Newsletter: October 2006
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN IRIS SOCIETY Inc.
This is the Month - Show! Show! Show!
The irises have certainly given us a lot of pleasure; the colour in the gardens by courtesy of the iris is breathtaking. Even though the season has been a little early we are still looking forward to a wonderful display of iris as cut stems, florets and floral design. As I write this it is only a few days before the hectic pace of cutting, designing and setting up. We look forward in anticipation to a brilliant weekend. As is always the case, a lot of work has been put in to the preparation of the event to make it what it will become. A thankyou to all for your willing participation.
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If your require any information regarding the events of the SA Iris Society please contact
President - Julia Jacobs - 08) 8339 3601
Secretary - Rosemary Turner - 08) 8387 4647
Library Highlights by Ann Head
The minutes have information of the titles of new books that have been placed in the library. Use this as your reference to access news and useful information.
Bus Tour
Sunday 12 November - Fleurieu Peninsular Gardens. Coach leaves the Goodwood Community Centre, Rosa Street at 8.30am. Free parking all day in the Community Centre carpark.
There are still four (4) seats vacant on the coach for this tour. So please contact John Turner (8387-4647) as soon as possible if you are interested in joining us. Members free - guests $40 all-inclusive. Members of community have been invited to join our tour to make full use of the 50-seater coach. For quick service at our lunch stop a pre ordered menu is requested. Choices - Main Course – Quiche or Lasagne. Dessert – Apple and Rhubarb or Cheese Cake. Please have your menu choice selected with your booking. Any of your friends are cordially invited to join the tour. There are four seats still available.
Show Time
Open from12 noon on Friday 20th for helpers
3.00pm for exhibitors
Hall closes at 8pm sharp
Saturday 21st October Hall reopens at 6am – entries to be completely tabled by 7.30am for judging
21 October 11am – 5pm and 22 October 10am – 4pm. at the Goodwood Community Centre, Rosa Street, Goodwood.
Show closes promptly at 4pm on Sunday 22 October – we have one (1) hour to dismantle the show, to be completed by 5pm
Please be on hand to help. Thankyou.
Attention The President Julia Jacobs has suggested that anyone who enters cuts and floral designs at our show, give some thought to the day and time that entries should close for future shows; bearing in mind that there is sufficient time to set up, and place filled bottles on the show benches. Julia will bring this matter to the November meeting to be discussed and the outcome satisfactorily settled with a secret ballot.
Member News
Our member Joy Maxwell was nominated and was awarded the Eleanor McLeod Award for Service to the Community through The Garden Clubs Of Australia Inc.
Joy planted her first bearded iris in her Balaklava garden in 1975. Balaklava is a small community of around 1500 people, situated 100 kms from Adelaide.
Tall bearded iris proved to be an ideal plant for the hot, dry area in the mid-north of South Australia, (Where Balaklava is) being almost indestructible and virtually disease-resistant. From these beginnings, via fund-raising garden parties in aid of the Red Cross, Joy became a participant in the Botanic Gardens Open Garden Scheme. Together with two friends she opened her garden annually under the name of “Balaklava Iris Gardens”, in the period before the proliferation of commercial iris gardens now in existence on South Australia. From 1993 onwards Joy’s “Open Garden” became a bi-ennial event in conjunction with a festival known in the town as the “Gardens and Galleries” weekend. This event was last held in 2003, and may be revived in 2007, and Joys hopes to participate again. Throughout this twenty-year period Joy has been the one “constant”, with other gardeners participating and “dropping off”. She has helped put Balaklava on the map, recognised statewide for its beautiful gardens. During this period Joy has held a responsible position at the local hospital, so all her gardening has been done in her “spare time”. Joy has been a stimulus for the upgrading of many gardens throughout our area.
Joy was a founding member of the Balaklava Gardening Club, and has been its diligent and committed president since 1995 personally seeking out interesting guest speakers for monthly meetings. One of the projects undertaken by the newly founded garden club, together with the Lions Club, was to design and maintain a garden at the town’s entrance. This was a project dear to Joy’s heart, as she had long been concerned about this neglected area (opposite her house) and she continues to spend her time weeding the area in-between working bees. She is a prime example of consciousness of the importance of civic beauty to the community.
Joy has been a tireless worker for Red Cross, Crippled Children’s Association, Anti-Cancer, Balaklava SMD Hospital and many other charities through donations of plants to trading tables. She has also donated 100’s of rhizomes to “Club” trading tables at the annual South Australian Iris show. She also thinks nothing of travelling 200kms round trip to attend monthly Iris Society meetings.
Joy is a valuable member of the South Australian Iris society with her contributions, not only providing rhizomes for the trading tables, but she is also a talented floral design artist and is a very willing helper with other activities in the club.
