July 2016

MEETING TIME: Saturday, July 9, 2016 at Fort Missoula Bldg T-1 at 6:30 p.m. Pot luck supper. No hosts so bring your own beverages.

Agenda: Discussion and plans for upcoming sale, pricing of rhizomes, cashiers.

Next event: Our annual IRIS SALE at the Fort Garden on Saturday, July 30, 2016

For sale guidelines, please see below.

A note to members from Carol Addeo, Sale Chairperson: Please contact me by Phone 406-251-5833 or at the next meeting on approximate number of named iris clumps you are likely to dig for our sale. Also check approximate number of unnamed (UNKS) you will have for our sale. Label tags will be available at the next meeting.

There are no MINUTES to report because there was no regular meeting in June.

TREASURER'S REPORT FOR JUNE 2016

SAVINGS ACCOUNT: There was no activity in this fund since the last report so the Balance remains at $13,037.79

CHECKING ACCOUNT:

May 25 Reported Balance: $ 763.99

Income – 2 memberships 20.00

Expenses paid 271.45

June 23 Balance $ 512.54

Income was for the memberships of Elizabeth Friesz and Joyce Zamelis who paid during their visit to the Iris show on June 4.

Expenses paid were to: Cash – for show workers lunch during the show -$125.00; Joanne Gibbons – Design Judge Gratuity - $25.00; Ellen Darling – Design Judge Gratuity - $25.00; Judy Blunt – Ice Cream Social Expenses reimbursement - $96.45. Total - $271.45. I paid each show worker $7.00 as lunch money for their assistance during the show – a total of 12 workers @ $7.00 each = $84.00. The remaining $41 will be used to pay other small expenses via cash as they occur during the summer.

GARDEN NOTES: Ed Verplancke and I renovated the astilbe garden by building a two block high garden wall about the west and north side of this garden. The sprinkler head on the garden was also moved toward the south almost 12 inches to eliminate the sprinkler spraying on the main sign for the Iris Garden. It still sprays on the sign so need some more work by the sprinkler man to correct the problem.

Ed has build a one high concrete block wall about the Spuria Bed located to the north of the Big Bed rock wall. This new edging wall really defines the garden area now. We figure on purchasing some more spurias to place in the space created.

I spent almost 24 hours over 4 days harvesting approximately 5 gallons of Siberian Elm Tree seedlings from the Siberian Garden. These little buggers were really hiding inside the plants as well as between the plants. Will have to come back through again in a few days and pick up the stragglers. Sure would be nice if the Mommy supply tree would disappear.

Ed and Anita have been been working on the weeding the Big Bed as well as some of the finger beds. If you have a free couple of hours it would be great if you could weed some also to make the gardens look wonderful for the Fourth of July. Flower stalks can also be harvested also. There are lots of these this year. They just break off at the ground level if you push carefully. Also clean up any dead leaves or debris in the plants. There was an article on the internet last week regarding rot which will result from not have a clean plant and garden area.

Sincerely,

Swede Gustafson,

Treasurer

MISSOULA IRIS SHOW 2016

Overall Results: Despite the early bloom season, we had 77 entries in the show.

Best of Show: Ron/Donna Dowell with Sharp Dressed Man

First Princess: Gary Clark’s Iris “Ensata”

Second Princess: Fred Frey’s Poodle Parade

Best Design, Jim Sadler’s “Winter in the Blood”

Design Sweepstakes, Jim Sadler with 4 blue ribbons

Best Novice, Jennifer Engstrom with Swing Town

Silver Medal to Gary Clark with 17 blue ribbon entries

Bronze Medal to Fred Frey with 10 blue ribbon entries

Horticultural Awards:

Best purple, best bi-tone, best tall bearded: Ron/Donna Dowell, Sharp Dressed Man

Best pink: Fred Frey, Poodle Parade

Best space age and best white: Gary Clark, Classy Chassie

Best median and best IB: Judy Blunt, Ask Alma

Best species, best ‘other’: Gary Clark, Iris “Setosa”

Best Siberian: Swede Gustafson, Pleasures of May

Best Amoena and best yellow: Gary Clark, Soft Return

Best blue: Gary Clark, Breakers

Best plicata and best red: Gary Clark, Tennison Ridge

Best lavender: Gary Clark, Song of Norway

Best blend, best banded and best brown: Gary Clark, Ginger Swirl

Best neglecta: Swede Gustafson, Twilight Cloud

Best historic: Gary Clark, Toll Gate

SALE INFORMATION

The MIS Rhizome Sale is at the Fort Missoula Gardens starting at 9am - 1pm. Members please be there at 8 am to help set up tables. The collection point will be at the home of Carol Addeo and Al Ledford in Linda Vista. Address is 5805 Helena Dr, Missoula. Phone Number is 406-251-5833. Rhizomes can be delivered under the carport canopy next to the garage beginning Tuesday of that week but no later than Wednesday July 27 by 9pm. We do start sorting early the next morning.

