By Bryce Williamson
My second stop on the 2019 tour of iris gardens in Oregon and Washington was the garden of Keith Keppel in Salem. For many years, Keith Keppel’s garden in Stockton was a must visit destination. With his retirement from the US post office, Keith made the huge move to Salem, Oregon. While he was…
Dwarf iris can be seen blooming among the tulips, weather depending.
Easy to plant, easy to care for, easy to enjoy! That is the Iris. And such variety too! Variety of size, variety of bloom season, variety of color, variety of style. Isn’t success in life all about the choices we make? That simple maxim can apply to the realm of the flower garden too. The Iris offer such a host of choices, one is surely to find just the right color, or size, etc. Let’s talk about the breadth of bloom time, for example. The Miniature Dwarf Iris and the Standard Dwarf Iris are among the very first Iris to bloom. Weather depending, of course, they open up their diminutive blossoms (just 5 to 15 inches in height) approximately mid-March to early April (in most temperate zones), heralding the launch of another promising Iris season.
The Dwarf Bearded Iris are no less hardy than their taller, more robust cousins. Dwarf Iris, both Miniature and Standard types, propagate with strength and, once in bloom, stand up to the early spring frosts. There are several wonderful resources available which provide great detail on the origins of these hybrids. The Dwarf Iris Society is a good place to start for further links and leads on exploring the subject. Several Iris breeders today have introduced spectacular Bearded Iris cultivars in miniature.
Intermediate Iris bloom early in the spring, often alongside tulips
As spring widens its embrace upon the land, weep not for the fading Dwarf Iris, for the Intermediate, Median, or Border Iris are opening on the garden scene! A bit taller than the tallest Dwarf, yet shorter than the shortest Tall Bearded Iris, they offer brilliant bloom to span the gap between March and May, a beautiful complement to the Cherry blossoms! The earliest blooming Tall Bearded Iris will overlap with the later-blooming Intermediate Iris, to create a seamless floral transition of color. Sprinkle in several mid-season and late-season Tall Bearded Iris around your garden, and the color show continues well into June.
A few moments spent casually mapping out the succession of Iris blooms in your garden will yield months of rainbow color from your ankles to above your hips! Dwarf, Intermediate, Tall Bearded, as well as Beardless Iris, are all planted in the summer months. Below is a simple chart, indicating approximate bloom times for Iris ranging from the Miniature Dwarf to the Tall Bearded, and including the Beardless Iris such as, Siberian and Louisiana. Bloom time is greatly dependent on weather conditions and gardening practices, however. For example, Reblooming Iris require regular extra fertilization, watering and dividing.
|
March |
April |
May |
June |
July/Aug/Sept/Oct |
|
Min. Dwf. & Std. Dwf. (5″ to 15″; 5cm to 28cm) |
Intermediates & Border (16″ to 27″; 40cm to 68cm) |
Tall Bearded (28″ to 48″;70cm to 122cm) |
Tall Bearded & Beardless (such as, Siberian and Louisiana) |
Reblooming Bearded Iris of all sizes |
Intermediate Iris (IB) “Many Mahalos” (Aitken, 2003) blooms early, among the tulips.
If you are one who can hardly wait for the year’s Iris season to start, you have merely to plant some Dwarf Bearded Iris this summer. You will have Iris blooming with the first inkling of spring warmth. Even if you consider yourself simply a fan, a dabbler, a curious gardening newbie to the world of flowers, give the Dwarf Iris a try!
Do you grow Dwarf Iris? Share your comments below!
What to do in the Iris garden this month…..read more on our site.
By Kevin VaughnI grew up in Massachusetts in the AIS of the 60’s and when we went on tours the iris were not grown like a corn field but rather as a part of a garden picture. ‘Cup Race’ was one of the famous irises to come out of the Stedman Buttrick garden.Image courtesy of…
via Irises as Part of the Perennial Border — World of Irises
Think spring. Visit us in May.
Visitors to our Display Gardens during Bloom Season in May
Here at Schreiner’s Iris Gardens we love Reblooming Iris. Continue reading this lovely piece by Ginny Spoon….
