This beautiful iris popped up this spring in the Greer garden. The house is in the backdrop. (Courtesy photo)

By BARBARA GREEN
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For those who love gardening there is nothing better than sharing bulbs, cuttings or seeds with a friend. Seeing them bloom and color someone else’s world is a special feeling.
A local couple hopes to revitalize what for years was a local tradition, the Bowie Iris Garden Bulb Sale, at the home of the late Bobbie Inez Greer and her husband Arthur “Bot” Greer. Their gardens located around their home at 1111 Belcherville were a showcase of color each spring as irises of all varieties bloomed.
Inez tended the gardens with loving care shipping them all across the country and local folks also came to the sale searching for a new color for their gardens. Her iris gardens became her passion, but she also cultivated roses and lilies.
Courtney and TJay McEwen purchased the Greer house in January with plans to restore it, but they have become somewhat enamoured with the Greer’s history and place in the community. It led them to plan an Iris Garden Bulb Sale from noon to 7 p.m. on Aug. 3 at the garden.
When they bought the property, family members and people in the community began telling them stories about the couple. Courtney said the sale, which was known far and wide, is a way to honor Mrs. Greer’s memory and all she cultivated through the years.

Walking through the gardens which were grown up after years of neglect, one can see the small silver markers noting the variety. Many of the irises have grown together and have not bloomed, while others popped up this past spring and summer.
“They need to be thinned and separated, so they bloom. The ones we were able to identify when they came out have a photo and their name on the bag, but others are just a grab bag of miscellaneous. The first one that came up was Coffee Royale, which was maroon, eggplant and a light purple. I have never seen irises like this,” explained Courtney.

Read the full feature in the mid-week News.