Growing Irises Out East: Celebrating New Milestones

 by Heather and Alleah Haley

Heather's husband, Chris, once told her, "You can grow all of the irises you want if you can make money doing it." Four years after launching our backyard nursery operation, Heather is pleased to share, "We pulled it off!" Our multi-generational iris obsession produced a tiny net profit for the Broley Homestead at the end of 2023. Full disclosure: the effort yielded pennies per hour when all our time was fully accounted for. This is common for new farm enterprises, and we are pleased to celebrate profitability as a small business milestone. It gives us hope that maintaining an half-acre iris collection will be financially sustainable. 

In 2023 we took irises to our local farmers market for the first time.

The labels we use for potted irises in the spring are equally useful for bare-root rhizome sales in the fall

We continue to expand the number of community events and public plant sales we take irises to. Earlier this month, Alleah and Heather traveled to Laurel Hill, North Carolina, for an invited presentation to the Cottonland Garden Club. The presentation "Irises in the Garden: A Month-by-Month Calendar" was inspired by a question asked while Heather and Alleah volunteered at our local Cooperative Extension office. Another volunteer asked a deceptively simple question: "How do I care for my irises?" At the time, the best answer the mother-daughter duo could come up with was "It depends."

Alleah labeling bearded irises in July

Chris dividing beardless irises in September.

Irises are a relatively low-maintenance perennial, but they do require care. Our gardens are home to a curated collection of 1,200 named cultivars that span 15 of the 16 horticultural classifications recognized by the American Iris Society. What we do and when varies greatly depending on the quirks and preferences of each plant type. Having a knack for organization and creating educational materials, Heather crafted a region-specific, month-by-month calendar outlining the method to our madness. We have given this presentation several times to local libraries, and patrons say they loved it. Recently, Heather was invited to present the calendar program for our local AIS affiliate and the Cooperative Extension group that initially inspired the program. It will be an honor to finally share our best possible answer on a vast topic.

Volunteer work helps our business live its purpose: to preserve, support, and sustain. We thoroughly enjoy sharing our passion and love of irises with the public. Alleah, Chris, and Heather share personal commentary and stories about the plants, and customers seem to appreciate our insight. The following are some varietal notes about the top ten sellers for the Broley Homestead during 2023. 

'Dusky Challenger' (Schreiner, 1986)

In tenth place is a garden rockstar: 'Dusky Challenger'. The first time Heather entered an iris show, she brought a stem of this with her. The show was held in a mall; and while transporting her blue ribbon entry back to the car, several people wanted to buy the stalk. 

When we say this iris is a rockstar, we mean it! 'Dusky Challenger' won the American Dykes Medal in 1992. In 25 of the past 29 years, 'Dusky Challenger' was voted #1 as the favorite iris in Tall-bearded Iris Symposium voting. Alleah believes we could sell every rhizome of this iris we could grow; it's that good. 'Dusky Challenger', "probable child of the . . . famous 'Titan's Glory' (Schreiner '81), has all the outstanding qualities with more intense, deeper color saturation and even better, more highly refined form." [Perry Dyer, writing in the IRISES Bulletin No. 263 (October 1986)]. When she lived in California, Alleah routinely gave iris rhizomes to her coworkers. She rarely could convince folks to keep the irises name-labeled, but "the near-black one," be it 'Titan's Glory' or 'Dusky Challenger', increased so much with regular horse manure fertilizing that one recipient couple had it blooming all over their three-acre rural property in just a few years. 

'Bermuda Triangle' (Anna and David Cadd, 2000)

In ninth place in sales was 'Bermuda Triangle', a space-age border bearded (SA BB). While the general public tends to be somewhat reluctant to buy "novelty irises," 'Bermuda Triangle', with its horns at the ends of the beards, is a vigorous grower with a striking color pattern. It won an Award of Merit for border bearded irises from AIS judges in 2006. This award honors the top 1% of irises introduced during the previous three to five years. 

Broley Homestead is pleased to distribute this introduction of Alleah's close friends, Anna and David Cadd of Healdsburg, California, even more widely. 'Bermuda Triangle' increases well and thrives in the North Carolina climate. Although our peers on the East Coast often say that irises from the West Coast don't do well, this hasn't been our experience. It certainly isn't the case for this eye-catching median selection or many others purchased from or gifted by our West Coast friends.

