And the (not so) funny thing about the weather in Kansas City is as bad as the Summer is, Winter can be just as mean. Bitter cold, wind and damp..

Blessings

I don't even want to think about winter yet!

The heat broke for us too, the past couple of days. And looks to be *cool* (in the 80's) for the next week or so. However -- the humidity remains right up there, and the rain keeps coming. So it takes no time at all to work up a sweat. My yard cart doubles as a drying rack for soaked headbands, neckbands and hand towels.

tveguy3 said: Also I have only been scammed once by an ATP/NGA person. I have learned that the people who only show up on here when it's time to divide irises and their first or second post is asking for irises, that they are most likely people looking for cheap or free irises to sell on E-bay for high prices.

Funny you say that tom, Because there is a certain woman on here that does that and I see her do the same thing on Facebook in the Iris forums. Only wanting things for postage or free Iris with nothing to share. She shows up at the beginning of June and disappears at the beginning of September.

@islandview

Ivor, hello! Since you are talking about the "Display Garden" policy/procedure for DVIS, I figured I would chime in since my garden is a DVIS display garden. If you want folks to see your garden, then you sign up. It is that simple. No real rules. The website has a few rules, but they are easy. This feature I believe was for non members to come visit our gardens and inspire folks to get serious about irises. There is a note somewhere about calling or emailing ahead before just showing up.

I have had my garden up as a display garden for four plus years and sadly have not had anybody come by (that I know of)

Oh -- that IS sad................

On a happy note, though -- do you remember that lovely Daylily that you sent me several years ago, Greg? This year it is a superstar! It started blooming in June -- and right now still has blooms on it! In addition to that, it has seed pods AND proliferations!!! That is one happy Daylily!! Thank you again for sending it to me. I can't tell you how much I like it and enjoy it!!

Islandview said:Arlyn, I was fascinated to read what you had to say about display gardens. It's a bit sad that visitors don't even know common courtesy to begin with but hopefully if they see what is expected of them in writing or somehow spelled out, they'll get the hints. I was interested because i recently joined a local iris society and in their newsletter there were some display gardens listed. I wasn't sure how this works. Does one make a cold call and ask to trod on their private property? One of the gardens near my place specializes in reblooming irises so I thought maybe in the fall, I'd give it a whirl and call her. By the way, how does an iris garden qualify to be a "display garden?"

Luckily, as Tom pointed out, it's a VERY small percentage of visitors who are "rude", and, it's a very small percentage of folks who try to "scam" you, somehow, but, just ONE can really ruin your outlook...if you let it!...Most visitors, and forum members, are decent folks, who try to treat "the other guy" fairly. Anyone can forget, in the busy iris season, to mail the check, or say thanks for the box.....that happens, and can be corrected and forgiven pretty easily.
Every "group" has slightly different "Display Garden" parameters....but, generally, they want a "representative number" of irises to be grown .....if memory serves, HIPS asks that 25 Historics be in the garden.....potential visitors are asked to "make an appointment" before arriving, and, as Greg said, the idea is to entice others to "join the group", or, just "grow some irises". We have never had a LOT of response, as we are in a more "rural" area, but, we DO get a lot of "drive by gawkers".....and they are encouraged to stop in, and look around, by an "open garden" sign placed by the street, and notices put out at a local greenhouse. I think in the three years We've been a HIPS garden, we've had ...maybe....30 calls, or e-mails (this was also our first year as a Median Iris Display Garden) specifically to "set up a time", and I'd say in that same three years, we've probably had 300-400 ", brought in by either the signs, or by "word of mouth".

Wow! That is a lot of people Arlyn.

As far as drop ins go, I had one couple come by on a very cold, dreary February day because they had heard so much about my garden. Pots were turned over to prevent freezing and bursting, Large pots were covered with tiles to protect them. Large strawberry pots were enclosed in garbage bags to keep them from filling with water and bursting, the fire pits were overturned and I had a nice layer of leaves everywhere. There were no welcome signs, the seating areas were not welcoming with pillows and blossoms.

