Re: Long's Gardens AND a re-intro of sorts
- To: i*@rt66.com
- Subject: Re: Long's Gardens AND a re-intro of sorts
- From: R*@aol.com
- Date: Wed, 4 Sep 1996 01:20:25 -0400
Kathy Guest pulled me out of lurkdom with her post about Long's Gardens.
Kathy wrote:
>>Can anyone tell me the name(s) of the owners of Long's gardens? I order
from
>>them every year - so does our club - and they are just INCREDIBLY generous!
Cathy Gates is the proprieter and one of the nicest people I've ever met.
A trip to Long's Gardens in Boulder, Colorado is on the top of my
priority list during bloom season. The combination of Cathy's
hospitality, beautiful flowers and gorgeous scenery makes a great visit.
This year I made two trips, one for the medians, and one for the TB's.
Long's is about 40 miles from my house, but the drive, especially once
heading down the hill into Boulder, is well worth it for the beautiful
scenery. Boulder has grown up around Long's Gardens. Where once there
were adjoining fields, there now are suburban homes. But wandering
through the gardens is still a pleasure. To the south are the Flatirons,
the most beautiful mountains in the world, IMHO. Between the Flatirons
and Long's is the University of Colorado, where I was fortunate to spend
several years going to school, all the while looking up at those
beautiful mountains.
Long's has always been very generous in filling their iris orders. I
especially like buying from them because I know the plants that grow in
Cathy's fields at about 5200 feet will certainly grow in my yard. Cathy
doesn't baby her plants, and they aren't dug up and replanted each year,
as in California and other places further west.
Long's Gardens has been in business since 1906 and is still run by the
same family. Long's is acting as a host garden for the 1998 AIS
convention and is processing all the convention guests.
Long's address:
P.O. Box 19
Boulder, CO 80306
Also while I'm here, drawn out of lurkdom, I should finally, formerly
introduce myself.
My name is Lynda D. Love and at 32, I'm probably one of the younger
members of this list and one of the younger members of AIS. No matter,
I've loved irises for many years. I currently live in the city of Denver
at about 5400 feet elevation on a half-acre lot that doesn't feel like
it's in the city. I grow about 350 different irises, and each year the
numbers inch upward. My husband grumbles about having to mow around new
iris beds. I try to tell him he has less grass to mow. <g>
Right now I grow mostly TB's but I'm crazy over Siberians so I expect to
acquire many more Siberians in the future to add to my small collection.
I also love Border Bearded irises. I think it started with Tom Magee's
1976 BB introduction MAROON BELLS, one of my all time favorite irises.
I've grown MAROON BELLS for a number of years and as I learned more about
irises, I became fascinated with the class of irises called the BB's. I
now have a nice collection of BB's and will expand that also.
I'm also a host garden for the 1998 AIS convention. Last year I received
beardless guests, and this summer, starting in July, I've been getting
bearded guests, TB's and BB's. Most of the guests have been received and
all have been planted. Growth looks good, but the weeds like my soil
preparation too, so I have my work cut out for me.
I have attended two conventions, 1994 in Portland and earlier this year
in Sacramento. I am hoping to go to next year's convention in Michigan.
My greatest claim to fame (?) in irisdom occured earlier this year when I
won Best of Show in Region 20's show with a huge stalk of HELLO DARKNESS,
a Schreiner black TB. I still am amazed that the judges chose my stalk!
The clump of HELLO DARKNESS in my yard had 11 stalks. Lowell Baumunk, who
is also on this list and resides in Region 20 and frequently wins Best of
Show was a guest in my yard a few days before the show. He regarded the
clump and picked out the best stalk. "There's your best of show," he told
me. He was exactly right! Thanks Lowell!
To earn money to support my iris habit, pay the mortgage and buy
groceries (priorities!), I work as a pharmacist in a retail pharmacy.
This year I started cutting stalks and bringing them into work with me. I
got numerous postitive comments, and I liked looking up from my work to
see the iris blooms. I will definitely continue to bring in stalks to
work with me.
In addition to gardening, other activities I enjoy include woodworking,
home improvement projects, reading, listening to music, cooking,
composing and answering email, and playing with my dog and my cat.
I've been lurking on this list since sometime in March. With getting the
convention beds ready and planting the guests, as well as dividing my own
plants, it has been a busy and exhausting summer. I am actually looking
forward to fall this year-- I need some rest!
Lynda D. Love
(Rxiris@aol.com)
