition:

1st prize – Iris ‘Ravissant’

2nd Prize – Iris ‘Noctambule’

7th prize – Iris ‘Romance’

Iris ‘Noctambule’ was also selected as the best commercial iris in the Florence competition. It is the closest to a pure black-and-white iris yet achieved and was on display at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, as was Iris ‘Ravissant’.

Cayeux has also won a silver gilt at Chelsea, where it displayed 240 irises in full flower. The Cayeux catalogue is available in English from Viv Marsh Postal Plants.