The Polly Kinsman Memorial

I received permission to honor Polly Kinsman with a Memorial Garden of Siberian Irises.

This was my response from the WKBG (Western KY Botanical Garden) in Owensboro, KY
"The Western Kentucky Botanical Garden would be honored to host the Polly Kinsman Memorial Garden.
Do you have an idea of the size plot that would be needed."

I have already found a "foster" gardener (Nanny23) willing to take my collection of 40 + Siberians and keep them for two to three years. It is Annette Harvey, in KY. I will be asking for specific Siberian irises that I know Polly was very fond of to round out the collection. It is very important that all donations be true to name, as engraved signage will be placed with each plant.
I am anticipating a collection of between 50 and 75 different varieties. I am hoping they will situate the Siberian irises on the far side of the already situated Japanese irises, near the pond and windmill. If you would like to offer a plant or help with the entrance sign please post here or contact me by dmail. Donations can be made through the WKBG website. I will post a link as soon as it is given to me.

This message was edited Jul 3, 2015 7:11 AM

what a lovely idea!

wise of you to "foster" the irises locally, so starter clumps can grow into garden-worthy specimens under conditions similar to what they'll have in the botanical garden.

Please let us know how/when you are taking donations for the engraved markers and entrance sign.

Our online family, yes we have been through a lot together. From babies, prayer warriors to quilts and beautiful public gardens. I am so pleased that we will be able to honor Polly in this way. I am looking for a picture of a dedication sign and will post it just as soon as I find it. She shared so much with all of us.
Mittsy

Here's a picture of a similar sign to what I am looking for. Ours would say
Polly Kinsman
Memorial
Siberian Iris Garden

The lettering would be routed out and painted.

These are the plants that I am looking for right now. Edited to say we now have Butter and Sugar.

This message was edited Sep 3, 2015 9:46 AM

and these

We don't have those varieties.

more

I wonder where my sign picture went? Here's another try. More wanted varieties.

If you have one that you especially like and would like to donate it to the memorial, I would be happy to engrave another sign. This is just the list of those that we already had in the past and lost over the years, there are many more that I just haven't gotten to yet. I know I have more searching thru the old threads to find more information.

the last of this list. I'm currently working on the database of what we already have. An (*)(**) indicates that is has been shipped to Annette, 1st & 2nd and 3rd shipment. A (+) indicates already at WKBG
Annick
+Blue Pennant
**Blueberry Fair
*Blue Snippet
**Butter & Sugar
Caesar
+Caesar's Brother
**Chilled Wine
*Coronation Anthem
+Eric the Red
**Frosty Rim
**Harpswell Haze
**Heliotrope Bouquet
***Jeweled Crown
Jiggles
John's Favorite from PFF a Dana Borglum unregistered.
**Lady Vanessa
*Lake Seneca
**Lee's Blue
**Mesa Pearl
**My Love
*Orville Fay
**Ottawa
**Over in Gloryland
Reddy Maid
***Rikugi Sakura
***Roaring Jelly
***Roku Oji
***Rose Quest
Seneca Midnight Blue
*Seneca Pastel Charm
**Shaker's Prayer
* Simon Says
*Sky Wings
**Sparkling Rose
*Sultan's Ruby
Sylvia's Love
***Sweet Little Susie
*Tropic Night
The whites are in a separate database, we have these:
*Fourfold White
*Gull's Wing
*Lights of Paris
White Prelude
*White Triangles
Unregistered sent
*** Hannah
***Jarjon

Edited to include latest shipment to Annette in KY.
Good news, WKBG has recently purchased additional acreage adjacent to the gardens.




This message was edited Jul 25, 2015 10:57 AM

This message was edited Sep 3, 2015 9:49 AM

I rarely get to this site any more and I had no idea that Polly passed away. Heart breaking for sure. I am just getting back into Siberians, and don't even have a one that you are looking for or I would donate. I am so sorry for her loss. she was a wonderful person.

I have sent some of everything I had to Annette in Mount Sterling for fostering. I'd like to thank you for all the Japanese Irises that you shared with me over the years, I sent them all to the WKBG and gave away the rest to members here on DG. My all time favorite was Frilled Enchantment. Having a bit of a hard time getting the house on the market to sell but I am working on it and hopefully it will be ready next year.

Good luck with your house sale! If I were moving to the area, I think I'd want to buy your house (sight unseen) just for the chance to live in your garden. :-) Don't over-improve; get a real estate agent to advise you on what really needs to be done (or not). Our neighbor says he's getting ready to move, and he's been doing so much work on his house you'd think he was on an episode of "love it or list it." LOL I know he's not going to see any return on things like a new flagstone walkway in front... and I'm skeptical about granite countertops on a block where most have laminate counters and vinyl floors in the kitchens... some things might help a house sell faster, but won't necessarily bring more $, and in my neighbor's case he'd have been ahead to put the house on the market this past summer. Not that I mentioned any of this to him... if I could never convince him that scalping his grass was hurting his lawn during the hot summer months, I have no chance of giving him real estate advice ROFL!

Gosh, way off-topic! I am sure going to make a point of visiting the botanical gardens when we manage to take a trip out to KY. :-)