2023. Starting with 35 members, this year had us back on track with a normal schedule after a really busy 2022. Our elected officers were: President Eva Barry, Vice President Candy Scott, Treasurer Linn Furnish, Secretary Rae Phillips, and Past President Helen Crotty. Eva Barry needed to step down in February, so Rae took the helm with it becoming a community effort from the other officers and our members.
Our Annual Iris Show was held on April 23rd, with a relatively small number of participants due to the early date; many irises were not yet in bloom. Most of our entries were ABs and SDBs – which was actually a nice change, since shows held in May are mostly TBs. It introduced our members and attendees to varieties of iris not always present at our shows, and hopefully encouraged members to start growing some of them. Several members had expressed interest in adding artistic design to our show, so they were encouraged to create some as a display-only section. Given its popularity, the section will probably be added to future shows.
Our Iris Sale was July 15th, with likewise smaller participation due to the excessive heat that prevented many from digging. (We really appreciated all the brave souls that got out early in the mornings to do so.) Eva, Linn, Candy and others had potted iris last year from those we received from national convention in Las Cruces, so they brought in additional income to make this annual fund raiser a success.
Good participation from most of our members helped make these events successful. Our 2023 meetings were also well attended with enthusiastic participation. We featured guest presenters who expanded our knowledge of all things iris -- especially helpful given that many newer members are just getting into growing iris. The only months we do not have any events are January and November. We finished the year with a fun Holiday Party December 13th. We are ending the year with 41 members.
2024. Major events scheduled for next year will be the Iris Show on Mothers' Day May 12 and the Iris Sale July 13. Meeting dates for 2024 are Feb 18, Mar 17, Apr 28, June 16, Aug 18, Sept 22, and Oct 20. Meetings are usually held at 2:00 pm at the Albuquerque Garden Center and visitors are always welcome. We are way behind in updating our website (albuquerquearilandirissociety.com), but it still contains good information on growing and processing iris. Meanwhile, join us on our active Facebook group page, especially when bloom season begins.
Rcp/AAIS/1.15.24 – 505-235-5992, raecyp65@gmail.com
Q: how much do the iris cost?