News from the Board of Directors meeting:  The AIS 2016 Iris Calendar now has a sale price.  Starting at $6 in the US (including shipping) and 10 for $36, you can see the details in the newer items section of the AIS Storefront (use those prices rather than the old ones listed later.)  Also see the Storefront for other iris items.

The calendar already has the 2016 AIS Convention and the Fall Board of Directors meeting.  And the Irises Bulletin, the World of Irises, the Iris Encyclopedia, and News & Notes will all help you find other events to add to your calendar.

'Weekend Update'

 

An update for all of you sending donations for the 2016 Silent Auction.  Whether it is your iris and garden related items, Region's "Raisin' Region Baskets", or rhizomes from hybridizers, please send them by UPS or FedEx.  Please do not send them by USPS.  The address is: 

Presby Memorial Iris Gardens
% Nancy Skjei-Lawes
474 Upper Mountain Avenue
Montclair NJ 07043

You can find the details here (PDF). 

And remember you can see the 2016 AIS Convention website for details on the Convention.  The registration form has been updated; you now can use credit cards as well as checks.

 

The winner of the AIS Centennial Logo Contest has just been announced.  You can see the logo and meet the winner in a World of Irises posting here.   Thank you to everyone for participating and congratulations to Lori Galletti.

This is the first step in preparing for the 100th anniversary of the founding of AIS.  Stay tuned for upcoming events.  And if you would like to join us as a volunteer or as a contributor of ideas, or ..., our email is ais2020centennial@gmail.com   .  Thank you.

'Copper Lustre' - Dykes 1938

 

The latest issue of ROOTS from Historic Iris Preservation Society recently was received.  Another super issue with lots of great photos of historic irises, including watercolors - see the article about Bliss irises.  Among the photos were historics from this year's Portland Convention. 

Other topics included their new website and some of its features.  The Photo Gallery is back.  In it be sure to check out their search and all the filters you can apply to help identify an historic iris.  Thank you to Laetitia Munro the webmaster.

Both ROOTS and the website feature Guardian Gardens, their new preservation effort underway.  Learn more about it here.  There have already been over 1000 rare irises identified and now being grown in Guardian Gardens.  You can download a list of these (PDF).  If you would like to participate, contact Doug Paschall, the Guardian Gardens Chair, at gg@historiciris.org .

_Feathered Friend_

 

The Internet is a great source for answering questions.  And so is the Iris Encyclopedia (also known as the Iris Wiki); you don't even have to Google.  You can use the search function on the Wiki, just select Title or Text and click the All public webs box as well and then enter your search term(s).

A recent question on the AIS Facebook page illustrates the power.  Indian Creek Iris was looking for lacerated petal irises for possibly breeding with their seedling which has such petals.  Searching on lacerat (you can use parts of words), finds 'Feathered Friend', which they knew of, and 'Marie Kalfayan', new to them.  You can see their seedling, the question, and the comments here.

I'm not sure if lacerated petals qualify as a type of novelty iris.  The novelty irises page on the wiki does not yet have them.  Another source to learn more about novelty irises is the Novelty Iris Society, the newest AIS Section.

Have you used the Iris Encyclopedia to answer your or others' questions?  I'd be interested in hearing of both successes and difficulties in using it.  You can reach me at wrmesser@gmail.com .  Maybe we can include these in future items.  And we might have suggestions for your difficulties.

 

The Fall 2015 Irises Bulletin issue is now available.  Your print subscription is in the mail and may already have arrived.  Emembers can see the digital version now.  Login here to see it or all the earlier issues.

You can learn about some of this issue's highlights in this World of Irises posting by Andi Rivarola.  This issue covers both the Portland Convention and the 2015 Awards - lots of great photos included!

'Alaska' IB

 

You can find irises!  From the News-Miner in Alaska come the story of a hybridizer/collector of Iris setosa interior.  The story "An eye for irises: Grower pulls a rainbow of varieties from his field of flowers" can be found here.  While I had never heard of I. setosa interior, not an unusual observation, the Iris Encyclopedia does have a page describing it and SIGNA has a photo.


Thank you to Mike Unser for pointing us to this.  And if you would like to learn more about this and other species, SIGNA, the Species Iris Group of North America, is a great place to start.  You can learn about membership and join here.  One of the benefits of membership is their Seed Exchange which will be underway soon.

 

A reblooming iris that has lasted and lasted.  You saw the first bloom - September 2nd - in an earlier News & Notes.  And now we have some of the last blooms; they were open November 20th when snow hit.  This is 'Oxmoor Hills' on the next day as a standard jigsaw and as a harder jigsaw.

Bonus:  J. Paul Hill left a comment on the AIS Facebook page about iris jigsaw puzzles.  (That link goes to all visitor posts on the AIS page; right now it is the top one.  Your mileage may vary.)  Clicking on the photo in the posting of his intro 'Beverly Morningstar' takes you to the jigsaw of it he has created.  You can see all his iris jigsaw puzzles in this album.  I should warn you, the 300 on an image means the puzzle has 300 pieces!  He likes to create hard puzzles.  Thank you Paul.

It also reminded me:  You can see the News & Notes puzzles back through October 2014 beginning here.  Right now they consists of 2 pages so be sure to check both if you are looking for a particular puzzle.