Re: AIS: Region 21 Spring Convention and Tour

I would like to chime in and agree with Arnold on his comments about the
Region 21 spring meeting and tour in Norfolk, Nebraska.   The gardens
were beautiful and well-maintained.  You knew that these folks were true
gardeners when you entered their gardens.  They were all quite
different, and reflected the personalities of their owners.  All of them
had many other wonderful plants besides iris in them, and the use of
irises in the landscapes were very instructive.  Of course, convention
food is important to irisarians everywhere, and the food at this
convention was superb.  We met several new friends and enjoyed seeing
great old friends again.  It was great to see for my first time, Mary
Ferguson's garden.  Mary is one of the talkers here on Iris-Talk, and I
really enjoyed her garden.  It was full of irises, hostas and daylilies,
and all so very well grown.  And, Carolyn Lingenfelter and Leland Nelson
as co-chairs of the convention are to be commended on an outstanding
spring convention, not to mention having their own beautiful gardens on
the tour.  That takes real committment and planning as anyone who has
chaired a convention AND had their own gardens on the tour well knows.
     Last year we were treated to wonderful gardens in the Sioux City,
Iowa area, including Arnold & Carol Koekoek's own beautiful garden, then
this year to more wonderful gardens in the Norfolk, Nebraska area.  We
in Lincoln have our work cut out for us in hosting the 2004 spring
convention to live up to the standards set by both of these groups.
Boy, do I have some work to do!!  I had better get busy NOW!

Gary White,
Lincoln, Nebraska   zone 5, TB season on the downswing, Siberians about
peak, and the peonies are magnificent this year.


Arnold Koekkoek wrote:

>  Region 21had its spring meeting and tour in Norfolk, Nebraska from
> this past Friday evening through noon today, Sunday.  A very good
> attendance, great time meeting old friends and making new ones,  some
> outstanding gardens, and (as always) many good things to eat along the
> way.  The Elkhorn Valley Iris Society hosted the convention and did
> themselves proud.   We couldn't have had a better time.  They had
> procured a sizeable number of guest iris from over 30 hybridizers, and
> we were pretty close to peak bloom in most of the gardens, I think.
> Too many fine iris on display to mention here, but there were
> definitely a lot of winners.   I kept noticing how many had the big,
> fat stalks that we need here on the windy, midwestern plains, and I
> took notes to that effect.  One fairly small bed, in the garden of
> Betty and Mike Stoley in Norfolk had perhaps 10 iris at most, of which
> 5 had show-winning stalks with 3 and 4 good blooms ope! n
> simultaneously.  The most impressive thing I saw, though, was a
> seedling from Bob Stetson, Denver, CO, growing in the garden of Kathy
> and Bob Hayes, Pierce, NE.  A very large clump with several bloom
> stalks plus additional fans, and one stalk had 5 (FIVE!) good, open
> blooms simultaneously! The other stalks only had four open!!  Lacy,
> white blooms of fine size and great placement on the stalk.  I've
> never seen anything to match that.  It's seedling
> TB 95 K2, and I can't wait to acquire it.  I don't have any more room,
> but several things are now on my "want this" list anyway.  A great
> convention, and I wish all of you could have enjoyed it along with
> those who were there.
>      Leaving was only made easier by the fact that my own garden is
> now in full swing, new things opening every day, and Carol and I were
> eager to get home to see what had opened in our absence.  Heading into
> peak TB bloom probably the end of this week.  SDBs are all done, IBs
> mostly gone, and just a couple Siberians have begun to open so far.
> Some damage due, I suppose, to late frosts, but even short stalks have
> big, beautiful flowers.  Going out to look at the new blooms is an
> adventure every morning.  Wonderful year--first the Memphis
> Convention, a month later things begin to open here, then our own
> Regional Convention, and this morning coming home to a garden just
> getting into high gear.  Worth waiting for.
> Arnold & Carol Koekkoek
> 38 7th Street, NE
> Sioux Center, IA 51250
> e-mail  koekkoek@mtcnet.net
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
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