Newsletter: April 2004
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN IRIS SOCIETY Inc.
Minutes of the meeting held 8/4/04
Apologies:
Colleen and Les Modra, Jenny Kempe, Pam and Trevor Hilton, Jenny Alcorn, Margaret Douglass, Darrelle Watson, Gwen Alexandrou, Doreen Churchill.
Minutes:
From March meeting as circulated passed as being correct
Correspondence:
Stangate Camellia Gardens, Pam Jackson, Adelaide Zoo, SA Chrysanthemum Society, Flower and Garden Show, Estonian Hall, WA Newsletter, British Iris Society.
Business:
Hahndorf: Members were reminded of the Iris planting at Hahndorf on Saturday 18th April 9am.
Pennington Gardens: Colour coded Iris planting at the Adelaide Oval (Victor Richardson gates) facing King William Road on 22nd April at 9am.
Venue: Starting with the June meeting, the meetings will take place at the Goodwood Community Centre, Rosa Street Goodwood. The lighting and sound will be better than we have at present.
2004 Annual Show: A vote from show of hands took place between Unley High School Hall and the Estonian Hall as to which venue to hold the 2004 show. The unanimous vote was for the Estonian Hall.
Sophie Thomson: will be the guest speaker at our next meeting. Members are asked to bring along a friend / friends to the meeting. Look for more notes on the Sophie Thomson Evening at the end of the minutes.
2005 Convention Venue: The 2005 Convention Show venue between The Shores Function Centre and the Goodwood Community Centre was decided by a secret ballot. Rosemary Turner, Betty Parsons counted the votes, with Nell Tanner as scrutineer, the vote was a tie. It was then called upon the President to cast the deciding vote. The Shores Function Centre will be the venue for the 2005 Convention Show.
Adelaide International Hotel: Julia Jacobs moved for a deposit of $500.00 to be paid to the Hotel Adelaide International where the guests accommodation and the Convention Forums will be held. seconded Betty Parsons ... carried
2005 After Convention Tour: The proposal is to explore the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island after the convention. It is hoped that the tour will start from Goolwa and include a luncheon cruise on the Coorong and visits to Urrimbirra, Granite Island and other interesting places on the Fleurieu before traveling to KI for three days via the Sea Lion from Cape Jervis.
Donation to library: Many thanks to Pat Toolan who has donated a copy of the Aril Journal to the library. This journal has many excellent photos of arils guaranteed to make you drool as well as many items of interest.
Show and Tell:
Ronda Burg A beautiful spike of the George Sutton rebloomer Double Shot, with white standards, edged violet / blue, falls are white with heavily striped violet / blue.
Julia Jacobs: Lovely white rebloomer Winterland, and a spike of Feedback a vibrant mid blue with a nice perfume and a nice red Lilium bloom.
Marg Kuchel: Very pretty lavender blue seedling, rebloomer nicely ruffled.
Sophie Thomson Evening
Would members please be at the meeting by at least 6.30pm as we need to hold a brief meeting before the guests arrive.
It would also be helpful if we could have as many hands as possible to help set up the hall please.
We would like to have a larger Trading table on the night, if possible to help cover the cost of the hall hire for the evening. If anyone has items we could sell at the trading table, which can be of anything, eg; produce, jams, cakes and etc, as well as plants please bring it along. We will need extra help at the trading table. Thank you.
Please note that the May Newsletter will be available for collection at the June meeting for those who do not receive it by email. If you have an email address and have not told me please contact me on gramark@senet.com.au to be included and get your news early.
2005 committee
The 2005 committee wish to make the bus tours for the Convention very successful and memorable. We would like to include several members’ gardens on these tours and would like to hear from any member who is interested in offering their garden for these visits. We need to know if your garden is available before June 10th 2004.
There are definite requirements that must be met for your garden to be suitable for a visit. These are:-
· Suitable access for large coaches
· Disability friendly
· Access to toilet facilities
· The garden must be well maintained
· Irises should featured
We may not be able to include all gardens offered on these tours but would still like to hear from you. The committee will visit gardens in this years flowering season to assess these requirements and follow up in 2005 prior to the convention.
Remember we must receive your offer to visit your garden by letter, fax or email to Nell Tanner, Julia Jacobs or Marg Kuchel before June 10th 2004.
