As spring arrives in Oregon’s fertile Willamette Valley, the fields of family-owned Schreiner’s Iris Gardens are carpeted in a kaleidoscope of color. With ten acres nurturing more than five hundred varieties, Schreiner’s bustles with business this time of year as crowds of green-thumbed enthusiasts come to see the seasonal spectacular.
The company began with one man’s love for these frilly springtime flowers. Minnesotan F. X. Schreiner had a passion for growing irises, and by 1925, he grew hundreds of varieties in a single-acre plot and began offering them for commercial sales. Upon his death, his children took over the reins, following their father’s advice that they move the operation to a climate better suited for their endeavors. In 1947, they relocated to this prime location and have enjoyed great success ever since.
Schreiner’s display gardens are open from dawn to dusk during blooming season, which is usually the last two weeks of May. Patrons stroll through the grounds, taking photographs and keeping running lists of the different irises they want to order. Through the years, this fourth-generation family business’s internationally recognized hybridizing program has won numerous awards for developing impressive varieties of this showy perennial.
Visitors to the gardens will also see plenty of companion plants, such as alliums, pansies, and rhododendron, as well as the poppies and the clematis vines seen here. These beautifully planned spaces offer guests ideas for combinations that would work well in their own gardens.
Irises are wonderful choices for fresh-cut arrangements. It’s best to gather them early in the morning, when they are still moist with dew, placing them in a bucket of water to keep stems wet. Next, fill a vase with cold water. Using cutting shears, clip stems again at a 45-degree angle and immediately place in the vase. These vibrantly hued beauties will last for days, bestowing a bit of spring’s botanical largesse for all to enjoy.
Text Karen Callaway
Photography Marcy Black Simpson
To discover more of Oregon’s scenic beauty, see “Springtime in Willamette Valley” on page 23 in the March/April 2018 issue of Victoria.
