her garden in the Central Valley of California. In
those days, her grandmother called bearded iris
“flags” or “flag lilies.” Phyllis graduated from UC
Davis and spent 12 years working in university
libraries in Green Bay, WI, and Davis, CA, then went
into computer programming and retired from the
California Department of Education as a systems
analyst in demographics after 25 years. She has lived
in Rescue, CA, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, for 33
years, and has a large garden with more than 900
varieties of most types of iris. She is challenged to
see if she can find the right culture to grow some of
the more difficult types.
Phyllis joined AIS in 1995 to learn more about
Iris. She also joined the local club, the Sacramento
Iris Society (SIS), but due to her commute schedule
was not active in the club until she was close to
retirement. She also belongs to the Sierra Foothills
Iris Society, which she joined because their iris
show is more in sync with her bloom season, since
she lives at 1,200 feet elevation. She has held all
the offices in the Sacramento Iris Society except
treasurer and has been the newsletter editor for
the past eight years. In Region 14, she was asked to
be region secretary by the RVP, Jeanne Clay Plank,
who became her mentor. She then moved to Judges’
Training Chair (ARVP) for three years, then to RVP.
During that time she was guest iris chair for several
Spring Region 14 Meetings, and has been a Garden
Exhibition Judge for eight years. She is deeply
involved in sales for SIS, as she calls herself “keeper
of the potted iris”—they pot and sell around 400
iris each year, in addition to a two-day rhizome sale.
As an AIS director, she is Section and Cooperating
Society Liaison, which involves reporting on section
happenings for the AIS Bulletin. She hopes to help
keep AIS moving toward being a more modern
organization and encourage growth in membership
by working with the membership committee. Phyllis
also is currently membership secretary for the Tall
Bearded Iris Society.
Enjoying IRISES?
Let the editor know what is on your mind.
Can you write about irises?
Do you have pictures you can send us?
This is your chance to be published!
d
Choose a topic that interests you, and grab a pen, PC, or laptop.
Send it to the editor and you may be reading your article in the next issue.
Jane Milliman, Editor, IRISES, 390 Hillside Ave., Rochester, NY 14610
irises@janemilliman.com
34 AIS Bulletin Winter 2019