October 2023
3:00 PM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7
MISSOULA IRIS SOCIETY MEETING
HOST AND LOCATION: Missoula Iris Society Iris Garden at Historical Fort Missoula
TIME: 3:00 PM. Please bring a snack to share and a lawn chair.
ALSO, AT 1:30 PM, let’s cut back the iris for the winter.
Fall is here! It is time once again to get together for our Missoula Iris Society meetings.
For our October meeting we would like to have our host be the Missoula Iris Society Iris Garden.
The garden has new renovations that we would like everyone to see and enjoy.
Swede Gustafson has prepared a report for this newsletter on the extensive renovations to the Siberian Bed, the Dykes Bed, and an additional Spuria Bed. Pictures have been included in the report.
Our business meeting will be short! Let's just enjoy the garden and each other!
November 4th : Meeting
December: Possible Holiday gathering. Date unknown at this time
TREASURER'S REPORT : September 22, 2023
FINANCIAL REPORT ON THE IRIS SALE:
PRE-SALE EXPENSES:
Purchase of 1300 “flexi tags” - to identify iris rhizomes..........................$129.87
Pre-sale work party lunches and beverages at Judy Blunt’s home.............40.70
POST- SALE CELEBRATION PARTY:
Purchase of Pizza, Chicken and beverages.......................................... $ 96.92
POSTAGE:
Mail welcome letters to new members who joined at the sale................ $ 4.62
TOTAL............$272.11
POST SALE INFORMATION:
Deposit to Savings Account on July 31 – cash and checks.................$ 4006.00
Deposit to checking from Square Credit card purchases....................... 2030.91
Sub-total....$ 6636.91
Less cash withdrawn prior to sale for cash box set up funds................... 920.00 Sub-total...........$ 5716.91
Add grab bags sales deposit made in August...........................................300.00
TOTAL ...$ 6016.91
Included in the deposit for July 31 is $70.00 for 7 new members of the Society who
filled out applications at the sale site.
SEPTEMBER 22 TREASURER'S REPORT: for checking account:-
July 1, 2023 Balance..............$ 763.82
Deposits Made..........................4880.91
sub balance........5644.73
Expenses paid..........................3625.65
Sept 22 Balance...............$ 2019.08
Deposits were made by transfers from the savings account to cover the expenses incurred during the month of August for the renovations of the Siberian Garden Bed & the east Dykes Garden Bed during the month of August, seal coating of the asphalt walkway, and purchase of irises from Eagle Ridge Iris gardens in Billings as follows:
improvements and renovations to the above mentioned gardens.....$1790.78
purchases of irises for the Presidential monthly meetings.....................300.00
purchase of Spuria iris for the Fort garden renovations.........................230.00
purchase of flexi tags for the iris sale.....................................................129.87
payment of the seal coat for the fort asphalt walkway............................950.00
payment of purchase and expenses incurred by Judy Blunt..................225.00
Total......$3625.65
FORT GARDEN REPORT:
During the month of August, Judy Blunt, Mitch Hall, and I worked to renovate the Siberian Garden and the East Dykes Garden beds. Judy's friend Robin assisted a couple of days digging about the irises. We renovated and upgraded the soils in these beds, replaced and rebuilt several garden walls of the Siberian garden, expanded the size of the Siberian bed and did a redesign of the top level to make it one common bed in place of two small roundish beds. These Siberians were suffering from poor soil and lack of space to expand. Therefore, we removed all the plants, built the new wall according to our new designs, purchased new soil from Marchies Nursery which we had delivered to our work site. We had to haul in the 4 yards of new soil by wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow trips because the lawn was too wet for the delivery truck to drive across without damaging the lawn. Once the new soil was in place Judy spread bags of a soil amendment which is to our liking, then mixed this into the soil, and replanted the irises.
We had some soil left over so we got the idea “Lets do the east Dykes Bed”. So all those irises were dug out, placed in 5 gallon buckets with a small amount of water and stored at Swede's home in the shade. Lawn was cut away from each side of the bed, then a three-high garden block wall was built about about the perimeter of this bed. Mitch Hall assisted us with the digging and also took all the sod home to his home to give it a home there. Again we hauled in more soil using a wheelbarrow but did all the hauling prior to the east wall being built so the soil could just be dumped into the bed prior to completion of the east garden wall. The new wall blocks were purchased at Lowe's Home Center and Mutual Materials and hauled to the site in Swede's pickup. Swede's truck got a real workout from moving all these blocks. Once these walls were in place, the soil installed and amended, and the irises replanted, the sprinkler system was turned on and irises got their drink of water. The plants in both renovated garden beds have responded to the newly amended soils, so we are pleased about these two renovation projects.
Mitch Hall, Judy Blunt, her friend Robin, and I had a great time doing these renovations. We trust all the members will take pride in the gardens and participate in maintaining the plants in some manner. I especially wish to thank Judy for her continuing diligence on upkeep, cleaning of weeds and other debris which seem to appear in our gardens. Otherwise, the gardens would be in a serious quandary right now.
Swede Gustafson, Treasurer.
MISSOULA IRIS SOCIETY BUDGET INFORMATION
The values listed below are the accepted 2023 proposed costs, the actual cost through August 2023, and the proposed allowance for 2024. The values are rounded to the next dollar. We still have 3 months of time in 2023 so the values are not actual for 2023. These are just as of September 15, '23 so the costs could change prior to the budget being accepted for 2024. The columns indicate values as proposed for the current year, the actual expenditures for 2023, and the proposed 2024 expenditures.
This budget will be discussed at the next general meeting in October, 2023.
ENTITY 2023 ACTUAL 2024
I. SHOWS
THE MEDIAN SHOW...................300........................55 .....................300
THE JUNE SHOW........................800..................... 650......................800
sub-totals......................1100......................705.....................1100
II. RHIZOME SALE...............................500......................273......................500
III. FORT MISSOULA GARDENS
IV. GENERAL MAINTENANCE................600.....................1186......................900
LAWN CARE..................................350......................350......................350
RENOVATIONS............................1400....................1478....................1800
sub- total..........................2350....................3014
FORT GARDEN..............................200.......................300.....................300
PRESIDENTIAL..............................300.......................300.....................300
sub-total...............................500.......................600.....................600
V. SOCIETY OPERATIONS
GENERAL EXPENSES..................400.......................300....................400
NEWSLETTER...............................300.......................330....................400
PRINTING DOCUMENTS..............100........................ 70....................100
CONTRIBUTIONS..........................300.......................300....................300
REGION 11 RVP...............................50..........................0..................... 50
sub-total........................1150.....................1000..................1250
VI. SPECIAL EVENTS
ICE CREAM SOCIAL......................150.......................132....................150
PLANT MARKERS..........................200.......................100....................200
JUDGING SEMINARS.......................0...........................0.......................0
SEAL COAT WALKWAY..................300......................950.......................0
sub-total.............................650.....................1182....................350
GRAND TOTALS.....................................6250.....................6724..................6850
Presidential Rhizome winners: September, Anne Bowman; October, Donna Dowell; November, Shirley Hall; December, Deborah Belden; January, Garnet Ascher; February, Swede Gustafson; and March, Keith Belden; April, Carol Addeo; May, Roger Muir; June, Cindy Davis; July, Ron Dowell
DATES TO REMEMBER:
November 4: Monthly meeting
December: Holiday Party to be determined