Business Meeting
Mary
Ann Kurtz welcomed all members and asked what plants in our gardens had a terrible
winter and what was now blooming. She asked us to sign up to be officers and
committee chairs. Bill Goff requested program ideas for next year; bring these to
the picnic June 24.
Plant Sale Report: In spite of rain, the sale was a success because all of us
donated, worked, bought plants, and kept cheerful in spite of the cold, rain
and wind during setup and into the sale. Selling 4-6 inch pots and displaying
similar plants together made set up and pricing easier. Total income $1,391
with about 400 plants (mostly perennials) sold at reasonable prices.
Announcements: Thanks to Chris Kerin for
dessert and Janine Zink for the arrangement. [My pictures don’t do justice to
the beautiful arrangements and desserts.
rmh]
Program
Those Other Irises: Bill Goff introduced speaker
Len Lehman who is an avid gardener, “There isn’t a plant I don’t like,” and
who wants us to know about irises other than the common German bearded ones.
His program was from the American Iris Society including pictures of the iris
mentioned. One prime benefit of growing these is their smaller corms discourage
iris borers. He brought some of the irises mentioned and gave them away to the
lucky raffle winners.
Take home points:
·
Japanese
beardless—require 6 hrs sun, like wet summers and dry winters
·
Louisiana—not
hardy here, like swampy areas, heavy feeders, acid soil, clay soil fine, one
commonly sold is black game cocks
·
Siberian—cooler,
slight acid, good drainage, heavy feeders (kelp or crab meal good), 7 ft. pond
forms available.
·
Len’s
favorite Iris cycloglossa. “Grow this
to save it from extinction” as the Afghan war is decimating it. Species iris
are wildflowers of the world and can be grown from seed
·
Divide
plants from mid-July to mid-September
·
Duplicate
the conditions for the plant’s origin
Next meeting: Annual LAGC Picnic, June 24, 6:30
p.m. at Jenna Noker’s garden, 8915 Seneca Avenue, 15237. Bring an appetizer, dessert or salad to
share and your ideas for 2015 programs.
Submitted by: Rose Mary Highman
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