The Fresno Iris Society and Fresno State Horticulture Nursery will host the annual rhizome plant fundraiser from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 13, at the campus horticulture nursery (3150 E. Barstow Ave.).

The event is the Fresno Iris Society’s largest fundraiser of the year and will feature hundreds of varieties of plants, including reblooming iris and other unique varieties.

Rhizomes will be available for a donation of $3 each, and grab bags with a collection of colors and sizes will be $5.

Fresno Iris Society members will host dividing, planting and growing workshops and answer plant and gardening questions.

“This event showcases how irises are a great drought-tolerant solution in the Central Valley,” said Pat Caffrey, treasurer for the Fresno Iris Society board of directors. “They are an easy-to-manage addition to landscapes and gardens to plan blooms for different parts of the year and attract hummingbirds and bees, especially since the reblooming varieties offer flowers multiple times during the year.”

The sale benefits the nonprofit organization’s efforts to promote area interest in irises. Attendees can also join the club that meets monthly for an annual cost of $10 for individuals, $15 for families and $5 for youth ages 15 and under.

Fresno State horticulture staff and students will also sell an array of plants and fruit trees.

Also on display will be the John Weiler Memorial Garden that has a growing collection of drought-tolerant perennials and hybrid plants.

A Fresno State botany and plant science professor from 1962 to 1989, Weiler started the Fresno Iris Society in 1967 and later became president of the Reblooming Iris Society. He began hybridizing reblooming iris in 1970 and developed more than 90 varieties of new colors and vigors before he passed away in 2011.

“Irises can add large, showy flowers to your garden in the spring,” said Calliope Correia, Fresno State Horticulture Nursery manager. “It’s a good time to prepare for fall planting since they’re dormant in the summer, or can even be planted now. The rhizomes have been grown locally so they’re acclimated to the heat and not shipped in from the coast.”

For more information, contact the Fresno State Horticulture Nursery at 559.278.2952 or ccorreia@csufresno.edu.

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