I've been taking farm walks again. In the morning I'll traverse the hoop houses, the greenhouses, and the cool, breezy fields. I've noticed we've begun planting our Summer Iris in the fields, and the spring crops that were planted weeks ago are revealing peaks of their blue and purple heads, swaying gently in the north coast breeze. Now I see what the Chinese meant when they referred to Iris as the
dancing spirit of early summer. The long, sturdy stems of the Iris and its complex, mosaic blooms give it an air of tranquility and mystery. One look at a vase of Iris and I am immediately transported to a quiet, sunny field caressed by a light breeze.
Lucky for me, a quiet, sunny field caressed by a light breeze is just a short bike ride away. If you were to take that same ride, you would meet with one of our Iris Picking Team Members, who could tell you a bit about how the Summer Iris is grown and harvested here at Sun Valley.
The Cultivation of Iris Unlike other flowering bulbs--which are stored cold--our iris bulbs are stored in heated rooms. The heat keeps the bulbs dormant, and when we're ready to plant, we break their warm slumber with ethylene gas. This is just another way we flower farmers mimic nature. Ethylene is already present in all plants as a hormone and acts to stimulate the ripening of your banana, the opening of flowers, or, in our case, the waking of our sleeping bulbs. But that's just the first step in planting. Second, we must cool down the newly awakened bulbs, which encourages root development.
As you can see, temperature is key when storing and planting iris bulbs. Once awake and cooled, we plant our prepared iris bulbs in fresh, fertile soil in either hoop houses (fall and winter) or in open fields (spring and summertime). Our cool and foggy Arcata summers create the ideal environment for cultivating field iris. They are able to get sufficient sun during the day without the oppressive heat that can cause plants to go dormant. From bulb to bucket, it takes 2-3 months before our irises are ready to be harvested and brought to you.
Once it is time to harvest, the hard work has just begun. Our Iris Crew knows to pick these flowers when the heads become become "las llenas" ("full"). When the heads are full, it means darker color shows
throughthe leaves fully from the base of the bloom to the tip of the flower. The tip of the flower should still be sheathed by green, but containing color on the inside. This is considered the window pane, when the iris is still closed, but ready to burst into color in a few days. It takes an experienced eye to notice this change, and those who pick Iris employ some special methods of the trade to ascertain and and guarantee that our iris are picked at the optimum moment. They must take great care to not wait until they are too full, or pick too early when the buds are green--which means we often pick two times a day. Timing is incredibly important, because at this stage of growth, iris moves fast, but luckily for us, our dedicated Iris team moves faster. Check out the beautiful and colorful "las llenas" below:
After the Irises are picked, graded, and bunched, they are hydrated overnight with a special blend of nutrients before moving on to their next destination: you!
Mother's Day IrisAs Mother Day approaches, consider giving your mother a bountiful arrangement of irises. After all, irises are singular in color, graceful in shape, and oh-so-versatile in scope--a charming, natural embodiment of a loving mother. Whether standing alone (as the Blue Moon Bouquet below) or in combination with our other complementary and contrasting blooms--iris is sure to make a lasting impression. Check out the iris combination bouquets we're offering just for
Mother's Day.
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