RE: Re: My new memebership

I add my welcome to the list, Paul.

As a fellow North Carolinian, I'm also a transplant, but from SW Idaho via
three years in middle Tennessee, five and half in the coal fields of central
Appalachia on the Kentucky/West Virginia border, then four years migrating
gradually westward here in NC, first from the Albemarle area, then near
Charlotte, now near Asheville.

I began growing irises in the early fifties, making my first crosses
(horrible results), then gradually I made friendships and contacts through
the AIS and gained thereby an education in iris matters.

My iris activities, service as a Judge and briefly as an RVP in Region
Eleven, came to an end in 1979-82 with major economic and cultural changes
taking place in my family and its holdings, then spent the next couple
decades in ecclesiastical adventures, ending in 1998, when I rejoined AIS,
married again, and had space and time for irises, seedlings and expansion
into sampling LA's, JI's, Siberians and new bearded TB's.

The best growers under our conditions have been the Siberians, even though
they need substantial supplemental water in our drought years.  I've begun
to acquire tetraploid Siberians with the intent of beginning to breed with
them.

These past two summers have been astoundingly destructive to my bearded
irises.  A few thrive, many have died, most are affected by the "sauna bath"
conditions affecting our end of the state.  I'm beginning to make drastic
alterations in the plantings to try to improve drainage away from the
plants.  Slope alone hasn't been adequate.

I do have some remote roots in the state.  One of my five-generations
removed grandfathers is buried near Salisbury.  I probably have thousands of
relatives in this state and in Virginia, but have not identified any of them
with certainty.

In between medical distractions I tend to post rather often, enjoying
enormously the contacts with others who love the genus Iris.  It has been a
passion of mine since early childhood.  Since I'm mostly house-bound or on a
short leash in jaunts away from home, my iris contacts have been almost
entirely electronic.

Regards, and again welcome,
Neil Mogensen  z 7  Reg 4  western NC mountains

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