2013 AIS Region 4 Fall Meeting
Tours and Rebloom Plantings
Tours were part of the program on Friday and Saturday. Friday featured Maymont Park while Saturday's tour lead to the J Sargeant Reynolds Community College. Participants toured the facilities, stopping at the reblooming iris trial display beds.
The reblooming bearded iris trial display beds at Maymont Park and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College were the true stars of the AIS Region 4 Fall Meeting for 2013. Unlike the annual Spring Meetings, rebloomers have no equal in the autumn garden. Despite being replanted in March, the Maymont planting had bloom to see. Lunar Whitewash (Innerst, 2003, a nicely ruffled pure white, easily led the way there.
The JSRCC display beds exceeded all reasonable expectations. For the first time in years, iris society members encountered "spring bloom in the fall." Rosalie Figge (McKnew, 1993), I Do (Zurbrigg, 1974), My Friend Jonathan (B. Miller, 1996), Pink Attraction (E. Hall, 1988) and Echo Location (Wilkerson, 2007) had easily ten or more bloomstalks in each clump. The intentional grouping of the "best" rebloomers in all bearded classes for Central Virginia can indeed succeed and make a bold statement. It is hoped future performance at both locations will inspire the general public to use reblooming bearded irises in their suburban garden lineups.