On the Iris Road Again: Diana Ford’s Garden

By Bryce Williamson

The pandemic had so messed up my thinking that it was at the end of the iris bloom season in Northern California that I realized that it was safe to make a day trip to see a garden. And the best day for the trip would fall on Mothers’ Day. With the far north of the state blooming a bit later and curious about the Diana Ford’s hybridizing efforts, I set out early on Sunday for Hopland.

'Centennial Celebration'

Hopland is one of those census designated areas located on the west bank of the Russian River 13 miles south-southeast of Ukiah in the Sanel Valley. It is a rustic farming community situated amongst oak covered coastal foothills. Most of the valley and many of the rolling hills are covered in vineyards.

But just before Highway 101 narrows from four lanes to two and crosses the Russian River, I turned off to the east to find the Ford garden.

The Fords built a retirement home on property that had been owned by her grandfather. The 14 acres are surrounded by vineyards. Diana comes naturally into irises as both her grandmother and mother grew them. When she retired in 2012 as a computer programmer, she bought a few irises, went to the Santa Rosa Iris Society plant sale, and we all know what happened next.

Diana and Don Ford

These days she is growing around 4000 seedlings each year. The current focus of her hybridizing is on pinks, bicolors, olive toned flowers, and rebloomers. As she later wrote to me, “I love iris with the white standards and light within, so I’ll always look at those first. I love bright clean color. Try to work with iris that get me excited.”

178SBLB2

238SB6

167WCG1

323FS4

187RCI2

At the 2019 National’s blind competition of seedlings, her seedling, now named ‘Centennial Celebration’ won. Diana explained to me that she had not expected to introduce so soon, but winning the competition resulted in 'Centennial Celebration' being introduced in 2020.

I not only enjoyed my visit, but also brought home some canes of a wonderful single rose Altissimo. It was a long shot that I could root the cuttings, but 6 out of 9 are still alive and giving me hope that they will survive. It would be a wonderful addition to my yard. Not only were the irises of interest, but I also enjoyed the garden.

After I the visit, I took the grand tour of Hopland and then found a shady spot by the Russian River to eat my lunch. It made for a beautiful and peaceful day. It felt very good to be on the road again.

Images of Ford seedlings and 'Centennial Celebration' by Diana Ford. All other images by Bryce Williamson.

On the Road Again: Lauer’s Flowers

By Bryce Williamson

The saga of visiting iris gardens in Oregon and Washington continues. When I arrived at Kevin Vaughn’s, we made the executive decision to both go to see Larry and Marcy Lauer in Independence, basically just a hop and a skip away from Kevin’s. I needed directions, of course, since I had always approached their garden along the river.

'King of the Road'

Larry and Marcy lived in Wilton, California for many years and there they met Jim McWhirter and Larry starting hybridizing. On his retirement from the United States Post Office, they headed north and ended up with an acre in Independence 10 miles south-east of Salem. 

The town is charming with many of the turn of the 20^th Century buildings being renovated. It has become a bedroom community for Salem as gentrification in Salem has forced many people to live miles from the Oregon capital. From my first visit to this garden to my last, the changes in the town are striking—where there was open space around the garden, new housing is almost to the property line. You will see the change in the next picture taken last year and the image below it taken the year before.

Larry has had many awarding winning irises, but his most widely grown iris is the Dykes winning ‘Stairway to Heaven’. More recently, Larry has become increasing interested in reblooming irises and is focusing his current projects on that area. Larry has also been working a line for red amoenas, an interest of Kevin too, so they had much to talk about.

 

Larry Lauer with Kevin Vaughn in the seedling patch

In the last several years, I have greatly admired Larry’s ‘King of the Road’, but it seems to have slipped through the cracks of the American Iris Society awards. A warm, satisfying color combination, it also attracted the attention of Schreiner’s and they have it listed in their catalog. I had to look for it for two years to find plants to buy, but it is now happily growing in my garden.

 

The image is from two years ago before the two story homes went up next door.

Another Lauer introduction that is happily growing here is ‘Blinded by the Light’, a very bright and very early orange. Oddly orange colored tall bearded irises don’t seem to be in fashion these days.

'Blinded by the Light'

While I visiting mainly to see Larry's seedling and introductions, he grows many new irises and some of them that impressed me included the following three. 

'Dark Storm'--Rick Tasco

'Ocean Liner'--Keith Keppel

'Jungle Mist'--Paul Black

The last iris looks quite green in the garden and when I had a commercial nursery, I always found "green" irises sold well and were in high demand.

Among Larry's introductions and seedlings, I took pictures of the following; the first two remind me of Gaulter colors and patterns.

Lauer B-10-31

Lauer B-44-1

Lauer B-76-31

Lauer E-53-2

Lauer F-17-4

'Higher Ground'---Lauer 2019

After a too short visit to the garden, it was back on the road again. I needed a good nights sleep since I had caught an early flight from San Jose to Portland and I knew tomorrow with visits to Schreiner's and Mid America would be a long day.