‘Shirley Evelyn Hadfield’ – One of our Exciting New Special Reserve Irises
This is a copy of the Spring 2025 Summary Update. If you would like to receive this twice yearly update please subscribe.
Our Updates are an important way to keep in touch with customers, past and present, and iris lovers generally. We are seeing a steady increase in the mailing list month on month. Word of mouth referrals work best and, if you like what we do, please mention us to your gardening friends send them this link.
SUMMARY
Welcome to our Spring 2025 Summary Update and to many new Subscribers who joined in the last year. Feedback on the simpler shorter format, with easy access to information, is positive and it is reassuring to know that we are on the right lines.
First, I must start with an apology. Despite best intentions, the Autumn 2024 Update failed to materialise. The move to the New Nursery has been both challenging and disruptive, but the good news is that all my sales stock is now in the North.
CONTENTS
1) Stock Availability/Deliveries
Stock – We have reasonable stock levels across most product lines, but encourage Subscribers to order early as some varieties are in short supply, particularly the ever popular ‘blues’, Bryan’s Best Blue, Skye Blue and Wharfedale. This situation has been exascerbated by the Nursery move and the impact will be felt for the next eighteen months until new plant material comes on stream.
Deliveries will re-start at the end of June 2025.
2) 2025 Introductions
We have one outstanding new variety to add to the existing range this year: Roman Emperor. This is another Award Winning Iris (UK Dykes Medal 1985). It will be available to Subscribers for a limited period before going on general sale, but stocks are limited and you will need to be quick. For more information on 2025 Introductions and irises now back in stock.
Roman Emperor (Copywrite Marianne Majerus)
3) Special Reserve Irises
The response to the Special Reserve Irises released last year in small quantities is encouraging, and my plan is to continue to make these available in future. This important initiative allows us to extend our product range without compromising the quality of the iris offer. Our aim is to continue to provide top-notch Exclusive Award Winning British Tall Bearded Irises based around Bryan Dodsworth’s amazing iris legacy.
In 2025 we are adding two new varieties to our Collection of Special Reserve Irises, Iceland Gull and Shirley Evelyn Hadfield , both are rare, exclusive to the English Iris Company and neither have been available commercially before.
Shirley Evelyn Hadfield
Iceland Gull
All registered Subscribers have first pick before these highly distinctive top notch irises go on general release in fourteen days. This is a genuine Subscriber Offer.
LEARN HOW TO ORDER your Special Reserve Irises and other Subscriber offers.
4) Mature Plants
We are introducing a new plant category this year called ‘Mature Plants’ at a price of £25.00 per rhizome. This is in addition to our Standard Sales Plant. We understand that the demand will be limited , but may appeal to some customers in certain circumstances. Three varieties are available: Red Pike/Annabel Jane/Ice Pinnacle.
For more information on Mature Plants
Red Pike
5) 2025 Prices/Mailing
Prices in 2024 were held at the same level as in 2023. After careful thought we have raised the headline price for Standard Sales Plants from £16.50 to £18.50. Incentives in the form of discounts apply for purchases of more than three irises and these are increased progressively.
Mailing – Royal Mail Tracked 24 is used for routine orders for up to ten irises. Orders for eleven irises or more are sent Royal Mail Next Day Delivery, with the option to use Parcel Force for heavier orders.
For more details on Prices/Mailing.
7) New Nursery
I moved all the sales plants to Cumbria in August 2024 to a temporary nursery site near Workington. The plants have been there since. This has bought time to develop the new site on the outskirts of Cockermouth; south-facing in a walled garden setting, private and sheltered. Ideal.
I hope to get the main polytunnel erected fully in the next couple of weeks, and make a start moving the stock over after that. You can see we have made a good start (below). This has been a long process which has been both complicated and disruptive. However I am pleased to say that the end is in sight and I am looking forward to things getting back to normal. But, there is still much to do!
I am most grateful to our customers who were extremely understanding over deliveries in 2024 that did not resume until the end of August.
For more information including detailed plans for the New Nursery in the Walled Garden.
8) My Perfect Iris Annabel Jane
Continuing a series on favourite irises, the author discusses his ‘Perfect Iris Annabel Jane’ and explains why this is the ‘must have’ of all irises. Introduced over fifty years ago this Classic Award-Winning Iris deserves a place in any garden.
9) Topical Tips
The weather has been extremely wet over the winter, followed by a period of more or less drought conditions here in the north-west for the last month. It has started to warm up during the last week.
Finally, I encourage you to read the post on Growing Irises in Wet Conditions which has been updated this year, concentrating particularly on the need to maintain good plant hygiene throughout the year as the best way to keep your irises healthy. This is essential reading and written in response to a growing list of problems highlighted by customers.
CLOSING REMARKS
Thank you for your continuing support and for reading our Spring 2025 Summary Update. I hope you find the new abbreviated format more useful, allowing you to find quickly the information you need. If you do, and think others would be interested, please forward them the link and encourage them to join our growing list of Subscribers.
Also, please remember to be quick ordering any Special Reserve Irises, and, finally, let’s hope for all our sakes that the weather warms up soon. Enjoy your gardening and here’s hoping for a really good iris flowering season!
Please continue to tell your gardening friends about us and I will be in contact again in the Autumn.
Simon Dodsworth
Owner
Email:
Phone: +44(0)7789 670 299
Website: www.englishiriscompany.com
