PROGRAM: AIS Convention Report

Join us September 13 at 2 PM for our regular meeting including a presentation by Neil Houghton.  Neil attended the 2015 AIS Convention in Portland.  The presentation will include an outline of the experience and photos from Schreiner's, Mid-America, Keith Keppel, Aitken's Salmon Creek, Miller Manor, and some beautiful Oregon sightseeing.

The 2016 Convention will be in Newark, NJ, a five hour drive from Rochester. Hopefully many GRIS members will attend.  It's a convention like few others. This discussion will let you know what to expect and hopefully encourage your participation.

Please JOIN US at St. John's Episcopal Church in Honeoye Falls.  Call 585-301-8256 and ask Neil for more information.

SALE - redux and reduced.

If you missed our sale, here's another chance to save BIG on quality iris. Prices are reduced.  No iris over $4.  Locally grown Tall Bearded iris $3. Medians $2 and grab-bag "orphans" 2/$1.  Buy 3 get one free. There is a great selection of iris rhizomes!  Other perennials will be available for sale.

Terry Aitken Interviewed at Salmon Creek

Another video from the the AIS convention.  Here's Terry Aitken, internationally know and award winning hybridizer, at Salmon Creek Gardens.

 

An AIS Convention Visitor from Holland

As the season here winds down I will catch up on postings from the AIS Convention.  First an interview with Gerard Heemskerk from the Netherlands.

In Memoriam: Jim Schnellinger

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of one of great contributing members and overall nice guy, Jim Schellinger.

Our deep sympathy goes out to his wife, Betty, an active member of GRIS.

Jim was always there to lead a hand on whatever project needed doing.  His generous sharing spirit will never be forgotten by all that knew him.

James T. Schnellinger, 78, of Corfu passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, May 7, 2015. 

Jim operated a landscape nursery at his home and was retired from National Fuel Gas in Batavia and Clarence, where he also was a past president of Local 2154, IBEW. Jim was a past president of the Pembroke Woodturners Guild and a member of woodturning 

groups in Buffalo. A life member of both the WNY Hosta Society and the Buffalo Area Daylily Society as well as an active member of the Genesee Valley Hosta Society, WNY Iris Society and the Greater Rochester Iris Society as well as the American Iris Society. 

Jim was an active member of St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, formerly St. Francis Church, in Corfu. 

Beloved husband of Elizabeth; dear father of James, Jeffrey (Virginia), and William (Soon-Gill); loving grandfather of Alex and Renee; dear brother of Michael Schnellinger (Elizabeth) and Barbara Davis, and loving uncle of several nieces and nephews. Jim was a good, kind and generous man. He was much loved by all who knew him and he will be deeply missed.

Roses before the Iris Convention

The day before the official AIS convention opening, we were taken by our host to the Portland Rose Gardens.  High above the the city the spectacular view is certainly enhanced by hundreds of roses blooming in this terraced section of Washington Park.

To Oregon and the AIS Convention

For the first time I will attend the American Iris Society National Convention.  It begins tomorrow and end Saturday.  Folding in a trip to visit friends on the Oregon Coast and friend in Portland I arrived on May 9.  The next day I drove to Coos Bay, but on the way I could not resist a stop at Schreiner's. This largest of all iris retailers in the United States sits on the east side on I-5.  Acres and acres of color catch the eye and a stopover during bloom season is always with the time.  An hour or a day.  There are hundreds and hundreds of cultivars to see.

Near the parking lot was bed of seedlings.  This was the first to catch my eye.  YY197-D with white/yellow standards and mahogany falls has a nice growing habit and good substance.

The opportunity to see seedlings in the garden is a great joy!  Will they be introduced?  If so, when and what will their names be?

 

A reminder of our 2015 Program and Events

THE GREATER ROCHESTER IRIS SOCIETY

  an Affiliate of the American Iris Society

Exciting Programs and Events for 2015!

And   YOU  are invited!

(All GRIS programs are open to the public.)

March 8 - 1:00 p.m. 

”Mardi Gras in Your Garden: 

Growing Louisiana Irises in Upstate New York” 

Learn the secrets to to growing these exotic Louisiana irises in your garden!

AIS Accredited Judge M.J. Urist of Louisiana Iris Gardens, Tully NY

St. John’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 11 Episcopal Avenue, Honeoye Falls

April 12 – 2:00 p.m

”Iris in the Perennial Border”

Laurie Burtner, Monroe County Master Gardener, tells us how to include various irises 

in our gardens with other plants and varying degrees of light.                   

St. John’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 11 Episcopal Avenue, Honeoye Falls

May 31 

”It’s HIGH Time for Iris” 

The Annual GRIS Iris Show with Bloom Stalks and Floral Designs

Marketplace Mall, Henrietta 

Ask us how you can participate!

July 26 (tentative)        

Annual Iris Sale

Bargain rates for newer irises and those successfully grown in our area.  It’s your opportunity to ask GRIS members all about growing these fabulous flowers!  Location TBD.

September 13 – 2:00 p.m.

The 2015 AIS Convention - Fabulous Flowers 

GRIS member Neil Houghton shows and discusses his photos from this memorable event featuring tours of some of the major iris growers in the US.

St. John’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 11 Episcopal Avenue, Honeoye Falls

October 11 – 2:00 p.m. 

Elections and the White Iris Gift Exchange.

General meeting with end-of-the-year discussions.

For further information: Cara Hutchings, GRIS President

thehutchings@mac.com                       (585) 266-0302

Follow us on our web site:  http://rochesteriris.blogspot.com/ 

Ask us how you can become a member!

