The first issue of Fleur de Lis magazine! - Society for Louisiana Iris

SPRING 2006 NUMBER 203ON THE COVERS: Louisiana irises take centerstage at the Iris Friendship Garden in Rochester,New York© GENE LUPINETTI

OFFICERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORSPaul W. Gossett President129 East 33rd Place, Tulsa, OK 74105(918) 742-1204pwgossett@juno.comHarry Wolford Vice-President2605 Oakhaven St., Palm Bay, FL 32905(321) 724-1676N8kxp@cfl.rr.comMonte Stahl Secretary12712 North Council Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73112(405) 721-5519mstahl@ionet.netRon Betzer120 Adair LaneLafayette, LA 70508(337) 235-5494r_betzer@yahoo.comJoe Musacchia509 Linda Ann Ave.Gray, LA 70359(985) 872-1963joem@sw.rr.comRichard Sloan Treasurer118 E. Walnut, Alma, AR 72921(479) 632-4962rjsloan@mynewroads.comBOARD MEMBERSDonna Wolford2605 Oakhaven St.Palm Bay, FL 32905(321) 724-1676N8kxp@cfl.rr.comEarline Sudduth4551 Siwell RoadJackson, MS 39212(601) 372-8586EMSud@aol.comCONTENTSPresident’s MessagePaul W. Gossett Page 1From the EditorTom W. Dillard Page 2Bloom Season in the Land of Ozby Heather Pryor Page 3Relocating a Garden...and beinghounded into writing an article aboutit!by Ron Betzer Page 8Seabrook Nursery––Then and Now:The Odyssey of a Gardener and HerGardenby Sherry Seabrook Page 11Dr. Wendell Hall III4300 Doral DriveLittle Rock, AR 72212(501) 228-0500wendallhallgarden@juno.comKevin VaughnRobert Treadway7619 Hwy 13 NorthCarlisle, AR 72024(870) 854-5456robertt01@earthlink.netPast PresidentNew Cultivars from Down UnderPage 14Book Review: Iris Species and Cultivarsin the Worldby Tom W. Dillard Page 15JOURNAL STAFFTom W. Dillard EditorP.O. Box 356, Farmington, AR 72730(479) 267-4901tomd@pgtc.comTim Nutt Associate EditorDr. Wendell Hall III Assistant EditorDavid Nitka Assistant EditorPatrick O’Connor Assistant EditorSusan Killingsworth Advertising EditorRon Killingsworth Advertising EditorMarie Caillet Editor Emeritus1216 Cedar Pine Lane, Little Elm, TX 75068(972) 292-1154©Fleur de Lis Society for Louisiana IrisesFleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises ispublished quarterly by the Society for Louisiana Irises.ISSN 1559-9574Publication office is located at 118 E. Walnut, Alma, AR 72921.Bulk postage paid at Jackson, MS.Other publications may reprint from the Fleur de Lis withoutexpress permission as long as printed attribution is given to the authorand to the Fleur de Lis (including issue date, source and page number).Reprinted articles may not be edited without permission. Tearsheetsmust be mailed to the editor within two weeks of reprinting.Display advertising accepted. See rates elsewhere in this issue.

Spring 20061Ihope everyone has had a safe and wonderfulwinter—and now it is time to put our thoughts againto another Louisiana iris bloom season. Here inTulsa, Oklahoma, we have not had much of a winterat all and as early as February we saw daffodils,forsythia, and some of the trees putting on bloombuds. We have not had a measurable amount of rainsince October 1, 2005 and we are about 20 inchesbehind on our normal rainfall.Check out the back of the Fleur de Lis in theCommercial Directory Section and order a catalogso that you can update your gardens this year. Also,purchasing Louisiana irises helps to support ourLouisiana iris hybridizers and commercial gardens.With this issue of the a new Fleur de Lis, theformer SLI Newsletter, takes on a very excellent lookand brings us into a new era in the history of SLI.The newsletter staff along with the SLI board isworking to make the Fleur de Lis a good qualitynewsletter that all readers, as well as SLI members,will enjoy reading and sharing with others. We havebeen able to add more color pictures to each issue,have good articles to read, and now a new look thatreaches far beyond Louisiana to the entire gardeningworld but, it still does not forget our roots and wherethe society first began. We all hope that you will enjoyand approve of the new look and will be proud toshare it with your friends and other people. Let meknow what you think of the magazine’s new look, andalso any other ideas that you might have for thenewsletter.I wish everyone a safe, wonderful, and great 2006Louisiana Iris Bloom Season.––Paul W. Gossett~In Memoriam~Members of the Society for Louisiana Irisesare terribly saddened to learn that two loyalmembers have died recently.Charles “Chuck” Walkowiak, a former memberof the SLI board, died in mid-March. He lived inLawtell, La. He was 64 years of age. Chuckattended the convention in Dallas in 2004, and hisfriendly but quiet personality was enjoyed by allthose in attendance. He was also a member ofthe American Iris Society, the Acadiana IrisSociety, and the Arbor Day Foundation.Donald Copenhaver of DeRidder, La. diedrecently. Don is fondly recalled by SLI memberswho occasionally visited the Copenhaver farm andgarden during annual convention bus tours. Theywere perfect hosts. Don was a potter, in additionto being a retired dairy farmer, and examples ofhis ceramic pieces could befound in his garden. Don issurvived by his wonderful spouse,Nita Copenhaven. Don and Nitahave always been generous indonating Louisiana iris rhizomesfor sale at the annual convention.The Society for LouisianaIrises extends its sympathies to the families ofChuck and Don. Their presences at SLIconventions will be sorely missed, but their impacton the Society will be felt for years to come.Fleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

