Pat Otterness

Pat Otterness is a retired geneticist turned iris hybridizer. In later life she spent over twenty years hybridizing tall bearded irises just for the joy of it. She introduced over fifty new iris varieties to the American Iris Society during that time. For ten years her articles about the funny side of Iris gardening appeared in every issue of Tall Talk, the journal of the Tall Bearded Iris Society under the title, From the Gardens at Laughingstock. She began writing in 2006 but waited to publish until 2024. She has just published her third book in 2025 at age 82.

Pat is also an avid handweaver. For the past three years she has woven colorful, original table runners for sale on LinkedIn. Now she is setting aside her rigid heddle loom and teaching herself to use an 8-harness loom.