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Farm enjoys 100 Long blooming seasons

On 4/30/2005

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Contributed by: Fairlight Baer, YourHub.com on 6/10/2005

   Long’s Gardens has about 20 varieties of irises for each year it’s been open. With the farm celebrating its 100^th season in 2005, that’s a lot of beards, falls, standards and rhizomes – botany-speak for the flower.
   On a recent afternoon at the Boulder establishment, two friends were perusing the rows of green, purple, peach, white, pink and yellow for the perfect plant.
   Susann Gordon, a Denver fine art photographer, settled on four varieties including Dusky Challenger and Red Zinger. She said she has “tons” of irises in her garden and was “going for a few other colors.”
   Describing the variety already thriving at her home, Gordon said: “They’re called Grape Iris, and that’s exactly what they smell like.”
   While Long’s Gardens is growing about 2,000 varieties this season, only about 250 of those are for sale. The farm grows the others for historical and testing purposes, said owner Catherine Long.
   Liati Huff, of Boulder, has helped Long’s manage all those plants for 11 years.
   As one of the crew members, Huff tends customers in the blooming season, which ends June 12 this year. In July and August, she helps ship orders across the country.
   Some climates and elevations aren’t suitable for the plant, and Huff said Long’s informs customers of incompatibility.
   Being around the irises for so long hasn’t dulled their appeal, she said.
   “Each year, different ones strike me. My favorite this year is Role Model,” she said, describing it as a “dusty pink.”
   Long’s Gardens is located at 3240 Broadway in Boulder. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through June 12. After that, orders are accepted through Aug. 1 and are shipped in July and August. Call 303-442-2353 for a catalog.
__________________
Everything iris:
--The iris is named for the goddess of the rainbow.
--Irises bloom best when they are planted in full sun. They are drought tolerant and do well in xeriscape gardens.
--Each rhizome (the fleshy root-like stem) should be set in a shallow hole so that the top of rhizome is one inch or less beneath the soil.
--Plant irises 12 to 15 inches apart.
--Don't mulch because it will also lead to rot.

Source: CSU Cooperative Extension

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