Re: Hi Ruth



Ruth:  Quickly, thanks for the communication.  Anything you can do to
help me retain McKay - more rhizomes etc. will surely be appreciated.

The Iris - Sweet Lena is one that is very interesting, and all I can tell
you about it is this:

The smell is strong and wonderful.
It seems to be hardy and multiplies well.
The flowers last a long time in a vase (picking off the spent ones
ofcourse).
The stalks are strong, and about medium heighth.
The flower head is not as large as my bearded iris - but about 1/2 the
size.

Where did I get the first one?   Well, one day my husband and I were out
for a drive, not too many miles away from the base of Mt. Rainier, and as
we were driving along, we saw a hand made sign along the roadside that
said, "Iris Bouquets Ahead For Sale."

We stopped.  Here was this older fellow sitting at a picnic table with a
sun umbrella overhead, and fruit jars holding cut iris. The jars were
filled with the stalks, and even tho all of this was outside - the
fragrance was "knock-out sweet."  I bought 2 or 3 clusters of the
flowers.  They lasted for over a week in my house - I shared some with a
neighbor, and she was shocked at the fragrance!

Anyway, the man described these iris as Sweet Lena - named by him after
his Mother.
He told us the story about how it was that he now had about 30,000 of
them off to the side in a field near his house.  He said that his Mother
had lived all of her life in Tacoma, and had these Iris in her yard.  The
man must have been about 70 at the time we stopped there, and he said his
Mother had died many years ago, and the family home was demolished years
ago.

He said that his Mother had given him 2 rhizomes when he was married, and
he had been growing them and dividing them for years and years.  I asked
him what he did with them?  "Oh, just used them for bouquets and to give
as presents!"

I asked if I could buy some rhizomes, and he said "Oh yes!  How many do
you want?"
I asked their price, and he said "$10.00 each is about right!"  He
indicated he was selling the flowers and the rhizomes for the first time
that year - and I think it was about 5 years ago now.  This was in the
mid spring - and NOT the time to really dig Iris here, but I took a
chance anyway.  He said, "Oh you can dig these anytime!!"

He said that the year previous, some man from Japan drove by when Sweet
Lena was in bloom, stopped and offered to purchase his entire field.  The
reason was that the rhizomes I guess carry the heavy fragrance, and this
fellow wanted them to make perfume!!  The man said he didn't know what to
do about that.  (The next year we drove by and the field was still there.
 So I guess he did not sell them.  Instead he told us that he had made a
deal with Safeway Grocery - to purchase all of his blooms for sale in
their chain of stores here.)  I never saw them in the store - so I am
wondering whether he really had things straight or not.

Several years ago, I wrote a little note to Iris-L - when I was on the
list before, and remarked about Sweet Lena being such a fragrant sweetie,
and several of the fellows on the list jumped all over me - and acted
quite insulting - and not at all interested in this beauty - so I dropped
it - and dropped off the list almost at the same time.

Ruth, it is an old fashioned somethingorother - and it is a light colored
lavender color.  The old fellow (I cannot think of his name) had not
registered it with AIS at the time we first discovered it, and later did
get it registered, and then I heard that someone wanted to yank the
registration from him, because who ever gave him the final papers thru
AIS was not entitled to do it - or something.

I also believe that the fellow was a little disoriented - but that has
nothing to do with the flower's quality or lovliness.  I have divided my
initial 3 that I purchased, have shared with others - but plan to develop
more for my own enjoyment and pleasure.

I think you would love it too - unless you are allergic to fragrances in
your home.  I took a bouquet to my Dr.'s office in the late spring of
last year - along with some other huge and beautiful beardeds, and the
nurse became ill from the fragrance - so the Dr. took the bouquet home to
his wife.

I hope to multiply these as I can - and sell some myself one day.  I am
not getting younger, and the work is getting harder for me physically,
but I dearly love Iris - and I love the scented ones - and there are very
few of them.  Nothing like Sweet Lena.

I don't have time in my life to learn hybridization - but it always
occurred to me that someone who knew how, should cross Sweet Lena with
another bearded, and see if the wonderful fragrance could be transferred.
 The old fellow said something I didn't quite understand, and that he
took a trip to the Mid-East and had the iris identified there, as a
palidda or something.  I don't know.

If you know your way around in the AIS, perhaps questionning their
headquarters would bring more information.  I don't particularly care
about all that - I just love the flower.

I am located in Washington State in the Puget Sound area - between
Seattle and Tacoma.  Where exactly are you?  Our flowering times here
vary - but generally in June if we get enough warmth and sun.  I believe
that Sweet Lena would be described as a fairly early bloomer.  When do
your Iris bloom?

If you want to trade McKay for Sweet Lena, I would be more than happy to
dig and send to you - if you wish.         Must get some breakfast now. 
I have been awake since 4 AM and it is 7:17 Sunday right now.

Happy Irising,  Nicki







On Sun, 4 Jan 1998 07:24:19 -0700 (MST) "ruth" <ruth@sonetcom.com>
writes:
>Hi Nicki,
>
>You ask me to describe the COLOR of McKay. After the discussions 
>flying the
>past few days, I will say it was bright pink and leave it at that. But 
>come
>spring, I will have my crayola box in hand and give you a more 
>detailed
>report.
>
>As for McKay being available for purchase, I haven't looked at the 
>current
>catalogs but I would think it would be. If not, I will help you out. I
>think it would be great to share with your son's wife. (Her last name 
>being
>MacKay) When my grandmother died, I shared plants of MARY FRANCES with 
>all
>of my cousins because that was grannie's name.
>
>The Lena you mentioned, is that an iris? I'm not familiar with that 
>name.
>
>Ruth B. Simmons
>Oklahoma - Region 22 - Hard rain all night - Meeting today to help 
>plan the
>'99 National Iris Convention in OKC
>
>
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