AUGUST

AIS Announces the 2015 Dykes Medal Winner! OTIS hybridizer Keith Keppel has won this coveted award for Gypsy Lord. Congratulations to Keith and to all of the other winners this year.





Every August auction makes me reminisce. It was 10 years ago in mid-August 2005 that Dennis and I joined OTIS at the potluck and auction, which took place in the packing shed at Mid-America Garden. We had just moved to Salem from California two weeks earlier. Paul Black kindly introduced us to everyone there, many of whom are still in OTIS today. What I remember most is how welcoming the people were and that the auction was so crazy wild. I never saw such fast and lively bidding in my life! We had a wonderful time.

Well, here we are again. The dog days of August are upon us and it’s time for another auction and potluck. Food, friends, and freshly dug irises up for auction make for a great way to spend a day. The auction is a benefit of membership in OTIS, making it possible for you to plant newly introduced irises from top hybridizers. If you have a friend who’d like to join OTIS, bring them. They can join at the potluck, just like Dennis and I did 10 years ago. Your friend’s membership fee will carry until the end of 2016, since it’s so late in the year now.

You know the drill: Bring a favorite dish to share (with serving utensils) and your own place setting(s). Any kind of food—appetizer, vege, entrée, or dessert. We’ll open the room at 11 a.m. to arrange the tables for auction plants and the food buffet. Consider bringing your 2015 catalogs to look up iris names and photos.

If you grow and sell irises, please bring some of your newly released varieties to include in the auction and THANK YOU for doing so. We are deeply grateful for your donations. Auctioneer John Ludi is bringing convention guest irises to add to the mix--many thanks, John. This is a great opportunity. Grab it.

Come hungry and bring your wallet. Cash or check only. Let the bidding begin!

As I’ve been outside watering my plants during the heat waves, I’ve been planning which irises I want to divide and/or remove to make room for newer varieties. If you have clumps to divide or remove, our sale to the public on Sept. 12 at Al’s in Woodburn is a good way to put your extra rhizomes to work for OTIS. The auction and the sale are our only fundraisers each year. Thank you in advance for your contributions. All proceeds from the auction and the sale go toward paying OTIS’ operational costs.

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