Preparing Beardless Iris Beds at Dry Creek Garden

by Jeff Bennett

Overview of iris plantings at Dry Creek Garden 

Image (C) 2023 Maxar Technologies | Google Earth

Dry Creek Garden is located in Union City, California and is part of the East Bay Regional Park District. Iris plantings were established for the 2019 American Iris Society National Convention and are maintained by park gardener Jeff Bennett.

In 2021, I decided I wanted to improve our Louisiana iris beds at Dry Creek Garden so that they would hold more moisture and require less physical watering. At the same time, I wanted to try my hand at growing Japanese irises. California is known as a great location for growing bearded irises and of course Pacific Coast native irises and their hybrids, but not so much for the beardless classes (including Louisiana, Siberian, Japanese, and Pseudata hybrids). In this blog post, I will walk you through processes I used to prepare beds in this extremely drought-affected area of the country.

Before preparing beds for new irises, be sure to orders are placed well ahead of planting time to have the greatest choice of varieties. I do this in January and February, when the growers and hybridizers usually update availability and open up their websites for ordering. The irises you order won’t be ship until September, so you have plenty of time to plan and prepare the beds. 

For the new Louisiana iris bed, I dug 10 to 12-inches deep and created a  trench 5 x 30 feet - with the occasional help of Mount Diablo Iris Society or local community volunteers and sometimes other park staff. (Sorry, to readers in every other country in the world. I never quite learned the metric system.) We mounded up all the clay-like, native soil in the pathway next to the bed so it could be returned to the trench later. 

Excavated trench with a mound of removed soil and concrete edging piled to right.
All photos by Jeff Bennett

Next, we lined this trench with weed block to prevent bindweed from coming through very easily. On top of the weed block, we added a layer of 6-mil plastic (is mil metric?). The plastic will prevent the water in the bed from soaking all the way through to China. Once the bed was lined with plastic, we started refilling it with soil in the adjacent mound. We added about four inches of straight compost and then top this with about four inches of the native clay, trying to mix this together as we went. This was followed with another two to three inches of compost and another two to three inches of soil, again mixing it up. Finally, we added a final layer of two to three inches of compost on top. To finish the edges, we used recycled cement from my home patio (which had been removed and hauled here the year before). The cement edging helped conceal plastic from view and gave the bed a finished appearance. Since this area had already housed bearded irises before, I returned the same drip lines onto the top of the bed. The half-inch drip lines have emitters every foot and we planted a Louisiana iris every three feet on each side of the bed using the emitters as a guide. 

Completed and planted Louisiana iris bed.

When I receive any iris orders, I always pot up rhizomes to give them a good start (see my post "Get That Order Planted" from last summer). The bed was completed in January 2022 and potted Louisianas were transplanted from their pots directly into the new bed then. Since they like water and we weren't getting ANY rain, I used a hose to give the bed its first flood soak to settle them in. Now it was their turn to do their work!

Louisiana irises thriving in new bed.

After planting the Louisianas into the new ground bed—alphabetically by name of course—I turned my attention to getting the Japanese irises transplanted into their new water-holding containers. Unlike Louisiana irises, Japanese irises CANNOT dry out. Their roots must remain moist at all times. For them, I decided to use large metal water troughs, typically used for livestock. I got the watering troughs at a local hardware store, but they can also be purchased from farm supply stores. Livestock-watering troughs are galvanized metal and have no drain holes anywhere.

New livestock-watering troughs for Japanese irises.

I first put about three inches of wood chips on the bottom to make a water reservoir below the soil. I then bought a rhododendron soil mixture to provide the acidic pH Japanese irises prefer. I layered this soil with compost to the top of the tubs, about three inches each of rhododendron mix and compost, mixing these together while filling the troughs. Japanese irises like their roots to be wet but the rhizomes need to be above the water table to grow well. To create this effect, I measured down from the top of the tubs five inches and drilled ¼-inch holes in the metal to allow excess water from rain or irrigation to escape. I drilled eight holes in each container, two on each side of the oval-ended tubs. They were now ready to plant. I have nine tubs -  seven for Japanese, one for Pseudatas/Species-X, and the last one for Siberians. For a quicker visual effect, in each tub, I planted seven to eight varieties. Since the irises were growing in pots, I just transplanted them alphabetically to the tubs (rootball and all). It was now February 16, 2022.

Filling livestock troughs with layers of rhododendron soil and compost.

Newly planted beardless irises in livestock troughs.

