Club Dues are Due!
If you have not already paid your 2023 club dues, they must be paid by April 1 for your name to remain on our membership list! Click here to access the application form and send your dues to our new Treasurer Jackie Westhoff at the address indicated on the form. The cost? $10 per member. What a great deal! And thank you, Jackie, for volunteering to be Treasurer!

Voting on Proposed Changes to Bylaws at April Meeting
Our next club meeting will take place on Saturday, April 8th, the Bettendorf Public Library (2950 Learning Campus Drive, Bettendorf). This is a friendly reminder that we will be voting on the proposed changes to our Bylaws.  If you have any concerns about any of these changes, feel free to contact Darrin Lett (563-357-2214).

Loss of CVIDS Founder Member in March
We were saddened to learn from club member Gretchen Little that her mother Marilyn passed away on March 15 at the age of 92. Marilyn and her late husband Bob were founder members of CVIDS. We extend our condolences to Gretchen for her loss. Marilyn's obituary can be accessed here. Visitation will be held at 2-4 PM on Sunday, March 19, at the Henderson-Barker Funeral Home in West Liberty. Her funeral service will take place at 10:00 AM on Monday, March 20, at the funeral home. She will be buried in the Oak Ridge Cemetery. Please click here for additional information including maps.

Nancy noted that "we learned about iris with horns – violet horns on the tall bearded Angler Fish iris. Zombie Zoo was a personal favorite.  I had no idea that iris had horns and spoons!  The Space Age Irises have horns that extend from the end of the beard. The horn is a spear like appendage that emerges from the fall at the end of the beard. The tip of the horn is sometimes flat which is referred to as a spoon or may be split and laced making a flounce which looks like little petals."  Anybody who would like to view this presentation can reach it here. Meeting minutes were recorded by club secretary Cari Rusnak. Thank you, Cari! Our next club meeting will take place on Saturday, April 8, in Bettendorf.

It's March 1st, the Unofficial Meteorological Beginning of Spring!
Not only a fine time to start your spring cleaning (Aaaagh!) but also an excellent moment to register for the ADS Region One Summer Meeting that we are hosting in Muscatine on July 14-16! Perhaps you might like to volunteer in some capacity at this event too? To find more information, just click here.

Set Aside Your Snow Shovels for a While.......
.........and relax with a cup of coffee and read the February 2023 edition of the CVIDS Newsletter! Thank you, Shelly, for publishing it for us!

Please put the Muscatine Spring Plant and Bake Sale on your Calendar!
Ready to get started with spring planting? Make sure to shop at the Muscatine Spring Plant and Bake Sale on Saturday, May 6, from 9 to 11:30 AM at the Discovery Park Large Pavilion, 3300 Cedar Street, Muscatine, IA (corner of Hwy. 61 and Cedar St - across from MPW). Come early to purchase registered iris, daylilies, annuals, perennials, houseplants, and yummy baked goods and talk with plant experts at this sale hosted by the Cedar Valley Iris and Daylily Society, the Muscatine Garden Club, the Muscatine Master Gardeners, and the Stampeding Clovers 4-H Club! Plants and baked good items will start at $5 or as priced!

CVIDS Fall Banquet to be held at the Radisson, Coralville
This past weekend, members were asked to vote on two potential locations for our 2023 Fall Banquet, the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center (Coralville) and the Rosedale Park Event Center (Cedar Rapids). Our thanks go to Karmin Mullins and Val and Rachel Moeller for gathering information assisting us to reach a decision. The Radisson was the clear winner, garnering 88% of the votes. The Banquet will be held there on Saturday, November 11, at 11 AM - 3 PM. The associated Betty Miller Photo Contest will be organized by Joy Adams and Rachel Moeller. The featured speaker will be announced mid-year.

February 11 CVIDS Business Meeting via Zoom
Led by President Darrin Lett, our February club meeting took place via Zoom on Saturday, February 11. Thank you, Nancy, for setting up the Zoom link. There was much to discuss. Please click here for the meeting agenda. For those members unable to attend the meeting, you can reach the recording by clicking here and using the passcode: SDr4^3H0. The meeting minutes can be accessed here. Thank you, Nancy Rash, for taking the minutes!

American Iris Society Webinar
Thanks to Heather Harroun, our club gained access to the 40-minute AIS Webinar #3 PowerPoint presentation by Bonnie Nichols on "Novelty Irises - Flatties and Broken Color". You may access this video here. Enjoy!

Muscatine Community College "Art of Gardening" Seminar
On Saturday, March 18, Muscatine Community College (152 Colorado Street, Muscatine, IA) will be offering "Art of Gardening" seminars from 7:30 AM until 3 PM. Two of our club members, Keith Riewerts and Wanda Lunn, will be speaking! CVIDS members will have the opportunity to man an informational table during this time period. Current CVIDS pamphlets, new membership application forms, and a piece of wrapped candy will be offered to attendees (anyone stopping to talk/obtain information on CVIDS). A door prize will be given away (see photo below). We are looking for volunteers to help man the table. If you are interested, please contact Val Moeller ASAP. Thank you!

Help Requested at an Iris Dig - Event Now Postponed until August 12
You may recall that your assistance was being requested to dig, divide and donate irises on Saturday, April 22 (with a rain date of April 29). This event has now been postponed until August 12. It will take place at 9-11 AM at 1713 D Ave., Ripley's Trailer Park, Muscatine. Detailed information will be posted on the website and CVIDS Facebook page in June.

CVIDS January 2023 Meeting
The first meeting of the year took place via Zoom on Saturday, January 14, with President Darrin Lett at the helm. Thirty-one members attended the meeting. The minutes can be accessed here. One clear outcome of the meeting is that we are urgently looking for volunteers to serve as chairpersons. Here is the present status:

• Program Chair (open)
  
  
• May: Spring Public Plant Sale (Val Moeller)
  
  
• May: Club Plant Distribution (Sue Kramer & Diann Pavelka)
  
  
• July: Garden Tour that features club members’ gardens (this is covered as CVIDS is hosting Region 1 in Muscatine)
  
  
• August: Fall Public Plant Sale (Val Moeller)
  
  
• August: Member-only Silent & Live Auctions (Diane Derganz)
  
  
• October: Hybridizers’ Roundup (Heather Harroun & Lyn Hafner helping)
  
  
• November: Fall Banquet (open at this time) Karmin Mullins, Val Moeller and Rachel Moeller checking on different places for this years banquet.
  
  
• November: The annual Betty Miller Photo Contest, usually held at the Fall Banquet (open)
  
  
• CVIDS Newsletter (open)
  
  
• Webmaster (Jonathan Poulton & Mary Jo)
  
  
• Membership Chair (VP Heather Harroun?)
  
  
• Hospitality Chair (Sam McCord?)

If you would be interested in volunteering for any of the open chair positions, please contact Darrin (563-357-2214) as soon as possible. Many thanks to those who have already volunteered for 2023 and beyond!

January 2023 Board Meeting
Minutes of the January 11 Board Meeting with ten members in attendance via Zoom may be accessed here

David Hansen Passes Away
I am sorry to relay the sad news to you that David Hansen, a longtime member and former president of the Nebraska Daylily Society, passed away on January 2, 2023, at the age of 86. His obituary can be found here. Susie and I met David and his wife of 65 years Val Jean at Region One Summer Meetings and were thrilled to visit them at their home in Papillion. He was a fine gentleman and so generous with his daylily seeds and mature plants. We shall think of him with fondness when his toothy-edged seedlings bloom again in upcoming years. We extend our condolences to Val Jean and family on behalf of CVIDS.

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