We congratulate you Joy on the recognition you have received for your unselfish contribution to your community and the community of South Australia.
Next Meeting –Thursday 9th November 2006
Guest Speaker – Teresa Bignell – Daylilies
Our Guest Speaker will educate us the culture and growing of Daylilies at the beginning of our meeting –7.30pm.
Plants will be available for sale and will benefit the Make a Wish Foundation
Floral Design -“Off to the Races” – Giddy up Horsy, let’s go!!!
Supper Roster - Sue Stribley and Belinda Meredith.
Thought for the Month. – A good laugh makes us better friends with ourselves and everyone around us.
Orison Swett Marden.
Minutes of the Meeting on the 12th of October, 2006
Meeting opened 7.35pm
President Julia Jacobs welcomed 27 members.
Apologies - Karl Meredith, Colleen Modra and Peg Lane.
Minutes of the previous meeting were accepted with correction in correspondence, last item to be ISA and not AIS as recorded . Moved J. Pongrac, seconded Luke White. Carried.
Correspondence
Moved John Turner, Seconded Nell Tanner that all correspondence be accepted. Carried.
- Australian Fushia Society Inc., - 2006 Show at the Payneham Masonic Hall, 393 Payneham Road Marden (Bus Stop13), Saturday & Sunday 11 and 12 November from 10am – 4pm both days.
- WA Iris Society Inc., Bulletin and Minutes
- Iris Society of Australia New South Wales Region Inc., Newsletter.
- Iris Society of Australia Inc., - ISA Judges Manual
- Receipt from Don Burg for Additions to the library. Books – Irises By Sidney Linnegar and Jennifer Hewett; Irises by Theodore James Jr.; The Illustrated Checklist of Irises by Robert Pries donated by Darrelle Watson; and various catalogues from America donated by John and Rosemary Turner.
- Garden Clubs Of Australia Inc. – Insurance, affiliation fees due 1/1/07, Quarterly Journal Subscription renewal for “Our Gardens’ - $12 / copy.
- Books for addition to the Library arrived.
The Japanese Iris by Currier McEwen
The Gardeners Iris Book by William Shear
The Gardeners Guide to Growing Irises by Geoff Stebbings
Irises by Pamela George and Alison Nicoll
Irises –A Gardener’s Encyclopedia by Claire Austin
- Account for Festival Hire.
- Approval for Korflute poster from City of Holdfast Bay.
- Goodwood community Centre notice of AGM
Correspondence out –
- Dean Stringer- War of the Roses – decline
- Goodwood Community Centre – Farmers Market – decline
- Darrelle Watson – thankyou for donation of “Spuria Illustrated Handbook”
- Nell Tanner – Get well thoughts for a speedy recovery
- Stephanie Boot – NZ Iris Society requesting email
- City of Holdfast Bay – requesting poster signage for the Show.
- SA Iris Society Judges Programme – to all judges.
Treasurers Report
Omitted from the online version of the minutes.
Moved Margaret Kuchel, Seconded Joy Maxwell that all accounts be paid. Carried.
Business:
Don Grieves has accepted nomination for ISA President. AGM to be held by phone linkup in November.
Show
· Memorabillia display to be exhibited on the hall in front of the stage.
· Both halls available for set-up on Friday 20th October from 12 noon to 8pm.
· Rhizomes for club table – to have name and colour attached and to be priced at $4.00. Rhizomes to have roots washed and cleaned.
· Commission table – grower to get commission. Rhizomes to be well presented, named and to have a flower and/or picture to illustrate the particular iris.
· Unnamed iris can be sold with a flower or picture to indicate the particular iris.
· Iris sold in pots must growing potting soil.
· Pricing –
· Entries to close at 9pm Wednesday evening
· Belinda Meredith to do entry forms.
· Spare iris anyone may have are to be brought into the hall on Friday early afternoon for the use by the Ikebana Society for stage design.
Judges and Stewards
Betty Parsons to co-ordinate stewards on the morning of the show.
Some stewards to be in attendance on Friday to assist if help required.
All judges and stewards to be at the hall ready to begin their duties on Saturday morning at 7.30am.
Ten members have indicated willingness to assist as stewards.
Sue Stribley has completed judge’s school.
Bus Trip
Four (4) seats still available. If you wish to be included please let John Turner (8387-4647) know as soon as possible.
Biscuits are required for morning tea on the day.
We will meet the KI Garden club at Wild Rose Cottage for lunch.
All day parking is free at the Goodwood Community Centre as it is a public car park.
Bring sunglasses, hat, camera, sunscreen and comfortable shoes.
Show Bench results: Judges – John Pongrac, Margaret Kuchel, Belinda Meredith.