Everything started growing immediately as it was the season to do so. By early April, the Louisianas were showing good growth and the first flower opened on April 27, less than 100 days after the plant was transplanted into the ground.

Louisiana iris 'Eyes Wide Open' (Heather Pryor, 2016) blooming approximately

100 days after transplanting into the new trenched bed.

The Japanese irises were looking great by early May and the first Japanese bloomed on May 19, just in time for our scheduled Japanese iris judges' training on May 20. 

Japanese iris 'Devi Banri' (Toyokazu Ichie 1989) blooming in May 2022 after being transplanted

into livestock troughs in February.

None of the Siberians bloomed during their first year in the tub, but they put on lots of increase and we are looking forward to them blooming this year. I reiterate that we are growing them the same way as the Japanese irises with wettish roots and rhizomes above a water reservoir. 

This year we created another bed like the Louisiana bed, for the Japanese irises. These will be planted very soon, now that the California storms have passed and we can dig in the soil again. I am adding peat moss to this bed for acidity along with all the compost. We're hoping to grow Japanese irises successfully in our specially-prepared ground beds in this otherwise Mediterranean climate (no natural summer rainfall)!

We had also begun preparing a Japanese iris bed in the same fashion in the heart of the garden down near the creek last fall. Just as we were about to add peat moss to this bed before planting, the atmospheric river of storms hit California starting on December 31, 2022. THANKFULLY, we had not planted the bed yet by transplanting the Japanese irises from their pots into the ground as this area ended up getting flooded and under three feet of water, devastating this part of the garden. Flooding deposited 20-24 inches of silt there and strong winds toppled six mature trees nearby. We are now cleaning up the garden from this storm. In about six months, we hope to re-open the damaged area to the public (~Fall 2023). The damage was bad! Thankfully, the iris area on the hill was not harmed by the flooding. HORRAY!

The Sun Sets on Rainbows: Part III...the Show is On!

by Jeff Bennett

Jeff in the garden at Dry Creek

In previous blog posts (Dec 2020, Jan 2021, May 2021, Oct 2021, I've been sharing information about the Dry Creek Garden ) and events leading up to the 2019 American Iris Society national convention (Part I, Part II). In this post, I will continue sharing memories of "The Sun Sets on Rainbows." 

It’s now two weeks out to displaying the iris planting at the Dry Creek Garden for the first time. All the years of preparation and planning have been leading up to one important day, April 27, 2019. Only our volunteers knew what was growing on the hill in Union City, California. As final touches were made at Dry Creek, few were present to see what was happening. The convention began on Monday and most people were busy completing convention tasks at the hotel in San Ramon and in other host gardens. We got rain up to the week before the convention, and then a heatwave arrived on Tuesday. We wondered what 91-degree temperatures would do. Were miserably hot temperatures in store for us? It was at this time that I realized that a fantastic showing was on the way!

Bearded irises in full bloom in the Dry Creek Garden 

On Wednesday, I entered some flowers from Dry Creek in the convention iris show. While there, the convention chair, Shirley Trio, asked me how the bloom was. Not wanting to give anything away, I just said it was “ok.” There were lots of happy iris people walking around at the show. I was like the fly on the wall, observing the acquaintances chatting and happy to be together at an iris convention. I really didn’t know anybody except the locals, but a few famous people were pointed out to me. National conventions often attract the "Who’s Who?" of irisdom. 

For the next few days, I was back at the garden while convention attendees went on their tours of the other guest gardens. With 737 guest irises there were a lot of stickers to put on iris labels to indicate which convention awards each iris was eligible for. Stars... lots of stars: red, green, gold, silver, etc. But finally, it was done! The day before the garden tour at Dry Creek, out came the tables, chairs, tents, restrooms, and banners. You’d think someone was getting married. As I left Friday evening, just hours before visitors arrived, I just stood and looked at what we did. All for one day: April 27, 2019.

Convention attendees observing irises and comparing notes

When morning came, questions popped into my head. Will the buses be able to get into the parking lot? All four of them? I realized there was no need to worry about that now. Before I knew it, two busloads of people disembarked and were headed our way. Each traveled up the dirt road to the irises on the hill. They were met by volunteers from Mt. Diablo, Sydney B. Mitchell, and Clara B. Rees Iris

Societies, along with hot coffee, morning snacks, and the like.

