Friday, June 6, 2014

Iris season is upon us!

Good morning, everyone

Fortunately, rain soaked our yards and gardens for the past two days. And that means our irises are blooming like crazy! Their cascade of colors from May through June delight my senses. This year their color is especially welcome because we were forced to say.... 

...Farewell Redbud!

Sadly, this favorite tree of our bird visitors didn't survive Old Man Winter. The deer also responded to the harsh conditions by nibbling several of my husband’s miniature specimen evergreens to the nubs. Our pink azalea didn’t escape their notice either: it barely blossomed, but seems to be thriving all the same. As you can see from last year’s photo, their combined pinks lit up the green slope behind them. 

Redbud and Azalea, spring 2013

Hello Irises!

Irises are perfect for Ikebana arrangements because they love to be in water. Our “Cat’s Eyes,” which are SDB (standard dwarf bearded) irises, just finished blooming. This year's blooms were prolific but fleeting, so I missed my chance for a group photo. Luckily “Among Friends,” which are MTB (miniature tall bearded) irises, are in full glory. Here are a few pictures.

“Cat’s Eyes”


 "Among Friends"


"Among Friends," en masse


Some of the Siberians have awakened and we love their graceful stature. I'll keep you posted on the march of irises through June. Although they require a lot of work, gardens reward one’s patience. And gardens offer a tranquil place to enjoy a cup of tea!

Tomorrow is mulch day. Too bad the masseuse will be closed when we finish! 

What kind of irises do you grow? Wouldn't it be fun to swap some this summer? 



8 comments:

Linda O'Connell said...

Thank you for visiting my blog and for the birthday wishes and inspiration. Love seeing the budding beauty.

Musings, Tea, and Me said...

You're welcome, Linda. I meant every word....and I'lll be waiting for your memoir! Happy that you liked my pic....we're going to miss our Redbud, for sure.

Susan said...

Ohhhhh, love all the pinks, Vickie! Don't you just LOVE spring? Well, it's almost summer but it's great to have the profusion of greenery and flowers!

I think we have a couple of light purple iris coming up. My Dad grew them. WIll have to wait and see what color they are going to be. This is our first year of having them.

Take care and have a wonderful day. Susan

Musings, Tea, and Me said...

I do love spring, Susan - it's my favorite season! Can't wait to see your irises! Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting.

Elephant's Child said...

We have bearded iris, and dutch iris and a small 'native' iris. And I love them all. It will be a while before ours flower again (we have just moved into winter). Or at least I hope it will be. The seasons are out of whack here. I have jonquils and anenomes in flower and tulips poking through the soil. Too early, way too early.
I grieve with you for the lost trees. Yesterday I finished cutting down a crab apple which turned up its toes. A glorious thing it was too.

Musings, Tea, and Me said...

Thanks for your lovely note. Oh, I hope you will post pictures when they return! I think the native varieties are so interesting. My condolences on your crabapple...it changes the landscape so to lose what we love, doesn't it? You mentioned the seasons being out of whack....we've been experiencing this for a few years, at least. But I plan to keep gardening ;-)

Anonymous said...

Good Morning, So nice to meet you via Susan. We just moved into a new home and I am starting from scratch with our garden. I so enjoyed your lovely photos. I pray that blogging will be a tremendous blessing for you as it has been for me. Mildred in Georgia

Musings, Tea, and Me said...

Thanks, Mildred! I am a bit late in replying here; I think I visited your blog and left a message there....but just in case, I want you to know I appreciate your visit and glad you like my photos.