May 2025

SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2025, AT 6:00 PM, POTLUCK AND PROGRAM 

at the home of Judy Blunt, 1901 ½ South 4th Street West

FYI: No meeting in June due to members attending the American Iris Society Convention in Billings, MT. A newsletter will be sent at the end of May with instructions for participation in the annual iris show June 14th.

DIRECTIONS TO JUDY'S: Proceed to Russell Street. If you are heading South on Russell Street, turn right on 4th Street and proceed to the 1900 block. If you are heading North on Russell Street, turn left at the stop light at 5th Street and Russell Street. Proceed for one block, turn right to 4th street. Proceed to the 1900 block of the 4th Street.

PROGRAM: Conversational program with discussion on preparations for our median show and the annual iris show. Staging techniques, design techniques, and the schedules will be discussed.

NO BUSINESS MEETING: There will be no business meeting that evening. Just good fellowship and conversation.

Please read the article 'MISSOULA IRIS SOCIETY SHOW GARDEN AT FORT MISSOULA' written by Judy Blunt and included in this newsletter. The article will also appear in the Historical Fort Missoula Museum newsletter. Thank you, Judy! It is an excellent article.

MONTANA AND IRIS THEMED GIFT BASKET: Please bring any items you may have for a basket to be auctioned during the silent auction at the American Iris Society Convention in Billings.

MEDIAN SHOW: MAY 24 AT THE HOME OF JUDY BLUNT. Staging at 8:00 AM until 10:45 AM. Judging begins at 11:00 AM. Lunch will be served. The show will conclude at 5:00 PM. Let’s hope the median iris will be blooming at this time. So many times they bloom later than our show date. You will be notified if there is a cancellation of the median show.

ANNUAL IRIS SHOW: SATURDAY, JUNE 14th with set up on June 13th, in the conference room at the Butterfly House. (The same place as last year.) A special newsletter will be sent with guidelines for the show and volunteer duties.

The DYKES BED PROJECT at the Missoula Iris Society Garden has received a grant of $1600.00 from the Energize Your Neighborhood Grant Committee, Community Forum and City Council. We are very thankful for this grant.

TREASURER'S REPORT: Current Balances: Checking Account: $884.37

Savings Account: $3241.15

Certificate of Deposit: $6319.00

PURCHASE OF FORT AND PRESIDENTIAL RHIZOMES: It is time once again to be ordering iris for the fort garden and the presidential rhizomes. The presidential rhizomes go to a member who is in attendance at our meetings and whose number has been drawn. Judy Blunt will be ordering $300.00 worth from Schreiner's Gardens and $300.00 from Mid-America Gardens. The Missoula Iris Society Board has approved this budgeted purchase. Now is the time to order iris for planting in the fall.

APRIL PRESIDENTIAL RHIZOME WINNER: RON DOWELL

Save the date: ICE CREAM SOCIAL, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25TH, AT 5:00 PM, at the home of Judy Blunt, 1901 ½ South 4th Street West.

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Missoula Iris Society Show Garden at Fort Missoula

By Judy Blunt

1640 words, 12 photos [of which only one is included in this newsletter]

It’s difficult to introduce the Iris Show Garden at Fort Missoula without talking about the Missoula Iris Society. The MIS came of age in the mid-50s, an era when gardening ladies formed horticultural clubs, gathering every few weeks at one another’s homes to enjoy a presentation featuring iris followed by an elaborate dessert with coffee. The Society holds 70 years of archival memorabilia representing a history of evolution, from the ladies’ social club to American Iris Society affiliation, from afternoon coffee klatches to the first-Saturday potluck dinners that made it possible for working men and women to attend. The 1960s local iris competitions became nationally recognized horticultural shows. And in 1981 a dozen or so foundational members broke ground in a patch of knapweed behind the Fort Missoula Museum and the Show Garden was born. A difficult birth, yes, one that required dirt-moving equipment and weeks of hard labor, but it was a start that stuck and continued to grow.

The Show Garden’s history of evolution is no less dramatic than that of the Society itself, but instead of meeting minutes and Missoulian clippings, here we move to the photo archives. The garden we enjoy today began as a few mounds of soil surrounded by rocks and planted with iris donated by professional hybridizers. The 45-year renovation that followed is primarily funded by the MIS rhizome sale held each July, though we’ve been awarded some grants over the years to assist with major expansions and watering system overhauls. The most dramatic change to date has been the replacement of ground-level beds with raised beds as members became less and less willing [able?] to do the hands and knees work of weeding, planting and dividing the iris. Most recently, we completed a two-year project that added our savings to a Preserving Missoula County’s History Grant and funding from the Marshall & Mary Brondum Special Assistance Foundation and First Security Bank to pave walkways through the garden for visitors using wheelchairs and walkers. After the great blowdown of 2024, one of our woodworking pros, Gary Steen, came to our rescue by designing and building four new rose trellises. This year, projects include replacing the kiosk at the north end of the garden, updating the watering system and rebuilding the last of the in-ground beds.

