September 21, 2008: Our first fall meeting will be held at the Library Center on South Campbell.  Calvin Helsley will hold his annual beardless iris auction.

March 16, 2008: Grooming Iris for Exhibition Shows will be presented by Janice Overbey.       Janice is our Iris Society of the Ozarks President and winner of numerous local iris show awards.

February 17, 2008:  A round table discussion will be held at the monthly meeting.  All Iris Society members will bring a successful gardening tip to share.

January 20, 2008: Susan Sims-Giddens presented a program on Louisiana Iris.  This variety grows well in our area, however, not frequently found in local garden beds.

December 16, 2007: Our annual Christmas party brought fun as we exchanged gifts and shared snacks.  Playing games, tearing wrapping paper, and laughing through an afternoon certainly made our hearts fill with joy!

November 18, 2007: Calvin Helsley presented a program on Siberian Iris.  Siberian Iris adds depth and variety to our gardens and extends our bloom season. 

October 21, 2007:  Our program for October was the Shorter Iris.  At the September meeting Iris Society members had the opportunity to purchase shorter varieties.  Susan Sims-Giddens presented a program describing specific characteristics and pictures of shorter iris varieties.  

September 16, 2007: Annual elections were held.  Our new treasurer is Anne Tunnell and the new Vice President is Ed Giddens.  Programs for the coming year was discussed.  Kristin Secrest presented a program on planting iris.  Marjorie Gayer; Calvin Helsley; and Debi and Kristin Secrest  graciously brought rhizomes for sale.

July 21, 2007:  The annual iris rhizome sale was held at Nathaniel Greene Park.  A cooler than normal July morning brought many iris lovers out to acquire new named varieties.  After the sale the annual society pot-luck lunch and member auction concluded our day! 

June 24, 2007:  Annual picnic and display garden weeding day held June 10!  A warm June day brought 17 Iris Society members to the public display garden for a day of sharing good food and work time.  Our Iris display garden looks surprisingly good considering the late frost in April.  The Tall Bearded Iris survived well, however, the Siberian and Louisiana Iris suffered the most damage and will be replaced by the society this fall.  All members are looking forward to a milder winter and spring in 2008 with hopes of beautiful blooms.  

May 23, 2007:  Our abbreviated Iris show was held May 12.  We had an unexpected number of iris stems entered!  Members brought 56 Tall Bearded, 21 Siberian, and 4 design entries for the public to view.  Due to the abbreviated show we did not bring in official judges but allowed the public to select favorite stems!  From a overwhelming public vote, Heart String Strummer was selected as the favorite displayed stem .  Heart String Strummer was hybridized locally by our Iris Society of the Ozarks, Region 18 member Ben Johnson.  Congratulations to Janice Overbey for bringing a stem that captured the public eye!   

April 29, 2007:  After a warm March our gardens were devastated with a severe freeze in April.  Many plants, including Iris, were damaged by temperatures falling as low at 18 degrees.  Our gardens are returning slowly to normal, however, many plants may not bloom this year.  Due to the late freeze our early Iris show scheduled for April 29, 2007 was cancelled.  Our regular Iris show scheduled for May 12 will be held with modifications.  Iris gardeners will exhibit the few stems that may bloom and the society will provide Iris plant education for the public.  The public attending the May 12 abbreviated show will have the opportunity to vote for favorite stems and arrangements.  Iris Society members are excited about sharing their interest in growing Iris with the public.