As our bloom period draws to a close and the rhizomes start to put down new roots, we’d like to say a huge thank you to all of you who came to visit us during our open days. We were thrilled to welcome and chat to so many people who had taken time out from their busy schedules to come and share our passion – bearded irises.
Our first open weekend, in conjunction with the Spirit of the Land Festival in Lockhart, saw more than 150 people wandering around the iris beds. Many guests placed orders and others just enjoyed the spectacular show of the many coloured blooms. It was lovely to meet so many of you who we had spoken with, and put faces to names. Those of you who placed orders can look forward to the arrival of their purchases in early December when we resume picking and posting.
Guests also enjoyed a wander through Mandy’s garden close by, and some visiting garden clubs also partook of a yummy preordered morning or afternoon tea in the garden - something that may be of interest to other garden clubs next year.
Our second open weekend was somewhat less spectacular as a few days of high temperatures and hot winds just before the weekend were not kind to our blooms. We were fortunate enough to have a number of visitors from as far as Coffs Harbour in the north and Gippsland in the south. Although the flowering was not as showy, I feel most visitors enjoyed their trip, some experiencing irises for the first time and other loyal current customers just looking for a different gem to enhance their garden.
We’re looking forward already to next year’s openings with plans afoot for ways to make the viewing even more enjoyable. Perhaps a nice coffee to sip whilst wandering or a chance to sit and chat over a Devonshire tea amongst the garden or irises might appeal. What would you like to see when you’re wandering around?
Whilst we look forward to hearing from you, we suggest you delay ordering from us until after January as we would have done a stocktake and many more iris varieties will be available.
Thank you once again - we feel very humbled by the number of people who we were able to share our iris journey with us and look forward to catching up throughout the year.
Mandy and Margie