By Andi Rivarola
I hope you enjoy the new edition of IRISES, cover below, which you will receive through the mail very soon.
A warm welcome to those who are seeing the gorgeous cover of this issue of IRISES, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society for the first time. Those of us who were there in late May will recognize the image as that of Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. The Presby was one of the locations of the 2016 National Convention.
The Spring 2016 issue of the AIS Bulletin will be available soon for online viewing within the Emembers section of the AIS website. Note: to access this area of the website you must have a current AIS Emembership. AIS Emembership is separate from the normal AIS membership. Please see the Electronic Membership Information area of the AIS website for more details.
It's all about Convention Beauties on this edition of IRISES, starting with the cover, the back cover and pages 2 and 59, all filled with fantastic Convention iris images.
Wonderful shots of the Awards Banquet, on pages 22 and 23, showing AIS President Gary White presenting awards to a variety of winners, including Hybridizers Paul Black, Jill Copeland, Rick Tasco and Harry Wolford, but also a portrait of Virginia Keyser of Salinas, California who has the record for most AIS Conventions. Guess what the record is?
All Convention featured gardens are covered starting with the Glenara Gardens on page 24 — 26; the Hildengrandt Garden on pages 28 — 30; and an extensive coverage of the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens on pages 31 — 34, and then 38 and 39. People doing things on pages 40 and 41.
Don't miss the AIS Centennial Convention Visits described in word and beautiful pictures by Jill Bonino on pages 45 and 46.
Please also read about the Morris Arboretum on page 47, written by Jim Morris.
There's a lot more to see and read in this edition of IRISES, either in digital or print formats. If you are an AIS member know that you will receive the print edition soon (it's in the hands of the U.S. Post Office), or if you are an e-member, then that version will be a available online soon as mentioned above.
Happy gardening!
