$5,471 being the GSLIS portion. Nyla Hughes moved, Judy Watters seconded that GSLIS donate $8,000.00 to the MOBOT Horticulture Department. Motion passed.

Judy Watters presented the October Treasurer's Report with a balance of $28,204.32. The entire report is part of the minutes. It was moved by Jean Morris, seconded by Mary Broida, that the Treasurer's Report be approved subject to audit. Motion passed.

Jim Morris reported that he had paid the storage unit rental fee for the next eight months. He gave expense reports to both the GSLIS and KIS treasurers since the two clubs split the storage cost.

Announcements: A letter of resignation from the GSLIS Board was read from John Macchi. John found it necessary to resign as GSLIS Director due to his failing health and the loss of his wife, Dolores.

Old Business: The subject of our annual donation to Region 18 was brought up. Judy Watters indicated that this is usually done after the GSLIS budget meeting in January. It was reported that the AIS show medals for 2009 have not been received because of problems with the AIS Exhibitions committee.

The GSLIS Nominations Committee, consisting of Nyla Hughes, Debra Pratt and Beth Holbrooke gave a report as follows: Debra Pratt nominated to fill the Director position; with no candidate for Secretary, Mary Broida volunteered. The terms of Director positions were reviewed with the dates of expiration as follows: new nominee Debra Pratt 2013; Mae Porch 2012; and, Ginni Hill 2011. The slate of officers was presented as follows: Jim Morris, President; Robin Gosnell, Vice President; Mary Broida Secretary; Judy Watters Treasurer.

Jean Morris moved, Kim Peterson seconded, that the Nominations Committee's report be accepted and that the above slate of officer's and director be elected by acclamation. Motion passed.

New Business: Those present were asked if GSLIS should purchase 2010 AIS calendars. After a show of hands, it was moved by Mary Broida, seconded by Jean Morris that we purchase twenty. Motion passed. Jean will order the calendars.

Jean Morris brought up the possibility of GSLIS purchasing enamel pins with the GSLIS logo. Members expressing a desire for such a pin to have a bar and loop backing rather than a stud fastener. By acclamation, it was decided that Jean would check on prices and report the information at a later meeting.

Barbara Lawton sent Iris setosa seeds (from Fairbanks, AK) for anyone who might like to plant and grow them.

Door Prizes: TBs Judy Watters, Jean Morris, Debra Pratt, Jim Morris; Medians Mary Broida, Nyla Hughes.

Nyla Hughes moved, Jean Morris seconded that the meeting be adjourned. The Program, "What's New in Irises," slides taken at the 2009 AIS Convention, followed the meeting, given by Jim Morris.

Respectfully submitted,
Jean Morris, Secretary

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Greater St. Louis Iris Society Minutes
December 6, 2009

After a delicious turkey pot-luck holiday dinner, a brief meeting was called to order by President Jim Morris at 2:45 pm with eighteen members present.

Jim reported on the highlights of the AIS Fall Board meeting held in November in Tulsa, OK. AIS approved a deficit budget in Tulsa, and is in need of funds from the affiliates, regions, sections and cooperating societies. After discussion Lyn Fauth moved, Debra Pratt seconded that GSLIS donate $1,000.00 to the AIS General Fund. Motion passed.

A nice note from longtime member Rose Pohousky was read about her recovery process from her knee replacement surgery. A get well card for longtime member Dorothy Darst (recovering from a fall) was passed around for everyone to sign.

We held our iris door prize drawing: TBs Ernie Henson, Michael Cheung, Marilyn Ruemmler and Ellen Henson; Medians Camilla Kotrba and Jim Morris.

Discussion ensued about adding a beardless iris to the drawing. Nyla Hughes moved, Debra Pratt seconded that in the future we draw as follows: three (3) TBs, two (2) Medians and one (1) beardless iris. Motion passed.

The meeting adjourned at 3:20 p.m.

Respectively submitted,
Jean Morris, Secretary

(Holiday Party attendees pic by Jim Poschel, rt.)

AIS Fall 2009 Board Meeting Report

Notes Compliments of
Debbie Strauss, Reg. 17 RVP

The American Iris Society meets twice each year to conduct the official business of the society. The Fall Board meeting was held November 6-8, 2009 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

There were several board motions made and passed. They are listed below.

