Iris Mysteries

From: Pooreplace@aol.com

Happy Weekend to all...

I'm finally getting the last of the "sale" irises cleaned up & potted and am
getting down to the bottom of the bags...  As per usual, as I'm SURE many of
you all have experienced,  ones are surfacing with strange names that neither
you, your friends, or the R&I's have ever even heard of.  

I think the first mystery iris HIGH ABOVE may be correctly named...  It's just
old, like maybe from 1960.  But one named VALLEVUE ??? has got me stumped.
The writing appeared very legible on the rhizome so I am not sure what to
think of it.  

Our weather has cooled down considerably and working outside is a real joy at
this time.  The mums are incredibly beautiful (considering the horrible
drought we had) and I believe they may be as good or better than ever
before...  Now---if we can only say the same for next spring!?!  I have a huge
(boo hoo hoo---it's still hard to talk about) pink dogwood that is deader than
a doornail from the drought.  With both nationals coming, even though I am
merely an "open" garden (UNOFFICIALLY of course) no matter what the cost---it
is going to have to be replaced...  Ironically the new dogwood I just got last
spring is doing famously.  Even the new little crabapple I got is doing well &
has been blooming it's little head off...  We seem to be experiencing a rash
of "spring" bloom from all the Pyrus calleryana "Bradfords", and many other
woody ornamentals that are just sure we must have had a winter already or
something drastic...  We definitely need some good steady moisture this winter
or I will be busy out watering more than normal for any given wintertime.  All
I can say is thank heavens the well didn't run dry & hopefully it will
continue to hold out for another tough year ahead no doubt.  

Speaking of:  Last weekend at the Judging school in Lawton we were treated to
another outstanding time by SWOIS (Southwest Oklahoma Iris Society) who AGAIN
for the second year in a row, not only (OFFICIALLY) hosted the event but
additionally FED US ALL!  The food was outstanding & this innovative idea
really makes the time more worthy when we don't have to go out & fight the
crowds to get something to eat & rush back to the afternoon session risking
being late.  I was actually all the way back home to OKC by 5pm & that NEVER
happens on an out of town school like that...  Kudos to SWOIS & all their
members!  

The thought of all our thousands upon thousands of dead trees & shrubs
(especially the hardest hit evergreens) made me think of Lawton and Ruth's
tales of woe after all her reported (OFFICIAL) hard hit conditions.  I did
some extra driving around the town of Lawton & Fort Sill (yeah, never FOLLOW
the Smith's back to OKC---I still wonder how they EVER got back here the way
they went about leaving town) and even though I was supremely lost I did take
time to notice VERY VERY LITTLE summer kill around the Lawton area as I had
expected to see...  The damage is by far worse in Oklahoma City, no matter
what section you are in.  Maybe the fact we have so much more asphalt and
concrete in the city???  

There is no "official" estimate of how much it is going to cost to replace the
hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage yet & I can only hope that at
least a lot of the dead will have been removed by National time next year.
You don't have to go very far to see the dead as they (unofficially) line the
roadsides, highways, major streets & intersections & interstates all over the
entire city.  
Unfortunately the private sector lost as much as the public sector and it may
be some time before all the damage can be removed and new trees replaced.
That coupled with the two major nights of tornados that plowed through here
this summer & fall could further delay the damage control...  For those
locally intending to pick up mulch from the tornado uprooted trees, time is
running out.  The hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of mulch as a result is
still available from the Hefner & Portland dump OFFICIALLY, of course...  

As for now all sights are turned to OKC for tomorrow when groundbreaking for
the Oklahoma City National Murrah Memorial will be held...  All my crews (as
well as all the other major city departments) have been very hard at work
today (yes-an overtime Saturday) as well as all of last week cleaning up &
readying the site for a pleasant, secure, & attractive event.  Security will
again be at another all time high.  Vice President Al Gore & Attorney General
Janet Reno will be on hand.  A terrorism seminar will be held at 3pm after the
groundbreaking event.  Everyone with a shovel is invited to head on downtown
for the 1pm ceremony.  I am choosing to bypass that ceremony & take my own
happy shovel (OFFICIALLY) out to the garden as my place needs some attention
of it's own!  You would not even believe what all has yet to be planted or at
least the pots need to get their own hole out in the beds before the debt of
winter sets in...  And time is nigh as OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL is
about to begin OFFICIALLY!  Our homecoming opener is set for Nov. 7th which
leaves very little hard work time left outside in the gardens.  Here at the
PooreHouse the 4 seasons are broken down OFFICIALLY by: Iris Season, Daylily
Season, the Christmas season & Basketball season!    

Kathy Poore,  Oklahoma City
AIS Region 22, (OFFICIAL AIS Life member) & USDA Zone 7 (unofficially)        

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