Paul,
I would love to have an iris test garden up here. I, however, live on a city lot and am already gardening on four other neighborsâ lots (with maybe a fifth coming on???) I am sometimes called the âiris ladyâ (when I am not called the ârose ladyâ or âplant crazyâ). I was asked again a few days ago when I was going to organize an iris study group. So, maybe collectively we could get something organized in the future. We may be able to partition the Alaska Botanical Garden (a fairly new development) for some space????
Debbie
Anchorage, Alaska
Winter returned yesterday with 6â of snow. Hopefully it will stay until April.
From: iris-species@yahoogroups.com [mailto:iris-species@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of El Hutchison
Sent: Friday, November 26, 2010 10:00 AM
To: iris-species@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [iris-species] garden merit
Paul Archer has mentioned trial gardens both here and in the latest AIS Bulletin.
I'd gladly volunteer to become a trial garden, but I'm greatly limited by the cold zone I live in. I've been doing my own hardiness tests for years though.
El, Ste Anne (near Winnipeg), Manitoba Canada Z3 (probably USDA 4)
> To: iris-species@yahoogroups.com
> From: voltaire@islandnet.com
> Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2010 10:37:58 -0800
> Subject: [iris-species] garden merit
>
> On 26-Nov-10, at 10:04 AM, gardenersfriend@sasktel.net wrote:
>
> > âI believe it is possible to judge all plants for garden Merit from
> > Chrysanthemums to Pansies to Iris.â
> >
> There are a couple of precedents for judging and awarding plants for
> garden merit. In all cases that I know about, the new plants are
> grown with older ones so an honest comparison can be made.
>
> One is done by the Royal Horticultural Society in Great Britain. It
> is the AGM, or Award of Garden Merit, given after a several years
> trial at one of the RHS gardens. I have added more about it below.
>
> All-America Selections tests seed-grown plants in trial gardens and
> also has display gardens which the public can visit.
> http://www.all-americaselections.org/Trial_Locations.asp
>
> The All-America Rose Selections chooses for the whole continent, but
> also has regional selections.
>
> El mentioned that she has an iris display garden. Are there display
> gardens in all parts of the continent, and could they be incorporated
> into a series of test gardens?
>
> Diane Whitehead
> Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
>
> ==========================================
> The AGM is intended to be of practical value to the home gardener. It
> is awarded therefore only to a plant that meets the following criteria:
>
> â It must be of outstanding excellence for ordinary garden decoration or use
> â It must be available
> â It must be of good constitution
> â It must not require highly specialist growing conditions or care
> â It must not be particularly susceptible to any pest or disease
> â It must not be subject to an unreasonable degree of reversion in its vegetative or floral characteristics
> Plants of all kinds can be considered for the AGM, â.. the purpose of the award is always the same: to highlight the best plants available to the home
> gardener.
> > ------------------------------------
>
