Fw: OT:Region 21 Spring Meeting

 
    Sorry, I hit the wrong button and this got sent before I finished, at least I think it did.  Anyway, I've just continued it now, so you may have read this first part.  Sorry for being such a computer klutz!
    Thought some of you might be interested in a brief report on the Reg. 21 spring con-
vention that was held this past Sat. and Sun in and around Lincoln, NE.   For a change, it seems, the bloom season co-incided perfectly with the appointed dates, so those in attendance got to see an abundance of iris in every garden.  SDBs were largely gone, tho in a couple gardens we still saw a few, but there were lots of IBs, TBs in full glory, and many Siberians already out as well.  Wonderful!  To add to the enjoyment, some of the gardens were large enough to include a lot of other beautiful landscaping, so there were many perennial beds, shady areas in woods, some splendid clematis in full bloom, and some really imaginative and carefully planned use of landscaping possibilities.  Among the highlights were some local hybridizers' seedling beds or plantings of their registered varieties.  One that drew lots of attention, including from the men who did the judges' training on Sunday, was Gene Kalkwarf's EMERALD SKIES, (Gene lives in Emerald, NE) which is a huge ruffled light sky blue.  We saw it in Gene's garden as well as a number of others, blooming to perfection in each place.
    The highlight of the convention was the several hours spent in Varigay Garden of Allan Ensminger, on the edge of Lincoln.  Most of you know the name, as well as some of the introductions, of this man, who's gotten the nickname of "The Wizard of Odds", for his work with variegated iris.  HERE BEGINS THE CONTINUATION.   You may well have things like BATIK,  MORNING SHOW, AZ AP, BLUE EYED BLONDE, SONJA'S SELAH, to name just a few of Allan's things.  Anyway, in the next few months Varigay Gardens will be gone for good, as the property has been sold to a bus line, and the Ensmingers will move.  He is near, if not already, 90, and Gladys is in frail health.  I'm not sure what he will keep, but the huge seedling beds will be no more, so this was the last hurrah for the regional visitors.  We got to see all his seedlings, at different stages of selection, as well as beds of already introduced things mostly Allan's but not all.  In this garden for about 3 hours on Sunday morning and early afternoon we had judges' training as well, led by Abe Feuerstein, Michael Moller and Allan himself.  In three groups we spent time with each one in a different part of the garden, each dealing with a different subject, and at one point we took time for sack lunch in the yard.   It was a marvelous finale to a great regional meeting.
    Great flowers, great JT, great people, great weather (sunny and warm lst day; rain storm at night,  partly cloudy and cool on Sunday) for being out in gardens.  Shouldn't close without mentioning that at Saturday night's banquet Allan was presented with his Award of Merit for VAVOOM, a great yellow bitone SDB that we saw in every garden still blooming this late in the SDB season.
    Hope I did this right this time.
Arnold
 
Arnold & Carol Koekkoek
38 7th Street, NE
Sioux Center, IA 51250
e-mail  k*@mtcnet.net
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