Lowell Baumunk is Iris Colorado's hybridizer. He has been working with bearded irises in all classes since the move to Iris Colorado's semi-rural locale in 1991. His first two irises were introduced in 1999. His creation 'Midsummer Night's Dream' has been awarded the Hans and Jacob Sass Medal, the American Iris Society's highest award for Intermediate Bearded Irises. The arilbred 'Byzantine Art' is the 2009 winner of the C.G. White Medal, and 'Petit Lion' is the most recent winner of the Founders of SIGNA Medal. 'Zingerado' was named Best Border Bearded at the 2004 Florence Iris Competition.
Lowell is also heavily involved in photography. His pictures have appeared in various iris publications, but his work is by no means limited to flower portraits. His photos have recently won high honors at photography exhibitions. .
Lowell taught school for 23 years, until 1999. He loves nature and animals and is interested in environmental protection causes. Reading and foreign travel are additional interests.
Barbara Lewis contributes to Iris Colorado by labeling iris at digging time and providing landscape design ideas to enhance the presentation of the irises. She was an iris judge for several years. Her gardening interests focus on penstemons and rock gardens. Barbara is retired from the family medicine faculty of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
Gretchen Baumunk Simons Gretchen, Lowell's sister, recently retired from teaching English at Douglas County High School, spends some of her time making lovely necklaces and bracelets. Many of her customers ask for custom made items, while others enjoy selecting from a large collection. We are proud to feature a few of her designs on this Website. Take a look by clicking here.
click for enlargement.
In Memoriam: Jim Chee, Australian Shepherd, 1999-2009. Best Dog Ever.
The Kitties (click to enlarge):
It
was an honor to have the garden pictured on the cover of
the January, 1999, American
Iris Society Bulletin. Pictured in the foreground are table iris.