2Spring 2006Welcome to the new Fleur de Lis, the journal ofthe Society for Louisiana Irises. The changing ofthe name of the journal is symbolic of the many changesthat are sweeping our organization as we struggle tosurvive in a time that is increasingly tough on smallorganizations.Only recently news accounts asserted that “babyboomers” are loosing their interest in gardening as theyage—even though it was a hot fad only a few years ago.The news article told of how large national garden centersand horticulture suppliers are scrambling to retool inorder to meet this great challenge. The Society forLouisiana Irises is doing some scrambling of its own.Our strategies are manifold, including attracting andretaining new members, targeting Louisiana gardenersfor special solicitations, and broadening our scope towelcome new members from outside our traditionalfamily.Let’s reach out to fellow gardeners and horticulturalkindred spirits—even if they are not in “iris circles.” Forexample, members of the various state native plantsocieties—especially in the Southeast—ought to find ourjournal of interest. I plan to send out special invitationsto subscribe to my friends in the Arkansas Native PlantSociety.We believe our journal can be a tool for taking thestory of the native Louisiana irises to the national andinternational gardening public. Never fear, the journalwill remain first and foremost the organ of the Society—with the mission of keeping our members informed. But,the Society leadership hopes our journal, especially withits good writing and full color photography, will haveappeal to a broader gardening public.As part of our campaign to market the newlyreincarnated journal, the Society has printed a newmembership brochure which touts subscribing to theFleur de Lis—in addition to joining the Society. I believewe can use a first-rate journal to market ourorganization—and, more importantly, help us fulfill ourmission of introducing the Louisiana iris into thegardening mainstream of America and the world.Speaking of the world, allow me to call attention toHeather Pryor’s wonderful report on her busy year ofiris activities in 2005. Heather is chair of SLI’sInternational Committee, and she has carried the flagfor our Society and Louisiana irises in her native countryand elsewhere in the world. We are counting on Heatherto help promote Fleur de Lis subscriptions in Australia,New Zealand, and South Africa.Would you be willing to help us market Fleur de Lis?We have published extra copies of this inaugural issue,which I will be happy to send to you along withsubscription forms. All you need do is send me an email,telephone, or write to me.I am also seeking volunteers willing to take somenewsletters and brochures to regional iris societymeetings, master gardener meetings, and to theirgardening friends. How about asking your local libraryto subscribe, especially college libraries? Need I addthat subscriptions make nice holiday gifts for gardeningfriends?Allow me to send a special note of thanks tocontributing writers Sherry Seabrook, Heather Pryor,and Ron Betzer; as well as contributing photographerstoo numerous to mention. Know that I appreciate you.Tim Nutt, associate editor, is the magician who bringsincredible design and layout skills to the newsletter—and I cannot thank him enough.Invitations have gone out to a variety of folks to submitarticles on specific topics. If you would like to write anarticle, contribute a tid-bit of news, or otherwisecontribute to the journal, don’t rest until you get in touchwith me. I mean it!––Tom W. DillardFleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

Spring 2006BLOOM SEASON IN THE LAND OF OZHEATHER PRYORNew South Wales, Australia3One of Austrailia’s premierLouisiana iris hybridizers reportson last year’s activitiesfrom Down Under.Bloom season, the Pryor household was bothinteresting and hectic during 2005.I had an opportunity to travel to Perth, in WesternAustralia (WA), and enjoy iris bloom season with theavid group there. A visit to the seedlingpatch of up-and-coming Louisiana irishybridizer, Don Grieves, was an addedbonus to the trip.Less than a week later I had anopportunity to travel to Adelaide, SouthAustralia and give a tag-teampresentation at the Iris Society ofAustralia (ISA) national convention withgood friend, Peter Jackson. VisitingPeter and his wife Pam at their home– and enjoying a visit to Peter’sseedling patch was just wonderful.In between, there was much to doin our own garden, with many seedlings to consider,photos to be taken, etc. After all of the Australianrelatedtravels, fellow SLI member, Ann Hordern andI traveled to New Zealand to attend their annualconvention.In mid October I traveled over to Perth, as a guestof the Western Australia Region of the ISA. Thepurpose of the visit was to conduct a four-day longjudges training course for 17 members of the region.This course took the form of both garden and showbench judging, with the first day dedicated to beardedirises. Perth has a Mediterranean climate with lowrainfall, low humidity, and wet winters. I’d liken it toparts of Utah or Arizona – but not as cold in winter.Because of the climate, bearded irises do particularlywell.Most of the attendees were members of the WARegion of the ISA, but several were official RoyalHorticulture Society judges from the greater Pertharea, who wanted to learn more about judging irisesgenerally, as they came across many while judgingcountry shows, etc. Some attendees did not wish tobecome judges of the ISA, but were more interestedin learning more about how to stage their cultivarsfor the show bench, or how to analyze seedlingsbetter. All in all, it was a happy time with the moreexperienced, established judges of the Region takingteam leader roles in the small groups that werecreated.The bearded iris regional trial garden of the WAregion was used to great advantage, withTall, Intermediate and even some Arilsmade available for judging. Some of thefirst-time attendees found it a little dauntingtrying to separate sister seedling TB’s fromeach other in the trial garden, but they soongot the hang of it all. The Arils lookedwonderful too!The second day was dedicated tobeardless irises. However, as the WARegional Show has mainly Louisiana irisesdisplayed, most of the time was dedicatedto these. The beardless iris regional trialgarden was used for the garden judging.Members also brought along stalks of flowers oneach day for the ‘mock’ show bench judging sessions.While not wishing to bore you all with the nittygrittydetails of the entire course, I must say that theLouisiana iris garden judging was the highlight of thetraining for me. I was able to share slides with theattendees, which highlighted many of the newer flowertraits not seen, perhaps, by any of them before.The WA regional trial garden accepts entries fromhybridizers all around Australia - and entries from DonGrieves (WA), Peter Jackson (SA), John Betts (wasWA, is now New South Wales—NSW), JanetHutchinson (NSW) and the Pryors (NSW)—are allfeatured in the large garden beds. Don Grieves, anexisting ISA judge, is the host of the beardless irisgardens. He and Marge do a truly wonderful job bygrowing the entrants to perfection.Fleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

4The attendees had a difficult time, with over 20cultivars to be judged in just one hour. All of thecultivar entries are listed by number only, so that thosejudging the plants have no knowledge of who thehybridizer is or what the cultivar is named (unless, ofcourse, you ARE the hybridizer – and you recognizeyour own ‘babies’ – as I did). A short-list of fivecultivars were unanimously chosen as the best ones– and a flower from each of these were taken fromDon Grieves’ seedling ‘Splitter Splatter’ x‘Bound for Glory,’ exhibited at the 2005Iris Society Convention in Adelaide.one stalk - and brought back to the training center forfurther analysis.The third day was primarily occupied by goingthrough the Show Schedule, class-by-class, with allattendees encouraged to ask questions as we wentalong. A short re-cap of the previous two days workwas then given before the ‘test’ was handed out.Everyone passed the test with flying colors.It was after the test that I advised all attendeesthat they would be doing a ‘live’ judging of the IrisShow the next day. The attendees were broken upinto small groups, with each group being headed byan accredited ISA judge. The attendees were thenasked to go home and study the manual, withparticular attention given the area of the ShowSchedule that they would be assisting in judging thenext day. At this point several people were seen tohave white faces – from fear or excitement, I’m notsure.©Heather PryorSpring 2006The fourth day dawned. The WA Region held itsannual Iris Show in the middle of a large shoppingmall in greater-Perth. I was told that this annualexposure to the gardening masses brings in anannual influx of new members – and the shoppingcenter even pays the Society to put on the show. Nota bad idea, eh? However, I digress.All attendees assembled at a coffee shop thatwas just far away from the show for us all to not seetoo much. Everybody was reminded of their task –and we all got to work. I was asked to judge thespecial awards and the rest of the attendees judgedthe general classes. It was wonderful to see the“newbies” show such confidence, to see them reallylooking at the stalks they were judging. To give theevent a bit of a ‘cliffhanger’ finale to the whole event,several of the trophy classes were opened up forgeneral concensus judging. It took a bit longer forthe final results to be arrived at, but everybody wentaway feeling like their comments really counted forsomething.An outstanding stalk of Mary Dunn’s ‘High Rank’(R 90) looked wonderful – as did a seedling fromDon Grieves’ unique ‘Splitter Splatter’ (R04).The Louisiana classes were well patronized atthe show, which augers well for the continued interest.Here in Australia, Louisiana irises are judged on a‘per colour’ basis, with cultivars of a similar colorationall being exhibited together. There are also separateclasses for cultivars which are bred in Australia, forthose bred in WA, as well as general “by colour”Adelaide, South Australia hybridizer Peter Jackson(left) was photographed beside fellow hybridizerDon Grieves, of Perth, Western Australia, at the2005 Iris Society of Australia convention inAdelaide.©Heather PryorFleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

