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Does anyone know anything about Schreider's iris gardens? I just ordered a catalog, but do not want to buy if their are not good. They sure have some beautiful iris.

never mind I figured out how to get to the watchdog and they are listed there with all good reports.

Schreiners is one of the top producers of tall bearded irises in the US.

Thanks. Now I will not be afraid to buy from them.

Schrieners has monster Rhizomes and you will not be disappointed. They are one of the very best.

always get top sized rhizomes when I order from them.

Peggy

They are the best! Have been buying from them for years. I have been to their gardens and fields and they are both fantastic!

This message was edited Dec 31, 2009 7:27 AM

Marti -

1- Schreiners is so well known and respected, if you google "Schreiners" it will be the very first listing they display every time. you need not bother to add +iris

2- so google them. they have a marvelous website with the family history. They are a multi-generational family business.

3 - Their first family hybridizer began winning the top iris awards and just about family every hybridizer since has more than several awards. I'm thinking they are 4th generation now. or is it 5th?

I'm looking for photos of my 2007 tour of Schreiners that I have not displayed before.....

4- to my knowledge, they are the largest iris grower in the world. The name Schreiners connotates great quality irises.

5- if you have access to the online AIS checklist and you ask for irises by hybridizer only, and enter Schreiners, you will only find 92 registered intros. But if you know what's what, and enter Schreiner, you will find 915 intros. They stopped listing the individual Schreiner's first name a while back. it no longer matters much which one, they are registered in the family's name.

these photos are ones never before displayed on DG, of Schreiners's display gardens.

6 - every year during prime TB bloom, Schreiners throws open its gardens to the public and holds a festival - see the tent in the background of the last photo? If you ever get to, GO. They are on outskirts of Salem OR.

7 - how many acres they have in production? Probably over 300 acres. The land around the tracks (from main road to Schreiners) is a carpet of colors as far as you can see. Have always wondered what those train passengers must think!

8 - I've heard that a hybridizer needs 250 plants before introducing a new iris to market. Keith Keppel, one of the world's top hybridizers right now, says he waits for 500 before introducing an iris. He told me Schreiners has to have around 2,000 to meet market demands for a new iris.

Display gardens are an incredible display of companion plants, too

9- Schreiners is one of...maybe two? family-owned iris businesses that is equally superior at the business side of their business as they are at the growing side. They are far superior, IMO, at marketing their product, than any other.

10 - Hence, you won't see us talking them up much on the iris forum like we do some others. They don't need us to! What's that line from the movie An American President?
"My name is ______ and I AM the President."
They could say, "Our name is Schreiners, and we ARE the USA iris industry."

I've never met a more fair, or more well spoken of all other growers, person than Ray Schreiner. As friendly and helpful a man as I've ever met. When I began asking specific iris culture questions, he gave me some ideas I'd never heard of, and they all work!

oh heck - I'll put in one photo I've used before - my fav

If you see an iris bed with lupine as companion plants you know where it is taken. Steve Schreiner gave the program at region 1 meeting this fall & he says they get the companion plants seeds from Parks.

Thanks for all the information. I've looked at their website and OH MY WORD so many beautiful iris. I don't even know which to start with. I will put them on the top of my list as to where to buy iris from.

Also Thanks for the pictures.

well, please put snowpeak iris (you can google that too) on the top of your list, too. That's our very own DG irisloverdee, Dee Stewart, and she has great prices (compared to Schreiners), awesome product, and sweet service. She's an iris master judge with a growing business, too.

If you like and get into irises, you will quickly find that most hybridizers that also sell are small companies. I always check what Schreiners is selling, because they have an eye for the really great ones, and I've heard they are pretty fair to the other hybridizers on profit sharing. But then I try to get better prices with the hybridizers themselves.

Thanks. I've added Snowpeak to my sources list for things I want.

bonjon
Thank you for those pictures. They are beautiful! I hope I get to see their gardens one day.

you'rewelcome!

Awwww those iris beds are exactly what I'm shooting for out in my back iris beds. I want irises as far as my eyes can see. LOL And what for, I'm just about the only person besides DH and a few of my gardening buddies that ever get to see and enjoy them. I guess it's because I wouldn't be happy if I wasn't surrounded with irises, daylilies, vines, cannas, birds, ahhh shoot, any plants and mother nature.

