AIS:Convention Plant=I.D.problems

In a message dated 7/23/2004 6:57:13 AM Central Standard Time, DWiris@aol.com 
writes:

> The balance are donated to after-convention sales.
> 
I'd like to address the after-convention sales. This has the potential to 
contribute to the problems of misidentified irises!  

I'm new at this since I've only sent plants to 3 conventions.  (4 if you 
include St. Louis). It's just a small sampling but I'd like to offer an 
observation.  

1) First convention I sent 3 irises and two returned correct.  The third was 
something entirely different . . . the whole mess. I sent a yellow and white 
and was returned a blue neglecta. This was a 33% error rate. 
2) Must have told them to distribute or destroy because I didn't get anything 
back. 
3) 99.5% were correct from the Memphis convention.  However, there was some 
minor confusion and some of my irises were returned under other names (of my 
own).  After two years of blooming the returns, this year a short orange iris 
turned up among a row of bi-tone purple. 

I know most regions can use the funds from the rhizome sales to recoup a part 
of the convention expenses!  But I have to vote against it.  I've heard so 
many people swear that an iris was 'such and such' because that is the name it 
had when they bought it. I've had irises that I could never get corrected 
because the supplier kept sending the same thing!  They bought it with an incorrect 
name!  BUT, I own the R & I's AND I know irises well enough to know what 
color I'm supposed to see when it bloomes!  

My vote would be to return or destroy.  If everyone could manage to just 
destroy things that don't bloom true to their R & I description, I might feel 
different, but it doesn't go that way.  How many iris growers even OWN the R & 
I's?  

I'm reminded of an argument that raged for years (10) over the identities of 
Corn Harvest & Koala in our local club.  (involved me) I bought plants, grew 
and bloomed them side by side and STILL couldn't convince some people.  Koala 
is listed in the rebloom check list based on this incorrect identification!  

Betty W. in South-central KY Zone 6
Bridge In Time Iris Garden@website:
 www.thegardensite.com/irises/bridgeintime/
 Reblooming Iris - Home Page 
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AIS: American Iris Society website  

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