Spring 2006seedling classes. By judging entrants this way itmeans, of course, that the judge needs to know theactual growing height of many cultivars. It’s quitepossible that a Water Sprite like ‘Alicia Clare’ couldbe exhibited next to the very tall ‘Wings of Mercury’ –as both are a similar color. To assist in this regard,the WA Region have gone a step further and provideda special class for small-flowered cultivars. Goodfor them!With the show over and the Judges TrainingCourse concluded I boarded ‘the flying kangaroo’back to Sydney for a few days in our own seedlingpatch, before heading off to Adelaide.The SA Region was hosting the ISA nationalconvention, which is held on a biennial basis.Adelaide is approximately half way between Sydneyand Perth. The city of Adelaide has a similar climateto Perth; but with even drier conditions in the summer.I had not been to Adelaide for many years, so wasthrilled to be met at the airport by good friends, Peterand Pam Jackson. We spent a totally enjoyableafternoon together while admiring many of Peter’snew seedlings in his very compact and intensivelyplanted-out back garden. I had an opportunity to seeseveral of Peter’s new things, including his beautiful‘Tamarillo Tango’ and a truly beautiful cultivar he hasnamed for Pam.As in Perth, Adelaide has highly alkaline soils,low rainfall, and low humidity. Growing Louisianairises in this environment is nothing short of achallenge. The days of the convention were filledwith bus trips hither and yon around the Adelaidehinterland. On one day we visited the very Germantown of Hahndorf, where the members of the SAPeter and Pam Jackson of Adelaide, South Australiapose in their garden.©Heather PryorPeter Jackson of South Australia recently registeredthis Louisiana iris seedling as ‘TamarilloTango.’region had arranged for many massed-planted bedsof TB irises to be grown in the very attractivestreetscape. One does not normally associatelederhosen-wearing gentlemen with TB irises, but inHahndorf it worked! The early settlers of SA wereprimarily of German backgrounds, which I think iswhat accounts for the hard-working ethics – and greatwine-making skills of the South Australians.The evenings at the convention were filled withguest speakers from within the membership and/orattendees. On the first night of the five-day-longconvention we were all enthralled by the story of Arils.The President of the Aril Society, Ms. Pat Toolan, livesin the Adelaide area and she regaled us withwonderful slides and stories. The next night the ISAFederal President and ISA sub-registrar, Ms. HelenReid, talked about iris names and it was fascinatingto learn how many cultivar names start with “Blue” or,dare I say, end with ‘Sunset’ or ‘Sunrise’. This wasfollowed by a short presentation on Spuria irises –and Carol Breedlove, if you are reading this – Iremember what you said!!The last night of the evening guest speakers circuitwas dedicated to Louisiana irises. Peter Jacksonwas ‘Cecil P. de Jackson’ and operated the slideprojectors while Pam Jackson did a wonderfulcommentary on Peter’s work to-date. I was left tofinish off the presentation with slides of some of ournewer-named things and some seedlings to keepthe audience tantalized. I think that the three of usmade a good impact on the large crowd – or was itthe lure of a great supper? I seem to recall seeingFleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises©Heather Pryor5

6Heather Pryor (right) relaxes with friends in NewZealand; Susannah Fullerton on the left and PamelaCameron in the center.Don and Marge Grieves applauding a little too loudlyat times – what great supporters they are!Alas, the next day I had to get back on ‘the flyingkangaroo’ (aka QANTAS) and travel home. By thistime (late October), our garden was most definitelyat full bloom. What a joy it is to stand in a field ofLouisiana irises at full bloom time! You just can’t beatthat experience!As many of you know, we have ONE weekend ayear when we invite a few very close friends over toour garden so that we can all enjoy the flowers. Ournursery is closed to the public, as Iris Haven is a mailordernursery only, but our landlord makes anexception for this one weekend. Pamela Cameron(of the iris fame) and her husband Robert came alongfor the day. They were joined by Susannah Fullerton(also of iris fame) and her husband Ian. Our weekendweed warrior, Amanda Grainger finished out thegroup. We had a great day wandering the rows,chatting, enjoying good food and great company. It’sgreat to have the iris out in bloom when the namesakeperson is visiting – and ‘Pamela Cameron’ (R 96)and ‘Susannah Fullerton’ (R 04) both put onspectacular displays for the weekend. Prospectiveseedling blooms were picked and we all sat underour large shady tree, sipping Chardonnay and talkingabout irises all day. It was great fun!Mid November saw both Bernard and I travel offto Tasmania for a whirlwind visit. The very small,historical hamlet of Hamilton in south central©Heather PryorSpring 2006Tasmania has a wonderful annual Iris Festival in mid-November - and we were determined to attend it thisyear. The town is very small (about five streets), butis host to three of the most beautiful cottage-stylegardens I’ve seen in a long time. Of course, iriseswere the major attraction in all three gardens. Afterfour days of garden visiting, it was back home again.More hybridizing, more photographing seedlings,and more work ensued until the Louisiana iris seasonfinished in late November.On December 1 st my best friend, Ann Hordern,and I flew to New Zealand to spend a week on thefabled South Island, while attending the annual NewZealand Iris Society (NZIS) convention. Ann and Iare both members of the NZIS - and we use this asan excuse to travel across the Tasman Sea everyyear. The NZIS alternate their conventions betweenthe North and South Islands – and this year it washeld in the high altitude, alpine hamlet of Lake Tekapo.Just try to think of the most beautifully scenic alpinelocation – double its beauty – and you have theTekapo region of New Zealand. The drive fromChristchurch to Tekapo (about 5 scenic hours) waspeppered with stops for shopping, Christmas presentshopping, food shopping, shopping and, oh,Judging the Western Australia Regional TrialGarden Beardless iris bed.shopping! Everywhere we stopped there seemedto be a lovely garden to look at, or birds to feed in thepark, or food to purchase and consume inoutstandingly beautiful locations. However, the bestwas still in store for us…… About ten miles northand south of the hamlet of Lake Tekapo, nature putson one of the most spectacular summer floral tributesI’ve seen in a long while. The roadside verges are©Heather PryorFleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

