By
Bryce Williamson
Both
Phil Williams and I woke up early Tuesday morning, knowing we had a long day
ahead of us. The Best Western did provide a breakfast, saving us the time to go
look for a place in Merced. And then it was on the road again for the drive up
to Superstition Iris Garden in Cathey’s Valley.
On
March 22, Superstition received 5.21" of rain with 3.25" of it coming
in a one-hour long, vicious thunderstorm. There was a lot of damage in the local
area with many bridges washed away. As a result, we could not take Old Highway
into the garden, but had to use School House Road instead; however, before we
went to the garden, I wanted to see the Detwiler Fire damage so we drove up to
the bustling metropolis of Mariposa. Ironically last year’s fire has resulted
in wonderful wildflower bloom this spring.
Because
Superstition grown medians and arilbreds along with tall bearded, there was a
lot to see in the garden. As always, Rick Tasco and Roger Duncan were gracious
hosts, letting us first wander around in the named varieties rows before we
walked the seedlings with Rick.
Rick Tasco and Roger Duncan
I was especially excited to see some fine arilbred irises:
'Dragon's Eye' (Tasco 2015)
'On the Web' Tasco 2019
'Glow of Love' Tasco 2019
'Vivid Dream' Tasco 2019
This is one of Rick's arilbred medians and the second arilbred median is his Warrior Prince:
'Lucky Dragon' Tasco 2019
'Warrior Prince' (Tasco 2015)
In the named tall bearded iris beds, I liked:
'Ayes Alert' (Burseen 2015)
'Brighton Beach' (M. Sutton 2017)
'Desert Paradise' (Dash 2017)
'Good Morning Beautiful' (Stanton 2012)
Boundless Beauty' Tasco 2019
Tasco14.TB.05.01
Tasco 15.TB.05.09
The additional stock of Rick's 2018 introductions were also by the seedling beds:
'Ice Cream Sundae' Tasco 2018
'Secret Delight' Tasco 2018
'Spring Elegance' Tasco 2018
When
we were ready to leave, Roger provided wonderful directions to John and Leslie
Painter’s garden by Lake Barryessa. Those great directions saved at least a
hour of time on that leg of the on the road trip.
Superstition
has a printed catalogue and it can be obtained by sending $1.50 to Superstition Iris Garden, 2536 Old Highway, Cathey's Valley, California 95306 for a two year subscription. They can
also be reached on Facebook or in email at randrcv@sti.net.
Looks awesome and it is on my list of "must visit".
ReplyDeleteI go every year. It beautiful with so much to see.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite place! Vivid Dream is fantastic. Thanks, Bryce.
ReplyDelete