Re: Re: Popularizing non-TB iris

From: Gmbeasle@aol.com

In a message dated 12/05/1999 7:34:18 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
donald@eastland.net writes:
>  Is the general public interested primarily in TBs
>  because that is all they know about?  Or are they interested in TBs
>  because they actually prefer them over other types?  I suspect if the
>  general public had information, knowledge and exposure to other types,
>  they would be much more widely grown. 

Well I have to disagree - on two points.

FIrst I don't know that the AIS is aimed at the general public.  I would 
think it would be aimed at the general AIS membership which is IMHO 
different. 

I suspect that the general AIS membership *are* apt to grow the type of iris 
that they like and they like the TB more than the other varieties.  Because 
there is lots of stuff for AIS member on the other varieties.  So if they 
don't grow them, it's because they don't want to.  (IMHO)

Second, if indeed the AIS is for the general public, I do not think that the 
'general public' is really all that interested in growing different things in 
their gardens.  They have the old flags, and they grow the stuff they are 
used to growing - marigolds, petunias, roses, day lilies, daffodils - 
whatever they grew up with.  They want their gardens to look good with a 
minimum of effort.

Sometimes they don't even want to have the plants that are doing well when 
they buy their house - the guy next door to me cut down a beautiful dogwood 
when he moved in, and the one across the street took out a whole bed of 
(admittedly uninspiring) iris.

So the object of people who are trying to get more types of iris grown should 
be the education of GARDENERS, starting the the AIS membership, but 
concentrating on people who like to garden, and not just the general public.  

The Dykes medal seems to be sort of a popularity contest anyway.  I think 
Dorothy did a good job of explaining things from a judges perspective, and I 
see nothing wrong with that.  If you want aril-breds to do better, then the 
people who can grow them must make an effort to get judges into their 
gardens, or get the iris into the judges gardens (do judges have to have 
gardens?).  Just general proselytizing in general, and complaining won't help 
too much.

RosalieAnn (who's going to go back to lurking)

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