Spring 2006packed for miles and miles with beautiful Russelllupines – all in full bloom. This colorful canvas, coupledwith the spectacular alpine scenery made the driveone I’ll remember for a long time.The NZIS convention normally takes the form ofdaily bus trips to outstanding local gardens, but withthe alpine isolation of Lake Tekapo (and who cancompete with the scenery anyway?) the convenorsdecided to do something different. Two days werefilled with lectures on the local flora, or iris-relatedmatters. I particularly enjoyed the presentation of‘Iridaceae of South Africa’ while Ann enjoyed TonyHall’s presentation on Juno irises. The conventionsite (the local community hall) had been planted outwith many cold-loving iris species. There wereseveral Louisiana irises espied during the three days- but not many. One evening we had a ‘show and tell’segment, where fellow SLI members, Jill and JimCopeland showed slides of some of their hybridizingefforts. (Imagine catching up with the Copelands inNew Zealand! The last time I saw them before thiswas when Bernard and I were in Kevin Vaughn’slovely seedling patch in Mississippi, after the AISMemphis convention and before the SLI Little Rockconvention.) On the third day of the convention wetraveled to some spectacular gardens in the area.Jim Copeland and Carol Warner gave a greatpresentation on growing Siberian Irises in one of thegardens we visited.Ann and I had rented a small chalet, which lookedout over the township - and right up Lake Tekapo tothe scenic snow-capped mountains (yes, even inDecember – mid summer). I must admit that wemissed a few of the early morning presentationsHEATHER PRYOR, along with her husbandBernard Pryor, lives in the Sydney area.They both hybridize Louisiana irises, andHeather won the 2004 DeBaillon Medal forher beautiful ‘Hot and Spicy’ (R 95).Heather can be contacted atirishaven@pip.com.au7because we got too comfy on the lounges in thechalet, while sipping our early morning “cuppa” – andwe simply forgot the time while we enjoyed thefantastic scenery.After a week we sadly embarked on ‘the flyingKoru’ (aka Air NZ) and arrived home to the depressingsummer heat and humidity of Sydney in December.While the travel was wonderful, and seeing theirises was great, I must say that the best part of all ofthese traveling adventures was the chance to meetup with old friends, make new ones – and talk irises.If you want to escape the northern autumn andearly winter in 2006, why not consider a trip‘downunder’ to either New Zealand or Australia – andget two bloom seasons in one year?©Heather PryorBeautiful scene at Lake Tekapo, New Zealand, wherethe NZIS held its conventionFleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

8Spring 2006RELOCATING A GARDEN…andbeing hounded into writing an article about it!RON BETZERLafayette, LouisianaThe author documents the trialsand tribulations of movinghalfway across the countryand having to choose whichrhizomes to take with him.special nandina with sentimental value, a pot full of abeautiful deep red canna acquired (a mere piece)from outside a motel room in Santa Barbara, andabout six pony tail/bottle palms accumulated overmany years. These and all my pots with iris seedscould go with us in our cars.Summer came, but still no offers on our home.We were sure it would sell by the end of the year, butthere was no guarantee. I’d need my plants growingsomewhere that fall to see bloom in spring. As I hadmentioned earlier, I was really lucky in that one of mysisters-in-law in Lafayette offered (I think she did butI could have nudged her a little) to work up a plot inher rather large backyard for me to use to stash myplants. This meant that if I could get my iris into theground in Lafayette that fall, I’d seethem bloom the next season whenwe’ve moved—hopefully. It just sohappened that the Society forLouisiana Irises was having a boardmeeting in late September, 2003 atEarline Sudduth’s home in Jackson,Miss. I had been put onto the SLIboard of directors in the spring, andmissed my first meeting, so itseemed like a great idea to fly downthen with my iris and do the proverbialkilling of two birds. A third bird wouldbe to check on the lot we had bought.If they’re reading this, a fourth was to visit my wife’sfamily. I kid, they’re my family too.My plot was going to be 15 feet by 40 feet. Twohuge trees had been removed from that part of theyard after Hurricane Lilly toppled them a couple yearsearlier. A lot of good top soil had been used to fill inthe area. My sister-in-law now had compost andfertilizer added and worked in well. Meanwhile, Icounted all the re-select seedlings I wanted to keep.I’d had some really pretty seedlings from the previousseason plus some holdovers. I should have made amore rigorous selection but I wanted to give as manyTom has been after me to write an article abouthow we handled our garden during our move fromCalifornia to Louisiana.I’ve told him it would be a real snoozer, but hehasn’t listened. After spending some time thinkingabout what to write, I realized we had a fairly easymove in most respects. As I’ll explain later, we werefortunate to have a place to which we couldmove our plants. My only real worry dealtwith what, by then, had become my maininterest in Louisiana iris—hybridizing. Mr.Charles Arny, a family friend of my wife’s,had been talking to me for years aboutLouisiana irises, but it took literally beingstopped in my tracks by the incrediblebeauty of ‘Bout Midnight’ (Dunn, 1988) tofinally hook me. I made my first cross withit, the next year and it’s been anincreasingly addicting hobby ever since. Iknew that when the time came, I couldhandle the logistics of getting the plants moved. But Ialso wanted to avoid losing a year of seeing myseedlings bloom and making additional crosses.We had decided to move back to my wife’shometown of Lafayette, Louisiana and in May, 2003bought a lot on which to build. We got our home innorthern California ready to show, but of coursecouldn’t know when it would sell or when we wouldhave to move. When we did move, we knew ourtransport company wouldn’t take live plants but otherthan the iris, that wouldn’t be much of a problem. Wehad a start of a really nice white crepe myrtle thathad mysteriously showed up at our place, a start of aFleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

