MORE ABOUT THE QUEENS

A little more about my favorite topic, irises! Photo at left is "Dusky Challenger." An award winner that has been on the favorite list for quite some time. Most peoples response is "wow, look at that color!" This one will also be for sale this year. Let me explain how the field 'open house' works. Iris are blooming from mid May thru mid June for the late bloomers. We will post the open house dates here on the blog. I also plan to have some banners in the field stating whether we are open or closed. When we are having the iris open house, you can take a self guided field tour thru the iris plants, about 1 acre of them. I will have clipboards with order blanks for you to order as you tour. Then, mid July thru the first part of August the iris are dug and divided, and you will be notified when you can come to pick them up. If you live out of the immediate area I can ship them.
When you come to pick up your iris, we will likely have bouquets and other garden items for sale. Also at that time...the daylilies (my second garden love) will be blooming and for sale. In order to see all 752 varieties of iris blooming, you would need to visit once a week during bloom time, as they have different bloom periods. I plan to post events as they unfold on this blog site, so it's the best place to check for what's next. The iris above is "Thornbird." On the ends of the beard notice the 'horns.' Iris with unique features like horns or spoons are called Space Agers, usually abbreviated as 'SA.'

Yes, this flower really has this awesome color, it's not just the camera, it's "Swingtown." Beautiful. This flower is also on the larger size. How do you care for iris? Their needs are fairly simple. Good drainage is essential. If your soil is heavy they need to be planted on a ridge or more shallow. In a mixed flower bed, combine with daylilies, achilleas and other low maintenance low water plants. Overwatering will rot the roots. Iris should be dug and divided every 3 or more years or once they get crowded. Give them one square foot to start with, they can multiply quickly. A planting and care sheet will accompany the iris orders. When an iris is all one color like Swingtown, the color is described as Mulberry 'self.' Likewise an all blue iris like 'Breakers,' would be described as Blue 'self.'

This above iris is "Wine Festival." What's different about this one is the speckled pattern on the falls. It is called 'plicata.' Some iris are rebloomers, abbreviated as RE. This means of course they bloom a second time, usually in the fall. Personally, I can't appreciate their fall bloom, I love them most in the spring. The fall blooms are not nearly as robust or plentiful as the spring ones.
When the iris are blooming, we will be selling bunches of cut stems, but leaving plenty in the field for you to enjoy.

This iris, "Mind Reader," is what's called a 'Luminata.' The white lines and highlights giving it a lighted within look. When I first came across these, it was love at first site. They are so cool. I have about 8 varieties of these, but not enough to sell until next year. When will your iris bloom after planting?

Maybe the following year, surely the year after. They are not a quick flower fix like a marigold, you have to wait for the reward. The variables are: how robust is the new rhizome, did you replant it right away or did it sit in the garage for 2 weeks, did it get the proper care and water after planting, did we get a nice long fall or an early winter. Establishment of the root system is key to blooms the next year. About 75% of mine have bloomed the following year, usually only the small ones or unweeded ones didn't! If you take care of your iris patch, it might outlast you! I have about 200 more varieties to add this year, afterall, I want YOU to have a great selection, it has nothing to do with how out of control my iris habit is. Can you have too many???