• AIS will invite the Tall Bearded Iris Society to participate in the AIS convention in Madison, WI in June 2010. (They accepted the invitation.)
• AIS will invite the Tall Bearded Iris Society to become a Section of AIS. (They declined the invitation.)
• Kelly Norris was elected as full time editor of the AIS Bulletin.
• The AIS Bulletin will be published in January 2010 as an 8-1/2" by 11" saddle stitched magazine style publication. Also in January, an annual plain paper business edition or supplement will be published with the Bulletin.
• The prizes for the Clarke Cosgrove winners will be increased by $50 per year for each winner, 1st and 2nd runner-up to be paid from the Jimmy Jones (California) bequest.
• AIS Region 3 and Region 19 will be combined into a new Region 3 that will include PA, DE, and NJ.
• There will be a new standing committee chairman, the Affiliates Liaison. (Jody Nolin of Ohio was appointed.)
• An Affiliates email group will be formed with an e-mail contact person for every affiliated club (there are 172 in the U.S. and Canada).
• Three types of AIS memberships will be created: a virtual membership, a print membership and a full membership. Stay tuned for future details.
• The AIS Tall Bearded Iris Symposium ballot in 2010 will be available on the AIS web site for downloading and printing for anyone to vote and send to their RVP.
• AIS will register (already accomplished) with Brett & Becky's fundraising project called Bulbs Blooming. A percentage of each order placed (when identified as from an AIS member) will benefit AIS.
• The hybridizer's registration fee for cultivars will increase to $15 effective June 30, 2010.
• A budget was adopted that has a deficit of $14, 824 but leaves an unrestricted operating reserve of $78,502. This reserve is only enough for three years of operation before AIS would be bankrupt so funding requests will be sought from affiliates, Regions, Sections and Cooperating Societies.

(The Treasurer has already sent a request letter to all, and GSLIS voted to contribute $1,000.)

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Iris Thoughts from Henry Mitchell, famous gardening columnist, in The Essential Earthman

"No other flowers surpass (roses and irises) in beauty (and indeed no other even equals the iris, I think), but if they are to be grown at all, they should be given ideal sites (they will sulk otherwise) and high culture."

"I have one bed of irises 4 feet by 15 feet which had produced about two hundred stalks of bloom. This is only accomplished by jamming them in and very carefully fertilizing them with a teaspoon here and a teaspoon there through the year. The idea is to feed, cultivate, and water them within an inch of their lives, stopping just short of making them so lush they rot-which they will do en masse if you go too far. (Always err on the side of too little rather than too much pampering if you must err; but it is better to hit it precisely right. Light feedings-a teaspoon of 5-10-5 chemical fertilizer on March 20, April 23, July 10, and August 3, for each clump of seven fans of leaves, is about right at my place-are better than one gross feeding, in my experience. This presupposes, of course, that the irises were planted in July in beds dug eighteen inches or so, with plenty of leaf mold or its nearest equivalent mixed in and allowed to settle before the rhizomes were planted, and of course you sprinkled about one good single handful of 5-10-5 per square yard before you started digging.)

...Following these precepts, then, you cultivate them off and on throughout the year with repeated light scratchings, going no deeper than an inch or so, except that two or three times a year I use the trowel, (or an old broken knife does nicely), jabbing vertically, straight down for two inches, then straight out. This is only done when the plants are established for a year, and needless to say, it is not done directly at the back of the base of the fan of leaves, lest the roots be chopped off. However one does the cultivating, there should be no weeds, simply because the iris when well fed tends to rot, and needs to air out and dry out as soon as possible after rains and dews.

Having done this all more or less faithfully, you will be rewarded by spectacular blooms in May. The iris is one of those plants that may as well be spectacularly well grown as not. Properly done-and it is at least as easy as growing tomatoes or corn or roses or things of that sort-the bloom will be so thick you cannot believe it at all, and the colors will be so sparkling and fresh you will (as it were) jump up and down."

They will be, as a rule, in total perfection by May 22, or whenever the year's major hail and thunderstorm is scheduled." (!!!!)