Guest speaker David Barrington gave an interesting talk illustrated with slides on the Lilium genera. David has been growing Liliums for over 25 years. Over that time many of the more difficult species to cultivate have been lost. Crosses are now made between orientals, asiatics and trumpets to create blooms suitable for the cut flower trade. These are not necessarily the best plants for home gardeners to grow.
All Liliums are from the northern hemisphere and many grow in very poor well drained soils in mountainous regions where they are under heavy snow in winter. Most prefer acidic to neutral soils but some including L henrii, lancifolium, candidum and the Asiatic liliums will do well in alkaline soils.
Lilium bulbs are never dormant the basal roots are always growing. Poor drainage causes basal rot. Some species have stem roots which are feeder roots. Once these are established the plant can flower without being attached to the bulb however the plant will die after flowering.
Liliums can be propagated from scales detached from the bulb, from bulbils attached to the stem and from seed. To start plants from scales, break off the scales carefully and dust with a fungicide, put in a plastic bag with damp sphagnum moss and store in a warm dark place. Tiny bulbs will form on the broken side of the scale. These can be carefully removed and planted in pots to grow on.
Seed should be kept in paper bags to prevent it going mouldy. Plant in a well drained potting mix and wait three to four years for the first blooms.
David recommends using the best quality acidic or neutral potting soil for Liliums and fertilizing with Nitrofosca or Miracle Grow liquid fertilizer when growing. In the ground, plant to twice the depth of the bulb, mulch with humus on top of the soil and give blood and bone or a complete fertilizer when dormant.
Liliums prefer a site in dappled shade or under shade cloth. Move the bulbs every two or three years or more often if not doing very well. Acidic soil may need a dressing of lime after several years to keep the bulbs happy.
Pest and diseases: botrytis in a warm spring, bulb mites, aphids and snails are the main problems. If a plant shows virus markings destroy the bulb.
When buying Lilium bulbs avoid the ones in the supermarkets as these are imported from the northern hemisphere out of season and have not been acclimatized, blooming out of season here weakens the bulbs and can lead to a very short life. David recommends The Australian Bulb Company at Gumeracha as a reputable supplier of top quality plants.
Pacific Coast Irises are another favorite plant of David’s. He purchased some of the imported seedlings from Iris Acres and has let them happily self seed ever since (they come up everywhere including in the gravel driveway). The colours are lovely and there are now about 200 seedlings growing as edging plants in his garden. They don’t like competition from groundcover plants and need watering in summer. David cuts off the tops after the opening rains and gets rid of dead leaves. He uses a heavy mulch of leaf litter around them.
David’s garden “Daff O Dil” at Bridgewater is open on the 3rd weekend in October in aid of the Peter Nelson Leukaemia Fund and will open at other times for garden clubs to visit.
Natalie Houba: From last meeting. Sorry Natalie this was not printed last newsletter. Well worth a visit if you are at Mildura.
Redcliffs
An Iris Garden was planted in the small township, which is just a few kms out of Mildura. This was done for Mildura's Convention. The gardens are well maintained by the community, giving a lovely display in spring.
Australian Inland Botanic Gardens
The original idea came from scientists working with the CSRIO at Merbein. In 1983 a $10,000.00 grant from the Elliot bequest enabled a committee to engage the services of John Wrigley OPA. B.Sc. FAIPR, one of Australia's best authorities on Botanic Gardens, to develop a master plan and make recommendations. It took 5 years to select a site, acquire land, obtain Government approvals and raise money. $200.000.00 was initially raised from local support.
The first trees were planted from Patrons Sir Ninian and Lady Stephen.
Unlike other botanic gardens AIBG. is an incorporated body administered by a committee management. Contributions from individuals, service clubs, state and local government grants generate funds.
The gardens consist of 2 parcels of land 1 with 42.3 hectares on the banks of the Murray River, 110 hectares of undulating red loam over clay base, fertile soil that was formally a Sheep Station. This area is divided into 2 equal parts, with the eastern half still currently under development.
Exotic plantings are grouped in beds by country of origin, the gardens also feature a magnificent Rose Garden featuring 1,600 colour coordinated plants, plus a large amount of Native plants creating a stunning display.
The gardens are watered from electric pump drawing water from the River Murray, using a computerised drip system, the first botanic gardens to use this system. Lakes and streams are under construction at present, other features include Salt Water Watch Program, Native Trail, Summerhouses,Pub and a Bush Chapel where many wedding ceremonies take place.
The gardens are open Weekdays 7.30am to 4.30 pm Weekends 10am to 4.30 pm
