Those of you who did not attend the Annual Meeting at Fort

Myer missed an excellent presentation. Nick Webber of Heritage

Rosarium gave a very informative presentation on heirloom roses.

Just two or three slides into his talk and the projector lamp blew.

That barely phased Nick, he cheerfully continued on to describe the

characteristics and benefits of a number of heirloom roses. I

believe we have Kathleen Hoxie to thank for arranging for Nick’s

presentation.

This year at the Annual Meeting, a new slate of officers was

elected to serve our society. Harlin Turner, Jack Roe, and Tricia

Kincheloe were reelected as President, Treasurer, and Secretary,

respectively. Newly elected are John Lydon, Vice President, and

Muriel Turner, Membership Secretary.

Our 46th Annual Flower Show, to be held at Merrifield Garden

Center, is only two months away. It will be interesting to see what

impact the later show date has on the selection of stems exhibited.

Most of the arrangements for the show have been made. However,

show Aids and Host & Hostesses are still needed. Aids assist the

judge the Saturday morning of the show and Hosts & Hostesses

greet the visitors to the show once it is open to the public. Please

consider volunteering for one of these important functions. To do

so, contact Mary Queitzsch (Aids) or Carolyn Scott (Hosts &

Hostesses). Their contact information is listed on the next page.

I look forward to seeing your beautiful entries at the show.

John Lydon

www.merrifieldgardencenter.com

Kathy Digges

Delores Felch

Rachel Hollis

Kathleen Hoxie

Jim McKenney

Mary Queitzsch

John Rountree

Carolyn Scott

Dave Willmore

Sam Wyatt

John Lydon

301-595-1066

j.lydon@verizon.net

Jim McKenney

301-770-1867

jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com

Harlin Turner

703-713-0138

harlinturn@aol.com

John Lydon

301-595-1066

j.lydon@verizon.net

Tricia Kincheloe

703-830-0312

trixielee29@cs.com

John Roe

703-534-6569

jroboat@msn.com

Muriel Turner

703-713-0138

NuNuGlevum@aol.com

The success of our show is

dependent on our member's

participation. Besides submitting

your Horticultural and Design

Exhibits, help is needed with

setting up the show on Friday,

June 29. On the morning of

Saturday, June 30, help is needed

to provide refreshments for the

Judges, show committee

participants, and Aids. While the

show is open to the public from

Saturday at 12:30 pm to 5:00 pm

and Sunday from 9:00 am to 4:00

pm, Hosts and Hostesses are

needed to greet visitors to the

Listed below are the committee

functions and respective contact

person. Please call or e-mail the

contact person and offer your

assistance.

Dave Willmore

703-978-8586

davew975@starpower.net

Martina Lydon

301-595-1066

mw.lydon@verizon.net

Mary Queitzsch

703-540-672-1397

greenwaymlq@earthlink.net

Carolyn Scott

540-568-8679

c6w27scott@aol.com

The schedule for the Potomac Lily Society’s Forty-

Sixth Annual Lily Show is included with this Newsletter. The

theme for this year’s show is “Versatile Lilies” and the event

will be held at Merrifield Garden Center, Fair Oaks location,

Fairfax, VA

Set-up for the show will be done between 12:00 - 3:00

PM on Friday, June 29. Horticultural and Design Exhibits will

be displayed in the Auditorium. Entries may be made from

3:00 - 5:00 PM on Friday and from 8:00 - 10:30 AM on

Saturday, June 30 and must remain in place until 4:00 PM on

Sunday, July 1. Assistance with moving your stems,

preparation, classification, and staging will be available during

these periods. Clean-up begins on Sunday at 4:00 PM.

Please be present if you desire to reclaim your entries,

otherwise all stems will be donated. We will attempt to collect

and mail all ribbons to those who are not present.

the form and follow the schedule in classifying your entry. Try

to arrive with the name of your cultivar. Classification will help

if it can, otherwise, it will be necessary to enter your stem as

“Unknown” and it will be judged with other orphans of the

same type. In completing entry cards, it is recommended that

you use pre-printed name and address labels. Note that two

are required per card. Also, please ensure that section, class,

and variety information is complete on the bottom stub, as this

is the source of information for tabulation of show results.

Members are encouraged to enter as many stems as

they possibly can, keeping in mind that specimens should be

well groomed and which meet minimum judging standards. At

least one bloom must be open. You may otherwise groom

your specimen in any way which does not alter its typical

features. For example, trim brown leaf tips in a fashion that

maintains the original leaf shape. Containers will be provided

by the Society. Fro best results, bring along some extra ste

material to help wedge your entry in the bottle so that it stands

straight.

The Novice Class is open to any exhibitor who has not

previously won a blue ribbon. This is a great opportunity for

our new growers to gain familiarity with show procedures and

to receive the extra assistance that goes with entry into this

class. We also encourage everyone to consider the many

sections available beyond the single stem or single bloom

categories, such as Section F which calls for three stems of

the same species, variety, or cultivar or Section G which

invites the entry of lilies grown in pots with no protection.

Grooming is the practice of preparing

specimens for entry in the show, making them

look as good as possible.

Start by selecting your best stems — those

which have a healthy, vigorous appearance, free

from insect damage or disease. In a perfect

world, the stem will have the number of blooms

and buds typical for the cultivar, all well spaced

and with good color and size. Practically, pick the

best stem of each cultivar you have.

Cut your stem in early morning or late evening

and immediately plunge it into water for an hour

to harden.

When hardened, place in a container which

allows you to stage the stem as you will want it.

