Scented Irises

The Iris display this year has been good. Generally 20-25% of the irises bloom while the remainder give me nothing but leaves. Don't know why. Even after dividing and transplanting that ratio seems to hold up.

 

Only 1 Dutch Iris bloomed this year. The other five bulbs probably died due to the prolonged drought.

The surprise has been the reminder that the majority of the tall purple irises blooming are scented. Heavily scented to my delight. They were pass along plants from a colleague who think they might have been "Memphis Belle" irises. 

 This lovely pink iris was another pass along from a different colleague. Unfortunately it's planted underneath what is now a 7 foot tall rose bush and not getting enough sunlight. Guess I'll have to dig it up in the fall and move it.

The other purple iris I have is a smaller one, faintly scented one that grows between 12-15 inches tall. It's not very impressive. The local Garden and Art Center is having their annual plant sale next weekend and I plan to dig up some irises and daylilies to donate to the sale. Particularly the daylilies, which have run amuck everywhere. Since I'm not certain what color the unblooming irises are I'll just have to label them purple since 90 % of the blooming ones over the years have been purple. Don't think the plant sale folks will care since they specifically asked me last year for irises. Plus, maybe I'll get lucky and find a different colored one at the plant sale. Would love to have more pink ones and add yellow ones to the strolling garden.

A Lull in the Gale

The early hours of this morning were marked by loud, howling winds. I'm a light sleeper so it probably bothered me more than others in the neighborhood. However, it was a nice surprise to find that by 11 am the wind had slowed down enough that I could go work in the beds without flying dirt and gravel hitting me. It was a bit chilly but as the day went on it got rather pleasant. I guess the wind changed direction or something because it didn't seem to be more than 15 miles a hour. So, for the first time in over a week I got to play in the dirt. Wahoo!

This trumpet vine is so lovely and a survivor. It's on the east fence and battles winds, which repeatedly rip it off the fence, and the neighbor's dogs which jump up on the fence from the other side. The winds cause it to get all tangled up and not drape over the fence where it can stretch out and grow... or perhaps my neighbors don't like it and are pushing it back over the fence? Who knows. I originally planted it on this part of the fence to help anchor it as the dogs and wind were causing the fence to lean back a little. Whatever the reason, it's such a lovely plant. Love the apricot-y color with the yellow center.

Actually took this photo the evening before, when there was a lull in the gale. Isn't this a gorgeous blue?

This cheerful pink dianthus came back and is nestled underneath some other plants. The color is actually a lot brighter than in the photo.

Okay, this is the front bed clematis that needs to be transplanted in the fall. It really followed the say that it leaps in the third year. It's covered with buds and the three mini-trellises are not enough to support it. The bed is a very small strip between the garage and walkway and is only about a 1 foot deep, so I can't get a big trellis in the bed. I THINK this might be the H. F. Young Clematis but don't quote me on that. That's the only clematis tag I've found so far going through the containers filled with old plant tags.

I THINK this is the Bridal Wreath Spirea plant I planted last year. It's so lovely with all its small white clusters of flowers and it's a shame it only blooms for a short time... which unfortunately for this year is during high winds when I can't really get to enjoy it like I wish I could.

There's a lot more blooming in the strolling garden and I hope to get more pictures up this coming week.

Another Blustery Day

The two big work deadlines for next week haven't left much time to work in the garden. The winds and 90s degree weather hasn't helped either. It's not yet June and we've already had several days in the 90s. Course, none of that has stopped me from plotting my next garden schemes, reading about gardening or hitting the nurseries last weekend for plants. I do have to get on the ball and put more time into the garden though, before it becomes so hot that I can't work in the yard after noon.

Here are some images of what my strolling garden looked like in spring, about a six weeks ago before the roses and irises burst alive with the bulk of their blossoms. The garden is going on three years old now. There was no landscaping when I moved in, except for the bermuda grass the builder had put down two weeks before I moved in. I HATE that grass. It creeps, crawls and leaps everywhere, particularly in my flower beds. Someday I hope to have all the grass removed [except maybe for a very small plot] and replaced with either gravel or a hardscape of some kind. But I digress... annoyance over the grass can do that!

This is looking south. The grass along the right edge by the fence will hopefully be gone by this summer to expand the bed. Then only the grass walkway through the arched arbor will remain. The plan is to have this walkway end at the back bed and to the left of that stepping stones would lead me out to the main grassy area to the left. The Dutch irises had just started going to town around this time.

This view is taken from that grassy walkway looking east. The winds ripped the pretty bird house off the top of the pole so that's something that will need to be replaced. The stone bird bath in the background sits in a small circular bed which will be a herb wheel.

The three-legged, metal rose arbor is still standing... though it's already starting to rust. Have no idea what I'm going to do if and when the thing falls apart. The roses, Climbing America, are going strong. One bush is already over six feet tall and had over 100 blossoms on it when it started blooming.This rose really lives up to its claim to be a vigorous grower. The bush in the foreground is a Bird of Paradise bush that is starting to bloom this month. The bees and hummingbirds love it.

This is the beds in the southeast corner of the yard. It was the first one I dug up and looking back I probably would have put the arbor at an angle in front of the bed but oh well. That's gardening. It's ever changing and I think that's a big reason why people garden. There's always something new. Plants expand, produce "babies" and/or die which requires the purchase of new plants. It's a living canvas which you can make as monochromatic or vivid as you, the gardener, want.

A third matching arbor is sitting in the garage, waiting to be erected. Just have to expand one of the beds to put it in, which would require me to dig out more of the Bermuda grass. Did I mention I HATE the grass?