Spring 2006as I could a chance to show their stuff in Louisiana.The count was 25, and for some I’d take at least twoI’d had some really prettyrhizomes. I had about 100 unbloomed seedlings. Iwas figuring on five rows in the plot so three rows seedlings from thecould easily handle my seedlings. This left me twoprevious season plusrows to fill with named varieties so I knew I wouldn’thave to go crazy deciding on what to take. I had some holdovers. I shouldbeen thinning the crop, so to speak, for several years,but in this last year I made a real effort to give away have made a moreas many as I possibly could. I decided on about 40 rigorous selection but Ivarieties with duplicate rhizomes for several of them.The remaining two rows would give me plenty of room. wanted to give as many asIt’s now trip time. I labeled all the re-selects andI could a chance to shownamed varieties and packed them in bunches inplastic bags. I had to keep the unbloomed seedlings their stuff in Louisiana. Theidentity but didn’t want to label each one, so all thosefrom a specific cross were thrown into individualcount was 25, and forplastic bags with a label. I stuffed all the individual some I’d take at least twopackages into larger garbage bags and these wentinto a huge, and heavy, suitcase. The scale at the rhizomes.airport had a fit. For a moment, I had visions of havingto do another selection right there at the airport. Iended up paying an extra $35 to get the suitcase onthe plane. I was going to have six days and be stayingat my in-laws who lived, conviently for me, threehomes up from my sister-in-law with the plot. loaded the pots the night before we pulled out. AlongI started planting the day after I arrived. The plot with the iris pots, I also had to work in those of thewas in great shape, and I got a lot done the first day. canna, crepe myrtle and nandina. It was almost likeI took the next day off and caught a ride with Dorman a cartoon with a guy jumping on the trunk to get itHaymon and Sandy Duhon up to the board meeting. closed. I unpotted the pony tail/bottle palms andI put the rest of the plants in over the following two wrapped their root balls in damp cloths. I thendays and then had time to let a brother-in-law help wrapped them all in a blanket and would try to protectme carry and apply cedar mulch. I also had several their tops from our two large dogs and a cat that wereneighbors inquiring about what was going on and had going to compete for room in my wife’s SUV. Shea good time giving away extras. I then gave had informed me earlier that I was going to be withinstructions to a couple of my sister-in-laws to keep the animals and she’d be driving my car.things watered and weeded…don’t you admire the We had a great trip down to Lafayette. Four days,power I wield?three nights. We were going to be staying at theBack home, we had no contract on our home until home of the sister-in-law with the plot until we foundabout October—with a December 12 move date! I temporary housing while we built our new home. Wefigured I would use the trunk of my car (a 1992, 5 couldn’t find a reasonable rental home that would takespeed, 2 dr. Honda Accord Ex – a great car) to move our dogs and cat so it was suggested that we buy aall my pots with seeds. I counted them and calculated smaller new home that would be sure to sell quickly –how many would fit. I even did a mock run to make and possibly save some rental costs. We did andsure I wouldn’t be surprised when move day came. I moved within two months, but I couldn’t plant iris inwould have to go 3 tiers high. Thankfully, hardly any the backyard because I needed to landscape forpots had germination by then, and those that did could resale. Back at the plot, spring season brought prettygo on the top. This wouldn’t have been the case in good bloom and maybe half the seedlings fromLafayette since most pots have been booming with California flowered. None were good enough to talkgrowth by late November in my two years here. I about and almost all were thrown out. Germination inFleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises9

10the pots from California came on strong. Although itwas too early, I got impatient and planted them.Earlier, I had potted up the seeds from that seasonspod set.The next spring, 2005, I had a good season withthree or four really nice seedlings. I also had a ton ofpots with germination from the 2004 crop. This wasa lot more than expected, but due to Dorman Haymonhaving shown me the method of pollenizing byspreading open the style on the upper side, I hadgotten over 95% pod set. He’d been telling me aboutit for quite a while but I hadn’t tried it until getting ahands-on demonstration. If I had learned it sooner, Icould have saved a lot of time and work over the yearsas I had never gotten close to that percentage. Thislarge amount of seeds, plus incredible germination,had me awash in potted seedlings.Our new home was being built now and it lookedlike it would be ready in the fall. I doubted I wouldhave room for all my irises, at least at the start, anddefinitely could not count on it. To get some extraroom, my sister-in-law allowed me to add 6 feet tothe width and 12 feet to the length of the plot. I tookout everything; named varieties, re-selects andunbloomed seedlings and put them in large plasticI started planting the dayafter I arrived. The plot wasin great shape, and I got alot done the first day. . . Ialso had several neighborsinquiring about what wasgoing on and had a goodtime giving away extras. Ithen gave instructions to acouple of my sister-in-lawsto keep things watered andweeded…don’t you admirethe power I wield?Spring 2006containers where they stayed the rest of the summer.I reworked the plot and then in late August, filled itwith a good portion of my 2004 seedlings. I realizethis was too early in this area, but I needed to get itdone before we became involved with the move intoour new home. We moved in September and by earlyNovember, I was able to get the remaining 2004seedlings, all my re-selects, and named varietiesplanted. The canna, nandina and crepe myrtle arefinally in the ground and finished with their move. Thepony tail/bottle palms have long since been repottedand are doing fine. I still have some irises at thehome of my sister-in-law, but I might try to work out along term arrangement with her to give me the extraroom.I also want to mention before I finish this thing thatI’ve been told they are here but I’ve yet to see anyexcept two that hitched a ride—snails. This lastcomment is for my iris friends back in California.RON BETZER is retired and livingin Lafayette, La., to which he movedin time for a terrific hurricaneseason. But, he and his gardenprosper. The hybridizer of thepopular cultivar ‘Honey Galore’(1999), Ron also serves on the SLIboard. He can be contacted atr_betzer@yahoo.comFleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

Spring 2006SEABROOK NURSERY—THEN AND NOWThe Odyssey of a Gardener and Her GardenSHERRY SEABROOKCrystal River, Florida11Which irises do you keep fromhundreds for your new home,after you close a nursery afternearly two decades? The authorrelates how she chose.In May 2005, we closed our nursery in Alachua,Florida, after 19 years. It was a very sad time forme to give up all the gardens I had created on thefive acres as well as the wonderfulcustomers who had become my friends.Over the years we had incorporated theLouisiana irises with the old garden rosesand perennials to make a beautiful settingfor the enjoyment of our customers. I hadcollected almost 400 varieties of Louisianairises and 200 varieties of old gardenroses.After making up our minds to move, wedecided to go to Crystal River, Florida (near Tampa)because of my health The doctors said being in thesalt air would help and believe me it is working. I havealready been able to get off some of my medication.Jonathan, my husband, takes me out in the Gulf tofish, no big catches; however the boat rides are great.We were able to get a home on a canal so myyard is small. The gardens here were mostlyPittosporum and Indian Hawthorn. So I went to workon redesigning them. I might have only six originalplants left. I pulled out rows of 6’x 6’ shrubs andreplaced them with irises. I enriched the soil in all thebeds and added Osmocote. ® I have worked about300 varieties into our gardens now. It was hard todecide which irises I had to delete from my inventory.I was able to keep 800 potted Louisiana irises atmy friend’s nursery for this spring. We do severalspring garden festivals as well as the FLAGA [Floridaand Georgia] Iris Society Flower and plant sale inApril. The shows have always been a great way tointroduce people to Louisiana irises. They gethooked on them once they get one, and they comeback for more.People ask me if I miss the nursery in Alachua. Itell them no, because it was so much work and wewere open six days a week. It has been nice havingweekends off after all these years. I absolutely love ithere on the water where I am working in my iris beds,watching porpoise play in the water, and eaglessoaring overhead. I feel truly blessed to be here andto be able to grow the most beautifulflowers, the Louisiana Iris!I am concentrating now on updatingmy mail order catalog and my web site.I am going to ship the irises year roundinstead of just in the fall. I hope to bejoining some local garden clubs and Icontinue to promote the iris. I will alsobe registering a couple of my newintroductions this fall to my” FloridaSeries.” I might even get to another SLI convention(which are wonderful, if you’ve never been).Crowds gathered at Sherry’s former nursery inAlachua, Florida.Fleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises©Sherry Seabrook

