Welcome to Iris City Gardens

This is our twenty-third catalog and we very much appreciate each and every one of you for making it possible.

2016 was fairly uneventful, except for a severe drought in September and October (you probably heard about the wildfire in Gatlinburg due to the dry conditions). We are very fortunate to have a good creek that we use for irrigation, and it didn't let us down. The drought broke in November and, as I write this in early January, our rainfall levels are back to normal. You are welcome to give us a call early to mid April to check on the bloom.

We encourage you to visit during our open gardens to see the plants in person and enjoy our beautiful country farm. You're welcome to bring a lunch. We have picnic tables and supply the lemonade.

This year we are introducing six new irises, including four new beauties from Peter Jackson of Adelaide Australia, a new Louisiana from Ron Betzer (whose DARK DUDE received an Award of Merit in 2015), and another very nice bearded iris from Tom Silvers. As always, we're very grateful to our hybridizers for allowing us the priviledge of introducing their beauties.

Beardless iris are easy to grow and are not very troubled by pests or disease. Their foliage is attractive all during the growing season and, of course, the blooms are fantastic. Most like a slightly acid soil and welcome the mulch that helps control weeds and hold in moisture. They are very good for use near, and in some cases in, ponds and streams. The bearded iris prefer relatively dry conditions and a less rich soil. Our inclination is also to carry the older iris (see History), which we have found to be hardier and more disease resistant than many of the newer varieties.