Bearded Irises for Sale
Tommola Farm is the oldest still-operating farms in Finland. It is also a nursery with a vast collection of irises
Have you heard of Tommola Nursery? If you’re not from Finland, probably not. But even here, it’s one of those places many people don’t know.
Here’s the secret: Tommola Nursery is a family-owned nursery in Central Finland. It is run by Simo and Eija Tommola, who represent the 14th generation to operate the farm. The farm has been in continuous operation since the 1570s, making it one of the oldest still-working farms in Finland. And their future looks bright. The next generation is ready to carry on the work.
But for now, Simo grows plums and cherries, while Eija focuses on perennials. She manages both a nursery and a beautiful show garden where visitors can see mature examples of her plants.
Eija’s collection includes more than 3,000 species and varieties. She has seventy different bearded irises varieties, and they include twenty varieties bred by Peter Joy and Pirkko Kahila. Four cultivars are now ready for sale: ‘Elleniida’, ‘Hiidenvesi’, ‘Martti’ and ‘Siniperho’.
You can read more about Peter and his breeding program from our “In Garden” story.
And that’s not all. Tommola Farm is a very beautiful place. It sits on top of a hill, and if you look up from Eija’s perennials, you can see long rows of bluish hills and the glimmer of a lake in the distance. It’s a bit like Tuscany, but in Central Finland. On hot summer days, temperatures can get quite high, so if you decide to visit — and we hope you do — be sure to bring a hat and sunglasses.
For directions and opening hours, see Tommola’s website. Irises are at their best around Midsummer, a week before or week later, Eija says.
(Descriptions of varieties below are by Peter Joy.)
Bearded Irises by Peter and Pirkko
’Siniperho’
The name translates as ’Blue Butterfly’, aptly describing the appearance of a vigorous clump of this iris in flower. The flower stems rise to 50-60 cm and could place this iris in either the MTB or IB categories. The falls fan out nearly horizontally, only slightly drooping towards the margins. The flowers are a pleasing shade of lavender with pale beards suffused yellow near the throat. The stems tend to rise at varying angles from the base, giving the butterfly-like appearance.
’Elleniida’
The standards are a delicate pale blue. Strongly scented. A mid-season IB iris growing to 30-35 cm. The clumps spread rapidly and produce a profusion of small blooms with lilac falls densely veined in nearly white and conspicuous yellow beards. One of the first varieties bred by Peter and Pirkko and named after Peter’s granddaughter. Suitable for terraces or rockeries.
’Martti’
It might be considered as belonging either to the IB or the Miniature Tall Bearded (MTB) category. The flowers are a uniform purple with slight basal veining, classically elegant in form and slightly fragrant. White beard. It is a mid-season bloomer which sometimes shows repeat blooming in early autumn. Grows to about 40 cm. Originally named “Smartti” meaning smart, but later renamed Martti.
’Hiidenvesi’
We classify this iris as an Intermediate Bearded (IB) iris, growing to about 30-35 cm. The falls are purple with dense white veining and lemon-yellow beards. The standards are clean white. Starts to flower relatively late, after most others in its category. The clumps are vigorous, compact and healthy. Named after a big lake near the trial ground.
