Club is having in person meetings again. The meetings are the third Sunday of the month (except, April, June, July, and December).  Contact the membership chair for the location.

We finally get to have a show again at the Mesilla Valley Mall on 22 April, 2023 after being absent for the past several years. 

Show is April 22 on a Saturday.  All entries must be named and entered by 10:30 am Saturday morning.  The show will be judged by AIS certified judges.

Sitting Irises

 In normal years, MVIS makes two distributions of iris to MVIS members, usually at the August and/or September meetings:
                1. The distribution to MVIS Iris Sitters of recently purchased Club Iris.
                2. The distribution to MVIS members of Returned Increase Iris from Club Iris distributed in prior years.

The Mesilla Valley Iris Society (MVIS) is an active local Iris club.   MVIS was established in 1971 as an affiliate of the American Iris Society (AIS). MVIS was started with seven members: Gus and Edith Seligman, the Bryants, the Riles and Fern Gold. Fern is the last surviving member of the founders.  Many members have several hundred irises and one member has several thousand irises.   MVIS club members sell their excess rhizomes at an annual rhizome sale to be held this year at the Mesilla Valley Mall the first weekend after Labor Day weekend.  Usually, over 200 irises are available for purchase.   A few potted irises will be for sale during the annual Iris Show, usually Saturday in mid to late April at the Mesilla Valley Mall (near the theater).  Club members will exhibit over 100 irises in white vases.  The public is also invited to exhibit their iris.  However, you have to know the name of the cultivar in order to be eligible for the title “Best in Show” or any of the ribbons.   

Throughout 2021 and 2022 the MVIS was continually involved in planning and coordination of the 2022 American Iris Society National Convention.  This was the first time that the national convention has been held in New Mexico!  The convention included the activities: garden tours, lunches, banquets, buses, meetings, advertisements, arrangements, booklet, and of course the iris plantings before and planned disbursement of the iris after the convention. These activities and more took up an enormous amount of time. Also, thank you to all the Region 23 iris clubs. Your help and participation were welcome and much appreciated.

In July 2022 as promised to the hybridizers who contributed to the national convention, the MVIS dug, cleaned and returned their requested convention iris.  Most hybridizers allowed MVIS to retain their irises for the upcoming rhizome sale held at the Mesilla Valley Mall the weekend after Labor Day weekend.

In August MVIS has set aside the dates of August 11, dig Calhoun Garden, August 12, dig NMSU and August 13 dig Farm and Ranch convention iris. The MVIS has invited the Region 23 clubs to come and dig the iris they would like to take and disburse to their clubs. We will be leaving iris in each of these gardens. 

MVIS September 18, 2022 meeting, members returned any increase iris from previous years Club iris program.

December’s meeting is our Christmas holiday meeting and installment of new officers.

The past two years have been crazy busy years for MVIS. We came through and continue as friends and still enjoy growing and showing iris.