Again and Again (Sterling Innerst, 1999)

In eighth place was reliable rebloomer (RE) 'Again and Again', a tall bearded (TB) iris. Our customers are really surprised when we tell them that some irises can bloom twice, both spring and fall; so reblooming is a strong selling feature. However, we like to share with customers that rebloom behavior requires both a genetic trait and favorable cultural conditions. When most irises are resting in the summer, a rebloomer is firing up for another round of bloom. Gardeners who provide nutrients and water to rebloomers in the summer are more likely to enjoy bloom again in the fall. 

'Stairway to Heaven' (Lauer, 1993)

'Stairway to Heaven' placed seventh among our 2023 sales. This iris won the American  Dykes Medal in 2000. It tended to rebloom in California, mainly when grown under a nighttime security light, as Alleah did at her workplace. It isn't known to rebloom in North Carolina. One of Heather's friends planted it under the porch light at her back door, but this may not provide enough wattage to prompt rebloom. We can hardly wait to situate some West Coast rebloomers under a security light to see if we can get rebloom here.

'Sicilian Orange' (Michael Sutton, 2016)

Sixth place 'Sicilian Orange', also a TB, grabs public attention, whether in the garden or in a photograph accompanying the plant at an iris sale. The striking combination of deep orange and wine in this bitone is delightful. It won an Honorable Mention in 2018 and an Award of Merit in 2022, and is under consideration as an iris that deserves two (or more) growing spaces in our production field. We don’t have any pots of ‘Sicilian Orange’  available for 2024 because we sold every extra rhizome we had of this variety last fall. 

'Sharp Dressed Man' (Thomas Johnson, 2010)

'Sharp Dressed Man,' in fifth place, is a child of the 2010 American Dykes Medal winner 'Paul Black', and bears a similar but perhaps even more stunning red beard than that of its parent. It absolutely screams, "Look at me!" For those who appreciate irises that share names with song titles, this one is sure to make their list. This tall bearded iris forms impressive clumps with many increases in our production field and consistently produces bloom stalks we enjoy taking to spring iris shows. As you might expect, American Iris Society judges consistently cast votes for this one. 'Sharp Dressed Man' won the highest award specific to tall bearded irises, the John C. Wister medal, in 2016.

'Immortality' (Lloyd Zurbrigg, 1982)

Fourth place 'Immortality' (TB RE) is one of the most reliable rebloomers wherever we've seen it growing. Its hybridizer Lloyd Zurbrigg focused on breeding reblooming irises and 'Immortality' was one of his most successful introductions. Alleah recalls reading an account that 'Immortality' bloomed during five months one year in one garden. Our customers certainly picked a good one here! The pure-white self pattern coordinates well with other iris colors and patterns making it a wonderful addition to any iris collection.

'Gypsy Lord' (Keith Keppel 2006)

'Gypsy Lord,' was our third most frequently sold iris and is another striking American Dykes Medal winner, this time in 2015. Its red, white, and blue color combination has been a somewhat elusive goal of iris breeders, brought to fruition here by the highly honored hybridizer Keith Keppel. The red-orange beards against the white center and mostly blue falls quickly catch the attention of customers. Keith's creations won the American Iris Society's top award, the Dykes Medal, eight times over the period, 2004 - 2021. Except for 2021 when two Dykes Medals were awarded to make up for no awards at all during Covid year 2020, only one iris has been awarded the American Dykes Medal each year since 1927, and it was not given in several years for various reasons. 

'Carved Pumpkin' (George Sutton, 2012)

'Carved Pumpkin', an intermediate bearded (IB) iris, was our second highest seller. This iris increases well, so we had many pots and rhizomes to sell. Our cousin Wendy loves the color orange and, like the public, she is attracted to any iris featuring orange coloration. The color of iris blossoms is influenced by soil pH. Try increasing this by adding bone meal or decreasing pH by adding acid fertilizer such as azalea/camellia food to see which intensifies flower pigment.