Please read the Pre-Sale guidelines & Clarifications below for further information. These guidelines were put together to avoid confusion during the sale preparations on Thursday and Friday.

Schedule for the sale week: Sunday July 24, 2015 – 8:00 a.m. – 1 p.m. Work Party at the Fort Gardens or wherever we need to meet. Digging, cleaning, trimming and labeling. Bring scissors, clippers, chairs. Marking pens and labels will be provided. Monday, and Tuesday July 20, 2015 – Work party at home of Carol Addeo or elsewhere if we decide to dig somewhere else. Updating card file, labeling, cleaning iris Thursday and Friday – Sorting iris for sale at back yard of Carol Addeo and Al Ledford starting at 10 a.m. Final loading of prepared iris will be Friday at 5 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. – Pot luck supper – Barbequed Hamburgers by Al, bring pot luck side dishes and salads. Saturday, July 30 – 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Set up for sale begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. – After sale party in back yard of Billie Gray. Food and drinks available.

SALE GUIDELINES: 1. Iris rhizomes shall be grown by MIS members only. 2. ALL RHIZOMES are to be WASHED, TRIMMED & LABELED as to variety and type PRIOR to delivery to the collection site. Trim fans to about 4 inches - 6 inches depending on type and roots to about 4 inches. MIS will provide labels. These labels should be attached to the rhizomes. MDB's and SDB's should be in bundles of three rhizomes. IB's and MTB's should be in bundles of two rhizomes. Beardless iris are to be in clumps. 3. Iris varieties introduced 30 years or more before the year of the sale are to be labeled with year of introduction and separated from newer varieties. (Historical dated 1986 and older) 4. Pricing of rhizomes is at the discretion of the sale committee. Age is considered but NOT color for setting the price. 5. All rhizomes are to be delivered to the designated collection site by 9pm WEDNESDAY preceding the sale. 6. Sorting, etc. will be done on THURSDAY and completed on FRIDAY. Chairperson to select committee of MIS members to assist in this process. 7. There are to be NO PRE-SALE orders.

PRE-SALE CLARIFICATIONS: 1. There is to be NO TRADING of rhizomes among members at the COLLECTION SITE. Members ARE encouraged to share or trade before bringing rhizomes to the collection site. 2. The sale chairperson shall determine which varieties may be traded/purchased by the MIS members. The trading/sale hours are Thursday, 6pm - 9pm and Friday, 9am - 12pm. 3. Members donating rhizomes may: A. Take ONE rhizome for each variety donated (no matter how many of any one variety are donated) B. Take LIKE variety donated (SDB for SDB, TB for TB, etc) C. Take NO MORE THAN ONE (1) RHIZOME of any one variety. D. May NOT choose from a variety that has fewer than SIX rhizomes in the box. 4. Members NOT donating rhizomes may purchase rhizomes (with the above restrictions) 5. Varieties FIVE YEARS and NEWER from date of introduction will be so marked & priced accordingly. Fort Display Garden Chairperson has first choice of any varieties. 6. GRAB BAGS of iris rhizomes may be made up of unnamed or overstocked varieties at discretion of the chairperson by Friday. HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE AT THE SALE AND DON'T FORGET TO COME AND HELP SORT ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY!

2016 Presidential Rhizome winners: September Edd Verplancke, October Judy Blunt, November Ron Dowell, December Swede Gustafson, January Linda Sadler, February Allen Ledford, March Roger Muir, April Fred Frey, May Betty Ann Gustafson

Meeting Locations:

August No Meeting

September – No Meeting

Saturday, October 1 – 6:30 Meeting at Fort Missoula Bldg T-1, no host meeting

Saturday, November 5 – 5:00 pm – Board and budget meeting, followed by pot luck supper and regular meeting. Hostess is Judy Blunt at her home.

Sunday, December 3 – 4:30 pm (tentative date to be confirmed later) for Christmas party including turkey dinner and potluck at home of Billie Gray.

Submitted by Carol Addeo