By Betty Jane Hunt, Special Writer
WEST AMWELL — Anyone who knows the Hartpence family knows they are very close and do many things together.
The children of Marian and Harry Hartpence were all born and raised in West Amwell Township, and they have all stayed in the township, living within a few miles of each other.
Desre, Heather and Boyd are all married and have children and grandchildren of their own, but they, their spouses and their children along with Pop Pop Harry at age 87 — Marion recently died — usually can be found helping each other and enjoying just being together.
They currently can be found on weekends at the family iris patch along Route 518.
This iris business began because Harry liked these flowers and started to buy them before World War 11. Then he started to trade them like baseball cards.
Next, he got too many for the flower beds so he and young Boyd put the extras in the garden.
One day, as a joke, Boyd put out a sign “Irises for Sale.” So many people came that there wasn’t room for them to park in the driveway, and when it was wet, the customers were up to their ankles in mud as they picked out their plants.
The iris sales continued from Harry’s property until Boyd purchased the seven acres where he lives with his wife, Sharon, and three children.
Today, the Hartpence family is New Jersey’s biggest supplier of irises. They have well over 200 varieties on two acres of land. They are open to the public for about three weeks during the month of May while the irises are blooming.
One of the best advantages of irises is deer won’t eat the flowers! Deer actually help with this agriculture operation because they will eat the leaves in the late fall when other food gets scarce, which saves the job of having to prune.
The deer also help fertilize the beds. The plants are in raised beds to provide good drainage, which is especially important when the spring is as rainy as this one has been.
In July and August, they transplant and prepare new beds. Lambertville City supplies them with all of the leaves from town in the fall, which they mix into the new beds.
The Lambertville Iris Patch is the only certified iris nursery in New Jersey. They are state inspected by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, which Boyd says is really very helpful. They inspect for root rot and bugs and provide a lot of good advice.
The Hartpence family also provides good advice to their customers on Facebook at www.Lambertvilleirispatch.weebly.com. They provide information on how to plant, how to take care of their plants and when they can purchase new irises.
Boyd told me irises need to be divided and transplanted every three to five years. Irises love full sun and dry areas.
The rhizomes (irises) should be planted 18 inches to 24 inches apart with the fans (trimmed leaves) facing the same direction so the flowers face the same direction.
Besides the irises, Boyd and Sharon have built their home on the property. They also have chickens and didn’t have pigs this year, but plan to have them again in the future.
Donald “Cooie” Pidcock (Desiree’s husband) is a state-certified beekeeper and has four hives on the property. There are also peach and apple trees the kids take care of.
When Boyd has more time, he would like to do more cross pollination. They don’t have any more room for the business, but he does have a bed by the house when he can work to develop new varieties.
He said people want to know the names of the varieties new plants are developed from. This is easy if you buy the plants and know the names.
However, it becomes a problem when you dig up an iris from “grandfather’s” house and don’t know the name of it. He said there are some people who can tell you what color almost any iris is by its name.
The Hartpence family is not only a close-knit family who shows their love for each in many ways, but they also have that love expressed in the beauty of the flowers they grow together.
If you have never stopped by, don’t miss the opportunity to become acquainted with the Hartpence family and the Lambertville Iris Patch.
You are sure to leave blessed by the experience.