I’ve been apprenticing to head-gardener Swede Gustafson since 2020, gradually learning the care and feeding of iris, the upkeep of a public garden open to wall-running kiddos and dirt-digging doggos, and figuring out the quirks of a sprinkler system designed for in-ground plants that’s now throwing water at 2-foot stone walls. Most weeks find me at the Show Garden every day or so, having my way with the weeds, keeping track of things—and answering questions. Here’s a few of the most FAQ:

Who thinks up the names? Each iris variety is named by its hybridizer or originator and registered with the American Iris Society. Think of registered dogs, though instead of something like Chidley Willum Conqueror of Fortham known to friends as “Willy”, flower hybridizers are mercifully short-winded. A metal stake with the variety’s name, type, hybridizer and year of registration identifies each of the 569 varieties growing at the Fort Garden this year. Example of name, type, originator and year would be Dawn Eternal, Tall Bearded, Schreiner, 2013. We keep track of the registered names of the iris and where each variety is grown on master maps of the garden.

What is the Dykes Medal? W. R. Dykes was a leading horticulturist of his era and one of the first to make a study of iris growing and hybridizing. His sudden death in an auto accident in 1925 halted his work on Genus Iris, but in 1927 his contemporaries began awarding a medal to the hybridizer of that year’s outstanding iris variety in his memory. The Dykes Medal has become the most highly coveted, highly prized iris award in the iris world. In our Dykes collection, you’ll note the name, type, hybridizer and two dates—one for the year the iris was introduced and a second for when the Dykes medal was awarded. Those in the larger Dykes beds are 1960s and newer. Earlier Dykes favorites from 1930s, 40s and 50s are scattered here and there throughout the garden. We have one of the largest Dykes collections in the United States.

What are the different kinds of iris in the garden? This question is usually triggered by the signs we have identifying the type of iris in each bed. The majority are tall bearded iris, but the Median Bed has a variety of smaller types: standard dwarf bearded, miniature dwarf bearded, miniature tall bearded, border bearded and intermediate bearded. These types are generally shorter and bloom earlier than their tall bearded brothers and sisters. The non-bearded iris include Siberian iris, spuria and arils. Each type has its own distinctive characteristics which are of great interest to those of us who cultivate them and to others not so much. It’s enough to know that having many types of iris creates an extended bloom season.

When should I visit to see the iris bloom? Earliest blooms depend upon the weather—as we are seeing this year, a long cold spring means a slow start to the bloom season. In May, the Median Bed takes off, followed by the rush of tall bearded iris, Siberians and spuria from end of May through June and into July. But there’s some color throughout the growing season. Daffodils are blooming now. During the summer and into autumn the iris are accented by a few annual and perennial plantings, some peony bushes and the great pink climbing roses that grace the trellises. If by “when” you want to know the

best days to visit, consider that weekends are sometimes taken with weddings and other events on the grounds surrounding the garden, so parking can be more difficult.

Can I plant some of my mom’s irises here? No. Every year we introduce new irises and retire some older ones, and we keep careful track of each change. New irises come from professional hybridizers, and are selected to display specific ideals of type and color as recognized by the American Iris Society. We do maintain quite a few historical iris, either Dykes winners or horticultural groundbreakers.

When is the show/sale? Our show this year is a bit later than usual to allow members to attend the first-ever-in-Montana American Iris Society convention in Billings the week of June 7. Our MIS show will be on June 14, at the Butterfly House and Insectarium at the Missoula County Fairgrounds. It’s open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. But you don’t have to be a member to enter an iris from your own garden. Entries are accepted beginning at 7 a.m. and judging begins at 10:30. Members will be there to help you display your iris in one of our regulation vases. It helps if you know the name of your iris, but we will make every effort to identify it. Unnamed iris are entered in a ‘display only’ category and receive unofficial awards. Novices are not in competition with the pros, so there’s no reason to be intimidated. We’re all iris lovers, first and foremost, and will love to see your entry. The show is a great place to admire around 100 stunning iris in one place. Make note of any named varieties that catch your eye—you might just find it at our sale.

The sale is always the last Saturday of July, this year on the 26th on the Museum grounds near our garden. We cut the tape and start the sale at 9 a.m. sharp. Rhizomes are identified with color photo cards and there are hundreds to choose from. If you don’t give a hoot about names, go directly to the “UNK” table; “unknowns” are very inexpensive. These are often dandy iris that grew between two established hills and could be this or could be that. Something to consider: our rhizomes sell for pennies on the dollar compared to the same varieties in iris catalogues. They are usually a bit smaller than the fat tubers grown in Oregon, but that’s because we live in Montana. Our rhizomes are acclimated to our winters and our elevation for a few years before the clumps are divided and show up in the sale. The ones successful enough to multiply and bloom in Missoula are your best bet for creating your own mini show garden. Cool thing about the sale: you will see many iris experts leaning on shovels, drinking coffee or otherwise helping with the event, and all are willing to lend advice about when, where and how to plant the rhizomes, or even which varieties to consider for your own specific garden situation.