Remove any leaves that would be in water.

Carefully trim leaves to remove an brown tips or

insect damage, but ensure that you retain the

basic shape of the leaf. If necessary, remove

heavily damaged or broken leaves and flower

parts. If removing a withered flower, avoid

leaving any stub or the pedicle.

Clean each leaf with a wet cotton swab to

remove any dirt, spray residue, or insect remains.

If cleaning is necessary on the bloom, it is best to

use a dry artists brush to remove an y dirt or

pollen. Treat pollen as the enemy and do all you

can to avoid spreading it beyond the anthers.

Place your stems in an appropriate container

to transport them to the show. Avoid stems from

rubbing together and any contact that could

cause bruising or damage to the stem or flowers.

If appropriate, cover the anthers with foil cups or

tissue to prevent it from staining the tepals

so it is straight as possible and check to see

that there is sufficient water in the container.

Please check the enclosed show

schedule for Committee assignments

for the 2007 PLS Lily Show

There will be a total of twenty entries in the

Design Section. Note that all five design classes

(see enclosed show schedule) are open to any

amateur designer. It is important to note that

advanced registration is required and must be

accepted by the Design Section Chairs, Dolores

Felch (703-780-0766) and Charmane Truesdell

(301-490-4478) before June 15, 2007. Exhibitors

will be responsible for filling the required space,

maintaining the exhibit in show condition, and to

provide a substitute if unable to participate. See the

show schedule for other pertinent information.

The exhibition room is located on the

second floor of the Garden Center. An elevator

is located inside the sales room near the main

stairway, which is located directly across from

the information desk. Stems can be set up in

the break room, which is on the right at the top of

the stairs.

Cars cannot be left unattended in front of

the building. If you have a lot of items to unload

and transport to the exhibit room, feel free to

announce in the auditorium that you need

assistance unloading your vehicle.

Merrifield Garden Center is located at 8132 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA 22042

(703-560-6222). Directions th the Garden Center from several different points of origin are

Please review the enclosed PLS 2007 Membership

Roster for accuracy and completeness. Notify Muriel

Turner (NuNuGlevum@aol.com) if any changes and/or

additions are needed. An electronic version of the

roster is available in pdf format. Notify John Lydon

(j.lydon@verizon.net ) if you would like to receive the

electronic version of the PLS 2007 Membership

Roster.

The Alberta Regional Lily Society is hosting the North American Lily Society International

Lily Show and World Convention 2007 in Edmonton, Alberta, July 11-15. They have a

dedicated web page (http://www.nals2007.org/) to provide further information about the show.

This is the 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Show

The Annual Garden Club of Virginia Lily Show will be held June 20-21. The event will be

hosted by the Winchester-Clarke Garden Club, Winchester, VA. More about the event should

be available soon at www.gcvirginia.org

The Garden Club of Virginia (GCV) and the North American Lily Society will sponsor a Lily

Judging School beginning this June in connection with the GCV annual lily show. The first two

parts of the course of study will be taught on the afternoon of June 18 and the morning of June

19. It will include a written test on June 19. The instructor will be Ron Chiabotta, assisted by

David Diller. The location will be Blandy Farm, the state arboretum of Virginia, which is just off

U.S. Rte. 50, some 6 miles east of Winchester, Virginia (the location of the lily show). All

helpful. The remainder of the Judging School will be completed in 2008, also in the Winchester

area, but not necessarily at Blandy Farm. For further information, contact Harvey Thompson

(marynel47@hotmail.com )or  David Diller (dillerjd@earthlink.net ).

Save trees and receive the newsletter by e-mail in pdf format. If you would

indicating so. Please include your full name in the message.

Alice S. Fenn

Vicki Bowen

Ron Chiabotta

Genie Diller

David Diller

Nels Johnson

Virginia Johnson

John A. Montgomery

Joseph Uhring

Annual dues (January to December) are $4.00 for either an individual or couple at the

same address. Dues can be paid for multiple years. The year on the upper right of the

Name: ____________________________________________________

Street: ____________________________________________________

City: ___________________________ State: ______ ZIP: ____________

Phone: _______________________ E-mail: _______________________________

Mail to: Muriel Turner

13484 Lake Shore Dr.

Herndon, VA 20171

Wanted: photos from the spring luncheon. Did anyone take digital pictures at the spring

luncheon? If you did, and you would like to share them, please get in touch with Jim McKenney

( jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com ) and arrange to have them posted to the website. Do you

have other photos which might be of interest to our membership? Let Jim know.

Here's something else to think about: how did you get interested in lilies? What are some

of your earliest lily memories? How did you come to join the PLS? The answers to these and

other questions might make an interesting addition to our web site. Be thinking about it: someone

might be contacting you in the future to see what you have to say.

Modern lily growing began, it seems to me, sometime between the First and Second World

Wars. In the early days of both the British and American lily societies, there was an emphasis on

growing species lilies. It was hardly a matter of preference: there was little else available. Few

nurserymen grew lilies from seed back then: vegetative propagation was the rule. As a result, such

hybrids as existed were so badly infected with virus that even before viruses were “officially”

recognized, it was realized that those lilies were not right.

Few of us would regret the loss of those virus-infected stocks. But there is something else we

have lost: growers of lilies back then were also likely to be growers of those plants closely related to

Back then, few American growers had experience with any of these genera, although British growers

Many of these are now readily available to American growers. Here in my garden I have over three

about to do it again this year, and one Notholirion on trial. We American growers have a lot of

catching up to do, and some of us are pursuing it enthusiastically. -- Jim McKenney