I'm going to work harder to get those beds out back to look more like Schreiners. I don't think I'll be making any trades with them for another year or two so they can fill in more. That is of course after I pull them all up and replant them after they bloom this year. I'm commited to reworking the beds, putting in alot of amendments, and raising the beds about a foot. Sigh, I'm a big dreamer but I know that I can do most of the stuff and it should help the plants greatly to get them a little higher than where they are right now.

Dreaming of lots of blooms and seeing some of my newer plants bloom for the first time this year.
Happy Day Dreaming about irises and other plants.
Marian

marti, when you come in this summer we can go there if you want. It is an amazing place, and they are very kind, helpful people. I have some iris from them. The only one I remember the name for is 'Beverly Sills', lost the tags years ago.

interesting, valleylynn, because Bev Sills is by Hager, who introduced a lot through Cooleys Iris Gardens, I believe, who was Schreiner's biggest USA competitor for several generations. They are about 13 miles away in Silverton OR.

Their display gardens are not as big or fancy, but they do have a very very nice one, and a display of cut flowers during their part of the bloom festival. Their catalogue used to be as big, but is very different in style, and they are a multi-generational family business. They have recently cut back to near nothing compared to what they had there for a while. I've had nothing but luck with their irises, in fact, theirs grow better than Schreiners for me. But I think, perhaps, they were not as good at promotion as Schreiners. From the sounds of it, the next generation has turned down staying on the farm.

Ernst bet the farm, I guess, on creating a red iris. Can't say as I blame him, it would have be AWESOME if it had worked.

I have been to both farms. I don't know why, but I always preferred Schriener's. I love their annual festival and the few iris I have bought have done very well for me. The Beverly Sills I got a start from from my mother. About 6 years ago I took her for the Iris festival and that was one she got from them. That's the only one I know the name of. I have several others that mom got from them, just don't know their names. I should take some flowers and see if they can identify them. : ) Here is a link to Beverly Sills on their site. I have a beautiful very dark purple (looks like 'Dusky Challenger') one that came from there and a solid medium blue. They are very prolific and sturdy.
http://www.schreinersgardens.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SIGO&Product_Code=BEVE&Category_Code=TBI
I am sorry to say I have never bought from Cooley's. I know people that have and they too have been very happy with the quality.
This is the closest to a real red I have ever seen in an iris. How bout you?
This is one from Schriener's that I don't know the name.
http://www.schreinersgardens.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SIGO&Product_Code=WARC&Category_Code=SS-VZ

This message was edited Jan 5, 2010 5:58 AM

Let's face it, both Schreiners & Cooleys are excellent. Pick the plants you want.

Our nursery industry has really been hit hard here in Oregon with the bad economy. I makes me sad.

valleylynn, war chief is, in our soil, a dull brick red. I had it but sold it off at discount - had so many other awesome reds, like Almaden, Battle Royale, Forge Fire, Code Red. Ernst, according to articles I've seen, was paying for gene splicing research. Trying to come up with true red. Blood red I think they call it.

Here in RTP (Research Triangle Park), computer, construction, telecom companies laying off 10s of 1000s. Now advertising and public relations firms are folding their tents - and we're a state capitol where PR is king. Every restaurant not packing them in has closed. The only industry still doing decently is biotech. But there's a no longer venture capital for start up biotechs, and that was the local golden goose.

Hate to say anything political on here, but, locally, the rich are getting richer and the poor are losing hitech jobs faster than the local McDonalds can hire them. My teen can't find a dead end fast food job! Two years ago, those positions were all held by non-English speakers. Now they are being held by 50+yr olds that live next door.

Yes, those things are happening hear also. We have one of the highest unemployment rates in the US. We went through it in the 70's also. The NW really got hit hard then. Sure hope things get better sooner than later for our youngsters sakes.
Do you have pictures of the reds you are talking about?

no, but you should find photos of all in the Plant Files.

I looked them up. Thank you. : )
My favorite is Battle Royale. I might have to buy that one.
This is the closest to red that I have. Don't know it's name, it was given to me about 25 years ago. Get really tall and very large flowers with strong stalks. And very prolific.

This message was edited Jan 5, 2010 10:27 PM