Thank you for your hard work! A frequent comment rather than a question, but the answer is “You’re Welcome!” This public garden is the product of 100% volunteer labor. As one of the chief gardeners, I find my own selfish reasons for time spent tending the plants, a kind of peace that I feel with my hands in the dirt. It’s a reprieve from modern life, the world of screens and politics and turmoil. It’s where I go when my son deploys overseas, when life crowds me into a corner. And then the iris bloom kicks off, and it’s a new show every day.

To learn more about the Missoula Iris Society, follow us on Instagram [missoulairissociety} or visit our website Missoula Iris Society. We update our group Facebook page often, especially when we’re deep into projects. (7) Missoula Iris Society Group Page | Facebook

Those who wish to contribute to our nonprofit ventures or join the MIS are encouraged to contact our president, Betty Ann Gustafson, by email: swedeandba@gmail.com

MINUTES OF THE LAST TWO MEETINGS

March 2025 meeting:

Jim said we applied for a grant for the garden, and they wrote back and asked if we'd take a lesser amount, and we wrote back we would. They had $30,000 to give out and more people applied, and we haven't heard back. Cindy asked about renovations (what it includes). Judy remarked it included things like the sprinkler system. Swede commented there is a new sprinkler system that works great. Judy says she has this for her garden.

Everyone at the meeting accepted the budget. $500 from the University Congregational Church Weekly Readers group was given to us to use however we wish in honor of Dorleen Bakke (in her 90's), a flower arranger and gardener. Jim's idea was to give a plaque at the show for the best design (People's Choice Design). Betty Ann said we'll have a paper certificate for the person who wins it and a photo taken with it.

Betty Ann and Swede met with Carrie Nowlen, the social media director of the Fort, and she gave us some jobs. Judy has graciously taken on a couple of them, and Bronwyn is going to get together with her about social media. Judy met with Carrie at the KYSS studio, and she recorded a forester guide, and Carrie made 2 or 3 recordings. Judy is writing an article for the museum newsletter that's due next month. Carrie wants to know about the history. Judy's got some photos of the early days.

Jim was contacted by a president of the Garden Club of the state of Delaware, and she wanted a list of Montana gardens for a book their state is publishing. He submitted the iris and peony gardens (had pictures & signs).

Judy said we had 567 variety of irises. She offered to e-mail a list and location to anyone who's interested.

Medium show is May 24 at Judy Blunt's. Annual show is on June 14 at the conference room at the Butterfly House.

We did the rhizome drawings for December and March. Judy Blunt and Al Ledford won!

Jim says when we do the presidential rhizomes, we should buy the same rhizomes for everyone, so we can go to each garden and judge successfully. To be a garden judge, you have to judge the same kind of iris at 2 different gardens over a 2 year period.

Jim says next month's program is single blossom injury. He will be discussing it. If a stalk breaks, you can enter it as a single iris. (Take off the good one and enter it.) Judges will get a 1 hour credit towards their requirements and take a test.

Delane Langton did a massive presentation of several photos of his gorgeous iris garden.

April 2025 meeting:

Betty Ann said the CDS were renewed at 3.96%.

We joined Friends of the the Fort.

Judy Blunt went to the Springs and visited with Dorleen Bakke (iris designer and grower) and the University Congregational Church Weekly Readers group.

Judy put together the brochure for the June show, and Ann Bowman showed the brochure.

Judy asked Delane Langton what we could do to help out with the convention. He said to provide a basket that is Montana or iris themed. Cindy said one time she made a basket which included jellies. Erin made several lovely painted wooden ornaments (bear grass, Indian paintbrush, cone flower) for the basket. We appreciate your thoughtful, generous contributions!

Betty Ann passed a get well card around for Eloie Jeter who recently had hip surgery.

For April 2025, Ron Dowell was our rhizome drawing winner!

Jim Sadler presented his very informative single blossom lecture which included a test. Thanks Jim!

Judy suggested June 25th for our icecream social.

PRESIDENTIAL RHIZOME WINNERS: October, Marie Nyquist; November, Gary Clark; December, Al Ledford; March, Judy Blunt; April, Ron Dowell

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Saturday, May 3 , 6.00 PM – Potluck at the home of Judy Blunt

Saturday, May 24 – Median Show at the home of Judy Blunt

Saturday, June 14 – Annual Iris Show at the Butterfly House

Wednesday, June 25, 5.00 PM – Ice Cream Social at the home of Judy Blunt