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…
Annual Iris Naming Contest Now CLOSED
Each October we select one of our seedlings, never before introduced, to be named by you, our fellow Iris enthusiasts. This year’s candidate presents a lively palette of color, very logically (although unimaginatively) named C843-3. This newcomer stands 35 inches tall and blooms middle of the season.
Contest open to US residents only. Entry deadline is 9:00 p.m. Pacific, Monday, October 28, 2019. The winner will be notified via email in November 2019. Winner will receive one plant of the named Iris (shipped summer 2020) and a $25 gift certificate to Schreiner’s Iris Gardens (to be mailed to the winner along with a copy of the 2020 catalog in the spring of 2020).
Contest Rules: One name entry per person please. Suggested name must not already be registered with the American Iris Society. Any name submitted which is already registered with the American Iris Society will be discarded. You can search for registered Iris names on the AIS encyclopedia at www.irises.org. Contest open to US residents only. Prize will be shipped to a US address only. Schreiner’s Iris Gardens reserves the right to select the name from the entries received by the contest entry deadline of 9:00 p.m. (Pacific), October 28, 2019. If no suitable name is submitted, Schreiner’s Iris Gardens reserves the right to name the seedling.
Thank you to all who submitted an entry.
The contest winner will be notified via email.
Sharing our passion for Iris,
The Schreiner Family
Images in this blog are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without permission of the copyright holders Schreiner’s Iris Gardens.
By Sylvain Ruaud In Italy iris hybridizing is not a new activity. But as you are about to find out, over the years it has taken its own — very original — dimension. Everywhere else in Europe it is men who have dedicated their lives to irises, certainly with enthusiasm and passion, but also as a…
By Ron Killingsworth and Patrick O’ConnorWhere, oh where, did that name originate? Iris names have always intrigued me. Some names are easy to figure out. Others defy reason. Another interesting subject is people’s names. Where in the world did the parents get the name they stuck on that poor child? Have you often wondered that? That subject…
via Louisiana Iris Names – Where did the hybridizer find that name? — World of Irises
By Mike Unser
A selection of irises I have grown that were introduced in the year 1926. In the United States Grace Sturtevant and Bertrand Farr were working in the east, EB Williamson and the Sass Brothers in the mid-west, and Mohr and Mitchell in California. England’s own Arthur Bliss was thrilling European gardeners, as were…
via Photo Essay: Historic Varieties from 1926 — World of Irises
Congratulations to Mike Sutton and Sutton Iris Garden!
The American Iris Society Announces the 2019 Dykes Medal Winner ‘Bottle Rocket’ (Mike Sutton 2009)
First awarded in 1927, the Dykes Medal is the highest award of the AIS, awarded to no more than one iris per year. Irises are eligible as a Dykes Medal candidate for three years following the winning of a classification medal. Only AIS registered judges…
by Jean Richter
This is an introduction to three women iris hybridizers from the 20th century who are perhaps not particularly well known, but all created iris of great beauty.Our first hybridizer is from the earliest era of the American and British Iris Societies, in the early part of the 20th century.Miss Violet Insole was a…
via Three Twentieth Century Women Iris Hybridizers — World of Irises
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.
Last winter, during the long dark days, we pondered the spring. We asked ourselves, what could we offer to those lucky devils who live in warmer climes who were already up to their elbows in glorious warm soil by April? A few ideas took sprout, so to speak. Read on for more details.
New product #1: Potted Iris, Ready to Plant in April:
Common wisdom recommends that bearded iris be planted in the summer months, which means that they will bloom the following spring. This year we’re offering six hardy reblooming bearded iris in biodegradable pots ready for planting in April! For best results, the threat of frost must have already passed and the soil must be soft enough to work.
By getting your potted irises in the ground now, you have increased your chances of seeing bloom this year. All the irises in this collection are also classified as reblooming iris. Under the right conditions, reblooming iris have a second bloom cycle in late summer or fall.
NOTE: Recommended delivery for USDA zones 8a or higher. (AL (southern), AR (southern), AZ (southern), CA, GA, LA, MS, NC, NM (southern), SC, TX) Use the USDA zone finder map to determine your zone.
This collection ships only in the month of April. Limited to stock on hand. Offer ends April 21, 2019.
New product #2: Oriental Lilies:
We bring you exquisite Oriental lilies! We are very excited to launch this new venture with our dear friends at Oregon Flower Inc. Over the years our business partnership with the incredible family at Oregon Flowers Inc. has become a treasured friendship. Being the flower lovers that we are, we want to share with you the beautiful, award-winning Oriental lily bulbs sourced by our dear friends at Oregon Flowers. We are confident you will fall in love with their beautiful aromatic blooms season after season, just as we have.
This year we offer two collections of Oriental lilies – one with three lilies, and another with five lilies. Each collection contains two quality bulbs of each variety. Each collection ships free. Lily bulbs will ship only in April. Last day to purchase these lilies is April 14, 2019.
Plant these exquisite lilies in a sunny spot. Enjoy the colorful summertime show of sweet scented blossoms! Read more on How to Grow and Care for Oriental Lilies
NOTE: Recommended delivery for USDA zones 8a or higher. (AL (southern), AR (southern), AZ (southern), CA, GA, LA, MS, NC, NM (southern), SC, TX) Use the USDA zone finder map to determine your zone.
New product #3: Daylilies to ship in April:
We’ve been working hard with our daylily stock. We’re very excited this year to offer our customers in warmer areas 30 varieties, including all of Bill Maryott’s spring 2019 introductions, in April.
NOTE: Recommended delivery for USDA zones 8a or higher. (AL (southern), AR (southern), AZ (southern), CA, GA, LA, MS, NC, NM (southern), SC, TX) Use the USDA zone finder map to determine your zone.
If you’re not ready for daylilies in April, not to worry. All of our 400+ varieties of daylilies are also available for shipping June through mid-September.
Greetings fellow iris lover,
As a lover of plants yourself, you too understand the power of our gardens to transport us from the cares of the outside world. We’re drawn to the easy rhythms and satisfying pleasures of expectation and reward. You probably have found yourself contemplating whether to put a swath of blue iris – medium and light blues next to the peonies, and maybe some oranges, pinks and light yellows among the columbine…gradually we realize we’ve been at it for hours and the light is waning.
There is nothing like an iris, though, would you agree? Indisputably, they are the glory of spring. Artists have been fascinated by the exquisite architecture of bearded iris for centuries. And the colors! Heavens to Mergatroid! More colors than you can imagine, and then some… A not unusual reaction from a first-time visitor to our display garden at peak bloom in May, “Oh my! I can’t believe it! I never knew there were so many colors of iris!”
Here on the farm, as the season of iris bloom nears, anticipation steadily grows until the iris explode in a riot of wondrous color. Discovering new varieties, and marveling at incremental advances in breeding, makes each year just a little better than the last.
Eliciting “Wows” are not only the statuesque tall bearded displays, but also the rows of the early blooming Dwarf iris, which are more practical when space is limited.
A note of advice — if you live in the city, and desire solitude, don’t plant bearded iris in your front yard. Traffic will slow to a crawl. Passersby will exclaim, “I never knew there were so many colors of iris!” Plant the iris in the back instead, for a dreamy vista from the kitchen window…. And a quiet place to contemplate your garden design…
Where do you plant your iris? Front or back? What mix of perennials join your iris? Do you mix colors, or go with monochromatic designs? We’d love to hear from you!
For the Love of Iris 