John Pesek of the Clara B. Rees Iris Society (on right) greets members of the Toth family of Pickrell, Nebraska (left)

Enthusiastic garden visitors meandering in all directions to admire plants in bloom

Pathways made it easy to get close and appreciate each of the hundreds of irises in bloom

Convention attendees poured in and spread out like warm syrup, stopping along the way to snap photos, stare and smile. Everything was in bloom! The tall bearded, border bearded, species crosses, intermediate bearded, miniature tall bearded, arilbred, spuria, Louisiana, and Siberian irises, and (of course) the poppies. California poppies were front and center. Irisarians from all over the United States and Canada were joined by six people from China and two from Mexico City, and all got to see California poppies in all their glory among the iris beds and beyond. And ... the weather was perfect!

Native California poppies and flags waving gently under perfect blue skies

A musical ensemble consisting of a harpist, viola and bass played for visitors to enjoy, including the general public. They too had been waiting for us to open. Just after noon, the other two buses arrived to have their lunch before seeing the garden as they had just come from the beautiful Cummins garden in Scotts Valley near the coast. After they arrived and mingled with the first two buses, the first buses loaded up and went to the Cummins garden.

Convention attendees enjoyed delights for their eyes, ears AND stomachs!

It was a wonderful day that I will never forget! So many heartfelt compliments. Our pathways were very wide, so those with mobility issues could actually get close to any clump they wanted and take their own picture. They asked what kind of fertilizer we were using to get such big plants and flowers. "None" was my answer. No sprays for leaf spot either. Just great California Sun that Sets On Rainbows!

John Jones conducting an in-garden judges training session

Jeff discussing irises in the garden with volunteers, hybridizers, and guests.

As the last visitors left to get on the buses, I drew a breath of relief. My job was done: have lots of flowers blooming on the day they visit!

Please come visit Dry Creek Garden some spring in Union City, California. A beautiful iris display awaits you just up that hill. 

A sign with painted irises is ready to welcome you to the Meyers Cottage and Dry Creek Garden

All photos courtesy of local photographer Cali Godley

The Sun Sets on Rainbows at Dry Creek: Part I

By Jeff Bennett

Jeff at the Dry Creek Garden establishing the iris beds

 

As you may know, it takes years to prepare for an American Iris Society (AIS) national convention. In this post, I share the story of how the Dry Creek Garden in Union City, California became a place where “The Sun Sets on Rainbows.”

In 2014, I was a fairly new Gardener at Dry Creek Garden and wanted to add to the existing irises already growing there. I remembered purchasing rhizomes from an iris society booth in Benicia in the late 1990s and thought it might be just the place to get more irises at good prices. On the second Saturday in August I returned, hoping they would again have a booth. Sure enough, some very nice ladies from the Mt. Diablo Iris Society had traveled from Walnut Creek, and I was able to purchase 25 different named varieties from their booth. While I was there, a few former horticulture classmates of mine introduced me to Shirley Trio-Probst. Shirley was preparing for a proposed convention in California’s Bay Area and was looking for a garden with room to plant up to 1,000 irises for the 2018 AIS National Convention. She gave me more details than I could absorb in 38 minutes, but I shared my thought that the Dry Creek Garden might have an area. I told Shirley I would have to ask my supervisor for permission after explaining the details to him and would get back to her.

Upon looking for places in the garden to plant these irises, my supervisor and I agreed on a good location if the convention committee thought so too. After some time had elapsed, Shirley arranged for the movers and shakers of the local iris scene to come check out the garden. None of them had been to the Dry Creek Garden before; not even then AIS Regional Vice President John Pesek or his wife Barbara who only lived a few miles away. Our meeting went well, and I was told Dry Creek would be considered (along with other locations) to become one of five display gardens for convention tours. Many more months passed without word, until we found out that Northern California would not host the 2018 convention, but the 2019 convention instead. After two other locations under consideration had trouble committing to the rules of the convention and other logistics, in fall 2015 the committee offered Dry Creek the gig.

During the 2015 Region 14 Fall Meeting, a meeting for all convention garden hosts was held. Names, phone numbers and emails were exchanged along with the planting bed rules. Beds were to be 4 feet wide and no longer than 40 feet long. Pathways were to be 6 feet wide so two people could be bent over facing each bed and taking pictures at the same time. Irises also needed to be planted in alphabetical order by name from each hybridizer. So I ran with these rules and started designing the layout of the beds on paper to best use the terrain we were dealing with.

