The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies. Regional Affiliate of: Visit our Website at:

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1 Regional Affiliate of: Visit our Website at: Susan Williams 506 Guy Porter St. Humeston, IA Randy Hull 1011 Park St. Perry, IA (515) Kristi Evans 9600 NW 70th Avenue Johnston, IA Wanda Lunn 526 Bezdek Drive NW Cedar Rapids, IA Susan Williams 506 Guy Porter St. Humeston, IA Jean Rhodes Zook Spur Road Madrid, IA * 12:30 pm at the Waukee Library 950 Warrior Lane, Waukee, IA We will present Show Awards AND have a program by our own Mark Riggs, a professional photographer! * - At the Varied Industries Bldg. At the State Fairgrounds :30 pm the Waukee Library, 950 Warrior Lane, Waukee, IA The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies. Gertrude Jekyll David Moody 2022 Westwood Acres Drive Ft. Dodge, IA pmmoody@mchsi.com * President s Letter * Secretary s Report * Treasurer s Report * Growing Lilies in Florida * Planning your 2016 Garden Becca Wichert Center Point, IA fivewichert@fmtcs.com 1

2 Dear Lily Friends, Another monumental summer! Lots of heat early, then rain, lots of rain! We had a small but successful Lily Show at Reiman Gardens. Just 90 stems and 5 designs, but they were very high quality. What an incredible bus tour! 7 unique private gardens, 1 public garden, 1 community church garden, a Pella greenhouse, and lunch at The Swamp Fox in Knoxville. The rain made things a bit soggy, but the gardens were so great we didn t mind! You will see pictures throughout the pages of the Seedling, which do not do the gardens justice. Our Fall Lily Symposium was a rousing success once again. We had great speakers on a varied set of topics. Dr. Rosalie Owens spoke on Growing Aronia berries. Wanda Lunn took us through the world of the Interdivisional Lilies. Mary (Moby) O Connor showed us, hands on, how to make our own garden art pieces. Bernie Evans gave us a heads up on the way he hopes to set up the website. He asked for ideas and sought our opinions. Fall planting went very well. All of my new lilies are tucked snug in bed for the winter. I also took the time to dig and rearrange many of my beds. I am looking forward to spring, but even so, this winter so far has been awesome. I am ready for some frozen ground, but will not complain about the above average temps. January s meeting is on the 9th at the Waukee Library. The business meeting will begin at 12:30. After the meeting we will have snacks and then the much delayed Awards Presentation. We will also have a program by Mark Riggs on Photographing your Garden and Flowers. I am looking forward to the tips of a professional photographer! The Flower Lawn and Garden Show at the Varied Industries Building on the State Fairgrounds is March 18, 19, & 20, 2016 Look over your schedules and think of when you can take a shift at the FLG Show. We need the help and you get in FREE! Our IRLS Lily Show will once again be at the Reiman Gardens in Ames on June 25, This will be the 43rd Lily Show, consider bringing a few stems or an artistic design this coming year. It will be great practice for 2018, when we once again host the NALS International Show at the Sheraton West Des Moines! This show will be our (IRLS) 45th show, if you can think of something special please let me or Wanda know what your idea is and we will give it consideration. Hope to see you at the meeting, Sue 2

