For information about donating content for the Ben Hager-Sydney Du Boise AIS Library, such as books, bulletins, and other AIS or AIS Affiliate, Regional, and Sections memorabilia please contact: Andi Rivarola, email
If you are interested in donating iris catalogs to the AIS Library, please contact Cathy Egerer, email
Social Media Groups Public Relations and Marketing The primary function of the AIS Public Relations and Marketing effort is to generate, implement, and coordinate programs to promote all aspects of The American Iris Society to the membership and the general gardening public.
For information on Public Relations & Marketing or Social Media Channels for the society, please contact the individuals listed below. To download a copy of the AIS Marketing Handbook for ideas for your club, region, section or cooperating society, click here
Whether you’re connected to the AIS as one of its Regions, Affiliates, Sections or Cooperating Societies, and/or looking for information on how to help the Society or make a connection, we want to hear from you.
AIS is on several social media groups. These are Facebook, Instagram, YouTube (including AIS Webinars) and our blog, World of Irises.
Public Relations & Marketing Committee Bob Pries (Co-Chair) *protected email* Doug Chyz (Co-Chair) *protected email*
The Iris Encyclopedia (iris wiki) Bob Pries (Administrator) *protected email*
Social Media Social Media has grown exponentially as a recent component of the AIS marketing communications plans. The efforts in social media are focused on creating content that attract the attention of individuals in an attempt to create awareness. Because social media is so accessible, the idea is that those involved will share content with their social networks, be it friends, family or acquaintances.
Facebook Andi Rivarola (Co-Administrator) *protected email*Bob Pries (Co-Administrator ) *protected email*
World of Irises – The American Iris Society Blog Andi Rivarola (Editor / Administrator ) *protected email*
Instagram Andi Rivarola (Administrator) *protected email*
YouTube Andi Rivarola (Administrator) *protected email*
Email Lists
E-mail lists are on-line interactive discussion groups. The groups listed here are centered around the discussion of iris and iris related topics. You must, in most cases, join the group to post messages and participate in the discussion. All of the lists and chats are free to join. Most of them have archives and some of the archives are open to the public
While none of the groups are directly sponsored by AIS many of the participants are AIS members. Non-AIS members are quite welcome too. Many of the E-mail lists are on Yahoo!Groups. By following the links provided you will be outside of the AIS website.
How the E-mail lists work: A list is composed of subscribers or members. A member e-mails either a new message or a reply to a previous posting to the special list posting e-mail address. The central list server receives this message and then automatically broadcasts the e-mail message to all the members of that list.
Some lists are more active than others so the volume of list e-mail you may receive will vary depending on the group. Some people that belong to a number of lists use filters on their e-mail program to manage the flow of e-mail to their in-box (to set this up see the help area of your own particular e-mail program). These filters can auto-sort the e-mails on arrival into separate in-box sub-folders so you can keep all your messages from each group organized.
It is important to remember that when you post a message to a list that you are talking to a large group of people. It is good form to compose your message with this in mind as well as keeping to the topic of the list. Messages that are of a personal nature and/or of interest to only one other specific member should be transmitted privately to that other party. Otherwise the group members would like to hear what you have to say!
Many of the groups have evolved into nicely functioning virtual communities with all the members having a common thread of interest. It’s enjoyable interactive fun and you can always learn something new on your favorite topic.
How to join an E-mail List: To join a list follow the indicated link in the E-mail List Groups information provided below for the group of your interest. Then just follow the specific joining instructions provided at that website.
Additionally, current list members may use the links below useful for quick entry into the various lists to read the current discussions on-line and access all the facilities provided by each list.
N.B. Please note that in following any of the links below you will be transferred outside of the AIS website. A word to the wise: As these are e-mail lists and often viruses or the like are transmitted by e-mail you must ensure that you have adequate anti-virus protection prior to moving into these forums. More details available at the end of this page.
Email List Groups
Iris-talk E-MAIL LIST This is the largest on-line iris discussion group and is open to anyone wishing to discuss just about anything relating to any type of iris. There are hundreds of subscribers worldwide, although most are from the USA. Many are members of the AIS but non-members are welcome and encouraged to join as well. For detailed information on how to subscribe/join this list please follow this link: Iris-Talk list information There is no cost to subscribe to the Iris-Talk group. The e-mail address for sending messages to the Iris-Talk group once you are subscribed is: *protected email* The list is hosted by hort.net which is found at the following website: www.hort.net
AIS-eRobins E-MAIL LIST AIS-eRobins is an email robin discussion group, sponsored by the American Iris Society, for all iris lovers. The list is hosted by Yahoo!Groups. For quick access or information on joining this list please go to the following website: www.groups.yahoo.com/group/AISeRobins
iris-photos E-MAIL LIST A discussion group to exchange and talk about digital pictures of irises. The list is hosted by Yahoo!Groups. For quick access or information on joining this list go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/iris-photos
Iris Forum Another very popular free forum is the Iris Forum at Garden Web, follow this link to the website: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/iris Includes discussions on general questions as well as hybridizing. This forum is for the discussion of irises, plants of the genus Iris and, more generally, plants of the family Iridaceae.
