A little late, but here's your Spring newsletter, !

Spring Seasonal 2024

Mow,

mow,

mow your rows.

Careful where you toe.

Cautiously, cautiously, cautiously, cautiously...

Along the iris, we go!

The dwarfs and intermediates had a moment this year. After a few years of mediocre bloom due to late winter droughts, early spring frosts, and shifting fertility protocols, things just didn't look very colorful (unless green was your favorite color, in which case, you probably loved it). All but the newest plantings of miniature and standard dwarfs had full bloom in several places on the farm. Mature stands had swaths of color. It looked like we actually know what we're doing! (hint: we do - we just don't play games with the one in charge - mother earth). Our focus is on healthy plants, first and foremost. And if a variety so chooses to draw all its energy into its rhizomes for future purchase or expansion or just doesn't feel like being playful this year - so be it. Who are we to say a plant must bloom to be useful? That would be like telling your weird uncle he doesn't belong because he just wants to watch the Macy's parade at Thanksgiving and not eat your dad's green bean casserole, again. Come to think of it, neither do I (no green beans or feelings were hurt in the writing of this newsletter).

Got off track there for a second so hopefully you're still with me.

But - my, oh my - when they bloom out their rows, send up multiple buds, and just BLOOM, wowee!

And then. drought. Massive drought. .25in in the Month of May drought. Go back another week into April and a week into June with one-quarter of an inch of sky driven moisture. There were actually tall-bearded blooms that started developing buds and then withered and browned in the field. That is dry!

(For those wondering, our irrigation supply didn't become available until late May. Also for those wondering, a blooming plant is NOT necessarily the best choice for digging as it has no direct relation to that plant's individual health. In fact, digging plants without a bloom stalk allows the plant to focus energy into the root system after transplant more quickly so that it can bloom in the most important spot - your yard!)

The more you know... cue early 90s NBC rainbow graphic.

Bloom and Branch

Although there is endless information to share about fancy websites and tools we use and practices we dabble in on the farm, this section might look a little different this fall.

What that is?

Secrets. Secrets. You'll have to stay tuned.

In the meantime, enjoy these blossoms of loveliness.

High Plains Environmental Center

This fantastic organization is a powerhouse in the world of native planting for the Front Range. They also have an amazing selection of Colorado native plants available during their season long plant sale.

Prairie Strips

If you've been out our back drive any time this season, you might have noticed some new irrigation. We're establishing a prairie strip! Simply, these strips provide disproportionate or outsized benefits to soil, water and biodiversity when in crop fields. Read more above!

Composting

We've been upping our composting game this season with some of the first batches of incredibly fine and hopefully effective material. Combined with our aerated static pile and the worms that subsequently moved in on their own, the compost we're producing is well, beautiful. Ignore the opening line of the above article and learn more about compost in general!

Water buffering

If you fancy a journey into some soil science, read here.

For how this applies to Long's Gardens growing iris and the product you see in the fields year over year, read on.

You've probably noticed some different looking pathways between our iris rows the past few years. Previously stripped down to bare soil as we moved the vegetation to our makeshift composting pile, now you tend to see mowed rows in many places, at least where the plants are young and we're able to give a consistent haircut.

This strategy accomplishes a couple of things - for one, it keeps our staff moving quicker through fields while reducing vegetative competition. It occasionally took just as long to remove the vegetation and haul it back to our compost as it did to run a wheel-hoe and behead it in the first place.

Perhaps more importantly though, it keeps a living skin on the soil during one of the harshest times of year - blazing sun, whipping winds, and water that seems just delighted to avoid central Boulder on the regular. Using a soil thermometer has revealed temperatures on bare soil regularly 5 or more degrees warmer than that with covered ground.

You may see weeds, we see a reflective blanket. And as water falls less and more sporadically, every drop that lands needs to last as long as possible in the ground before it evaporates or gets taken up.

There's other reasons for keeping the soil covered which we're happy to discuss and could probably fill another newsletter with... perhaps another time...

Plant Profile

Narrow-leaved Coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia)

The narrow-leaved coneflower is a mainstay of any native planting in Colorado. Although you'll spot multiple varieties of echinacea around our farm (mostly in our personal cutting gardens) the native high plains variety can certainly be spotted in multiple places too! Drink up pollinators! Read more.

*The varieties displayed here were available in this year's digging field (at time of writing) but MAY NOT be available in the catalog for shipping. Left to right: Backtrack (SDB), Counting Sheep (SDB), Feel The Heat (SDB)*

Dates

(a curated selection)

Catalog Ordering Still Available! - (shipping begins in July, just past the 4th!) We expect to close the catalog availability on August 1 and several varieties have already sold out, get in there soon!

June 16 - We closed! See you in 2025!

*The varieties displayed were are available in this year's digging field but MAY NOT be available in the catalog for shipping. Left to right: Eclipse of the Sun (SDB), El Torito (SDB), Gold Reward (SDB)*

Long's Gardens
PO Box 19
Boulder, CO 80306-0019
(303) 442-2353

Long's Gardens is a third generation, family-owned and operated iris farm in the middle of Boulder, Colorado. You can browse our online store here.

This email was sent to by Long's Gardens.

You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to mailings from Long's Gardens. You may update your subscription preferences anytime. You may also unsubscribe from this mail list, or opt-out entirely if you no longer wish to receive bulk email from Long's Gardens.