Welcome to the fifth issue of the AIS News & Notes.  Please let us know what you would like to see here.  And if you have notes you would like to add, or you would like to become a reporter, please let us know!  You can contact either Bob Pries or Wayne Messer with your comments or interest.

 

 

First, an apology.  In the previous News & Notes issue, I asked you to mark your calendars for the 2016 AIS Convention without giving dates.  I've heard from you about this omission!

So here are the dates and locations for the next three Conventions:

• 2014 Convention - April 5-10 Dallas, Texas
• 2015 Convention - May 18-23 Portland, Oregon
• 2016 Convention - May 22-28 Newark, New Jersey  

Did you know this page on the AIS website lists upcoming Conventions, Fall Board Meetings, and Section Conventions?  You can learn more about the Dallas 2014 Convention, and find registration forms, here.

Be sure to see some of our other items for pictures from earlier Conventions as well.

We have previously talked about the AIS Voucher program for new or upgraded memberships and how it can help you entice new members.  One concern we have heard is how to use vouchers expiring at the end of the year when irises are usually not shipped in the Fall and Winter.  To address this, the expiration dates will be ignored.  Those that say "Expires 12/31/13" may use that voucher next year.  And from now on the vouchers will not have an expiration date.

 

Local iris clubs form the backbone of AIS!  And in this day and age, the Internet is how new members, relocating members, and others interested in what is happening nearby find your club.  There is a list of local Affiliated Clubs websites (54 at last count) on the AIS website here.  However, I know from roaming round the Internet that not all of the clubs websites are listed!  You can have yours added (or updated if it has moved) by emailing the AIS website administrator at aiswebsite@irises.org  .

A complete list of local AIS iris clubs and their contacts by Region can be found starting with this page and following the links to your Region.

 

The Greater Kansas City Iris Society has a page with links to slide shows of AIS Conventions from 2007 to 2012.  Jim Murrain has put these videos (~15-25 minutes) by Ken Fuchs and Jim Landers on YouTube.  Follow the links on this page to see the videos.

Also on the same page is a link to the slide show Iris The Rainbow Flower (Irises 101).  This is a direct link to the video.

 

As many of you know, Clarence Mahan, a well-known hybridizer who served the AIS in a number of positions, including president from 1998-2001, passed away September 28.   Those who knew him well have begun sharing their memories in a Tribute to Clarence Mahan page on the Iris Encyclopedia.  You can find the page here.

You can also add your memories to the same page.  Either by editing the page or by using the comment box so we can add them for you.

 

There are lots of great sources for learning about all things iris on the Internet.  A new one, which does not just focus on irises, is PlantXing.  It does have some great articles about well-known hybridizers.  Check out "Obsessed with the Unique" about several hybridizers and "Putting a Name to the Face" on naming new irises.  It also has "How to Cross Bearded Irises" to get you started on your own.

There also is "Find: Everything Iris" with many links.  Included is a link to a video from BBC Two about iris hybridizer Richard Cayeux which you can see here.

 

 

Many AIS Iris Clubs publish a newsletter for their members and some share them with a wider audience.  Now, sharing frequently means having them online.  To help you locate these, we have started a page on the Iris Encyclopedia listing them by State and Province.  You can see the list here.

We need your help to expand this list.  Do you know of newsletters we have missed?  You can add them to the page or leave us a comment and we will add them.  To do this, just  login, or register and login if not already registered. 

And while you are thinking about your Club's newsletter, have you thanked your newsletter editor for the great newsletters they prepare?  Let them know what else you would like to see and offer to help author items.

And beautiful!  Both are attributes we try to emphasize in News  & Notes.  Some of our most popular links are to one or the other or both.

So, based on your feedback, here is another iris jigsaw puzzle.   And, if you missed the one last month and would like to try it without the clue page (soon to be known as a Spoiler Alert), here is a direct link to it.  For those of you who already solved the puzzle and believe you know the iris, this is soon to be the page for the answer.

Let us know what you think, what else you would like to see, and what we have missed.