'Titan's Glory' (Schreiner, 1981)

'Titan's Glory', another American Dykes Medal winner, this time in 1988, was our overall best seller in 2023. Like many of the Dykes winners, this tall bearded iris is a vigorous grower and produces many increases in our garden. The original Schreiner’s catalog described it as "a fantastically sumptuous silken Bishop’s purple self," and it is. 

We often wonder if Perry Dyer was correct in his assertion that 'Titan’s Glory' was one of the unknown parents of  'Dusky Challenger'. Genomic testing for irises is possible, and we know scientists in laboratories who could help. However, the price-per-sample is rather high and we would need to sell many more irises than we do now to absorb the cost.

For 2024, we continue trying new things and sharing the joy of irises. Heather spent the winter upgrading the Broley Homestead website, and Chris engineered new protective structures to transport plants to market. Alleah has been hard at work creating metal labels for guest irises at three gardens near us. All hard work, but each new milestone is cause for celebration.

Thank you to all who have helped us learn and grow. 

New website categories make navigation much easier  

Utility trailer upgrades help us get irises to market

Growing Irises Out East: Sharing Stories of Rebloom

by Heather Haley

In addition to being a member of the American Iris Society (AIS), I am an active participant and volunteer in North Carolina Cooperative Extension programs. I completed the NC Farm School program 2019. Earlier this month, my husband Chris and I hosted a farm visit for another Farm School graduate, her instructor, and a new horticulture extension agent in our county. 

Heather's family with reblooming iris 'Mesmerizer' on their farm in Ramseur, North Carolina
photo by Grace Kanoy, GeoCore Creative Inc.

Winter is approaching quickly, and Chris and I spent that morning straightening up the kitchen -- just in case we needed to move farm conversations inside. When the visitors arrived, they were met with spring-like conditions and all enthusiastically wanted to visit the production field for bearded irises. The intent of this visit was to support a beginning nursery owner, discuss interests, and share experiences in the business of horticulture. However, once visitors realized the farm had several irises blooming in mid-November, they lost all thought of business pursuits and became highly inquisitive about these plants. 

One inquired, "Are the irises CONFUSED?" I laughed gently and replied, "No. Those are rebloomers. They are just doing what they do best."

Chris and I explained that each of the various irises on our property has genetic information coded in their DNA. Differences in DNA make each iris interesting and different from other varieties. Some iris genes control traits like flower color, whereas others can modify growth and reproductive cycles. With the right DNA sequence, an iris can shorten or skip summer dormancy and proceed directly into its next growth cycle. If climate and cultural conditions are just right, it is possible for daughter rhizomes to bloom in the same year as their mother. These irises aren't confused; they are just unusually prolific. Science buffs use the term "remontant" to describe plants that flower more than once in a growing season. "Rebloom" is the colloquial term for this phenomenon, and an entire chapter on it appears in the third AIS study of the genus Iris: a 1978 book titled The World Of Irises*. 

*The World of Irises book is now out of print, but used copies can be found online. Wayne Messer and Bob Pries have also transcribed select book chapters (including Raymond Smith's chapter on Rebloom) for Iris Encyclopedia. AIS is always looking for volunteers who can type existing content into this online library. If you are interested and available for transcription projects like this, please reach out to Bob at bobpries3@gmail.com. 

Chris reminisced about our household's earliest experience with a reblooming iris. After spending years in apartments during our college years, Chris and I became first-time homeowners and took to gardening in earnest. A modest collection of 19 irises arrived in September 2012 and were gifts from my mother Alleah. We planted them on the north side of the house where they would have good drainage and receive plenty of sun. Among these irises was 'Peggy Sue.' Alleah's description of this iris was deceptively plain: Peggy Sue - L. Lauer '06 - pink, red beard, lightly ruffled.  Although we didn't know it then, 'Peggy Sue' was destined to confuse and delight us. 

Several of our new irises bloomed the following spring, but 'Peggy Sue' wasn't among them. Her first bloomstalk appeared much later . . . in NOVEMBER! We were ecstatic to enjoy a flower in bloom, but also wrongly assumed this iris was confused. I posted a garden photo on Facebook, and included it in an e-mail to other members of the family.

