With the arrival of spring flowers, it
is time to think about seeing irises in bloom. Since you are reading
this blog, I am assuming that you have an interest in irises. In the
pageant of color of the garden each year, irises herald the arrival
of spring and the riot of color that will come in the upcoming
months. To see irises in their splendor is to understand why they
are so essential to the garden and why gardens can put up with the
need to divide their iris clumps every 3-4 years.
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| Superstition Iris Gardens 2011--Williamson image |
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| 'Subtle Beauty' (Tasco)--Tasco image |
If you are lucky, you may have a local
iris society in your area. For a list of local iris societies, you
can check
The American Iris Society
and under the link “Resources and Iris Links” you will find a
list of local societies by Regions listed as “AIS Local Club
Websites”— each region is made up of a part of state or more than
one state.
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| Paul Black image |
Going to an iris show is a good place
to start to see all types of irises, though usually shows are
designed for best Tall Bearded bloom. At the show you will meet
local members and the local society often will have a garden tour
that you can join and see irises in the garden. Take along a notepad
to write down the names of varieties that you like and do well in
your area.
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| Napa County Iris Garden |
You may also have a local garden
selling irises and a visit there is always productive.
If this whets your interest, then the
next step may be to join the local society. They are a good source
of social interaction with other gardeners, plants, and good
information.
If you are really interested,
considering joining the American Iris Society. The society has a
new, young, energetic editor, Kelly Norris, who is working hard to
produce a diverse product. If you interest is in Tall Bearded,
TheTall Bearded Iris Society is a good bet—a 10.00 a year membership,
with two magazine sized, full color publications a year, is a great
deal for the money.
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'Big Bang Theory'-- Jedick image
You will find many catalog and online
sources for irises. I have had good luck buying from the following
sources (note that I have restrict this list to sources of lower to
mid priced varieties not wanting to scare you off with the boutique
gardens that specialize in new hybrids that may be as much as $65.00
per plant). I cannot guarantee that you will have success with these gardens, but they are a good place to start looking at irises.
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| 'Endless Ocean' -- Beaumont Ridge image |
Beaumont Ridge Iris. An interesting mix of newer and older tall
bearded irises that grow and bloom well in eastern Oregon. Prices are
very good and the owner is generous with extra plants based on the size
of the order. The website is simple to use with most of the varieties
list with a color picture. This is a
good nursery for someone starting an iris collection.
http://www.beaumontridgeiris.com
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| Blue Jay Iris Gardens -- Jedick image |
Blue Jay Iris Garden. They
have a huge list with many older, tried and proven varieties. The
website is a bit hard to navigate and if you have specific varieties
that you are trying to buy, use the search function of the site to
locate them. They are hybridizing Space Age irises and have some
very interesting recent introductions in that area:
http://www.bluejiris.com
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| 'Center Line' (T. Johnson '11) -- Paul Black image |
Mid America Iris Gardens. Full
color catalog or look at the PDF catalog at the website; there is
also a PDF of the order form so that you can order if you want. They
have a good selection of median irises (bearded irises under 27” tall) too:
http://www.mid-americagarden.com
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| 'Teasing Tiger' -- Napa County Iris photo |
Napa Country Iris Garden.
Lovely stock and the easiest to use website that I have found for any
iris garden. The list is a nice combination of newer varieties and
older, tried and proven irises:
http://www.napairis.com
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| 'Harmonous Flow' (Nicodemus '12)--Nicodemus image |
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| 'Pinkablue' (Richardson '12)--Richardson image |
Rockytop Gardens. Black and
white catalog with some color. The owner looks for good, hardy
varieties that go well in his “freeze and thaw” climate in
Tennessee and he is especially adept at finding varieties that have
been overlooked, but are very good. Stock is very nice:
http://rockytopgardens.com
Schreiner's Iris Garden. Full
color catalog or order online. They also have a good selection of
slightly older medians and a small selection of beardless irises too:
http://www.schreinersgardens.com
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| 'Sand Dancer' -- Tasco image |
Superstition Iris Garden. No
website and the catalog is $1.50. Listing over 1000 varieties, they
have everything from the newest varieties to historically important
iris from the past. One of the few commercial sources for arilbreds.
Their stock is always very good and don't miss the $3.00 section
towards the back of the catalog with some really wonderful bargain
iris. They just started a Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/superstitionirisgardens
