Who cares for the irises near the library?
I was at the East Branch Library and was so disappointed to see that the lovely iris gardens are not being taken care of and have tons of weeds in them. Is anyone responsible for their care or can private people like myself do that? I would be glad to help if possible.
— Karen
The library’s iris garden is one of the local high-altitude trial gardens owned and maintained by the Elmohr Iris Society. Yes, they welcome volunteers — but not ones with weed wackers.
These flower beds, the Loomis Memorial Iris Trial Gardens, suffered recently at the hands of unknown people who whacked down several years of hybridizing work. It’s not the first time.
First, a little background: Beverly Diehl, information services specialist at East Library, said, “The garden, one of three in the local region, are supervised and maintained by Russ Eacker, a qualified iris judge, and have been world renowned for the testing of new varieties of iris at high altitudes. The contents of the beds varies from year to year as the three-year testing progresses. Sadly, some “neighbors” often decide to help with the maintaining tasks and take weed wackers to the beds, chopping the new hybrids with the thistles. Of course, this invalidates the testing and weakens the test plants.”
For 10 years Eacker and his wife, Carol, have painstakingly charted the hybrids. New ones are planted each year and the others in the gardens are in their second and third year of growth, so it’s not a traditional iris garden with everything growing at the same speed.
Local iris lovers have a special opportunity each summer when the society holds its rhizome sale, as they did a couple of weeks ago. Rhizomes are underground and shoot out new roots and stems.
To contact the Elmohr Iris Society: irises.org
How far from here to there?
A lifelong burning question. When distances between two cities are given on highway signs, what point of reference within those cities is used to determine distance? It could not be edges of cities or the distance would continually decrease.
— Bill Vollrath
ANSWER: It’s always a central geographic location and it doesn’t change, even when the city expands. Bob Wilson of Colorado Department of Transportation said Denver’s location is Colfax and Broadway area, around the Broncos’ Invesco Field at Mile High. In Colorado Springs it’s Nevada at Pikes Peak avenues at the downtown Post Office.
Where’s that RR crossing?
Where is the railroad crossing(s) that all of the trains have to sound their horns or whistles for in northern Colorado Springs? It seems to be coming from the area of the Air Force Academy or somewhere close to there.
I would like to start a movement to upgrade the crossing so that they don’t have to sound their horns at night, but I don’t know where it is.
— Curious
Readers, can you tell “Curious” which crossing or crossings north of the city are the ones where trains sound their horns?
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Send questions or answers to linda.navarro@ gazette.com with “Column Question” in the subject line; mail to “Did You Ever Wonder?,” P.O. Box 1779, Colorado Springs 80901; blog at gazette.com. Queries must be signed. No personal replies.
