Hybridizer Thornton Montaigne Abell (1906-1984)

Santa Monica, California, USA

THORNTON ABELL 1906-1984

An architect by profession, a gardener by choice, Thornton served the iris world in many capacities. He was the first president of the Aril Society; a president of the Japanese Iris Society and of the Southern California Iris Society; and RVP for Region 15 from 1963 to 1965. While his wife Alma was alive, the Abell plantings were a drawing card for plant lovers-in spring for the irises and in the fall when Alma's chrysanthemum display swept down the steep slope of their Santa Monica, California canyonside garden. Thornton also hybridized irises on a limited scale. Among the Abell introductions are the tall beardeds VESUVIUS, SOFT SKY and RIBBONS AND BOWS; the border SMOG; the arilbred SAFFRON JEWEL (which won the 1971 Mohr Award); the japanese FUJI (Payne Award, 1981); and the pacific coast natives KITIEE, PIQUE and RUSTIC CANYON. [AIS Bulletin #254(July 1984): 82].

Registrations/Introductions:

Arilbred: 'Jade', 'Little Sheba', 'Saffron Jewel',

Border Bearded: 'Moonshade', 'Smog',

Japanese: 'Fuji'.

Pacific Coast Native:  'Kittee', 'Pique', 'RusticCanyon',

Tall Bearded: 'Dawn Cloud', 'DeepCanyon', 'Lovely Lark', 'Naive', 'Red Storm', 'Ribbons and Bows', 'Soft Sky', 'Vesuvius', 'Violet Sea', 'Warning Clouds',

Became New RVP Page 40 in AIS Bulletin #168, January, 1963 Thornton M. Abell contributed: “I am an architect who plans never to retire, as I enjoy my work. Weekends, however, nothing can prevent my working with irises. “One reason we live in southern California is that we can garden year round. I was born in southern Michigan, in South Haven. Gardening comes naturally as even the grandparents loved to garden. “I believe I first grew irises about 1916, when I was 10. My first order of irises was from Vaughn’s Seed Company of Chicago, and it included Queen of the May, Velvetine, Loreley, and two miserable plicatas. About 1950, I began making crosses but drowned most of them. Now we have a “tense” division of space on our half-acre hilliside; Mrs. Abell with her chrysanthemums, over 2000 plants, and I with my irises, many named varieties and too many seedlings.
“Membership in iris organizations, in addition to AIS, includes the Southern California Iris Society; The Aril Society, International (charter member), and the British Iris Society (life member).”

-- BobPries - 2012-05-18