Display garden open to the public in Benton
Visitors to Phylis Kirtly’s over 3 and half acre garden get to enjoy not only one but three official display gardens in one.
Her garden is officially recognized as an official day lilly display garden, an official iris display garden and an official daffodil display garden.
“I never intended to go this far,” Kirtly said about when she started the garden with a single bed.
Since she and her husband, Odie, moved into their home in 2004, the garden has grown in size until 2010. Now they maintain the large garden space and add new hybrids of various plants. Kirtly plants the garden so that she has something interesting to look at all year round, not just in the spring and summer months.
“You walk out every day and something is blooming,” she said.
Kirtly encourages anyone interested in learning more about gardening to join local garden clubs and enroll in the national clubs. She said they are good sources of information on how to grow the plants and where the best places to get them are.
She is a member of National Day Lilly Society, the National Iris Society and the National Daffodil Society.
Her garden is listed on their websites as a display garden for the type of flower they represent.
When she first started gardening, someone recommended she go to the Central Arkansas Iris Society to help her figure out why her irises were not growing correctly. She has been part of the group ever since.
She said there is a group for every type of plant a person is interested in, including groups that focus on specific types, such as a reblooming iris society.
Joining groups is often a great way to get plants. Kirtly said gardeners have to separate and divide plants so they often share with those in their group.
She encourages new gardeners to get a free soil analysis from the Extension Office so they know what soil they have to determine
what plants work best.
From there, she said gardeners should know about the plants — what conditions they grow in best, what light they need, how much water and what nutrition they need.
She believes people should get plants from nurseries or online. She said big box stores often do not have the best plants unless shoppers get them the day they are put out. The marked down plants, she said, are often damaged.
She loves being able to talk to people and educate them about gardens. When people visit her garden, she is happy to answer questions.
Kirtly cannot pick a favorite part of her garden.
“I love it all,” she said.
Her garden includes a wide variety of hybrids. She said hybridizers introduce the new varieties and register them with information such as a picture and a description to give gardeners and idea of what to expect.
She has labels with her plants that give the variety name, identifies its type, the name of the hybridizer and what year it was introduced.
Kirtly said when creating a garden, it is good to consider companion plants that work well together, such as irises and peonies. She said it is another way to extend bloom in a bed.
Kirtly allows the public to view her gardens. To schedule a time to visit, call 501-626-7258.