Re: JI GIG

Dear Kathy,

May I Have permission to put this article into the GPIS newsletter.  This
is our club publication for the Greater Portland Iris Society.

Please say yes, as I am sure you well know how hard it is to get articles
from your local members expecially when they are as busy as Terry & Chad.

Thanks 

Will
William Plotner
WILDWOOD GARDENS
gardens@molalla.net
P.O. Box 250
Molalla, Oregon 97038-0250



----------
> From: Irisborer@aol.com
> To: Multiple recipients of list <iris-l@rt66.com>
> Subject: JI GIG
> Date: Wednesday, October 15, 1997 3:33 AM
> 
> 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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