3 Minutes of the Iowa Regional Lily Society Meeting on September 12, 2015 President Sue Williams called the meeting to order at 12:45 pm at the Waukee Library in Waukee, IA. Six IRLS members were present. Sue noted that the small attendance meant we could discuss business, but did not have a quorum to vote on any measure. Secretary's minutes of the April meeting were read and approved. The Treasury's report was read with discussion of the 2015 IRLS donations to Iowa Botanical Gardens and the Waukee Library. Approved Lily Show results: the show on June 27, 2015 was hosted by Reiman Gardens. It was small with just 90 stems including 6 sets of 3-of-a-kind and 5 designs, but everything was of excellent quality. Discussion of the Reiman Gardens issues including early closing of show due to an incoming bridal party. Breakdown was so fast that no photographs were taken of the stems. Past shows at Des Moines area malls had a lack of interested gardeners. Des Monies Botanical Center placed our shows in areas difficult to access for the public in the past. Reiman Garden visitors had easy access to the Lily Show and were more interested in the Lilies. Revisit discussion of the Lily Show venue at January meeting. Lily Show ribbons will be presented at the January IRLS meeting. Lily Garden Bus tour visited 6 beautiful gardens on July 11,2015 in the Des Moines area and South. The day started off with rain, but cleared up. Photos of the trip will be in the December IRLS newsletter. Discussions of better promotion of the bus tour in the future so more members can enjoy it. Sue Williams announced that the contract for IRLS hosting the NALS 2018 Lily Show and Symposium have been signed. The event will be hosted at the Sheraton Hotel in West Des Moines again. Five member gardens have been picked out for the NALS Bus Tour. Discussion of gardens, preparations and volunteers needed again. Lots of excitement! The annual Fall Lily Bulb Sale is in process with photos & details on the website. Bulbs will be packed bay IRLS members in the Cedar Rapids area. Bulb orders can be picked up at the October 24, 2015 Lily Symposium or bulbs will be shipped. Discussion of bulbs available and planting. Hospitality committee for January meeting: Jean Rhodes, Sue Williams & Wanda Lunn Meeting adjourned for refreshments. Respectfully submitted by IRLS Secretary Wanda Lunn 3

4 George & Carole Main Garden Karen Ray Garden Arvilla Bailey Garden Jane Koogler Garden Don t Forget to... * Remove any old lily stems... If you haven t already done so, to prevent further disease spread *, when and if the ground freezes! You want to wait until ground freeze or the mulch will slow the process. * Look for signs of mole, vole, and mouse nests. Take appropriate measures to protect those lily bulbs! * Schedule the January meeting - January 9 at the Waukee Library, meeting starts at 12:30 pm * 4

5 Here are some Important Dates to add to your calendar. We all have such busy schedules it is never to early to make plans! January 9, IRLS meeting at the Waukee Library 12:30 meeting *Note Change of date from previous newsletter. March 18-20, Flower, Lawn, and garden Show at the Varied Industries Bldg. April 16, Spring meeting at the Waukee Library 12:30 meeting June 25, rd Annual IRLS Lily Show at Reiman Gardens in Ames 5

6 Growing True Lilies in Florida Pat Kramersmeier is an accomplished lily gardener who has been a member of the Iowa Regional Society since After several decades of growing Lilies in Iowa, she retired to Palm Bay, Florida which is south of Orlando. General lily knowledge tells us that lilies do not grow well in sand or South of Zone 6, but Pat is succeeding! Pat buys some Lilies sold in Florida garden stores plus Asiatic, Trumpet and Martagon Lilies from our IRLS Lily Bulb Sales that we ship to her. Her Lilies are growing, blooming and multiplying despite the lack of a cold winter dormant period! Pat tells us how to do it: Flowers have always been a passion of mine. Dorothy Schaefer got me into the Lilies a long time ago. I plant directly into the ground, not in pots. I started here in Florida by using potting soil mixed with a little black cow manure, but our soil is just sand so everything you add on top sinks. I now just add black cow manure a couple times a year and keep about 3 inches of cypress mulch on top. The mulch really insulates and keeps moisture in which is very good for when it is hot. I also have to add Bayers Systemic Insecticide and flower granular fertilizer every month or month & one half to compensate for the lack of good soil. Sometimes I add coffee containers of black cow manure thrown around plants for an extra boost. When it is hot I have to water heavily 3 times a week and add more mulch. I do not have a sprinkler system. All the Lilies seem to like being in the sun. As long as they do not get dried out, they do not burn. Trumpets are short, but the Asiatics are a normal height. I do cut back stems after they are done blooming. Winter? We get some freezing a few hours at a time in the winter but nothing like continual freeze like you get in Iowa. I use sheets to blanket over all my flower beds at those times, including the Lilies. I have had really good growth and blooms plus the Lilies come back each year without digging them up and re-planting. Both Asiatics and Trumpets grow really well as well a some Martagons. My trumpet stocks usually die back to the ground but some of the Asiatic Lilies stay green. Our Lilies are ahead of Iowa for blooming in the spring as it warms up earlier. Pat Kramersmeier came up from Florida to attend the 2013 North American Lily Society and Symposium that IRLS hosted in Des Moines, IA. She had a wonderful time volunteering at the NALS Show and is hoping to join us when we again host the NALS Lily Show in Des Moines in Submitted by Wanda Lunn 6