Fall 2013

I suspected this bloom might be evidence of global warming, but my mother set me straight. Alleah was, and still is, vastly more knowledgeable about irises she chooses to maintain in a garden setting. Her response was, "I hate to burst your bubble, but 'Peggy Sue' absolutely knows it's November and is doing the right thing. She blooms EML and RE (AIS abbreviation for early, midseason, late season, and rebloom). . . . So whether or not I labeled the iris RE, she is. I'm attaching the October Santa Rosa Iris Society Newsletter in which I printed a long article on successful rebloomers in California and referred to a commercial garden in Virginia that specializes in rebloomers." 

Alleah's email continued with gems of motherly, irisey, and scholarly advice. "You may wish to go online and see a list of rebloomers in that geographic area and ask for some . . . .  Reblooming is a recessive trait. An iris breeder improves his chances of getting a rebloomer by crossing two rebloomers together, or involving several rebloomers in his line. 'Peggy Sue' has 'Pink Attraction' (RE) in its background, although none of the other irises in its background were registered as rebloomers. You will have to find other evidence of global warming."

Spring 2014

After planting some extra rhizomes of 'Peggy Sue' in the backyard, it became obvious that 'Peggy Sue' in the front yard had better growing conditions. These conditions led to more consistent bloom and rebloom in the front yard compared to the back. Rebloomers appreciate being watered throughout the summer. Frequent rain combined with a leaky hose spigot provided front yard 'Peggy Sue' regular access to water when she wanted it. She responded by blooming regularly and making lots of increases.

Fall 2014

Early Spring 2015

Very Early Spring 2016

Being located close to the foundation of our house also allowed for slightly elevated temperature. Bricks can absorb and store thermal energy from sunshine during the day. When the sun went down, the bricks slowly dissipate stored energy to their surroundings, including front yard 'Peggy Sue.' As years passed, we got several earlier- or later-than-usual bloomstalks, resulting in bloom for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Each time she bloomed, my inner Buddy Holly started singing, "I love you Peggy Sue, with a love so rare and true. Oh, Peggy, My Peggy Sue!"

Late Fall 2015

Winter 2015

Late Winter 2017

'Peggy Sue' was not the only iris we that rebloomed for Chris and me in Mebane, but it was one of the more memorable cultivars we maintained there. Of 80,000+ irises registered with the American Iris Society, about 4,246 (0.5%) are known to exhibit rebloom. By 2015, I was eager to get more rhizomes of reblooming irises. Unfortunately, many of the rebloomers I added didn't seem to like us very much. They didn't die, but only three of the twelve irises Alleah gifted to us demonstrated rebloom. I tried following conventional advice by providing more water and fertilizer, but most never bloomed more than once in a growing season. Thankfully we had better success with the rebloomers I purchased from Alleah's grower recommendation in Virginia, and from rhizome sales hosted by my local iris society. 

'Daughter of Stars', Late Summer 2018

'Bonus Mama', Early Fall 2018

Eventually, I learned that irises that rebloom in one climate (e.g., my mother's garden in California), may not be well suited for rebloom in another (e.g., my garden in North Carolina). I started paying close attention to Colin Campbell's work gathering rebloom data in my region, and combing through back issues of the Reblooming Iris Recorder for reports from gardens closer to me. I joined the Reblooming Iris Society (RIS) in 2021, and could access newer issues of the Reblooming Iris Recorder as they became available. While attending the National AIS Convention in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Alleah and I each purchased the 2022 edition of the Cumulative Checklist of Reblooming Irises. 

This must-have resource is available as a printed book, flash drive, and digital file sent by e-mail 

Alleah likes using paper reference materials and purchased the rebloom checklist as a spiral-bound book. I prefer having electronic reference materials and purchased a flash drive that contains a .pdf copy of the checklist, as well as a spreadsheet version of data used to create the checklist. I store the rebloom spreadsheet on my phone so I can access needed iris information quickly. The 2022 edition of the rebloom checklist builds on prior editions from 1975 and 1988, which contained 641 and 1,428 varieties respectively. To create these must-have iris resources, the Reblooming Iris Society engages in what I would call "citizen science." Iris enthusiasts, including hybridizers and iris lovers from around the world, voluntarily track the bloom and rebloom behavior for the named iris varieties each growing season. Next, volunteers share their rebloom data with an RIS Area Director who pools rebloom data and organizes it for publication in the Reblooming Iris Recorder, and subsequently in a checklist.