In fall 2016, the first irises were to arrive. These were the beardless ones: Louisianas, Siberians, spurias, species hybrids and Pacific Coast hybrids. September 2016 saw the first three beds made in a patch of soil that had never been cultivated before. Lots of rototilling, adding compost, measuring bed boundaries and irrigation installation was done prior to planting the first beardless irises. Beardless irises need to be planted a year earlier than bearded irises for a convention to help get them established for a better display. This was completed and I now had about a year to get the bearded iris beds made before their arrival in fall 2017.

Preparing soil with a rear-tined rototiller for new iris beds

Installing irrigation for beardless iris beds at Dry Creek Garden

                    

The area where the bearded iris beds were planned to go was an open field. It needed a fence to enclose the area and protect it from wildlife and the public. Being a public agency, we had to get our board of directors’ approval to appropriate funds to install an 8-foot-tall cyclone fence around the area. The soil had also never been cultivated before. It was just a sloping hill of non-native grasses (weeds, to be frank) and a few California poppies poking through the smothering grasses. In April 2017, I prepared and delivered a PowerPoint® presentation to the board to show where we would be planting the irises. The presentation included fabulous pictures of irises in bloom so there was no way they could say no. When all was done, they approved the $15,000 fence.

A tractor with bucket and box blade helped us break ground for the bearded iris beds.

We broke ground for the planting in mid-July 2017, which was before fencing was installed. I couldn’t wait for the fence any longer as the bearded irises would be arriving over the next two months. First by mowing the weeds, then plowing the soil with a tractor. It was a hot and dry time of year in California, so I had to pre-wet the area to rototill for 21 beds and pathways. Damp soil made this easier but it still took days to complete.

Wooden stakes and orange flags marked the future locations of iris beds and pathways.

 

Once the area was satisfactorily loosened up, a volunteer and I went to work measuring out the bed and path perimeters. This done, we shoveled soil from planned pathways into the planned beds to raise them 6-8 inches above the path. This was back-breaking work to say the least, but two months later the beds were built. About 3-4 inches of compost was added to the top of each bed and rototilled in. Next, the initial dripline irrigation was laid onto the top of each bed, but it could not be hooked up to water until the water line was brought in and this was not completed until spring 2018. Once the dripline was installed, we were ready to plant!

Bearded iris beds in progress at Dry Creek Garden

 

Starting on October 1, 2017, the members of the Mt. Diablo Iris Society helped plant 740 bearded irises at the Dry Creek Garden. These were hand watered for the first six weeks until the period of regular, seasonal rainfall began. We also planted 46 bearded seedlings near the 37 beardless seedlings planted in 2016 as part of a unique event for the 2019 AIS National Convention. Bearded seedlings would compete for the prestigious name ‘Centennial Celebration’, and beardless for the equally prestigious name ‘Centennial Anniversary’, which would commemorate the 100^th Anniversary of AIS happening in 2020. Each attendee would cast their vote for their favorite bearded and beardless seedling during the convention. Winning the competition would be tricky as the seedling would have to be blooming on the day of the garden tour, planned five years ahead of time, between 8am and 3pm in late April at a convention host garden in Northern California. The winning bearded entry and beardless entry would be announced at the final banquet of the convention. What are the odds of it all working out?

Volunteers from the Mt. Diablo Iris Society at Dry Creek in October 2017

Mary Sindicic organizing bearded guest irises for planting.

Park Ranger Sandy carefully arranged bearded iris rhizomes along irrigation lines.

I was also carefully spacing out guest irises to ensure each had room to grow and thrive.

Riley Probst planting a rhizome in a delightfully well-prepared raised bed.

Shirley Trio-Probst hand-watering one of the 740 newly planted rhizomes.

 

During the planting, I had already begun to trap gophers. Three the first day, three the second day, then nothing. That was the beginning of over 100 gophers dispatched from the iris area over the next two years. Not a single iris was lost to gophers during that period. (I use Victor Black Box® traps, in case you’re wondering.) Once gophers were trapped, they were put out for the wildlife to eat which they gladly did. Not a gopher wasted!

For three long months after planting, there was no fence. The company that won the bid to do the work had to complete their fence project at the Oakland Zoo before they could start ours. I had many restless nights wondering if someone was pilfering irises from the Dry Creek Garden. Luckily, none were taken. Deer tasted some of them, but rhizomes were left on the ground near their planting hole and I could quickly put them back in their spot. Only one, ‘Miles of Smiles’ by Mike Sutton, was never found. The fencing company arrived to start our project on December 31, 2017; and I could finally stop worrying. Three days later, the irises were safe in their cyclonic enclosure.