7 IRLS Fall Symposium and Lily Bulb Sale & Swap The latest lily symposium seemed to be enjoyed by all who attended. The range of topics was more diverse than the previous years. We learned about aronia berries, the interdivisional lilies of Division VIII, how to make our own garden art, and a bit more about the new webmaster and his hopes for the website. Make your plans now for the next IRLS Fall Lily Symposium, it is a great way to spend a day with friends, both old and new. It is usually held the 3rd or 4th Saturday in October. We ll keep you updated as to the actual date! Dr. Rosalie Owens - Aronia berries Mary (Moby) O Connor - Make your own garden art Bernie Evans - website remake Wanda Lunn - Interdivisional Lilies 7

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10 Planning your 2016 Garden The winter months are the ideal time to go over your notes from last summer and with one (or two) of those new garden catalogs in hand plan for the coming growing season. Filling in those empty areas is much easier if you know ahead of time how large that space is and can figure how many plants you will need before you make the trek to the greenhouse. This winter has been ideal for running out and getting a quick measure (if you don t mind mud and water)! If you didn t take notes last year, you have your first resolution for 2016! You will want to decide if you want to have new annuals each year or a more permanent perennial in that space. Sometimes it is a good idea to plant annuals along with the perennials the first year. That way the perennials have time to fill in and the annuals provide the ground cover while they do so. Did you find an area where your beloved lilies looked tall and gangly? Did you lack structure and color in August and September? Did you think about putting a bench here or maybe over there? One of the most important parts of gardening is having a place to sit and enjoy the fruits of all that labor. Is that area to wet for lilies? It might be the time to decide if you want to raise the bed or move the lilies. These and many more points are worth evaluating during the months our gardens are idle. Plan when to fertilize, plan to keep a journal and buy the notebook or planner now and keep it handy. Now is a great time to look over all the those pictures you took of the garden and consider some changes you might like to make. A lot of times we are able to see more like others view our garden when we have a picture in front of us and we aren t concentrating on the weeds or all the other things we have to accomplish in limited time. If you find yourself taking only close-ups plan on taking more wide view photos to help you see the whole garden and find any areas that might need attention. Using the dormant season to plan for the spring and summer can help you make less stressful decisions when spring rolls around. Susan A. Williams 10

11 Photography program If you can take a picture with it, bring it to the. Mark Riggs is a professional photographer who is going to help us take better pictures in and out of our gardens. Mark is planning on tips and tricks to enhance our photography skills. If you take pictures of your flowers, garden, nature, or family you will probably glean useful information from Mark s presentation. Some of the presentation will be power point and some will be hands on, trying techniques Mark has shared with us. Don t miss this one! The photography presentation will begin immediately following the awards presentation. W h a t s n e w in y o u r g a r d e n? h t t p :/ / w w w.lilie s. o r g T h e N o r t h A m e r ic a n L ily S o c ie t y (N A L S ) w as o r g an i z ed i n t o p r o m ot e in t e r e s t i n t h e g en u s L i li um. T h e s oc ie t y h a s ac t i v e m e m b e r s fr om a lm o s t e v e r y s t a t e a nd pr ov i nc e in N o r t h A m e r i ca, a s w e ll as fr om m a ny c o un t r i es ar ou nd t h e w o r ld. I n t e rn a t io n a l S e e d E x c h a n g e Q u a lit y P u b l ic a t io n s E n t h u s ia s t s, A m a t e u r & C o m m e r c ia l G r o w e rs N e w m e m b e r s w e lc o m e! N A L S E x e c u t i v e S e c r e t ar y P.O. B o x W B o n n e r s F e r r y, I D, Join NALS Today For more information go to: 11