Bearded Iris – 1 stem - 1st -Helen Dawn - Julia Jacobs
2nd – Stop Flirting – Julia Jacobs
3rd – Fancy Flirting – Sue Stribley
4th - Rip City – Marlene Gibson
Bearded Iris – 1 floret 1st - Seedling – Sue Stribley
2nd – Seedling – Sue Stribley
3rd - Seedling – Sue Stribley
Dwarf or Median Iris 1st - Mister Roberts – Julia Jacobs
2nd – Let’s Elope – Julia Jacobs
Species Iris – 1 stem 1st - Ochraleuca - Julia Jacobs
2nd - Pseudocorus - Julia Jacobs
3rd - Sintenisii - John Turner
Louisiana/Spuria – 1 stem 1st - Fortune Finder – Julia Jacobs
2nd - Symphonetta – Julia Jacobs
Louisiana – 1 Floret 1st - Stop & Go – Marlene Gibson
2nd Seedling – Marlene Gibson
Sibiricum – 1 Stem 1st – Sweet Surrender – Julia Jacobs
2nd – Lavender Bounty – Julia Jacobs
Iridacous Iris – 1 Stem 2nd – Ixia – John Turner
Pacific Coast 1st – Douglassiana – Julia Jacobs
Dutch Iris 1st – Amber Beauty – Julia Jacobs
2nd – Rosario – Julia Jacobs
Floral Design - Drowning in Iris
1st - Belinda Meredith
NB. Only Irises are to be entered for competition during the iris season. Other flowers can be exhibited but will not be included in the judging.
Auction – Leah Schwartz- Iris Print – passed in
Video – Practical guide to growing your own cottage garden. Sold.
Raffle was drawn.
Supper
Guest Speaker – Sue Stribley – Hybridising Iris
Julia welcomed and introduced Sue to the meeting.
Sue joined the Iris Society eight or nine years ago. She started with a few irises and as time went on the iris plot expanded year after year.
Sue gave a very comprehensive talk with the aid of a power point presentation to illustrate the steps required for successful hybridising.
Necessary requirements are::
- Note book for recording all information
- Scissors
- Tape, various colours, red white and green. White to write the seedling number, green to mark irises to be kept and red to mark unsuitable iris for disposal.
- Pen
- Tweezers with red string attached (so they are not lost in the garden)
- Tape measure.
- Clear tube container to store pollen.
When hybridising, select good quality stock. Avoid iris with leaf spot or those susceptible to rot.
Remove the stamen containing pollen with tweezers (some stamens do not have pollen) and place this pollen on the stigmata lip of the iris.
Make sure a record is kept of every step taken including number, names of parents, date of cross, weather and any other information you would like to remember regarding the activity.
Tape the stem with the allocated seedling number.
The seedpod begins to swell after about four (4) days.
At three (3) months the seedpod matures (January) and when it dries place a stocking over the pod to collect the seed which could be anything from 1 – 100 seeds.
At harvest place the seed in paper bags, all well labelled, and store until planting time.
Approx mid March soak seeds in water for a period of four (4) weeks and keep in the refrigerator. Rinse the seeds daily for the four weeks. Plant out the seeds after they have reconstituted.
It takes about 4 – 6 weeks for the seed to shoot.
Plant about one (1) cm deep in boxes, then prick seedlings out into tubes.
In December plant into the garden and await some lovely surprises. (We hope).
For Sue’s soil type she fertilises the soil with gypsum and compost.
When the plants flower, large blooms, straight stems, good branching and colour, substance and form are all taken into consideration as to whether the plant is retained for another flowering season. The tape measure is used to measure the stem.
Many different colours can come from the same seedpod.
Supposedly –Pod parent (female) gives the seedling growth habits such as branching hardiness and bud count.
Pollen parent (male) gives the flowering or bloom qualities such as substance and colour. Not always
applicable.
Sue also spoke about the white cockatoos, which have an eye for the most favourite seedlings and decide to pick them off at the base before they can flower. The kangaroos which all the tourists love to see decide to come in and with their big feet crush the plants as they bound through the patch, and the rabbits also decide they have to have their share.
In spite of all that Sue has a most beautiful iris garden at Yarrabee.
Question time – define Luminata – a wash of colour over a paler colour, white clear area around beard and edge. White veining is the most predominate feature.
On behalf of the group Sandra Westbrook proposed and vote of thanks and presented Sue with a gift.
November Meeting - Thursday 9th
Guest Speaker - Teresa Bignell – Daylillies - proceed from any sales benefit the Make a Wish Foundation.
Ann Head to convene the library.
Marlene Gibson will manage the trading table.
Floral design – Off to the Races.
Supper conveners – Sue Stribley & Belinda Meredith.
Meeting Closed 10pm