12I would like to thank everyone who came andvisited us in Alachua, as well as my family—who wasalways there for me. I wish everyone a great springblooming season.If you have any questions, please feel free tocontact me at (352) 795-4044, or you can email methrough my web site at seabrooknursery.comSHERRY SEABROOK recently sufferedthe pangs of relocating a garden andhaving to weed her collection. Sherryastonished attendees at the 2000 SLIconvention in Little Rock by enteringirises she has transported aboard herflight from Florida. And, then sheproceeded to win ribbons and onemajor award! Her email isjseabro2@earthlink.netSpring 2006The glorious nature of author’s former garden madeit difficult to leave behind.©Sherry Seabrook©Sherry SeabrookThe author’s new garden sits on a canal, creating anidyllic setting to admire the Louisiana irises.Who Loves Louisiana Irises? Owls and Frogs Do!Birds and Amphibians Agree That LA Irises Are Great©Joe Musacchia©Steve SheperdSLI Member Steve Shepard photographed this owl perchingover the Louisiana iris ‘Ruth Holleyman’ (G. Holleyman,54) in his Mississippi garden. The owl has been visitingthe garden for a number of years.SLI Board Director Joe Musacchia submitted this photographof a frog taking refuge in this Louisiana irisplanted in Joe’s Louisiana garden.Fleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

Spring 2006A Return to Lafayette13©Harry WolfordVisitors to Col. Murray Landry’s garden during the recent convention in Lafayette, La. and vicinity were treatedto a prized collection of Heather Pryor’s hybrids. The bright red in front is Heather’s 1994 registration, ‘JazzHot.’ The summer issue of Fleur de Lis will provide extensive coverage on the Society for Louisiana Irises April2006 convention, including many photographs from the talented Harry Wolford of Florida.‘Edna Claunch’:Early Bloomer©John Helmkamp©Harry Wolford©Harry WolfordSLI Vice-President Harry Wolford, of Palm Bay, Florida, submittedthis photo of his cultivar ‘Edna Claunch’ (R 04). He notesthat this 4-year old clump consistenly produces stalks withtwo branches and two spurs, usually with seven bud placements.‘Edna Claunch,’ the flower, is usually the first iris tobloom in his yard. Edna Claunch, for whom the iris is named,is the driving force behind the Iris Friendship Garden in Rochester,New York, and its sister garden in Hamamatsu, Japan.Fleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

14New Cultivars from Down UnderAccording to hybridizer Heather Pryor,this seedling will soon be christened. Notethe hot-cyclamen plicata edge to the falls.Heather Pryor, the hybridizer, hasnamed this yet to be introduced iris‘Word of Warning.’ It it has a deepvelvety-red coloration. Look for it soon!©Heather Pryor©Heather Pryor©Peter JacksonThis is a new seedling from South Australianhybridizer Peter Jackson, currentlynamed 5J1.This iris, hybridized by Heather Pryor, iscurrently known by its seedling number50-00-s, but will soon be named. Heatherremarks that the colors on this iris areunique.Dr. John Betts of New South Wales,Australia is proud of this new seedling414f.Spring 2006Some Guidelines onSubmitting Articles tothe new Fleur de LisWhen submitting articleselectronically, please compose it ineither Microsoft Word ® orWordperfect. ® Files created inMicrosoft Publisher ® cannot beimported.Please do not insert photos intoyour Word/Wordperfect document—submit them separately. If you wouldlike to suggest a layout for your article,please send a “designed” version and atext-only version.When submitting scanned imageswith your article, please make sure theyare scanned at 300 dpi or higher. Fordigital images, please shoot at 1300 x1800 ppi (pixels per inch) Anything lessthan 300 dpi can not be printed withoutconsiderable tweaking. Photos takenoff the Internet are not of high enoughquality to use in printing. You can submitthe digital images via email (sent one ortwo at a time) or on a CD. Alternatively,you may submit non-digitalphotographs. All items will be returnedif requested.If possible, please submit a photoof yourself to run with your article. Itcan be a digital or print photo.Also, please include a biographicalsketch of yourself when submitting anarticle. This will allow our readers toknow the author. Also, we will includeyour email in each issue, in case ourreaders want to contact you—if you donot wish your email to be printed withyour biographical sketch let us know.For any questions regardingsubmissions, please contact TomDillard at tomd@pgtc.com or Tim Nuttat tgnutt@swbell.net.We hope that you will considercontributing material to the Fleur de Lis.Help us make it into one of the premierHeather Pryor, named ‘Dark and Dangerous,’has yet to be introduced to thewholesale market.gardening journals.Fleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises©Heather Pryor©John Betts©Heather Pryor

Spring 200615book reviewJapan Iris Societypublishes a new Iris guideReviewed by Tom W. DillardYou would be making a mistake if youpigeonholed this Japanese language book astoo esoteric for American iris gardeners. While it isin a foreign language, this new guidebook isAmerican gardener friendly because the astuteeditors and others from the Japan Iris Society hadthe foresight to label almost all individual flowerimages in English as well as Japanese. While thesecaptions usually provide only limited information, it isenough to make Iris Species and Cultivars in theWorld (Japan Iris Society, 2005) a wonderful additionto any iris lover’s library.I first heard of this project in 2000, upon meetingMr. Hiroshi Shimizu, a director of the Japan IrisSociety, while we were attending an international irissymposium in New Zealand. I was speaking onLouisiana irises, while Mr. Shimizu wowed the crowdwith slides of his spectacular “Eye Shadow Irises.”(These entirely enticing flowers, with attractiveshadows emanating from the signal patch, arehybrids of Iris ensata and I. pseudacorus.) Mr.Shimizu informed me that he was working with theJapan Iris Society to develop a new reference bookon the genus Iris, and he asked me to help himacquire the information and images necessary forgood coverage on the Louisiana iris.Having seen too many instances where suchguides relegate Louisiana irises to a couple of pagesat the very end of the volume, I held out little hope forthis proposed new guide. But, with the help of PatrickO’Connor, Harry Wolford, Richard Sloan and others,we supplied Mr. Shimizu with digital images of allfive species that make up the Louisiana iris series.We also provided a few nice images of Irisgiganticaerulea growing in the wild.The book was published last year, and it is farmore than I could have hoped. Yes, yes—the bookis in the Japanese language, but one should simplyget over that! For Japanese readers, Iris Speciesand Cultivars in the World is a stunningly illustratedreference book on irises—especially those that willgrow in Japan. For English readers, many of thebeautiful pictures are captioned in both Japaneseand English. Practically all of the cultivar names arein both languages.You might expect a guide of this nature, which isadmittedly aimed toward culture in Japan, to devotean inordinate amount of space to the Japanese iris,Iris ensata. And, it is true that several pages aregiven to that species, including two pages of picturesof “American Cultivars”—but, on the whole, well underhalf of the cultivars pictured in this book are givenover to Japanese irises. The photographs ofJapanese irises growing in various municipalgardens are stunning, despite their relatively smallsize.The coverage of Louisiana irises is accomplishedin a mere three pages—which is more than isdevoted to some other types of irises. In addition tothe habitat picture, good clear images of I. hexagona,Fleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