By Ginny Spoon When I first joined the American Iris Society in 1991, I learned about reblooming irises at our local chapter of AIS, the Chesapeake and Potomac Iris Society. Irises that bloom both spring and fall were the ones that I wanted most of all. That is where I met Don Spoon, who outbid me…
By Bryce Williamson
White. A color so important in the garden and so often ignored. I would shock people when giving judges’ training with the idea that the two most important colors in the iris garden were yellow and white. I stick to that position—yellow bring a shaft of sunlight into the garden and whites are…
Collecting Field-Fresh Bearded Iris Cut Stems
“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, sacrifice and a love of what you do.” – Pele
Greetings fellow Iris enthusiasts,
At Schreiner’s Gardens we strive to put a smile on your face when you open a box and see large, healthy rhizomes, every one you ordered. Whether buying a car or a box of iris, the product garners the attention. Usually one barely gives a thought to the workers who make it happen.
In spite of our best efforts, our iris refuse to jump out of the ground on their own and sort themselves, on the way to their destination. Talented and dedicated employees are necessary. Every organization has to have people to be depended upon. Schreiner’s Gardens is fortunate to have top quality employees, men and women, who have worked decades here. They do anything and everything: answer phones and the mail, provide the best customer service, dig and ship iris rhizomes, prepare and maintain our beautiful display gardens, transplant our crop, and service our vehicles and machinery. Pictured in our print catalog are the friends and employees whom we entrust with the most vital tasks.
Just as it’s a thing of beauty to see an orchestra perform in concert, an onlooker can come away with a similar reaction watching our crew. They are very good at what they do. There’s little doubt that they care. Even in extremes of weather, there’s a ready smile. So the next time you open that box of iris, remember our staff behind the scenes, whose mission is to satisfy YOU.
Our catalog features our new introductions for 2017, as well as 30 additional varieties from outstanding hybridizers. Iris offer tremendous variety of incredible color, from the early-blooming dwarf to the late-blooming tall bearded, to the slender elegance of the beardless iris. Within the narrow confines of a city lot, or stretched along an entire side yard, colorful iris lift your spirits each spring.
Finally, 2017 heralds a new chapter for Schreiner’s Gardens. We have accepted the opportunity to offer renowned hybridizer Mr. Bill Maryott’s beautiful, modern Daylilies to our customers – another hardy and easy to grow perennial Look for more information on our website. As always, we thank you for choosing Schreiner’s Iris Gardens.
Schreiner’s Farm Full of Bloom in May
Ms. Holland Spicker has once again assembled a perfect planning guide for companions in your Iris bed, this time for the pinks, reds and purples. Her use of collages of color and plants makes planning your decorative garden, and your next order of plants, super simple.
You might also take a peek at our Bearded Iris planting guide pages found on our website.
Happy planning!
The Schreiner Family
By Susanne Holland Spicker’RED SKIES’ (Ghio ’07)”The garden: Where inspiration and creativity begins and it never ends”This time of year I like to pause and evaluate the previous gardening year. By now in zone 6 the irises have been divided or transplanted into new areas. Perennials were planted in the fall. Poor performers have been moved…
With Iris bloom season at hand, enthusiasts un-sling their cameras to capture the quickly passing blossoms. What to do with all the images? How to categorize them, label them, view them easily in the dead of winter for a quick pick-me-up? Susanne Holland Spicker has written a very fine piece on World of Irises describing her method of accomplishing this task. Click here to read this very helpful article.
Happy Spring!
~The Schreiner Family
Bloom Season has at last arrived! Our 10-acre display garden has really taken off with the sunshine and warm weather our area has experienced this week. If you live locally (anywhere in the Pacific Northwest really), be sure to plan a visit to our Display Gardens during the month of May.
Kicking off Iris bloom season excitement is our Fresh Cut Iris Bouquets delivery. We package one dozen cut stems of tight buds and ship them via overnight delivery. We offer this for a few short weeks only. If you order through May 7th, we can guarantee delivery by May 9th, just in time for Mother’s Day!
Friday, May 9th we officially open our gift shop, plant sale and flower show. We’ll toast the occasion with a tasting from Elixir Liqueur, from Noon to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday, May 10th and 11th, we’ll keep the toast going with wine tasting from Methven Family Vineyards from Noon to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 11th, Mother’s Day, we offer a free cut Iris stem to all mothers 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Last minute gift shopping happily accommodated in our Gift Shop, offering unique and lovely Iris-themed gifts and home decor and more.
May 17th & 18th, wine tasting with Tartan Cellars
May 24th, 24th, and 26th, 2nd Annual Artist Fair 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
May 26th, Memorial Day, Chicken BBQ (11:30 to 4:30) and Live Jazz (1:00 to 5:00 p.m.)
May 31 & June 1, wine tasting with Tartan Cellars
Visit our bloom season events pages for all the details, or call our office if you have questions.
For the Love of Iris 