I looked out the window on a heavily overcast day at two nicely dressed people, wearing big coats and hats, wandering about looking lost. I put on my boots, and coat and went out into the frigid air with a smile. They told me that they had heard about my garden while visiting their family over the holidays. I told them that it could be quite lovely but that right now it was dormant. Only the bottle trees were blooming and then I invited them to come back anytime between March and September. I still wonder what in the heck they could have been thinking.

Misawa77 said:@islandview

Ivor, hello! Since you are talking about the "Display Garden" policy/procedure for DVIS, I figured I would chime in since my garden is a DVIS display garden. If you want folks to see your garden, then you sign up. It is that simple. No real rules. The website has a few rules, but they are easy. This feature I believe was for non members to come visit our gardens and inspire folks to get serious about irises. There is a note somewhere about calling or emailing ahead before just showing up.

I have had my garden up as a display garden for four plus years and sadly have not had anybody come by (that I know of)

Maybe next year I can come.

Wish I could visit every members patch. Can you imagine the beautiful irises we would see. (speaking of daylight visits now, sans spade).

Off topic a bit...I have had people pull into my driveway to ask about my plants. I always share and it makes me feel so good that someone else is enjoying my yard. Most will get out and ohh and ahh. Now, I can't do that myself to other people...although I so badly want to. This has only happened in the warm weather for me, Bonnie.

I trade a good bit of plants/seeds on facebook sites. And it is a job to prepare and package plants and lug them to the PO. It's a joyful job to receive packages and plant them out.

I do get passerby individuals who ask about the iris, and a few that ask if I sell them. I haven't sold them thus far, but if an individual is interested and leaves contact information I am willing to reach out to them if I have some available.

grannysgarden said:Wish I could visit every members patch. Can you imagine the beautiful irises we would see. (speaking of daylight visits now, sans spade).

"off season" visitors do sometimes make you wonder a bit, don't they Bonnie ! We *generally* have a good rebloom show (probably not THIS year , though....considering the bed changes and disease ), and with Rita's lilies, daylilies, and the other perennials, there is generally "color ", of some sort.
I generally have several folks "stop back" to get something that I've offered to share with them, and, I have been known to have "piles" of irises at the curb, with a large FREE sign, on those occasions when a bed needs redone / divided.The "sharing" of irises brings up another thing ....I know Tom has commented, in the past, that if folks have a few $ invested, they are more likely to actually "plant" the iris, where, if they are "totally free', it's easy to decide to "trash them" rather than "plant them", and I agree with him, but, when I "gift" plants to 'locals", it's generally that they need to "come back in late June, and pick them up", and, most DO come back.....those that DON'T, are the ones who probably would have "trashed them".
I often get asked , "Are these for sale ??", and my reply is, "No, but I'll GIVE you some, if you come back at digging time. And, if YOU have any you need to dig, we can trade , if you want." ( That's probably got a LOT to do with why my 'noid bed" is so large )

I would visit your garden Greg if it were closer. I would think it would be so wonderful if more people were beautifying their yards around here. I take short walks around the neighborhood to admire the ones that do. I am so happy to have found the secret gardener because his is like a private park.

Arlyn, but I bet it is still a very pretty bed. I think we here who collect so many iris start to count noids as second class citizens, but to the passerby or visitor who would love that "beautiful blue one" it matters much less that it has a name than that it is beautiful and smells good, and they can try growing it in their garden. If it starts a passion for more iris then that noid is as good as gold.

One of the specials I run locally is a grab bag of either 20 or 30 different cultivars of my choice. I just put the color on them so they can arrange them. I always tell them that if they at some point decide they want to know the name, that I would be happy to let them know. Or if they want to, I can tell them the names and they can write them on them as I'm digging. I know how it is when you just start, you don't often think the name is important, but as time passes, that seems to change.

Now that's funny, off season people. I have to admit I enjoy my gardens in the Winter almost as much as the rest of the year. I walk the beds, talk to them, tell them to have a good rest. I still fuss over them, keeping the usual Winter 'stuff' out of the beds. You would think they were my children. I know, hopeless.
But I swear, this coming Dec/Jan when I see all that dirt between them, I'm not going to go crazy thinking there is"room for way more" and order from seven vendors. This year, just one!!

Blessings