16Spring 2006One can see how I. tectorum, commonly known as roof irises, are named, as seen in this photograph from the new bookpublished by the Japan Iris Society.I. fulva, I. nelsonii, I. brevicaulis, and I.giganticaerulea are provided. Cultivars picturedinclude ‘Marie Caillet,’ ‘Clyde Redmond,’ ‘MaryDunn,’ ‘Clara Goula,’ ‘Ann Chowning,’ ‘Easter Tide,’‘Feliciana Hills,’ ‘Professor Neil,’ ‘Vermillion Queen,’‘Cajun Sunrise,’ ‘Beale Street,’ ‘Reflect,’ ‘Bound ForGlory,’ ‘Peaches in Wine,’ and ‘Twilight Journey.’A large section of the book is given over tobearded irises. Among the dozens of beautifullyillustrated cultivars is a section devoted to historicvarieties. A large selection of Dykes medal winnersare pictured, along with a nice variety of medians.This book is an example of how people fromtotally different languages can communicate throughthe medium of photography. For example, I have readforever that the Japanese roof iris (I. tectorum) tookits name from the practice of rural Japanese residentsgrowing that iris on the thatched roofs of their houses.In my mind, I saw the irises growing down at thebottom of the roof—clinging to the rough thatch andhoping to survive to the next rain. Wrong! On page89 of this book is a handsome photograph showing“I. tectorum on thatched roof.” They were growingatop the ridge of the roof, obviously in some sort ofcontainer. Maybe this is not as romantic as Ienvisioned, but it makes a lot more cultural sense.The book is paper bound, but it has a nice colordust jacket. It is an example of fine Japanese work—in the scholarship, photography, printing skill, andoverall usefulness. Ordering a copy of Iris Speciesand Cultivars in the World from the Japan Iris Societyis not the easiest undertaking. According tocommunications I have received, the book must bepaid in cash if paid in U.S. dollars or British pounds.Regardless, send an email to Hiroshi Shimizu at thisaddress: hanashimizu@nifty.comTOM W. DILLARD is the editor of theFleur de Lis and past secretary for theSociety for Louisiana Irises. He lives inFarmington, Arkansas. Tom may becontacted at tomd@pgtc.comFleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

Spring 2006IRIS HAVENLouisiana Iris SpecialistsPO Box 83 PENNANT HILLS NSW 1715AUSTRALIATEL: (61) 29 144 3805FAX: (61) 29 440 0663EMAIL: irishaven@pip.com.auEMAIL: irishaven1@hotmail.comWEBSITE: www.irishaven.com.auPlantation Point Nursery10325 Caddo Lake RdMooringsport, LA 71060(318) 996-7222 or1-800-865-9220We specialize in LA irises and areattempting to build inventories ofsome of the oldest cultivars.17‘La Stupenda’SEND $2US (or equivalent) to cover returnpostage for Free Catalog.We ship within Australia, and tothe USA & CanadaHEATHER & BERNARD PRYORflowers@shreve.netIRIS CITY GARDENS––2006 INTRODUCTIONSwww.iriscitygardens.com - 800-934-IRIS (4747)TRULY SCRUMPTIOUSHeather PryorRICH AND RAREHeather PryorDONNA WOLFORDHeather PryorCOBWEB CONCERTOHeather PryorSUSANNAH FULLERTONHeather PryorENDEARING THOUGHTBernard PryorBULLION AUDITJohn BettsMELON COCKTAILJohn BettsKENTUCKYTHOROUGHBREDRick BrunerLITTLE BRONZEDAUSSIEBernard PryorFleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

18Spring 2006Fleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

Spring 2006commercial directory19Aitken’s SalmonCreek Garden608 NW 119th StreetVancouver, WA 98685-3802Ph. (360) 573-4472Fax: (360) 576-7012www.flowerfantasy.netaitken@flowerfantasy.netSend $3 for color catalogBois d’Arc GardensBud & Rusty McSparrin1831 Bull Run RoadSchriever, LA 70395(985) 446-2329bois@charter.netwww.bois-darc.comColor Pictures on Web SiteCatalog $3.00Collier’s GardenP.O. Box 32Lawson, MO 64062-0032Ph. (816) 580-7116thomascollier@juno.comFREE Catalog upon RequestLouisiana Irises, RebloomBearded Irises, DayliliesIris City Gardens7675 Younger Creek RoadPrimm Springs, TN 38476800-934-4747email@iriscitygardens.comwww.iriscitygardens.comFree color catalogLouisiana Iris Farms321 W. Main St., Suite 2DLafayette, LA 70501(318) 232-6096www.louisianairis.comjrleonard@sprintmail.comSend $2 for catalogor see websiteLouisiana Nursery5853 Highway 182Opelousas, LA 70570(337) 948-3696www.durionursery.comWholesale & RetailFree List Upon RequestPlantation Point Nursery10325 Caddo Lake RoadMooringsport, LA 71060(318) 996-7222 or(318) 996-9969flowers@shreve.netLouisiana IrisesCatalog upon requestRedbud LaneIris Garden2282 N. 350th StreetKansas, IL 61933(217) 948-5478Catalog $1.00Louisiana Irises, featuringRichard Morgan’s irises,Spurias, and Bearded IrisesSeabrook Nurseryand Gardens11304 W. Coral Ct.Crystal River, FL 34429(352) 795-4044email: jseabro2@earthlink.netwww.seabrooknursery.comWholesale& RetailColor catalog $1Strawn Aquatic Nursery& Iris GardensP.O. Box 10255College Station, TX 77842877-385-3828 toll free;979-696-6644 localwww.strawnaquaticnursery.comsales@strawnaquaticnursery.comWholesale GrowerFree Price List Upon RequestZydecoLouisiana Iris Garden4628 Newlands St.Metairie, LA 70006(504) 456-6060www.zydecoirises.compatrick@zydecoirises.comFree List Upon RequestListings at the rate of $15.00for four quarterly issues beginningwith the spring issue.Costs prorated for listings beginningin later issues. No onetime listings. Listings may includename, address, phone,wholesale/retail status, and specialty.Fleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