April 2015 Newsletter

Greater Rochester Iris Society

an affiliate of the American Iris Society

April 2015 – rochesteriris@blogspot.com

   As we wait for Mother Nature to make up her mind (Do I allow spring to come through?  Oh, but the cold is needed too!), we can continue to plan our gardens, because that’s all we can do right now, plan!

Many thanks to MJ Urist for presenting such a wonderful judge’s training and program at our last meeting.  We had a great time at our new location. It was a very pleasant drive from our house to the church last month, and I’m sure it will be even nicer as the weather warms up.

Our April meeting has our very own Laurie Burtner giving a talk on iris in the perennial border.  As almost every one of us has been to her garden, we know it will be a real treat! This meeting will start at the usual 2pm in our new digs, St. John’s Episcopal Church, 11 Episcopal Ave. in Honeoye Falls.

We ask that you bring your thinking caps to the meeting, also.  We have to come up with a new location for our sale.  With the move of the Cooperative Extension, we have lost our space.  The executive committee has been throwing a few ideas around, so we will be presenting them for your consideration, but we can always use new ideas and locations.  If you can think of anything, and can’t attend the meeting, please feel free to call or email me.  I love ideas!

After that, we start getting ready for our show “It’s High Time for Iris”, on May 31^st at the Marketplace Mall. 

A week later, while we still have some blooms in our garden, we will be having our annual picnic at Neil’s place.  Time to be decided.

Our September 13^th meeting will be Neil’s talk on the 2015 AIS convention.  I know I am looking forward to that!

And on October 11^th, we will have an end of the year wrap-up, with elections and the white iris gift exchange for fun.  Right now, we will have openings in the vice president and secretary positions.  But all positions are open, really.  If you are interested in any position, please let a member of the executive committee know.

The Western NY Iris Society, our sister organization, will be having a meeting the week after ours, on April 19^th, where they will be having a presentation on Spuria iris, an AIS PowerPoint presentation on the Genus Iris and they will also be distributing Species Iris seeds.  If you are interested in attending, please contact Carolyn Schaffner at drsnooks@twc.com.  Their show will be on June 13^th at Eastern Hills Mall, so if we have any later varieties of iris blooming, we can catch their show! 

Their sale is scheduled for August 24^th, where they will be joining several other plant societies at the Buffalo Botanical gardens.  And in September, they will be having their picnic. 

Don’t forget GRIS dues are due at this coming meeting, and also anyone who wants to pre-order for the sale, monies are due then also.  We are still doing Rochester Rewards and bring a friend to our meetings for a $5 reward!

NEW Meeting Location!

We have a change in venue! Our regular meetings this year will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church in Honeoye Falls, NY.  We hope this may encourage some of our Southern Tier friends and AIS members to join us as it may be a tad closer.  It is also an easy drive of about 30 minutes from Rochester. The Village of Honeoye Falls is lovely.

Directions:
There is a Google Maps link in the box to the right.  Use this or your GPS to get to 11 Episcopal Ave., Honeoye Falls, NY 14472.  Please be aware that "Ave." in Honeoye Falls means alley.  The church is set back and not visible from W. Main Street (Rte.94).  The founders apparently thought Episcopal Alley was not seemly.

Once you have found the church, the parish hall will be to your right.  That is where we will meet.

From Rochester and Points North:
Take Rte. 65 (Clover St.) to Honeoye Falls. Go straight through the stop light (please stop if it is red).  Do not follow Rte. 65 which turns left. The first right turn is Episcopal Ave. The church is at the end of this.
OR
Take 390 South to exit  11. Follow signs to Rte. 251 East.  Follow through Rush to the traffic circle at Rte. 65.  Take the first exit in the circle heading south on Rte. 65 (Clover St.) to Honeoye Falls. Go straight through the stop light (please stop if it is red).  Do not follow Rte. 65 which turns left. The first right turn is Episcopal Ave. The church is at the end of this.

From Points South.
Take I-390 north to exit 10. Follow Rtes. 5 & 20 East to Lima.  Turn left onto Rte. 15A North. Bear Right at Rte. 94 following the sign to Honeoye Falls.  When you enter the village watch for the traffic light.  On your left you will the post office a block BEFORE you reach the light.  Episcopal Ave. is on the left immediately past the post office. Turn left on Episcopal Ave. the church is at the end of this.
OR
Find your way to Lima via 15A or  5 & 20. Follow 15A north and follow the instructions above.

New Introdutions and Your AIS Local

It's that time of year.  Waiting for catalogs to arrive is being replaced by the online reveals of new iris introductions. Own of my favorite growers (Mid-America) is rolling out their 2015 intros via Facebook.  Click on the photo os the intro below to go the Facebook page

'Join In' SDB Black 2015

Recently I started reconstructing my photos following a hard drive crash. While my interest in iris is old, my serious attempts to grow them started about 10 years ago.  Like a kid in the candy shop, I planted many rhizomes.  Then I planted many more. I became obsessive and took on Smaug-like qualities.

Thanks to my friends at the Greater Rochester Iris Society (GRIS), my tastes are beginning to mature.  I read more carefully about growth habit and realize that with some limited space I need to make choices.

The MDB above is lovely, but not particularly unique.  The photo of the clump interests me more. If 'Join In' performs like this in upstate New York, it would make a great addition to any garden.  That's a big "if" and the only way to find out is to try it, or find someone who grows it in similar climate and soil.  That's the fun of growing and sharing successes and failures.  An American Iris Society (AIS) local chapter can facilitate this and be fun as well.

Neil Houghton