EBOOK
About
The diversity of bearded irises rivals that of any other perennial grown in temperate climates. For some gardeners, they bring back warm memories of a grandparent's garden; for others, they're a cutting-edge plant with a seemingly endless capacity for producing new forms and patterns.
As the manager of Rainbow Iris Farm and co-editor of the Bulletin of the American Iris Society, Kelly Norris is the authority on gardening with bearded irises. His introductory chapters offer tips for successful growth, garden design, plant selection, and "creating" new irises. A Guide to Bearded Irises also provides portraits of the most outstanding plants in each of the six recognized categories, from the dainty miniature dwarf bearded irises to the stately tall bearded irises. A resource section lists specialty nurseries, organizations devoted to bearded irises, and public gardens with notable iris collections. In this comprehensive and definitive guide, iris expert Kelly Norris provides an accessible yet authoritative overview of these deservedly popular plants.
As a speaker, plant breeder, and expert plantsman, Kelly Norris has garnered national acclaim for his high-energy, zealous presentations. He is the award-winning author of four books, the horticulture manager at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, and the director of Horticulture Now. Visit his website at kellynorris.com. Preface
I love irises-all kinds, really. But I'm head-over-heels crazy for bearded irises. I guess it all started in 1999 at the kitchen table of Cal Reuter, a well-known irisarian from Wisner, Nebraska. Irisarian-that's the proper terminology for someone crazier about irises than a normal person would think healthy. I'm one, and I'd venture a guess that if you aren't one already, you will be, by book's end. I was all of 12 the summer I sat at Cal's kitchen table, poring through his small-type catalog in search of what I didn't know would become an all-consuming passion. I walked away with ten cultivars that day, vowing to keep track of their names as a promise to Cal. He dug them from his expansive front-yard "field," marked them, and sent them home with me in a box that got stuffed under the backseat of my grandma's van. I remember feeling giddy about the whole excursion, and as we ambled down the dusty road, away from Cal's Spruce Gardens, I checked over the seat to see that my box of plants was riding snugly, as the trees at the edge of Cal's property faded in the distance.
Fast forward three years. In that short span of time, those ten irises cultivated something deeper in me than I did in them. My collection had grown to almost 350 varieties by the summer of 2002, when I sent an email to a man named Cliff Snyder, who at the time owned Rainbow Iris Farm in Bartlett, Texas. Though I had no idea then, my life changed on 30 July 2002.
To make a long story short, I (a mere 15-year-old) talked my parents into flying to Texas, buying, and subsequently relocating Rainbow Iris Farm to our farm in rural Bedford, Iowa. We tilled up seven acres, spent 320-plus man-hours planting 40,000 rhizomes, and watched a former cattle pasture grow into a field of dreams. We opened for business on 18 May 2003 and haven't looked back, except to chuckle at our craziness, since.
With this book, I feel like I'm telling an epic story about how to grow and love magically colored bearded irises, complete with a dashing cast of characters, a rich historical backdrop, and an optimistic and enterprising protagonist-you. This is a book for iris lovers-plant lovers of a special kind who seek out rhizome sales like garage sales, track the comings and goings of bearded irises with unabashed addiction, and approach color-laden standards, falls, and beards without fear. If you're holding this book, you're an iris lover already, or one in eager training. I ho
As the manager of Rainbow Iris Farm and co-editor of the Bulletin of the American Iris Society, Kelly Norris is the authority on gardening with bearded irises. His introductory chapters offer tips for successful growth, garden design, plant selection, and "creating" new irises. A Guide to Bearded Irises also provides portraits of the most outstanding plants in each of the six recognized categories, from the dainty miniature dwarf bearded irises to the stately tall bearded irises. A resource section lists specialty nurseries, organizations devoted to bearded irises, and public gardens with notable iris collections. In this comprehensive and definitive guide, iris expert Kelly Norris provides an accessible yet authoritative overview of these deservedly popular plants.
As a speaker, plant breeder, and expert plantsman, Kelly Norris has garnered national acclaim for his high-energy, zealous presentations. He is the award-winning author of four books, the horticulture manager at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, and the director of Horticulture Now. Visit his website at kellynorris.com. Preface
I love irises-all kinds, really. But I'm head-over-heels crazy for bearded irises. I guess it all started in 1999 at the kitchen table of Cal Reuter, a well-known irisarian from Wisner, Nebraska. Irisarian-that's the proper terminology for someone crazier about irises than a normal person would think healthy. I'm one, and I'd venture a guess that if you aren't one already, you will be, by book's end. I was all of 12 the summer I sat at Cal's kitchen table, poring through his small-type catalog in search of what I didn't know would become an all-consuming passion. I walked away with ten cultivars that day, vowing to keep track of their names as a promise to Cal. He dug them from his expansive front-yard "field," marked them, and sent them home with me in a box that got stuffed under the backseat of my grandma's van. I remember feeling giddy about the whole excursion, and as we ambled down the dusty road, away from Cal's Spruce Gardens, I checked over the seat to see that my box of plants was riding snugly, as the trees at the edge of Cal's property faded in the distance.
Fast forward three years. In that short span of time, those ten irises cultivated something deeper in me than I did in them. My collection had grown to almost 350 varieties by the summer of 2002, when I sent an email to a man named Cliff Snyder, who at the time owned Rainbow Iris Farm in Bartlett, Texas. Though I had no idea then, my life changed on 30 July 2002.
To make a long story short, I (a mere 15-year-old) talked my parents into flying to Texas, buying, and subsequently relocating Rainbow Iris Farm to our farm in rural Bedford, Iowa. We tilled up seven acres, spent 320-plus man-hours planting 40,000 rhizomes, and watched a former cattle pasture grow into a field of dreams. We opened for business on 18 May 2003 and haven't looked back, except to chuckle at our craziness, since.
With this book, I feel like I'm telling an epic story about how to grow and love magically colored bearded irises, complete with a dashing cast of characters, a rich historical backdrop, and an optimistic and enterprising protagonist-you. This is a book for iris lovers-plant lovers of a special kind who seek out rhizome sales like garage sales, track the comings and goings of bearded irises with unabashed addiction, and approach color-laden standards, falls, and beards without fear. If you're holding this book, you're an iris lover already, or one in eager training. I ho