20Spring 2006Society for Lousiana IrisesRegional Representatives & Committee ChairsPatricia D. Brooks102 Jefferson LaneLadson, SC 29456(843) 871-0239pbrooks@sc.rr.comCarol & Ken Coleman2606 S. PondBoise, ID 83705-3839(208) 336-3052cris@uswest.netAlbert Detwiler6925 E. Paseo San AndresTucson, AZ 85710(520) 886-9040Paul W. Gossett129 East 33rd PlaceTulsa, OK 74105(918) 742-1204pwgossett@juno.comDavid Nitka589 North StreetFeeding Hills, MA 01030(413) 786-5344nitka@att.netPatrick O’Connor4628 Newlands St.Metairie, LA 70006(504) 456-6060pfoconnor@cox.netSherry Seabrook11304 W. Coral Ct.Crystal River, FL 34429(352) 795-4044jseabro2@earthlink.netBill Smoot213 Derby RoadPortsmouth, VA 23702(757) 393-4617billsmoot@cox.netRobert Treadway7619 Hwy 13 NorthCarlisle, AR 72024(870) 854-5456robertt01@earthlink.netJulian Wells215 Lakeview DriveLeesville, LA 71446(337) 392-0948jwells9270@aol.comMelody & Jerry Wilhoit2282 N. 350th St.Kansas, IL 61933(217) 948-5478redbud@cell1net.netHarry Wolford2605 Oakhaven St.Palm Bay, FL 32905(321) 724-1676N8kxp@aol.comAcadiana LiaisonRusty McSparrin1831 Bull Run RoadSchriever, LA 70395(985) 446-2329bois@charter.netInternational CommitteeHeather PryorP.O. Box 83Pennant Hills NSW 1715Australia(61) 29144 3805irishaven@pip.com.auSilent AuctionWendall Hall III4300 Doral DriveLittle Rock, AR 72212(501) 228-0500wendallhallgarden@juno.comArchives CommitteeTom W. DillardP.O. Box 356Farmington, AR 72730(479) 267-4901tomd@pgtc.comNominating CommitteeKevin VaughnP.O. Box 350Stoneville, MS 38776(682) 686-9876kvaughn@msastoneville.ars.usda.govSLI Show & Show AwardsRon Betzer120 Adair LaneLafayette, LA 70508(337) 235-5494r_betzer@yahoo.comDisplay GardensRobert Treadway7619 Hwy 13 NorthCarlisle, AR 72024(870) 854-5456robertt01@earthlink.netPublications CommitteeHarry Wolford2605 Oakhaven St.Palm Bay, FL 32905(321) 724-1676N8kxp@aol.comSlide CommitteeEarline Sudduth4551 Siwell RoadJackson, MS 39212(601) 372-8586EMSud@aol.comEducation/PromotionBobbie Ann HutchinsRon Killingsworth10325 Caddo Lake RoadMooringsport, LA 71060(318) 996-7222flowers@shreve.netScientific CommitteeKevin VaughnP.O. Box 350Stoneville, MS 38776(682) 686-9876kvaughn@msastoneville.ars.usda.govSlide ArchivesPatrick O’Connor4628 Newlands St.Metarie, LA 70006-4042(504) 456-6060pfoconnor@cox.netSpecial AwardsPopularity PollWebsiteDorman HaymonJoe MusacchiaRebecca Wong1218 Duhon Road 509 Linda Ann Ave. 589 North St.Lafayette, LA 70501 Gray, LA 70359 Feeding Hill, MA 01030(985) 872-1963 (413) 786-5344 (H)joem@sw.rr.com (413) 744-7705 (O)rwong@massmutual.comFleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

Spring 2006Advertising InformationDISPLAY ADVERTISING: Display Advertising isaccepted in any issue. Rates are as follow: Quarterpage$20; half-page $40; full-page $60. Photos for adsshould be furnished as a black-and-white or color print, aslide, or a digital file in acceptable format. Deadline is sixweeks prior to publication date.PUBLICATIONS DEADLINES:Spring Issue: February 1Summer Issue: May 1Autumn Issue: August 1Winter Issue: November 1COMMERCIAL DIRECTORY: Listings in the CommercialDirectory are at the rate of $15 for four quarterly issuesbeginning with the Spring issue. Costs are prorated forlistings beginning in later issues. No onetime listingsaccepted. Listings may include name, address, phone,wholesale/retail status, and specialty.PAYMENT AND ADVERTISING COPY DISTRIBUTION:Payment for the display advertising must be receivedBEFORE the publication of the issue in which the ad isto appear. Payment for the commercial directory mustbe made at the end of each calendar year and must befor a full year. Advertisements for which payment has notbeen received will not be run. Display advertisementsthat do not change should be paid on a yearly basis,beginning each calendar year. Send your finishedadvertisement copy to the editor and send your paymentto: Susan Killingsworth, Advertising Editor, 10329 CaddoLake Rd, Mooringsport, LA 71060. Susan can becontacted at flowers@shreve.net if you have any questionsabout the status of your payments or advertisements.Membership InformationSociety for Louisiana IrisesFounded 1941MEMBERSHIP. To join or renew membership, senddues along with your name, address, telephone numberand email address (if any) to Richard Sloan, Treasurer,118 E. Walnut, Alma, AR 72921. Make checks payableto the Society for Louisiana Irises. Memberships arestaggered beginning with the quarter in which dues arepaid.DUES.Rates for membership are:SUBSCRIBERS IN THE UNITED STATES:INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIPS:Yearly, $13Triennial, $32Life, $200Youth,FAMILY MEMBERSHIPS:Yearly, $16Triennial, $44INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIBERS:INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIPS:Yearly, $20Triennial, $52Life, $200FAMILY MEMBERSHIPS:Yearly, $23Triennial, $52AMERICAN IRIS SOCIETY. SLI is a cooperating society of the American Iris Society. However, membership in the AIS is notautomatic with membership in SLI. Individual AIS dues are: Single Annual, $20; Dual Annual, $25. Dues can be sent to: TomGormley, AIS Membership Secretary, P.O. Box 28, Cedar Hill, MO 63016-0028 USA.Email: aismemsec@earthlink.net; Telephone: 636-274-6149.Rates for overseas or extended memberships can be obtained from the Membership Secretary.The information is also on the Internet at: http://www.irises.org/MEMORIALS. Memorial Gifts in the name of a deceased person, and gifts in honor of living persons, are accepted withgratitude by the Society. Please send Memorial Gifts to Richard Sloan at the above address, and enclose a note indicating forwhom the contribution is made. Gifts will be acknowledged in the Newsletter unless expressly requested otherwise.Fleur de Lis: The Journal of the Society for Louisiana Irises

Fleur de Lis is a Publication of theSOCIETY FOR LOUISIANA IRISES118 E. WalnutAlma, AR 72921PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGEPAIDJackson, MSPERMIT NO. 416RETURN SERVICEREQUESTED