Stay tuned for Part II describing the next sixteen months leading up to the 2019 AIS Convention, “The Sun Sets on Rainbows.”

Dry Creek Garden, Union City, California

by Jeff Bennett

I have been writing a series of articles about the Dry Greek Garden. In my first article, I introduced myself and my history with irises. In the second, I introduced readers to the land that encompasses Dry Creek Garden and its acquisition by the May family and then passed down to become a part of the Meyers’ estate. The third described the transition from cattle ranch to a summer retreat. In this fourth installment, I will share some of the parties that were held at Dry Creek Garden commencing in 1952 and ending in the final summertime bash in 1972.

The gatherings at Dry Creek were held to benefit the Alameda Welfare Council, which raised money for the needy in the Alameda area and still exists to this day. The Meyers sisters were very generous to local causes and loaned their ranch for the annual events for the Council which brought in thousands of dollars to help families with physical, psychological and monetary needs. They were well known not only for their kindness in helping the disadvantaged, but also for giving generously of their resources and time.

Themed parties at the Dry Creek Garden were planned well in advance of their August date. The themes varied from things like national origin, Gold Rush Days, Colonial, Victorian and the color pink. Yes, pink! For the pink party, they planted the grounds with all kinds pink flowers available at the time. I’m guessing they may have even found a pink iris or two to plant. Everything was pink, even the clothing to wear was to be pink. This made for fun times for the ladies who gathered.

During these events, a box lunch was provided with soft drinks. Booths were set up with items for sale, and many of them were hand made. Jams, pastries, fruit, clothing, and crafts were offered for sale. A nursery area sold plants nurtured by Council members. Most items were sold out at the annual events. With 400 to 700 women attending, there’s no reason why there should not be a sell out of the items.

The pictures in this article are from published newspaper periodicals in the Oakland Tribune under the sections of Women’s World and Feminine Sphere. The Alameda Times-Star also published reviews of the events under Social Whir. According to newspaper reviews, some party goers drove over 50 miles to attend the annual event and the line of cars parked down Mission Boulevard was over a half mile long. No tickets were sold at the gate—tickets had be purchased in advance. The pictures show that all the ladies wore dresses and fancy shoes. This was the highlight social event of the area every summer.

Gardens were planted and full of summer blooming flowers: dahlias, roses, zinnias, daylilies, hydrangeas, daisies, begonias, fuchsias, hollyhocks, snapdragons, petunias, and others. Events started at 11 am and ended at 3 pm. Some years, it actually rained and thundered during the event. These days, it would be quite rare for it to rain in August. During parties at Dry Creek, visitors were free to roam the approximately 4 acre site, see the fruit trees of citrus, apples, plums, almonds, avocado, peaches and persimmons. They would also play bridge or other card games. A dip in the swimming pool was also allowed for any that wanted to.

The last of these parties was held at Dry Creek Garden in 1972. Dr. Edith Meyers became ill and passed away in 1971 at 70 years of age. With Edith gone, the remaining sisters, Mildred and Jeanette, decided to donate the 1,200-acre ranch to the East Bay Regional Park District. They kept the cottage and garden as their summer home. Mildred, the architect, passed away in 1986 at age 88. In the later years, Jeanette no longer traveled to the garden as often. Jeanette, the gardener, passed away in November of 1993. In their will, the final 60-acre parcel of Dry Creek Garden was passed to East Bay Regional Park in 1995 to be preserved for the public to enjoy.

It took until 2007 to get repairs done to the cottage and property to open to the public. Thirty-five years after the last party in 1972, Dry Creek Garden was once again open to the public for all to enjoy. Today, both parcels of land are enjoyed  by hundreds of people on a daily basis. To this day, the 1,260 acres that Mildred, Edith and Jeanette donated is the largest piece of land ever donated to the 121,000+ acre park system called the East Bay Regional Park District.

