08 aug 2004
Members:
Here is the August Newsletter. Don't forget the Annual Iris Rhizome Sale on Saturday, July 31st. DON'T FORGET THE WORK PARTY THIS SUNDAY, JULY 25th, AT THE FORT MISSOULA GARDENS! Help is always needed and volunteers are always welcome.
Pete Addeo, Webmaster
Missoula Iris Society
DATE & TIME: No Formal meeting for August. July 25th Work Party instead at the Gardens
PLACE: Pot Luck dinner at the home of Pete And Carolyn Addeo, Friday, July 30th, 6pm. Call 251-5833 if you need directions.
PROGRAM: Digging of iris for the sale at the Fort Missoula Gardens, Sunday, July 25th
BUSINESS: The upcoming Iris sale
FYI NEW INFORMATION:
NO MEETING IN AUGUST.
Don't forget the work party Sunday July 25th at Fort Missoula Iris Gardens. Help is needed digging iris for the sale. If you can't dig, just bring along a chair and a marking pen and you can help mark labels.
A one hour judges training workshop is also planned at the Fort Gardens on Saturday July 24th from 3-4 p.m. Billie Gray will talk about choosing the iris ready for dividing and iris diseases. We could all learn a little from that, so try to attend.
Help is also needed Thursday and Friday July 29th and 30th sorting iris at the Pete and Carol Addeo sorting yard. Drop in for a couple hours or whatever. Any help you can give would be appreciated. There are a variety of jobs people can help with, including looking up pictures, marking labels, bagging up Siberians, etc. Snacks and drinks will be provided both days so it'll be fun sitting in the shade and listening to the soothing pond waterfall.
Also don't forget the pot luck get together Friday evening July 30th, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Addeo sorting grounds. That's the evening we load up the sale iris in the pickup for transport to the sale the next morning.
For sale guidelines, see the July newsletter on the website. The collection point will be at the Addeo home in Linda Vista. Rhizomes can be delivered to their garage beginning Sunday, July 25th up until early Thursday morning. Please read the pre-sale guidelines from last months newsletter.
Plan to attend the Rhizome Sale on Saturday morning July 31 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Fort Gardens. All members are encouraged to get there early (about 8:00 a.m) to help set up. After the sale, the garden party of pizza, chicken and drinks will be at the home of Billie Gray. We always have a lot of fun at that annual event and you won't want to miss it if you have a Presidential Rhizome coming.
For those who plan to dig iris for the sale, name tags are available through Cindi Davis or Carol Addeo.
The September 11th meeting will be at the home of Sandy Greene. How about a program on "favorite garden tools." Members bring along your favorite garden tools and give a brief presentation on why you like it so much. You might also bring along info on cost and how to purchase it, since it's a sure thing if you like the tool so much, other members will want one too.
FORT IRIS GARDENS
Billie Gray passed out an information sheet on the Fort Iris Gardens at the last meeting. She has numbered each of the beds and many members have been assigned a bed to be responsible for during the coming year. Weeding would be helpful but is not mandatory. If any member has not yet been assigned to a bed, please see Billie Gray about that.
SUMMARY OF BILLIE'S SUGGESTIONS ABOUT OUR PUBLIC GARDENS:
1. Everybody to choose bed and section numbers.
2. Monitor and keep track of information pertinent to these beds/sections that will make us more knowledgeable of the characteristics of the iris in each section.
LEARN ABOUT THE IRIS IN YOUR SECTION:
1. Iris type - (tall bearded, Siberian, etc)
2. Name of iris and place in the bed
3. Hybridizer and year of introduction
4. Supplier - (MIS member, Sutton, Schreiner's, etc) and year planted at the Fort Gardens.
5. Some history - Parentage, country, etc.
6. A photo of the iris in bloom, single blossom and the clump with the info written on the back of the photo
I would further suggest that the duties of making sure of the label on the bed and deadheading after bloom would be assumed by the member. I think it would be interesting to have a short report about the iris from each section keeper throughout the year at the meetings, showing the photo and some comments about extra good performance, color, etc.
While we do not expect weeding from the membership in general, keep in mind that whatever weeding we do, we don't have to pay to have it done. Also we are only paying for weeding and all the other housekeeping chores are still the responsibility of the members.
I think it might be fun to make a contest of the most complete information collected over the season. Prize to be an iris of course.
CARE AND TREATMENT OF THE IRIS IN YOUR CARE:
Try and schedule one session a month to clean off dead foliage and furing the bloom season 1 day a week that you could keep them in good looking condition.
When we get to the end of the season and are cutting back, please let's make them look as consistent as possible. I am arbitralily setting 3" - 4" high for cutting back Tall Beardeds; 2" - 3" for Siberians and Spurias, and 2" - 3" for the babies (MDB's, SDB's, IB's and MTB's)
When digging out the iris clumps for the sale, it is terribly important that soil not be left bridging over the edging. We have found that it lets grass find it's way into the beds and creates a bad maintenance problem. Be careful and aware! (Watch this when you are doing any weeding too.)
We also need to keep the other perennials and annuals deadheaded in order for these gardens to keep their beauty. That is our job! I hope we can make this be a banner year and have a great time doing it!!
