On today's episode, Liz Schreiner-Schmidt, President of Schreiner's Gardens in Salem, Oregon, stops by to discuss bearded iris! Iris are in all their glory at their display garden right now, which is open through May 31st. If you don't make it this year, put it on your calendar for next year!

Liz answers all my questions about how to grow bearded iris - what conditions they like, how your iris will come packaged and what to do with them when they arrive, whether they can grow in pots, what to do in winter in spring to help iris succeed - as well as how to divide and what companion plants work well with bearded iris. We also discuss Schreiner's hybridizing program, some of Liz's favorite varieties, and some of their best sellers. We also discuss how her grandfather started the family business, how it's grown, and what their farm and display gardens are like. Liz is a wealth of information!

In the intro, I continue the convo on the Chelsea Flower Show and discuss some of my favorite gardens and takeaways from the show, and some of the things I learned about garden design.

If you don't already follow along with Schreiner's Gardens, find them on their website or Instagram. 

Subscribe to the Flower Friends pod wherever you get your podcasts, and follow along on Instagram at @flowerfriendspodcast and @growgirlseattle. And call in to our new Flower Friends hotline to leave a message that might get played on the pod: 7313-FLOWER, or 731-335-6937.

Sarah’s in London in garden & flower heaven, and recorded a quick lowdown of her visit so far - Kensington Gardens,  Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show! 

Today we get to talk with Miranda from Wildrye Farm about the heirloom chrysanthemums she grows and sells plugs of, and about her amazing farm in Bellingham, Washington where she specializes in sustainable, exceptional quality cut flowers and foliage!

I ask Miranda about her career in farming, how she evolved from growing veggies into cut flowers, where and how she sells those cut flowers, the layout of her farm spaces (which she has recently expanded!), about the plants she grows, and then we dive into chrysanthemums! Miranda answers all my questions on favorite varieties, where and how to grow mums, best time for harvest, overwintering, and taking cuttings. Listen in for all the info!

Miranda's mum plug sale is ongoing - as new plugs become available she posts them for newsletter subscribers; to join her mum newsletter, send her an email at wildryefarm@gmail.com. She is also having an in-person plant sale with Free Range Flowers, where they'll have dahlia tubers, mum plugs, veggie starts, and coffee and pastries on April 29th. You can find out more info and updates on Wildrye Farm's instagram page.

In the intro, I talk about a project I've been working on to clean up and plant woodies and shrubs in our rain garden, and get rid of pesky bindweed! This is the "last frontier" of places I can take over at our house to grow flowers.

In the outro, I play the first voicemail from a caller to the Flower Friends hotline, Michelle from Kentucky, who called in to ask about the differences between hoop houses and other outdoor protective structures. I give a quick response - but this will be a great topic for a future season!

If you'd like to call in, and get your flower-related question, story, or topic in, the Flower Friends hotline is: 7313-FLOWER, or 731-335-6937. Hope to hear from you and make the podcast more interactive!

Subscribe to the Flower Friends pod wherever you get your podcasts, and follow along on Instagram at @flowerfriendspodcast and @growgirlseattle.