For years, I aspired to track and report my own rebloom data. However, I always struggled to find time and energy to do it. That is . . . until I remembered that I photograph most irises and their identification tags with my cell phone when they bloom. My cell phone records the date and location of my pictures automatically. EUREKA!

 

Earlier this year Mary Platner, editor of the Reblooming Iris Recorder, called and asked if I would be willing to track rebloom for irises growing at the farm in Ramseur. I was hesitant and explained that most of our irises are recently planted and receive no supplemental water. Mary lives in Scottsdale, Arizona and has her share of irrigation issues. She assured me that my rebloom data would still be valuable and I agreed to help. Bloom charts can be filled out on the computer or printed on paper. Mary provided me with an example chart, and her instructions were easy to follow. Each month is divided into three columns. If the day of the month an iris blooms is between 1 and 10, an "X" is placed in the E column of the appropriate month. Similarly, if it blooms between days 11 and 20, the M column is marked. Finally, if it blooms between days 21 and 31, the L column is marked.

Bloom Chart Directions 2022

Now that overnight temperatures on the farm are below freezing, our 2022 bloom season has ended. I'll use data stored in my phone to chart if and when my reblooming irises came into flower this year. When all is recorded correctly, I plan to email completed bloom charts to my assigned RIS Director and give Mary a heads-up that they are finished.

Hopefully, sharing our experiences will inspire you to add rebloomers to your garden and take part in data collection efforts. Working together, we can help everyone understand reblooming irises better, and rest easy knowing these genetically interesting plants are certainly NOT confused.

Growing Irises Out East: A Visit to Draycott Gardens

 by Alleah and Heather Haley

Susan Miller (center) and Alleah Haley (right) during our visit to Draycott Gardens

Earlier this spring, we took a trip into northern Maryland with our dear friend Susan Miller, Vice President of the Eastern North Carolina Iris Society. This area is on the opposite end of American Iris Society Region 4 and was the site of their Spring 2022 Regional Meeting. During this meeting, attendees were invited to visit four host gardens, including Draycott Gardens - home to Siberian and Japanese iris enthusiast Carol Warner and her husband David Bollinger.

Alleah enjoying irises plantings behind Carol and David's home

Draycott Gardens has been in operation since 1991 and is located in Upperco, an unincorporated community in far northern Maryland (about 10 miles from the Pennsylvania line). Draycott means “peaceful retreat” or “secluded spot” and is the name of a village in central-southwest England, the ancestral home of the Warner family. Carol and David's 10-acre property was part of the farm Carol grew up on.

Although Carol’s mother grew irises, they were uninspiring. Thus, it was not a family connection that piqued Carol's enthusiasm for irises.  After building her house, Carol was gifted a box of irises from a lady she knew and she proceeded to start planting them along the driveway. Breaking up this soil required a pick axe, and Carol thought the irises wouldn't amount to anything. However, this isn't what happened.

The irises along the driveway grew well and came into bloom the following spring in a beautiful array of modern patterns and colors, including pink. PINK! Carol was hooked. Carol belonged to a garden club and her club went to visit the nearby Harp iris garden during bloom season. Owners Maynard and Retta Harp had founded the Francis Scott Key (FSK) Iris Society. They told Carol about the FSK rhizome sale and Carol went to buy irises. She had seen Siberian irises in the Harps’ garden and returned to buy some in the fall. They invited her to become a member of FSK; she did and the rest is history.

One of many flower beds integrating irises with beautiful companion plants 

 

Carol Warner (center) conducting a training session on Siberian irises for regional meeting attendees

Today, Draycott Gardens is home to both bearded and beardless irises--all planted among an impressive array of companion plants, carefully-selected shrubs, and mature trees. Striking were the peonies, rhododendrons, and a huge collection of flowering plants that these former California girls Heather and Alleah couldn’t identify. Carol prefers the beardless irises because they’re more carefree. In her climate, bearded irises have to be sprayed to control leaf spot, and mulching for weed control needs to be limited because of their tendency to rot. Carol’s garden faces the southeast, has sun all day, and has good drainage. With an average of 42 inches of rain and 19 inches of snow each year, she doesn’t have to irrigate.

