October

We iris people love to spend our days in the garden and evenings buried in iris catalogs. With so many phenomenal irises being introduced nowadays, it’s hard to narrow it down to which new ones to add. By the time you read this, you probably have finished digging, dividing, and planting for next season. Now it’s time to sit back with a cup of hot, spiced cider and watch your irises grow through the winter. Best wishes for bountiful bloom next spring.




Now and then we look at something other than irises, and this month we welcome Dave Eckerdt as our guest speaker. His topic, A Garden Appreciator, covers some of his favorite landscapes, plants, and garden art in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, the Carolinas, and Georgia. He’s also going to include an exciting, new (for Dave) garden in West Salem. Many of you know Dave and his excellent presentations. We’re in for a special evening.

Dave and his wife Pat live in Salem in a 120-year old house surrounded by a two acre “collector’s garden”. The 20-plus year old garden known as Deerly Missed has been featured on television, in newspapers, and in magazines. Dave and Pat also are members of the American Conifer Society, the North American Rock Garden Society, the International Clematis Society, The American Rhododendron Society, and several Oregon plant groups. Dave is a past president of the 200 household Salem Hardy Plant Society. An engaging speaker and photographer, Dave is a frequent presenter to Northwest plant organizations. You can visit their garden online at www.deerlymissed.smugmug.com. The photo above is from this site.

We have a photography winner among us! Susan Schouten won an Honorable Mention for her first ever entry in the AIS photo contest this year. She’s one of our newest members and she planted lots of new irises this summer, including Japanese and Louisianas --should be plenty of winning shots ahead of her right in her own backyard. Below is her winning photograph of Roaring Jelly.

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