I was so pleased that the WKBG in Owensboro KY has replied that they would be honored to host the Polly Kinsman Memorial Garden. I am donating my collection of 40+ named Siberian cultivars and will be inviting others to also donate Siberian iris plants that Polly was especially fond of. I donated my collection of 50 Japanese irises over the course of 2013 and 2014, so got to know Susie and Bill a little better. I got involved with the gardens when my son Rob became a member of the Board of Directors. I catered an evening of appetizers to thank the donors who were responsible for making the greenhouse a reality. I was so impressed with the scope of the gardens and the fact that it is all through volunteers and local sponsorship that I just knew this was a place I could support whole heartedly. As I anticipate between 50 and 75 named varieties, it will take some time and preparation to get things ready for the plants. In the meantime I have found a gardener in Mount Sterling KY who is willing to foster the plants for a year or two to help them assimilate and increase prior to being moved into their permanent home.
I am trying to coordinate a list of wanted named varieties, many of which I already have the signage for. I have been donating the engraved tags with all of my plant donations and will continue to do so as long as I am physically able, after which I will train my grandson to take over. A sample of the tag with Coronation Anthem.
Dee gave a wonderful description of Polly and I would just like to add that Polly was scrupulously ethical in all of her business dealings and wouldn't sell a plant unless she saw it bloom and knew it to be the labeled variety. I know this because we sometimes had to wait another year to get blooms and once in awhile, they weren't true to name. It was nice to dig and plant in her sandy soil, all my gardens are amended clay. She always thought it was funny that I enjoyed digging in her garden so much.
