Journal of the Historic Iris Preservation Society
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ROOTS Journal of the Historic Iris Preservation Society Volume 29, Issue 2 Fall 2016 ROOTS Volume 29, Issue 2, Fall 2016 2017 HIPS General Meeting Date Everyone is invited to attend the 2017 HIPS CONTENTS General Meeting, which will take place during the AIS Convention in Des Moines, Iowa, May 23-27. 3 From the President’s Garden - Cathy Egerer The exact time and date will be posted on the 4 Call for Iris Lists & Note from the Editor HIPS website this winter and will be sent to 5 Announcements members via our email list. If you would like a 6 Letter to the Editor; Book Review on Bliss Irises written notice, please send a postcard to President 7 Capturing the Rainbow - Carlos Ayento Cathy Egerer. Please note there will no longer be 12 Meet the Research Curators - Cathy Egerer section board meetings at the AIS Convention, so 14 The Locator the HIPS Board will meet by teleconference prior 15 2016 HIPS Distinguished Service Awards to the Convention. a 16 HIPS Outreach - Cathy Egerer 16 In Memoriam Copyright Information 17 In Memoriam: Jean Witt - John “Jack” Finney Unless specifically stated otherwise, all rights 20 Jean Witt’s Scrapbook Legacy - Bob Pries are reserved by HIPS. AIS and all affiliates may 21 Hereafter - Paschall, Carver, & McDonald reprint freely, with attribution; please send the 26 Shirley Jean: An Epistolary Story ROOTS editor a courtesy copy. All others, please 29 From Beds of Raging Fire - Barbara Peters inquire. a 34 Breezeway Iris Garden - George Bacon 35 The Wanda Rezac 2016 Iris Rescue - Susan Flow THANK YOU! 39 HIPS 2016 Rhizome Sale Report - Judy Schneider Again, many thanks to Phil Edinger and Janet 41 Society Business - Cathy Egerer Smith for ID and photo work. And thanks to so 42 The Last Minute - Nancy McDonald many of you for your kindness during my family’s 43 HIPS Contacts difficult time with three major health problems. It helps to know you care. You are the best. a HIPS MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION - All prices are in U.S. dollars. Subscription Votes Price: U.S, Price: - E-members do not receive paper copies of Choice Canada, & Rest of World ROOTS; all others do. ROOTS will be available to Mexico (Overseas) all members on the HIPS website. TRADITIONAL MEMBERSHIP - ALL memberships include access to the HIPS website. Single Annual 1 US $13 US $20 - U.S., Canadian, & Mexican members pay the same price & have access to the HIPS Rhizome Single 1 US $33 US $52 Sale. Members elsewhere pay extra for postage. Triennial We’re sorry, but we cannot ship rhizomes overseas. Dual Annual 2 US $15 US $22 - Join online or send a check or money order in $US, payable to HIPS, to our Membership Chair Dual Triennial 2 US $39 US $58 Judy Eckhoff, 7911 S Yoder Rd, Haven KS 67543-8114; 620-931-5114; you may also reach Youth, Annual 1 US $5 sorry, not Judy at <[email protected]>. 18 years or less available - ROOTS is the semiannual bulletin of The Historic E-MEMBERSHIP Iris Preservation Society (HIPS), a 501(c)(3) corporation incorporated in the state of Oregon, Single Annual 1 $10 $10 USA. For submission deadlines, please inquire of the editor. a LIFE MEMBERSHIP Single Life 1 US $225 sorry, not On Our Cover available ‘Hawaï’ (Ferdinand Cayeux by René Cayeux, Dual Life 2 US $250 1946): Carlos Ayento, our featured photographer in this issue, took this lovely photo ROOTS is issued twice per calendar year. and shared the iris. Thanks so much, Carlos! a ROOTS, Volume 29, Issue 2 2 Fall 2016 From the President’s Garden Autumn is here, and once again the summer seemed to fly by. I hope your summer brought lots of beautiful iris blooms. The HIPS summer started out with a bang as we hosted three special guests at the AIS Convention: Milan Blažek from Prùhonice Park Garden near Prague, Czech Republic, and Barbara Wüthrich and Lisa Eggenschwiler from Merian Park Gardens in Basel, Switzerland. Along with Suzanne Broullon from The Presby Memorial Iris Garden, they presented a fascinating program about the founding of these famous gardens and the irises on display at each. Rounding out the pro- gram, Douglass Paschall shared the development of the Guardian Gardens program and its progress to date, and Bob Pries gave an overview of the Na- tional Collections program that the AIS is develop- ing. Our thanks to all of these speakers for their first-rate presentations. Because this was such a special opportunity, HIPS arranged for the full pro- MDB ‘Perky’ (W. Welch, 1959) Carlos Ayento photo gram to be videotaped. Links to the videos are on the HIPS website (look under Resources) and we forward. I think surveys can best be conducted by hope you’ll take the time to view them. teams, as it lightens the work and narrows the focus, This year’s HIPS Distinguished Service but they can be accomplished by a willing Awards were presented to Milan Blažek and Anner individual. Aside from TB (39,000+) and SDB Whitehead at the AIS Convention. Milan and (5,000+), most classes are small, especially after Anner have made many contributions to the world factoring in extinction.” of irises and to HIPS, and this honor is richly de- If you have some time available to help with a served. More information is on page 15. survey, please contact Charlie at It is my great pleasure to introduce our new <[email protected]>. Research Curators: Catherine Adam and Phil Members, please send your own iris inventory Edinger. They will be working with Douglass lists to HIPS so we can add them to our Member Paschall, our Guardian Garden program administra- Databank. This is critical to our success—we need tor. You can meet them both starting on page 12. to know which irises are still in existence. Our new Our annual Rhizome Sale was a blockbuster Databank Chair is Lori Lensch-Marcotte, and you this year. Be sure to read the full report beginning can reach her at <[email protected]>. on page 39. Do please visit our online forums at the HIPS The National Collections program is gearing website, <historiciris.org>. You’ll find other HIPS up and help is needed to conduct surveys of iris members waiting to meet you and swap ideas on all classes. Surveyors are like iris detectives, hunting sorts of iris topics. for all the existing cultivars in each class. NC Chair Check the HIPS website for the new Volunteer Charlie Carver explains: Opportunities page. We have a number of “A survey determines what cultivars and how interesting tasks available for members who want to many of any given cultivar exist and where they are help HIPS and get involved. We’re posting located, so we can prioritize their collection for descriptions of the tasks, any skills needed, and preservation. A survey includes private, public, and contact information if you are interested in helping. commercial collections of both modern and historic introductions. I am conducting a survey of the MDB Happy Autumn! class and can assist any volunteers who step Cathy Egerer a ROOTS, Volume 29, Issue 2 3 Fall 2016 Call for Iris Lists: From the Editor Needed by December 31, 2016 “If you want to see your mother alive, get here One of the most valuable ways you can quick,” said the doctor at the nursing home 400 contribute to HIPS and help strengthen it is to send miles away. I dropped everything and hit the road. in a list of the historic irises you are growing. Lists Therefore, ROOTS is late. I apologize for the of members’ holdings help us determine which lateness, but not for the reason. Family comes first. irises are in danger of disappearing and need more Mom, at 100, rallied, conquered the focused preservation efforts. Irises 30 years or older pneumonia and the blood clot in her lung, and is qualify as historic, so for the list we’re compiling still with us as I write. We failed to take into for the coming year please include all of your irises, account her incredible immune system, which has in any class, dating from 1987 and before. kept her alive and mentally sharp all these years. Our databank chair, Lori Lensch-Marcotte, She is ready to go but in no hurry, cheerful, not in can work with all types of formats, from pain, and always interested in life. handwritten lists, simple email, word processing This experience reminded me of a project I’ve documents, and spreadsheets. She invites you to toyed with for years: a memories garden. This communicate your list to her by December 31, differs from a memorial garden in that the loved 2016. An easy template in PDF format is available ones celebrated may still be living, and might like to on the HIPS website, <www.historiciris.org>; at the choose their own flowers. The trick with either, of homepage, click the Resources tab, then select HIPS course, is to find irises of the proper year that are Member Databank. Simply download, print, and still available. complete. Mom was born in 1916. To commemorate Lists can be sent to Lori by email at that, I’ll plant ‘Mme Chobaut’ (Denis), although <[email protected]> or by US mail at Mom loves white irises best, so I’ll keep an eye out 40 Judson Street, Canton NY 13617. for a white from that year. Dad, born in 1920, Thank you in advance for your valuable would have liked ‘Asia’ (Yeld), I think. They were contribution.