In my next and final article, I will bring you to the development of the iris gardens at Dry Creek that were established for the 2019 American Iris Society Convention, “The Sun Sets on Rainbows”, headquartered in San Ramon, California

 

 

 

Irises and Dry Creek Garden

 By Jeff Bennett

In my last article on the history of Dry Creek Garden, we left off with the acquisition of the property as a cattle ranch and it being deeded to Bertha Meyers from her mother Sofia in 1900. The first of three children, Mildred Meyers was born in 1898. Edith Meyers was born in 1900 and Jeanette Meyers in 1905. The cottage at Dry Creek, designed by their father Henry, an Architects, was constructed as a summer retreat from the family home in Alameda, Ca. (near Oakland, California) in 1900. The three daughters would spend their summers here and enjoy the wilds of the rolling hills with a meandering creek through the Dry Creek property. Before they would make the approximately 20 mile trek to the property, a trunk of their needs was sent to the cottage for them for the summer. It must have been a magical place for them to visit the ranch as it was fairly isolated then. Dry Creek is tucked into the foot of a canyon, protected by a high berm of land that shelters the area from wind. The cottage is about 20 yards north of the creek and nestled into the oak studded hillside. The wrap around porch of this modest estate faces south and looking down towards the creek and beyond. Another 20 yards south of the creek, another hill rises to make the gentle canyon complete.

Henry Myers

The Meyers sisters all attended UC Berkeley. This was unusual at a time when many women did not get degrees in mainly male dominated fields. Mildred became an Architect like her father in 1921. Edith studied medicine and became a Pediatrician at Children’s Hospital in Oakland in 1926. Jeanette attended UC Berkeley and studied Botany. It was Jeanette who wanted to develop the gardens at the family retreat at Dry Creek. So in 1928, she and her architect sister, Mildred started the layout of the gardens.

The stone pillars in front were built in 1930 along with the masterfully built stone walls lining the creek to contain it. A vehicle bridge was also built across the creek on cement buttresses. Two more walking bridges were constructed to access the future planting beds on the other side of the creek. Over the next decade, many new native and exotic trees were planted including Incense Cedar, Red Oak (East Coast), Buckeye (Ohio Species), Flowering Cherries, Coast Redwoods and many varieties of fruit trees.

The California Nursery was also very close. This, I’m sure was their source of many of the species of plants in the garden. California Nursery Company was established in 1884. In the 1930’s, it would host bulb festivals that would see over 5,000 visitors in a weekend. They also sold plants wholesale and retail to the public. With it being so close, I am sure some iris were purchased there. Another connection the sisters may have had to iris was Jeanette’s botany classes at UC Berkeley in the late 1920’s to possibly early 30’s. With Sidney B. Mitchell being the University Librarian and Edward O. Essig being the chairman of the entomology department at UC Berkeley who in 1935 became an American Dyke’s Medal winner for Sierra Blue, and then there was also Carl Salbach in the Berkeley hills near the University. William Mohr also lived a few miles from Dry Creek. So as you can see, Jeanette had many opportunities to meet and get to know these early important hybridizers and introduce iris to the gardens at Dry Creek that still grow there today. So far I have identified, Alta California and California Blue as irises that have been here for at least 8 decades by my calculations.

By 1941, work on the garden had halted due to World War ll. The war effort shifted the focus away from garden improvements until the war was over in 1945. Their father Henry Haight Meyers passed away in 1943 at the age of 75. He was a very prominent San Francisco architect and designed over 200 buildings and was the County Architect for Alameda County from 1912 to 1930. Henry’s wife Bertha S. Meyers passed away in 1947 at 78 years of age.

After Bertha’s passing the three sisters started new improvements to the property at Dry Creek. This included a swimming pool and cabana built in 1947 and 1950 respectively. These were the last major improvements done to the property. For Mildred, the Architect, this was her most significant construction to her name that was built. Being a woman, it was much harder for her to be the lead architect on projects in the private or public sector. Mildred retired in the early 1950’s. By 1960, Edith, the Pediatrician, had also retired from Children’s Hospital in Oakland. At that time, she donated $50,000 to the Hospital that has a room that bears her name and legacy. In 1960, $50,000 was a very large sum of money. With homes selling for less than $5,000, it could have  made them some great tycoons. But that was not their style. They were a very generous trio of sisters that never married and lived together their entire lives. With the two oldest working their careers, Jeanette took care of the duties in the home in Alameda and at Dry Creek. Part of their philanthropy began in 1951. They were members of The Alameda Welfare Council and decided to have fundraisers at the garden to raise funds for the council by selling items. To quote the local newspaper; “Country store booths will have a generous display of home cooked foods, handmade gifts, country fresh vegetables, plants and shrubs. After luncheon, guests may linger in the gardens for bridge, tables to be placed beneath gay colored umbrellas or on the wide cool verandas. There will be swimming for those that wish to do so.” These events were for women only and the attendees would number from 415 to close to 700 during the 20 years it was held.

I’ll stop here so that the next issue will show some of the newspaper photos and the annual themes that went along with the annual party.