They may be the largest iris farm in the world, but Schreiner's Iris Gardens near Salem, Ore., faces major labor costs and is attempting to fill a high demand market with nearly 1,000 different varieties.

"Providing a big market with our production is a problem, and we want to  be sure we do not sell into our seed stock for next year's production," says Steve Schreiner, one of the 3^rd generation family owners of the farm in its 88^th year.

Managing a 150-person labor crew is perhaps Schreiner's biggest challenge, with costs of workers rising each year in Oregon, one of the nation's highest minimum wage states. But getting those  workers isn't a problem, says Schreiner.

IRRESTIBLE IRIS: Oregon iris farmer Steve Schreiner represents a family farm now in its third generation.

"Most of our people come back year after year," he says of the mostly-Hispanic work force at the iris farm.  "There was a time we found our labor in high schools in the region, but today it is harder to find students who want to work," he says.  Nevertheless, a small portion of the labor body at Schreiner's is comprised of local students.

But Schreiner's remains a major iris concern because it is nearly 90 years old and has established a reputation for quality, he explains, and also because it is now the world's largest iris farm.

"We are known for putting out fine iris plants," he says. Since the '30s, the firm has operated a hybridization program that has produced what he says are "exceptional" irises. "We're particularly known  for our 'blues' in the industry.

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Schreiner's has won numerous awards for its iris hybrids, with blue types dominating the prizes they've received.

But the life of a popular new hybrid isn't what it once was, he observes. "With the competition out there now among hybridizations, you may be lucky to have a top  contender in the market for five years."

Beauty is just one trait of an iris, he explains. Size, for example, has become a more important ingredient, with today's flowers much larger than their counterparts a few decades ago. "Flare" and "lacy edges" are prime ingredients in the recipe for a popular iris today, he adds.

Hybridizers are also working on introductions of new colors for irises, he says. A true red iris, for example, does not yet exist. Other colors, like green, also remain elusive in the iris garden.

If you want to learn more about Schreiner's, go to their website at www.schreinersgardens.com

This is a good time of year to plant iris bulbs – more accurately, rhizomes – since July-September are considered prime for putting in the plants for spring color. By visiting the website you can find out how to order the company catalog, a popular annual publication since retail sales through shipped orders represent about a third of the firm's business. The rest is mainly domestic wholesale, although Schreiner's does a brisk export business, mainly with Japan, as well.

This year, Schreiner's introduced 15 new iris varieties to the marketplace. In addition, it is providing 28 newcomers from other hybridizers in its total of about 1,000 different varieties offered

For more on this story see the August edition of Western Farmer-Stockman.