Dave Niswonger

From the daffodils in the spring, like HOT PINK and BOLD PINK (Yes, folks, they are PINK!) to armloads of coppery-orange JAMES M. dahlias in the fall, the creations of Dave Niswonger have truly made him a "hybridizer  for all seasons."   He registered six gladiolas and won an All American award for glads.  Currently he has an ongoing and successful daylily breeding program, creating advances in reds as well as outstanding pinks, lavenders and other beautiful colors.

In the iris world, beginning with his first introduction SAPPHIRE FUZZ in 1967, he has introduced 268 varieties, covering all species.  Two originations, BROWN LASSO (which he introduced for the late Eugene Buckles) and EVERYTHING PLUS both won the coveted DYKES MEDAL!  He joined the American Iris Society in 1952, and served as PRESIDENT from 1996-99.  Currently in 2001, he is the Awards Chairman.

Even winter doesn't slow him down.  That is when he pursues his hobby of genealogy.  His ancestors emigrated from Switzerland.  A wagon train of emigrants crossed the frozen Mississippi on New Year's Day of 1800, bringing the Joseph Niswonger family to the bottom lands of Cape county, where they settled.  On September 17, 2000, a gathering of 100 of the clan gathered at the Niswonger church to commemorate their 200th anniversary.  Dave spoke to the gathering.

Dave was born at Patton, Missouri, on his grandparents farm.  The senior Mr. Niswonger was a Methodist minister, and the family moved all over central and southeast Missouri.  Dave's interest in gardening was stirred by helping his hard-working grandparents raise chickens, onion sets, sweet potatoes, etc. to pay for their farm.  Beginning with raising his own tomatoes at age six, by twelve Dave had "branched out" to grafting.  His plan was to graft sweet cherries on wild cherry trees, and he devoured books on the subject.  Unfortunately, the books didn't say that you had to take wood in the wintertime and keep it refrigerated and moist, so all his work had been for naught.  He persevered, doing a lot of work with nut trees.  Stately English walnuts and pecans grace his property today, a testament to his work.  Perhaps this is where he developed the patience to wait the required 7 years just to see a daffodil bloom from seed!

Dave and his wife Marie have two sons David III and John, and a daughter, Mary Dee.  Interestingly enough, all the Niswonger children were born on February 25 in different years!  They have five grandchildren, Lillian, Jiang Lee, Carolyn Marie, Kathryn, Joseph and Kali.   To the Right is Dave Niswonger with his wife Marie at Knightshayes Court Garden in England - May 1992.

Every spring, enthusiasts wear down the grass paths between the raised beds of iris in his Cape Girardeau garden.  The newest of the world's hybridizers, as well as his new introductions and selected seedlings unfold to an appreciative audience.  For a real treat one only has to go a few miles out of town to his farm at Gordonville where thousands of seedlings flutter in the spring breeze.  Here his future superstars are "waiting in the wings."

Dave good-naturedly endured teasing by his fellow hybridizers as "that guy who names so many of his originations after good things to eat!"  His creations LOOK as good as they SOUND!  Dave readily admits finding good variety names is one of the hardest tasks he faces, and he's always open to suggestions.  His breeding has brought a number of "haloed" varieties in colors like rosewood, gold, pink, orange, peach and cream.

What's new from Cape Iris Gardens in 2001?  LEAPS AND BOUNDS is an amoena with bluish-white standards and odd fuchsia-pink falls with a dark tangerine beard.  NAVAJO BLUE, an unusual light blue with a turquoise undertone produces show stalks.  REAR VIEW MIRROR is a vigorous reverse blue amoena with medium blue standards and near-white falls.  OUT IN MISSOURI is his first Siberian introduction, a blue with a more intense blue flush near the center of the falls.  AMBROSIA DESSERT is a different amoena with the orange falls having a yellow infusion which makes the color brighter.  DESIGN IN CANTELOUPE is a BB with ivory standards and falls in a unique buffy-orange.  There are others too numerous to mention, 13 in all!.

SUMMARY OF DAVE'S AWARD:

• 2 Dykes Medals for BROWN LASSO and EVERYTHING PLUS

• 7 AM's for TBs for EVERYTHING PLUS, RASPBERRY RIPPLES, LILAC TREAT, CHAMPAGNE ELEGANCE, ORANGE SLICES, BLUE CHIP PINK,  and HALO IN ROSEWOOD

• 4 Knowlton Medals for RASPBERRY SUNDAE, BROWN LASSO, MARMALADE SKIES, and APRICOT FROSTY

• 4 AM's for BBs including the above plus PEACH PETALS

• 2 Sass Medals for HONEY GLAZED and PRINCE OF BURGUNDY

• 4 AM's for IBs for HONEY GLAZED, GOLDEN MUFFIN, BLUEBIRD IN FLIGHT, and PRINCE OF BURGUNDY

• 2 Cook-Douglas Medals for RASPBERRY JAM and LITTLE BLACK BELT

• 9 AM's for  SDBs for RASPBERRY JAM, LITTLE BLACK BELT, AZTEC STAR, KAYO, LITTLE ANNIE, SPLASH OF RED, TARHEEL ELF, KIWI SLICES and KIWI CAPERS

• 4 Eric Nies Awards for BUTTERED CHOCOLATE, CINNAMON STICK, SULTAN'S SASH and MISSOURI RIVERS

• 6 AM's for spurias BUTTERED CHOCOLATE, CINNAMON STICK, CHOCOLATE FUDGE, MISSOURI BLUE, MISSOURI RIVERS, and SULTAN'S SASH

• Hybridizer's Medal in 1985

• Distinguished Service Medal in 1998

• Gold Medal from Men's Garden Club of America for Horticultural Achievement

• Foster Memorial from British Iris Society for Hybridizing and Promotion of the Iris 

• BROWN LASSO got a coveted first class certificate from Wisley Gardens in England.  This is very hard to get and takes 9 years to win.

• Gold Medal from Central Iris Society of Moscow for BE A DREAM and MARIE, MY LOVE

Thanks go to Jeanne Holley from the SEMO Iris Socity for sharing more pictures of Dave's iris.  Another thanks goes to Charles Picket for writing the above article.  WOW!!! 

For more information about these and other iris which are available from Dave, contact the following: 

Below are a few iris photographs of Dave Niswonger Introductions.  Thanks so much for sharing these lovely blossoms.  Dave's 1999 Introductions for 1999 included: LINE DANCE (SDB), MISSOURI DREAMLAND (Spuria), MISSOURI MIST (TB), MISSOURI SMILE (TB), PINK BLUSH (TB), and TRANS-ORANGE (TB).