Re: JI GIG

What a beautiful report, really made me feel like I missed the best
meeting ever.

Art Bern    art@gv.net
Grass Valley, CA


Irisborer@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Well, I've done my duty and sent an article to the JI Review for publication
> regarding the entire International JI Symposium we had last weekend at the
> Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario (Canada).  Now here's the "rest
> of the story"
> 
> It was a damn fine time!  And pity the fool who couldn't make it!
> 
> I met the irrepressible R. Dennis Hager and Ian Efford - both of them, I have
> to say, about 100 years younger than I expected.  Ellen Gallagher was there
> as was Chris Hollinshead, Diana Louise and Ginny Prins. Carolyn Schaffner -
> chief cook and bottle washer, plus timekeeper, registration poobah and all
> around organizer, kept us moving and grooving.  And those are just the e-mail
> folks.
> 
> The day was perfect from frontside to backside:  After I welcomed folks and
> Cathy Boyko welcomed them on behalf of Canada and the CIS, we launched into
> our program... Terry Aitken compared goals in daylily and orchid hybridizing
> to JI goals.... and showed us a TDF (to die for) slide of variegated foliage
> with a red base.... and took our imaginations to the place where foliage is
> tri-colored and the flowers are just a bonus.  Tony Huber showed us the
> future (Tomorrowland?  Fantasyland?) with his interspecies crosses and back
> crosses with sensuous French names (Enfant Prodigie, Nouvelle Age, Belle
> Promesse), folks... this is NOT Kansas anymore.
> 
> Lunch was gourmet in the RBG private dining room with slides of futures.
> 
> Chad Harris took over after lunch.  Chad is young and idealistic - a good
> thing for us.  He begins evaluating his seedlings before they ever think of
> flowering and starts the culling at the same time.  In his quest for extended
> bloom, he is looking for early and repeat bloom, for sequential bloom and
> extraordinary branching.  John Coble finished up with his program on
> recessive whites and hidden genes and talked about Bob "looking under skirts
> for the hidden blue gene", which cracked us all up - but what he meant was
> that by looking at the color layer on the BACKside of an ensata flower, you
> can predict what color background might be involved.
> 
> The day was full of that sort of thing.  A GOOD group ... lots of fun and
> camaraderie.  Dorothy Stahly read a disgusting poem that had us hysterical
> before we even started... then she tried to get everyone to take off their
> shirts (and by the look of sheer horror on Hal Stahly's face, he wasn't at
> all sure she wasn't going to do it!).
> 
> Peter Weixlmann ran the auction as he always does... flawlessly and like a
> stand-up routine.  We had over 60 different plants donated - from the very
> new to seedlings... plus Claire Honkanen donated a shell ornament (limited
> edition), Jill Copeland donated a case of homemade jam, we auctioned some
> original artwork by John Coble and we all had a wonderful time!
> 
> After the ball, we went back to the hotel... where Kathyguest called ahead
> for dinner reservations.  The difference between New York and Canada?  Well,
> when I  called the restaurant manager and told him reservations for 35 in 1/2
> hour.... separate checks... he not only didn't come unglued, he THANKED me
> for our business!
> 
> Sunday morning we had an excellent judges training session by John Coble...
> and then we parted company... with Kathyguest, Peter, Ev and John White and
> Carol Warner heading for a glorious day at Niagara Falls and the School of
> Horticulture.
> 
> For those who came... thank you for your faith in the concept and for your
> good humor ... for those who didn't - I'm just sorry!  <VBG>
> 
> Kathy Guest
> E. Aurora, NY
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