Gratifying search for iris
Today in the Nickel’s Worth I found a hidden treasure. I have been looking for an iris plant that has ruffled yellow and white standards and falls with a white throat. For several years before we moved to North Idaho, our family made an annual trip to the Napa Valley Iris Farm. It was one of my favorite activities since my husband and children used the occasion to buy Mother’s Day gifts for me. Sitting underneath their pecan tree listening to crickets, I loved picking out beautiful, exotic irises.
I enjoyed giving my own names to these spectacular beauties. I named them after my children and grandchildren. Today they are delighted to see their namesakes growing in my garden.
When we moved to Coeur d’Alene, it was the wrong time to dig the rhizomes so in the fall my oldest daughter made a trip to Vallejo, Calif., and dug up as many starts as she could find. Unfortunately, some of my “kids” got left behind. “My Kelly,” the ruffled yellow/white standards and falls with a white throat, was one of them.
In the Nickel’s Worth I found an ad for bearded iris. I called the telephone number listed and found a hidden treasure by the name of Mountain View Farm, The Tomato Lady, owned by Susan “Susi” Faville. She told me that visitors are welcomed by appointment. At my appointed time I drove down her driveway.
It is lined in a multiplicity of green shades and has a house and garage that are like many others in the community. But behind the house and garage, hidden from view, is a magical garden filled with yellow, pink, and purple irises, strawberries, tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplants marching in straight rows. An Araucana rooster, a banty hen and a group of Rhode Island red and barred rock chickens are watched over by the barnyard mother hen, a silkie bantam.
Swaying trees and white, plastic covered greenhouses border a lush garden. Artistically shaped and weathered wooden fences that Brian, Susi’s partner, built surround this garden. Two fluffy white dogs, Angel and Daisy Mae, keep watch over the garden. The dogs don’t jump or bite, but they do bark and will escort you in and out of the garden.
I found the iris I was looking for – the new, beautiful, yellow “My Kelly.” Susi says she will dig the rhizome this fall and give me a call. I’ll pay her $3 then. But, today I found Houttuynia plants. I’m told that Duane and Lola Hagadone have these plants creeping among their rocks by their stream at Casco Bay. Their green ivy-shaped leaves have a cream color mixed with a variety of greens and bordered with a jagged flame red edge. I’m going to have a wonderful time choosing which rocks I will plant them among. Sigh.
The Tomato Lady is a favorite at the farmers’ market at Prairie Avenue and U.S. Highway 95 in Hayden each Saturday morning; her bright red tomatoes sit among flowers and bright green, yellow and orange vegetables. If you want her to call or mail you notices, forget it. She will only send you an e-mail, and only if you ask nicely.
As I wander through Susi’s garden I eat an orange tomato, a deep purple loganberry and his cousin, a red raspberry. They are delicious. Walking to my car, my arms filled with gifts for my garden, I think – this is what the local people grieve for – the old Hayden.
Three blocks away I drive into Grace Tree Service on West Hayden Avenue, where a delightfully landscaped garden of many trees, shrubs and plants catches my attention. Thinking they may have iris plants also, I stop. Tim Kastning and his family own Grace Tree Service. He is a certified arborist and provides tree services such as planting, moving, pruning and removal. An oasis of greens, browns and pinks sits on this parcel of land. I find a multitude of trees, rocks, waterfalls, and the sweet honey scent of flowers, but no irises.
Within a mile of my home, swaying light green grasses with waving trees lull me. The scratching of busy chickens charms me. I taste ruby red strawberries and smell maturing bell peppers, eggplants and tomatoes. Most importantly I find “My Kelly” again. I am not licked or jumped upon, but in Susi’s Hidden Treasure garden I receive a personal invitation to the farmers’ market. The vendors just celebrated their 20th anniversary. If I can get up early Saturday, I think I’ll join this charming group of nature lovers.
Maybe I’ll find a new iris that I will name Gracie, after my yet-unborn granddaughter. She only has two heart chambers, and her abdomen is filling with fluid. It is not likely she will survive till birth. But she is another hidden treasure that is precious to me. I think a beautiful namesake planted in my garden would be just right.