SIBROB E-MAIL LIST The e-mail group SIBROB (Siberian Robin) discusses Siberian irises. The list is hosted by Yahoo!Groups. For quick access or information on joining this list go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sibrob
Beardless Iris Photos E-MAIL LIST In conjunction with the SIBROB group, this list was created for those wishing to share photos of beardless irises. The list is hosted by Yahoo!Groups. For quick access or information on joining this list go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/beardlessirisphotos
JI Robin E-MAIL LIST An e-mail list with a focus on Japanese Irises. The list is hosted by Yahoo!Groups. For quick access or information on joining this list go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JIRobin
Aril Robin E-MAIL LIST The objective of this list is to provide a communication forum for those interested in growing the pure Aril (Oncocylcus, Regelia, and hybrids) and hybrids between pure Arils and other bearded iris. The list is hosted by Yahoo!Groups. For quick access or information on joining this list go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ARILROBIN
Space Age Robin E-MAIL LIST This is a robin for those interested in growing and hybridizing horned, spooned and flounced irises. The list is hosted by Yahoo!Groups. For quick access or information on joining this list go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spaceagerobin
*protected email* This is a robin for those interested in growing and hybridizing horned, spooned and flounced irises.This robin is to discuss the growing, consistency and hybridization of this fascinating and sometimes capricious race of Irises. JPEG photos of introductions and seedlings are very welcome along with breeding information and anything else related. Beginners and pros are welcome to participate in a relaxed and friendly environment. This group is also open to related discussions on broken color, reblooming and arilbred hybridization since many strive to combine many of these traits in to a Space Age seedling.
FRIDAY NIGHT CHAT On Friday nights at 6:00pm (Pacific time zone), a small group of people gather on an IRC channel for some live iris discussion. IRC stands for “Internet Relay Chat”.
Friday night iris chats are held on Austnet. For a list of Austnet servers closest to you go to: www.dal.net the chat room in named Iris-l For information of mIRC (the chat client for PCs) and general IRC (internet Relay Chat) questions, go to: www.mirc.com For Mac users go to: www.ircle.com for the Mac chat client and more IRC information
The chats are organized by John Jones. If you have questions, you can email him at *protected email* or call him at (510) 795-9723.
*protected email* Iris species is for discussions about growing the various iris species. Focus is on the original species and their cultivation in the garden. This is the electronic “round robin” for the Species Iris Group of North America (SIGNA). Visit the SIGNA website for information on membership, cultivation information, and photographs of various iris species. Anyone may join this discussion group. You will be encouraged to join SIGNA but membership is not required.
*protected email* MIS-Robin is the Median Iris Mailing List. We are a friendly forum that welcomes all gardeners to discover the ease and reliability of these beautiful smaller bearded irises called Medians. This includes four categories- Standard Dwarf Bearded-SDB, Intermediate Bearded-IB, Border Bearted-BB and Miniature Tall Bearded-MTB. This list is not geared to any level of expertise and both novices and experts are very welcome.
Anti-virus protection
A little friendly advice: Anti-virus protection is every home computer users sole responsibility. Protect your computer and do not inadvertently become the author of your own misfortune. Unfortunately, computer viruses are a fact of life; past, present and future. Make sure you have one of the most current anti-virus programs installed on your computer. Make sure you have the latest virus definitions updates added to your program (and even a brand new product out of the box needs updating). These new updates are issued very frequently, sometimes daily/weekly. These updates are usually provided free and some anti-virus programs can be set to update themselves automatically. Continue to do new updates frequently. Also importantly, make sure that your anti-virus program always running and is providing full time protection.
There are several commercial sources for good virus detection programs as well as several free programs available on the web.
Finally, although you should be aware that most viruses are transmitted through e-mails, there is no a need to be overly paranoid about e-mails or the internet but please be informed of the fact that a good quality, current version, fully updated anti-virus program should be considered an absolute necessity. Get it, install it and keep it updated before you have a virus problem or issue. Then chances are very high you will NOT have an issue to contend with! We wish you a happy iris experience both electronically and in the garden!
The American Iris Society is part of an international community of iris societies. Below are a number of the societies we work with.
The Iris Society of Australia had its 2020 National Iris Convention scheduled for October 22-27, 2020 hosted by the South Australian Iris Society. The World of Irises blog had an invitation from them.
The British Iris Society (BIS) was founded in 1922 to promote the cultivation of Irises. You can learn more and join here.
The New Zealand Iris Society Learn more and join here.
The Russian iris Society (English language) was founded in 1992.
The Ukrainian Iris Society (and English language through Google Translate – Note there have been some general difficulties with Google Translate. You may want to copy the page and paste it here for translation)
The AIS Foundation website: The purpose of the AIS Foundation is; To foster and encourage education and scientific research to improve the standards of excellence of the genus Iris. To stimulate general interest in all species and cultivars of Iris. To administer awards and honors to worthy individuals, institutions, and organizations for advancement in the breeding, culture, use, literature, or scientific study of Iris or related genera. For full details please visit the AIS Foundation website.
AIS Internet Iris Checklist this is an on-line reference list of AIS registered irises which includes the ten year AIS checklist compilations and newer R&I (registrations and introductions) listings. This is an ongoing project. Follow the link and the instructions provided to get access to this useful information resource. AIS Bulletin Index (scroll scroll down after you get to that page) is another ongoing project to provide, in electronic form, an index of all articles in previous American Iris Society Bulletins. A very useful research reference tool.
The AIS Youth website is the special information website provided for American Iris Society (AIS) Youth Members. For information on how to join the AIS as a youth member please go to the Youth Membership information area of the main AIS website.
The Classroom Iris Project (CIP) is found within the AIS Youth website. This is a resource for schools/teachers/youth members and provides iris gardening information for teachers and others to use in indoor/outdoor classroom projects.
