SR - Test garden
- To: sibrob
- Subject: [sibrob] SR - Test garden
- From: B* D* <1*@compuserve.com>
- Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 11:01:03 -0400
- Content-Disposition: inline
From: Bill Dougherty <103225.2126@compuserve.com>
Hello everyone!
Here is my brief concept of how a test garden would be developed:
Professionally maintained by arboretum staff following guidelines set up by
SSI and local host organization which oversees that maintenance
requirements are met.
Maintenance cost is incurred by an arboretum with small contribution by SSI
and/or local host organization. The local host orgainzation sets up a
committee to manage test garden issues.
Strict, written judging standards established and followed by the host
organization which can use the garden to train judges which review the
plants on a routine basis. They must train and maintain judges to do
evaluations.
Hybridizers send a pre-determined number of plants which are evaluated for
four to five years.
A yearly evaluation is published in the The Siberian Iris. Awards are given
yearly. After four or five years award winners are transferred to display
beds. The remaining are destroyed or used in a sale or auction, the
proceeds are used to maintain and promote the garden.
A visual display of the garden could be used as a club eduaction tool etc.
SSI maintains a contract with the arboretum (city park board etc.) and the
local organization ( local club or AIS region) for a specific length of
time. (10 years?) reviewed for renewal.
The original contract is awarded to the arboretum/local club which best
meets the established test garden criteria. That could be anywhere US or
Canada. If enough good opportunities exist we could establish more than
one site.
I see the biggest issue to be hybridizers buy-in. Robert Hollingsworth has
brought up some very good issues about the amount of material required
etc. Each year 20 to 40 plants are introduced by roughly 8 to 10
hybridizers is that enough material?
If the test garden is promoted, maintained, and valued properly it could be
a yearly focal point for Siberian Iris and the test garden concept would be
worthwhile.
Bill Dougherty
Fridley, MN.
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