美国 Iron Gate Gardens 萱草花园 – 北卡 Kings Mountain 萱草鸢尾苗圃

Iron Gate Gardens 是一对美国夫妇在北卡罗来纳州 Kings Mountain 经营的家庭式萱草与鸢尾专业苗圃，由长期从事萱草杂交的 Van M. Sellers 与 Victor Santa Lucia 共同打理，苗圃已连续维护自 2004 年起累计二十余年的品种目录。

苗圃历史与品牌沿革

Iron Gate Gardens 坐落于北卡罗来纳州 Kings Mountain 以北 8 英里、樱桃山市以南 4 英里处的 216 号公路沿线，地处南北卡罗来纳州交界带。苗圃由 Van M. Sellers 创立并由其与长期合作者 Victor Santa Lucia 共同经营，专注于二倍体与四倍体萱草的杂交、筛选与商品化销售，近年又扩展到有髯鸢尾的引种与展示，园中已栽植 100 余株新的有髯鸢尾并与数百株 Brodeia 及荷兰鸢尾混栽。苗圃自 2004 年起在 Cyberlily Webdesign 维护的网站公开品种目录与零售价格，最早可追溯到的 web archive 快照为 2002 年 3 月。

主营品种与种植规模

2018 年度的价格表共收录 251 个萱草品种，涵盖 Stamile、Selman、Hensley、Lewis、Klehm 等多家知名萱草育种者的主流商业品种与苗圃自育品种，其中 Sellers 与 Santa Lucia 共同命名的自育杂交种达 112 个，是苗圃商业销售的主体。本年度苗圃正式发布的新品种为 Santa Lucia 培育的三个四倍体萱草——’Clear Choice’（大花平瓣亮黄色，价格 100 美元）、’Confident Design’（米色花瓣配淡紫色眼与边缘，5.5 英寸，价格 100 美元）与 ‘Whisper of Gold’（中黄色与浅米色配深色眼与边，6 英寸具 Re 多次开花性，价格 100 美元）——均通过 (Net) 标记不计入赠品配额。

订购政策与配送方式

苗圃所有植株均为春季发货，发货季节为 4 月 1 日至 6 月第一周，6 月 1 日之后不再接受邮购订单，随即转入园区面对面销售。任何在一般目录中定价 15 美元的品种，若顾客到园自取，价格自动下调为 10 美元。苗圃宣称随单赠送的赠品植株通常达订单金额的 25% 甚至更高，是苗圃长期宣传的卖点之一；同时提供植物礼品证书，可在任何特殊场合随目录与贺卡寄出。俱乐部大宗订单可致电咨询品种与供货详情。

园区参观与花期安排

苗圃每年 6 月与 7 月对公众开放，但采取完全预约制，访客需提前致电苗圃以便主理人安排挖苗与接待时间。盛花期通常在 6 月第三周前后，6 月 1 日之前基本无花可观。苗圃自 2004 年起在官网每年发布 Musings 杂记与年度 General Price List，并在网站 footer 注明 last updated 时间戳供客户核实目录时效。

官网: http://www.irongategardens.com/

Overview

Iron Gate Gardens is a family-run daylily and bearded iris specialty nursery located in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, jointly maintained by Van M. Sellers and Victor Santa Lucia. The nursery has published an annual cultivar and price list since 2004, with the earliest web archive snapshot dating to March 2002.

Nursery History and Brand Origins

Iron Gate Gardens is located along Highway 216, eight miles north of Kings Mountain and four miles south of Cherryville, North Carolina, near the South Carolina state line. The nursery was founded by Van M. Sellers and is co-managed with his long-time collaborator Victor Santa Lucia. Its breeding work focuses on diploid and tetraploid daylilies, with recent expansion into bearded iris: more than 100 new bearded iris have been planted and grown on the property, accompanied by several hundred Brodeia and Dutch iris bulbs in mixed display beds. The current website, maintained by Cyberlily Webdesign, has been in continuous operation since 2004.

Daylily Collection and Hybridizing Scale

The 2018 General Price List catalogs 251 daylily cultivars drawn from leading American hybridizers including Stamile, Selman, Hensley, Lewis, and Klehm, of which 112 are Iron Gate’s own introductions by Sellers and Santa Lucia. The three named 2018 introductions are Santa Lucia tetraploids ‘Clear Choice’ (large flat bright yellow, $100), ‘Confident Design’ (cream with lavender eye and edge, 5.5 inches, $100), and ‘Whisper of Gold’ (medium yellow and light beige with darker eye and edge, 6 inches, $100) — all marked NET and excluded from gratis plant credit.

Ordering Policy and Shipping Practices

All plants are sold for spring delivery only; the shipping season runs from approximately April 1 through the first week of June, and no mail orders are accepted after June 1, when on-site garden sales begin. Any variety listed at $15 in the General Listing is reduced to $10 for in-garden pickup. The nursery traditionally includes gratis plants valued at roughly 25% or more of the order, marketed as one of the most generous bonus policies in the trade. Plant gift certificates, paired with the current catalog and an appropriate card, are available for any special occasion. Club bulk orders are handled by phone.

Garden Visit and Bloom Season

The garden is open to visitors in June and July by appointment only — callers are asked to schedule in advance so the proprietors can prepare plants and devote time to each visit. Peak bloom is generally the third week of June, with virtually no flowers before June 1. The site publishes an annual Musings entry alongside the General Price List, and the footer displays a last-updated time stamp so customers can verify catalog freshness.

Official Site: http://www.irongategardens.com/