 
Although Carol's husband David isn't as passionate as she is about gardening, he enthusiastically supports her efforts. David happily keeps grass down with his zero-turn mower, moves soil from one place to another with a small tractor, and uses his considerable computer skills to aid Carol in the various activities that come with owning a commercial iris garden.

More blooms to enjoy among irises growing for resale

During the regional meeting, we arrived at Draycott late, just in time for lunch. We parked in a large grassy area just off the driveway and were quickly waylaid on our gentle climb towards the house. Our trio was immediately enamored by the gorgeous landscaping that welcomed us and delighted by  multiple well-tended beds of bearded and beardless irises growing together in perfect harmony.

Heather was is quick to spot historic iris 'Loreley' (one of her personal favorites)

Alleah is quite fond of historic iris 'Skating Party'

 

A spectacular clump of 'Dividing Line' growing among peonies in bloom

'Little John' is a creation from Region 4 hybridizer Don Spoon

 

Once we made it to the backyard, we were greeting by even more expertly cultivated beds of bearded and beardless irises... as well as a fantastic cast iron gazebo tucked elegantly into the treeline between the home and business garden beds. 

Carol's delightful metal gazebo

 

Although our family has been growing bearded irises for many years, we are relative newbies to the world of beardless irises. The regional meeting was scheduled too early in the year to see Japanese irises in bloom, but the Siberian irises were out in droves. Carol's iris collection is extensive and varied, and we were thrilled by the assortment of older and newer introductions. Among the Siberians we oohed and aahed over were ‘Roaring Jelly’, 1999 winner of the highest award for Siberian irises, the Morgan-Wood Medal. Standards are lavender grey with red-purple veining; falls are greyish, heavily shaded red-purple with a white signal veined near-black. Marty Schafer and Jan Sacks of Massachusetts are also the hybridizers of ‘Ships are Sailing’ (1998, SIB), which won the Morgan-Wood Medal in 2007. With very large blue bitone flowers and veined yellow-gold signals, ‘Ships are Sailing’ is stunning and especially vigorous.

 

'Roaring Jelly'

'Ships Are Sailing'

We also got to admire Siberian irises like ‘Great Falls Love’ (Dean Cole 2007). This cultivar is a medium blue near self with white signal on the falls; very ruffled and curled. Although 'Great Falls Love' was indeed lovely, Dean Cole’s 2021 Siberian introduction ‘Beespeckled’ absolutely took the cake! This ruffled iris tosses up mottled rose-wine standards with lavender edges, stretches out turquoise-colored style arms; and shows off mottled blue-violet falls with golden yellow signals veined in dark purple. A real standout!

'Great Falls Of Love'

'Bespeckled'

 

Draycott Gardens does not list bearded irises on its website, but they do offer about 250 varieties of beardless irises for sale. Offerings include things Carol has hybridized and chosen to introduce, as well as the creations of Hiroshi Shimizu of Japan and Dean Cole of Gorham, Maine. Shimizu attended a Society for Japanese Irises convention in Carol’s garden several years ago, and they worked out an arrangement for him to ship seedlings (primarily pseudatas – a species cross between Japanese iris hybrids and Iris pseudacorus) to her for evaluation, registration, and introduction. 

 
We were so taken with our visit to Carol’s garden during the regional meeting that we accepted her invitation to return and capture more pictures of it before heading back to North Carolina. During our second arrival, Carol greeted us from her golf cart as she speeded along sprucing up the garden. Later that day she would be playing handbells at her church’s Sunday service, and return to host an “Open Garden” event for friends, church members, horticultural society guests, and folks enticed by garden announcements courtesy of the local radio station. 

Our Sunday visit allowed Susan to capture a delightful moment of Heather (left) and Alleah (right) 

 
A million thanks to Carol and David, for your hospitality, and for sharing the beauty of your farm and gardens with our family and so many others.  For anyone curious about "growing irises out East," a visit to Draycott Gardens is a MUST!