Each May, when I was a teenager, my mother and I would go to a neighboring town during bloom time to visit Mr. Grey--an Iris expert who grew and sold hundreds of varieties in straight rows in his suburban yard. We would choose one or two to try in my mother's garden. I still have a yellowed and much cherished typewritten sheet that I follow from Mr. Grey explaining his best practices for dividing, cleaning and planting the tubers. I learned from Mr. Grey that the easiest way to keep track of when to divide iris is to do so every presidential election year.
One of the long Iris borders at Presby and the crowd of admirers
Van Gogh's Iris, 1889 (Getty Museum)
Iris at Presby Iris Gardens 2009
Thornbird (1988)
Auntie Em (2007)
Quaker Lady (1909)
Gracchus (1884)
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2 comments:
Going to a specialty grower at bloom time is really the best way to see the different species of iris. I went to one a number of years ago north of Toronto and your post reminds me I should go back in the next couple of weeks.
The way an iris grabs you in the flesh, as opposed to seeing a pic in a catalogue, is pretty amazing. I found myself walking over to several and thinking: I must have THIS one! (Great we have digital cameras now, so we don't forget our faves.)
Now if I could only remember where this grower was....those little torn pieces of paper we carry around aren't always available when we want them!
Off to Google!
Sarah-You are right about iris and the need to see them up close and personal. My garden is full of bits and pieces of unidentified tubers from other gardens.
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