Amethyst Creek Farm Chronicles: Fresh Finds & Farm Tales - March 2025

Spring 2025 has officially arrived, and we couldn’t be more excited! This season brings fresh beginnings, and we have plenty to share with you. Keep reading to discover what’s new on the farm!

A family affair..

Amethyst Creek Farm is excited to embark on our first year in the iris business! Irises have been part of our family for generations, from my great-grandmother Francesca Lombardo’s love for gardening to my mother, Janae Moreno, a retired floral designer who always kept irises in our gardens.

While my professional background is in healthcare process improvement, my heart is equally devoted to the farm. My husband, Mark, and I split our time between our Idaho farm and our Arizona land, where we planted over 50 pallets of irises this season—soon to be transported to Idaho. We chose to farm irises for their stunning variety, resilience, and breathtaking displays.

Our 11-acre farm in Boise’s Treasure Valley is quickly coming to life. Last year, we curated over 2,500 varieties, a number we plan to maintain. We’re also developing a beautiful display garden for events and spring bloom gatherings.

Last summer was a whirlwind of progress—building a 1,500+-foot commercial driveway, installing a new irrigation system, and expanding infrastructure. Family and friends have been invaluable in this journey. My father, Dan, despite mobility challenges, painstakingly tilled a dozen rows by hand. Later, Mark repaired an old tractor-mounted tiller, easing the workload. My aunt and cousin braved the summer heat to help plant over 7,000 rhizomes.

Beyond the fields, we introduced a storefront for seasonal events, launched our website, and built a robust inventory system with QR code lookups. We’re also engaged in four research projects focused on optimizing fertilization methods.

This spring, we welcomed my niece, Victoria Moreno, who is graduating in May with a degree in agriculture from North Dakota State, to the team. She has been instrumental in managing inventory and will join us full-time this summer.

The support of family has made this dream possible, and we’re excited for what’s ahead.

Janae is also a passionate hobbyist, creating beautiful jewelry and handcrafted items that will soon be available in our online store and shop. Additionally, we’ve curated a selection of collectible books on irises and gardening, along with unique home decor and gift-worthy treasures. Stay tuned for these special offerings!

While we have an impressive 2,500 iris varieties, not all will be available for sale this season. We’re focused on building stock and verifying each bloom’s identity before listing them. Initially, we considered listing in advance, but after acquiring part of our collection from other hobby growers, we encountered some misidentified varieties. To ensure accuracy and quality, we’ve chosen to wait until we can validate each clump.

This season, we anticipate offering about 85 varieties for sale, with more details emerging as the bloom season progresses. Since we’re still in the early stages, we’ve also decided to forgo a public bloom event this year. Instead, we’ll take the opportunity to visit other commercial growers on the West Coast, including Mid-America and Schreiner’s, to learn, connect, and refine our own approach.

We are proud members of the American Iris Society, the Prescott Area Iris Society, the Historic Iris Preservation Society, the Reblooming Iris Society, and the Guardian Gardens program. Next month, we’ll share more about these organizations and our efforts to help preserve some of the oldest and rarest iris varieties. Stay tuned!

With each row planted, Amethyst Creek Farm continues to grow—one iris at a time!

Blessings to You this Spring,

Dr. Laura Reinhold