The Fort Chairman will be responsible for feeding, pesticide application, and choosing which iris will be dug for the sale. Please give us input if you notice a problem in your section.
Please have a good time with this and let's aim for a fabulous year. Our most grateful thanks for being involved with this really remarkable project. We can't do it without you!!
PRESIDENTIAL RHIZOME WINNERS - 2003 - 2004
September 2003 - Gary Clark
October 2003 - Faye Pederson
November 2003 - Roger Muir
December 2003 - Pete Addeo
January 2004 - Carol Addeo
February 2004 - Donna Dowell
March 2004 - Hazel Richlie
April 2004 - Bob Brown
May 2004 - Cleo Swanson
June 2004 - No Drawing - No Meeting
July 2004 - Lynn Weger
August 2004 - Eleanor Utech
It's Their Birthday!!....Let's Give 'Em a Cheer!!!
Happy day to Jerry Bowers - August 14th and Ken Swanson - August 16th. Have a happy birthday and all the good wishes and cheers that go along with it.
HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE AT THE SALE AND DON'T FORGET TO COME AND HELP SORT ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY BEFORE THE SALE!
Minutes of the Missoula Iris Society Meeting, Saturday, July 20, 2004
The meeting was called to order by Vice President Ann Violette at 8:05 p.m. at the home of Pete and Carol Addeo.
Minutes - There were no minutes from June as a meeting was not held.
Treasurers Report - Treasurers report was read by Swede Gustafson.
Checking Account
Beginning balance: $373.55
Deposits 297.50
Sub-Total 671.05
Less Expenses 329.34
Ending Balance $341.71
$100.00 in cash withdrawn from savings for show judges and clerks lunch money at the iris show.
Checking Account Deposits:
Transfer from Savings Account 250.00
Sale of plant markers 5.50
Memberships 35.00
Cash donation, calendars 7.00
Total $297.50
Checking Account Expenses:
Big Sky Publishing - newsletter 25.00
Billie Gray - Fort Garden Expenses 130.00
Gary Clark - 2003/04 show expenses 22.12
Visiting show judges expenses 75.00
Ann Violette - 2004 show expenses 77.22
Total Expenses $329.34
OLD BUSINESS
Rhizome Sale Report - Cindi Davis, chairperson for the sale, asked for cashier volunteers. Errnie Lucera, Claudia Brown, Sonia Delapiazza and and Nancy Ryan volunteered. Someone is also needed for the garden marker table. Bob Symes will pick up rental tables and be at the fort by 8:10 or 8:15 a.m. Help is needed unloading and setting them up the day of the sale. Claudia reminded everyone that because of the sprinkler system, driving on the lawn must be restricted to a particular area. Wayne and Hazel Richlie need help digging iris for the sale. The collection point is the Addeo home and can start as early as Sunday July 25th. If no one is home, put the rhizomes in the garage. Zona has lots of paper bags to share. Honk will bring flats.
Sorting will begin Wednesday evening and all day Thursday and Friday. Help is needed Thursday and Friday. A potluck supper will begin at 6:00 p.m. Friday July 30th at the Addeo sorting grounds.
Fort Gardens Report
Billie Gray said iris bloom was good. Digging for both sale and renovation will begin Sunday July 25th at 10:00 a.m. Help is needed because there is a lot to dig. Many of the clumps are enormous, she said. Digging will be beds 1-4 only. Twenty year old rhizomes are going out; some historics being re-planted. She is ordering new varieties to be planted later.
She reminded membership that next year is the 25th Anniversary of the Fort Iris Gardens, started in 1981.
She showed a chart of the gardens, with all beds numbered and passed out an informational sheet on the gardens and membership participation. Some beds have already been assigned to members, other members signed up for beds at the meeting.
NEW BUSINESS:
Spokane Rhizomes - Ann Violette mentioned that the Spokane club is offering new varieties for sale to our club for $1.00 if they have any left over from their sale. A motion was made by Eleanor Utech that we accept the offer from the Spokane Iris Society to purchase some iris for the Fort Gardens and for members, for $1.00 each, if they have any left. Seconded by Claudia Brown. The motion was amended by Zona Lindemann to include the phrase "year 2000 or newer". The final motion reads , "We accept the offer from the Spokane Iris Society to purchase some iris for the Fort Gardens and for members for $1.00 each, if they have any left, and provided they are year 2000 or newer." The motion was read by the secretary and passed by a show of hands.
More discussion followed on the Fort Budget of $500 and who would be in charge of the selection. Zona made a motion to authorize the Fort Chair Billie Gray to make the selections for the Fort provided she does not exceed the fort budget. She should notify the membership of what is available from Spokane. Seconded by Betty Ann Gustafson. The motion passed by a show of hands. Ann will print and mail a copy of the Spokane list to Billie when it is known what is available.
Judges Training Fees - Swede read a list of those members who owe $5.00 for the judges training seminar.
New Membership Inquiries - Pete has had two inquiries about MIS membership from the web site. Zona is Membership Chair and will follow up.
Best of Show Awards - Gary Clark was given a plaque for Best of Show and People's Choice Awards. It was a very Gary show.
Presidential Rhizome - Lynn Weger won for July; Eleanor Utech won for August 2004.
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Carol Addeo, Secretary